The gang of bullies scrambled to their feet. They dragged their injured leader and sprinted out of the parking lot, terrified of the monster in the black hoodie.

The wind howled across the empty asphalt. The metallic smell of blood hung in the air.

Cody finally found his voice. He let out a wild whoop and ran toward Dasia, throwing his arms wide for a hug.

Dasia shifted her weight and lifted her heavy bag, using it as a shield. Cody slammed into the canvas instead of her chest.

"Holy shit!" Cody yelled, bouncing back. "That roundhouse kick! Did you secretly train with monks? What happened to you?"

Dasia ignored him. Her ears twitched.

Beneath the sound of Cody's yelling, she heard a faint, rhythmic sound. A soft sniffle. It was coming from the undercarriage of a black SUV parked three spots away.

Her muscles instantly tensed. She dropped her bag and moved silently toward the vehicle, her footsteps making zero noise on the pavement.

Cody slapped a hand over his mouth, terrified that another gang member was hiding.

Dasia crouched down and peered behind the massive rear tire.

It wasn't a thug with a weapon. It was a little boy, maybe seven years old. He wore a pristine, tailored uniform from the elite prep school across the street.

The boy was clutching a high-end handheld gaming console to his chest. Tears streamed down his chubby cheeks. He stared at Dasia with wide, terrified eyes.

The violent aura surrounding Dasia vanished. She let out a slow breath, releasing the tension in her shoulders.

The boy shrank back against the tire. The console slipped from his hands and clattered onto the dirty asphalt.

Dasia lowered herself onto one knee, bringing her eyes level with his so she wouldn't tower over him.

She reached out with her long, pale fingers and picked up the console. The screen showed a "Game Over" screen on a difficult boss fight.

Her thumbs flew over the buttons in a blur. Within ten seconds, the boss exploded into pixels. The "Victory" banner flashed.

She handed the console back to the boy.

"The bad guys are gone," Dasia said. She softened her raspy voice, making it as gentle as she could. "You're safe."

Landon stared at the victory screen, then looked up at Dasia's sharp, handsome face. The fear in his eyes melted away, replaced by absolute awe.

"Are you... are you a pro gamer?" Landon sniffled, wiping his nose with his expensive sleeve. "You fight better than my brother does in his games!"

Dasia's eyes darkened for a fraction of a second at the mention of pro gaming. She stood up.

"I'm not," Dasia said. "Go home. It's not safe here."

She turned to walk away.

A small, warm hand clamped down on the fabric of her hoodie.

Dasia stopped. She looked down. Landon was gripping her clothes like his life depended on it.

"I'm lost," Landon said, his lower lip trembling. "My driver went to get coffee and I wandered off. Can you take me to the rich school across the street? My brother is there."

Cody waved his hands frantically behind Dasia's back, mouthing, No! Don't go over there! The elite school was off-limits to public school kids.

Dasia looked at Landon's red, freezing nose. A sudden memory hit her-her brother Gerald, crying in his room after being bullied when they were kids.

A painful knot formed in her chest. The ice around her heart cracked just a little.

"Fine," Dasia sighed. "Stay close."

Landon cheered. He glued himself to her side, his small shoulder brushing against her leg.

Dasia turned to Cody. "Go home. Don't follow me."

Her tone left no room for argument. Cody nodded rapidly and sprinted away.

Dasia and Landon walked down the sidewalk toward the massive iron gates of the elite academy. The setting sun cast long, orange shadows behind them.

Landon didn't stop talking. He bragged about how amazing his older brother was, even though he had a terrible temper.

Dasia kept her hands in her pockets, offering only a low "Mm" in response.

As they crossed the street, a sports car sped around the corner, ignoring the crosswalk.

Dasia's arm shot out. She grabbed Landon by the collar and yanked him hard against her side, shielding him with her body as the car roared past.

Landon buried his face in her hoodie. He smelled the clean scent of laundry detergent. He looked up at Dasia's sharp jawline, completely convinced that this dark, scary boy was his guardian angel.

The wrought-iron gates of the elite academy towered over them, flanked by stone pillars and a pristine security booth.

Dasia stopped on the sidewalk. She pulled her hand away from Landon's shoulder and shoved it deep into her hoodie pocket. She tilted her chin toward the entrance.

"Go," she said simply.

Landon opened his mouth to thank her, but a loud burst of laughter interrupted him.

Five boys wearing tailored blazers strolled out of the campus gates, blocking the sidewalk.

Dasia's eyes swept over them lazily, but then her gaze locked onto the boy in the center. Her pupils contracted to pinpricks.

Declan Hayes.

He was the substitute player for Glory. The one who had orchestrated the trap in the game that ruined Gerald's reputation. The one who smiled while Gerald's hand was crushed.

The blood in Dasia's veins turned to liquid fire. Her heart slammed against her ribs, but she clamped her jaw shut, forcing the murderous rage down into the pit of her stomach. Her face remained a mask of dead calm.

Declan stopped laughing. He stared at Dasia, his eyes widening in recognition. Then, a nasty, arrogant smirk spread across his face.

He pushed past his friends and strutted right up to Dasia, looking her up and down with exaggerated disgust.

"Well, well, well," Declan announced, his voice loud enough to draw stares from passing students. "If it isn't Gerald. The useless dog who got kicked out of Glory."

Landon gasped. He shrank behind Dasia's legs, terrified by the sudden malice.

Dasia stood perfectly still. She didn't blink. She didn't breathe faster. She just stared at Declan like he was a corpse.

