“Matteo is the firstborn in the Bear Family and is in line to lead it one day,” she says slowly, like she’s still putting the pieces together. “But you, you don’t recognize any of the other students, which, combined with your American accent, means you probably grew up largely outside of Strategia society. It’s just odd that the future leader of the Bear Family would feel he knows you well enough to come after you, while you’re totally unaware of who he is.”

“However,” Ash continues, “if Matteo recognized the resemblance to your relative, then other students and teachers might, too. More people here might know you than you realize.”

I know Ash said that I’m part of the Bear Family, and as difficult as that is to believe, I can only assume there must be some truth to it, given that I was admitted to this school. But until this moment, the possibility of being one of them—a Strategia—always felt like some far-removed idea that didn’t really have anything to do with me. “Okay, well, if you’re right, and someone other than Matteo recognizes me, who would benefit from pitting me against him?”

“The Lions,” Ash says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Even living in America, you must know how much your Families hate each other.”

“Yeah, of course,” I say, even though I have no clue what he’s talking about. But if the Lions and the Bears are known enemies, then my interactions with Brendan are starting to make a lot more sense. “I was asking who specifically from the Lions. Do you think Brendan killed Stefano and set me up?”

“Brendan could have a motive,” Layla says. “But, with so many other Families falling over themselves to please the Lions, it’s hard to tell what Brendan does himself and what he manages to get others to do for him—Charles, Nyx, and a whole list of students could owe the Lions favors or be in debt to them in some way that allows Brendan to manipulate them.”

“What is the deal with Charles and Nyx?” I say, purposefully leaving the question open-ended.

“As I told you,” Layla says, running her fingertips over the edge of the rug, “they’re both in line to lead their Families one day, and therefore pretty secure in their own right. Still, both of their Families depend heavily on alliances with the Lions. Especially Charles’s. His Family’s ties to the Lions don’t go back as far as Nyx’s do, so taking down key members in the Bear Family would definitely serve him.”

Ash looks from me to his sister, and there is something in his expression that makes me think he’s not totally comfortable with Layla giving me all this information.

“When I first met Blackwood,” I say, “she told me that there had been a few deaths here recently.”