The Presentation

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Katherine conditioned herself to get ready to go up on stage while she was still outside of the hall. She had a stack of index cards in her hand that she used to fan her face as she was getting flustered at the thought of being the next one to appear in front of the crowd.

She never liked crowded places. She didn't like appearing in front of so many people and giving a speech. If she could only present in front of Damien, she would do it in a heartbeat. But in front of sixty or so people, her heart was racing. It may not be a lot for others, but more than one is already a lot for her. And now she just had to do this—pour her heart and soul like she was meant to do this. She just hoped she wouldn't make a mistake and make a fool of herself.

"You've practiced enough. You're going to kill this," Felix said as he handed her a water bottle. He took the stack of index cards from her hand so she could drink properly.