Mira looked at Caleb, who was nervously adjusting his costume. He had grown as an actor over the weeks, shedding his vanity like a snakeskin. She respected him for that.

It was not a scene about youth. It was a scene about presence.

He did. And this time, when she spoke, he listened. The scene became a dance—uneven, then graceful, then unexpectedly tender. By the end, the casting director was blinking back tears.