The microphone slipped from Amelia's sweaty hand.
She caught it just before it hit the stage floor. Twenty thousand fans screamed so loud her ears hurt. The bright lights made everything look like a dream. Her heart beat fast like a drum.
"Thank you, New York!" Amelia shouted into the microphone.
The crowd got even louder. People jumped up and down. Some cried happy tears. Others held up signs with her stage name "LIYA" written in pink and gold letters.
Amelia ran across the huge stage. Her backup dancers followed her moves perfectly. The music was so loud she felt it in her chest. This was her fifth sold-out show this month. Each one was bigger than the last.
A little girl in the front row threw a teddy bear on stage. Amelia picked it up and hugged it. The girl screamed with joy. Her mom smiled and took pictures.
"This next song is for everyone who believes in dreams!" Amelia called out.
The crowd went crazy again. She loved this feeling. Up here, she was more than just Amelia Grant from a small town. She was Liya, the superstar everyone wanted to be like.
The music started for her biggest hit song. The whole arena sang along with every word. Their voices mixed together like a beautiful choir. Amelia closed her eyes for a second. She wanted to remember this moment forever.
But something felt different tonight. A strange feeling sat in her stomach like a rock. She couldn't shake it off. Maybe it was just nerves from the big show.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket during the guitar solo. That was weird. Her assistant always turned off her phone during concerts. Only emergency calls could get through.
Amelia tried to ignore it. She kept singing and dancing. But the phone buzzed again. Then again.
The song ended. The crowd cheered so loud the building shook. Amelia waved and blew kisses. But her mind was on those phone calls.
"I love you all!" she yelled. "You make every dream worth it!"
More screaming. More flashing camera lights. Her security guard Mike stood at the side of the stage. He looked worried about something. That made the rock in her stomach feel heavier.
The final song began. This was always the hardest part. Saying goodbye to the magic. Up here, everything made sense. Down there, real life waited with all its problems.
As she sang, Amelia saw her manager Marcus in the wings. He was talking fast on his phone. His face looked angry. That wasn't normal. Marcus always smiled during her shows.
The backup singers joined her for the big ending. Confetti fell from the ceiling like colorful snow. The crowd sang so loud she could barely hear her own voice. This should have been the perfect moment.
But something was very wrong.
The song ended. Amelia took her final bow. She blew one last kiss to the crowd. Then she ran off stage as fast as she could.
"Marcus!" she called out. "What's going on? Why does everyone look scared?"
Her manager ended his phone call. His face was white like he had seen a ghost. Other people backstage stopped talking when they saw her coming.
"Amelia, we need to talk," Marcus said. His voice shook a little.
"Can it wait? I want to enjoy this. That was the best show of my whole life!"
"No, it can't wait." Marcus grabbed her arm gently. "We need to go to your dressing room right now."
The happy feeling from the concert started to fade away. Amelia's legs felt weak. "You're scaring me. What happened?"
Marcus looked around at all the people watching them. "Not here. Too many people can hear us."
They walked fast to her dressing room. Amelia's best friend and assistant, Sophie, was already there. She had been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy.
"Sophie? What's wrong?" Amelia asked.
Sophie couldn't look at her. She stared at the floor instead.
Marcus closed the door behind them. He locked it too. That made Amelia's heart beat even faster.
"Just tell me!" Amelia said. "Whatever it is, we can fix it. We always do."
Marcus pulled out his phone. His hands were shaking. "There's a video, Amelia. It came out twenty minutes ago."
"What kind of video?"
"A bad one. Really bad." Marcus took a deep breath. "It shows you doing something terrible to another singer. A young girl named Selene."
Amelia felt like the room was spinning. "That's impossible. I don't even know anyone named Selene."
"The video is everywhere. Twitter, Instagram, TikTok. Millions of people have already seen it."
Sophie finally looked up. Tears ran down her face. "They're saying horrible things about you, Amelia. The comments are so mean."
"But I didn't do anything!" Amelia's voice got higher. "Whatever this video shows, it's not real!"
Marcus showed her his phone screen. The video was already trending at number one. The title made her feel sick: "Pop Star LIYA Bullies Innocent Young Singer - SHOCKING FOOTAGE!"
"I don't understand," Amelia whispered. "This has to be a mistake."
"Twelve million views in twenty minutes," Marcus said. "This isn't going away."
Amelia sank into her chair. Just five minutes ago, she was the happiest person alive. Now her whole world felt like it was falling apart.
Her phone started buzzing again. Then Sophie's phone. Then Marcus's phone. All at the same time.
"Don't answer any of them," Marcus warned. "Every reporter in the country wants to talk to you."
Through the thin walls, Amelia could hear the crowd still cheering outside. They had no idea that their hero's life was about to explode.
Sophie's phone lit up with a text message. She read it and started crying harder.
"What now?" Amelia asked.
"It's from your boyfriend, Ethan," Sophie said with a shaky voice. "He says he needs to talk to you right away. It's about the video."
Amelia's blood turned cold. Ethan never called during her concerts. He knew this was her special time. If he was calling now, something was very, very wrong.
The room felt like it was getting smaller. The walls seemed to be closing in. Twenty minutes ago, she was on top of the world. Now she felt like she was falling into a deep, dark hole.
Her phone buzzed with a new text message. It was from an unknown number: "We warned you this would happen. You should have listened."
Amelia stared at the message. Her hands started shaking just like Marcus's.
Who had warned her? When? About what?
And what did they want from her now?