Chapter 1

Ava Miller had been acting strange lately.

Every time she looked at me, her eyes were filled with fear.

While she had to stand next to me during dance practice, she'd stay as far away as possible during breaks.

During one session, while our dance trainer was explaining the moves, I noticed Ava staring blankly at her feet. I waved my hand in front of her face.

She snapped back to reality, but when she saw me, she screamed and covered her head in terror.

The other trainees rushed to comfort her, and concern spread across our trainer's face.

I just stood there, completely lost.

"What happened?"

"Kristen, what did you do to make Ava so scared?"

The terror in Ava's eyes made it seem like she'd seen something horrific.

Jessica Cornell shot me a questioning look, but I could only shrug and shake my head.

I hadn't done anything...

Worried about her mental state, the trainer sent Ava back to the dorm to rest.

I couldn't focus during the rest of dance practice.

My mind kept racing, trying to figure out what I could have done to upset Ava.

By the end of class, I still had no answers.

I asked Jessica, my company mate,"Am I doing something wrong? Am I being too harsh?"

Wiping sweat from her forehead, she replied, "Not at all. You're doing great as team leader - you're dedicated and responsible."

Seeing my worried expression, she pinched my cheek. "Just talk it out! We've got the elimination round coming up - 60 down to 35. Don't waste time stressing about this."

I nodded, determined to clear up whatever misunderstanding there was with Ava.

I even grabbed an unopened bottle of perfume from my room as a peace offering.

When I found her, she was practicing with Lindsey Nelson.

After resting all afternoon, Ava seemed to be feeling better.

But the moment she saw me approach, all the color drained from her face, and pure fear filled her eyes.

"Ava, is there some misunderstanding between us? If I've offended you somehow, I'm really sorry."

"No, you don't need to apologize!"

She kept backing away like I had some contagious disease.

"I don't want center position anymore - you can have it! Just please, stay away from me!"

Bewildered, I pressed on, "The trainers always praise your stage presence. Why give up this opportunity?"

"You... you deserve center more than I do."

Her forced smile looked worse than crying, her fingers nervously gripping her clothes - obviously lying.

Ava was an excellent dancer with great camera presence. Having her as center would only benefit our team.

Besides, in a survival show, everyone wants to progress to the next level.

Voluntarily giving up center position made no sense.

"Are my dance moves too big? Am I making it hard for you to perform?"

When I said that, she suddenly started trembling, tears of fear welling up in her eyes.

After what felt like forever, she choked out, "Please, just leave me alone. I won't compete with you anymore!"

The cameras quickly zoomed in for a close-up of us both.

The screen showed a stark contrast between Ava's terrified face and my confused expression.

Worried about evil editing, Jessica quickly pulled me out of the practice room.

Once the cameras were gone, she put her hands on her hips angrily. "If she doesn't want it, forget it! No need to beg her!"

With just days until the performance, we all agreed to let Jessica take center position.

She was thrilled about the chance to get more screen time, and kept chattering about it when we got back to the dorm.

"Half the trainees are getting eliminated this round. Now that I'm center, I should be safe, right?"

After an intense day of practice, I was exhausted.

Jessica was still talking in my ear, but my eyes were already fighting to stay open. Before I knew it, I'd drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, it was past eight in the morning, and the dorm was empty.

I felt a bit annoyed - Jessica hadn't even woken me up!

After quickly getting ready, I rushed to the practice room, only to find Jessica hovering outside the door.

I walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder. "Jessica, why aren't you going in?"

She jumped in fright, stumbling backward several steps, her eyes filled with terror and panic.