Startled, I freeze.

Garrett looms above me, his arms folded over his chest. He’s flanked by Chloe, Harbor, and a lanky guy I don’t recognize. “The first number is seventeen.”

Up close, he’s more beautiful than I remembered, and the buzzing is instantaneous. His eyes are a soothing green-gray today, and his signature three black bars are expertly lined up on his cheek. Goose bumps rush up my arm, and, standing, I brush the dirt from my knees, my tongue turning to clay. “No, it’s not. It’s twelve,” I manage to say. I smooth my hands over my pants, hoping the cotton will absorb the moisture.

“Just checking.” Garrett tucks a strand of his messy, chin-length hair behind one ear, his perfectly bowed lips curving into a smile. “Lots of secrets down there. We can’t let just anyone in.”

“I’m not ‘just anyone,’” I say without thinking, the old-me taking offense like I’d just been denied access to an exclusive club.

“Is that right, new girl?” he asks, scanning the length of my body. “So, who are you?”

Heat creeps over my skin, and I remember where I am. “I’m nobody,” I whisper, held captive by his stare.

He arches an eyebrow. “Very good.”

Chloe steps forward and circles me. “She’s pretty plain. Unremarkable, I’d say. What’s all the fuss about? She looks like a little girl…” She comes to a stop in front of me. “Don’t let her in, Garrett. She probably thinks there’s something down there that will help her influence her way through training.”

Influence? The word sends me reeling, and I wish I could sit down to process it. Does she know? Is that the rumor Weiss mentioned? Blood rushes to my brain, dizzying me, but I hold steady. Something flares up inside me that won’t let me show my underbelly, and I remember I don’t want them to like me anyway. Nobody cares who you are.

Fingers gripping my hips, my shoulders meet my ears in a show of nonchalance. “I’m allowed to study in the Vault, just like everyone else.”

“I guess.” Shrugging, she returns to Garrett’s side. “Listen, we don’t put up with cheating, sweetheart. This isn’t like the place you came from. Here, you have talent or you don’t.”

“I wasn’t aware ‘decoy’ was considered a talent,” I reply.

She frowns.

The lanky guy bursts out laughing. “She’s feisty. I like it. Haven’t you heard ‘the meek shall inherit the earth,’ new girl?”

“Is that what you are? Meek? Planning to take over the world?” I raise my eyebrows. “And my name is Elisha.”

“Liam.” He reaches out to shake my hand. “And I don’t need the world. While everyone else is living it up as an apathetic virtual human in the Super Brain, I plan on stealing what I need, holing up somewhere, and living happily ever after off the grid.”

“The ‘Super Brain’?” I ask, having no clue what he’s talking about and ignoring his outstretched fingers. “That’s what you think you’ve got between your ears?”