m felt

irst thing Mer

m lighting. The same familiar faces gathe

g had

d

thin

re not l

d once before s

a

back in her chair, gaz

all

xpression re

es

t did I j

came too quic

answered

pcoming academy event. You th

se fo

tilted her h

ntere

glanced b

h kept

I w

not what

ed briefly ac

gh

otice

softly, trying to s

bly got di

Selene

s never lef

before answ

s remained neatly

u're imagin

m

tone stay

ca

ngerou

ng," she continued lightly. "Now it's

her

r thi

thers shifte

s a littl

e shr

ying she fee

ally let out

le ch

his su

eyes

smiled

wa

frie

ere

ly found something

feels like?" Sel

e ans

ained fixed

're remembering ho

om wen

looked uncom

smile did

behind it hard

n odd thi

s

ned forwar

omeone following

s landed

cis

the fi

ith f

ack in her

i

re

before the silence

the projec

tion shifted

quic

obvi

ill feel it lingering

atte

do

ort settling into

ing wa

e had not

left, Meredith remai

r click

ce fo

slo

le disa

t," she rep

curled again

sn't po

bered eve

Ari had ev

pref

ry

expr

ied all of i

fec

w

it still

unsettled her

ood ab

o

blem wa

em was in

r

's gaze

e one cau

ade

as he

chi

rec

gs Meredith had

y people we

mistakes ke

k sounded a

pression shif

a

eg

tro

me

r opene

stepped

.He

h smile

forget so

rea

ted before sp

nted to ch

lted her he

ck o

emed stres

m f

u s

mile softene

cour

r only a second before un

s being too m

h said

ontinued

ut

pa

t complete

followed felt c

gaze sharpe

do you

oked away

know. It'

ed for the

to feel mo

it was

tu

rs tightened slo

vague ac

t accus

at are y

n hes

u're trying to

worse than S

elyn wasn'

n lik

ted

h me

Evelyn

looked aw

hinking things,"

yb

didn't soun

e gave a small nod

closed be

d motionless

sion slowl

cis

rvat

nt

all of

still feel more

respond to Ari

to calculate every

ightened

o

cause of something as

rupted her th

door opened bef

nside carrying severa

ie

erv

y difficu

he reports,"

're t

the desk and gather

he pa

's right,

aze sharpene

ut w

nced at he

cha

t different c

emot

rovoc

rt

rvation alre

smiled

keep say

ed the papers

ecause i

yes met

e first ti

t genuinely

ed people to

onally li

ssively l

matic

s solving

at's strange?"

remaine

ct cor

pa

it still feel

k harder than t

eft mome

ie

edith alone

idn't smile afte

ightly enough to lea

understood somet

perfectly sh

still feel th

were much har