The Femme Fatale trio led Ethan up to the second floor of the canteen. This upper level was only about half the size of the main floor.

Ethan had never been up here before—naturally, sitting downstairs made more sense since it was closer to the food counter.

At first glance, the second floor was decorated far more luxuriously than the first, with deep tones of brown, red, and black, and gold-accented patterns. But because of that, the place gave Ethan a stifling, oppressive feeling. It lacked warmth and felt more like a sinister lair than a cafeteria.

It was like he had walked into a gothic horror movie, the kind with cults and rituals.

“Those rooms over there are reserved for the Board of Directors and school administrators only. Regular teachers aren’t even allowed in without an invitation,”

Ruby said, pointing at a set of ominous black doors tucked into the far corner of the second floor.

“We’ll sit here.”

The group stopped at a table positioned right in the center of the floor, beside the railing. From here, Ethan could see almost the entire first floor below.

Even though there were plenty of empty tables, no other students had come up. Ethan and the Femme Fatale trio were the only ones here.

“This is our favorite spot,”

the twins said in perfect sync once again.

Ethan just wanted lunch to be over. He didn’t want to be cast as the bullied victim in this bizarre musical directed by Ruby, who insisted on being both director and lead actress.

“So, what do you girls want to eat? Just tell me and I’ll go queue up at the counter.”

Ethan decided to take the initiative—maybe if he stayed ahead of them, he could maintain some control.

“We want to eat you.”

This time, it wasn’t just Anya and Yara  speaking in unison—Ruby joined them in harmony too. The eerie a cappella sent chills down Ethan’s spine more than it stirred any kind of flirtation.

“Just kidding. You’re all skin and bones. Not exactly appetizing!”

The girls burst into laughter together.

Ethan couldn’t tell if his face was showing too much fear, but Ruby suddenly changed her demeanor. Still, he kept his guard up. Who knew what this trio might pull next?

“We brought lunch from home. The food at this school is impossible to eat—too many carbs and calories.”

The twins pulled out three 500ml bottles from their bags and placed them on the table. The liquid inside was a dark, vivid red—almost disturbingly so.

“It’s just a smoothie—watermelon, beetroot, and red dragon fruit. Not BLOOD, okay?”

Anya and Yara exaggerated the word “BLOOD” with mischievous expressions. Ethan didn’t find it funny. At all.

“Here, smell it.”

Ethan’s face twisted like a monkey who just bit into a chili pepper. Along with the fruity aroma, there was a faintly metallic scent—almost like iron.

“Smells like iron, huh? Anya, you forgot to wash the knife again before cutting the fruit.”

“Still tastes fine though, doesn’t it, Yara ?”

“Ugh, and you forgot the apples too, Anya !”

Now Ethan had it figured out: pink-haired Anya was the scatterbrained one, and blue-haired Yara was the nitpicky critic.

“You girls seriously drink only that for lunch?”

“We have to keep our figures, duh. You go ahead and grab some real food. Get extra meat. You need to put on weight, Ethan!”

Ruby giggled, then called after him:

“Your punishment is still waiting right here, so don’t you dare run off. Be back soon!”

When Ethan returned to the table with his lunch tray, he suddenly lost all appetite.

Nearby, someone else had joined the second-floor canteen seating: Royce. He was sitting at a table not far from the Femme Fatale group, chatting loudly and cheerfully.

And the person sitting across from Royce?

None other than Autumn.

The same Autumn who, up until now, had never once shown up in the canteen—not for breakfast, not for lunch.

Since the day Ethan was brought to the infirmary by Royce and Autumn, he had already suspected that Royce could interact normally with her. Unlike with other girls at Harmony, he didn’t seem the least bit tense or scared around Autumn.

But Ethan never imagined Royce would be bold enough to have lunch with Autumn like this.

“Fox and Gorilla are getting loud. Want us to go chase them off, Ruby?”

The twin sisters turned to ask Ruby for permission. Ethan nearly burst out laughing—those nicknames for Autumn and Royce were ridiculously accurate.

“Let them be! This floor doesn’t belong to anyone.”

Ruby’s luscious red lips curled into a sarcastic smile, revealing shiny white teeth and slightly sharp canines.

Anya and Yara’s faces turned sour—it was clearly bothering them, especially as the noise from Autumn and Royce’s table grew more chaotic.

The two of them were now arguing loudly over food like a pair of bickering grade-schoolers.

“Give me back my beef, Royce! Why are you eating from my plate instead of yours?”

“You’re so stingy, Autumn! The amount of food you packed could feed three or four people. Girls who eat that much will never find a husband!”

Royce shoved a slice of beef into his mouth and chewed obnoxiously, letting the juices drip from the corners of his lips.

“Mmm! This beef’s practically raw—still bleeding!”

“That’s myoglobin, and it’s delicious. If you can’t appreciate it, give it back!”

“Too late. Want me to throw it up for you?”

With his tall build and long limbs, Royce had a physical advantage. Autumn tried jumping around him to snatch her food back, but it was useless.

She bounced around him like an annoyed little sprite—equal parts pitiful and hilarious.

From how casually and playfully they argued, it seemed obvious: Royce and Autumn were closer than just classmates.

Ethan sometimes forgot that he had only transferred to Harmony this school year, for grade 11—and came from a completely different town. The kids here had likely grown up together, from preschool to elementary to middle school.

“Hey!”

“Ethan!”

“Can you please stop staring at them?”

Ruby hissed. Her tone was sharp, unmistakably angry, even though her beautiful face remained perfectly composed.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Ethan replied blandly—his mind still wandering toward the chaos at Autumn and Royce’s table.

“Would you peel these apples for us, then?”

The Femme Fatale girls had finished their red, iron-scented fruit smoothies. Now, their pretty lips were stained a bright crimson.

The twins pulled several shiny red apples and a small knife from their bags and placed them on the table.

“I… I don’t know how to peel fruit.”

Ethan admitted honestly.

“Do you know that Vietnam’s gender ratio is seriously imbalanced right now? There are too many men. If you don’t learn to peel fruit, you’re going to end up single forever!”

Cornered by Ruby, Ethan reluctantly picked up the knife. He tried to summon memories of his mom peeling apples, mimicking her movements.

In the distance, Autumn and Royce were still locked in their never-ending food quarrel.

“Give me back my milk!”

“Told you—no amount of milk will make you taller. It just throws off your proportions!”

“Nonsense! What part of me is disproportionate, huh?”

“Seriously? That thing’s grown at least five centimeters just over summer break!”

“Shut up! You’re so rude!”

Distracted by their bizarre conversation, Ethan lost focus. The knife slipped—

—and sliced deep into his index finger.

“Ow! That hurts!”

Blood poured from the cut, running down his hand and staining the half-peeled apple with bright red blotches.

He dropped both the knife and apple in a panic, flailing his hand to ease the pain. Blood splattered across the table, and the sharp, metallic scent of iron quickly filled the air.

Then, something strange happened.

Ruby, Anya, and Yara froze like statues. Their nostrils flared as they inhaled deeply. Their eyelids fluttered—closing halfway—then slowly opened in sync with their breaths.

It was as if they were savoring the scent of something delicious, something so mouthwatering that even the smell alone was enough to tempt the senses.

Far off, Autumn and Royce suddenly stopped arguing.

And in that instant, Ethan could feel it—

all their eyes were locked onto the warm, crimson blood still trickling from his fingertip.