Scream Me a Dream

“Are you sure this looks fine?” Soya asked looking in the mirror with a frown.

Ville laughed and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the doorway. “The fact that you’re even humoring Bam goes a long way in his book.”

Soya turned to look at him. “I’ve never had an interview before. Not even for Julliard, my father pulled those strings. After I graduated, I was chosen to be in my first company based on my dancing; two years later, Ben recruited me for his company and I’ve never left.”

“Did you interview people for your studio?” Ville asked, sure she may never have had the part of the interviewee but she had employees that she had to play the interviewer for.

“No, I didn’t.”

“You didn’t?” Ville asked surprised. “Then how in the world do you have employees?”

Soya laughed. “Brooke was in my business class, she wasn’t sure of her major so I offered her a job, she took it at graduation and is now a partner in the studio, she practically runs the building.”

“And your teachers?”

“Anya was a part of Ben’s company before I was. When Ben heard I was opening the studio, he recommended her; I trusted Ben’s judgment and hired her. Evie was a chorus girl with the company, but she started having knee problems, we both knew that she had had such a large career in front of her, but she didn’t want to worsen the problems so I gave her the second position at the studio. The other teachers are some other girls from the company, including a few of the men that asked me if they could teach.”

“And you gave them the job.” Ville filled in.

“They fill in when Anya and Evie aren’t able to teach.” She frowned at Ville. “And it’s not like you’ve ever had to be interviewed.”

Ville smirked. “And here I thought being interviewed was a part of my job.”

“Not for a job!”

Ville couldn’t help but laugh at Soya, she looked so anxious and nervous. “Soya you’re already my friend, this is just Bam’s way of getting to know you.” He rolled his eyes. “His decision has no bearing on our friendship.”

“I know that.” Soya said with a roll of her eyes as they left the bathroom. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to make a good impression.”

“I have to say, I’m quite flattered that you’re putting up with all this just because you want to make a good impression on my friends.”

Soya snorted. “You better be more than flattered.”

Ville dropped an arm around her shoulder as they walked downstairs towards the kitchen where April had called everyone for dinner. “Much more than flattered.”

“Soya!” April said in surprise. “You’re all dressed up.”

Soya looked down at her black pleated skirt and beige leather flats with little flowers on them, she had on a black tank top with a beige cardigan over it. Since she wasn’t one for much makeup or jewelry, she’d worn a purple amethyst necklace on a gold chain and a matching ring on her ring finger, as it was the only finger the ring would fit on. Ville swore it looked professional. “Your son is interviewing me.”

“I’m sorry?” April asked.

“She’s being interviewed to be my friend.” Ville said, peeking into the pizza boxes that were sitting on the counter.

“I got you veggie.” April said, handing him a paper plate.

“Thank you.” Ville smiled, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“Now, what is going on?” April asked.

“Bam is going to get to know me.” Soya said, accepting the paper plate. “I’m not sure what this interview process is going to entail…”

“She’s nervous.” Ville teased.

April shook her head. “I apologize on behalf of my son.”

Soya laughed as she took a slice of cheese pizza and put it on her plate, sitting next to Ville at the counter. “No apologies needed…Yet, anyway.” She teased.

April rolled her eyes. “Just know that if you need to escape the madness, I’m more than happy to provide the getaway car.”

Soya laughed. “I think I’ll be fine. I have nothing to hide.”

April nodded, deciding to change the subject. “Soya?”

Soya looked up and swallowed her food before nodding. “Yes?”
“Do you only own the one studio?” April asked.

Soya nodded. “Just the one in New York.”

“Have you ever thought of opening other ones?”

Soya frowned and shook her head slowly. “No, opening this one was so time consuming.” She admitted. “Mostly because of its construction, it took a year for it to be completely finished and that was with me traveling at the same time.”

“Was it hard for you to get students?” Ville asked.

Soya shook her head. “Quite easy, actually. Many of my first students were children of some of the girls of the company, or children of friends. Then with word of mouth we had a lot of business coming in, I also mentioned the dance studio in a few interviews I did when I was asked if I had any side projects. I didn’t want to promote my studio, when I was supposed to be promoting Ben’s recital. Not that Ben would care, he’s extremely proud of the studio.”

“After I left this afternoon, I was thinking how established your studio sounded,” April told her, “and wondered if you’d ever thought of making a chain of them or at least opening another one?”

