“Math exam, Raymond?”Before I could answer, Jérôme casually reached toward the grass stuck in my hair. Instead of plucking it out, he grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked, smashing my skull into the wall. The hard, rough stone cut into my brow. The pain was instantaneous—but that moment shattered my fog.I twisted, driving my elbow into his ribs. Jérôme sidestepped easily, then seized my head again and slammed me into the wall. My skull rattled. This time my ears rang and my knees buckled. Holy crap, it hurt. Blood trickled down, wetting my eye and cheek. I felt nauseous.I slumped onto the stairs. Jérôme crouched before me, still clutching my hair as he hauled my head up and peered into my eyes.“I’m curious, Raymond,” the madman who had just split my brow asked calmly. “Do you like Judy, or do you like Carl?”Blood blurred my vision—I could barely open my eye. My ears were still ringing and my tongue felt stuck in my throat. Jérôme went on, “I’m confused. If they both appeal to you equally, I don’t know which I should do.”I spat at his face. My head felt like fireworks were bursting behind my eyes; every color left an afterimage. Jérôme’s smiling face flickered.“So you like them both the same, huh? Fine. They’re Raymond’s friends—guess I’ll have to show them some special attention.”With that, he rose and his footsteps faded away. My mind swam in a mist. Only after a long while could I gather myself and stand.I couldn’t overpower Jérôme. Rather than take the math exam, I sat in the infirmary getting patched up. The nurse asked what kind of wound it was; I mumbled something, and she—perhaps attributing it to youthful folly—didn’t press further.As she cleaned my blood and disinfected the cut, I remembered Jérôme’s brutal grip. I couldn’t defeat Jérôme, Simon, or Hugh by force. It wasn’t that I was unusually weak—my height gave me broad shoulders and a decent build—but they’d trained their strength relentlessly, leaving me no match.They were prepared hunters. I couldn’t fight them head-on, nor could I outnumber them. I needed to avoid violence and avoid solitary confrontations. Above all, I had to minimize injuries—when the moment came to strike, a healthy body would make the difference.Thankfully, the cut on my brow wasn’t deep. Though it bled heavily—as even a small tear on the forehead does—there was no need for stitches. A bandage later, and I was free to leave.I left the infirmary and made my way to the classroom for the French exam. Peering through the window, I saw fewer than twenty students inside—and there was Judy, hunched over, diligently working through the questions. Relief washed over me. Next I checked on Carl; he too was safely taking his exam.Jérôme’s words were the most ominous I’d ever heard. I’d dragged Judy and Carl into this game—but they were only pawns. It was unfair that the blade might be turned on them. Worse… it felt out of bounds. It wasn’t how the game was supposed to go. Jérôme’s style was to let me move a pawn, then move one in reply—driving the game forward piece by piece, clue by clue. He wouldn’t randomly overturn the board.Lost in thought, I stepped onto the quad—then stopped. Nobody knew patterns better than me. I had to abandon any naïve hope. If Jérôme intended to draw Judy and Carl in fully, there was no stopping him now. If I backed away now, would Jérôme stop too? Would Simon and Hugh pretend not to know Judy and Carl? Of course not. They’d torment them mercilessly—simply for my sake, for my desire to protect them. Judy and Carl were already in the game. If I win, they live; if I lose…I couldn’t play on like this. I had to change the situation. I set off for the dormitory to find George.George was there, but unlike usual. Instead of tapping away at his laptop, he sat buried in the sofa, listening to a violin recording. Quiet as if asleep, he opened his eyes when I made a sound. He greeted me casually.“Where did you sleep last night?”“Don’t play dumb.” I replied icily, crossing the living room to switch off the audio under the tapestry. Instantly, the room fell deathly silent.It was just the two of us in the dorm. My decision to talk to George had been impulsive, but the moment fit. I pulled a chair opposite him and sat close enough that our knees nearly touched. George remained buried in the sofa, motionless.I studied him. His thin cheeks were pale; he looked exhausted—as if last night had drained him. A nasty premonition hit me.I stood and faced him. George met my gaze without flinching. He wore a short-sleeved shirt—he didn’t stop me when I began undoing its buttons. I peeled it open.Just as I suspected, faint but clear marks of violence marred his pale, skinny body. These weren’t wounds from resisting—George had endured them silently.I felt no hatred toward George for what he’d suffered; it was mere amusement or release for them. But anger welled in me nonetheless. Before being an accomplice, he had been my predecessor and, in a sense, my comrade.I gently traced his wounds. George groaned softly; it stung like a burn. The silence between us stretched unbearably.