PART II — The Spark
Chapter 4 — The Girl Who Isn't Afraid
"Hey."
The voice startled Iza the next day.
Celeste stood beside her bench, guitar slung casually over her shoulder.
"You were listening yesterday," she said.
Iza blinked. "I—I didn't mean to stare."
Celeste laughed. "Relax. I like having an audience that actually feels the music."
Iza didn't know how to respond.
Celeste tilted her head. "You write, don't you?"
Iza froze.
"How did you know?"
"You have that look," Celeste said. "Like you're always somewhere else."
Then she smiled — bright, fearless.
"You don't have to hide it."
And for the first time in her life, Iza felt someone wasn't asking her to be smaller.
But inviting her to be more.
Chapter 5 — Two Different Worlds
They couldn't have been more different.
Celeste was loud laughter.Iza was quiet observation.
Celeste spoke her mind.Iza measured every word.
Celeste chased dreams without fear.Iza feared even admitting hers.
And yet, they kept finding themselves together.
Talking about art. Music. Poetry.
Celeste would play melodies while Iza read verses aloud.
It felt natural.
Easy.
Like breathing.
Chapter 6 — The First Crack in the Walls
One evening, as the sun dipped low, Celeste asked softly:
"Why do you hide so much?"
Iza hesitated.
"No one really wants to see the real me," she whispered.
Celeste's expression softened.
"Then they don't deserve to."
Those words struck deeper than any compliment.
For the first time, Iza wondered:
What if she didn't have to be invisible?