Putting neurotypical handlers in charge of neurodivergent assets with money, government clearance, and a license to kill was the equivalent of handing a five year old a leash attached to a dog with a taste for human blood. It might be alright for a little while, but eventually, that dog was going to go rogue and that five year old didn’t stand a chance.
“I’m bored,” Drake muttered. “I’d rather be listening to Pike drone on about inter-governmental relations.”
Dove sighed dreamily. “Yeah, me, too.”
Morgan rolled her eyes. “He’s not even cute.”
That was a lie, but Gift kept that information to himself because Morgan was scary. He lifted his head and accidentally locked eyes with Park. It was like being kicked in the heart. Why did he have to have this effect on him? Why wouldn’t it go away?
Gift’s pulse raced, his mouth going dry. He couldn’t stop his tongue from darting out to wet his lower lip. Was it suddenly hot in there? It felt hot in there.
This time, when Payton reached out and stroked a finger over the back of Gift’s hand, he got to watch Park’s cold indifference flicker into something closer to confusion, then anger. Gift jerked his hand away, placing it in his lap. Payton just grinned in Park’s direction.
“Is this your big plan?” Gift whined. “Just flirting with me until Park sends me back to Chiang Mai to be murdered?”
Payton sighed, giving Gift a look of betrayal. “Oh, ye of little faith. This was just a little test. Now, we can move on to the seduction part.”
Gift refused to stop pouting until Payton explained himself. “How do we do that, exactly?”
“Step one,” Payton said with a grin. “Putting yourself in Park’s way.”
Gift’s eyes bulged as Payton raised his hand and waved it obnoxiously.
“Yes, Payton,” Kendrick said, clearly irritated.
Gift didn’t miss the way Payton flinched when Kendrick said his name. Still, it didn’t stop him from saying, “I understand this is a test and all, but, like the others said, our parents have lives, reputations, fortunes to protect. I’m sure they would be none too pleased to hear that we were left to stalk, hunt, and kill a civilian with absolutely no faculty supervision.”
“Well, you need to learn to work on your own,” Kendrick blustered. “There won’t be anybody to save you out in the real world.”
“That’s not true,” Luca said, speaking for the first time, earning the attention of the entire room.
Luca was a blond surfer boy with hair that had been permanently damaged and bleached from a life in the ocean and a golden tan that never seemed to fade. Gift’s gaze slid to his handler, Jay. Jay was pretty in a leading man kind of way. He had jet black hair, a permanent five o’clock shadow, and eyes so crystal blue that Morgan had sworn at first they were contacts.
“Excuse me?” Kendrick said.
Luca and Jay were the outliers in their pod. The quiet ones. Nobody knew much about them other than the same mini bio they’d all gotten upon acceptance. They were an odd match. Luca’s father was a Silicon Valley tech mogul, and Jay’s parents owned one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in all of India.
“I said, that’s not true. The sole purpose of pairing us with handlers is so we have an ally, a contact, a helping hand. The reason you shoved us into families with money and connections is so that we are less likely to be found out and you’re less likely to end up looking like our government is doing shady things on foreign soil. Don’t you think throwing us to the wolves as first years is a bad look…”
“For you,” Jay finished, staring down Kendrick.
Kendrick looked from one instructor to the other, as if waiting for them to help him out. When they all remained silent, he finally gave a heavy sigh. “Ugh, fine. I’ll allow the head of your pod to act as an advisor and to keep an eye on you.” Kendrick pointed his finger at Park’s chest. “But you are only to intercede if it’s a matter of national security.”
“That seems fair to me,” Payton said, a smug smile spreading across his face. “Thank you, great leader, for your benevolence.”
Kendrick huffed out a breath through his nose like an angry bull, but didn’t engage.
“Hey, Park,” Dove called, voice saccharine sweet. “If we win, willyouthrow us a pizza party?”
Park grinned at Dove. “You got it. Don’t fuck this up.”
Gift felt like someone had reached into his chest with both hands and now wrung his heart out like a wet dish rag.
“Park!” Kendrick snapped.
The whole room snickered. Park gave Kendrick an apologetic look, then turned back to the students. “Don’t fuck this up…please?”
Then he turned and walked out without so much as a backward glance at any of them.
