Chapter 4: A Dance of Secrets

Later that day, Aurora swam toward Calloway’s private training room, her arms weighed down with books—each one filled with intricate diagrams of movement techniques and detailed descriptions of perfect splashes and turns.

As she reached the doorway, she let out a breath. This was her chance to prove herself.

"I’m here," she announced, setting the books down with a soft thud. "Sorry, I didn’t know which book to bring, so I just took all of them."

Calloway barely acknowledged her at first, reclining upside down against the training room wall, his hands folded behind his head.

"You brought books?" he murmured lazily, finally glancing her way. "Huh. It’s just a short performance, you know? Doesn’t need that much technique and detail. Those books won’t be necessary."

Aurora frowned slightly and stepped onto the pole, the main training area in the room. "If it’s as easy as you make it sound," she said, raising an eyebrow, "then show me. What are the first turns? Swirls?"

Calloway slowly straightened, flipping upright in the water. He studied her for a moment, his gaze piercing.

"Aurora," he said smoothly, "if it ends up being too hard for you… are you going to back down and swap places with your twin sister again?"

Aurora’s breath caught in her throat.

How does he know?

She froze on the pole, heart pounding. For a second, she thought about denying it—but the way Calloway’s gaze locked onto hers told her he already knew the truth.

Meanwhile, Alessia and Cerise swam through the food court, arms full of colorful snack bags.

"Shouldn’t we be training for our project instead of feasting and shopping?" Alessia asked, though she accepted the treats Cerise handed her.

"Calm down, Alessia, relax." Cerise scrolled through her shell-cell absentmindedly. "We have plenty of time. We’ll start by brainstorming moves first. It’ll be fine. We’ll pass."

Before Alessia could argue, Cyrus joined them at the lunch benches.

"Hey, girls," he greeted. "Where’s Aurora? Is she skipping training again?"

"She’s with Calloway," Alessia answered between bites. "I actually thought he’d be paired up with his girlfriend like usual."

Cerise blinked, then snorted. "Girlfriend? You mean Adriana?" She shook her head. "They’re just partners. Not together."

Alessia tilted her head. "Really? But everyone says they’re a couple, even the juniors—"

"Because they look perfect together," Cerise explained. "But trust me, they’re just dance partners. Nothing more."

For a moment, Alessia just stared, the information sinking in.

Then, a slow smile crept onto her face.

"Wait… they’re not together?" she repeated, her tone almost playful now.

Cerise gave her a questioning look, but Alessia was already lost in thought, her mind drifting to the idea of dancing with Calloway herself.

Back in the training room, Aurora was struggling.

Her turns were too fast, her form too sloppy—and Calloway noticed everything.

He let out a low sigh before swiftly swimming behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and tail. With precise movements, he straightened her posture.

"You’re really not a dancer, are you?" he murmured, his voice close to her ear.

Aurora shivered slightly but quickly regained her composure. "I guess not," she admitted. "But it’s too late to back out. My dad already registered both of us into this academy. Alessia covers for me because… well, I plan to leave in a few months."

For a moment, Calloway didn’t respond. Then, he slowly turned her to face him, his fingers tilting her chin just enough to make her meet his gaze.

"Even if you’re only here for a short time," he said, his tone suddenly serious, "I refuse to fail."

Aurora swallowed.

"You have the ability," he continued. "You just don’t believe in it yet. It’s up to you whether you release that talent or not."

His words lingered between them before he finally let go of her chin and swam back.

"Again," he commanded.

Aurora squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath.

"So, we’ll keep training until I get it right?" she asked.

Calloway smirked. "Exactly. You have the speed. What you lack is the pace of harmony."

He tossed her a small iron rod, which she barely caught in time.

"Let’s fix that."

With renewed determination, Aurora nodded and took her position.

Their training had only just begun.

(To be continued)