H.I.V.E. Higher Institute of Villainous Education

Thirteen-year-old Otto Malpense is a brilliant orphan whose clever scheming draws the attention of a secret organization. He is taken to H.I.V.E., an isolated school on a volcanic island that trains exceptional children to become villains.

At H.I.V.E., Otto meets other students with specialized talents, including martial arts, hacking, and theft. The school is heavily secured, mysterious, and filled with unusual classes, dangerous technology, and powerful adults who seem to be hiding the truth about why the students were brought there.

Otto and a small group of friends decide that escape is their best option. As they try to outthink the school and its authority figures, the story builds through clues, hidden motives, and rising danger toward a high-stakes confrontation and a cliffhanger-style ending.