Sadie’s POV
The lecture hall smelled of dry-erase markers and ambition.
I stood at the podium, my notes neatly arranged in front of me, color-coded and organized, the result of two sleepless nights re-studying material I used to know better than the back of my hand. Thirty-two sets of eyes looked back at me from the tiered seating. Freshmen, mostly. Eighteen-year-olds who still believed that pulling an all-nighter was something to brag about.
"Good morning," I said, my voice steady. That, in and of itself, was a small triumph. "My name is Sadie Vance, and I'll be your substitute lecturer for Botany 101 this semester. Professor Halloway's position is still being filled, and you get me."
A few chuckles. Good. If they were laughing, they weren't worried about my credentials.
"Now, I want
