❝how do you kill a monster without becoming one?❞
In the last city ruled by man, fish soar in the skies above and monsters lurk in the alleys below. Ten years ago, Jase lost both his legs and his mother to one such monster. However, tragedy couldn't...
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Jase chewed a bite of french toast.
It was good. It was always good. A part of him longed for something new, something that would break the monotony. But those things were usually bad things and even though it had been two months since the Rose Petal Ball, Jase's thoughts still drifted dangerously close to that night.
So many people had died. Stingray had released an official death count, with a number of corpses having their teeth ripped out and butchered beyond recognition. But there were many, many more left half eaten - a key trait of Red's killing style. Before the Ball, Jase would have just assumed Red and Tooth were working together because Red was the queen of the hive.
But she wasn't. Cinderella, the Smile who had been labeled as Red's right hand, had tried to kill Red. Jase kept this world-altering revelation to himself.
He couldn't be wrong again.
There were other effects that night had on Last City. Midnight's apartment was abandoned but no one new moved in. Every single heir had disappeared without a trace, leaving the Districts vulnerable. Only the Kings remained entirely unscathed, as Huraira and her father had left early. Jase wondered how differently things would have played out if they'd stayed.
Kova and his sisters were alright, though. Kova had gotten a bit scratched up and Jase forced himself not to think about it. He wasn't jumping to any half-baked conclusions this time. That had just led him to months of guilt and anxiety. Not to mention a wasted chunk of Notes.
This time, Jase wasn't going to make up evidence that didn't exist. Sure, Kova was fast and strong and looked sort of similar to Cinderella, but Jase had said the same thing about Huraira. Human memory was faulty. Not to mention all of the evidence that proved Kova couldn't be a Smile.
He ate human food. He bled. He cried. He was human.
He had to be.
Jase wasn't going to think about it. It was just a coincidence. Just like with Huraira, who was also, perfectly human.
That was when Kova collapsed into his food.
"Kova!" Huraira shrieked, as mustard, salt, and whatever Kova's breakfast used to be splattered across the table. "Watch it! Do you know how hard it is to get mustard stains out?"
Jase tapped Kova, trying to wake him up, but he didn't budge. "He's out cold," Jase said. "Ryenar and Hykelia, Kova, you were supposed to do my work!"
Huraira rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised Kova's dealt with your shit for this long," she said. "If you were my partner, I'd probably shove you down the throat of the nearest Smile. Why does it take you two days to fill out a couple of forms?"
"There's a like a hundred of them!" Jase snapped. "And they're boring."
"Everyone else does them. Bonnie-" Her voice cracked. "Bonnie and I could knock them out in one day. It's the reason we were able to level up faster than you idiots," Huraira said. "You do realize you're holding Kova back, right?"