“I hadn’t…” Soya trailed off as an idea started to bloom in her head. “I really hadn’t given it much thought…” She couldn’t help but think of Finland and a way to get there with her parents thinking she wasn’t going just for vacation.

“You’re thinking too hard.” Ville teased her.

“I have a phone call to make.” Soya said getting off the stool and starting away from the kitchen.

“Your interview starts in ten minutes!” Ville called after her.

“I’ll be right down.” Soya said absently as she started towards their room. She grabbed her cell phone from its spot on the nightstand where she had taken to leaving it and found the number she was thinking about. She heard it ring, only to shake her head; she should have known she would get his voicemail.

“Hey Hannu!” Soya greeted, “I know I’ve been a terrible friend and haven’t called in forever, but the phone does work both ways.” She said, hoping to get him to feel guilty about not calling her. “I need a favor, it’s a pretty big one and you’re the only Finn I trust with this job. Call me back when you get a chance…Or dig your phone out of whatever ditch it has landed in this time. Bye Hannu.” She sang before hanging up the phone, hoping that if he broke his phone again he replaced it right away instead of waiting a month like he had last time.

“Linde and Mige are going to be so upset when they find out you don’t trust them.”

Soya jumped and turned, seeing Ville standing at the doorway, his brow arched and his arms crossed over his chest. “Don’t scare me like that!” she laughed hitting his chest. “And I do trust them.”

“So why not call them with the favor?” Ville asked, a bit hurt for his friends.

“Because Hannu used to be a dancer.” Soya explained patting his chest. “And I need his expertise. Linde and Mige wouldn’t know the first thing about looking for a building good enough to be a dance studio in Helsinki…now would they?”

“Wait…” Ville said, grabbing her hand. “A dance studio?”

“Nothing has been done or planned or anything.” Soya said quickly, not wanting to get his hopes up. “The call to Hannu was the first step, and it’s up to him to even call me back. April planted the seed and I had to at least water it, you know? Whether it grows and blooms or completely dies is really up to Hannu at this point.”

“Then I hope he calls you back.” Ville said hugging her.

Soya laughed. “He will, he’ll feel too guilty not to call me back.”

“Hannu.” Ville muttered. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“He used to be my dance partner back in Finland, he left right before I met you though” Soya shrugged. “You probably heard me talking about him.” She winced. “He used to drop me a lot.”

“Was he a bad dancer?” Ville asked as he led her downstairs.

Soya laughed. “Not at all, he just liked dropping me.” She shrugged. “It was all in good fun.”

Ville shook his head. “Sounds like it.”

“It was!” Soya laughed as they reached the dinner table to see Bam standing in front of it. Dunn was sitting in one of the chairs, his feet propped up on the table, his head falling backwards when he heard them coming.

“You actually dressed up for it?” Dunn laughed, turning to look at Bam, “Man, she knows how to humor you, that’s for sure.”

Bam pointed to the chair across from him. “You sit there, Ville sits here.” He said pointing to the chair next to him.

Soya was about to sit, only to look back at Bam. “Should I go get my cell phone?”

Bam looked at her confused. “Why?”

“Well, when you interview for a position, don’t you usually need references? You could call Josef ask him some questions as well.”

“Just sit down.” Bam muttered as Dunn laughed. Soya hid her smile but winked at Ville as she took her seat. “We’re going to start easy.” Bam told her looking down at the pad where he had written a few questions.

“Will it just be you asking the questions?” she asked, sliding her eyes over to Dunn. “Or is it an open forum.”

“You’re lucky it’s just me here.” Dunn pointed out. “I had to talk the rest of the guys out of the house so it would just be us.”

“That was very kind of you.” Soya smiled.

“And it’s an open forum; I’m just starting the questioning out. So let’s start.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Soya said putting up a hand, Bam looking at her in shock that she had stopped him.

“Why?” Bam asked. “Scared?” he smirked.

“No.” she laughed. “I’m an open book, you can ask me whatever you want Bam, I give you free reign, but…”

“There is always a ‘but’.” Dunn muttered.

“I get three passes.”

“Three?!” Bam asked.

Soya shrugged. “There are certain things I either won’t talk about to anyone or won’t tell to people I don’t know very well. You may be one of Ville’s best friends, but fact remains that I have known you a total of a day. Not even that.”

“Three passes is pretty fair Bam.” Ville told him.

