Page 41 of Salto

After a brief hug, Sloane offered to walk her out. The two of them disappeared toward the lobby while Eva stayed behind.

To my surprise, she came over to me instead.

“We did it, Scar!” she said, pulling me into a quick hug.

I hugged her back and managed a smile.

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I guess we did.”

“I know you haven’t been training elite,” Eva continued, “but honestly, I wouldn’t have known that if you hadn’t told me. You looked really good out there today.”

I smiled, grateful for her kindness.

But I had a feeling the coaches had noticed at least a little.

“Thanks, Eva.” My eyes drifted toward the lobby, where Sloane and Tatum had disappeared. “Is Tatum okay?”

Eva’s brow furrowed. “I think so. She’s just disappointed. Sloane wanted to walk her out and make sure she was alright.”

I nodded. Then we fell into an awkward silence as we waited.

One by one, athletes disappeared down the hallway.

Every time the office door opened, I caught myself looking up.

Eva was called first. A few minutes later, she came back out carrying a thick folder and wearing the biggest smile I’d seen all day.

Sloane was next.

I watched the office door close behind her and tried not to overthink the fact that I was still waiting.

Was I last because they were second-guessing their decision?

I stretched some more. Re-tied my ponytail. Checked the clock on the wall.

The gym grew quieter as athletes slowly filtered out.

Then it was just me. I continued to fidget in my stretches until my name was finally called.

“Scarlet Hale.”

I looked up to find Hana standing at the entrance to the hallway, waving me over.

“They’re ready for you.”

CHAPTER 16

When I walked into the office, Vanta was sitting behind his desk, and Rove stood off to the side, leaning against the wall with the blinds drawn closed behind him. His arms were crossed over his chest. He looked like Vanta's shadow, quietly observing from the corner of the room.

“Scarlet, please take a seat,” Vanta said, gesturing to the chair across from him.

I quickly sat down, putting my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking.

“I was impressed with your technique. I think you would make a great addition to our elite team.”

He was impressed by my technique. A small wave of relief passed through me.

“There are just a few more questions I need to ask to make sure you’d be a good fit.”