"You've heard of me, Mr. Drake?"
"Of course."
Tim looked sincere, with perhaps even a hint of admiration. "You entered a debate competition Professor Grant organized and won first prize in the individual category. I remember your argument. It was very interesting."
Lia's face flushed scarlet, and she nearly lost her grip on her spoon. She instinctively lowered her head, her eyes darting away, wishing she could bury her face in her plate.
It had happened just after she entered the high school division. Professor Grant had organized a schoolwide debate competition, with topics chosen entirely by student vote and drawn at random before contestants took the stage. No preparation time was allowed; the focus was on testing the students' breadth of knowledge and ability to think on their feet.
She hadn't originally been scheduled to compete. An older girl had been, but just before the competition began, she had suffered a sudden bout of acute gastroenteritis and been rushed to the hospital. Unable to find a substitute, the debate team captain had shoved Lia onstage in desperation.
Lia had been completely dazed. Thrown into the competition at the last minute, she hadn't even had a complete script. When her turn came to draw a topic, she had picked something particularly absurd-
"I remember the topic you drew: 'If socks could hold grudges, should humans apologize for the missing sock?'"
Hearing Tim repeat that ridiculous topic, Lia clamped both hands over her face, her shoulders trembling slightly. She wished she could crawl straight under the dining table.
"That stupid question! The students voted for it as a joke!"
Even remembering the scene made her toes curl with embarrassment.
Back then, Lia had stood onstage staring at the slip of paper in her hand, her mind utterly blank.
*What genius came