Chapter 6 - The Interview

Yavannah Constantine

Brown eyes stared back at me from the other side of the mirror as I gazed upon my reflection. My usual wild curls were nowhere to be seen; I had tucked them firmly into a bun. Smoothing down my dress awkwardly, I tried to calm my nerves.

The alarm clock read 8:17 a.m. as I trudged back to my bed, kicking my heels aside. I had about thirteen minutes left before venturing into the jungle.

Yaskier had offered to drop me off on his way to work, as Yuliard was on the way to Vivaldi Corp. I couldn't deny knowing that I needed his support; his presence and words made everything seem easier. My heart trembled as I thought of where to begin if Yuliard rejected me. I knew it was foolish to put all my eggs in one basket, but I couldn't bring myself to be passionate about anything else other than being a vocal coach and working for them.

Attempting to calm my nerves, I hummed the intro to *End of Beginning*. My voice floated across the room as I transcended into a state of tranquility. A knock on the door echoed, cutting my humming short. I glanced at the clock: 8:25.

"It's time, Anna," Yaskier's voice resounded from behind the door.

"I'll be out in a second," I called back, lifting myself off the bed.

Reaching out to grab my bag from the bedside table, I tossed in my file and interview tag before grabbing a small purse containing combs, gel, and other essentials in case my hair decided to pull a fast one on me.

Once I was done, I picked up my heels from the ground, feeling the fishnet stockings scrape slightly against the textured rug.

I quickly did a once-over in my head and around the room, convinced I must have forgotten something. A colorful string of curses escaped my lips as I caught sight of my phone's purple case peeking out from between my pillows.

Overthinkers are always right.

I grabbed the phone hurriedly before turning towards the door and slamming it shut behind me.

Yaskier's voice echoed from the kitchen as I emerged from the dark passageway.

"I'm taking Anna for an interview; I'll be late," he said into the receiver while dicing a few apples on a tray.

At twenty-two, Yaskier towered over most of the male population. It was clear our parents must have been pretty tall if we had met them. I was 5'9", and Yaskier was 6'5". His broad back and muscled arms, as my college roommates described, were enough to make any girl swoon.

Not that I saw it that way; I only saw a mop of red hair on a stick that kept rolling about.

I wondered who he was talking to.

"Don't worry; I'll take care of her," he replied after a few seconds. "She's my baby." He added, making me roll my eyes. With Yaskier around, all I ever did was roll my eyes.

"See you in an hour, Adonis," he said before stuffing his phone back into his suit pocket.

That single name made me gasp in shock, alerting Yaskier to my presence. Adonis was talking about me.

"Would you like some apples?" he asked, tilting the plate toward me.

I mumbled an incoherent reply, watching him eye me in confusion.

Grabbing a piece of the apple, I tried to act unbothered as I asked the question on my mind. "What did Mr. Vivaldi say about me?"

If he thought my question was weird, he didn't make any advance to chastise me.

"The usual: take care of her," he replied absent-mindedly. The watch on his wrist beeped, and our eyes both whipped toward it before I could make sense of what he said.

"Let's get moving," he yelled, grabbing a few more slices of the innocent fruit before stuffing them into his mouth.

He flung his arm around my head, pulling me out of the kitchen and toward the door. I struggled to hold my hair down as we walked; I knew that if the curly menace were to escape its bounds, hell wouldn't be able to stop me from ripping my brother's limbs apart.

He reached out to grab his blazer from the couch as we walked toward the door. The morning sun hit our faces immediately when we opened the door. Yaskier's sigh of content mirrored mine as we stood on the porch, feasting our eyes on the bright and beautiful sunrise. It wasn't long before we hit the road.

The drive to Yuliard was torture. My eyes kept flickering to the email they had sent earlier:

*"Dear Yavannah Constantine,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to participate in the upcoming interview. We expect you at Yuliard School of Arts and Music on Wednesday, 12th of July, at 9:00 a.m. Failure to meet the agreed time will result in immediate disqualification. We sincerely wish you good luck.

~Yuliard Management Team."*

My heart felt heavier as I read it again for the hundredth time. My fear of being rejected seemed to outweigh the joy of being selected.

"Are you okay?" Yaskier asked from behind the steering wheel. He turned his head to give me a once-over in haste before turning back to the road. My voice got stuck in my throat as I turned away from his scrutinizing gaze, fearing I would break down in front of him.

Despite my attempt to hide my emotions, I knew he could feel it. He had tried to lighten my mood since the previous day. "You know Yuliard isn't the only option, right?" he asked rhetorically, making me turn to glance at him, but his eyes were trained on the highway.

"Your fear of being rejected shouldn't outweigh your talent," he added as we swerved to a stop.

The bright red gates of Yuliard came into view. It was just a few steps away.

"Look at me, Anna," he persuaded softly, making me peel my eyes from the gate and look at his face. "You'll be accepted, and even if you aren't, we're all here for you."

A shaky smile adorned my features as I reached out to open the door before stepping out, my heels clicking against the sidewalk.

"Good luck, baby sis," he yelled as he zoomed off.

I cringed in reply, watching his car fade out of my line of vision.

"Anyone left for the interview?" I heard a voice call out from behind me, turning to see the security guard attempting to close the gates.

"I'm here!" I bellowed, successfully grabbing his attention. He waved me over, and I hurried toward the gate, fishing for my candidate ID.

He grabbed it from me immediately as I approached, giving it a once-over before providing me with directions.

Yuliard, here I come.