Chapter 3 THE SECRETS BETWEEN US

Emily barely slept. Mason's voice kept echoing in her head.

"One more mistake."

She bit her lip to contain her tears as she gazed at the ceiling. She spent years preparing to become a nun and now, in some way, she was vomiting on America 's most well-known reclusive celebrity while posing as a male idol. "Lord, pardon me, but I think I might be doomed," she muttered as she curled into a ball.

The next morning Emily gripped the edge of the washbasin with shaking fingers as she gazed into the mirror. The party's champagne incident came first, lord knows what's going to happen next.

"You can do this," she whispered to her reflection as she sprayed cold water on her face. You can pretend to be a boy. Simply avoid making eye contact, avoid smiling too much and definitely don't cry.

She was startled by a knock at the door. The knob turned and he entered before she could respond. Without even looking up, Mason yelled, " Ethan, Did you touch my moisturiser and-"

He came to a stop. Emily's hands instinctively went to her partially buttoned shirt.

Their eyes locked.

Mason slammed the bathroom door behind him, it seemed as though the entire dorm had gone silent. Emily's heart was beating so hard she thought it might crack her ribs as she stood still with her back against the chilly tiled wall, heart pounding so hard she thought it would crack her ribs. Her secret was out and the one person she'd feared would discover it-the cold, sharp-eyed Mason Brookes-now knew.

"Wait...w-what is this?" Mason asked in disbelief.

Emily's eyes widened, "I can explain-"

"This must be a joke..really." Mason laughed out loud. He laughed for a whole ten seconds and Emily just stared at him not knowing what to say.

"Mason you don't understand, I'm helping my twin brother he's in the hospital and can't-"

"Don't," he snapped.

Emily looked down, biting her lower lip. Silence.

"Unbelievable." Mason's voice sharpened. "I'm telling Mr Ray right now," he seethed, reaching for his phone. "You've fooled everyone long enough but not me."

"No!" she cried tears spilled down her cheeks, stepping forward instinctively. "Please-don't. I'll tell him myself."

Mason paused, phone still in his hand.

"I will," she whispered, voice trembling but steady. "I'll tell him tomorrow and leave."

He stared at her. Searching for any crack in her resolve.

Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides. She was pale, shaking slightly, but not backing down.

"Fine," he said coldly.

He turned and walked away, slamming the door behind him.

EMILY's POV:

I didn't cry when Mason slammed the door.

Not right away.

I just stood there, staring at the empty space where he'd been, like if I stared long enough, he might come back. Like maybe it was all a bad dream and I could rewind and do it right this time.

But you can't rewind real life.

You can't undo the look on someone's face when they realize you're not who they thought you were.

So I sank to the floor. Shirt still on. Chest tight.

And I cried.

Not the pretty kind. The ugly, silent, shaking kind of crying where your whole body feels like it's caving in. Because it wasn't just about Mason knowing. It was everything.

All of it crashing down.

I thought about my mom.

The woman I don't remember but think about every single day. The one who left us at a church doorstep like we were a mistake she couldn't keep. The one I've made up stories about in my head since I was six just so I didn't have to believe the truth - that she didn't want us.

I don't know how long I cried.

Long enough for the tears to stop falling but for my chest to still ache like something was caving in.

When the sobs finally faded, I sat in silence

I wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt, even though the fabric was already soaked. My eyes were puffy, my throat raw, my heart just... numb.

I forced myself up off the floor, legs shaky, hands trembling as I stared at my reflection.

Red eyes. Patchy skin. Lips trembling with things I couldn't say.

I breathed in.

Out.

Again.

I dressed up like Ethan again and left my room for the first time.

One foot in front of the other.

I opened the studio door, stepped into the light like nothing inside me was broken...

And pretended to be fine.

The rest of the day was very weird. I could see Mason looking at me from the side of his eyes from time to time. I know he was very furious about finding out who I was. I pretended I didn't see him till practice was over then quickly went to my room before anyone would try to talk to me.

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At night, Emily sat numbly on her bed. Her things were already packed, including the small silver cross necklace she still kept hidden in the lining of her bag, the neatly folded clothes, and the picture of her and Ethan as kids. It will all be over tomorrow. Everything she did to keep her brother safe. In this crazy, vibrant world, all her little moments of happiness. Over.