“How did you become Hugh’s dog?” I asked abruptly.Without replying, George buttoned his shirt. I looked at his slender wrist and persisted, “Why do you let them do it? Didn’t you ever have a chance to kill them?”“We saw what happened to the six predecessors. We have only two choices.” George answered calmly.“Fine. I get it,” I said, sitting opposite him. Gazing into his pale, inscrutable eyes, I asked again, “How did you choose? To become their dog. How do you become their dog? What must I do to make that choice?”George remained silent.“You said you’d help kill Jérôme.” I spoke softly.“‘I don’t give a damn how you use me. I’m just your mutt. Sit when you’re told, bark when you’re told, fuck when you’re told. You can’t hold grudges against a dog—it’s the owner’s fault for setting it loose. But I’m curious: if I kill Jérôme, you said you’d get me out. How? You can’t even escape yourself. How would you help me kill him? You sounded so sure back then—was it all bravado?”Half of what I said was a lie; I did hold a grudge against George. But I didn’t need to admit it.Slowly, George rose. He returned to the audio system and switched the music back on, the violin’s soft strains filling the room again. I watched him walk—it was slow yet precarious. I cut in abruptly, “Were you raped yesterday?”At last George answered, “Yes.”He sank back into the sofa and continued with effort, “You pissed off Hugh yesterday.”“So you took it out on the pet dog? You’re more petty than your owner.” I taunted. George said nothing, head bowed.We sat in silence for a long while. The violin ended and restarted, and only then did George seem ready to speak. When he looked up, life had returned to his tired eyes. He studied my face and posture as if observing me.“It’s impossible for me to escape,” he said, “but I can get you out in my own way. I won’t tell you now—if I did, you’d run away at once, and Jérôme would know I was the one who helped you and take revenge. As I said, my only goal is to survive. But if Jérôme dies, everything changes. Beyond survival, I can pursue other things. But not while Jérôme is alive. So, Raymond, I’m fully prepared to help you kill Jérôme. He knows by now that you and I are plotting together; there’s no point hiding our alliance. We only need to keep the specific plan secret.”“Alright. I understand. What is this plan?”George stood and went back to the audio, detaching one of the speakers. He flipped it open, untangled the wiring, and removed a small transparent plastic bag. He handed it to me—and a key. No numbers embossed, a mystery key. George said expressionlessly, “That powder is what I’ve stolen from your meals over time—just enough to collect this dose.”“The key is?” I didn’t need his answer; I already knew. But he confirmed, “It’s Jérôme’s room key.”They were everything I needed to change the game in one strike. My excitement froze me. In a strangely measured tone, George explained, “It’s only enough for one dose. If you use less, he won’t sleep deeply enough. Use it carefully.”He continued slowly, “How you give it to Jérôme… what day you kill him… how you kill him…and how you lose Simon and Hugh… that’s up to you. I’ve given you the decisive hint to kill Jérôme… and my role ends here. If you fail, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) it’s on you.”His careful tone came from suppressing excitement. The desire to kill Jérôme was as strong in George as it was in me.“How soon after I kill him can you get me out?” I asked.“At any time you wish.”George studied my face, then warned, “It’s thrilling, but don’t underestimate it, Raymond. Jérôme is royalty. I can get you out of the school—but I can’t cover the chase afterward. If you vanish right after Jérôme dies, you know who the police will suspect.”“You don’t need to worry about that. Just get me out.”“Fine.” George replied tersely. “Fine.”We both fell silent, staring at each other. George’s pale blue eyes glinted with excitement; color returned to his cheeks. Two wary allies, unable to trust each other but bound together.From beyond the window came the bell marking the end of class, and thoughts of Judy and Carl surged in my mind.Without a word, I jumped up and dashed down the stairs. The dorm matron at the entrance chuckled at my wild grin. As I walked from the dorm toward the school, my smile faded into a cold fury.What a cunning, sneaky mutt George was. If he thought I’d swallow such sweet talk again, he was gravely mistaken. One crucial question remained unanswered—the first thing I’d asked him:“How do I become your dog?”And George never answered. The chance he’d spoken of had already slipped away.When I first resolved to seek out George, that had been my plan: become their docile pet, then strike from behind. But our talk turned that plan to dust. Jérôme’s gang no longer intended to tame me as a dog. In effect, we’d entered the final game.Sooner or later, as Jérôme and I had discussed, they would test how far I could endure. When I finally cracked, that would mark the end of the game. George knew we were at the dying embers now. His talk of drugs was bullshit—but I pocketed both the powder and the key.George tossed me bait, and I pretended to bite. The moment would come to turn it to my advantage.

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