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here?
    As I race toward the exit, I feel all those eyes watching me, judging me. The skin on my nape sizzles. Prickles burn up my spine. I yank open the door and nearly slam into someone. I jerk my head up to look him in the face.
    The air leaves my lungs.
    He.
    Is.
    Gorgeous.
    Like a fucking angel.
    I have never seen a guy so good looking. Not even Sam.
    His face is perfect, every single inch of it. His eyes are a dark blue, almost purple. His nose is straight and strong. His jaw is just square enough to look masculine without looking severe. And his lips--oh wow--his lips.
    My mouth opens. No words come out. So I push past him. My shoulder brushes against his arm. He feels big and hard, immobile. My heart jumps. My blood simmers. No sooner am I out the door than I want to turn around and go back in that room.
    I want to see that face again. I want to know what his voice sounds like. And I want to feel that rush of heat when his eyes meet mine.
    I can’t believe this. What am I thinking? What’s wrong with me?
    I never felt anything like this with Sam, and I love Sam. Correction, loved Sam. Past tense. With all my heart.
    Instead of doing something really stupid, I do the right thing, the smart thing.
    Going back in there would be stupid, for a couple of reasons. First, I’d had enough of those assholes for one night. And second, I am still in love. With Sam. And, until this moment, I’d never had an unfaithful thought.
    Besides, I know that beautiful guy couldn’t feel for me what I felt for him just now. He is perfection, from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. Me, I’m dull. Plain. Average. Forgettable. In fact, he has probably already forgotten me.
    I am so stupid.
    I go back to the main room and find a stack of blankets and pillows heaped in the center of the floor. I take one of each, lie down in a corner, and close my eyes. If I can sleep, tomorrow will come faster. Then again, do I want tomorrow to come? Tomorrow I have to make a choice between the life I loved and this one. I’m not ready to make that decision yet.
    Actually, I am ready. I know what I want.
    I want to go home.
    But is that the right choice? Is that the kind of person I want to be, a cowardly girl who runs away from opportunity? A girl who lets someone else take all the risks?
    Or do I want to be a girl who stands up to her fears and makes a difference?
    I know the answer. I just don’t like it.

Chapter 5
    Breakfast is just as miserable as last night’s dinner, both because of the tasteless food and because of the less-than-spectacular company. Plus, my eyes are gritty and my head foggy from lack of sleep. I have a huge decision to make today. After thinking and stressing about it all night, I know what I need to do.
    But it’s not what I want to do.
    After we eat, we go back to the main room. The blankets and pillows are gone. There are three round tables set up at one end of the room. One small bowl sits in the center of each of the tables. And an adult stands behind them. The woman who brought me here stands behind the first one.
    The sound of hushed chatter echoes. I stand silent.
    A man steps into the center of the room and lifts his hands. “Welcome, members of the Elect. You are the lucky, chosen because you possess a key attribute or skill needed within our agencies. You may be the first in your community to have this opportunity. So I challenge you to use it wisely. You have been given a choice. You have, within your grasp, a great deal of power. After the Great Decimation, the humans who remained created a new government. Instead of the old, useless system, with its judicial, executive, and legislative branches, they formed three agencies, based upon the needs of the population and the challenges of our new reality. With our cyber rulers, the Amiga, taking over the responsibilities and tasks of the former federal, state and local leaders, we no longer need to waste our time and money on legislating laws. Our human