“Hey,Ithinkyoudroppedthis.”Aboywalkingbyslappedapieceofpaper
ontoherdesk—itwasher ChimeraBitchphoto,ofcourse.Hisfriendslaughed as he strutted proudly back to his seat, muttering “dumb chime” under his breath.Eveofferednoreaction;shesimplyletthepaperfalltotheground.
Theclassroomdoorflungopen,andMadisonandHaydenwaltzedthrough
theentrance,theirarmslinkedtogetherastheygiggledlikeyoungschoolgirls.
Theysashayedtotheoppositesideoftheroom—farawayfromEve’sdesk—
andwhisperedwhatshecouldonlyassumewerecattyremarksintoeach
others’ ears. Not far behind them was Professor Clarke, and Eve breathed a sighofreliefashetookastandathispodium;atleastnow,maybehalfofthe
class’sattentionwouldbedirectedatsomeoneotherthanherself.
“Leadership,”Clarkebeganwithoutpreamble,“isaboutstandingfirminthe
faceofadversity.Itmeansbeingunpopular,maybeevenostracized.Buta
leaderwillperseverewithconviction.Aleaderwillmeetresistancewith
courage.Andifpeoplestartslingingmudorthrowingstones,aleaderwon’t
falter.Theywillonlygrowstronger.Better.
“Andwhatabouteveryoneelse?”hecontinued,hisvoicereflectingahintof scorn.“Themudslingers—thosewhoblindlyfollowthenormwithout
question.They’remisguided.Impressionable. Weak.Because,yousee,it’seasy tostandbackonthesidelinesandcriticize.It’seasytothrowstones.Butmore
often than not, that target you’re aiming for is a leader. They just may not knowityet.”
Anunlikelyhandshotupfromacrosstheroom:Madison’s.
“Yes,MissPalmer?”
“ProfessorClarke,Iwasundertheimpressionthatsometimes,”shepaused
andshotafiercescowlinEve’sdirection,“certainpeople deservetobe
stoned.”
“Andwhatdeterminesthat,MissPalmer?Whatmakesoneperson
condemnedtoalifeofjudgment?Isitbecausethey’retrulyevil?Subhuman?
Orisitsimplybecausethey’redifferent?”
“Ithinkit’sbecausethey’reabarftasticbitch,”Madisonanswered.
Theclasseruptedintolaughter,andEvefelttheroomshrinkaroundher.
“MissPalmer,that’senough—”
“Ithinksomeonelikethat—arepulsive,suckgasmicslophole—shouldjust
falloffthefaceoftheEarth.”
“MISSPALMER—”
“I mean, isn’t it our duty? Isn’t it our moral obligation as students—no, as leaders at Billington—to rid the campus of such disposable shit? After all, we’dbebetteroffifchimeraslike Eveweren’taround—”
“MADISONPALMER,GETTHEHELLOUTOFMYCLASSROOM!”
Clarkeroared,hisvoiceboomingacrossthelecturehall.
Itwastoolate;thedamagehadbeendone.Theentireroomwasinanuproar,
theircheeringundoubtedlyechoingfarbeyondtheconfinesofthelecturehall.
Madison rose from her seat, bowing to her fans as she cavorted across the classroom.Atthedoor,shestopped,turnedtoEve,and,withadevioussmile,
blewakissinherdirection.
Eveflinched,asifshecouldfeelthegirl’slipsonherskin,andturnedher
attentiontoClarke—hewasfranticallywavinghisarmsashestruggledto
controlhisstudents,shoutingdemandsthatwerecompletelydrownedoutby
their applause. With a visible sigh, he glanced over at Eve, his face long, his eyespleadingforherforgiveness.Hisintentionsweregood—sheknewthat—
butallshecouldhearwasthecheeringthatsurroundedher—thesoundof
jubilant,triumphanthate.
Therestofherdaywouldonlygetworse;itwasanunfortunatetruthshehad
cometoaccept.Andshewasright,foreachclassthatfollowedseemedtobea
little bit more miserable than the last. At least Hand-to-Hand Combat had the potentialtobeuplifting—orsoshethought,untilRamseymadeasurprise
announcement.
“Drillsareover,”thecaptainbarked.“We’resparringtoday.”
Evesighed.Sheknewthiswouldhappen—theclass wasHand-to-Hand
Combat,afterall—butshewashopingthatthetimingwouldn’tbequiteso
terrible.
