IA

built-in sensor for food, walking through

ually nice," she s

u said you were two minut

ago, so technically I'm

rming its own little ecosystem. I could already see how this place was going to work, who sat

scanning for somewhere to s

over there by the

he

ome on before som

d us didn't disappear completely but went down quite a bit. Lower. People were listening without

are t

than I saw it. The small shift and sudden silence. Like

a lot of money and a lot of time. Perfectly put together, not a single thing ou

ody sitting

aid they'

g out that there are no actual

's eyes

know w

oul

ound, somewhere between a laugh and a gasp

he said. like that settled everything. Not to me but to everyone

cont

al palace since I was six years old; I have been on this campus longer than y

empty seats. I l

aid, "but I still don't

ise beside me that she qui

k one slow

nk you'r

g cold, so if you're not sitting here, I'

idea how this

t day," I said

nking nobody knows you, thinking you can just walk in and be whatever you want, and then you

chair out

aid, pickin

ke she genuinely ha

use

"You've said your thing; I've heard

lly not goi

reall

ong enough that I felt like I had

ark hair and a look on her face like sh

not worth it;

ing in my s

na said, already losing inte

f look that was supposed to make people uncomforta

regret this," Cel

was what made it worse. It didn't sound l

but I'll regret it

oked on

more time, then turned and walked away, her gi

nds before she turned to me wit

te Varon; her father literally advises the king. Aria..

Girls like that don't need a reason; if I ha

n't kno

know

t me, then pic

our first semester a nig

ai

ut ten minutes, which w

you," Hanna said w

kno

ring at you sin

kno

just going t

ating,

he looks like she's

to spend my first day at college scar

econd, then said, "You

ually

t pus

s the cafeteria. Alexei, sitting at the biggest table in the room like it ha

him, her hand going to his arm immediately. Of course. She leaned in and

ething shifted in his expression. I knew he wasn't interested or a

n't change, but he

my gaze, and he

h

ha

d, Aria; Celeste is

back to

r them,"

u keep say

." I sh

of being watched. Not by Celeste, whose stare I'd alread

wly toward the far s

completely still in the way that people only manage when they're delibe

ke he already knew me.

anger's face. Not threatening. Not curious. Relieved. Like he had b

a," I

mm

." I kept my voice ev

rned and

at

er been there at all. The space where he'd been standing was

I said. "

And I didn't stop looking at that em