Disclaimer: All characters belong to Kiera Cass!

I skipped school Monday. Instead, I headed over to the recording studio and recorded my new song. Here, I felt like I could let loose all of my worries in the world. My red hair fell down my back, finally rid of the blonde wig.

I unpacked my violin and let the music flow out, closing my eyes as I did so. I don't know how long I stayed there, playing my violin. When I was done, I took a cleansing breath and opened my eyes.

"Amazing, Miss Singer! Your recording went very well." My manager, Silvia, smiles warmly.

"Thank you. I'll be leaving shortly." I start to pack my instrument. Silvia looks at her clipboard and frowns. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Singer, but you have a visitor today. In fact, he purchased an opportunity to watch you record your songs."

I smile. "That's fine, Silvia, it's not a strange occurrence." It was true. Many fans got to watch me record my songs in my recording studio for a small fee. I usually gave the money from these special "backstage" passes to my recording crew and Silvia. "How many people?"

Silvia peered over her glasses, at the clipboard. "One. Schreave, Maxon. On his request, he claims that 'America Singer is an incredibly talented musician, not to mention she reminds me of a special girl in my school.'"

I internally groan. Why, Maxon? How do I remind you of Celeste, of all people?

On the outside, I play my fake laugh, as if it were a recording. "Wow! What a unique reason to see me record my songs."

"I hope it's okay for you to just sing, without recording, considering that you've just recorded all of your songs." Right.

"Of course! When is he visiting?"

Silvia glanced at her watch. "Five minutes."

I instantly started scurrying around, hiding any pieces of information that might give away my disguise, dusting on a little makeup, and tidying up the studio. In a flash, those five minutes were over.

"Miss Singer? Your visitor has arrived!" Silvia's voice interrupts my panicking.

I compose myself, then walk to the entrance, where I see Maxon, dressed in a casual button-up shirt, and gray dress pants. But something's not right. He stands too rigidly, the hands in his pockets are too stiff, and even his voice is formal when he greets me, "Hello."

I slip on a smile that looks genuine. "It's fine, you can call me America. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Maxon. Maxon Schreave." He acts like I'm his business partner!

"No need for formalities, please. I'm just a normal girl who got lucky in the music industry!" I laugh, hoping that it would disguise my plead for him to act normal. However, I just needed to ask him a question. "So, I looked at your request before you came here. Who is this 'special girl' in your school?"

Maxon blushes a little, something I've never seen him do before. It intrigues me. "You wouldn't know her." Well, I bet that I do! "She's breathtaking, but has quite the temper." He chuckles a bit. Um, that fits the description of Celeste… but how am I like Celeste?

The question continues to fill my mind as I unpack my guitar and violin while Maxon stares at a few pictures on the wall.

"Where'd you get this picture? I've seen it before," Maxon comments suspiciously.

It was a picture of May. Of course, I had the exact same picture at home, which Maxon had carefully examined when he came over to my house. Why?

I filter my response, making sure that I don't include any details but making my lie believable. "A friend thought that this girl was adorable, and sent the picture to me."

Maxon nodded, believing my flimsy attempt at a lie. "I see."

"I'm going to start singing now. You'll probably hear these songs at the concert, too."

Without any further comment, I strummed my guitar and began singing:

Fly – by Maddie & Tae

"Baby blue staring in the window pane just counting drops of rain

Wondering if she's got the guts to take it

Running down her dreams in a dirty dress, now her heart's a mess

Praying she will find a way to make it

So keep on climbing, though the ground might shake

Just keep on reaching, though the limb might break

We've come this far, don't you be scared now

'Cause you can learn to fly on the way down

Searching for a sign in the night even like a lonely string of lights

That'll burn just long enough for you to see it

The road's been long and lonely and you feel like giving up

There's more to this than just the breath you're breathing

So keep on climbing, though the ground might shake

Just keep on reaching, though the limb might break

We've come this far, don't you be scared now

'Cause you can learn to fly on the way down

You won't forget the heavy steps it took to let it go

Close your eyes, count to ten, hold your breath and fly

Keep on climbing, though the ground might shake

Just keep on reaching, though the limb might break

We've come this far, don't you be scared now

'Cause you can learn to fly on the way down

Fly"

I smile gently when I finish, then freeze. Maxon looks like he's been paralyzed. Finally, he relaxes.

"Wow…just wow. That was beautiful!" He looks lost in thought.

"Thank you," I say, wondering if he actually liked it.

I sing a few more songs for him before his session is over. By now, he seems absolutely smitten by my singing. I inwardly smirk. Celeste might be more beautiful than I am, but at least she can't sing.

