The ventilation system hums.
That's the only sound for about five seconds. The low steady hum of air moving through old ductwork, something rattling faintly inside it, the sound this building makes when it's otherwise empty and you can actually hear it thinking.
I look at Cade Holloway.
He looks back.
"Say that again," I say.
"You heard me."
"I want to make sure I heard you correctly."
He crosses his arms. It's not a defensive gesture on him, it's just where his arms go when he's standing still, something he probably doesn't notice. "I'm going to choose you at the Ceremony. I need you to know beforehand so you're not—"
"Why."
He stops.
"Why," I say again. Same word. Different weight.
He unfolds his arms. Puts one hand on the back of the bench beside him, fingers curling around t
