Burnin' Up | J. Saltzman - Legacies [1]

T H I R T Y - F O U R

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Teenage girls and boys fill the great hall as adults set up the room around them for the main event. Lizzie holds Stella by the arm, gently pulling her up so her back is straight, as they stroll into the hall. Josie is already there, stretching out her legs. Hope and Teddy are off in the corner, but neither does the work sitting in front of them.

"They call it rehearsal, but make no mistake," Lizzie's eyes bounce off of every competitor. "The competition starts now."

Stella tenses in Lizzie's grip when her eyes find Josie. Beside the siphoner, Penelope Park stands at the ready with her hand offered for the dance.

"I don't have an escort," Stella sighs. "Guess I can't do this..."

Teddy stands from the table with a wide smirk on his face. Stella pales as he walks over and offers his hand. "Hey, sis."

"Nooooooo," she whines but takes his hand. "Why do you enable this?"

He shrugs. "It's fun."

"Time for rehearsal," the head judge says, her voice light and full of false positivity. "Honor your partner."

Each pair bows at each other. As Stella leans down, she can't help but look at Josie across the room. The siphoner has a deep frown on her face as Penelope smirks.

A low growl emits from Stella's throat as she holds her right hand up, mirroring Teddy's. The man follows her gaze and sighs at the girl his sister cannot stop staring at.

"Right hand around," the head judge says. The pairs turn slowly. "Flirt with your eyes."

"Ew," Stella whimpers. Teddy rolls his eyes as she fails to contain a wince of disgust. "You're my brother. This is gross."

"This is practice," Teddy replies. "And you need it. You're a terrible dancer."

"Asshole."

"Left hand around." The pairs comply. "Both hands."

As Stella turns with both of her hands out, she stumbles into a nearby competitor. "Sorry," she mumbles, avoiding eye contact.

The girl narrows her eyes at Stella. The witch recognizes her: Sasha. "With the time you spent not doing your hair, you could've at least practiced the dance a little."

Stella scoffs as Sasha turns back to her partner and continues dancing. "Bitch," she says as Teddy tries to recapture her attention. "We saved her ass, and this is how she repays us?"

"Forget about her," Teddy says, watching her closely. "You know what Mom always says: they insult you because they're scared of you. Don't let her get under your skin."

"A lot of people are getting under my skin lately," Stella mutters, averting her gaze. Once again, her eyes find Josie on the other side of the room.

After a muttered word, Josie trips over her feet only for Penelope to gracefully catch her. Stella feels her eyes narrow as Josie stares, wide-eyed, up at Penelope.

"Very nice," the head judge says. "But there's no touching during this part. It's all about the simple intimacy of the near-touch."

Stella tears her eyes away from the couple and looks down at her feet. "Let me guess," Teddy sighs. "That's Josie?"

"So?" Stella clenches her jaw. "It's Josie. What about her?"

Teddy hums as he looks back at the brunette. "She's pretty. Who's the girl she's with?"

Stella tenses in his grasp. "Penelope Park. Her ex. They've gotten close recently. Don't know why."

"And what about you? Have you gotten close with anyone?"