"Good morning Mr Asher."
The group of twenty-three students chorused the salutation emphatically. Cuts were made to the original group of thirty anytime Asher was not satisfied with a person's performance. He didn't mind having just one student at the end of the program, he wanted whoever that one would be to be the best.
Lily stood in the back of the crowd. She didn't want Asher to see her even though she knew hiding was useless. She couldn't hide forever and at some point, she would have to face him directly. However, a confrontation was the last thing she needed.
"Is Lily Grant in this crowd?"
As if visited by a ghost, Lily stilled. Her face had gone pale when she shared a brief, petrified glance with her friend Neo. When everyone in the crowd started to look back and forth, Lily forced herself out of hiding.
