Chapter 1

The day my twin sister, Jade, got her rejection letter from Juilliard's dance department, the entire family gathered around to comfort her.

I stood quietly in the corner, staring at the acceptance notification glowing on my phone screen.

I was about to tell my parents that I had made it in.

But then, my phone buzzed.

It was a FaceTime call—from my own number, dated ten years in the future.

"Do not tell them you got into Juilliard!"

My future self on the screen looked exhausted, her voice trembling. "The moment you tell them tonight, Jade won't be able to handle it. She's going to jump from the roof of our apartment building."

"You will spend the next eight years of your life paying for her 'tragedy.' And on the tenth year, Mom and Dad will make sure you get into a car accident so you can never stand on a stage again. They will steal your life to pay for Jade's."

"Believe me, Pearl. Our parents have never loved you."

My eyes widened in pure disbelief.

The camera on the screen tilted down, revealing my future self's empty wheelchair.

My legs were gone.

Before I could scream, the call disconnected.

Right then, my parents finally remembered that I had applied to Juilliard too.

Mom rubbed Jade's back, whispering gently, "Sweetie, look at your sister, Pearl. She only applied because she wanted to copy you. No matter how bad you think you did, she's always there to make you look good."

Dad pointed a finger at me. "Pearl, you didn't get in either, right?"

Thinking of the chilling FaceTime call from my future self, my heart sank into an icy abyss.

I shook my head slowly. "No. I didn't get in."