Serene
The number climbs to eight million. I can still breathe at eight. When it hits fifteen million, I can feel my throat tighten slightly.
A murmur moves through the hall like wind through tall grass.
When the bid hits thirty million, the sound changes. This is no longer polite charity bidding. This is a spectacle.
I don't know when my heartbeat shifts from anxious to feverish. I tell myself it's strategy. She's bluffing. She's gambling that I won't dare to follow.
Every time the light in Lilith's box flashes, it feels like a slap. Like a challenge. She is willing to see how far I am willing to go.
Whispers circle us, as I grab the paddle from Casper's hands and raise it again.
"They're at thirty."
"Is this another trap?"
"Will she push again?"
Casper lea
