the eyes lie — adam. & adrien.

He'd never been the best at hiding his emotions. As a child, he'd always pushed the boundaries of what was appropriate to ask and what was not, and that hadn't really changed. He was a naturally curious and analytical person, was all. He liked to understand the things he was doing. He liked to be in control of the outcome. And maybe that was why he was having such a hard time with this: it was not solely up to him who stayed and who went. He could have been one of those eliminated. His vote could've been the difference between someone else staying or going, or it could've made no difference at all.

He barely even looked up from the paper in front of him when the knock sounded at his door; it wasn't until he saw Adam Taupe standing there that he started to pay attention. The two hadn't been exactly close throughout the competition, and then there was the thing with Beryl. The thing that may well have cost Adrien more than a vote from Adam. He could already envision the bruises Adam's knuckles could have left on his face if he were to find out.

If he were to find out, though, it wouldn't be from Adrien. So he ignored Adam's claim that he looked like he was having an asthma attack.

"And how many others have you made this deal with?" Adrien mused, standing up and leaning against the desk, arms folded over his chest. There were some who were probably dumb, or trusting enough to agree without question. If Adam played his cards right, he could make sure not a single person voted for him, find out who everyone else was voting for, and make his votes be the determining factor. Adrien respected that, and he was also intrigued by the secret strategist Adam Taupe turned out to be. But he didn't trust it.

"It's a good deal, but if you tell everyone the same thing, you're lying to three of them. How do I know I'm not one of those three?"