EPISODE THREE
1243 Words
The Man Behind the Message
At exactly 7:43 the next morning, the six friends stood outside Harmonia Music Academy.
Nobody was laughing.
Nobody was arguing.
Even Jaden Knight—the twenty-one-year-old rapper who could turn almost any serious situation into a joke—was unusually quiet.
He stared at the enormous academy building.
"Tell me again why we're here."
Jake Williams adjusted the strap of his bag.
"Because the message said we had to come."
"I know that."
"Then why did you ask?"
Jaden sighed.
"Because I'm hoping someone will tell me this is a bad dream."
Joan Robbert folded her arms.
"You're scared."
"I'm not scared."
"You've been staring at the entrance for five minutes."
"I'm studying the architecture."
Joan laughed.
"You're scared."
Jaden pointed at her.
"I'll remember this."
Jessica Coal, the elegant and outspoken vocalist of the group, glanced at her watch.
"Can you two argue later? We're already here."
Juliet Brian stood quietly beside them.
She hadn't slept well.
The strange message from the previous night kept replaying in her mind.
We need to talk.
Who was Adrian Vale?
And why had the director personally requested all six of them?
Juliet looked toward Julius King.
He was standing beside her, hands in his pockets, his expression calm.
But she knew him too well.
He was nervous.
"You okay?" she whispered.
Julius looked at her.
"I'm fine."
Juliet smiled faintly.
"You always say that when you're not."
He chuckled.
"You always notice."
"I've known you for a long time."
Something about the way she said it made Julius pause.
"Yeah," he said softly. "You have."
Before either could say anything else, the academy doors opened.
A woman in a black suit stepped outside.
"Julius King, Jaden Knight, Jake Williams, Juliet Brian, Joan Robbert, Jessica Coal?"
They all nodded.
"Follow me."
---
The woman led them through a long hallway.
The academy was even more impressive inside.
Glass rehearsal rooms lined both sides of the corridor. Behind some doors, students practiced choreography. Behind others, singers rehearsed scales while producers worked behind mixing consoles.
Juliet's eyes widened.
"This is incredible."
Julius smiled.
"You like it?"
She nodded.
"More than I imagined."
"Then we're going to make it our home."
Juliet looked at him.
"Our home?"
Julius smiled.
"For the next few years."
Her heart fluttered.
She quickly looked away.
Unfortunately, Jaden noticed.
He leaned toward Jake.
"Did you see that?"
Jake raised an eyebrow.
"See what?"
Jaden whispered,
"Nothing."
Jake gave him a suspicious look.
---
Eventually, they stopped in front of a large wooden door.
The woman knocked.
"Come in."
The door opened.
A man sat behind a large desk.
He appeared to be in his late forties, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit.
His expression was serious.
This was Adrian Vale, the director of Harmonia Music Academy.
He looked at each of them carefully.
One by one.
Then he stood.
"Welcome to Harmonia."
"Thank you, sir," Jessica said.
Adrian gestured toward the chairs.
"Sit."
They did.
He remained standing.
"I've reviewed your auditions."
Jaden leaned forward.
"And?"
Adrian looked directly at him.
"You're talented."
Jaden smiled.
"I knew that."
Joan elbowed him.
"Ow!"
Adrian almost smiled.
Almost.
"Your individual talents are impressive."
He paused.
"But that's not why I called you here."
The room became silent.
Jake frowned.
"Then why?"
Adrian walked toward a large window overlooking the academy grounds.
"Because six years ago, Harmonia began a special program."
Julius listened carefully.
"A program designed to develop groups of performers who could sing, dance, write, produce, and perform together."
Jaden raised his eyebrows.
"And?"
Adrian turned around.
"You six are the first applicants in years whose abilities fit the program perfectly."
Joan looked at the others.
"All six of us?"
"Yes."
Jessica asked,
"What does that mean?"
Adrian returned to his desk.
"It means Harmonia doesn't want six individual students."
He placed six folders on the table.
"We want one team."
Jaden looked at the folders.
"Like a band?"
"Not exactly."
Jake picked up one.
"A performance group?"
Adrian nodded.
"A group capable of becoming something bigger than individual stars."
Juliet stared at her folder.
There was something exciting about it.
But there was also something unsettling.
Adrian continued.
"You will train together. Perform together. Compete together. And if you succeed..."
He paused.
"You may receive a professional contract before graduation."
Everyone froze.
Jaden's mouth fell open.
"Professional?"
"Yes."
Joan looked at Jessica.
Jessica's eyes were wide.
Jake immediately began calculating the possibilities in his head.
Juliet couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Julius looked at his friends.
This was exactly what they had dreamed about.
Everything was happening so quickly.
"What's the catch?" Julius asked.
Adrian looked at him.
"The catch?"
"Nothing this good comes without one."
For the first time, Adrian smiled.
"You're observant."
He opened one of the folders.
"There is one condition."
The room became quiet again.
"You cannot abandon the group."
Jaden frowned.
"That's it?"
"No."
Adrian's voice became serious.
"If one member quits, the entire group loses the opportunity."
Silence.
Jaden sat back.
"Wait."
Joan looked at him.
"What?"
"So if one person leaves, we all lose?"
Adrian nodded.
"Correct."
Jessica exchanged a glance with Jake.
Juliet looked at Julius.
He was already looking at her.
Neither said anything.
Adrian closed the folder.
"You have until tomorrow morning to decide whether you accept."
Jaden stood immediately.
"Absolutely!"
Joan grabbed his arm.
"Sit down!"
"But—"
"Sit."
He sat.
Adrian looked amused.
"You should think carefully."
"We will," Julius said.
Adrian nodded.
"Good."
The six stood.
As they reached the door, Adrian spoke again.
"Julius."
Julius stopped.
"Yes, sir?"
"Stay behind."
Everyone turned.
Jaden's eyes widened.
Juliet immediately looked concerned.
"Why?" Julius asked.
Adrian simply said,
"I'd like a word with you."
Julius nodded.
"Okay."
The others slowly left.
Juliet was the last one to walk through the door.
She looked back at Julius.
He gave her a reassuring smile.
"I'll be fine."
She nodded.
But something in her chest told her otherwise.
---
The door closed.
Adrian waited until Julius sat down.
Then he opened a drawer.
He removed a thin black file.
Julius looked at it.
"What's that?"
Adrian placed it on the desk.
"Something you need to know before you make your decision."
Julius stared at the file.
His name was written across the front.
JULIUS KING
His expression changed.
"Why do you have a file on me?"
Adrian didn't answer.
Instead, he opened it.
Inside were several documents.
Julius looked at the first page.
His eyes widened.
There was information about his childhood.
His family.
His music history.
Even details he had never told anyone at the academy.
"How did you get this?"
Adrian remained silent.
Julius turned another page.
Then another.
Until he reached the final document.
His breathing stopped.
It was a photograph.
A photograph of six children.
Six familiar faces.
Jaden.
Jake.
Julius.
Joan.
Jessica.
And Juliet.
But the photograph wasn't from their neighborhood.
It was taken years before any of them remembered meeting each other.
Julius stared at it.
"Where did you get this?"
Adrian finally spoke.
"That's the question I was hoping you'd ask."
Julius looked up.
"Who are those people standing behind us?"
Adrian's expression became unreadable.
"That's why I asked you to stay."
Julius stared at the photograph again.
For the first time in his life, he wondered if the story of how the six of them became friends...
was actually a lie.
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