Everyone's eyes were on Noah.
The delegate had said it maybe thirty seconds ago and the room had not moved since. Thirty seconds is not a long time until it is, until it becomes the kind of silence that has weight and texture and everyone in it can feel it pressing down.
Noah was looking at the table.
Not at the delegates. Not at anyone. Just the table, his hands flat on it, completely still.
Kelvin looked at Lucas. Lucas looked at Sophie. Sophie was looking at Noah with something building behind her eyes that had not found its shape yet.
The lead delegate, to her credit, did not try to fill the silence. She sat with it, waiting, probably thinking she had won something.
She hadn't.
"That was out of line."
Sophie's voice was quiet. That was the first thing. Not loud, just quiet in the way that certain things were quiet before they became very loud.
The delegate looked at her.
"Excuse me?"
