# Opening Hook Audit - Chapter 13

- CRITERION 1: PULLS - first 50 words quoted: "June clipped Theo's index card to the top stretcher bar and stood back before she read it again. She had already checked the clothespin line twice and thumbed the stripe flat once, as if either action could count as preparing..." Reasoning: the opening starts with June physically stalling before the assignment and immediately raises the question of what Theo trusted her to paint.
- CRITERION 2: CLEAN - strongest atmospheric candidate: "Odile had set the easels in pairs, back to back." It survives because character action and assignment pressure precede the room arrangement; the setting is a trap June understands through hearing Theo behind her.
- CRITERION 3: not applicable; Chapter 13 is not chapter 1 or a part-opening.

Chapter verdict: `HOOKED`.

REVISION ORDERS: none.
