Velora watched them from across the stage.
Still and smiling, glove hands folded in front of her like a bride waiting at the altar.
Luna's breath came shallow.
Because something about those gloves looked familiar not just the style,the energy stil. As if they didn't just cover her hands but fed on them.
Jasper stood at her side.
But even he felt distant now,like a shadow cast by a different spotlight.
Nova wouldn't stop shaking. "I was nowhere," she whispered,not dark, not light,just a… blank stage like waiting to be written.
Luna rubbed her back, eyes locked on Velora. "We won't let that happen again."
But Jasper's face had gone pale.
"What?" Luna asked.
He swallowed.
"I've seen those gloves before."
Velora raised one hand, almost as if she heard them.
"I used to have dreams," Jasper continued. "Back before the first show. Nightmares.
A woman with long arms. Velvet gloves. She'd be behind me on stage whispering."
Luna stared.
"She'd say, You're not a lead, you're a lyric. Say the line and be free."
Velora clapped twice.
Scene lights flared.
And a backdrop rolled down behind her an old Crestfall Academy set.
She stepped forward.
"Scene Three," she announced. "Rehearsal for Goodbye."
The rest of the cast took their marks.
Luna didn't move.
Neither did Jasper.
Velora tilted her head.
"The script demands a love song."
Her smile curled. "But who will sing it true?"
The piano began to play. Slow. Mournful and
a duet.
Luna looked at Jasper.
His eyes met hers.
And for a moment, the theatre melted away.
Only them. And the song between them.
🎶 Curtains Between Us 🎶
There's a spotlight on your silence,
A curtain on my heart,
But even if we break today,
We've always played this part…
If love was just a line to speak,
Then I've been off the page,
But you
You held the music
When all I gave was stage.
As the last note hung in the air, Luna reached for him. And saw it.
The script had rewritten the next line.
"He will betray her."
Velora bowed her head.
"Lovely."
Then turned to Jasper.
"Your confession, Mr. Vale?"
He froze.
I, I didn't agree to
"You don't have to," Velora said softly. "You already confessed… in your dreams."
The lights dimmed.
A spotlight trapped him like a snare.
He stepped forward.
"Luna, I'm sorry."
She backed away. "No…"
"I was the one who found Lucinda's original script, i gave it to the director at Crestfall, i knew it was dangerous."
Velora stepped beside him. Her gloved hand rested on his shoulder like a medal.
"I just wanted a lead role," he whispered. "And you… you had all the light."
The silence was worse than a scream.
Luna turned, fists clenched.
"You let all of this happen for fame?"
He opened his mouth.
But the lights cut.
And the curtain dropped.When it rose again
Jasper was gone.
Velora stood center stage alone.
"No death," she said quietly. "Not yet."
She looked at Luna.
But betrayal always takes someone with it.