Everyone rested well—way past the five-minute break Ellie had given.
"Alright, that's enough," Ellie said, clapping her hands. "Back to practice."
Groans filled the room, but everyone got up anyway.
"This time," Ellie continued, "we're switching pairs."
She pointed.
"Theo—with me. Julia—with Samy."
"Absolutely not," Julia said immediately.
"Same," Samy added. "I value my life."
Julia shot him a glare.
"I don't want to dance with him."
Samy grinned.
"Relax, pressure cooker. I'll chose an elegant Air fryer like Ellie a thousand time over a pressure cooker like you."
"Stop calling me pressure cooker, you look like kadai yourself," Julia muttered.
Ellie sighed.
"It's temporary. I just want to see how different pairings work."
Theo crossed his arms.
"But what if this pairing turns out better? Do we have to stick with it?"
Julia snapped,
"Ain't no way I'm pairing with him permanently."
Samy leaned slightly toward her and whispered,
"Just don't cooperate. We mess it up, we're out."
Julia paused… then smirked.
"…Deal."
Samy and Julie were now working together to now work together.
Ellie turned to Em.
"Watch us and tell us which pairing works best—and where we're going wrong."
Em nodded quietly and played the music.
As it started, she lightly tapped her fingers to the rhythm—almost unconsciously, like she already knew how it would flow.
The dance began.
Samy and Julia were… a disaster.
They were off-sync—but in a very suspicious way.
Too off to be natural.
Too controlled to be accidental.
Everyone could tell.
On the other side—
Theo and Ellie were a slow disaster…smooth but not quite right.
Theo struggled to keep up.
Ellie was just a bit faster than him.
Not chaotic—just mismatched.
"Stop," Em said calmly.
Everyone paused.
"So far… this pairing isn't working," she continued.
"Switch back. Let me compare."
They returned to their original partners.
Music.
Step. Turn. Flow.
Julia and Theo—perfect.
Clean. Sharp. Natural.
Samy and Ellie—still slightly off.
Close… but not quite there.
The music stopped.
Everyone looked toward Em.
She spoke without hesitation.
"Theo and Ellie don't match," she said.
"With time, maybe. But right now… there isn't enough time."
Theo nodded slowly.
"Fair."
"Samy and Julia," she continued, glancing at them,
"could work… if you actually tried, but it's obvious you guys don't want to work together."
She shifted her gaze.
"Julia and Theo are the best pair. You're already in sync. Changing that would be a mistake."
Julia crossed her arms proudly."Obviously."
Theo smirked.
Em paused for a moment, then said,
"That leaves one problem."
Everyone looked at Samy and Ellie.
"It's not that you're bad," she said calmly.
"It's timing."
Ellie frowned slightly.
"You're faster than the beat," Em continued.
"And the others are trying to catch up to you."
Silence.
That hit.
Ellie looked down for a second… thinking.
Samy glanced at her, then back at Em.
For someone who said she only dances "sometimes"—
She was seeing everything.
Mind if I borrow him for a moment?" Em asked. For a quick demonstration.
Ellie hesitated… then nodded.
Before Samy could even react—
Em had already taken his hand.
"Wait—what—"
The music started again.
And just like that—
he was moving.
It happened too fast.
Samy didn't think.
Didn't try.
He just… followed.
Step. Turn. Flow.
Perfect.
Effortless.
For the first time—
he wasn't trying to catch up.
He was already there.
The room went quiet.
Everyone watched.
Even Theo.
Even Julia.
When it ended—
Samy just stood there, blinking.
"…What just happened?"
Ellie stared at Em in disbelief.
"You saw the routine twice… and you already understood everything?"
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Are you really just a 'sometimes' dancer?"
Before Em could answer—
a voice came from the doorway.
"So you're here...!"
Everyone turned.
A girl stood there.
The same girl with the wolf cut Samy had seen earlier with Anna.
Samy blinked.
Wait… her?
"You're here," the girl said, walking in.
"I've been looking for you, Come on, I need you for a second."
Samy's thoughts started racing.
Is that Uncle Joe's daughter?
Then where's Anna…?
"Amy," Em said, snapping out of it.
"Sorry—I got caught up. I'm coming."
Samy froze.
Amy…?
So her name is Amy…
Em turned back to the group.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," she said calmly.
"We'll continue next time. It was nice spending time with all of you."
"Let's go," Amy said,
She glanced back briefly.
"Sorry, I'll be borrowing her, sorry for the trouble and all the best for your performance"
And just like that—
Amy and Em they were gone
After a while Ellie also went out saying she wanted to get some fresh air. She went straight to the stage where they'll be performing tomorrow.
Ellie stepped onto the stage slowly.
The preparations were almost complete. Rows of chairs still needed to be arranged, but everything else was ready. The lights, the backdrop, the space—it all felt real now.
She walked to the center and looked ahead.
"So this is the view I'll be seeing tomorrow…" she murmured to herself.
