Chapter 3 Rui
Rui
Ignoring the healer’s pleas to stay, Rui left the infirmary after she woke and went straight to Teshin to ask for a crossbow.
She’d seen what the small contraption could do and was itching to get her hands on one. The next hour was spent alone in her
dorm room, familiarizing herself with the weapon and stewing in anxiety as she waited for Ada to tell her if they had passed
the test.
The answer came in the form of a knock on the door.
Rui sprang out of bed. “Did we pass?”
“Obviously not.” Ada stepped in, her eyeliner looking more smudged than usual. She kicked off her shoes and flung her navy
school blazer over the chair. “I got swarmed after you fainted. Couldn’t kill all the monsters by myself.”
“Did they drink from you?” Rui asked, rubbing her arms. She couldn’t shake that feeling from earlier, like she was drowning
in ice water.
“No,” Ada said. “When it was clear you were out like a light and I wasn’t making any progress, Ash stopped the program. I
told you to pace yourself, Rui. We aren’t endless wells of spiritual energy. There’s a limit to our abilities, even yours.
You should’ve listened to me—remember what we talked about?”
“Hunting Revenants is a team sport,” Rui said morosely, crawling back into bed. She wrapped her blanket around her head. Working
with others wasn’t her strong suit, and she was picky about who she spent time with. It was a bad trait to have if she wanted
to be an Exorcist, but she knew better than to rely on other people. Sooner or later, everyone would disappoint. It was only
a matter of time. That was humanity in a nutshell.
The bed dipped as Ada climbed on.
Rui felt a poke at her ribs, and she stuck her head out of the blanket. “I’m sorry. I know you wanted to pass the test on the first try.”
“It’s okay,” Ada said, the corners of her mouth curling. She never stayed upset with Rui for long. “At least we get another
chance at beating the program, and we’ll be more prepared now that we know what the test is about.”
“Facing our deepest fears?”
Ada nodded. “It’s a low trick, even for Ash. I can’t believe he programmed it that way. That Revenant looked exactly like
Aidan, and I”—she drew a shuddering breath—“I blew a hole in him.”
It was easy to kill a Revenant when it looked like an inhuman creature, when it was something terrible and other. But if Aidan, the real Aidan—the sweet, unmagical brother Ada adored—if he were ever turned into a Revenant somehow while
still looking like himself, it would be Ada’s job to kill him.
Because he’ll no longer be Aidan. He’ll be a monster, Rui reminded herself.
Ada fiddled with the pleats on Rui’s skirt. “That last Revenant you killed in the Simulator before you fainted . . . who did
he look like?”
Rui got up.
Fingers skating over the hangers in her closet, she pulled out a navy military-style coat with light gold buttons and the
emblem of the Academy embroidered above the breast pocket. She laid the coat at the foot of her bed and rummaged for a sweater.
“The Revenant that killed my mother,” she said at last, her voice slightly hoarse.
A furious noise erupted behind her, and Rui found herself enveloped by a sudden tangle of arms and the scent of green apple.
“That horrible no-good piece of—I can’t believe Ash did that to you. It’s bad enough he scheduled the test for today, of all
days.” Ada made another angry sound.
Rui nudged her away. “I’m trying to get dressed.”
“Why!” Ada exclaimed, hands flailing. “Why did they program those weird Revenants into the test? Revenants can’t speak, and they don’t have faces or personalities or—”
“Hybrids can speak, and they look human,” Rui said.
Ada sucked in sharply.
Officially, Hybrid Revenants did not exist. But every cadet had heard the rumor. Hybrids looked like humans and behaved like
humans. They could be someone you loved, but then they’d try to kill you. Most cadets thought it was an urban legend.
But Rui knew better.
“I know what you’re going to say, Ada. You’re going to tell me they made the Revenants look human to catch us off guard and
test our mental strength. You’re going to tell me they didn’t do it because Hybrids actually exist. But just because there
haven’t been any solid reports of Hybrids that we know of, it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I know what I saw that night.”
Ada squeezed her hand. “I believe you, you know that. It’s just . . . the Blight doesn’t infect humans.”
“Maybe it does, and we don’t know it yet.”
“Maybe. How did Ash even know what that jerk looked like?”
“He must’ve asked around,” said Rui. “The Guild questioned me after my mom died, remember? I told them what I saw, even drew
a sketch.”
