The bell rang to end chemistry class. Professor Mons gathered his notes and called out to Evan as he was about to leave the classroom.
"Come here a moment, Arkham."
The older man looked at him over his glasses. The scrutiny and suspicion in his gaze had given way to a rare hint of approval.
"You seem to be doing well, Arkham."
Evan gave him a polite smile, showing straight white teeth.
"Your approval has given me confidence and a direction to work toward, Professor."
The older man nodded slightly and returned the chalk to the wooden box on the lectern with a soft tap.
"Take care of yourself. Don't spend your time with students who don't take their studies seriously."
He paused, looking straight at Evan through the lower half of his reading glasses.
"For a student like you, education is your only way forward."
Evan lowered his head, his voice sincere.
"Thank you for your guidance, Professor."
German, mathematics, and biology followed.
Across all four classes, Evan was confident and composed.
He was almost unrecognizable compared with the insecure student who used to huddle in the back corner and only stand when called on.
The other students began whispering among themselves.
How had he changed so much?
While they were talking, Evan went to the board to solve a math problem and casually rolled up his sleeves.
Several pairs of eyes narrowed at once.
The forearms that had once been covered in copper-red rashes were now smooth again.
His skin was clear and firm, the muscles of his forearms sharply defined in the sunlight. Not a trace remained of what had once made the entire class laugh at him.
"His French Pox... it's cured?"
A young man with neatly side-parted hair narrowed his eyes from his seat by the window in the second row.
Morales.
He was one of the few middle-class students in the class who could still afford to devote himself quietly to his studies.
His father was a fairly well-known physician in Bolton City. The family was well-off, and his father had arranged for him to become a doctor too.
Morales had been watching Evan closely lately.
It wasn't out of sympathy. His father had told him that hospitals had recently begun using a new drug called Magic Bullet, which treated Syphilis.
A full course of treatment cost enough to cover six months' rent for his father's clinic.
So when he learned that the poor student in his class also had Syphilis, he began quietly observing him.
What he saw shocked him.
Evan answered Professor Mons's questions without hesitation.
He fought back alone against Lebon, Thompson, and the Brotherhood bullies, sending four burly men fleeing with their hands over their heads.
In just one week, he had gone from dazed, frail, and haggard to a sharp-eyed, healthy young man.
And now his Syphilis was cured too.
Could it be...
Morales's pen stopped on his scratch paper. Ink spread into a small black blot.
Had he really become that gangster's plaything?
He had heard rumors from the poorer parts of town.
Some gang bosses would prey on anyone, men or women, for a thrill.
And some shameless young men willingly sold their bodies for money.
Could he really have had something to do with Lebon?
Otherwise, how could he afford Magic Bullet?
Morales's stomach dropped.
He had learned of Lebon's death the next day.
Their families both lived on Federal Avenue in the Back Bay District. They were neighbors.
His father had even gone over that night as the family's private doctor to help.
When he returned, he said Lebon's death had been gruesome and had come without warning.
Keep your distance.
Morales came to a firm conclusion.
The dangerous ones are the bad kids who do well in school.
The morning biology class ended.
As usual, Professor Pulis gathered his notes and left the classroom quietly without speaking to any students.
Evan had packed his bag early and followed him.
"Professor, may I ask you a few questions?"
Pulis slowed and glanced at him.
His pale blue eyes swept over Evan from behind his glasses, betraying no emotion.
"Talk while we walk."
They headed toward the cafeteria side by side.
Students in the corridor stepped aside when they saw Pulis. No one dared approach him to say hello.
Evan lowered his voice.
"Professor, I didn't mean for what happened Friday night to happen."
Pulis kept walking, his gaze fixed ahead.
"I was cursed. Somehow, I ended up crossing the Gus Gang."
"The streetcar was late. Bird droppings landed right on me. I tripped on level ground. I couldn't control my temper, and I even threw my tenants out."
"It was only afterward that night that I realized it wasn't ordinary bad luck."
Pulis gave a noncommittal hum.
"And?"
Evan continued, sounding more earnest.
"I've taken the medicine you gave me on schedule. My vision and Perception at night feel incredibly sharp, even better than during the day."
