The entire academy has been abuzz with excitement all week long. We had the highest number of graduates in several years.

The rate of Infected has been increasing, so the need for more Hunters to go out on missions to contain them has too. As such, the more graduates we need. I don't know anyone in the last few years who has successfully managed to escape the draft. If you're born a Hunter or Protector, you're brought to the Academy to graduate with honor.

But I'm not feeling the festivities. Though, that's normal for me. My friends are all annoyed with me for it. Especially Amari. She's been trying to get me out of my dorm for the entire week-long festival.

But I'm so close to an answer. I've been tracking signs of infection through the city for months now.

The academy is safe, sequestered on an island away from the city. All to protect our valuable Hunters and Protectors. But all the human civilians live in the city.

Including the orphanage I grew up in, until they realized I was a Hunter. A Hunter with powers, nonetheless. Nearly every single Protector has one or more 'abilities'. But a Hunter with powers? That's a one in a million chance.

It makes me popular. But also hated. I've tried to ignore my powers. Put my head down and work hard. I've graduated head of my class and been assigned one of the more... famous Protectors. But that doesn't mean I want to spend hours sitting around a bunch of other Hunters. Most of whom would rather knock my head off than admit I'm more powerful than them. Which is part of the reason I stand in front of a map of the city covered in strings, rather than in the campus square with the rest of the Academy.

When Amari bursts into my room, she's already completely drunk. Her girlfriend, Sasha, is trying to keep her from falling over.

Sasha is our graduating year's best Protector. She was brought to the Academy when she was fifteen and we've been friends ever since. Then, she brought Amari into our little group when she joined the Academy (of her own free will) when she was sixteen.

Amari jabs a finger into my face, grinning. "You are coming with me to that party downstairs. Now."

"I think you've already had enough party for the both of us, Am."

Sasha snorts and guides Amari to the bed on the other side of the room. My roommate hates when people sit on his bed, but there's not much I can do about it. Not much he can do either, for that matter. He's terrified of Sasha. And Amari, though less so.

Amari tips backwards. "Whoa, is the room supposed to be spinning?"

"Shh, sweetie," Sasha orders. She rolls Amari onto her side and covers her with the blue comforter from my bed. "Close your eyes."

"But the party," she whines.

Sasha pets her hair. "I know, sweetie. We'll head to the party right after you wake back up."

Amari, whether she agrees with that or not, can't protest, as she's immediately snoring. And drooling on my roommate's pillow.

"You know-."

Sasha waves me off. "Your roommate can bite my ass." She hops up to my side. "So, how goes the obsession?"

I roll my eyes. "It's not-."

"It is."

"I hate when you do that."

Sasha smiles. "Sorry."

"Yeah, that feels genuine." I indicate her smile.

She tries to wipe the smile, but her lips keep turning up and her cheeks are burning with the effort to frown.

I roll my eyes. I turn back to my map and indicate the red pushpins holding up red string. "This was the first infected they quarantined in the city. Then here, here, here, and here."

"They're in a line," she notes.

"Wow, thank you," I grumble. "Finally, someone who doesn't tell me it's just coincidence."

"You have a theory."

I study the map. I've been staring at it for so long, especially in the last week, that it's starting to drive me insane. I swear there's something here I'm missing. "I don't know," I admit. "It seems like it's traveling somewhere. But where? And how is it doing so without being caught? There's constant surveillance for the Infected. The city has plenty of graduated Hunters that should be able to catch an Infected before it can get very far. But look, even after a new person is infected, they continue in the same direction. Even if it's not that person's actual routine."

"That's odd," Sasha murmurs, shuffling closer. "Is that what these are?" she asks, poking a green string.

I nod. "This woman here, Natalie Greer. She stopped at this coffee shop for her boss's morning order. Typically, after that, she stops to get his breakfast at this store here, then takes the shortcut through this park to get to work. But the day she got infected, she left the coffee shop and immediately booked it going East. Which is the opposite direction from her work."

