Ruby took a step forward, her eyes ablaze with fury that couldn't be ignored. If it weren't for the crowd milling around, she might have actually lost it and grabbed Nova by the throat to force her to face her anger. "Why should I trust you? How can I just calm down about this? This position was always meant to be mine, Ruby's. You have no right to even think about taking it!"

Nova, on the other hand, kept her cool, appearing almost detached. With a soft voice, she responded, "Of ...