What could she possibly have to say to me? Dupri never wants to talk to anyone…especially on Mondays.
Shrugging it off, I thank and pay Saree before heading to the studio. It’s probably nothing…Dupri sends encrypting texts all the time. She probably just wants to ask how to connect her phone to the Bluetooth again or something.
Or not.
My hope turns to mush as I enter the studio. Vicky, our receptionist, who’s usually as bright as the sun when I enter, greets me with a tight lipped smile and points me towards Durpi’s office just off the side of the entrance. My heart rate speeds up as the world closes in on me.
I tug the sleeve of the compression top I’m wearing and sigh. Maybe this is a meeting about my performance and she wants to promote me?
Yeah, let’s go with that.
“Take a seat, Sienna.” Dupri’s cold voice crushes all of my happy spirits as I enter her office, quietly sitting in the uncomfortable, brown leather chair in front of her desk.
“Is everything ok—”
“Are you in some sort of trouble, Sienna?”
I’m at a loss for words, my eyes wide as Dupri cuts me off, leaning into my space. Her eyes are like greedy little cameras trying to grasp any information they can as she observes me.
“Excuse me?”
“You have a new student. One who paid a lot foryouspecifically to teach them. I don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, but do whatever this student asks of you.” Her voice is deep and serious as her hard gaze remains laser focused on me.
The box of cupcakes in my hands feels like stones as my stomach drops.
New student?
“But what about my girls? This is their first practice after the recital and—” My voice is unrecognizable to my ears as I speak, the beat of my heart drums loudly in my ears.
“Don’t worry about the Minis for now. They’re being taken care of. Your student is in Studio F, so don’t keep them waiting.”
Her voice is cold as she dismisses me. My feet feel like lead as I drag them to Studio F on the other side of the building—far, far away from my girls and all the other classes.
The air on this side of the building is crisp, with only four unused studios. This studio is one of the older ones waiting to be remodeled to fit the rest of the academy's modernized look.
Sucking in a deep breath, I brace myself for who’s on the other side of the door. Dupri made it seem like the devil himself was waiting for me.
My body thrums with anxious energy and my tongue is thick with heaviness as I turn the knob to the room.
Taking a step inside, my senses are flooded from all over. It’s dark in here, save for the small orange, ambient lightning of a vintage stage light in the corner. I sneeze quietly as dust flies into my nostrils.
Dropping my bag and placing the cupcakes down beside it, I’m about to start stretching when I realize I’m not alone.
In the center of the room sits a lone figure, with over-ear headphones on, hunched over. The person is obviously male, with large back muscles hidden under a white compression shirt.
My back stiffens as I look the figure over. My heart knows who sits before me, but my eyes refuse to recognize them.
Run! It’s a trap!the distant voice in my brain shouts, but my feet are stuck in their place and I’m paralyzed as the figure looks up in the mirror.
His dirty blond hair shakes with the action and my heart free falls to the pits of hell as green eyes meet my hazel ones.
“Jace?” My voice is breathless and unrecognizable, like a foreign entity has taken over my body as he smirks, still watching me through the mirror.
“Hello, angel.”
four
Jace