Sasha frowns, studying the board. "And no one else was infected?"

"No one. It was one person at a time. And after the victims were quarantined, the infection stopped spreading."

Sasha's eyes widen. "How haven't we heard of this? That's unprecedented."

"It's classified. Higher ups."

She crosses her arms. "Then, how have you heard of it?"

I rub the back of my neck and look away.

She throws her arms around my neck and swings forward to get in my face. "I know that look!" She's grinning. "You've been hanging out with your Protector again, haven't you? How is our dear Tarak these days? Feels like it's been months since I've seen him."

I roll my eyes. "You know how busy he is. His mother-."

Sasha's expression darkens and she pulls away. "I know."

I don't point out that she interrupted me again. I know her history with Tarak's mother. Most of us have a history with Tarak's mother. But Sasha's is less than pleasant.

Amari moans from the other side of the room, as if she senses Sasha's distress.

Sasha rubs her face and shakes her head. "Anyway-." She reaches for a separate string, unattached from the five infected. "-What is-?"

Someone pounds on my door.

Sasha goes to Amari, glaring at the door.

"Mason Crane! Open up! Ishani Singh would like to have a word with you!"

I glance back at Sasha, who already has a firm glare settled on the door. I sigh, but open it.

The man who knocked steps back, revealing the head honcho of the entire Academy. Ishani Singh.

I tense. I thought he'd meant she'd summoned me to speak with her. When was the last time Ishani Singh made a personal visit to someone's dorm room?

Her son, my protector, Tarak Singh, stands behind her. He won't look me in the eye.

I straighten. "Headmistress."

She's much more than a headmistress, but as I'm still considered a 'student' while on the Academy grounds, she's first and foremost my headmistress.

"I didn't see you at the festivities," she notes, stepping into my room. She takes in Sasha, who has covered Amari completely. She then turns to my map and smiles. "Ah, yes. This is what my lovely son has told me so much about."

My eyes cut to Tarak, who flinches when our eyes lock.

He ducks his head, clasping his hands behind his back.

Singh rips a string from the map and lets it hang from her fingers.

"I didn't do anything wrong," I protest.

She's smiling when she turns. "No, of course not, young man. You are one of our most brilliant Hunters. You should be in the field already." Her eyes flicker to Tarak, who flinches again and sinks even deeper into himself.

Right. That.

Not only was Tarak born a Protector instead of a Hunter, bringing shame upon the entire line of Hunter-born Singh's... he also failed to graduate the same year as me. Meaning that even though I'm a full-fledged Hunter, ready to join my brethren fighting the enemies that threaten our very existence... I can't leave the Academy until my Protector has graduated.

I stand taller, nearly at eye level with Singh, who is taller than everyone in the room. "Then may I ask to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Headmistress?"

She taps the map with her pointer finger. Her nails are sharp and blood-red. Perhaps that's her power. Talons. No one but the higher-ups knows Singh's power. And either Tarak doesn't know, or refuses to tell me. "My son has made a good point about your theories. So, I would like you to investigate them. Personally."

I nearly choke. I shuffle forward. "Pardon? But Tarak hasn't grad-."

"I'm aware," she growls. "He will stay at the Academy."

I blink. "But a Hunter isn't supposed to leave without their, or a, Protector."

"Yes, which is why I have arranged for a team to accompany you. You shouldn't need many people. I have found a good Hunter/Protector team that are... willing to take orders from you."

The hesitancy in that statement makes me uneasy. I already tend to get a lot of flack from Hunters because of my powers. If the Hunter she's picked is older than me, we're going to have major issues.

"I want to go too."

Singh raises an eyebrow at Sasha, who has snapped to her feet. "You are not necessary for this mission. Three people is more than enough. It should only need to be two." She cuts a glare towards Tarak.

Tarak closes his eyes.

"That doesn't matter. Missions can always go wrong. It doesn't hurt to have more people. Two Protectors makes more sense than one."