"Nice view, right?"
Ellie turned slightly.
Samy stood a few steps behind her, hands in his pockets, like he had just casually wandered in—but clearly, he had followed her.
She looked back at the empty seats.
"Yeah… hopefully it looks better with people," she said softly.
"And hopefully those people don't stare at us like we're a disappointment."
Samy walked up beside her and looked ahead too.
"The thing about people," he said, "is that they'll never agree."
Ellie glanced at him.
"No matter how well we perform… someone's going to love it, and someone's going to hate it."
"We'll be doing one performance and everyone will be witnessing the same from different POV.
He shrugged lightly.
"It's not our fault if they don't like it… and it's not their fault either. People just have different tastes."
He paused, then added,
"So… trying to please everyone is basically a losing game."
Ellie stayed quiet for a moment, taking that in.
Then she looked at him, a small smile forming.
"Are you trying to cheer me up?"
"…Am I?"
He scratched the back of his head.
"I'm not really sure. I just had this cool line in my head and needed somewhere to use it."
Ellie let out a soft laugh.
"You're actually crazy."
Samy grinned.
"I could be."
She shook her head slightly, still smiling.
"…But thank you."
For a brief moment, the stage didn't feel so empty anymore.
And somehow—
neither did Ellie.
You know… last year," Ellie said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the empty seats,
"I was supposed to perform with someone I knew."
Samy didn't interrupt.
"He was quick. His movements were smooth… effortless."
She paused.
"And I was slow. I couldn't keep up with him."
A faint smile appeared on her face—but it didn't reach her eyes. "So in the end… we dropped out. We didn't perform at all."
The silence between them felt heavier now.
"I practiced a lot after that," she continued.
"I really did. I didn't want to be a burden again… didn't want to slow anyone down."
Her voice softened.
"And yet… look at me now."
She let out a quiet breath.
"I'm still the one holding us back."
Samy looked at her for a moment—really looked.
Then he smiled. Not teasing this time. Not playful.
Genuine smile.
"You're not holding me back," he said.
Ellie blinked slightly.
"If anything… you're pushing us forward."
She frowned a little, confused.
"The only reason we've improved this much," he continued,
"is because you kept trying. You kept pushing. You didn't stop."
He glanced ahead, then back at her.
"Last year, you were slower than your partner because you needed time, you needed more experience."
He shrugged lightly.
"Now you're faster than us."
Ellie stayed quiet.
"That just means you grew faster than the rest of us."
He gave a small grin.
"So yeah… congratulations."
Ellie looked at him, surprised.
"You upgraded too much. Now the rest of us are trying to catch up."
For a second—
she didn't say anything.
Then…
she laughed.
Not forced. Not polite.
Real.
"…You're so annoying," she said, shaking her head slightly.
Samy smirked.
"I've been told."
Ellie looked back at the empty stage.
But this time—
it didn't feel like a place she might fail.
It felt like a place she was ready for.
"You don't have to dance alone anymore," Samy said softly.
"You don't have to dance with his ghost anymore trying to keep up with someone who isn't here."
He glanced at her.
"Just… dance with me."
"You're not behind anyone anymore," he said.
"So stop trying to catch up."
He held her gaze for a second.
"Just stay with me."
Ellie froze.
For a second, she couldn't look at him.
If she did—
she knew she'd tear up.
So she didn't.
Instead, she let out a small breath and smiled… a real one.
"…Thank you," she said softly.
Then suddenly—
she grabbed his hand.
"Come on," she said, turning slightly, "let's go back."
Samy blinked.
"Now?"
Ellie glanced back at him, a small spark in her eyes.
"This time… I'll wait."
Some time had passed by the time they returned to the practice room.
Theo and Julia were sitting close together, talking quietly.
They both looked up as Samy and Ellie walked in.
Something felt… different.
Ellie stepped forward first.
"Alright," she said, clapping her hands lightly.
"Let's run it again. A couple more times."
Theo raised an eyebrow.
"That confident, huh?"
Ellie didn't respond—just took her position.
Samy stood across from her.
This time—
there was no rush.
No tension.
No dancing with a ghost.
Not alone.
The music started.
Step.
Turn.
Flow.
Ellie moved—but not ahead.
Samy moved—but not behind.
For the first time—
they arrived at every step together.
Not early.
Not late.
Together.
Theo's expression shifted.
Julia blinked.
"…Wait," she muttered. "What just happened?"
They watched closely.
Again.
Step. Turn. Flow.
Cleaner.
Sharper.
Effortless.
Theo leaned forward slightly.
"They're… better than before."
Julia narrowed her eyes.
"No," she said slowly.
"They're better than us."
The music stopped.
Ellie let out a small breath.
Not exhaustion.
Relief.
Samy looked at her.
She looked back.
No words—
but both of them knew.
It clicked.
Samy grinned slightly.
"Took you long enough."
Ellie rolled her eyes.
"Shut up."
But she was smiling.