“That’s a lie.”
The words left my mouth instantly, sharp and defensive, but my chest tightened the moment I said them. The woman on the screen only smiled wider, like she expected the reaction.
The countdown behind her kept moving.
00:03:41
Vordon looked at me, concern flashing in his blue eyes. “Veronica, what is she talking about?”
“I don’t know,” I said quickly. But doubt crept in anyway, because my teacher wasn’t denying it.
He was silent.
Marcus noticed first. His gaze moved from the screen to me, then back to the image of the woman.
“Well,” he muttered slowly, “that silence is suspicious.”
“Stop talking,” I snapped.
Fear twisted with anger inside me. I hated the way the room felt suddenly unstable, like everything I believed about my past was cracking open.
The woman tilte