Bam stared at Soya, before giving a short nod. “Fine.”

“Great, you can start now.” Soya said waving her hands for him to begin.

“Fine, full name?”

Soya smiled. “Soya Eeva Toivonen.”

“Siblings?” Bam asked.

“A little sister, she’s seven, her name’s Aida.”

“Kids?” Bam asked with a smirk.

Soya shook her head in the negative only to stop. “Well...Impi, but she’s my goddaughter, I have no biological children.”

“Favorite color?” Dunn asked.

“Blue.” Soya said. “Though I’m not picky with the shade.”

“Would you be willing to live with blue for the rest of your life?” Bam asked with a smirk.

Soya scrunched up her nose. “No, I love blue, but still need the other colors.”

“Least favorite color?” Bam asked.

Soya thought about it, before shrugging. “I don’t really have one. I’ve had to wear some pretty God awful colors for my costumes on stage, and I have to like it pretty quick. But if I had to chose one, probably orange.”

“Any pets?” Bam asked.

Soya shook her head. “Josef and I having a pet is just animal cruelty, we’re not home enough to care for one.”

“But if you had one?” Dunn asked.

“Uh…probably a fish.” Soya said then shrugged. “I don’t know, I love animals but my sisters allergic to cats and dogs, I’m surprised she didn’t have an allergic reaction to Rupert when I gave him to her.”

“Rupert?” Bam asked.

“My chinchilla.” Soya laughed. “Big animals weren’t a fixture in my home. Then Ville’s allergic to dogs.”

Ville grinned. “I didn’t know you take me into consideration when picking a pet.”

“As if Josef.” Soya finished with a grin. “I’m surrounded by people who can’t have fur dander around them. So I think I’d like a fish, I’d be pretty happy staring at a fish bowl.”

“You’re weird.” Bam told her.

“I know.” Soya laughed. “Keep them coming.”

“All right, five things you can’t live without and why?” Bam asked.

“My ballet shoes.” Soya said without hesitations, holding up one finger. “I have to dance like I have to breathe, so I need my shoes. My laptop,” She said putting a second finger up. “It has everything on there, my design programs, my music, my pictures, it’s my lifeline; without my laptop I’d be lost.”

She put up a third finger. “My sketchbook, it’s portable and all my sketches that accompany my notebooks are usually in there; which brings me to the forth which would be my notebooks. I have all of my choreography written down in them, my own ideas as well as notes for performances. And last….” Soya thought about it. “Probably my cell phone, it’s how I keep in touch with everyone, and I need my friends.”

“What do you sketch?” Ville asked curious as to what was in her sketchbooks.

Soya shrugged. “Whatever my head and hand decide, really; sometimes it’s just little doodles. Sometimes it’s costume ideas for whatever choreography or show that’s going through my head; sometimes it’s faces. I’m not very good at it,” she admitted. “It’s just an outlet and a hobby.”

“All right, excluding HIM, seeing as Ville says you’re an even bigger fan than I am; which I find hard to believe, what are your top three bands?”

“You haven’t told him my degree of fandom?” Soya teased, looking over at Ville.

“Not yet, no.” Ville chuckled.

Soya laughed as she turned back to Bam. “Newer or older bands?”

“Newer.” Dunn answered.

“Um…gosh that’s hard, I like so many. Right now I’ve been listening to my what I call my ‘Finland’ playlist” she smiled. “Josef noticed I was a bit homesick and made a playlist with bands just from Finland, so it’s a lot of The 69 Eyes, The Rasmus, Negative, and Hanoi Rocks and of course HIM.” She laughed “Um…” she shrugged. “Probably a bit biased but Revolution is definitely on my top, but then again Rose is one of my best friends so I’m positive I have to say that. That was a lot more than three, sorry.” She laughed.

“I’m curious, how did you meet Rosalind?” Ville asked.

Soya thought back to the day she met the dark haired Spanish girl and couldn’t help but smile. “She was actually the first person I met at Juilliard; she was one of my roommates.”

“Seriously?” Ville asked with a grin.

Soya nodded. “She was a scholarship student in the music program; we just got to talking and couldn’t stop. Unfortunately she dropped out a few months later to go back home but we kept in touch. I was with her when she found out she was pregnant.”

“Were you?” Ville asked with a secret grin.

Soya looked at him curiously. “Were you?”

Ville nodded. “I was.”