“Thisisfull-contactsparring,sothings willgetmessy,”hecontinued,pacing acrossthegymnasium.“Youwillgethurt,andyouwillbleed.That’sthe
towardalineofmatsbehindhim.“You’llbepairedupalphabetically.Youand
yourpartnerwillfightusingthetechniquesyou’velearned.Ifyou’redownfor
morethantenseconds,you’redone.Ifyoutapoutorstepoffthemat,you’re
done.”
“CaptainRamsey,permissiontospeak?”
“Granted.”
“Captain,whiletherestofusarefighting,dowehaveanydollsforthegirl
toplaywith?”
TheotherstudentsstifledtheirlaughterandEverolledhereyes.Ofcourseit
wasChinDimple—only hewouldbebrazenenoughtoaskthat.
“Well,lookwho’sagoddamnclown!”thecaptainsneered,unamusedwith
hisstudent’squip.“YouthinkyoucanbeatKingston?”
ChinDimplesmirked.“I’msorry,I’massumingthat’snotaserious
question,right?”
“Youwatchyourtongue, boy.”
Ramseyglaredatthefootballerandgrumbledtohimself,hisfaceredwith
irritation.Thenheturnedbacktofacehisclass.
“DoyouknowwhyBillingtonoffersaseriesof combatcourses?WhyI’m
standinghere,teachingyoutofight?”Hebeganpacingtheflooryetagain.“It’s
’causetheworldweliveinrightnowisa shitshow.Peoplearebeingtaken.
Tortured. Murdered.Allfromrightunderournoses.Weneed soldiers. People whocanprotect.Peoplewhocan kill.Peopleequippedtohandle surprises—the kindofsurprisesthatleavebehindmangled,bloodycorpsesjustsowecan piss
’n’shitourselves.”
Hestoppedpacingandstaredathisstudents,hiseyesslowlypanningovereach
andeveryoneofthem.
“That’swhatyouallsignedupfor.You’reheretobecomesoldiers—tolearn
whatittakestohandleanyhazardthoseuglyalienshitsthrowyourway.And
soyou’llfacesurprisesinthisclass.”HiseyeslandedonEve.“Surpriseslike
Kingston.BecauseKingstonisnotadefenselesslittlegirl.”
Eveheldherbreath;sheknewwhathewasgoingtosaynext,andeven
thoughthesecretwasalreadyout,apartofherprayedtoGodthathewouldn’t.
“Kingstonisachimera.”
Theclassstirredonlyslightly,andstillEve’sgutchurnedwithchagrin.
“She’ssomeoneyoumightinitiallymisjudge.Youmaycometoregretthat
judgmentlater.”
“Yeah,we’veseentheflyers,Captain,”ChinDimplesaidmatter-of-factly.
“Notmuchofasurpriseifeveryonealreadyknows.”
Eveglancedatthefootballer—hewassosmug,soconfident,withhisstupid
chiseled jaw and his nauseatingly pronounced cleft chin. Ramsey, too, was watching him; she had expected him to react with fiery anger like he usually
did,butinsteadhisdemeanorwascoldandrigid.
“Neverunderestimateyourenemy.”Thecaptainturnedhisattentiontothe
rest of the g
roup and reached for his clipboard. “Once I call you and your partner, you’ll grab a mat and prepare to spar. When I blow my whistle, it’s game on.” He went through the list, reciting each name until he reached the letter“K.”
“Keller,you’rewithKingston.”
Along,irritatedsighsoundedfromacrosstheroom.Evelookeddownthe
lineandspiedthesource:aboy,roughlysixfeettallwithcaramelskin,wide
shoulders and a defined chest. He shook his head as his friends poked at his ribs and slapped his back, teasing him for his terrible luck of the draw. Eve couldseeinhiseyesthathewashumiliated,andsheknewatoncethatthiswas
Keller,hersparringopponent.
Onceallthepairingshadbeenreadaloud,Eveapproachedthemat,facing
Keller’smiserablescowl.Shetookherstance,preparingtofight—butKeller
justcrossedhisarms,annoyed.
“Sosorrytoinconvenienceyou,”shebarbed.
“Let’sjustgetthisoverwith,”hemumbled.
