Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes, my fingers were tightly gripping a pilot pen.

Spread out on my desk was the AP Calculus unit test paper. In the name block, "Aria Vance" was written in bold ink.

Our proctor, Mr. Carter, tapped on the smartboard at the front of the room. "The exam starts in five minutes. Clear your desks of any non-permitted materials."

I turned my head to the left.

Chloe Sterling was leaning back in her chair, her head tilted, sporting that signature smug smile I had endured for six years.

Her eyes were half-closed, her long lashes casting a shadow under the classroom LED lights. She looked completely relaxed.

I knew that smile all too well.

In my past life, she wore that exact same expression during every single exam.

And now, here I was, sitting right next to her again. She was in her usual pose, waiting to intercept my brain waves.

I stared at her for three seconds, squeezed my pen hard, and then let out a slow breath.

"You may begin," Mr. Carter announced.

I flipped open my test booklet and took a deep breath.

All the clear numbers and formulas that had run through my head for six years shattered into meaningless, broken signals.

Chloe’s hand holding the pencil froze. The smile on her face stiffened.

She scribbled a few words on a scrap piece of paper and slid it over.

[Why aren't you reading them out in your head?]

I glanced at the note, pushed it right back, and didn't write a single letter in response.

She snapped her head to look at me, her eyes wide with shock. I ignored her.

She didn't move a muscle during the rest of the math test.

The second the bell rang and Mr. Carter collected the papers, she sprang up from her seat and grabbed my wrist.

Her grip was incredibly tight. Her manicured nails dug deep into the sensitive skin of my inner wrist. Her eyes were bloodshot.

"What were you thinking about? Why couldn't I hear a single thing?!"

I pried her fingers off my wrist, one by one. I looked straight into her eyes and let out a cold laugh.

"The answers."

"Couldn't you hear them?"