"The best lies are the ones your body tells for you."
***
Across the staging area, Vance Thorne's team clustered in a tight circle. Their laughter too loud. Too sharp. The sound grated on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
Vance caught my eye and drew his finger across his throat. Mouthed words I didn't need to hear to understand.
His teammates snickered at my visible flinch. Elbowed each other like they'd just witnessed the height of comedy. The sun glinted off Vance's perfectly polished armor. A testament to his family's wealth rather than his own effort.
Still playing the wounded pride angle. Good. Stay predictable, Vance. Your arrogance makes you blind. Keep underestimating me. Keep thinking I'm nothing more than the pathetic wretch you humiliated in the plaza.
I let my gaze drop away from his. Made my submission obvious.
It cost me nothing to look weak. In fact, it bought me everything.
But it was Team Seven that drew my real attention.
