And I realize I was wrong. We aren’t us at all.

We are not Avril.

And we are not Eden.

We are my mother.

The scent of lavender fills my nose. So strong that I’m choking on it.

We’re Nicole.

All of us.

Every one of our faces is her face.

Our eyes are her eyes.

We blink against the blinding light.

And then the stars are coming down like rain. I gasp because they’re so beautiful.

Look at the stars!

The words echo loud inside my head.

Someone grabs me by the wrist. Tight. Cold fingers. It hurts and I try to pull free. But I can’t.

And then I’m falling. Just like the stars.

Falling

and falling

and falling

and falling.

I fall for so long that it starts to feel like flying. I fall for what feels like a hundred years before I finally hit the ground. Hard.

And all of that vanishes.

I’m grateful for the suddenness of the stage floor.

For the pain in my twisted knee. And the throbbing in my elbow, where I banged it when I landed.

For the real.

“I’m okay,” I say, more to myself than anyone else, and I push myself up with every bit of strength I have. I’m smoothing down the yellow sundress I chose to wear tonight. Brushing my hair back out of my face.

Val is instantly beside me, a hand on my arm.

“Do you need a minute, Avril?” Willa has gone all pale. The boy with the guitar isn’t playing anymore, and it’s suddenly quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Willa is searching my face. Looking right through my skin to somewhere deep in the middle part of me. The way Cole did last night. “The bathroom’s over that way.”

I glance toward the corner, where Willa is pointing, and I catch sight of George, the Whisper Cove caretaker, staring at me from the shadows. He’s leaning on a push broom, but he isn’t sweeping. He’s just watching me. Not moving.

Nobody is moving. They’re all frozen in place.

Tears sting the corners of my eyes. I’m humiliated. Bruised. I’ve totally botched the audition. Obviously. But it’s more than that. I don’t have any explanation for what just happened.

“I’m fine. I . . .” But I lose my train of thought then. Because everyone is staring at me. “I’m so sorry,” I say. “I don’t know what happened. I just got dizzy, I guess. I—”

“Your name is April, isn’t it?” All of the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh. My knees go weak, and I’m grateful for Val. She doesn’t let me hit the floor again. Willa has me pinned down with those steel-wool eyes of hers. So I know there’s no escape. “April Kendrick.”