forbidden desires.

Up till now, she regretted not stepping into the audition room.

The production was long over, and all the hype about it had already died down. But whenever she saw any of the cast members along the class corridor, jealousy grew in her heart, like a contagious disease. I could easily be one of them, she thought. She imagined herself in front of the judges, impressing them with her singing. She imagined herself standing on the stage, taking her time to say her important lines to the hundreds in the audience. She could almost savour the immense satisfaction as the audience clung on to every word she spoke and every syllable she sang. She could almost feel the power of the fame in her veins; and with that, she thought, she'd be invincible.

Suddenly, she was brought back to the four walls of the classroom. As much as she wanted it, she couldn't have it - she was almost a nobody; she was just another girl walking down the corridor, carrying a pile of books in front of her, afraid to look up at anyone. It wasn't like her to crave for attention, everyone thought, since she didn't seem to seek it at all. But she knew the truth. She knew that deep inside, she couldn't escape the desire.

It wasn't that she didn't try to suppress it and to get rid of it - she did; and she fought hard. But everyone wanted to be a star. Even she craved to be one herself, even though she knew it was wrong.

Everyone wants to be on top of it all. But the truly victorious are those who are willing to give up their place to others.