Page 36 of Teach Me to Fly

I groan, burying my face in my hands. “Do you want the shirtless and dripping wet version, or the part where he heard me having a nightmare?”

Lando nearly chokes on his breath.“Wait—what?”

“Yup.” I rub at my temples. “I can’t believe I didn’t wake up from this one. Who knows how long I was screaming for?”

“Uh, no. Absolutely not. You don’t just drop‘shirtless and dripping wet’like that and then skip ahead. Back it up, because I need context. Now.”

I let out a tired laugh and lean my head against the window. “I was getting a glass of water and thought the coast was clear. Then—BAM—the bathroom door swings, and out walks Reign, shirtless, dripping wet, steam and everything, and of course his towel was barely hanging on.”

Lando blinks at the road. “Oh my God,” he whispers, scandalized. “Continue.”

I shoot him a look. “That’s basically it. I froze, he stared, I panicked and ran, water went everywhere.”

He chokes on a laugh. “And what, he just let you escape?”

I roll my eyes. “No. He texted me five minutes later saying, and I quote,‘For the record, I didn’t mindyou looking.’”

Lando cackles so hard the car swerves to the left. “I knew he’d enjoy the attention. He’s such a menace.”

When we pull up to Imperium, it begins to rain. We grab our bags and make it inside just in time for Techniques, but Reign isn’t here, and neither is Wendy.

I try to focus, but Layla corrects me more than once, and every time she touches my arms or angles my hips, I flinch—not from pain, but from getting caught being distracted. My thoughts won’t stop spiraling.

It’s still pouring when our lunch break rolls around. “Looks like we can’t go out on the steps today,” Willow says somberly as we watch the downpour from one of the hallway windows.

“What about the auditorium?” Alfie offers.

Max shakes his head. “When I walked past there earlier, it looked like they were preparing the space for something.”

Four pairs of wide eyes turn to me.

“What?” I touch my face self-consciously.

“It’s got to be auditions for your understudy,” Willow whispers.

“Come on,” Lando grabs my wrist, his excitement barely contained, “we’re going to spy.”

Several minutes later,I’m hidden away in the shadows of the back rows inside the auditorium, along with the others. Willow was right about auditions for my understudy being today. I spot Reign seated near the front along with Volkov, Layla, and one other person I haven’t met yet.

“Who’s that?” I whisper to Lando, nodding at the stranger.

His eyes light up. “Terry Baker. The hottest choreographerin the country. Probably the world. Total genius but a bit of a sadist.”

He’s tall, with a buzzed head and inked arms. He looks like he could break someone in half and still choreograph a masterpiece while doing it. Attractive, sure—but the kind of attractive that’s almost terrifying. More intimidating than Reign, even.

“Why’s Reign up there but not Angelique?” Max murmurs, unzipping a sandwich.

“Volkov probably wants to see the chemistry between Reign and the candidates," Alfie replies, taking a bite out of a liquorice stick.

Lando frowns. “Reign didn’t tell you about this?” I shake my head, my stomach knotting.

The music starts and we watch dancer after dancer perform pieces from both Odette and Odile. In the end, it comes down to Wendy and another girl I’ve never met. I watch as Volkov leans in and whispers something into Reign’s ear, and moments later, Reign stands up and strides onto the stage.

“Here we go,” Lando mutters.

He begins a pas de deux with the girl I don’t recognize, but he moves fast, so much faster than she’s able to keep up with and I hold my breath as I watch her struggle before crashing onto her ankle at a horrible angle. She screams out in pain, and it reverberates around the auditorium, sending a shiver down my spine.

“That’s what I meant when I said he breaks his partners,” Lando murmurs, eyes fixed on the girl as she’s helped offstage. “You keep up, or he leaves you behind.”

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