Michael, on the other hand, wasn’t very good at all. His costume looked okay, and he said all the correct words when he was supposed to, but there was no feeling there. Even though he had memorized his lines, he still sounded as if he were reading them off the page. Obviously Michael had rehearsed with Tora strictly because he knew she wanted a part in drama night. That thought put a smile on Noble’s face. Michael obviously cared very much for his sister, and if he ended up being Tora’s mate, the two of them would make a good pair.

The scene was coming to an end. The time had come for Tora and Michael to kiss.

Harlan giggled, knowing what was coming.

Argus gave his smaller brother a stiff punch on the arm and Harlan stopped laughing.

And then Michael and Tora kissed. It was long and soul-felt and Noble—no doubt like most others in the auditorium—had no trouble believing that here were two people who were very much in love.

“Fine! Fine!” said Principal Terashita.

The kiss continued.

“I said cut!”

Tora and Michael ended their kiss and looked around strangely, as if they’d momentarily forgotten where they were and what they were doing.

“Was that enough for you, Mr. Greene?” Principal Terashita asked Willie, who had been sitting silently in the front row.

Willie nodded.

“Thank you,” said Principal Terashita, ushering Tora and Michael off stage. He glanced at the folded piece of paper in his hand. “Now we have Maria Abruzzo and Brad Horton.”

Maria and Brad stepped up onto the stage and took their positions. They would be doing the same scene as Tora and Michael, but already something about the two of them together didn’t look right. Brad Horton was a tall, athletic young man with all the features that humans considered handsome; clear skin, good teeth, blue eyes, and high cheekbones. His hair was a little too fine, but the girls in school all liked it well enough. Compared to Brad, Maria looked a little rough around the edges. If he had to pick a word to describe the way she walked, it would be lumbering. Her body was muscular, her skin rough, and her facial features…handsome at best. But while Maria had other features that some people found attractive—good figure, thick, dark hair—there was one thing that made her downright ugly. It was her character. Maria was a nasty, mean-spirited girl who would sooner kick you when you were down than offer you a hand up.

Tora and Michael joined Noble, Argus, and Harlan at the back of the auditorium.

“You did good,” whispered Argus as he gave Tora’s arm a gentle squeeze.

“Nice job,” echoed Harlan.

Noble just gave Tora the “thumbs-up” and a wink.