POV: Nova
My hands wouldn't stop shaking.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror at home, trying for the third time to put on lipstick. The tube slipped from my fingers and clattered into the sink.
"Nova." Kai appeared in the doorway, already in his suit. "We don't have to go. We can still cancel."
"And let him win? Let him prove we're still afraid?"
"We are still afraid."
I picked up the lipstick and tried again. This time, my hand steadied enough to get it on. "Elena's counting on us to be strong. To show her we're past this."
"Are we?"
"No. But we can pretend for one night."
Elena emerged from her room in the navy dress we'd bought. She looked so much older than thirteen. So much like I had at her age—before Darren, before fame, before everything broke.
"Ready?" she asked.
I
