"First of all," Hades started, "what were you doing yesterday during that training session in the city?"

"I—"

"Three things." Hades raised up three fingers. "First of all, you never, never, tell the opponent where you are."

"I had a plan. I was going to lure her towards me and—"

"Don't. Plans like that are always risky, and sometimes fatal." He ticked down one finger. "Secondly, you let Thea out of your illusion?"

Hades looked ready to strangle her. "You should—"

"—never let my opponent out of my illusions," Katrina interrupted. "Right?"

Hades raised an eyebrow. "Don't interrupt me."

"But was I correct?" Katrina insisted, refusing to back down. "That was the second thing you were going to say, right?"

"Yes," Hades admitted impatiently. "Now, the third thing is—"

"—Lemme guess: never jump onto a moving hovercar?"

Ted shot her a worried glance. He shook his head as if to warn her to stop testing Hades' patience. Celia frowned next to him, furrowing her brows.

Katrina ignored the two of them, glaring at Hades defiantly. "Am I right?"

Hades' just stared at her, as if trying to find a reply to her challenge. "Yes."

"But can I say something?"

After a curt nod from Hades, Katrina argued, "I disagree with all three of your points. First of all, my plan was going to work. I would never reveal my location to my opponent unless I was sure of that. Besides, sometimes you just have to take risks in order to succeed."

After a moment without anyone interrupting, she continued. "Second of all, yesterday was, as you said, a training session. It wasn't real, and there was no risk to me. If it were real, I wouldn't have let Thea out of my illusion.

"And lastly, that hovercar was close enough to where I was and moving slow enough that I knew I had the reflexes and grace to be able to jump onto it successfully. A training session is one of the best times and places to test your skills, so you don't have to test them when you're in the real world and it's a matter of life or death, no?"

Hades just gaped at her, dumbfounded. The others' expression matched his.

"So, in conclusion," Katrina ended, slightly quieter and more nervous this time, "I disagree with all three of your points."

Katrina fell into an awkward silence as she waited anxiously for Hades' reaction. He shook his head disbelievingly.

"Well, kiddo, let me say this: You have some nerve."

"Um... So?" Katrina asked nervously. "Is that good or bad?"

Hades gave out a booming laugh, much to the surprise of Katrina and the others.

"It depends. The nerve will serve you well on the field. And yes, you're right; sometimes you do have to take risks, just not unnecessary ones."

Thea raised an eyebrow at her from behind Hades. Katrina shrugged back, surprised at Hades' change in character.

As if reading their minds, Hades explained, "You remind me a lot of my twin brother." His expression grew wistful as he stared off into space.

"What happened to him?" Katrina prompted quietly. "Did he... die?"

Hades wiped away a lone tear before his expression hardened. "None of your business," he growled, going back to his normal, harsh self. "Now, Thea—"

"Uh... I hate to interrupt, but Katrina, Ted, and I need to go back to the arena ASAP," Celia said. "There's something wrong back there, and there are a few people waking up. If they find the three of us missing..."

Hades' expression looked ready to murder. "During our lesson?"

"Yes. It's an emergency."

"Come back tomorrow," he dismissed. "Thea, you stay here."

"Not sure when we'll be back," Celia replied hurriedly. "We may be gone for a while. Ted, Katrina, let's go."

Katrina held up a hand in farewell and gave Thea a sympathetic look. She could only imagine what torture Hades would put her in, now that Thea had all of his attention.

The three quickly created a Shaft, Ted under the instruction of Celia, and hurried back to the area under the arena.

"What's happening?" Ted asked. "Why do we have to go back so soon?"

"Don't complain." Katrina elbowed him. "I don't care as long as it gets me out of a lesson with Hades."

"He's that bad?"

"Yep."

Katrina quickly buckled into one of the seats, Ted and Celia doing the same next to her. As the chair started speeding up, Ted started whooping behind her. In a few seconds, the three of them arrived at a ladder.

Katrina quickly led the way up, emerging by the bushes. She crouched down and gave a hand to Ted and Celia, helping them up.

"I just got more information from the scientists in charge of Arena six," Celia said. "Stefan got infected by some sort of virus, probably through the wound in his leg. It's apparently very infectious, and we have to approach with caution."

"Is there a cure for it?" Katrina asked.

Celia shook her head. "Not yet. The scientists just took a sample of the virus, and they're starting to work on one. It'll take a couple of weeks though, best case scenario."

"I can just heal Stefan with my power," Ted volunteered.

Celia snorted. "You've never tried healing someone with a disease before, have you?"

Ted shook his head.

"That's not how your power works. According to the DNA sample the scientists got, your power only works on wounds and physical injuries, not diseases. Deviants who can heal diseases are much rarer, and we haven't found one to replace the Deviant who died last year yet."

"But can't I at least try?"

