Chapter 5: Unspoken Feelings

After training, Aurora gathered her books and bag, preparing to leave Calloway’s training room.

"That’s all for today," Calloway said with a warm smile. "You did better this time. See you tomorrow."

Aurora paused for a second, feeling a strange warmth in her chest—a feeling she had never experienced before. She quickly pushed it aside and nodded.

"Thanks for that. Until tomorrow," she replied before swiftly swimming out of the room.

On her way back to her dorm, Aurora accidentally bumped into a small siren.

"Ow, sorry!" Aurora apologized, recognizing the girl immediately. "You must be Flora Francis. Your cousin is an incredible perfo—"

Before she could finish, Flora suddenly shushed her, a sharp glare in her young eyes.

"I already know what you’re doing, new girl," she said, crossing her arms. "Trying to steal my cousin’s soulmate, huh?"

Aurora blinked. "Wait, what?"

Flora huffed. "Listen up. Calloway and Adriana were meant to be together long before you even showed up. Since childhood!" She shot Aurora a pointed look. "Don’t get any ideas."

With that, she spun around, climbed onto her dolphin ride, and swam off, leaving Aurora standing there, completely baffled.

Aurora let out a frustrated sigh. "Get any ideas? She thinks I like Calloway? That’s ridiculous. I don’t. We just met. I must be going crazy…" she muttered, shaking her head to clear the thought.

Before she could dwell on it further, Alessia appeared, swimming toward her with excitement.

"Aurora! Hey! How was your training with Calloway?" Alessia asked eagerly. "Did you do any hard spins? I heard he can be pretty competitive when it comes to passing."

Aurora stiffened at the mention of his name, her face growing warm.

"Huh? No, it was fine," she replied quickly, trying to act normal.

Alessia narrowed her eyes. "Are you okay? Why are you blushing? Are you sick? Or just dizzy from all the spinning?"

Aurora’s eyes widened in alarm. She quickly grabbed a book and covered her face, struggling to regain her composure.

"I—It’s nothing! I don’t like this extreme dancing stuff, remember? Let’s just go get some rest," she said, swimming past Alessia.

Alessia watched her sister closely, a small smirk forming on her lips as she followed her back to their dorm.

The next morning, a knock echoed through the dorm.

Still half-asleep, Alessia groggily swam to the door and opened it.

"Calloway?" she blinked. "Are you looking for Aurora? She’s still asleep."

Calloway leaned casually against the wall. "I’ll wait. Tell her to hurry up. We don’t have much time."

Alessia raised an eyebrow but simply shrugged, swimming back inside.

A few minutes later, Aurora emerged, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here this early?" she grumbled.

Calloway didn’t answer. Instead, he took her hand and led her toward the training hall.

"There’s no time," he explained. "A professional siren dance teacher is coming today. That means there won’t be time for after-class training."

Still half-asleep, Aurora sighed. "So, no breaks then… great."

The morning training was just as intense as usual. Aurora pushed herself through each move, her mind too tired to resist.

Afterward, she rested her head against the balcony railing, watching the other students glide effortlessly through the water.

"Here," Calloway’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. She turned to see him holding out a plate.

"Fresh Lactuca lettuce," he said simply.

Aurora blinked in surprise before accepting it. She smiled. "Thanks, Call."

Calloway looked taken aback for a moment. Aurora noticed his expression flicker—as if he wasn’t used to hearing such a casual, personal nickname.

"I won’t make you fail," she added, her voice filled with quiet determination. "I promise."

For the first time, Calloway looked at her with something other than amusement or judgment. His expression softened.

"You’re not that bad of a dancer," he admitted. "Even if you claim to hate it."

Aurora laughed lightly, taking a bite of her food.

Before Aurora could respond, a familiar voice called out.

"Hey, Calloway! Come on, class starts soon."

A girl swam toward them, effortlessly balancing on the balcony bars.

Aurora’s heart skipped a beat when she recognized her.

Adriana.

"You must be Aurora," Adriana said with a polite smile. "Nice to meet you."

Aurora’s mind momentarily went blank.

She was face-to-face with the most talented dancer in the entire academy—the person Alessia admired the most.

"I—I mean, your work—your talent—it’s… amazing," Aurora stammered, unsure how to even talk to someone like her.

Adriana let out a small laugh. "Thanks," she said simply, as if she had heard it a thousand times before.

As Calloway and Adriana swam off together, chatting about class and performances, Aurora watched them with an odd feeling in her stomach.

She frowned slightly, unable to shake the feeling as she stared at the way they got along so effortlessly.

(To be continued)