“What? Is that...”

“Katie and Caitlin! How are they still alive?”

“Maybe they defeated Mr. Isaac?”

“Are you stupid? Or maybe you’re blind?” 

“What did you say about me you dumbass?”

“No...not the face! Not the face! Ah! Not the stomach either...just stop punching me!” 

As Mr. Isaac disappeared from the classroom without a trace, the rest of the class turned to Katie and Caitlin in surprise. They had no idea how they managed to survive after so bluntly striking Mr. Isaac in public. If anything, they should've been torn to pieces.  

Then again...Kyle also attacked Mr. Isaac when the games first started and Mr. Isaac let him live as well. Chances were Mr. Isaac only showed mercy just so the girls could die later. 

Caitlin and Katie paid little attention to the commotions all around them. They made their way straight for the door. Katie was in such a hurry that she forgot to punch Kyle, which said a lot. 

The two made their way back to Caitlin’s house in silence. Distinctly, as they left the classroom, they could hear some sort of sharp screaming coming from Mrs. Dent’s classroom, but neither of them paid any attention to that. Caitlin was moving so quickly that half her handgun was out of her pocket. If it wasn’t for the curse at work, they would be taking on the local police force in half an hour, just in time to hold a spot on the local evening news. 

Almost as soon as the two got into Caitlin’s house, Katie couldn’t help but speak up. The trip back was torture, and not the type she liked. Truth be told, she had absolutely no idea how Caitlin would react to her true identity and what she was really capable of. Would Caitlin act as if nothing happened? Or would Caitlin chastise her for keeping such a secret from her? 

As the two took off their shoes, Katie finally turned to her friend.

“Look, Caitlin, I’m really sorry. I truly am. Promises. I should’ve told you everything, but...I just didn't know what you would think of me. You’re all I’ve got left! I...I can’t stand to lose you!” 

When it came to Caitlin, the immortal sadomasochist became no better than a little puppy, soft and vulnerable. Sticks and stones could break her bone and make her moan, but one single look of disgust from Caitlin could bring her onto her knees. 

Caitlin was still silent. Katie stared at her friend, who was no more than a meter away. She observed her every move. She took into account every twitch on her face and every deviation of her eyes. She did everything she could and absorbed in even the smallest details that could notify her of what Caitlin was thinking right now. 

Caitlin didn't say a word. Instead, she grabbed onto Katie’s hand and slowly directed her onto the second floor, where her bedroom sat. She led Katie into the bedroom before shutting the door behind them. 

And then, she turned around and kissed Katie on the lips. 

Katie’s entire body froze as Caitlin’s lips made contact with hers. Instead of parting way rather quickly like they did in the RCTV building, this time, the two girls stuck together. The entire time, Katie’s mind was blank from the absolute shock she had of what was going on. 

When Caitlin finally pulled back, Katie suddenly reached out and dug her nails into her left arm. 

“Ok...I’m not dreaming. Or hallucinating.” She whispered quietly as she stared into Caitlin’s eyes in inquiry. 

“Look, Katie…” The blonde girl finally started. “You are my friend. My best friend and, it seems like, my only friend left. You are the girl who stepped in when I was about to be beaten by Brian. You are the one who found me a chip and saved my life. You are the one who protected me from all those monsters at RCTV.” 

“I don’t care what you are. I don’t care if you are human or elf or demon or whatever supernatural being out there. I don’t care if you love pain or if you enjoy hurting and killing people. I don’t care if you are completely immortal and unkillable. Because in the end, you are Katie Lockwood, and you are my girlfriend.”

“And I will stand by you no matter who you are, what you want, or what you have become. Why? Because I know you will do the exact same thing for me.”

Indeed. Katie could leave the thrilling games behind for Caitlin, just like she could commit an atrocity or a massacre at her single command. 

Also, what did Caitlin just say?

Her girlfriend?

Before Katie could wrap her mind over the statement, Caitlin wrapped her arms around Katie’s waist and shoved her onto the bed, and immediately, Katie allowed her mind to shut down and her instincts to take over.

---

“Well, that was fun.” 

That was Katie’s comment a few hours later. 

Neither girl has had much sexual experience before. Katie was a complete newcomer in terms of sex. Caitlin has had her fair share of experience with guys, but she has never been with a girl before. 

The interaction was a little awkward, and it took the two a while to get into the mood and get all the basic mechanics right, but in the end, everything ended well, and what needed to be done was done. 

Of course, Katie needed a little help at the end. Help from her Knife, achieved by jamming the weapon into places it really shouldn’t be at...either way, at the end of the day, the two girls found themselves laying naked on the one-person bed in Caitlin’s bedroom. 

It was a little crowded, but for the two lovebirds, that was perfect. 

Katie slowly ran her finger across Caitlin’s bare breasts, tickling her sensitive skin. Caitlin giggled. Suddenly, Katie remembered something. 

“I have something else to show you.” She lifted her index finger, and slowly, a tiny tree branch made its way out of her fingertip, tearing through her skin and barely making Katie flinch. 

At one point, she just started to ignore tiny things like this. An unfortunate change, in her own opinion. 

“Wow...what’s that?” Caitlin wondered. 

“It’s a really long story, one that I will tell you every detail about later, but to make a long story short, it’s a plant inside my body.” This time, Katie lifted all five fingers, and tree branches came out of the tip of every single one of them. “Essentially, I can control the plant at will. It’s really useful in combat.”

“Hmmm…” Caitlin touched one of the branches. “so you can make them grow out of anywhere?”

“Yep.”

Caitlin glanced at below the bedsheets, and Katie immediately knew what she meant. It was an invitation, one that she was all too happy to accept. 

Ten minutes later, the two continued this conversation. The only difference was their cheeks were a little redder and the bedsheets were a little more stained. 

