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Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Big Announcement
Lily Chen-Parker squeezed her best friend Margo's hand so tight their knuckles turned white. They stood in the school auditorium with twenty other kids, all staring at Mrs. Henderson and the cast list in her hands.
"For the role of Princess Rosalind," Mrs. Henderson announced, adjusting her sparkly reading glasses, "we have chosen... Margo Williams!"
The auditorium erupted in applause. Margo gasped, her brown eyes going wide as dinner plates. Lily felt her stomach drop like she'd missed a step on the stairs, but she forced herself to smile.
"And playing the understudy for Princess Rosalind," Mrs. Henderson continued, "Lily Chen-Parker!"
Understudy. The word felt like a participation ribbon at a race she'd trained months for.
"Lily!" Margo grabbed her shoulders. "We both got parts! This is amazing!"
"Yeah," Lily said, trying to make her voice sound excited. "Amazing."
On the walk home, Margo chattered about costumes and songs and how nervous she was. Lily nodded along, but inside, a small, dark feeling had started to grow. It felt cold and prickly, like a shadow with thorns.