The whistle blew, and the two fighters began pivoting on either side of the circle.WhileEvewascomfortableandfocused,Kellerappearedanxious,
breathingheavilyfromhisnose.Shealmostpitiedhim—thestressoffighting
herwaswrittenalloverhisface.Shewasnearlypositivesheknewwhathewas
thinking at that moment— To hit her, or not to hit her—but even after a full minutehadpassed,heremainedstationedontheoppositesideofthemat,
shufflingfromsidetosidewhilebucketsofperspirationgusheddownhis forehead.Withaheavysigh,Evedroppedherfistsandimpatientlytappedher
bootagainstthemat.
“Areyougoingtofightme,orareyoujustgoingtostandthere?”
“Shutup,”hespat,hisfistsinchingcloserandclosertohisface.
“Look,youdon’thavetobeeasyonmejustbecauseI’magirl—”
“ISAID SHUTUP.”
Eveglancedacrosstheroom;herotherclassmateswerewellintotheir
matches—somehadalreadybeenwoninthatshortperiodoftime.Shelooked
backatKellerandrolledhereyes.
“Seriously? I’m confused. Are you scared to hit me because I’m a girl, or becauseI’machimera?Orboth?”
“Girl,you’rereallytestingmypatience.”
“Well, maybe if I piss you off enough, you’ll finally muster the courage to makeamove.”
Kellerlungedtowardher,nowvisiblyenraged.Evedodgedhisjabs,
weavingeffortlesslyfromsidetoside,evadingeveryattempthemadetostrike
her.Suddenly,andwithoverwhelmingspeed,shepoundedherfistintohis
pricklyjaw,sendinghisentirebodylurchingtothesideofthemat.
Hesteadiedhimself,grippinghischinashestaredbackatherindisbelief.
“Pissednow?”shescoffed.
He adjusted his jaw, trying to hide his surprise. “You hit like a man.” He
paused.“Areally, reallybigman.”
“Well,thatshouldmakeiteasierforyoutopretendyou’refightingone.”
Hechargedtowardheryetagain,hislungsheavingandhisneckredwith
fury.Eveducked,herbodytwistinggracefullyaroundhis,andstruckhim
acrossthetemplewithapowerfulrighthook.Hefelltohiskneesandclungto
hisear.
“Jesus,woman,”hegrowled.
“Wantmetobackoff?Icanifyouwant.I’llprobablystillwinthough.”
Kellerletoutawarcryandboltedforward,completelyconsumedbyhis
ownembarrassment.Finally,therealfighthadbegun.Hepouncedtowardher,
attemptingtoroundhousekickheracrosstheface,butEveduckedeasilybelow
his foot and kicked out his anchoring ankle, sending him dropping face-first ontothematlikeanenormousdomino.
Kellerimmediatelyleaptbackontohisfeetandhurledhisfistsatherface,
and with each miss he swung harder, faster, only to swat futilely at the air in front of him. Eve was elusive and, much to Keller ’s dismay, still unscathed, and
shecouldseeinhiseyesthathisneedtodefeatherhadescalatedintoagenuine longingforherdeath.Justashepreparedforhisnextmove,shepunchedhim
onceinthepitofhisstomachandagainacrosshisface,sendinghim
staggeringbackward,hiseyesclenchedshutinpain.
Evestoppedforasecond,watchinghimfighttocatchhisbreath.Butinstead
of Keller ’s face, she saw Madison’s hateful glare. Suddenly, she too felt a swell
of rage inside of her, and as Keller finally summoned the strength to swing, she evaded his jabs and struck him hard, first in his right cheek and then his left, and then, with one last deep breath, she bashed him in the center of his throat.Hecrashedtotheground,andEvehoppedontohisthrashingbody,
holdinghimfirmlyagainstthematforeight,nine,tenseconds.
Thematchwasover,andEvewasvictorious.Shebouncedtoherfeetand
dustedoffherkneeswhileKellerpulledhisachingbodyfromthefloor.
“Goodmatch.Sorryaboutyourthroat,”shemumbled.Sheextendedherarm
forahandshake,butherefused,mutteringunderhisbreathashemadehisway
totheloser’sbench.
