THE DREADED STAGE.

SLOANE'S POINT OF VIEW. My eyes widen at the sight of chaos on the school’s parking lot, as Lucien’s car pulls up. The frenzy of reporters with their flashing cameras, their mixed, rushed voices, as they fell over their words, and the way their cameras captured everything in the school. The world suddenly became too small, as my chest constricted again, and my breathing became too heavy. I clenched my palms into fists and bit my lower lip, as tension racked my body whole. The sight of the judges being interviewed made me swallow, as I watched the press do their job. It might have been a daily routine to them, but all I could hear was the harsh thomp of my heart as I stared at them. I swallowed the saliva in my mouth as I clutched the car’s handle tightly. My nerves spiked again, my earlier bravado from Lucien’s pep talk disappeared into thin air, as the familiar chill ran up my spine. Before I could even think about anything else, a reporter pointed at Lucien’s car, making the rest of