The transition from the second floor to the third felt like stepping into a different dimension. On the first floor, it was about muscle. On the second, it was about technique. But as I pushed open the heavy oak doors to the third floor, the air felt thick with something else: Dread.
The third floor was the territory of the Honor Students, the ones whose parents funded the school's new wings. It was clean, quiet, and smelled of expensive perfume and ozone. This was the domain of Elena 'The Queen of Hearts' Vance. Unlike the others, she didn't wait in the middle of the hall. She made you come to her.
I walked past a row of glass trophies, my blood-stained silhouette reflecting back at me. My ribs were definitely cracked. Every breath felt like a jagged piece of glass was sliding into my lungs.
"You look terrible, Asher," a voice echoed through the speakers in the ceiling. It was smooth, melodic, and completely devoid of empathy. "Julian was much more handsome when he stood exactly where you're standing."
I stopped in my tracks. My grip tightened on my bag strap. "Don't you dare say his name."
"Why not? He was quite the hero," Elena's voice purred. "But heroes are so fragile. They break under the slightest pressure. Tell me, does he still smell like the hospital, or has the scent of death finally taken over?"
I saw her then. She was sitting at the end of the long hall on a velvet chair she must have brought from home. She was spinning a small, silver pen between her fingers. Behind her stood two silent twins, both dressed in black suits—her 'Knights.'
"Kill the speakers, Elena," I said, my voice a low growl. "Let's do this face to face."
She stood up, the silver pen clicking. In an instant, the clicking stopped, and I realized it wasn't a pen at all. It was a high-frequency taser disguised as a stylus.
"My level isn't about how hard you can hit, Asher," she said, stepping forward. Her Knights moved with her, perfectly synchronized. "It's about how much you're willing to lose. You've already lost your brother. You're losing your girl, Chloe—did you see the way she looked at you? She sees a monster. And now, I'm going to take your senses."
She signaled the twins. They didn't charge like Tank. They split up, moving along the walls like spiders.
One of them threw a small canister. It hit the floor and hissed, releasing a thick, white smoke that smelled like bitter almonds. My eyes began to sting. My vision blurred.
"Tear gas?" I coughed, pulling my hoodie over my nose.
"Not exactly," Elena's voice came from the left, but when I turned, a kick caught me in the kidneys from the right. "It's a hallucinogen-laced irritant. Your brain is currently trying to decide if the walls are melting or if I'm standing behind you. Hint: It's both."
I swung blindly, but my arms felt like lead. I was fighting shadows. I saw Julian standing in the smoke, his face pale and eyes accusing.
Why are you doing this, Ash? the hallucination whispered. You're becoming just like them.
"Shut up!" I screamed, swinging at the ghost of my brother.
I felt a sharp, electric sting in my shoulder. Elena had moved in with the taser. Five thousand volts surged through my body. My muscles locked, and I collapsed to the floor, my face pressing against the cold tiles.
"Checkmate," Elena whispered, standing over me. She raised her foot, the heel of her designer shoe aimed directly at my throat. "You were a fun distraction, but the Apex doesn't have time for a charity case."
I couldn't move my arms. The electricity had fried my nervous system for the moment. But I could still feel the cold floor. And I remembered something Julian had told me about the third floor.
The third floor is built on old foundations, Ash. If you can't see the enemy, listen to the floor.
I closed my eyes. I stopped trying to see through the smoke. I pressed my ear to the tile.
I felt it. The subtle vibration of her weight shifting to her left leg to deliver the killing blow with her right.
I didn't need my arms to be fully functional. I just needed one good burst of movement.
As her heel descended, I rolled—not away, but under her