"No," Celia stated. "Didn't you hear anything I said? The virus is highly infectious, and if you try, you'll only get the virus yourself. That's what happened to the last Deviant who could heal diseases; even though he could heal them, he wasn't immune to them himself. He accidentally contracted a type of bacteria and died not long after."

"Oh," Ted replied in a small voice. "I see."

"Why don't they just quarantine Stefan for the time being until they find a cure?" Katrina asked.

"If they do that, then we'll either have to erase everyone else's memory of Stefan's disappearance or put them in a stasis pod, and both options are too expensive."

"But isn't it better than everyone dying?"

"We can be replaced," Celia replied off-handedly. "If we die, they'll just find a new batch of people and boom, that's it."

"And doesn't that bother you?"

"Not really. It's just a matter of cost. Now, are you done with the questions? We really need to get back soon."

As Ted and Katrina nodded obediently, Celia started leading the way back. As they got closer, a rank and putrid reek became more evident.

"What is that smell?" Katrina asked, wrinkling her nose. She waved a hand in front of her face, turning her head away.

Neither of the other two replied, instead opting to continue making their way towards the camp. Soon, Katrina could barely breathe in without gagging.

"Just breathe it in," Ted choked out. "You'll get used to the smell and will barely notice it soon."

Katrina used his advice and took a deep breath. After a couple rounds of retching, she decided to just breathe as little as possible. Soon, she felt light-headed.

The three entered the camp. Everyone else was rushing around, wide-awake. They were too busy entering and leaving Stefan's cabin to notice their arrival, and hopefully, their absence.

"What's happening?" Katrina grabbed Amari's arm.

"You don't know?" Amari shook her head. "Just take a look at Stefan and you'll see."

Katrina nodded, following Amari. The two entered the hut, and Katrina barely managed to hold back a gasp.

There were rashes, lesions, and blisters all over Stefan's body. He was sweating profusely, heaving all over the place. Blood was being vomited, coating the floor with a layer of the dark, crimson liquid.

He gasped, flipping over to face Katrina. "Katrina?"

"Yes, it's me Stefan," she said gently. She held her hand out, ready to touch Stefan's shoulder reassuringly before she thought better of it and retracted her arm.

"Help me, please."

Katrina could only look sadly at him. "We're trying, Stefan. I think you may have gotten infected from the wound in your leg, but we don't know how to heal you yet."

Stefan nodded before he started spewing all over the place again. With a tug at Amari's sleeve, the two headed gratefully back outside into the mostly fresh and much cooler air.

"We do not know what happened to him," Amari said. "He started vomiting ten minutes ago, and the other symptoms appeared soon after. We are trying to give him water to drink to cool him down, but he keeps choking on it."

With a sigh, Amari continued. "Where is Ted? Perhaps he could heal Stefan."

"He wouldn't be able to," Katrina replied hastily. "Ted's power only works on physical injuries and wounds, not viruses."

"You think Stefan has a virus?" Amari asked.

"Uh, maybe he does? I mean, it's just a guess." Katrina winced at blatant lie. She quickly changed the subject.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"David is in hysterics. He knows no English so we cannot explain to him what is going on. He ran off not long ago towards the river, perhaps you could find him?"

Katrina nodded confidently. With a goal in mind, she quickly thanked Amari for the information. Gratefully, she headed towards the river where the air was cleaner, and she could breathe easier.

"David, David!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Where are you? You need to come back, everyone is worried about you."

"Katrina?" a thickly accented voice replied faintly.

"David!" Katrina ran towards the sound and found David sitting next to the river, his knees pulled up to his chest. He was pulling grass out of the ground, ripping them into pieces before dropping them into the water.

Katrina sat down next to him, grabbing his hand to stop him from destroying the patch of grass anymore.

"Stefan?" he asked hopefully. "He good?"

Katrina grimaced, not knowing how to break the bad news to him. She formulated her words in her head before speaking.

"We don't know," Katrina replied honestly. "I think he has a virus or some sort of disease, and he's not in the best condition physically, but he's trying his best to hold on."

"He die?"

"Not yet, but he might."

"Ted no save him?"

Katrina shook her head. "No, he can't." She then continued to explain how Ted specializes in physical wounds, not diseases.

"We go back?"

"Not if you don't want to," she replied. "The camp is... pretty chaotic right now, to say the least. It's not the best place to be."

David shook his head and pounded a fist on his chest. "I help."

"Well... If you're sure," she answered hesitantly. "Don't say I didn't warn you though."

Together, the two headed back towards the camp. With each step, David's worried expression grew even more extreme. When they reached the edge of camp, Katrina signaled for him to stay there while she entered.

Much to her surprise, everyone was standing outside of Stefan's cabin, talking quietly instead of rushing around like they were doing before.

Katrina walked towards them, tapping Amari on the shoulder lightly.