Singh takes Sasha in with a cold look. She smirks and nods to Amari, who has kicked the blanket off in her sleep. "If you manage to sober your Hunter up in the next five minutes, you can both go."

Sasha snaps around to face Amari as Singh and the man that knocked leave my room. "Be at transport in an hour, Mason. I don't accept tardiness," Singh says, then she's gone from the hall.

Tarak hesitates in the doorway while Sasha rushes to get a glass of water from the bathroom down the hall.

I pluck the string Singh abandoned off of the floor and start pinning it back to the map.

"I'm sorry," Tarak blurts, stepping closer.

I don't look at him. "For what? You got me a mission."

"But it wasn't my place to tell her."

I whip around to face him. "Then, why did you?"

He's biting his lip and wringing his hands. "I just-." He closes his eyes and ducks his head. "I don't know. It was a mistake. I was vying for her approval and I slipped up. I'm glad it didn't get you in trouble, but I was wrong to tell her your theories."

I huff out a breath and shake my head. "You know I can't stay mad at you, Tarak. It's fine."

His eyebrows pinch together and he steps closer. "You're allowed to be mad. I betrayed your trust."

I wave him off and turn back to my map. "That doesn't matter now. I have a mission to prep for."

Tarak catches my arm before I can walk away from him. His hand trembles on me. "Just promise me... you'll get back safe."

I push his hand off, gently. But we're still inches from each other, so even the lack of physical contact doesn't make my heart stop hammering. "I'm a fully trained Hunter, Tarak. I'll be okay."

He flinches. "I didn't think she'd let you go without me," he whispers. "Or I never would've-."

Sasha bursts back into the room.

Tarak clams up, stepping away.

She doesn't apologize or even seem to notice the tension between me and Tarak now. She pats Amari's face. "C'mon! Wake up!"

"Sasha, it's fine! I'm sure I'll be with a highly skilled Protector. There's no need to worry."

"I'm not going to sit here worrying about you while you're on a mission doled out by Headmistress Singh herself, Mason!"

Tarak flinches again.

Things tend to get tense within our group because of these two. Sasha hates Singh. But Singh's his mother. He loves her. Despite that, we've all been good friends since Tarak was assigned as my Protector years ago. About the same year Amari joined the Academy.

"Here, let me," Tarak offers. He grabs Amari's face and closes his eyes. "You'll want to grab that trash can."

Sasha lunges for the can and sticks it right near Amari's head.

Amari's eyes snap open and she gags. She notices the can and grabs it right as her dinner says goodbye.

Tarak steps back.

Sasha offers the glass of water.

"OH, I feel like ass! What did you do to me!?" Amari moans, cradling the trashcan to her chest.

"Technically, I healed you. But I could only heal the drunkenness. Not the hangover."

"Why did you need to heal me at all? I was sleeping! It's not like I'm on top of a table with my shirt off... again."

Sasha pets her sweaty hair back. "We have a mission. From the headmistress."

Amari sobers completely, staring at her girlfriend. "What? And you want to go?"

"Actually, I have a mission," I correct. "But Sasha's worried I'm going to get myself killed. Even though I already have a Hunter and a Protector coming with me."

Amari rubs her temples. "I'm way too hungover for this."

Tarak holds his hand out. "I could try the rest."

She shakes her head, sipping on the water. "I'm alright. I just need a minute. Anyone got an ibuprofen?"

"Promise not to tell your mom I didn't turn these into the nurse?" I ask. I grab a bottle from my desk and shake it at Tarak.

He scowls. "Funny."

I toss the bottle to Amari, who holds it like it's the holy grail.

Amari and Sasha run to take a quick shower – which if Sasha wasn't so determined to come with me, I would doubt the 'quick' part.

Tarak eases onto my roommate's bed.

I don't even have the energy to tell him my roommate hates that. He's the Headmistress's son. He could probably get away with murder.

"I'm sorry things have been weird between us lately," Tarak murmurs.

