"The worst thing about smart women is that they're smart. The second worst thing is when they notice you noticing them noticing you."
***
"Wait." I pressed my face against the crack. Let my voice fill with hope. The desperate kind. The kind that might come from someone who'd just found a potential escape route. "I feel something. Air movement. There's definitely air coming through this crack."
Marcus looked up from his manual. His scholarly instincts momentarily overrode his panic. "That's impossible. The schematics don't show any branching passages in this section of the mine. I've studied the official surveys extensively, and there's no indication of any—"
"I don't care about your schematics!" I turned toward them. Let desperation bleed into my expression. Let my voice crack just slightly at the edges. "There's a draft coming through this crack. A real draft, not just settling air. Feel it yourself if you don't believe me."
