After breakfast, Mr. Reeves led me to the door of the Red Room before hurrying away to his other chores. The Red Room's door, made of polished black wood with a bronze handle, looked like any other in the mansion.

I steeled what little nerves I had and knocked on it.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Enter, nestling."

I turned the knob and walked through the door. The rectangular room was lit by dim lanterns hanging on the wall. True to its name, the walls of the windowless room were painted red. From the waist down, panels of black wood covered their surface.

Lady Sin, no, Sin leaned back in the room’s only chair. She kicked her feet up on a rectangular table in the middle of the open space, revealing long, black boots. In her left hand, she tossed and caught the knife she used with deadly force the night before. Sin repeated the motion again and again as I squirmed in silence. In the dim light, the ruby eyes of the hawk's head pommel glinted.

"You're fitting in well," Sin said, focusing on the arc of her knife in the air.

"T-Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

She snatched the knife out of the air in a reverse grip and drove the point into the table.

"Last night, you said you wanted to learn to do what I do. Has a soft bed and a good meal changed that?"

"No, I-I still want to learn."

"Why?"

She slipped her feet off the table, leaning forward and facing me in her chair.

Why? Why did I want to be like Sin?

I thought back to last night and remembered the bodies of my would-be hunters laid out in the alleyway. A feeling of satisfaction swallowed me—the joy of seeing a hunter become the hunted, the strong becoming weak.

I thought back to Kirk huddled in the alleyway, waiting to die. He was weak. I was weak. I didn't have to be. If a hunter could become hunted, the opposite must be true.

"I'm tired of feeling helpless. The boys at the orphanage bullied me because of how I looked. The caretakers spat in my food.”

I took a deep breath, fighting to keep the shakiness out of my voice.

“When the orphanage closed, the city guards treated me like the rats my friends and I ate. Then the hunters and the dogs came...”

The sound of howling dogs echoed in my head, sending a chill up my spine.

“I want to be the monster that goes bump in the night, not its victim. Does that make sense?"

Sin pried the knife out of the table, placed it on its’ side, and ran her hand along its black handle as if to soothe it.

"Yes, I understand.”

She shook her head.

“That fire in your eyes. You do look just like him."

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Him?

"Becoming like me is about more than training. It’s a mindset that you must master. Are you prepared for that?"

"Yes."

I stood straighter as my confidence surged.

I will become stronger.

Sin gave me an amused nod.

"On top of regular training, I will give you three lessons with three parts: a word, a challenge and a clue. You will receive a word, the challenge of defining that word and a clue to help you. There is no limit on how many times you can take the challenge and no time limit. Once you correctly define a word and master its meaning, we will move on to the next lesson. Once you master all three lessons, you will be my equal. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

"Good, then let's begin."

She reached behind herself and pulled out an old, brown leather-bound book. Sin slid it across the table and gestured me forward.

As I ran my hands over the roughly used cover, she spoke.

"The word is utility. The clue is the page I folded in that book."

I frowned.

"Um... I can't read."

Sin laughed, a sharp, almost mocking sound that made me flinch.

"Are you going to let something like that stop you? Talk to Mr. Reeves. He taught the twins how to read."

I opened the book, flipping through its pages.

"Not here. This room isn't for reading."

True enough. The dim candlelight made it hard to make out the letters.

"What is this room for then?"

"To unwind. It's the only place in this mansion where I can be myself."

Sin leaned back into her chair, holding her knife close to her chest.

"Why do you have to pretend to be something you're not?"

"Because no one is free in this world. Not even me."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

Her head jerked as she turned to me. I pulled the book close to my chest to protect myself from the intensity of her veiled gaze.

“I... It... It must be terrible to live your life hidden away.”

Sin giggled her girlish laugh, standing up to walk around the table. She slid her knife into the secret pocket of her skirt and patted my head with the same hand.

"You’re a kind soul, Jacob. We'll get rid of that soon enough. Now run along. I'll be here when you're ready to take the challenge."

I walked out of the room shaking, hugging the book with all my strength.

Sin believed in me! She believed that I could be like her. The dead bodies of Lord Severn and his manservant flashed in my mind. The world painted red with their blood—the world as Sin saw it. It was within my grasp.

I smiled and turned to walk down the hallway as a shock of blonde hair disappeared around the corner. I walked faster, ignoring my protesting feet. Around the corner, Cynthia ducked low, pressing herself against the wall.

"You saw me, didn't you?" She asked.

"Why are you following me?"

"I wanted to see what would happen to you. I can't believe you're alive!"

"Of course, I'm alive."

"Whoa!"

I stood straighter and puffed out my chest, making the book I held more noticeable.

"What's that?"

"A book Sin- I mean, Lady Sin gave me."

"Can I see?"

"Sure!"

I pushed the book in her face, almost snapping her head back as she knelt against the wall. Standing up, she rubbed her sore nose and looked at the book's cover.

"A book of poetry? Mr. Reeves loves these things."

She flipped through the book, stopping at a page with a creased corner. Cynthia’s eyebrows furrowed as she read the page. As she continued, her eyes went wide as she snapped the book shut.

"What does it say?" I asked.

"Um... I'll let Mr.Reeves explain it."

She shoved the book back in my hands and rushed down the hallway in a flutter of black and white cloth.

It couldn't be that bad. Could it?

After wandering around the mansion, I stumbled upon Mr. Reeves in his room on the third floor. He sat on his bed, a book with a distressed beige cover in his hand. I knocked on the open door.

"Jacob?" Mr. Reeves said, drying the tears budding in the corner of his eyes.

"Mr. Reeves, is this a good time?"

"Of course, it is. Come in."

I walked through the door. His room smelled of old paper and ink. A side table stood in front of his bed, with half-scribbled papers scattered over its surface.

"Don't mind the mess. Please sit."

I sat down beside him, unclenching my fingers around Sin's book.

"And what's this?"

"A book. Lady Sin gave it to me."

Mr. Reeves cocked his head.

"May I see?"

I held up the book like an offering as he tucked his beige book beneath his pillow. He picked it up and examined the weathered cover.

"Poetry! I love poetry."

He flipped through the pages, stopping at the dog-eared page.

"Lady Sin wanted me to read that."

Mr. Reeves read over the page, his eyes widening as he got to the bottom.

"Oh dear, why would she want you to read this?!"

"What does it say?"

His face blanched.

"I... I think you should read this on your own when you're ready. Do you want to learn to read, Jacob?"

I nodded my head.

He gave me a tight-lipped smile, the corners of his eyes creasing.

"Then let's get started..."