"I found David," Katrina told her in a quiet tone. The solemn mood was too dark and depressed for anything else. "He's waiting nearby. What happened here?"

"Stefan has left this world."

The words made Katrina's mind reel. She could barely comprehend the fact that Stefan was dead.

"What? He's dead?"

"He passed away only a few minutes ago," Amari replied. "Ted was unable to save him."

Katrina shook her head, wishing that she was having a nightmare. "You sure?"

"Yes. His heartbeat is no more."

Katrina shook her head, unknowing what to say. She had never been particularly close to Stefan, but he was a great member of their group.

"What am I supposed to tell David? Stefan was his best friend."

"He deserves to know," Ted interrupted. "If you want, I can break the news to him."

"No, I'll do it."

Katrina pivoted on her heels, ready to head back to David when she heard a small rustling noise in a nearby bush. She turned her head, finding David quickly running away from them.

"Wait!" Katrina moved forwards before Amari placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Give him some time," she said. "He'll come back when he's ready."

Katrina nodded, finding the wisdom in her words. "Okay."

"What do we do with the body?" Celia asked. "If he had a virus, then none of us can go near it."

"I hate to say this," Wyne replied uneasily, "but I think we have to leave it. Don't get me wrong, I want to pay a proper tribunal to him too, but Celia's right. We can't risk it." He glanced around as if worried that the others would argue.

Slowly, everyone else nodded. Celia clapped her hands together once. "Great! It's unanimous. We leave Stefan's body where it is. I don't know about you guys, but the stench here is killing me. Besides, for all we know, we could get the virus from being near the body. Want to make camp somewhere else?"

Katrina glanced at her in surprise. She knew Celia wasn't the most emotional person, but she didn't expect her to be so heartless and logical, either.

Again, the others didn't have any choice but to chime in their agreement. Celia's logic made sense; they shouldn't risk staying there for any longer than they already have.

"I say we should all take a quick dip in the river first," Katrina spoke. "I hate to say this, but Celia's right. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible, and the river can help us wash any blood and gore that we got on us off."

The others quickly murmured an agreement before they headed off to the river together. They walked in silence, grieving.

When they arrived, the girls went first, undressing and taking a quick dip in the water. Katrina rubbed at her skin furiously— she had no desire to contract whatever virus Stefan had gotten. After they were done, they walked towards the guys, who were keeping watch nearby.

"You two go wash off," Katrina told Ted and Wyne. "I'll go find David."

"I think I saw him head towards the blackberry bushes. Try looking there," Ted replied.

Katrina nodded in thanks before heading off. As she walked along the now worn-down path towards the bushes, she saw a pair of footsteps heading elsewhere.

In a moment, she turned and faced the direction of the path. As she moved through the forest, she heard a murder of crows fly past her, cawing in the trees. She glanced up at the sky, and sure enough, dawn was coming.

"Katrina?"

Katrina whirled around to find David sitting by a patch of flowers. The flowers danced in the cool, morning breeze, droplets of dew still hanging on their petals.

"Stefan dead?"

Katrina pursed her lips before nodding. "I'm sorry."

"Where others?"

"They're by the river. You should probably go there too, you know, to wash up." Katrina jerked her chin at David's bloody clothes. "It'll make you feel a lot better."

Tears streamed down David's face as he shook his head fiercely.
"No! Stefan dead. No feel better now."

"I know it hurts," she comforted, "but there's nothing that we can do but to keep moving. Stefan wouldn't want you to do this."

David ripped a few leaves off of the plant next to him. He chewed them slowly.

"No. I leave too."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "Do you want to join Dean's group again?"

"No, I leave." He waved his hands wildly as if expecting her to understand. "Leave."

Katrina sighed, wishing that she understood Korean. In times like this, when language barriers prevented her from understanding David, she usually called on Stefan to help.

"I don't think I understand what you're saying," Katrina replied gently. Above her, a crow cawed ominously. She flinched at the sharp noise.

David ripped off another leaf from the plant next to him before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Uhh... I don't think you should be doing that," she said, watching him swallow. "That flower might not be edible."

"Bad." David pointed at the flowers. "Flower bad."

Katrina was ready to rip her hair out from frustration; she had no idea what David was saying. She sighed before attempting to communicate again. "We should head back to the others before they start worrying."

David shook his head. "You go. I stay."

Katrina hesitated. On one hand, she didn't want the others to panic, but on the other, she didn't want to leave David alone. In a moment, she made her decision.

"I'll stay with you," she said. She sat down next to him, watching him with pitiful eyes as he continued to destroy the flowers next to him.

As she glanced at the flowers that he was eating, realization dawned on her.

...

Not quite a cliffhanger this time, but not exactly a normal chapter ending either. \

What "realization" do you think dawned on Katrina? (I'm curious XD. This must've been a pretty confusing chapter)