My bedroom wasn't designed for six people.
It definitely wasn't designed for six people with complicated relationship dynamics, fragile egos, and at least two who were actively plotting ways to get the others out.
Natalia had claimed her territory on my bed. She sat with her back against the headboard, legs crossed at the ankles, radiating the energy of a queen surveying her court from the throne. Her purple eyes tracked every movement in the room with the intensity of a predator cataloging potential threats.
Emi perched on the rug near my feet, her notebook open and pen ready. She'd drawn little hearts in the margins. I pretended not to notice.
Jacob stood by the holographic projector I'd borrowed from the common room, his fingers twitching against the controls. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the room's temperature being perfectly normal. The guy looked like he was about to present his thesis to a panel of executioners instead of reviewing Gate data with his teammates.
