THE DRAMA

Vyr couldn't believe it. His mind compulsion was the strongest in Shadowbrook Academy. How did this newbie shrug it off?

He glared at the girl who dared to stand up to him.

Even through his anger, he couldn't help but notice her flawless, oval face, that perfect little nose, and those high cheekbones.

He gritted his teeth. He should be furious, not checking her out!

"How dare you touch me?" he snarled, his voice like ice.

The girl lifted her chin and stepped closer. "Try that again, and I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

Vyr was stunned for a second. No one had ever threatened him before.

And he hated to admit it, but her fiery attitude was actually turning him on, and her warm, caramel scent wasn't helping.

He needed to get away from her, and quickly, without looking like a fool.

He scoffed and leaned in, his lips brushing her ear. "I'd love to see you try, kid."

Zeda watched Vyr strut back to his seat like he owned the world.

She'd expected him to actually do something after she challenged him. Instead, he'd surprised her with a dare that made her body buzz.

The ear his lips touched was still tingling, and she'd had to cling to her anger to stop herself from turning her face to meet his lips.

"You can pick up where you left off, Carl," Vyr said once he was settled. "Let's just get this over with."

Zeda frowned. If he was part of this group, maybe she should just leave now.

"Alright," Mr. Carl said, then looked at her. "I was about to give Zeda a solo performance for her tryout. Her performance will decide if she joins the acting crew or go through training in the department."

Vyr looked bored. "And what do you have for her?"

"The Lost Child," Mr. Carl replied. "Zeda will play a character who's gotten separated from her family in a busy market or park. She's scared, confused, and desperate to find her loved ones. The scene is all about her showing her feelings through talking to herself or just acting it out, proving her acting skills and how well she can show strong emotions."

"It's a good tryout," Vyr said, nodding.

The small smile on his face told Zeda he expected her to struggle and would love to see her fail.

"Who can tell me why I picked this scene for a first tryout?" Mr. Carl asked the crew.

Zeda looked at him. Did he finally remember he was supposed to be in charge?

"It lets Zeda show her emotional range and acting ability, and it doesn't need her to interact much with other characters, since she hasn't gotten to know the crew members yet," one of Vyr's friends, Rylan, answered smoothly.

Mr. Carl beamed. "Thank you, Rylan, that's a great answer."

Zeda watched Rylan give him a crooked smile, which he then turned on her.

He was lean but muscled, and looked extremely smart with his slicked-back bronze hair. But his dark eyes and crooked grin hinted at a wild side.

Vampires, Zeda thought, shaking her head.

"Are you ready, Zeda?" Mr. Carl asked.

Zeda stared at Vyr as she replied. "Never been more ready."

He scoffed and crossed his arms, clearly waiting for her to mess up.

"Oh my goodness, that performance was amazing!" Mr. Carl exclaimed a few minutes later when she was done.

Zeda grinned. Even some of the crew members applauded her. She shot a winning smile at Vyr, who just rolled his eyes.

"I think she should be part of the crew," Mr. Carl announced.

Zeda tried her best not to squeal.

"Was she really that good?" a girl asked, looking at Zeda like she was nothing.

"Of course, Christie," Mr. Carl replied.

There were some low grumbles among the crew. Zeda knew some of them already disliked her.

"What do you think about her performance, Prince Vyr? Should she be in the crew?" Mr. Carl asked, looking at Vyr.

The room went silent as everyone waited for his answer.

Zeda clenched her fists. Was Mr. Carl putting her future in the hands of her enemy? Of course, he'd suggest she not be in the crew at all!

Vyr frowned as he thought about Mr. Carl's question.

Zeda deserved to join the crew. Her performance had been so real, a stranger would've easily thought she was a lost girl trying to find her way in the academy.

But he'd be damned if he said that out loud, or even a simple "yes."

"What I think is that we should move on. I have other things to do," he said, pinning Mr Carl with a cold stare.

Draven snickered beside him, and the crew started muttering again.

Everyone was confused by his answer, including Zeda and Mr. Carl, which was exactly what he wanted.

