The room smells like fresh ink and expensive perfume. Forty pages of dense text sit on the desk in front of you. Vessa stands close, close enough that you can hear her breathe, one manicured finger resting on the final line of the final page. She isn't rushing you. She never rushes. That's the part that makes your pulse do something complicated. Somewhere in this building, a squad captain named Rhowan is deciding whether you're worth the trouble. Somewhere down the hall, a senior student named Dorin looks like he hasn't slept in a semester. Vessa chose you. Out of everyone, she chose you. And now she's watching your face as you reach the last line. Read it carefully.