What if I hit too hard?
Heidi didn't expect the thought. She thought she would be terrified of failing, of hitting too low, of Sierra's laughter ringing through the hall. But now another fear coils in her chest. What if she hits too high? What if the pillar explodes upward the way it had for that boy? What if she shows too much and has to die for it in the labyrinth?
She pictures it; light blazing, gasps erupting, the headmaster's delighted face. Attention. Clawing hands. Demands. The world is caving in on her. And then, worse than all that: The Bellamys. Everyone she's been trying to avoid narrowing their eyes in suspicion.
Her stomach churns. But it was Morgan and Grayson who wanted her to hide because just like Lucan, they think survival should come before proving oneself.
But the other side of her whispers viciously, and what if Sierra's right? What if you slam your hand down and nothing happens? What if you can't even scrape the bottom rung?
