Wingless;

thur

r my sketchbook, completely lost in a dressing room layout, and the next,

l and effortless, like he w

eart slammed so hard it stole my breat

ur V

rn-in jacket that made him look impossibly real, like he'd stepped straight out of every teen

idence I'd built vanished the moment he looked at me. His eyes were warm and steady, and suddenly I was fourteen again, watching his races on a fuzzy TV screen. And somehow,

t?" he asked, completely unfazed, as if h

prepped made it obvious he was here for practic

ed calm. Mr. Turner and a few others from yesterday's meeting wer

eplied easily, flashin

r," Mr. Turner said, peeri

at me. "I just saw her sketching while

m designs. The racers are scheduled to meet with h

to me. "Then I'll catch up with her later

les and logistics, none of which

hbook to my chest. "I'll check the other roo

onse. I just walked away

ur Vance-*the* Arthur Vance. It felt unreal, like a fangirl moment pulled straight out of a dream. I'd

now.

nts, sketching layouts for staff rooms. Eventually, I found myself back near the p

s voice came onc

l. "Yes-of course," I said, straightening. "I'm Ximara Adler, Mr. Vance. I've been

teadied, t

," he said, his smile wideni

ocus, Ximara. This was your job, not a teenage

with a polite smile. "So how

to answer that properly, it might help if you kne

nce, I don't think that's necessary to design your space.

His easy humility caught me off guard. "I just thought it might mak

alking to one of your long-time fans, Mr. Vance," I said, keeping my voice profess

eyebrow lifting w

tablet, opened my design app, and walked him through three concepts: a minimalist design with steel accents, a rugged industrial look, and

I like the third one. It feels fast and energized. Maybe add shelving h

nt, he wasn't Arthur Vance the legend-jus

t was Stephan: Wrap up and meet me in my off

ck to Arthur. "We'll make sure everything fits your specs. If y

. "Nothing major, but since you asked, I

y number? My teenage self nearly short-circuited, bu

ving him my number

added, slipping my

asily, lifting a ha

ary office in the hotel's business wing. The meeting was brief; details for the weekend k

between Arthur's feedback and the

e. I kicked off my shoes, collapsed onto the bed, and started texting

under my door, stark a

en the door, and scanned the hall. Empty

r was quic

ack in New York were some stupid p

p the envelope, dread pooling d

ma

Don't worry, I'll always be around through every high and l

closely and noticing every action of mine. They knew very well what I was doing, about my pro

double-checked the windows, and yanked the curtains closed. Then, clutching the letter, I t

hell w

_ _