She''d never thought Elvira was right for the part. It was only because of her family''s wealth and connections that everyone else ttered her, making her believe the role was already hers.


    "You''ve got good taste," Juniper said, pulling a bag of snacks from her backpack and tossing a pack of cookies to the girl. "Have some."


    "Thank you." The girl caught them, a sweet, shy smile gracing her lips. "Master Lunar, I still think you should go exin things to Mr. Tate. The rumors they''re spreading are... really nasty."


    "No need," Juniper said, tearing open her own snack with a smirk. "It''s just the two of us for this MV now. I''ll give you all the other dancers'' screen time."


    "What?" The cookies fell from the girl''s hand, her expression turning grave. "But Mr. Tate has a terrible temper, especially when ites to his sister. He..."


    "Have you ever seen Jimmie smile?" Juniper asked with relish as she opened a bag of chips.


    The girl went silent. The question was too mind-bending. Mr. Tate... smiling? The very thought sent a shiver down her spine.


    "Don''t worry," Juniper said, tearing into a savory chicken drumstick with gusto. "I''ll make him smile for youter."


    The thought of reuniting with her brother was making her nervous. She''d been so on edge she''d barely eaten lunch and was starving now. She needed to fuel up before she could properly discipline him.


    The girl''s remaining cookies tumbled to the floor as she stared at Juniper in disbelief. Had Master Lunar finally snapped from the pressure?


    ...


    Meanwhile, from a corner outside, Ynda watched the dance studio with glee. Seeing Juniper''s dancers abandon her one by one filled her with a thrilling sense of victory. Finally, the bitch was getting a taste of what it felt like to fall from grace. But it wasn''t over yet. The real show was about to begin. The thought of Jimmie putting Juniper in her ce sent an excited shiver through her entire body.


    Across town, Jimmie had been up all night waiting for news of his sister. He was on his way to the office, nearly dozing off, when his phone suddenly vibrated.


    "Hello!" He shot upright, wide awake the second he saw the caller ID. "Do you have news about my sister?"


    "Yes, sir," a respectful voice from Cybeic Shadows replied. "We''ve confirmed your sister''s location."


    "Who is she?" Jimmie''s fingers tightened around his phone, the pressure causing the screen to crack.


    "She''s an eighteen-year-old senior at Aurora High School..." the agent began, carefully reciting the details.


    "Just get to the damn point!" Jimmie snarled, his face dark. He already knew all of that.


    "Yes, yes, of course." The agent, thoroughly rattled, stammered out the crucial information. "Her name is Juniper Payne. She''s also known as a master choreographer, and online, they call her..."


    At the word ''choreographer,'' a strange feeling washed over Jimmie, and the image of that annoying girl inexplicably shed in his mind.


    "Lunar!"


    "What?" The name struck Jimmie like a physical blow. A sharp pain shot through him, and his voice was raw with disbelief.