Eveglancedacrossthegymnasium—abouttwentyotherstudentsremained
beside their mats, their heads held high in triumph. The losers’ bench was alreadyhalffull;tired,discouragedyoungmenslumpedacrossthebleacher
like pouting children, and Eve realized that all of their bitter, glaring faces werepointeddirectlyather.Shelookedaway—shouldshehavefeigned
failure? No, what a stupid thought; after all, they already knew what she was, andtherewasnoneedtopretendotherwise.Still,thewayherclassmates
watchedher—theireyesfilledwithresentment—leftherfeelinguneasy.
“Iknowwhatyou’rethinking,Kingston.”
Ramseystoodbyherside,hishandsonhishipsashetooknoteofthe
winnersandlosers.Heturnedtofaceher.
“Do notbackdown.Remember:ifyouslackoff,youfailmyclass.”
“Peoplearetalkingaboutme.”
“Doyoureallygiveashitwhatthesesons-a-bitchesthinkofyou?”he scoffed.“Ifyoudo,you’renotthewomanIthoughtyouwere.”
Heblewhiswhistleandcockedhisheadatthemats.“Roundtwo:winners
againstwinners.”
Evereluctantlytookherspotinfrontofanewmatandanewopponent.This
boywasbiggerthanKeller—infact,hemighthavebeenthelargeststudentin
the class, with muscles bulging from his chest, arms, and thighs, and thick veinsliningeveryexposedinchofhisbody.Helookeddownatherasifshe
wereatoyforhimtoplaywith—andlaughed.
Still,Evewashardlyconcerned,asshehadgreaterissuestoworryabout.As
hestudiedher,lickinghislipslikeahungryanimal,shecontemplatedhernext
move—wouldshechannelherstrength,orwouldsherestrainherself?
“Screwyou, chimera,”hehissed,wipingthesweatfromhisbrow.
Evesmiled.“Youjustmademydecisionahellofaloteasier.”
Thewhistleblew,andEveimmediatelybarreledforward,aimingstraight
for her beastly rival like an arrow shooting toward a target. Before he could even raise his fists, Eve dropkicked him across his face, pounding her boot intohisjawandsendinghismassivebodyflyingfromthemat.He
landedon
thehardgymnasiumfloorwithathunderingboomthatshooktheentire
buildingandsentcloudsofdustbillowingupfromthewoodenplanks.
Silence. The gym was still, the other fighters frozen beside their mats. Eve peeredatheropponent’sbody;hewasoutcold.Shelookedupfromhisfallen
frame and back at the rest of her classmates. They stared at her, their mouths
gapingopeninastonishment.
“Whatthehellareyouwaitingfor?”Ramseysnapped.“Gettosparring!”
Theotherfightersreluctantlycontinued,andRamseywanderedtoEve’sside
andlookeddownatthesleepinggiant.
“Ishegoingtobeokay?”sheasked.
“He’llbefine.”
“Idon’tknow.Itwasaprettybadlanding.”
Thecaptainslappedattheboy’scheek,andhesnortedabruptly,finally
waking. Ramsey turned to Eve and smirked. “The bigger they are, the harder theyfall.”Hepattedherontheback.“Keepupthegoodwork,Kingston.”
Thesparringcontinuedthroughouttheremainderofclass.Evefoughtand
wonhermatchesoneafterthenext,muchtothedismayofheroverconfident
opponentsandtheloserswhoobservedfromthebench.Theirskepticism
turnedintoshock,theirshockintoawe,andsoontheirawemorphedinto
objection.
Eve’slatestpartnerstaggeredfromthemat,brushingthedustoffofhis
pants after his embarrassing loss. He cursed under his breath and growled at herbeforestompingtowardthelosers’bench.
“Captain!”heshouted,refusingtotakeaseatamongthedefeatedfighters.
“Weshouldn’thavetofighther.Shehasanunfairadvantage!”
Ramseyglowered.“Anadvantageisalwaysunfair—that’swhyit’scalledan
advantage,son.It’syourjobtomakethebestofthatshortstrawyoujustdrew.”
“Ah,comeon,Captain.Youcan’texpectustowinagainsther!”
Ramseyfoldedhisarms.“Ifyou’reintheheatofbattle,areyouallowedto
bow out just because your opponent has an unfair advantage? Do you get to tellyourenemy,‘hey,toneitdown,willya?’”
Theboyhunghisheadlow,hisbrowstillheavywithscorn.“No,Captain.”
“I’mnotgonnagiveyouallagoldstarforparticipating.You’llface