Two chattering girls enter the shower room. At the sight of Marcus's face, they come to a sudden halt, their words dying on their lips. They decide a bathroom break can wait and spin around, heading back the way they came.

When their voices disappear down the hallway, I ask him in my steadiest voice, "What exactly do you remember?"

With the way he's acting, it can't be anything good. His anger must have been an integral part of his personality back then. It's too deep-rooted to be artificial. I thought his rough upbringing and his guilt over Frankie's death were the cause of it, but if those memories weren't real, it means it originated from somewhere else.

Somewhere a lot more frightening.

"What do you remember?" I ask him.

"How about you stop asking me these questions? You weren't there. You're not one of us, so you'd never understand."

I'm taken aback at his hostility. "Since when is this an Us-Versus-Them thing?"

"Still with the questions."

My own anger stirs to life. "Fine. No more questions. All I can tell you is whatever you've done in the past, whatever you think you are—that's not the only person you can be. These past couple of weeks are proof of that. I don't know what it was like for you guys in that place. But I do know the future is in your hands. What matters most is what you choose to do from this moment on."

Marcus leans against the wall next to the sinks and smirks. "Maybe."

He's withdrawing from me. I'm more desperate than ever to hold onto him. "Your memories aren't all that define you. You're—"

"This is getting us nowhere," he says, turning to leave.

"Marcus," I call out. "We haven't finished talking about this."

"There's nothing to talk about. You're way in over your head. You want the truth? The dreams I've been having are real. Rudolph isn't the first person I've ever killed. I don't know what number he is. You lose track at some point." He sneers. "Sooner or later it stops being such a big deal."

"What do you mean?" I ask, my voice thin.

"I'm talking about what Eli did to that girl. How he killed her before she even blanked. Director Blaine taught us that. He started us off on Blanks, got us used to seeing so much death. It wasn't long before we were killing kids who just had symptoms."

"He's a psycho," I say indignantly.

"No. He's not the psycho. I am. I'm the one who chose to do it. Being Director Blaine's favorite meant I was at the top of the food chain. I could see the looks the others gave me. Their respect. Their fear. The guys wanted what we had. Girls like Janie couldn't get enough of me. Director Blaine was a jerk most of the time, but the power he gave us—the purpose. I was so loyal to him I would have done anything for him. I still am."

I face the blank mirrors, my hand pressed against my mouth. Marcus didn't just kill Blanks. He killed innocent kids just because they exhibited the symptoms. No wonder Eli was quick to stab that girl earlier today. It was what Blaine trained him to do.

What Blaine trained Marcus to do.

"I can't pretend to be anything more than I am," he says. "I don't want to. Makes it easier to sleep at night when you accept that you are a monster." His jaw tightens. "And knowing you, you'd never be able to live with that. So it's best for both of us if I walk away right now."

And he does. He leaves me alone in the shower room, my heart encased in a block of ice.



When I've had my fill of thinking, I head for the cafeteria. I try to shake off my gloom, but it sticks to my skin like a layer of glue. Focus on the plan, I tell myself. Part of the reason I wanted to make amends with Marcus is because I need his help. I need him to help me convince Eli and the rest of his buddies to go along with my crazy scheme.

Marcus and Eli are at their table. An unusually large group is hovering around them. I spot three faces that don't belong there: two guys and a girl seated near Eli. They look terrified. Whatever they're doing here, it's not by choice.

"Hey." Alec walks up to me. He follows my gaze and says, "More potential Blanks."

I study them and notice some of the things Eli mentioned before. The so-called symptoms. There are spasms in the girl's hand. Not I'm-scared-out-of-my-mind quivers, but violent spasms that jerk up her whole arm.

One of the boys is squeezing his head between his hands and whimpering under his breath. Trapped, I keep hearing. The other boy is grinding his teeth, unmistakable rage on his face. He looks like he wants to kill the people keeping him here, but thankfully he stays put.

"What the hell are you thinking, Alec?" Eli asks, gesturing wildly. "You want them to sit here nice and tight until they blank and tear into us?"

"Do what you have to do after they blank, but not until then," Alec says.

Marcus is quiet. Next to him, Janie has a hand on his shoulder, probably to comfort him, but when she sees me looking, her hand slides up and down his back in gentle strokes.

Eli throws his arms up. "You're too soft, Junior. You need to toughen up."

"I have an idea," I say before Alec can retort.

Marcus looks at me as though he's seeing me for the first time. I want to know what he thinks about all of this, but I'm afraid to ask. I might not like the answer.

"The white room," I say as my gaze slides back to Eli. "Lock them in there. Use one of the table legs to jam the door handle so they can't open it."

"N-no," the girl whimpers. "You can't lock us in there!"

Her terror eats a hole through me. What I'm suggesting might as well be murder, because they won't be coming out of there human.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. We're out of options.

The scared boy asks, "W-what if one of us turns first and kills the other two?"

"Won't be a problem," Marcus says. "Blanks don't hurt each other."

"How do you—?" I cut off. Stupid question. Jonathan Blaine must have taught him. I never would have imagined a vicious killer like the Blank we fought could be capable of recognizing its own kind. This makes things worse. If two kids blank at the same time, they won't take each other out. They'll both be gunning for the rest of us.

"Well?" Alec says to Eli. "Is that good enough for you, or are you just looking for a reason to start killing again?"

Eli grins at him. "Just trying to protect us, is all." He gestures to three guys at the table. "Escort our friends to the white room."

