Chapter 66
The words flow, not because I’ve memorized them perfectly, but because I understand them. I understand what it means to hide your heart, to tell a story that is both a lie and the truest thing you’ve ever said. My voice gains strength, coloring with the pain and passion of unrequited love. I’m not Aria Morales auditioning for a play anymore.
I felt myself transformed into Viola, stranded and brave and hopelessly in love.
I sniffed as I spoke the final line-“But, died thy sister of her love, my lord?”
Suddenly, the faces blurred into a different, smaller audience. With lots of teenage girls my age looking weak and tattered.
Stunned, I blink and they’re gone, leaving an ache in my head, my chest heaving heavily.
Then, Ms. Theroux starts clapping, followed by a wave of applause from the room, louder and more heartfelt than what anyone else received. From the back, I hear a loud, “YES!” that is unmistakably Asher, followed by Kai’s whistle.
My face is on fire, but it’s a flush of triumph, not embarrassment. I calmly walk back to my seat on shaky legs, Maya grabs my arm halfway and assists me, her eyes wide with excitement.
“Aria,” she breathes. “What was that? You were… you were a completely different person up there.”
I can only shake my head, a bewildered, giddy smile breaking through. “I don’t know.”
The rest of the auditions are a formality which I just sit through in a daze, the echo of that other girls voice, ringing in my ears. What was that about?
When auditions are over, Ms. Theroux stands. “Thank you, everyone! What an incredibly talented group. The callback list will be posted tomorrow morning. Break a leg!”
The room erupts into noise. I stay seated, trying to calm myself.
“You coming?” Maya asks, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.
“In a minute,” I murmur.
As the room empties, I feel a presence. I look up, expecting Nolan, but it’s Chloe. She’s glared down over me, her composure completely gone. Her face is pale, her eyes narrowed into slits.
“That was quite a performance,” she spits lowly. “All those little trembles and wistful sighs. You really know how to play the lost little girl, don’t you? I guess when you have no personality of your own, you have to fake one.”
Before I can even form a retort, another voice cuts in coldly
“She wasn’t faking anything, Chloe. She was acting. It’s a concept you’re clearly unfamiliar with, since you are too dumb to differentiate that.” Nolan glared at her, his arms crossed, standing between me and Chloe like a shield. His green eyes are locked on her, blazing with a protective fury I’ve never seen before.
Chapter 66
Chloe scoff’s, taking a slight step back. “Oh, please, Nolan. Don’t tell me you’re falling for her helpless damsel act too. It’s pathetic.”
“The only thing that’s pathetic is you,” he spat, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You’re threatened because for the first time, someone came in and is genuinely better than you in acting without even trying. So you resort to being a bully. It’s transparent and, frankly, boring. Now, get lost.”
Chloe’s jaw drops. She looks from Nolan’s face to my stunned one, her own face turning red with rage and humiliation. Without another word, she spins around and storms out of the room.
I slowly stand up, my legs still wobbly.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say quietly,
“Yeah,” Nolan says, turning to face me. The anger has now drained from his expression. “I did.”
We stood alone in the empty drama room. The only sound is the hum of the stage lights and my fast beating heart. And maybe his too.
“You were… incredible up there, Aria,” he says, his voice rough with emotion. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like you… disappeared, and Viola was just there. No, it was like you birth Viola”
“I… remembered something,” I confess, the words tumbling out. “When I was on stage. A flash. I was in front of an audience but they were young girls, they looked tattered and weak.”
His eyes widen. “Seriously?”
I nod, a tear escaping and tracing a path down my cheek. The adrenaline is fading, leaving me raw and exposed. “It felt real.”
He doesn’t say anything. He just closes the small distance between us and pulls me into a hug.
AD
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
