I walked away before he could respond. The room had gone quiet around us—not fully silent, but that particular hush that meant people were listening while pretending not to.
James was across the room, working with a dark-haired girl I recognized from somewhere. The mythology class. Ellen. She was going through a checklist focused and competent.
The hum flared as I approached. James looked up, surprise flickering across his face.
"Can I join you?" The words came out harder than I intended. "My partner has opinions about how I learned basic survival skills."
James glanced past me to where Derek was sitting alone, looking irritated. Something darkened in his expression.
"Yeah," he said. "Of course."
Ellen shifted to make room, and I dropped to my knees beside them, channeling all my anger into the task at hand.
"Ice water immersion scenario," I said. "What's your status?"
"Shivering stopped about ten minutes ago," James said, playing along. "Can't feel my hands."
“Severe hypothermia. We need to rewarm the core without triggering cardiac arrest.” I grabbed a thermal blanket from the supply kit. “Ellen, help me get his wet layers off. James—stop moving. You’re making it worse.”
His eyes flicked to mine, twinkling. I could almost read his mind.Yes, Lumi, get me out of my clothes.
I broke eye contact and got back to work. We moved through the scenario methodically. Ellen was good—quick hands, steady focus, no unnecessary chatter. James followed instructions without arguing, which was more than I could say for Derek.
Boone circled past us and nodded approvingly. "Excellent technique, Miss Orlav.
I didn't look at Derek. Didn't need to. I could feel his glare from across the room, sharp and resentful.
Good. Let him stare.
The mythology wing was quieter than usual.
I'd arrived early, hoping to slip into my seat before the room filled up. But the whispers followed me even here, drifting through the door as students filtered in.
"—heard she basically recited the whole myth from memory—"
"—how would she know all that unless—"
"—Tomlinson's practically family, right? Maybe he told her what to say—"
I stared at my notebook. The words blurred.
Cheated.They thought I'd cheated. Because I'd told Darian's story too well. Because I'd known things I shouldn't know, felt things I shouldn't feel, revealed too much of myself in a room full of strangers.
Ivy dropped into the seat beside me. "Hey. You okay?"
"Fine."
"Lumi."
"I said I'm fine."
She was quiet for a moment. Then: "I heard what happened in First Aid. Derek's an asshole, by the way. Everyone knows he coasted through orientation on his dad's donations."
“Great. So I’m the cheater because of who I know, and he gets to stay the rich asshole.”
"That's not—" Ivy stopped, frustration flickering across her face. "Look, people are idiots. They'll find something else to gossip about by next week."
"Will they?"
