Maya seemed to see it all.
She saw beyond the pieces and scattered events drifting around the reception like pretty, disconnected ornaments waiting for someone clever to string them into meaning.
No:
To Maya, the night had never been a birthday party for a cold girl in a beautiful dress.
It had been a board and the cards were moving.
Every laugh, every glance, every carefully placed smile was just another piece sliding across the surface — some moving with purpose, others drifting because they had no idea they were already part of someone else's game.
Dravenna's arrival alone had drawn the room's attention like blood in water. People noticed the absence of Phei. They noticed the absence of Sienna. They noticed the particular shape of Dravenna's smile — amusement without victory, satisfaction without completion. Everyone had their own little theory, of course:
