The Next Line ( The Lineage Series #2)

Chapter 25

Next to her, my father sits with the quiet strength. One hand rests gently over on my mom's thigh, his eyes never leaving the stage.

Jamie is beside him, fidgeting with his cufflinks like he's holding back a cheer.

And then—

Him.

Joshuan.

He's leaned slightly forward, elbows resting on his knees. His black button-down is rolled at the forearms, and just above the cuff, I catch the edge of ink on his skin.

Tattooed. Untamed. Entirely out of place.

And yet somehow—

Right there.

My heart stutters.

His eyes are already fixed on the stage. On me.

He's not smiling. But he looks...
Focused.
Possessive.
Like he's about to devour every second I give him out there.

My lungs forget how to work.

I turn away from the curtain too quickly, clutching my ribs like I can hold myself together from the outside.

The instructor taps my arm gently.

"Aurora," she says, calm and firm. "It's time."

I nod once.

Step back.

Inhale.

And walk onto the stage.

The lights blind me at first.

But I don't blink.
I breathe.

And then—I move.

Each step isn't a step. It's a story.

I become Clara.

Every rise into pointe is hope.
Every leap is freedom.
Every delicate twirl is the ache of girlhood dreams turning real in front of hundreds of strangers.

The music carries me. Guides me like a tide I've always belonged to.

And I let go.

Of fear.
Of doubt.
Of everything except the way my soul blooms beneath the spotlight.

When I land a perfect series of pirouettes, I hear it—
Nothing.

Not a single cough. Not a whisper. Not a breath.

Because they're enchanted.

And just once—only once—I let myself glance beyond the lights.

And I see him, Joshuan. watching me like I'm the only thing in the room.

And he's not blinking.

Not once.

The velvet curtain brushes against my fingertips as it begins to lower.

The applause still echoes through the theater, like a heartbeat I can't quite quiet.

I take one last bow, my chest rising and falling with the breath I've been holding since I stepped into Clara's world. The lights dim just enough to cast the audience in a hazy glow, and for a single second, I freeze.

I can still see them.

My mother standing, clapping with both hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. My father right beside her. Jamie with both arms in the air like he's at one of his football games.

And Joshuan.

He's still seated, but his eyes...
They've never left me.
Not once.

The curtain falls.