e of polished wood and thick carpets. It smelled of old paper and ambition. Aria walked to th

d and mechanical. He probably dealt with dozens of nervous h

-shirt didn't exactly scr

m and clear. "I'm here to pick up an app

His eyes were wide with disbelief. The Prometheus Project was the stuff of campus legend, a top-secret, in

at was that name ag

knew the power of that name. It was a key that un

emeanor completely gone. He typed in her name, but

ce for this," he said, his fac

-seven," Aria recited from memory, a

ression, a mixture of awe and reverence. Who was this girl? He scrambled out of his chair, his previous

showcasing VIT's engineering programs. She project

t were a holy relic. In his haste, he tripped slightly, sendin

e mumbled, dropping to his

mple act of kindness that se

y recommendation lett

e. Yvonne Foreman stood in the doorway, flanked by two sycophantic-looking

veying her court, and then her eyes l

licious smile spread across

with mock surprise. She sauntered over, her heels clicking on the polished floor. "Oh, I get

.. sister," she said, loading the word with contempt. "She's from the Rust Belt. Could you ple

nline sob story will get you anywhere, Aria. In Veridian, you need to know

thick manila envelope Josh had given her. The one with

he way a scientist looks at a particularly uninteresting insect. Th

e more than any argument could have. Yvonne's friends snickered be

n't to

ia's calm one. His initial awe of Aria was now mixed with a surge of

, the envelope held

ping in front of her. "What

cured fingers reachi