A/N: Welcome to Through The Looking Glass! This fic has nothing to do with Alice in Wonderland by the way, I just wanted a title that linked to Glass Child. Speaking of, this is the second fic in this series, leading on from Glass Child. However there is a summary below if you don't want to read all 90k words of it first.

Quick recap from fic 1: Cat and Jade have been together for around 6 months, and living together for about 3. This is due to Cat's parents moving away with her brother, Matteo, who is very unwell. He is (in short terms) a schizophrenic ex-addict. However, her family won't be in this fic much. Glass Child is based in their senior year, during which Cat and Andre spent a lot of time writing songs together. In the final chapter they have just graduated from HA and are about to start their summers before College. Andre then got a call from a record label telling him that they'd heard a song he'd written with Cat, and that they wanted to meet them in person. Cat wants to be a fashion designer or costume maker for theatre, not a singer, but is open to seeing what they have to say to her.

Also all personality & style is based on season 1 Cat. Though by now she's taken on a lot of Jade's mannerisms from dating her for so long, and vice versa with Jade softening slightly.

Also, a preface: CAT IS NOT ARIANA. I will be pulling a few similarities, because well, without spoiling, there will be a lot of life parallels. HOWEVER, thats where it ends. Cat is newly 18 in when this first chapter is set (Summer 2013) while Ariana would've been about to turn 20 at this time, so that also affects my writing a bit too. Also, any jabs I make at Cat or career choices I write for her do not reflect on my opinions or Ariana nor the life choices she makes. So right now, leave any fangirl-isms at the door. This is a fictional story about a fictional character.

Sorry for the long warnings there- I just wanted to put fires out before they start.

Ty for stopping by to read xoxo

Andre couldn't stop drumming his hands on the steering wheel during the drive to Radius Records. Either he was really feeling the music from the radio, or he was incredibly nervous. Probably both. This meeting meant more to him than anything else he'd done in his life, it really could be the start of his music produing career- and all he needed to do was make them like him. Simple right?

Cat, sat in the passenger seat beside him, was completely off in a daze. This meeting meant a lot less to her, she was only really going for Andre's sake. She promised Jade that she'd try and steal any fancy pens they may have, but thats all she really had planned. Really she was just happy to be there for Andre.

"Andre you're drumming out of time." She noticed, his little rhymth completely off beat- but not in the synocapted way, just entirely wrong.

"I - AH!" He yelled, taking his hands off the wheel; before remembering he was actually driving and snapping them back on before he lost control of the car. "I've lost my sense of beat. I'll never make music again-" He started to ramble suddenly.

"Andre-" Cat spoke up.

"We should just turn around!' He continued, looking over his shoulder to see if a u-turn was possible.

"Andre!" Cat repeated louder, bring him back to reality. "Stop thinking. It's bad for you." She smiled at him.

"Sorry I just-" He shook his head. "This meeting it- I don't know Cat- it's everything"

"Then relax into it. If it's meant to be it'll be." She smiled boldly at him, not a single thought going on behind those eyes. She was quite literally happy being a passenger on this journey with him.

"I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse." The boy replied.

After making their way past security, feeling very important as they were allowed past, Cat and Andre walked into the sleek, modern offices of Radius Records. Cat glanced around in awe at the sparkling lobby, the massive digital screens playing snippets of music videos, and the occasional music award proudly displayed. Cat gave Andre a reassuring smile as they were directed by the receptionist to a conference room down the hall. Andre was visibly nervous, rubbing the back of his neck every 3-5 seconds it seemed. The closer they got, the more nerves just started to peak up for Cat, her brain now swimming with a mixture of excitement and worry. This was a big chance for Andre, and she didn't want to mess anything up for him.

The conference room they were directed to was spacious and minimalist, with white walls adorned by photographs of some of the biggest stars on the label's roster. They barely had time to take it in before two well-dressed executives entered. Both wore sharp, businesslike smiles as they introduced themselves.

"Andre Harris," said the woman, shaking his hand. "I'm Linda, and this is Steve. We're with the artist and repertoire team here at Radius. We appreciate you coming in today. "You must be the singer on the tracks."

"Yep!" Cat smiled politely, before realising she needed to introduce herself. "I'm Cat- Cat Valnetine."

"Nice to meet you Cat." Both shook her hand too beforr taking their seats, flipping open slim laptops as they did.

Linda looked at them with a warm but calculating smile. "Normally, we scout talent ourselves. We have our own ways of finding people who already have a presence or a following. We don't often take on artists who are just getting started, if I'm honest," she admitted. "We only bring in a handful of newer acts a year—if that. Our artists usually have a following or at least a solid foundation we can build on."

