ECHO'S POV
1 HOUR LATER
Having left the Artemis cabin where I'd been talking to Peyton, I walked back toward my own. I didn't want to face Adam, but I had to eventually and it was better to just get it over with now.
I took a deep breath as I opened the door.
Adam sat on his bunk with his head in his hands. He looked up as I walked in and kind of half smiled at me. He didn't seem too happy either.
"Adam," I said, "I need to talk to you."
"I... need to talk to you too, sis."
I walked over and sat next to him.
"Adam... Nathaniel called me into his office earlier... he told me that... that if I can't beat you on the charts, he's going to cut my contract."
"Oh gods, I didn't think this could get any worse than it already was..."
"What?"
He sighed. "Echo, my manager called me earlier, and... well, he said that UMG is threatening to cut my contract if I can't beat you..."
I felt my eyes go wide. "So that means..."
"That means it's you or me, Echo. I'm sorry. I really am."
I shook my head and hugged him. He hugged me back.
"Good luck, Adam," I said.
He pulled away from the hug and ruffled my hair. "I love you, sis. I wish you the best."
"Love you too, bro," I said as I stood up. I walked toward the door, took one last loving look, and left the cabin. I couldn't stand to remain in the same room as him. Not now.
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PEYTON'S POV
I was wandering around aimlessly, thinking about the conversation I'd been having with Echo earlier when I noticed her sitting on the porch of her cabin. She had her arms crossed and she was leaning forward.
She looked completely miserable.
I walked over and next to her. "Hey," I said, "what's up? You can't be that upset about Nathaniel, can you?"
She shook her head. "Peyton, Adam... UMG made the same threat to him... it's me or him."
I blinked. Okay, she could be that upset. That was totally reasonable. "Oh gods, Echo, I..."
She looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears. "Peyton, thanks for... for being there for me. It means a lot."
I smiled at her and gently placed the back of my hand on her cheek. "Well you act as if it's some terrible job that I'm forcing myself to do so that others can have the comfort that I don't. It's a pleasure to be able to help you."
She blushed and smiled slightly. Okay, maybe that was a little much, but I've always liked to make my point clear.
I dropped my hand, and she proceeded to clutch it.
"Well, even if it is a pleasure, thank you. I really do appreciate it."
I pulled her into a hug. "I really appreciate you."
I heard her breath catch though she hugged me back.
Okay, maybe I really was stretching it a bit far.
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CLARE'S POV
"Hi Asher," I said.
He looked up. "Hey Clare," he said. "Want some toast?" He offered me a piece of toast.
"No thanks," I said as I sat next to him.
"Are you sure? It's toast-like."
I laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure."
He shrugged. "Okay then, your loss."
Smiling, I said, "So, uh, other than toast, what's up?"
"Eh, the sky, gas prices... Olympus... you know, all that."
"Ah," I said, shaking my head, "I see."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: DISCLAIMER: THE RELATIONS FORMED BETWEEN THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY ARE NOT REAL!!!! (Just wanted to let y'all know.) :) ~JJ