School was just as boring as ever until Drama. The teacher looks positively giddy when we enter the classroom, Celeste is admiring her manicure, Marlee is jumping up and down in excitement, Kriss displays no emotion, and Maxon, who is right beside her, looks anxious.

Such a wide range of emotions. I really don't know what to feel, because the Drama teacher is known for assigning the worst projects, but Drama is also one of the most fun classes.

"Alright, students, every year, Angeles High broadcasts its very own musical! Now, I know that this isn't Music, but we'll be mostly grading you on your acting.

"Last year, we performed Romeo and Juliet, and I have to say, that was disappointing. No one got their lines completely correct! So, this year, I want to make our musical a little more interesting… The Phantom of the Opera!" The Phantom of the Opera was a musical starring three main characters: Christine, the girl with a talent for singing, the Phantom, who haunted the opera with his hypnotizing voice, and Raoul, Christine's fiancee.

Everyone groaned, including me. "I know the high notes are hard to learn, but your Music teacher has also agreed to help you rehearse the musical!" Our teacher continued cheerily, oblivious to everyone's sulky mood. "Auditions are tomorrow, after school!"

She continued talking on and on for the rest of the class, handing us packets for the auditions. I looked at the lines. It included the "Angel of Music" scene, with the Phantom and Christine singing. Glancing around, I evaluated everyone's faces: Celeste looked confident, Marlee looked gloomy, Kriss had a hopeful expression, and Maxon also seemed as if he could master the auditions. And Aspen? His facial expression seemed… happy.

Honestly, I wasn't sure I could pull the auditions off. My dad said that I had the best voice in the world, but he also said that I was beautiful. Obviously, he had been lying a little. Celeste was talented in the areas where beauty and drama were concerned, and me? Just a small talent for singing and music.

The rest of the day passed without any concern, and when the auditions approached, I rehearsed my lines and braced myself for the worst partner. The teacher was going by alphabetical order, pairing boys with girls.

"Kriss Ambers with… Leeland Alberts." Kriss looks disappointed. Leeland was only known in our grade because of crying after a stressful competition. (A/N: Leeland was part of Eadlyn's Selection, and after Eadlyn eliminated one-third of the boys, he started crying.)

She continued until she got to the S's. "Mer Singer… with Maxon Schreave." Of course. How did I not see that coming? After about five more minutes, she finally got to the last pair.

"Elise Whisks with… Carter Woodwork." And with that, the auditions started.

Kriss was good. Leeland didn't do so bad himself. The only flaw in their performance was that when they sang, they didn't synchronize their singing, making the words sound jumbled. Celeste did a little better, but she added too much flair to her performance. And it felt like only a few seconds had passed before it was my turn.

Maxon and I stood at opposite ends of the stage. Maxon began singing, a rich baritone that imitated the rough, resonating voice of the Phantom.

"Insolent boy, this slave of fashion

Basking in your glory…"

I wasn't sure how I did, but I knew that Maxon was definitely going to get the part of the Phantom. When auditions were over, Marlee jumped next to me and started squealing. "Mer! You did absolutely wonderful! I didn't know you could sing so well! And, you hit all the high notes that nobody else could do."

I laugh at her enthusiasm. "You were great, too! Don't downgrade yourself."

Marlee adopted a prophetic voice. "You, Mer Singer, will get the part of Christine Daae, while Aspen will get the part of the Phantom! It's a perfect love story."

Aspen didn't do bad, but he could've put more dramatic effects in his performance. I saw a flash of movement in the corner of my eye and realized that it was Kriss beckoning me over.

"Kriss?"

"Yeah. I want to talk to you privately." She sounds a little angry.

"Sure," I quickly join her. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You did good, but I really want the part of Christine. I've never been in a major role in anything, and you're always the best at everything. So, please, if you're chosen for the role of Christine and I'm the backup, could you let me have it? Christine's role, I mean."

I was shocked. How could she demand me to hand over something I worked so hard at? Even if I didn't particularly want the major role, I would still enjoy playing it! "Kriss, I don't know… this isn't something you would want to give away."

"Whatever. I knew that you would be too selfish to let me have it." Kriss's voice was bitter, with hints of anger and sadness. "Keep this conversation secret." She walked away.

What happened to the sweet, kind Kriss? I felt bad. In those few seconds, I made up my mind to hand her the role, regardless how I felt. I wanted to do what was moral, and that was sticking to the teacher's decisions and judgment, but I didn't want to betray Kriss's trust. So I sat by the fountain for hours, not knowing what was right, and what was wrong.