CHAPTER 7: THE FIRST DAY
1328 Words
*******
7:17 a.m.
Mira's eyes opened before her alarm went off.
She'd been staring at the ceiling for hours. Thinking about the note. About Faye. About the way Jimmy's face changed when she said that name. About the way Ace's grey eyes had cut through her, like he could see everything she was trying to hide.
Her phone glowed on the nightstand. No messages from the unknown number. No messages from Essie.
Just Chloe.
GOOD LUCK TODAY!!! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL IT!!!
Mira smiled. Typed back: I'll try not to pass out first.
Chloe: Pass out later. Kill it first. Priorities.
She laughed. Small. Tired. But real.
She got up. Stared at herself in the bathroom mirror.
Dark circles. Messy hair. She looked like someone who hadn't slept in weeks.
Because she hadn't.
She touched the crescent moon at her throat. Grandma's necklace. Cold against her fingers.
"I need you today," she whispered. "My lucky charm."
******
8:45 a.m.
The Lycans Entertainment building was huge.
Glass and steel stretched up forever. Mira stood outside, craning her neck, feeling small. She'd dressed carefully. Professional but herself. Black pants. A cream blouse. Her grandmother's necklace visible against her collarbone.
She walked in. Gave her name at security. The guard checked a list, nodded, handed her a visitor badge.
"Fourth floor. Conference room B. They'll come get you."
"Thank you."
The elevator ride was too long. Too quiet. She watched the numbers climb and tried to breathe.
Fourth floor. Doors opened. Empty hallway.
She found Conference Room B. Empty too.
She sat. Waited.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Twenty.
No one came.
Mira's heart started racing. Wrong building? Wrong day? Wrong everything?
She pulled out her phone to check the email again. Maybe she'd misread. Maybe—
The door opened.
A guy rushed in. Short. Harried. Holding a tablet and looking like he hadn't slept either.
"Miss Mira? Sorry, sorry. Crazy morning. Follow me."
She stood, grabbing her bag. "Where are we going?"
"Different room. Someone booked this one for something else. It's chaos today. Everyone's running late."
He walked fast. She hurried to keep up. Past practice rooms where she heard music thumping, voices singing. Past people who stared at her like she didn't belong.
He stopped at another door. Pushed it open.
"This one. They'll be here soon. Maybe. Coffee's over there."
Then he was gone.
Mira stood alone in another empty room.
They'll be here soon. Maybe.
Great.
*****
9:30 a.m.
She'd poured coffee she didn't want. Sat. Stood. Sat again. Checked her sketches twice. Checked her phone twelve times.
Nothing from the unknown number. That almost made it worse.
The door opened.
Klain walked in.
Not Ace. Not Zayn. Just Klain. Grinning like they were old friends.
"Mira! Hi! I'm Klain. Sorry we're late. Ace and Zayn were fighting about something stupid. Probably Ace's fault."
He dropped into the chair across from her. Relaxed. Easy. Like he owned the place.
Mira blinked. Oh my goodness, Klain? "Do you remember me? From the fan meet?"
"Of course I do. You are memorable." He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I read your letter, by the way. Last night. It made me cry a little. Don't tell anyone."
Mira's eyes stung. "You actually read it?"
"I told you I would. I meant it." His face softened. Not the performer's smile. Real. "Thank you. For writing that. For letting me know my words mattered. Most fans just want photos. You actually listened."
She didn't know what to say. One of her idols read the letter she wrote to him.
Before she could find words, the door opened again.
Zayn walked in.
He looked tired. Dark circles like hers. Like he hadn't slept either.
"Hey." His voice was quiet. "Sorry. Rough morning."
Mira nodded. "It's okay."
He sat across from her. Not close. Not far. Just... there.
Their eyes met.
Something passed between them. She didn't know what. But it was there.
Then Klain cleared his throat. "So. Jewelry. Tour. Let's talk."
******
The meeting was... normal. Surprisingly normal.
Klain talked a lot. Enthusiastic about everything. Loved every sketch she showed.
Zayn asked quiet questions. Thoughtful ones. He noticed details. Asked about materials, about meaning, about why she chose certain shapes.
Mira found herself relaxing. Just a little.
Then the door opened.
Ace walked in.
The room changed.
He didn't look at her at first. Sat at the far end of the table. Arms crossed. Jaw tight. Grey eyes fixed on nothing.
Klain kept talking like nothing happened. Zayn glanced at Ace, then away.
Mira didn't know what to do. Her hands started shaking again.
Klain showed Ace the sketches. Ace looked at each one. Slowly. Carefully.
Silence stretched.
Then: "These are good."
Mira blinked. "What?"
"They're good." He looked at her. Grey eyes unreadable. "You understand what we need."
She didn't know what to say. Her throat was dry.
Klain grinned. "Told you she was talented."
Ace ignored him. Kept looking at Mira. "The tour is six months. We'll be working closely. If you have questions, ask. If you have opinions, share them. I don't have time for people who hide."
Mira nodded. "Okay."
He stood. Left. No goodbye.
The door clicked shut behind him.
The room felt emptier.
Zayn sighed. "He's not always like that. Actually, he's always like that. But it's not you."
Mira didn't know what to believe.
******
After, Klain hugged her. He actually hugged her.
"This is going to be great. I can feel it."
Then he was gone.
Zayn lingered.
"Mira."
"Yeah?"
He hesitated. Rubbed the back of his neck. "The bathroom. That night. I'm sorry. We should have handled it differently."
Mira's heart pounded. "It's okay. I shouldn't have been back there."
"You were lost. It happens." He looked at her. Really looked. "But the way you looked at us... you weren't scared of what you saw. You were scared for us."
She didn't know what to say.
Zayn smiled. Small. Sad. "That's rare. Someone being scared for us instead of of us."
He left.
Mira stood alone, heart racing, mind spinning.
*****
She was walking out, lost in thought, when a voice stopped her.
"Mira."
She turned.
Ace. Leaning against the wall down the hall. Like he'd been waiting.
"Yeah?"
He pushed off. Walked toward her. Stopped close. Too close.
"The way you looked at me in that bathroom," he said quietly. "Why?"
Mira swallowed. "What do you mean?"
His eyes held hers. Grey and intense and something else underneath. Something raw.
"I've been looked at a lot of ways. Obsession. Fear. Hunger. Criticism. Disgust. You name it." He paused. "You looked at me like I was just a person. Why?"
Mira didn't have an answer. Not one that made sense.
"Because you are," she whispered. "Just a person."
He stared at her.
Something shifted in his eyes. Like a wall cracking just a little. Just enough to see through.
Then he stepped back.
"Tomorrow. 9 a.m. Don't be late."
He walked away.
Mira stood there, thinking about what the two guys just said.
*****
6:43 p.m.
She collapsed on her hotel bed. Stared at the ceiling.
Replayed everything. Klain's warmth. Zayn's sadness. Ace's walls cracking just a little.
Her phone buzzed. Pete.
HOW WAS IT??
She typed: I have no idea.
Pete: That's good, huh? Dinner tomorrow. You're telling us everything.
Mira: Deal.
She set the phone down. Touched her necklace.
She thought about the way Ace looked at her. The way Zayn said "scared for us." The way Klain said her words mattered.
For a moment, she felt something she hadn't felt in weeks.
Hope.
Then she remembered the notes. The texts. Both Alice and the woman named Faye. The way Jimmy's face changed when she said that name.
Her phone didn't buzz again. But the silence felt heavy.
She closed her eyes.
And somewhere in the dark, she whispered to herself:
I didn't give a name. How do I know it?
*******""
- Writer
