The twins left for their class, and Ava headed in the opposite direction, going down the stairs instead of up. After making her quick getaway out of the dining hall that morning, she hadn’t had the chance to eat breakfast, and with lunchtime nearly over, her body was demanding sustenance.
Unfortunately, it was pizza day, and Ava couldn’t stomach the pepperoni pizza she knew from experience tasted like grease-covered cardboard. So she settled for two exceptionally bland side salads instead.
Ava scarfed down the slightly wilted lettuce, surprisingly juicy tomatoes, and crisp cucumbers in record time, both because she was ravenous and because she felt a bit odd sitting at her table alone while Council trainees, members, and Medials talked and laughed at their full tables.
Feeling like a