Declan hated that look. He expected Gerald to cower, to look away in shame like he always did.

Declan raised his hand and aggressively poked Dasia's shoulder. "What's the matter? Hand too crippled to play, so now you're babysitting rich kids for lunch money?"

The second Declan's finger touched her hoodie, Dasia moved.

Her left hand snapped up faster than a striking snake. She grabbed Declan's extended index finger and bent it backward with brutal force.

A sickening pop echoed in the quiet street.

Declan shrieked. His knees buckled from the blinding pain, dropping him toward the pavement.

Dasia didn't let him fall. Her right hand shot out and grabbed the knot of his expensive silk tie. She yanked upward, lifting him off his feet.

With a violent shove, she slammed Declan's back against the rough brick wall of the gate pillar. The impact knocked the wind out of his lungs with a heavy thud.

Declan's friends yelled and stepped forward to help.

Dasia slowly turned her head. She shot them a look so dark, so filled with pure, unhinged violence, that all four boys froze in their tracks.

She turned back to Declan. She leaned in close. The shadow of her hood fell over his face.

"Touch me again," Dasia whispered, her voice a raspy, demonic scrape, "and I will break every single finger on your hand."

Declan stared into her pitch-black eyes. He couldn't breathe. The tie was strangling him, but the sheer terror paralyzing his heart was worse. This wasn't the weak, compromising Gerald he knew. This was a monster.

Dasia released his tie. She wiped her fingers on her jeans, her face twisting with revulsion.

Declan slid down the brick wall, coughing violently and clutching his throat.

A crowd of students had gathered. Smartphones were out, camera flashes blinking as they recorded the aftermath.

Dasia ignored the cameras. She looked down at Landon, her voice instantly returning to a calm, flat tone. "Let's go find your brother."

Landon swallowed hard. He nodded frantically, grabbed the edge of her hoodie, and pulled her through the gates.

Behind them, Declan finally caught his breath. Humiliated and furious, he screamed at her retreating back.

"You think you're tough? !" Declan roared. "You're just a pathetic loser! What, did you come here to beg one of our rich students for a handout because Glory kicked you to the curb, you disgusting creep? !"

Dasia's boots paused for a fraction of a second at the name "King."

She didn't turn around. She pulled her hood down lower and walked deeper into the enemy territory.

The campus was massive, lined with ancient oak trees that dropped golden leaves onto the manicured lawns.

Dasia walked down the main promenade with Landon clinging to her side. The noise from the front gate faded, but a new kind of noise replaced it.

Girls in cheerleading uniforms stopped and stared at Dasia's sharp jawline and brooding aura, whispering behind their hands.

Landon noticed the attention. He puffed out his chest and gripped Dasia's sleeve tighter, glaring at the girls to back off.

Dasia didn't care about the stares. "Where exactly is your brother?" she asked, her voice rough.

Landon scratched his head. "He said he's at the library near the fountain plaza. But I don't know where the library is."

Dasia pinched the bridge of her nose. The school was a labyrinth.

Two boys walked out of a gothic-style gymnasium ahead of them. They were staring at their phones, then looked up and pointed directly at Dasia.

"Look at the forum," one boy whispered loudly. "Declan just posted. That crippled loser Gerald is here stalking King!"

The other boy sneered. "Shameless trash. His hand is ruined so he's trying to get famous by harassing our captain."

Landon's face turned red. He let go of Dasia and took a step toward the boys, his tiny fists clenched.

Dasia's hand shot out. She grabbed Landon's shoulder and pulled him back to her side. Her face was completely blank.

"If a dog barks at you, do you get on your hands and knees and bark back?" Dasia said. She didn't lower her voice.

The two boys froze. Their faces flushed with anger, but remembering the video of Declan getting slammed against a wall, they quickly looked away and hurried past.

Landon looked up at her, pouting. "They're liars! You're not a loser. You're a superhero!"

The corner of Dasia's mouth twitched upward by a millimeter. She reached out and patted the top of Landon's head.

"Let's find the fountain," she said, shoving her hands back into her pockets.

They walked past towering brick buildings. More students pointed and took photos. Someone in a second-floor window blasted the audio from Gerald's worst e-sports match, the commentators screaming about his failures.

Dasia's spine remained perfectly straight. Her footsteps didn't speed up or slow down. She treated the insults like background static.

Her absolute indifference infuriated the bullies. They wanted to see her break, but she walked through them like a king inspecting a ruined city.

Landon felt incredibly safe walking next to her. He started talking again to fill the silence.

"My brother is the worst," Landon complained. "He has this crazy germaphobia. If someone bumps into him, he washes his hands three times. He's a total tyrant."

Dasia frowned. An image of the man at the train station flicking his expensive coat flashed in her mind.

"And he thinks everyone is obsessed with him," Landon continued. "He's so arrogant."

Dasia mentally rolled her eyes. The brother sounded like an insufferable, spoiled brat. She just wanted to drop the kid off and leave.

They cleared a line of trees, and the space opened up.

A massive white marble fountain sat in the center of a stone plaza. The water sprayed high into the air, catching the sunlight.

Landon jumped up and down, pointing at a grand building with massive stone columns behind the fountain. "That's the library! He's gotta be there!"

Dasia followed his finger. Her eyes narrowed.

Standing at the top of the library steps was a tall man in a custom black trench coat. He wasn't entirely alone; his assistant, Alex, stood a few feet away, scanning the plaza with vigilant eyes, effectively keeping everyone else ten feet away. Carlton was looking down at his phone, radiating a dark, oppressive energy.

Dasia's stomach dropped.