The next day after breakfast, all of the ISAN girls went to the meeting center. Mr. Novak, Mitch, Russ, and Lydia waited on the raised podium. With my hand behind my back, I stood in line and waited.

“Good morning.”

Mr. Novak’s cheerfulness didn’t settle well with me, and hair rose on my nape.

“I’ve gathered you here to tell you some good news. First, we had a major breakthrough with our serum. Let me introduce you to the new members of ISAN. Come on out, Miguel, Rex, Payton, Jessie, and Hugo.”

Excitement rose in the air with loud cheers and wolf whistles.

Mr. Novak—or whoever picked the subjects—was not biased regarding race. The guys on the stand were from different ethnic backgrounds. They wouldn’t be the type of guys I would imagine fighting big men, but then again, no doubt they had the special DNA and would be given Helix.

Had my father finally perfected the serum for male subjects? I guessed I would know soon enough. And why did they need more subjects?

A war is coming, Ava. Both Reyna and Rhett had warned me. Their words invaded my mind, freezing me in place. I don’t want to be on opposite sides.

Mr. Novak raised his hand to quell the noise. “I know you’re excited and so am I. They’ll be housed on the opposite end of our facility, in the restricted area. New rules will be implemented regarding the type of physical contact allowed between genders. Don’t try to sneak around. More cameras will be installed in places you wouldn’t expect. If you’re caught breaking the rules, you’ll be asked to leave. Leaving would not be to your benefit.”

His last sentence made my stomach roil.

“More cameras?” Brooke said through gritted teeth. “Freakin’ great.”

“Does that mean no physical contact?” Justine sighed.

“As soon as we’re done with the meeting, you’ll have a short recess. Our new members will be placed on the teams your superiors feel will work best. For the second good news, I can’t take all the credit. Ava, please step forward.”

I blanched. Though I’d heard his command, I couldn’t move.

“Ava.” Brooke nudged me out of my stupor. “Mr. Novak called you. Go.” She gave me a little push.

The arrogant grin plastering Mr. Novak’s face sent a shiver down my spine. My purpose for being there was for his benefit and not mine. Never mine.

My pulse raced, my legs became unsteady, and my jaw clenched. The platform I stood on detached from the ground and ascended, almost to the same level as my superiors.

Mr. Novak cleared his throat, and his gloating eyes warned me I wouldn’t like whatever he had planned.

“Ava, you’re probably wondering why you were brought up to the front. I want everyone to know what you’ve done for us. As you all know, Ava was kidnapped by a group of rebels that wants to ensure ISAN falls. This group was created by a known criminal who feeds you lies to make you believe we are the enemy. Your bravery and wisdom has led us to the rebels, and we’ve taken them down. Lower the screen, Russ.”

The screen scrolling down seemed endless. Dread slowly rose inside me until it stretched into a full panic. Fire and smoke covered the entire screen. I couldn’t see through it, but I knew whom he meant by the rebel group.

Let me be wrong. Please.

“There are no survivors,” the voice said over the loudspeakers. “I repeat, there are no survivors.”

“The rebel group was led by a traitor named Rhett,” Mr. Novak continued. “He and his group have now been terminated.”

His smug grin made me want to vomit.

“Did you hear that, Ava? This is all because of you.”

Shock slammed into me. Heat flooded through my body like a blazing wildfire, and then I went numb, falling ... falling to an endless abyss with no end to stop me. As my heart thudded, my mind disconnected from my body. I couldn’t focus, couldn’t move. Mr. Novak spoke away, but it all jumbled up into foreign sounds, and the clapping of hands muted around me.

Rhett, Ozzie, Reyna, and others who’d been nice to me, were dead. I had just been with them.

Oh God. Please don’t let it be true.

The room spun and their faces flashed before me. Rhett’s pleasant voice resonated in my mind and his smile haunted me. The comfort and warmth from his arms stayed with me, even the taste of his last kiss.

If I’d had any doubt about how I felt about Rhett and his group, Mr. Novak had forced me to resolve my confusion. I had fought it, didn’t want to believe it, but they gave me a sense of belonging I’d yearned for.

You don’t forget emotions.

Countless ways to bring ISAN down swarm in my head. I swore I would take my revenge. I might be their greatest weapon, but I would become their biggest mistake.

Mr. Novak is a monster. I wanted him dead.

I pinched myself to stop the tears from wetting my cheeks. I would not let Mr. Novak know I had cared for the so-called rebels. How could they be called rebels when they hadn’t had a chance? They’d never fought back. They hadn’t retaliated. They’d hurt no one in ISAN after their escape.

They’d only kidnapped me because Rhett loved me. He’d needed me to know. Getting a grip, I bit my lip and focused on the pain. I needed to be strong and give him a fake smile. Right then, I needed to get through it.

As the platform lowered to the ground, my peers gawked at me as if I were some kind of a hero. It made me sick to my stomach. My name was attached to a murderous act. I wanted to tell everyone they were being played, but that would do no good for any of us.

When I was dismissed, I peered up to see Russ. His expression gave me no inkling of how he felt. Mitch and Lydia didn’t seem to care either. Maybe Russ had been aware of ISAN’s plan of attack. It didn’t matter. Rhett and his group were gone, and my heart lay in pieces. Finding my dad and my twin didn’t seem to matter anymore. I didn’t want to know if they were dead. I couldn’t handle more pain.

During the times when I was afraid and alone, like the time when my mother passed away, I needed something to believe in, something to keep me going. Russ had given me that. He had given me purpose.

Then Rhett had entered my life with a new hope. But when hope was gone, what did I have left?