Page 63 of Siren

Keesha didn’t flinch. “It’s what the public responds to.”

“It’s a script,” I said. “Performance. You’re turning something sacred into a storyboard.”

Barry raised a palm, calm. “We’re not denying the realness, Sienna. We’re just… amplifying it.”

“It’s fiction,” I snapped.

Jalen, still leaning in the corner, finally spoke. “It’s not your truth. That’s what matters.”

Keesha tilted her head. “So whatisyour truth, Sienna? What doesyourversion of this look like?”

I met her gaze. “Less myth. More meaning. No artificial tension. No suggestive stares. If we’re going to show people something, let it be how the music comes to life. Let them feel what we felt—without all the lace and lighting.”

They paused. Exchanged glances.

“We can work with that,” Keesha said slowly, recalibrating.

Brielle gave me a nod that said:That’s how you hold your line.

I sipped my tea again.

Still lukewarm. But I didn’t care.

Because the fire in my voice was mine again.

They left ten minutes later, promises hanging in the air like fog that hadn’t burned off yet.

I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Brielle finally broke the silence.

“You want my opinion?”

“No,” I muttered, “but you’ll give it anyway.”

She smirked. “That was some queen shit.”

TWENTY-ONE

Iwasn’t in the room when they decided how to sell us.

Not at the café. Not on the calls. Not when the storyboards were passed around.

Jalen had pulled up on me yesterday, trying to keep it light. Tried to spin it like a win.

“They want to lead with the chemistry,” he said, flashing that label-polished grinlike it was good news. “Soft shots. Real light. Her voice over yours. The way y’all look at each other? That’s the hook.”

He sat back like he expected a fist bump or a thank you. But I didn’t give him either. Instead, I let silence stretch, then leaned forward slow. “You tell me why I wasn’t there when that was decided.”

Jalen blinked. “I figured it was more of a visual strategy thing—marketing. Keesha and Barry had already scoped some rough ideas, and?—”

“That’s not what I asked.”

He exhaled. “Look, Raj, it’s not personal. We’ve gotta move fast on this, and Sienna?—”

“Siennawasthere.”

My voice dropped, tight and low. “And y’all sent the assistant to ask me after the fact. Like I’m a prop.”

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

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