Katie explained everything about the Seven Tribes and the Mu Clan to Caitlin, including the whole affairs with Kameron and Mira. As she was done, Caitlin tapped her lips thoughtfully. 

“Hmmm...that Kameron guy. He inserted his power into you, and that power did what it’s supposed to do. It created this magical plant inside your body and converted you into a living weapon, but it’s almost as if your body overrode Kameron’s access to that plant and therefore you. And in the end, his schemes only benefited you.” 

“A good hypothesis, but…” Katie looked down at Caitlin’s fingers right under her nose. “but why are you tapping my lips?”

“Oh, sorry…honest mistake, I promise!” Caitlin quickly pulled back her fingers and ran them across her own cheeks. “Either way, you are special, Katie. From your mind to your body...Mr. Isaac looks to be afraid of you, and he’s right to be. You are...you are terrifying, Katie.” 

She suddenly leaned forward and kissed Katie once again. 

“But not to me, Katie. Never to me.”

Katie returned a soft smile. Suddenly, facing the girl who just became her girlfriend, Katie made a promise. 

“Mr. Isaac...he dies. Well...maybe not today, but sooner or later, I will have his head.”

“Katie, you don’t have to…”

“I do.” Katie bit her lips. In the past, she never truly attempted to stop the games. Partially, it was because she thought she couldn’t, but it was also because she was being selfish. Because she enjoyed everything that has happened, she chose to ignore the sufferings of others, including her Caitlin. But that would change today. Today, she would get serious, and Mr. Isaac would pay the price. 

“I do. I have to, for you.” 

Caitlin nodded slowly, but just as Katie tried to get up, she grabbed onto her arms and pulled her back under the sheets. 

“Killing him can wait. In fact, I just got a few new ideas of what he may truly be. But for now...we have more important things to do.” She quickly got up, opened a compartment on her shelves, and pulled out something. 

Katie’s heart accelerated. It was a pair of handcuffs! 

“So…” Caitlin tilted her head seductively. “What should our safeword be?” 

Katie smirked. Safeword...as if she needed one! 

---

At the same time, as Katie Lockwood was having the best day of her life, barely better than the day Mr. Isaac jumped off the building and began this whole mess, another faction was on the move. 

Two men in suits slowly made their way into the empty campus of Riverside High School. As they got out of the car, one of them was holding onto some sort of pot, which had a tiny flower inside. 

The flower tilted its body, pointing straight at the main academic building of the high school. 

The two men exchanged a quick glance before stepping into the building.

Unbeknownst to them, a creature in the shadows was observing their every move. 

The two men stopped briefly in front of the locked glass doors of the building. One of them slowly rested his hand onto the door, and a tiny tree branch extended out of his hand and made its way into the metal lock. A few tinkling here and there and the lock was opened. 

The two proceeded into the building, carefully avoiding the security cameras in the dark halls of the building. They followed the guide of the plant down the hallway. As they moved, one of them turned to the other man. 

“So...the girl that killed Kameron, she’s here?”

“According to the Tracking Plant.” The other man glanced down at the tiny flower. “Also, who came up with that name anyway? It’s a plant that tracks certain scents, so it’s a tracking plant? Then what are we? Tracking Men?”

“Oh boy, here we go again…” The first man growled in frustration. His partner was brilliant in combat, but when it came to day-to-day events...let's just say he enjoyed giving voice to his thoughts. “Come on! We are technically special operatives from a mysterious faction! We’re professionals! And we’re on a mission!” He tapped his black suit. “I bought these suits for a reason you know...do you know how much I spent on them? I can’t even get a refund from the Chief!”

“Alright, alright.” The second man shrugged. “I suppose the plant can be mistaken, but it will take a powerful energy source to distract the plant from our target, but yeah, we should be careful. That girl doesn’t seem like an easy one to take down. Remember, if things go wrong, we run as fast as possible and get this info back to the Chief!”

“Yes sir.” The first man did a mocking salute. 

“Wait…” Suddenly, the man holding onto the Tracking Plant stopped. He turned to the side, where an empty classroom was. Weird. He didn't remember seeing that classroom. The Tracking Plant, which was in fact a flower, turned to that classroom. Its body shook slightly. “this should be it.” 

“Ok. Ready?”

Layers of brown carapace covered the second man’s body as branches formed at his right hand in the form of a sword. “Ready.”

The other man raised his leg and kicked the door in a spectacular movie-styled move...and watched as his leg, covered in the brown carapace, literally busted a hole through the wooden classroom door like it was paper. 

That was...unexpected. The two Mu tribesmen stared at the small hole in the door in silence. So...are we supposed to crawl through that or what? 

The man that did the kicking bit his lips before kneeling down at the door lock and opening it the same way he opened the front gates: like any sane person.

As soon as the door was opened and the two Mu tribesmen were inside the room, both of them were struck by a terrifying sensation. Outside the classroom, there was nothing special. But inside the classroom...this was no classroom! This was hell! This was purgatory! This was the land of unspeakable evils!

The two men felt chills down their spines. None of them could move. Every second, they could hear distinct screams of fear and agony echoing through the classroom. Somehow, they could see young men and women tortured and slaughtered like sheep. 

“Of all the classrooms in all the high schools in New York...you two chose to break into here? That’s...I would say unfortunate, but that word is kind of overused, so I’m just going to say that it could’ve gone better.” 

The two men snapped around to face a figure that has appeared in the nightmares of almost every student in Katie's class. A figure of utter horror and despair. Dried blood was on his cheeks. His eyes were hollow, but even the hollowness couldn’t conceal the bloodthirsty desires inside. 

Mr. Isaac. 

Inside the hands of the second man, the Tracking Plant withered and died, suffocated by Mr. Isaac’s mere presence. In a sense, it foreshadowed the fate of its owners.