8
Xander’s Lesson
The electronic screen in the Purging room became brighter, and Xander blinked.
“Xander, pay close attention to the indicators on the side of the screen,” Winslow said, tapping the table. For a while Xander had been so lost in watching his own performance that he had forgotten where he actually was. Stupid Winslow.
Xander refocused. There were numbers on the screen. He saw that these were now Ember’s numbers—not his. He could see how Ember’s points were deflating as he bullied her. The digits revealed her respiration levels. She was in a panic.
He, by contrast, was clearly not ruffled, standing there just as if he owned the place, relaxed, contented, and happy.
The screen-star Xander continued to gaze down at Ember as he tossed another peanut into his mouth, adjust
