Charles had always seemed a little too innocent in ra''s mind—almost like a kid who didn''t quite understand the world or how sharp he could be. There was a kind of naive cruelty to him, like he didn''t even know how dangerous he looked with those fierce, angr features. When he was quiet, he could really intimidate people.


    Now he stood there, pale and shaken, maybe for the first time actually wanting to know the truth about where he came from.


    They forced ra out to the edge of the cliff. The boy beside her the experiment -had eyes as empty as a machine''s, showing nothing, not even a flicker of emotion.


    She''d thought she was strong, but against him, she barelysted a few moves before he caught her by the cor, holding her still as he stared down at her. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, the age where he should have been full of life. But all she saw was numbness, like he was only half-alive.


    He raised his knife, aiming for her heart.


    Everything happened in a blur. ra twisted just in time, so the de drove into her shoulder instead of her chest. She kicked him, hard, in the stomach. He only staggered back a step, more surprised than hurt-surprised she was still fighting.


    ra nced around. The cliff was at the very edge of thepound, connected to the wild mountains, but here it was just a dead end. The only way out was down. Was she supposed to jump?


    He came at her again, knife shing. She dodged, feeling his grip nearly crush her wrist.


    She tried to steady her voice. "Did you see that man inside? The one called Charles? Don''t you think you look like him? You''re both about the same age. Maybe you''re his brother? Haven''t you ever wondered about your own past?"


    He didn''t pause. The knife shed again, grazing her face. She jerked away, heart pounding, and her fingers brushed something in her bag-a piece of candy she''d brought for emergencies. Without thinking, she shoved it into his mouth.


    He stopped, frowning, chewing slowly. It was just a piece of candy, something to keep her blood sugar up. But now, for the first time, she saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes.


    ra stood breathing hard, waiting, until finally he asked, "This... what?"


    His words were clumsy, hesitant like a kid learning to talk. His eyes were wide and confused, like he honestly had no idea what she''d just given him.


    She remembered what the man with the scar had said: this boy had been drugged and experimented on since he was small. He probably hadn''t even seen the world outside, much less tasted candy.


    "It''s candy," she exined softly. "If you like it, I can get you more. You don''t have to kill me today. Maybe... you could wait until tomorrow?"


    He stared at the candy wrapper, turning it over in his hands, and then repeated the word, "Candy?"


    "Yeah, candy. There are all kinds-different vors. I bet you''ve never tried any of them, right? I could take you out of here. You could have as much as you want."


    He looked lost, tucking the wrapper carefully into his pocket, repeating the word again "Candy?"


    ra wasn''t sure if he understood her, but she braced herself for another attack. After a moment, he looked down at the knife in his hand.


    For a second, she thought he was going to stop. Then he lunged at her again.


    "You. Die."


    She dodged, but her momentum sent her toppling over the edge of the cliff. Desperate, she grabbed his arm. "If I''m going down, you''reing with me!"


    He hadn''t expected that. She pulled him over the edge with her.


    The cliff didn''t have a name. It was just a ce to dump bodies-no one knew how deep it was, or if there was any way to survive at the bottom.<fn140a> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? fin?novel</fn140a>


    When randed, she found herself in a giant mesh, nted so that anything or anyone-whonded there slid down into a tunnel below.


    The experimentnded beside her, the breaking their fall so neither was badly hurt.


    She scrambled toward the tunnel, crawling for what felt like forever-maybe two hundred meters-until the space suddenly opened up.


    She''de out in a hidden warehouse under the factory. Bodies hung from the ceiling, and further ahead were racks of processed meat.


    In this tiny country, surrounded by poverty and mountains, there were no animals.left-no livestock. People here were desperate, and any animal that


    befored was stolen and eaten


    before it could grow up. So people had be the livestock. Here, they really ate human flesh.  s


    ra stumbled back, sickened. The underground room was pitch ck and secretive, with only a dozen workers moving numbly through their tasks, processing the bodies.  s


    These people didn''t seem to work for the same boss as the factory above. Even if they noticed something strange about a body they didn''t ask questions. They just did their jobs, mechanical and silent.  s


    She saw the bodies of the men she''d killed yesterday among the others—already


    being salted and cured.


    Her stomach twisted. She leaned against the wall, retching.


    Then she heard footsteps behind her-the experiment wasing after her


    again.