Page 479 of The Bonding Games: Part 1

“Move out!” Scotty hollers back at us as we take in the scene. “Find 63! This one’s theirs! We don’t need them both!”

Alby looks relieved, understandably not wanting to fight the two Evots from his third school. We’ve all seen they’re good people, so I’m right there with him.

“Player 44: Eliminated.”

Another Evot.

“Player 89: Eliminated.”

That’s the first Exot gone.

Working to keep my breathing even, I scan my eyes over the arena, trying to find Player 63—

I stop short.

There’s a lone bottle-green-embellished figure I can make out in the distance, zipping after who’s unmistakably The Bonding Games Champion.

I squint my eyes. Is that . . . ?

Fucking hell.

Player 4.

That’s who he’s so obsessed with?!

He’s insane.

Or suicidal.

“63!” Alby exclaims, yanking my attention away from the psychopath to where my bestie’s finger is pointing.

Player 63 tears across the taalk, his wheels moving so fast it’s hard to see their rotations at all.

Behind him, three Evots draw closer.

“Motherfucker!” I curse.

“We have to go for it!” Scotty calls back.

“He seems terrified . . .” Alby breathes in horror from beside me. And he’s right: unlike the other younger teenager, this one looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. Even from over here, it’s obvious he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. It’s proof that not all Exots are bad, and not all Evots are good, despite what so many seem to believe. Though I guess a fair amount live up to their social classification’s expectations, right now, that’s not at all the case.

“I’m going to try and fight off the Evots. Just— No! Fucking fuck!”

One of the Evots has projected a throwing star, and it sails through the air at full speed—

And slices Player 63’s head clean off.

A choked gasp sounds from my right, more like a sob, and I struggle to hold back my own.

There’s no coming back from that, nothing any Avri in any serum can fix there.

It was fatal.

“Player 63: Eliminated.”

Scotty lets out a growl. A literal growl like a grizzly bear. “I am going to annihilate him.”

Tearing my glistening eyes from the decapitated body, I follow my brother’s murderous glare, locating the killer.