"Weird?" I ask, slipping knives into my boots. "Nothing's been weird, Tarak. If you're feeling weird, that's all you."

Tarak shakes his head.

I try to keep moving. If I stop and look at him too long, the butterflies start to eat away my stomach and I get squirmy.

"No," he grumbles. "You've been weird too."

I try to shrug him off with a lazy smile and an eyeroll. "We've been friends for ages, Tarak. Why would things suddenly be weird?"

"Maybe you blame me for not graduating. Like my mom does."

I hesitate to stare at him, blankly. "That's what you think?"

He nods, dead serious.

I scrub my face. "That's not it at all, dude. I don't care that you didn't graduate. Classes here aren't exactly easy A's. If you need more time to make sure we'll both be safe in the field, take it."

He stands and crosses his arms. "Then what is it? Because every time I look at you, you look away. Every time we're alone together, you act all... weird."

I throw my arms up.

He's so oblivious sometimes. About all the stupidest things, too.

"I have to prep for this mission, Tarak. I don't have time for this."

"Yeah, well, what if you don't come back!? Huh!? You want things to be left like this between us?"

I scoff and throw the jacket I'd picked up back onto my bed. I finally turn to him and step closer. "I know you and Sasha are protective, but this is ridiculous! I'm a grown man, Tarak! I'm a damn fine Hunter and I can take care of myself! I'm going to come back!"

"You can't promise me that! Even experienced Hunters slip up! And you're not experienced!"

I could make a comment about that being his fault. But it's not. Even if it was, I wouldn't blame him for it. I wouldn't care. It's not like I chose this life. It's not like I wanted to be a Hunter. Who cares if Tarak holds me at the Academy for another year or more? What would I rather be doing? Going out every day wondering if I'd come back alive? Patrolling the streets of the city or fighting a war against an invisible enemy?

But it pisses me off that my own friends don't believe in me.

"Experienced or not, Tarak, I know the city better than any of the Hunters here. I grew up in its streets. And I've been studying this particular case for months. I know what I'm doing. I'm going to have two Hunters and two Protectors with me tonight. Nothing's going to go wrong."

"The more you say it, the less I believe you."

I grab his shoulders and press my fingers in.

He's solid under me. He's not some beefcake, but being a disappointment to his family made him hit the gym with me during my Hunter training. He can take care of himself.

I try not to squeeze his muscles like some drooling teenager. Instead, I smile. "When have you ever known me to get myself into trouble I can't get out of?"

He studies my eyes.

His are dark. So dark I can't tell where his pupil ends and his iris begins. They're like the endless might, with the fluorescents above creating tiny stars in the ink. My heart flutters and I start to feel warm, despite the spring breeze wafting in through my open window.

I keep the self-assured smirk on my face until his shoulders relax.

He murmurs, "never."

"Exactly. You know Sasha and Amari have my back. You'll see me later tonight or in the morning. Don't you trust me?"

He grabs one of my wrists with his opposite hand.

I think he's going to push me off his shoulder, but his hand just lingers there. His thumb rubs circles on my inner wrist. Goosebumps zip up and down my arms, making me shiver under his touch.

"Of course, I trust you," he murmurs. He seems to inch even closer, but I may be imagining things. "But no amount of skill or power will save you from everything."

"Well, luckily, I'm not facing 'everything'. This is just a routine check for an Infected. We'll find it, contain it, then hand it off to lab. Easy."

He is inching closer. He's so close now, his face is inches from mine. But he turns his face, and pulls me into a hug.

I sink into him, squeezing my eyes shut, and bury my face in his shoulder. It may not be the goodbye I want to give him, but there's nothing better than Tarak's hugs. His arms are so warm, and even though I'm bigger than him, he engulfs me. I want to stay here forever.

But Amari gives us a warning knock and tells us we've got ten minutes to get to transport or we'll be late.

So, I have to pull away. I pull my jacket on and give Tarak a final smile.

Then, I follow Amari and Sasha to transport.