Viral and Reflected

Rico stood close—too close. His gaze locked with Ameya's, intense and unreadable. For a moment, the whole studio fell into silence, as if time had frozen. The lights overhead buzzed faintly, the only sound in the heavy air.

Ameya's heart pounded wildly. She could feel her breath catch as Rico suddenly straightened up, his expression unreadable. That was all it took.

Without a word, Ameya turned and bolted out of the studio. Her footsteps echoed in the hallway as she ran faster, her pulse thudding louder than ever. She didn't stop until she reached the entrance, where Linda was waiting.

"There you are! Why are you late?" Linda asked, Ameya gives AirPods to Linda.

"Ah... I went to the restroom, so...?" Ameya said breathlessly, forcing a small smile.

Linda squinted, but shrugged. "Oh. Let's go."

The two of them exited the building into the quiet night, unaware of what was about to unfold.

---

That night, the dorm was silent—until Ruby came rushing into Jenna's room.

"Jenna! Wake up!" she called, shaking Ameya awake.

"H-Huh...? Ruby?" Ameya mumbled, still half asleep.

"Look at this! You're trending!" Ruby shoved her phone into Ameya's hands.

Ameya blinked a few times, then grabbed the phone fully awake now. Her eyes widened as she saw the headline:

"Mysterious Girl Shouts Rico's Name at FJ4 Concert – Who is She?"

Videos, zoomed-in fan cams, and captions were flooding the screen. Comments poured in—some curious, others... cruel.

"No... no, no, no," Ameya whispered. Her chest tightened as she scrolled through waves of hate comments.

Just then, Sofie burst in. "One more bad news," she said grimly. "You're getting hate from Rico's fans."

Ameya froze. "What...? But... I didn't mean to... I didn't even—" her voice cracked.

Ruby frowned. "Why is she getting hate? They think she's just another fangirl, right?"

Linda entered, arms crossed. "No, Ruby. This is different. If it were just a fan screaming his name, no one would care. But the fandom knows Jenna auditioned for the new girl group under our agency. Even though the official announcement hasn't been made..."

Sofie interrupted, "Wait, how do they even know about her?"

Ruby looked at her. "Did you forget? Linda's picture leaked online after the final audition. They figured if she's in, the others must be too. Jenna included."

Linda nodded. "Exactly."

Ameya lay back on the bed, silent, overwhelmed. Her friends exchanged worried glances, but none of them knew what to say. Her mind spun with fear and helplessness—she wasn't just Ameya anymore. She was Jenna. And Jenna's life had just become infinitely harder.

---

The Next Morning

The manager stormed into the dorm.

"Girls! Be careful from now on. Paparazzi are everywhere. Especially you, Jenna," he said, eyeing Ameya with concern. "We'll handle it, but you have to be more cautious. No fans allowed near Jenna. And girls..." he paused, "I know you're all fans of FJ4, but remember—you're not just fans anymore. You're trainees. You want to become idols, right? Don't give people more reasons to hate you."

They all nodded quietly.

"Good. Now let's head to the company."

---

That afternoon, while the girls sat in the canteen, eating lunch, Ameya stared at her plate. Her appetite was gone.

Linda gently patted her shoulder. "Forget it. It'll pass."

Sofie smiled encouragingly. "It'll be alright. Don't think too much."

But Ameya simply stood, picked up her tray, and walked away.

She didn't make it far.

Standing near the canteen door were Suha and Rico.

Rico stepped forward. "Hey... Jenna, can we—"

But Ameya quickly turned and walked past him at lightning speed, not looking back.

"Wait, what...?" Rico blinked.

Suha smirked. "You seriously don't know? Or are you pretending not to? She went viral, genius. That clip of her screaming your name? It's everywhere. Your fans are fuming."

Rico's face paled. Without a word, he ran out of the canteen. Suha chuckled, then followed after him.

---

Back in the recording room, the girls were practicing their vocals when the manager walked in.

"I have one bad news and one good news," he said.

The girls murmured among themselves, curious.

"The bad news," he began, "is that FJ4's fans are extremely intense. So we have to be extra cautious, especially Jenna."

Ameya swallowed nervously.

"But the good news..."

He turned to the door.

"Come in!"

All eyes turned toward the entrance.

A girl walked in—and the room went silent.

It was Ameya.

Or at least, someone who looked exactly like her. Like a reflection in a mirror.

Ameya's (as Jenna) lyrics notebook slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.

The others stared in stunned silence, mouths slightly open.

"This," the manager said proudly, "is our new 7th member. Auditioned by Rico himself."

The new Ameya smiled awkwardly.

Ameya—Jenna—stood frozen.

Their eyes met.

Two Ameyas.

One body.

One dream.

And now... one truth was about to be revealed.

---