“Another missed chance then.” Soya smiled, before looking back at Bam. “What’s next?”

“I don’t like this whole secret thing going on.” Bam said, waving his hand between them.

“Not a secret at all.” Ville said with a chuckle. “Keep asking Bam-Bam.”

“How long have you been dancing?” Dunn asked, to keep the ball rolling.

“Since I was five, so twenty-three years total. But I’ve been dancing professionally for ten.”

“Have you always wanted to dance?” Bam asked, curious to know if dancing had always been her lifelong ambition.

“Oh God, no.” Soya laughed. “The thing is, I begged my parents for dance lessons after seeing Swan Lake for the first time, not knowing that once I was about, twelve, I would be so good at it. I don’t think my parents foresaw that but when they came to my first recital it just snowballed. All of a sudden I was put into a better dance academy, I was put in all types of dance classes and advanced classes and it just became my life.”

“Did you ever want to stop?” Bam asked.

Soya shrugged. “There was a time when I resented dance, sure.” She looked over at Ville, and felt herself blush, she could hear him chuckle. “My resentment really hit when I met Ville and the guys.”

“Really?” Dunn looked over at Ville. “Did you know this?”

Ville gave a short nod. “When I first met her she was sort of irritated by her schedule, the more she hung out with us and the more she had to blow us off, the more it showed.”

“It wasn’t just Ville, Linde and Mige I was neglecting either. I had friends from school that I couldn’t be with, there were things that I wanted to do while in school, clubs I wanted to join and dance just didn’t allow that. But, ‘quit’ is not a word you say to my father, so I tried to just suck it up and deal.” She looked over at Ville and smiled. “You guys always made that better, just hanging out in the garage for an hour or two, it always made that feeling go away.”

“We had a feeling.” Ville smiled.

“On to the juicy stuff.” Bam said. “Relationships.”

“Oh…ok.” Soya said. “Not much to tell you, but go ahead.”

“What was your first boyfriend’s name?” Bam asked.

“Uh…” Soya felt her cheeks heat and put her hands to her cheeks to hide them. “Oh, I don’t date much.”

“We’re asking for a boyfriend’s name.” Bam said.

Dunn chuckled. “I think that’s her way of say she hasn’t had one.”

“You haven’t?” Bam asked surprised.

Soya shook her head. “No, I told you, I was busy a lot during my teens, my dance schedule was hectic and the only boys that I knew were…well them.” She said pointing to Ville. “And the male dancers at the academy, and they were all pigs, well besides Hannu….well most days.” She amended.

“What about when you moved to New York?” Dunn asked.

“Josef is gay, I couldn’t do much there.” Soya laughed. “I’ve been on dates.” She said, thinking of the few men she had been out with. “Mostly men that Josef sets me up with, but I’ve never really had a relationship.”

“Since a lack of relationships doesn’t mean a lack of sex, what about sexual partners?” Bam smirked.

“Pass.” Soya said without hesitation, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

“Oh come on!” Bam laughed. “That’s an easy one! If you want I’ll give you my number, I’m sure both Ville and Dunn are willing to contribute theirs.”

If her cheeks weren’t red before, she was sure they were glowing by now. She looked at Ville helplessly, before sighing and leaning towards him. “Olen…” she looked over at Bam and Dunn before looking back over at Ville. “Olen a…neitsyt.”(I’m a… virgin)

Ville stared at her in surprise. “Todella?”(Really?)

“Kyllä todella!”(Yes, really!) she hissed, causing him to laugh. It was so rare to see Soya riled up, and it was great to be the one to push her to it. He turned to Bam and shook his head.

“You promised her three passes, she’s used one, let it go.” Ville said firmly.

Bam eyed Soya who was still blushing and looking away from them, putting the pieces together. “Ohhh,” Bam smirked. “Definitely information I can use.”

Soya rolled her eyes. “Why is sex such a huge deal?” Soya asked, looking at Bam, “The same emotions you experience mid-coitus, I experience in dancing, just without the mess.”

Ville snorted, as Bam and Dunn looked at her in disbelief. Bam scoffed. “You only say that because you haven’t had sex.”

Soya rolled her eyes. “Just because I haven’t had sex, doesn’t mean I’ve never reached orgasm Bam.”

“Full of contradictions, this girl.” Ville chuckled, “You blush because you’re a virgin, yet you’re fine talking about orgasms. God, I missed that about you.”

