Chloe's phone vibrated loudly on the nightstand next to the bed. Whoever it was, she wasn't answering. She stuffed her pillow over her head and rolled over, ignoring it.

Eventually the vibrating stopped. Then started again.

With a groan, she reached her hand out blindly to find it. Her fingers connected with the device and she looked bleary-eyed at the caller ID.

She cursed him. Not okay, Josh. Not okay. She put it to her ear. "What?" she whisper-hissed. "You know you're not allowed to call my phone. If my father found out he'd kill me, especially at..." The numbers on her alarm clock blared at her. "Freaking four in the morning."

"You're twenty-six!" Josh all but shouted.

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, balancing the phone carefully on her ear so she didn't have to hold her arm up. "Josh," she said slowly, "I just turned eighteen. We discussed this."

Josh either didn't hear her superior tone or didn't care. "No! You're twenty-six on Musetunes!"

Chloe shot up into a sitting position so fast, her phone clattered to the floor. She fumbled with it as she bent to pick it up. Her torso extended awkwardly so she could grab at the phone. She sat back up on the bed. "What?"

"Your new song boosted you. It's a hit," Josh said excitedly. "Creator, I'm so happy for you, Chlo!"

Chloe scrubbed at her face. "How is this possible? No one's ever jumped a hundred numbers before."

"Who cares?" Josh replied. "I'm sure you're going to start getting calls for music videos, gigs, and an album. People might want to sign you. You can go public."

All the building excitement in her soured.

"Oh Creator." Chloe put a hand to her mouth. "I can't do it."

"Are you kidding? This is big! It's your chance to be respected in Sarias."

"If I go anywhere near the public world my Dad will have a cow. You know how he is."

Josh scoffed. "He'll be happy for you. What if you become big? He's got to be proud."

Chloe felt crushed. Here she was at the point where she could almost taste her dreams and she had to pull back. "No Josh. I can't tell anyone. I'll have to pull my number from the website so no one can contact me. They can't know."

"...are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes."

Josh exhaled a depressed sound. "Okay."

"Please don't tell anyone, Josh. Please."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Josh."

"Okay, okay. I won't."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Angry footsteps charged down the hallway. "I have to go." She cut off his reply and shoved the phone with shaky arms under her pillow just as her door burst open. The lights came on in the room and brightness burned her eyes momentarily.

Her father stomped into the room. His midnight-black hair arranged perfectly. Even his plaid pajama pants fit pristinely against his figure. "Who are you talking to?" His nostrils flared.

Chloe folded her shaking arms innocently into her lap and faked a yawn. "What? It's four in the morning." She rubbed the heel of her hand over her eye. "I wasn't talking to anyone."

"I'm not stupid, child." He stepped closer to her, his whole body tense. "I heard you talking."

Chloe stayed quiet.

A whimper caught in her throat when his fingers wrapped around her wrist—the one with her Acemark—and dug into her flesh. "I thought I made it clear that you only go to that school because it is a law. That means no friends, no after school activities." He held out his other hand, palm up. "No more cell phone."

She bit her tongue to keep herself from saying anything and reached under her pillow for her cell phone. Don't challenge him, she ordered herself. He was dangerous in this mood.

He snatched the phone right out of her hand. "You're grounded until the end of the month."

"What?" Her mouth almost dropped. "That's not fair!"

"I'm disconnecting your phone. You lost your privileges."

"Why? Why is this even so bad?" she cried. "Every kid has a public life, that's the way the kingdom runs!"

"Not for you."

"But—"

"No." He raised a finger at her. "I will not stand for disobedience, Chloe."

"You're being so unreasonable about this!"

His fingers dug in harder. She winced and tried to pull back. "Do not talk to me that way. I will leave a list of chores for you to do tomorrow after school on the fridge."

"But—"

"Don't make it worse." Her father turned and swiftly left the room, slamming the door on his way out.

She stared hard at the door and rubbed her wrist.

***

Her father wasn't her real father.

Her mother was young, impressionable, and very pregnant when she met Frank and fell in love. She never knew who her real father was, but Frank had been there for as long as she could remember. When her mother passed from cancer, Frank became her legal guardian. He was everything she'd ever known.

And he hated being called anything but father.

Father, Chloe thought bitterly, rubbing at the ache in her wrist the next morning as she walked, hoodie zipped tight and hood up, to a familiar car sitting in the parking lot of the gas station four blocks from her house.

"Is there a reason I have to pick you up at this sketchy gas station instead of the bus stop like usual?" Josh looked up at Chloe through the open passenger window. "And what's with the hood?"

Chloe scrambled into the car and pulled the door shut. She freed her hair from the black hood. "It's a long story."

"We have time." Josh put the car into gear and floored it out of the parking lot.

"Shit!" Chloe snapped her seatbelt on. "Jeez, slow down."

Josh's foot eased. "Sorry, Chlo. I like showing off for the pretty ladies."

She rolled her eyes.

"The hood?" he urged.

"What? Oh." Chloe watched the trees blur out the window. She sighed. "My father took away my phone last night. He caught me talking to you."

"Why do I feel like there's an 'and' in there somewhere?"

"And now I'm grounded for the month. Which means extra chores."

"Extra?" Josh flipped the sun visor up a bit harshly. "You're already doing all the chores. How could there possibly be more?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know, but there is. I had to sneak out this morning so he didn't watch me walk to the bus stop."

"What in the hell is this man's problem?" Josh said through clenched teeth. "You know what? Screw this. You're eighteen. Why don't you just ditch him?"

"And become emancipated?" Chloe snorted unattractively. "As if. He'd take everything. I'd only be leaving with the clothes on my back."

"So? Come live at my house. My mom loves you."

She shook her head. "I'd have to kiss the Academy goodbye. I can't do that." Rayne Academy, with its music classes and knowledgeable staff, was the one thing keeping her sane. Asking her to give up her schooling was like asking her to give up music entirely. The thought alone made her chest ache.

"You're good enough to get a scholarship."

"No, Josh," she said with finality.

As much as she hated her father and his stupid rules, she hated the idea of being on her own more. Even if she wanted to, she didn't have enough money in her piddly savings to help keep her afloat. Plus, her father and Danika were all she'd ever known. She couldn't just throw them all away. You don't throw away family.

No, right now she'd tough it out. At least until college.

"So twenty-six, huh?" she said lightly to bring the mood up.

Josh coughed out a laugh. "Yeah. Damn Chlo, you're making me look bad."

"It isn't hard." Josh nailed her in the arm. "Ow."

"It's a little too early to go all Pop Princess on me."

Chloe smiled. "This Pop Princess needs some caffeine."

Josh flipped on his turn signal. "Anything for the Pop Princess."