Chapter 85

Celeste leaned against Gideon's shoulder, thoroughly impressed. She declared, "I'll keep my distance from Juliet from now on." After their talk, they settled in for the night. Meanwhile, Natalie lay in bed and pondered the exam. She felt less concerned about any behind-the-scenes manipulation now that Gideon had reassured her he would keep an eye on it. She was confident in her abilities, but what would happen if she did pass the exam? She was less concerned about being labeled as having "pulled strings" as she trusted her skills would remove that stigma with time. She was more worried about the impact of the rumors on the Locke family and was seeking ways to minimize them. After tossing and turning in bed, she finally came up with a plan. … After breakfast, Natalie went to Art Corps to reach out to Haven Stein and hoped she could gather information on the number of candidates signing up for the position. She wanted to check if Yvette was among them. While considering the rumors