Troublemaker

**Vanya**

The fake smile still burned on my lips, a phantom weight dragging my mood down further. Vance was gone, swallowed by the shadows of the corridor, leaving me standing alone on the cold marble floor. I retreated to my assigned room and turned the lock, letting the false expression drop from my face. The heavy silence of the packhouse pressed against my eardrums. I sat on the edge of the m