Not that they believed her in the end. They’d said she was delusional, that she’d been so scared she’d imagined things. Didn’t stop them from recommending me to the Academy.
“It would explain why the Exorcists are having a hard time lately,” she said out loud. “Why there’ve been so many Night Hunts
suddenly. The Revenants are different now, they’re—”
“Rui—” Ada began.
“Look, I don’t want to talk about it anymore, okay?
” Rui raised her voice, then felt bad for raising it.
She didn’t mean to take her frustration out on Ada.
It bothered her that the Simulator could conjure up the Revenant’s exact face from a lousy sketch she’d drawn four years ago as a kid.
Was it even possible? How else would Ash have known if not from her old records?
She wriggled into her jeans and got her coat, wincing when her arm caught in the sleeve.
“Is it your shoulder?” said Ada. “You landed so hard on it. Let me help.”
Rui was careful not to make a sound when the pain flared up again as Ada guided her arm. Instead, she clucked her tongue and
finger-gunned. “I’m good. The Academy healers are amazing, remember?”
Ada didn’t look convinced.
Wrapping a thick utility belt around her torso, Rui slid her talismans and new crossbow securely into their compartments.
“What are you doing?” Ada said. “It’s not time to get ready for our rounds yet. You should get some rest. In fact, maybe you
should sit out tonight’s shift. Someone else can cover you; it’s just a routine patrol.”
Rui shook her head. “I’m not missing out on any training.”
Even though the cadet patrols were routed away from known Revenant nests to keep the cadets safe until they were ready for
actual Night Hunts, they still ran into a lone Revenant now and then. Rui wasn’t giving up the possibility of killing one
tonight.
“I’m catching the next shuttle off the island,” she told Ada.
“Are you going to the temple again? I thought you paid respects to your mom yesterday.”
“I’m checking on my dad.” The lie slipped out smooth and easy like melted butter. Rui wasn’t going to see her father. Today
was a day neither of them acknowledged in the other’s presence. If her mother was the link that bound them together, her death
was what tore them apart.
“Guess I’m spending the afternoon working on my Student Council campaign by my lonesome self. I was counting on your help,
Rooroo.” Laughing, Ada flicked Rui’s uneven bangs into her face.
Annoyed as Rui was by the abominable nickname, she couldn’t help but smile. It was her fault to share it with Ada in the first place, and Ada was only trying to lighten the mood. She seemed to understand when to push Rui and when to step back, and that understanding was why they were best friends.
Many at the Academy marveled at their odd little friendship. Questioned it, probably. Rui questioned it herself sometimes,
wondering how she lucked out on her first day at the Academy. She had loitered awkwardly outside the classroom, convinced
she didn’t belong because she knew nothing about Exorcism or magic. She’d turned and ran, only to collide with an impish-looking
girl with cherry-red hair. The girl saw through Rui’s scowl, understood the fear living inside, and decided they would be
friends. And that was that.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Ada asked now with a curious smile.
“Nothing,” Rui mumbled, turning away. They’d dated for a whirlwind month last year before Ada called it off. The split was
amicable. Sometimes, though, a tiny part of Rui wished they’d never broken up. But just because she loved her best friend,
it didn’t mean she was in love with her. In fact, Rui was starting to think that love—romantic love—wasn’t her thing. It was a sham. One party always got hurt, either by the other or by circumstances. Her father had loved
her mother more than life itself and look where that got him.
She stuffed her weapons into her sword bag and slung it over her shoulder. “How’s your Council president campaign coming along?”
“Messily. There’s still so much to do.”
“People will vote for you; they’d be a fool if they didn’t. You’re a natural leader, and you get along with everyone. Don’t
sell yourself short.”
Ada made a face as she grabbed her blazer and slipped her shoes back on, but Rui could tell she was pleased.
“We’ll find out soon enough when they count the votes next week. See you at tonight’s patrol. Don’t be late or Ash will have
something mean to say, and oh”—Ada paused by the door—“tell your dad I said hi.”
There was something odd about Ada’s expression. Like she knew Rui was keeping secrets. But she bounced out of the room, and Rui was alone again.
Rui stood in silence, nails scraping the ragged skin around her fingers. Maybe one day, she could share everything with her
best friend. All the secrets. All the lies.
But for now, the less Ada knew, the safer she would be.