He paused, then changed tack.
"As for side effects... sunlight bothers me a little, and I think I've become a bit nearsighted."
Pulis listened and gave another calm hum. The corridor lights glinted off his glasses.
"You want to keep taking it?"
He paused.
"Does your Master allow it?"
Evan looked entirely serious.
"My Master said you aren't our enemy. She said I could take it if I wanted to, since my Drug Resistance is pretty strong."
The corner of Pulis's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
"Very well. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."
Evan murmured an acknowledgment, took a deep breath, and asked what he had really wanted to know.
"Professor, do you know who cursed me?"
"I can't just let this go. I nearly died several times that night."
Pulis lowered his gaze to Evan's face and was silent for a few seconds.
"Have you become a Demon Hunter Apprentice?"
Evan shook his head truthfully.
He didn't know how powerful Pulis really was.
A vampire who could pass through a window on a moonlit night and draw his blood without a sound was far more than the biology professor he appeared to be.
Lying to someone like that could cost him his life if he was caught.
Pulis nodded.
"Then I advise you to leave it alone for now."
Evan took a determined half-step forward.
"That's all right. I just want to know who it is."
"Without a clear direction, I feel like I'm surrounded by enemies wherever I go."
"If this keeps up, I won't even have peace of mind when I take my medicine."
Pulis looked into Evan's dark, stubborn eyes.
"Botis Alcott."
He gave him the name.
Evan's stomach sank.
Botis Alcott.
He knew the name.
A third-year law student with excellent grades.
He was ordinary-looking but remarkably popular with women.
Few women attended university in this era, and those who made it into Sage University were rarer still. Most had strong family connections or exceptional ability.
Women made up only eight percent of Sage University's students. Spread across its various colleges, each was besieged by suitors.
Yet Alcott was often surrounded by several bright, attractive young women. They went to the library and cafés together in a group.
More importantly, he had founded the Phoenix Brotherhood.
Rumor had it that joining the Brotherhood gave students access to all kinds of "special knowledge" that made it easy to win over the girl they liked.
That had made the Phoenix Brotherhood well known among Sage University students, with influence that ran deep.
Evan collected his thoughts.
Lebon, Thompson, and the others who had bullied him.
Thompson was already a full member of the Phoenix Brotherhood.
Lebon and the others, it seemed, had been trying to qualify for membership.
Bullying me must have been their initiation test.
Evan frowned slightly.
There was more behind that farce than he had thought.
Pulis said nothing more and changed the subject.
"Eat first. Come to my Office this afternoon for the medicine."
They went into the cafeteria together.
Lunch was still fifteen cents: dark bread, bean soup, milk, and a small piece of boiled egg.
Pulis's tray held fried fish and vegetables, enough for two Evans.
After eating only a few bites, Pulis got up and left as usual.
Without drawing attention, Evan mixed Pulis's leftovers together and scooped them into his battered biscuit tin to take home for dinner.
With a twenty-cent food budget, he couldn't waste a single meal.
After the lunch break, Evan went to Pulis's Office as agreed.
The Laboratory was as dim as ever.
Pulis took five thumb-sized glass vials from a drawer. Their mouths were sealed with wax, and they held the familiar dark red liquid.
"Still one vial a day, after sunset."
Pulis pushed the vials toward Evan, his tone as even as ever.
Evan took them and carefully tucked them into an inside pocket of his jacket.
"Thank you, Professor."
He gave a slight bow, then turned and left the Laboratory.
The Oak Door closed behind him.
His footsteps faded down the corridor and disappeared around the corner at the far end of the stairs.
In the Laboratory, the Female Assistant emerged from the shadows beside a storage cabinet.
"The kid knows how to behave," she said in a low, even voice.
"Do we still need to send Eldin?"
Pulis did not answer at once.
He stood by the lab bench and tapped its surface twice.
Then he nodded.
"Send her."
He raised his head. A dark glint passed through his pale blue eyes behind the glasses.
"I can sense that he's absorbing the Demon Hunter Characteristic."
"To prevent any surprises, have Eldin make him completely infatuated with her."