At least she wouldn't be a burden to Mason any longer.

It was long coming.

She avoided crying. She couldn't. However, Mr. Edward 's face fell when he entered and saw her suitcase.

She had called him earlier telling him of the incident.

"Are you really going to tell him?" He asked quietly.

"I have to," she uttered. "Mason knows. If I don't, he will."

Sitting next to her, Mr Edward 's typically tense energy was oddly muted, "I apologise reverend sister."

"I'm sorry," she said, "I tried my best."

"I know," he said quietly. "I should've never asked you to do this. It wasn't fair of me."

She forced a smile. "You did it for us. I understand."

But he didn't smile back. He just looked at her for a long time-guilt heavy in his eyes.

Then he stood up, "Try to get some rest."

Emily nodded. "You too."

She failed to notice how he lingered at the door and made one final turn around.

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Before the meeting with Mr. Raymond the following morning, Emily went for a lengthy stroll through the studio gardens. She respectfully requested a meeting over the phone at the office of the company manager, Mr Raymond. He consented to meet her that afternoon. On the way, she practiced her confession a hundred times. "I'm not Ethan. I'm his twin sister, Emily."

But when she finally stood before the manager, sitting across from his neatly arranged desk, something in her heart shifted.

The manager, Mr. Ray, busy flipping through schedules, finally looked up. "You asked to speak with me, Ethan?" He said, "Is there something bothering you?" His brows arched.

"Yes," she said, voice wavering at first. "I... I wanted to tell you something."

He tilted his head. "Go ahead." He said. "Is it Mason?"

Emily stared down at her hands, fingers clasped tightly in her lap.

She thought of her brother-smiling, hopeful, full of dreams about using music to find their mother.

She thought of how hard she'd tried, how much she wanted to carry that dream for both of them.

And in that moment, she made a choice.

"I... I wanted to thank you," she said, surprising even herself. "For giving me such an opportunity to be here, it's really an honor sir. Music means a lot to me. It's how I feel connected to someone most important to me."

The manager became a little softer. "We appreciate your gratitude. Just be sure to put in a lot of effort. You are now Zero Saints, not just Ethan. She bowed. "Yes, sir. I get it."

At that moment, the truth was absorbed.

But, she had another feeling in her chest as she left the office.

Hope

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Mason saw her enter the dorm that evening as the glass doors slid open. With his arms folded and his jaw clenched, he was leaning against the stairwell. "You're still here," he said sternly.

She paused. "Yes."

"You were supposed to report yourself and leave."

"I didn't."

He squinted his eyes.

She inhaled deeply before moving in closer. "I considered every possibility about my reason for coming here. My mother was absent when my brother and I were growing up. The only thing we had in common with her was music. We agreed that one day we would use it to locate her, my brother believes someone here would know her."

Mason remained silent.

He looked a little concerned but masked it up with his ever arrogant look.

With a firm yet quiet voice, Emily declared, "I'm not giving up yet. I'll stick around and finish this. For him."

He stared at her for a long time, unable to read.

Finally, he let out a sigh. "I disagree with you," he whispered. "And if anything goes wrong, I'm not taking responsibility. You're on your own."

"I understand," she said softly.

He turned to walk away but paused mid-step.

"And don't expect me to be nice about it."

"I wasn't," she replied with a small smile.

He glanced back.

There was a flicker in his expression-something warmer than before. But it passed quickly.

She reached out impulsively. "Wait. Please... don't tell the others. Not yet."

He stared at her hand, then her face.

After a moment, he nodded.

"But be more careful," he said. "You won't need me to expose you if you make one more mistake. The entire world will assist you.

Emily gave a nod. "I'll."

With less weight between them than before, he turned and ascended the stairs. She surveyed the now-calm dorm. Mr Edward is still nowhere to be found. She had called him that morning but it went to voicemail.

She picked up her phone to call again but the same thing occurred. It went straight to voicemail.

However, she wasn't really bothered at the time. Music was on her mind as well as her mom. perhaps, just possibly... the odd, surprising partnership she formed with a sassy idol named Mason Brookes.