"Um... sure, but is that a yes?" Mr. Carl stammered.

Rylan saved him the trouble of answering. "Of course, Carl, let's move on."

Vyr watched Zeda let out a breath, but instead of showing him any thanks, she smiled at Rylan.

He frowned. That smile was supposed to be for him! He glared at Rylan, who was still giving her his stupid crooked smile.

"Alright!" Mr. Carl exclaimed. "Zeda, welcome to Shadowbrook Academy's Theatre Crew! You're officially a member now, congratulations!"

Zeda couldn't stop grinning as she shook Mr. Carl's outstretched hand. "Thank you, sir, I'll do my best to help the crew," she said.

Mr. Carl led Zeda to sit with the crew before excusing himself to take a call.

No one in the crew made any effort to welcome her, like Mr. Carl had suggested before leaving.

She was surprised when the guy who had mocked her earlier plopped down in the empty seat next to her.

"Hi Zeda," he said, with a cute, childlike smile. "I'm Darcy, I'm a werewolf, and I'm part of the crew."

Zeda smiled back. "Nice to meet you. I'm not sure about my genus yet, though." She made a face.

Darcy frowned. "How's that possible, your..."

"It's complicated," Zeda cut in, not wanting to hear about her eyes.

Darcy frowned and nodded, not pushing it. Zeda thought he was a sweetheart after all.

They started talking, with Darcy telling her about the crew.

She learned that Christie, the girl who had questioned her performance earlier, was the favourite for the female lead roles. She was also a witch and Princess Sloan's closest friend, which made her bossy among the crew members.

Sadly for Zeda, Vyr was also in the crew, even though he'd never been in a play.

His friends, Rylan and Draven – the quieter one who was super handsome, with silky black hair framing his angular face – were also members of the crew.

Mr. Carl walked back in and apologized for taking so long. "So, we all know the new students party is on Friday night," he continued. "So we only have today and three more days to practice the play I've prepared for us to perform."

Zeda listened as Mr. Carl explained the play. It was about a hate-to-love relationship between the main characters, who were from rival royal families.

"It's not bad, I guess," Vyr approved when Mr. Carl finished.

Zeda rolled her eyes. Seriously, did everything need his approval?

"Thank you," Mr. Carl replied with a pleased smile. "So, let's work on the characters then."

"I'll be the male lead," Vyr declared, his voice leaving no room for arguments.

The room went silent for a heartbeat as everyone took in his words, before bursting into chaos.

Zeda frowned. According to Darcy, he'd never appeared on stage for anything, and now he wanted to play a lead role?

She turned to glance at him, and he gave her a challenging smile.

Was he trying to prove to her that he could act too? Zeda scoffed.

"That'd be great!" Mr. Carl exclaimed excitedly, then suddenly looked nervous. "But... Prince..."

"But what?" Vyr asked impatiently.

"You see, umm, I wanted Zeda to play the female role..."

What? Zeda watched as the announcement made the room erupt again.

"I mean, we just saw how good she was in her tryout, and it would be great if we had two new faces as the male and female leads. I believe the school is already used to Christie and Draven, or Rylan, or Darcy and Sarah," Mr. Carl explained in a rush, like he was trying to justify a crime.

Zeda glanced at Vyr, who looked pissesd off.

Christie got to her feet. "I don't agree with your decision, Mr. Carl. Prince Vyr will need an experienced female lead if he's going to play the male lead role for the first time, to avoid mistakes. And I'm the best person for that role, not a newbie who'll even struggle to fit into the crew!" she babbled, sneering at Zeda.

She had waited a long time to act with Vyr, and now that the chance was finally here, some girl from nowhere would take it from her? No way!

Zeda glared at her. She didn’t even want to act with Vyr!

The room went quiet as Vyr slowly got to his feet and glared at Christie.

"Are you trying to say I'll embarrass the crew and make a fool of myself if you're not the female lead?" he asked, his voice low and threatening.

"No... I w-was ju-just..."

Vyr cut her off, his voice frosty. "Shut up, Christie. Zeda and I will play the leading roles in the drama."