Soya laughed, and looked at Bam, “Yes, in this day and age, it’s considered odd to be a virgin at twenty-eight,” she shrugged. “I’m not ashamed by it, it just means I haven’t found that person I trust enough to share that moment with.”

“Do you believe you should be in love to have sex?” Dunn asked.

Soya shook her head. “Not necessarily. I think if a person is, that’s great. For me it’s more of a trust issue.” She stopped and thought about what she wanted to say, before she spoke again. “I’m about ninety percent positive that had Josef swung for my team he would have been my first.”

“Really?” Ville asked. “What’s the ten percent that’s keeping you from being completely positive?”

Soya shook her head in amusement. “I’ve heard Josef have sex, I have no interest in feeding his ego outside the bedroom. There is no way I’d agree to stroke his ego in the bedroom.” She looked at Bam and grinned. “Keep your jokes to yourself.”

Bam smirked. “I wasn’t going to say anything.” He lied; he had been two seconds away from making perverted comment when she stopped him.

“No sexual partners Bam, and since you figured it out and I ended up talking about it, I still have three passes.”

Bam contemplated before rolling his eyes. “Fine, what’s next?”

“I have one.” Ville said. “Three people you can’t live without?”

Soya laughed. “I’m not going to say you and the boys.” She laughed as Ville pouted. “I’ve already lived without you and survived, no matter how painful it was.”

“True.” Ville agreed.

“So who are they?” Dunn asked.

“Let’s see, Josef.” She said. “As much as a bastard as the man can be sometimes, he really has been with me through everything these past thirteen years. He has seen me through my absolute worst and my absolute best and never left my side. He’s my best friend; I wouldn’t change him for the world.”

“Who else?” Bam asked.

“Aida.” Soya said. “It’s her innocence, every time I see her; she erases the bad and just brightens my day. It’s the one thing I love about my family traveling through some of the states with me; the fact that I get to spend so much time with her.”

“And the third?” Ville asked.

“Probably Rosalind.” She said after she thought about the question and the people that were currently in her life. “I don’t talk to her much because of our schedules, and lately we’ve been regulated to e-mails, but when we get together it’s like we saw each other only hours ago and not months or years as the case is right now. And a girl needs have a good girlfriend to do the girlie things with.” Soya laughed. “Rosalind is definitely one to do the girlie things with.”

“What’s ‘The Soya Show’?” Bam asked with a smirk.

Soya couldn’t help but laugh as she thought about Josef’s morning wake up calls. “It started when Josef and I first started touring together with Ben’s company, about eight years ago.”

“Did you know it’s password protected on your website?” Dunn asked.

Soya nodded. “One of the conditions I had when Josef put them on the website, people had to have a password to access the videos, so only a handful of people are able to watch them. And no, I’m not giving you the password.”

“So what are the videos?” Ville asked.

“Typically I’m a morning person,” Soya explained. “But on the rare mornings I’m able to sleep in, I don’t like to be woken up before my body wakes up on its own. Josef found out that I am quite irritable when I’m rudely awakened, and he finds it hilarious to find out just how irritable he can get me. I’m pretty sure there’s one labeled ‘Soya’s First Curse Word’, as well as ‘Soya Threatens Bodily Harm.’ I broke his stupid camera in one, I slapped him in another.” She shook her head in annoyance. “Last one I threatened to throw him in the Hudson if he didn’t get the camera away from me. I’m not sure if he posted that one yet though.”

“How does he wake you up?” Bam asked. “Just…like shakes you?”

Soya shook her head. “In a few, he sticks the camera in my face and waits for me to wake up, in another he sets my alarm and sets it right near my ear a few seconds before it goes off. He’s yelled at me, saying we’re going to be late and I’ve panicked getting half way dressed before I realize he’s on the floor laughing.” She laughed at Bam’s raised eyebrow. “Tame, I’m sure, compared to what you’ve been woken up to, from what Josef and Brooke told me. But for me it’s annoying and embarrassing, so I made him password protect the videos, only close friends get to watch them and I have to approve the people before the password is given out.”

“Has Rosalind seen them?” Ville asked with a smirk.

Soya nodded and rolled her eyes. “She has them on e-mail alert, so whenever Josef posts a new one, she gets an e-mail with a link. She loves them.”

