Another voice spoke up. The kind you hear on polished interviews or livestreams.
"I'm Valerie," the girl said, stepping forward and tucking a strand of perfectly curled hair behind her ear. She had long lashes, sleek hair in a high ponytail, and a face that clearly used to be camera-ready. Her nails were chipped now. "I'm from Sector B.... I guess you'd call me an influencer."
A few heads turned.
"I started building my page when I was thirteen... makeup tutorials, lifestyle, all that stuff."
Someone from the back perked up. "Wait… ValerieSky? The beauty influencer?"
"The one with, like... 1.3 million followers on insta?" another chimed in.
Valerie blushed slightly, lowering her gaze. "That's me."
You could tell by the way she stood…shoulders back, chin lifted slightly, that she was used to being seen.
"So, uh... why are you even in the Trials?" someone asked. "You have tons of followers. Shouldn't that buy you a ticket out?"
