Page 4 of Mutual Prey

If I regret anything in my life, it’s the Synaptrex injectionI gave him back then.I knew he was already participating in a clinical trial for another drug, Valeron. I was the one administering the doses, after all, as the science intern at Devil. I knew mixing those two drugs was the worst idea possible.

I can only assume some part of me was either masochistic or morbidly curious, to have wanted him to suffer from the effects of that interaction.

Or maybe I thought about him a little too often after I made the mistake of going to that high school party. Maybe I was kind of jealous after Hannah Jenkins, that bitch, told me they’d made out. The side effect—the hyper-fixation—sounded pretty tempting at the time. Even though I knew it was a violent obsession, the kind that could only end in death.

But what can I say? I was eighteen at the time, and I thought I was on top of the world.

I broke a whole lot of rules that day.

“I can’t help but think of Finn as my son’s killer, despite the fact that his appeal was accepted,” admits Mr. Campbell. “I know it must be the same for you. But, Cass, you’re in no danger. The justice system doesn’t make mistakes.”

I stare at the naive idiot, though this time, he’s at least partly right. His son isn’t the killer—but that doesn’t mean I’m not in danger.

Mr. Campbell led the clinical trial for Valeron, but he doesn’t know I injected Finn with Synaptrex.

The only other person who was injected with both went on a rampage that killed thirty-six people before she was finally shot down.

“I think I… need to go,” I tell Mr. Campbell, doing my best to flash him a sweet smile that I know only partially disguises the panic that is slowly building in my chest.

“Sure. Coming to the ball tomorrow night?”

“The… ball?”

“Yup. The masked ball. We want to inaugurate the Devil College in style.”

“Hmm. Sure.” I push my sunglasses over my eyes and step out of the science building, following Mr. Campbell into the sunny afternoon. “I’m going to settle into my apartment first, and, uhm… go shopping for a dress. And a mask.”

Not a lie.

Always dress the part.

But that’s only the beginning of my to-do list for today.

“Okay.” He smiles, and I’m glad to see the old sadness slip back into it. “Oh, and Cass!” he calls after me as I turn and slowly head toward College Road. “Don’t walk around alone at night! Devil College is very safe, but, uhm… I do have to tell you. There’s a killer on the loose.”

I’m glad I’m turned away from him so he doesn’t see me smirk.

Yes. I know.

2

“Alright, ma’am, you’re all set.”

I flash the saleslady one of my brightest smiles and walk out of the mall, lugging my bags. In one of them is a long white dress with blue flowers, an off-the-rack Dior dress that makes my fashion-loving heart swell. There weren’t any luxury boutiques in the tundra, and while most of my fellow trainees complained about the food and the harsh weather conditions, the only thing I really missed were the clothes. I hated wearing those stiff greige uniforms. Fashion is the thing that most excites me, after knives, and even though I know I have to burn the clothes I wear after crossing a name off my list, I still choose them carefully.

Just because I’m a killer, doesn’t mean I can’t have a sense ofstyle, does it?

This dress I’m not planning to kill anyone with, though. It’s white, and I don’t want to ruin it with blood spatter. Even if Iwouldburn it after.

This dress is for the masked ball. And I’ve chosen a rhinestone-studded cat mask to go with it.

Usually, I find rhinestones to be gauche, but I was in the mood for something sparkly after all those years spent in the bland wilderness.

In the other bag, I’ve got the biggest roll of saran wrap I could find, some masking tape, and a leather strap.

Sharpen your tools weekly.

Daddy’s rules could get quite specific, but they were always helpful.