Cat nodded, looking over at Andre, her eyes wide with interest. Why was this meeting suddenly directed at her? Andre gave her a small smile, his eyes saying, you got this.

"But something about your songs caught our attention," Steve added, looking directly at Cat. "We receive a lot of unsolicited music—hundreds of demos a month, actually. It's pretty rare we even listen to any, let alone set up a meeting."

Cat's cheeks flushed with a mix of nerves and pride. "Wow… um, thank you!" she managed to squeak.

Steve nodded, his gaze flicking over his notes. "From what we heard, there's a uniqueness to your sound, something that feels fresh but also timely. It's not easy to balance that."

Linda picked up where Steve left off. "We're always looking for something that can break the mould, that unique combination of raw talent and a distinct style. And when we find it, we're willing to invest."

Cat glanced at Andre, giving him a silent plea for support. She didn't like the attention entirely on her—it didn't feel fair. She thought Andre was the real talent here, not her.

"Um, Andre actually produced the songs," she said quickly, gesturing to him. "He's the one who makes all the music sound really good."

Steve gave Andre an appreciative nod, but it was clear his focus remained on Cat. "Andre, we definitely see you as a major part of this. The production quality was impressive," he acknowledged, "but we're talking to Cat right now because, ultimately, the artist is what connects with people. An artist's voice, image, and story—those are what the public connects to."

Linda tilted her head, her sharp eyes studying Cat with renewed interest. "Speaking of connection," she said, glancing back at her notes. "You have a great look—there's something edgy yet approachable about you. You're young, which opens a lot of doors in terms of marketing, and you're pretty, which... well, that never hurts."

Cat blushed again, fidgeting with a strand of her red hair. "Uh, thanks," she muttered. She felt a bit uncomfortable with the attention on her appearance, but she knew it was part of the industry.

Linda leaned in a little, her tone curious. "So, Cat, tell us: how do you feel about performing? Being onstage, handling an audience?"

Cat hesitated. "Well, I like performing. I guess I'm... okay at it?"

Linda raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting more.

"Actually," Andre interjected, "if you wanna see, I've got a clip. It's from our performance at the Hollywood Arts Big Showcase. Tori—our friend—she filmed it, and, well... Cat killed it onstage."

He quickly pulled out his phone, scrolling until he found the video. He held it out to the two executives, who leaned in to watch. Cat's singing voice filled the room, rich and layered with unexpected power. As they watched, her presence on stage was undeniable, even with how she started so nervously. She had a kind of natural, infectious excitement that made it hard not to smile along with her. The cheers of her fellow students was deafening at times, but you could just about pick out her singing above it all.

When the video ended, Linda glanced at Steve, nodding slightly.

"Interesting," Steve said, setting the phone down. "You have a lot of presence, Cat. The audience responds to you because you seem... real. You're authentic, and people respond to that."

Linda's face softened a bit. "Cat, how serious are you about this? About being in the spotlight?"

Cat looked down, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the table. "I don't know," she admitted. "I've never really thought of myself as... a singer or anything. I just like to sing and make music with Andre. This kind of... 'big-time' stuff is new for me."

Andre leaned forward. "Cat's one of the most passionate people I know. She might not have known this was a big dream of hers before, but every time she's onstage, you can see that she's... she's special."

Cat glanced at him, touched by his words. Linda and Steve exchanged a thoughtful look.

"We think you have potential, Cat," Linda said. "The kind of potential that can really go somewhere, especially with the right team behind you. And Radius could be that team. But it's going to take work—practice, recording sessions, promotional events, and live performances. We're talking about putting you on a path that will demand a lot from you."

She looked at Andre, acknowledging him fully this time. "And that's where you come in too, Andre. If we move forward, we'd want you involved. Songwriting, production—you clearly have a strong understanding of Cat's strengths."

Steve nodded, leaning forward with a look of intent focus. "This could be big. But you need to be ready for what that means. Fame, pressure, a lot of eyes on you all the time. It can be a lot for anyone to handle."

Cat looked down at the table, feeling the weight of the decision pressing on her.

Finally, she looked back up at Andre, he looked so excited. Saying yes would mean he'd get a way into the industry, the one he'd always dreamed of. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to see where it went for her. Maybe just for this summer, she had months until College, and if she didn't like it maybe she could bail then when Andre already had his connections. She looked over at Linda and Steve nodded slowly. "O... Okay" she said, her voice soft but determined. She glanced at Andre, a flicker of fear and excitement in her eyes. "I won't do it without Andre, though."

Linda and Steve exchanged approving glances.

"Good," Linda said with a small, satisfied smile. "We'll be in touch soon with more information."