Siren's Song Read Online Free PDF

breath.
    â€œWelcome to Advanced Performance Arts.” Ms. Bishop swoops her arms dramatically from center stage. “This is an elective, but,” she leans out, scanning all of us, “it is every bit as important as your core classes.” Her gaze lingers on me, but slides away before it becomes a stare. “Especially for those of you planning to major in performing arts in college. I want your best.”
    â€œAlways!” Derek calls out and several chuckles erupt around us.
    She casts him a wry smile, but continues. “Mediocre effort equals a mediocre recommendation and a mediocre grade.” She turns in a circle. “You are young, energetic, full of life and drama .” Several giggles bubble out from the girls behind me. “Put it to good use, up here.” She sweeps her arms wide.
    â€œWe have a production this fall that will challenge us.” Her gaze searches for mine. “I need your voices, your hearts, your souls to pull off… Phantom of the Opera .” Ms. Bishop pulls a cord dangling from above, and down rolls a six-foot, silk-screened playbill for the opera.
    Derek claps enthusiastically, and the rest of the auditorium joins in with a few whistles. I realize the pain in my chest is due to my lack of breathing. I force an inhale. So much for depending on my survival instincts.
    Derek leans into me. “I think she’ll put me in the Phantom main role, even if I want Raoul,” he says. “She needs us.” He smirks. “Winston can take Raoul.”
    â€œI told you,” I whisper, “I might not try out.”
    He stares, aghast. “Then you can kiss your acceptance to Boston University goodbye.” He smiles. “If your dad is worried about your grades, I’m sure Ms. Bishop will tutor you herself to keep them up. Who else could carry the role of Christine? Madison? If this was a comedy, maybe, but Phantom ? Come on, Jule, you know Christine is your role.”
    Ms. Bishop hands out a brief intro to the story and runs down the characters as well as the intricate props that will be needed. “Not everyone has the voice to carry this performance,” she says, “but we need all of you working diligently and perfectly behind the scenes to create the Phantom illusion.”
    I sigh and sink deeper into the threater seat. What the hell am I going to do?
    As I walk out of the auditorium alone, I think about Derek’s words. The worst part is that he’s right. This is the role of a lifetime. And if this were last year, my mother would have been ecstatic, cheering for and working with me through the whole thing. But not now. Now I am alone. The whole thing makes me miss her even more.
    I put one foot in front of the other. The halls have cleared out. I must be walking slowly, but Carly will wait for me in the parking lot. I just want to go home and crawl into my sweats with a cup of hot cocoa.
    I step around the corner and jerk back to press against the wall. Taylin is talking to Luke at his locker. I can hear them easily.
    â€œIt’s her, isn’t it?” she hisses like a viper.
    â€œI don’t know,” he answers evenly. “Something’s there. I feel…different.” He hesitates. “Happy.”
    â€œCrazy,” Taylin says and I hear her flop back against the metal doors.
    Who are they talking about? I remain still, my eyes scanning the now-empty hallway. I stare at my notebook to eavesdrop without looking quite so obvious.
    â€œShit, Lucas…Mathias and I just found you again. We don’t want to lose you.”
    â€œYou’re not going to lose me.”
    â€œHow do you know that? If you kill–”
    â€œI’m not going to kill anyone,” he whispers.
    Kill? I can’t swallow. My mouth is the Sahara. I lean back against the cool locker doors and hope they haven’t seen me. Who could Taylin think he’s tempted to kill? The harsh brutality in his dark