Chapter 9 The Official Challenge

• SERAPHINA
• I exited the cafeteria with a calm, measured stride, though a storm of panic violently churned inside. Was he staring at my back?
• Involuntarily, my fingers brushed over my hips again and again, checking that the fabric hung loose enough to conceal my shape, ensuring nothing about my appearance invited the wrong kind of attention. Everything seemed in order. So why did it feel as though his gaze had already stripped away every careful layer I’d put between myself and discovery?