“You don’t annoy easily, do you?” Bam asked, looking at her curiously. She was talking about the videos and was saying that they annoyed her, but her eyes and the small quirk of her lips told him she was just as amused by the videos as Josef and Rosalind were. He had to wonder just how much a person had to do to get her angry.

Soya shrugged. “It takes a lot.” She admitted and then looked at Ville. “I don’t think I’ve ever yelled at you or the guys.”

Ville thought back and shrugged. “Maybe once or twice,” he admitted. “We used to purposely try to annoy you,” he looked over at Bam. “But annoying Soya or getting her mad is like kicking a puppy.”

Bam laughed. “Seriously?”

Soya shrugged. “I don’t have many pet peeves when it comes to my friends or people in general. Now, when it comes to dancing or other dancers that’s a different story,” She admitted. “I have a very short fuse when I deal with some of the new people in the company, and I share that with Josef. I easily get annoyed with Rebecca when she gets on one of her power trips and believes herself to be my boss, or has the right to criticize me when she doesn’t know anything about dancing.”

“I see the annoyance creeping in.” Dunn teased, causing Bam and Ville to laugh.

Soya took a calming breathe, feeling it herself, as she usually did when talking to or about Rebecca. “The company may be run by her now and she may be in charge of recruiting dancers up to her standards, but at the end of the day, Ben was the one that hired me and he’s the one that signs my checks. Not her.” Soya took another breath and smiled softly. “Rant over.”

“Is she the one you were talking to last night?” Bam asked, remembering the phone call he had made her take at the table.

Soya rolled her eyes. “Yes, Josef is doing the choreography for the next recital that starts in a few months, and he’s been annoyed with the lead girl. Apparently the lead girl is Rebecca’s niece who just graduated from the dance program at St. Mary’s.”

“What’s the big deal with that?” Bam asked.

Soya chuckled. “Amauters don’t do well in lead roles, especially in large companies and when they first graduate. It took me almost three years to go from one of the girls in the back to the place I am in now, and that’s only because Ben took a chance on me. Just because you had the lead in your high school recital or you were the best in your class in whatever dance program you graduated from, doesn’t mean you’re up to par when getting into a company. Especially when Josef is teaching. He expects the best and only the best from his dancers.”

“Even from you?” Ville asked.

“Oh!” Soya’s eyes widened. “Especially from me, the man has made me cry countless times with his ruthlessness. He’s screamed at me and he’s purposely dropped me countless times when I don’t do a jump right.” She winced when she thought about the worst of the arguments she and Josef had had on stage during rehearsals. “The dancers know to let him yell now,” she shrugged. “But I scream right back, especially when the bastard drops me.”

“So because of his high standards the new girl doesn’t stand a chance?” Bam asked.

“Didn’t.” Soya laughed. “She shouldn’t have been given the lead; everyone starts on the bottom and works their way up. Everyone. Josef doesn’t care whose daughter or son you are, if you don’t have the necessary experience, you have no place as a lead or even as a secondary dancer. Rebecca made that mistake and it annoyed me, so I told on her.”

“You told on her?” Dunn asked amused.

Soya nodded. “Called Ben and appealed to his better nature.” She laughed. “It worked, and he seemed just as annoyed by Rebecca’s actions as I was.” She looked at Bam. “So yes, I do get annoyed, it just depends on the matter, my job as a dancer is something I take very seriously and dealing with Rebecca annoys me.”

“So anything I do to you, you’re not going to get mad about?”

Soya shrugged. “Depends. I’m very easy going Bam, and I’ve dealt with much worse in my life than anything you throw at me.”

“Like what?” Dunn asked.

Soya sighed. “After Rosalind left, the girls at Juilliard that I roomed with were pretty vicious.” She admitted, thinking of some of the things she experienced during not only at her dance school but at her high school as well. “As were the girls at my Prep school.” She then thought about her mother, and caught the serious set of Ville’s mouth and knew he was thinking about it as well. “I’ve just dealt with worse. So do what you want Bam, say what you want, you are no match to certain people in my life.”

Bam hesitated, as he looked at Ville who was looking away from the group and out the glass doors. He looked back at Soya who was looking at Ville, before she spoke again. “Like your parents?”

Soya’s head snapped towards him, her grey eyes wide. He watched her posture stiffen and her mouth set before she gave a short nod. “Yes, like my parents.”

Bam raised an eyebrow, it looked like he found Soya’s sore spot, and he was ready to poke at it.