Epherene Hebel’s heart was a frantic drum against her ribs, her mind racing. Her classmates had already vanished, and she tried to melt away into the thinning crowd.
“Step aside,” Kaiser-Licht said.
The words only hardened her resolve. There was no reason for her to move; he should be the one to yield. Epherene Hebel bit her lip, lifted her chin, and tightened her grip on the paper in her hand.
She had intended to offer it with one hand, a
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