They take away the sobbing girl and the two guys. I watch them disappear from the cafeteria, wondering if I've made a big mistake. It might not be the only mistake I've made today, but it's too late to back out of Operation Survival now.

"We can't afford to waste any more time." Eli says. "I say we line everyone up and check them for signs they might be blanking. Hunt down anyone who's hiding their symptoms and lock them all up. Those three won't be the last we see of them."

"Eli's got a good point for a change," Janie replies, earning a smirk from him.

"I have another idea," I announce.

Eli grins broadly. "Sam's precious stepdaughter is just full of ideas, isn't she? And she's got his little helpers to back her up."

I glance back and notice Willow behind me. Her hands are fisted at her sides, but she doesn't walk away. "We're all on the same side, Eli," Alec tosses back, unaware of her internal conflict. "Even if you are the biggest asshole inside and outside the facility."

Eli throws back his head and laughs, and all I can think about is the way he killed that girl earlier. "Man, you're a riot. It's too bad your dad never appreciated your potential for comedy. Maybe then you'd have a shot at winning him back."

His friends wear confused expressions, looking back and forth between Eli and Alec. "This isn't about trying to win anyone back," I say to him, though I'd love to have Marcus on my side again, instead of this brooding guy who's watching the action in silence. "This is about looking out for ourselves. I know a way we can do it if we all work together."

"Yeah?" Eli asks, smirking at Willow. "And what's your big plan?"

I walk around his chair and sit across from him, forcing him to look at me instead of her. In concise and undressed words, I tell him my plan. Murmurs break across the table, which works in my favor; it masks our conversation in case the Takers have this place bugged.

Eli bursts out laughing. "Is that your brilliant plan?"

"Pretty much." He doesn't need to know that there's more to it than that. I hate that I have to run this much by him, but I can't do this without his cooperation. Even with Marcus on my side, this guy is unstable. I don't doubt he'll do whatever it takes to stop us if he has to.

"Should be fun."

I couldn't have heard him right. "What?"

He shrugs. "Things have gotten boring around here lately."

"Killing that girl wasn't exciting enough for you?" Willow snaps.

"Don't be like that, Will. You know it makes me sad when you're angry at me."

"So let me get this straight," Janie interjects, "You think destroying Gardiner's property and cutting off ties with them is the best course of action? So much for being Girl Genius."

"No, she's right." Eli leans back and cracks his knuckles. "I'm not going down without a fight. If the Takers are going to lock us in here and screw with us, I say we give them hell. And if we die in the process, at least it'll be on our terms."

I don't believe he wants to get back at the Takers. A guy like him probably relishes being locked up like this, free to do whatever he wants to whomever he wants. I'd bet he's hoping the facility will dissolve into chaos once we destroy the Takers' surveillance.

It doesn't matter. All I need is this: his agreement. For now.

It doesn't escape my notice that Marcus hasn't said anything. It doesn't escape Janie's either, because she asks, "What about you, Marcus?"

He's staring at the distant concrete wall, so far removed from our conversation I wonder where he's gone off to. Then he blinks and turns his head toward her, avoiding looking anywhere in my direction. "Sure. Why not?"

His tone is flat. It's enough to appease Janie at least. "Whatever. If Marcus and Eli are in, I guess I am, too."

This looks more like a victory for me. So why don't I feel like I've won?



With Marcus and Eli backing me up, the rest of the teenagers take to the task of vandalism enthusiastically. The cameras in this room have been smashed to pieces. Not just that, I see some kids combing for hidden bugs, checking the undersides of the tables and even their own clothes. We haven't spotted anything like that since we got here, but it doesn't hurt to be sure.

When most of the activity grinds to a halt, I approach Marcus's group again. He's in conversation with Buzzcut—Adam—but he quiets down when he sees me. "Is everything done?" I ask them. "All the cameras taken care of? No discovered bugs?"

"Yes, ma'am," Eli drawls. "The ones in the cafeteria, gym, shower room, kitchen, and hallways. Only ones we can't reach are the block cameras, but those don't film anything outside the blocks. We can take care of them after six."

"There's no need for that."

He cocks his head. "There's not?"

I pause to make sure Alec and the others have joined us. They need to hear this, too. "I wasn't completely upfront with you guys about why we needed to destroy those cameras."

The kids at the table whisper and glance at one another in confusion.

"Look, we all know how dangerous this place is, right?" I say, looking around at my audience. More kids have wandered closer to hear me. "We've been lucky so far today, but we might not be able to get to each Blank in time. Our best bet to stay alive isn't to wait in here and ride out whatever's coming. The only way we'll survive this place is outside of it."

"Are you saying we should try to escape?" someone demands.

I nod. "That's why I suggested killing the Takers' surveillance. Hopefully it'll buy us enough time to get out before they realize what we've done."

Everyone starts talking at once. Their voices mix with one another, loud and excited. Marcus gets up from his seat and snaps, "Shut up!"

The noise winds down. I hold my breath. "April is right," he says. "This place isn't safe for any of us. If there's any chance we can get the hell out, we should take it."

I'm relieved whatever tension is between us, as frustrating as it is, isn't getting in the way of the bigger picture.

"Did you find a way out that you haven't told us about?" Eli asks.

This is the toughest part in all of this. What I'm about to say is based purely on intuition. I glance back at Willow, remembering her perpetual exhaustion. Her lack of sleep. And her late night visits to the bathroom, according to her roommate. She wasn't just suffering from insomnia all those nights. There has to be more to it than that.

"No," I say. "But I think Willow does."