Vocaloid Actors (Book #1 of Vocaloid Actors Trilogy)

Chapter 15

~two weeks later

I kept mulling over the stolen bands for the past week. A search of Ellis's house by the police didn't turn up anything though it increased his punishment up to six months.

I kept to my word and haven't told anyone. Plus, I didn't tell Kevin that the bands were being stolen as I didn't want to worry him. However, the situation is getting critical. We're the only two Vocaloid Actors left in the main six with our bands.

'Why would Ellis do this? Is it possible that Racquelle told him?' I keep thinking. 'Was it revenge against Rachel? I mean she was the one who brought a teacher and caught them bullying me.'

I keep dismissing these thoughts as it was forbidden to tell. Rachel and Louis only gave it up due to being threatened. I also kept mulling over the location of the stolen bands, but no idea came to mind.

I become a lot more protective over my band. I kept it under my sleeves whenever I wore it so Ellis would never notice it. And whenever I had to take it off, it would stay in my line of vision. I could tell from the cameras in the leisure centre that he was keen to not get caught.

Anyway, I have different things to worry about. The end-of-year exams are coming up and I need to finally start revising, one thing I have been putting off, ever since the teachers starting mentioning the exams.

I spending a lot of time at Rachel's house, attempting to revise with her. Only, we are more likely to end up on the internet watching stupid videos. Or with the TV on, binge-watching our favourite series on Netflix.

Us two are hopeless together. We are unable to concentrate on anything when we are together. Why did we think revising together would work? I think I just wanted to get away from my Mum, who wouldn't stop nagging me.

"Mia!" Rachel shouts, snapping me out of my daze. "Are you going to test me or not?"

"Fine," I say, grabbing the book and looking at the questions. Rachel is desperate to pass Dance, and so I am testing her on the theory. I reel off the questions and she answers them correctly. I sigh and toss the book aside. "What was the point of that? You knew all the answers!"

"Yeah, but what if I didn't," she says. "Want me to test you on literacy quotes?"

"Please, no!" I groan, "I go through them every lesson."

"You need to be good at English if you are to become a writer," she says.

"Like it teaches me anything about writing. All we do in class is read some old-fashioned novel and analyse the quotes," I complain. "How is that supposed to help me write my own stories."

"Analysing styles from other writers may give you ideas on how to set out your own writing," she counters.

"Who would read drivel like that for fun?" I say.

I got her there. "I guess I wouldn't," she sighed, pushing her fringe back. She looks to her wrist before sighing again. She has been like this ever since her band has been stolen, she keeps hoping that it is all a bad dream. I keep hoping that as well, so the threat of my band getting stolen stops looming over me.

The Vocaloid Masters have been trying to locate the bands but when they are separate from their Vocaloid Actors, its near to impossible. They are keeping an eye on our key suspect using the same system used to find potential new Vocaloid Actors. For now, there is nothing suspicious due to his grounding.

I receive a Mind-Message from Kevin:

Kevin: 'What is going on? I haven't seen any of the main six apart from you in the last two weeks!'

I sigh before replying. Like I said, he doesn't know about the stolen bands as I didn't want to worry him. I guess things should be suspicious.

Me: 'It's nothing! Work for them is slow and they just don't feel like coming.'

Kevin: 'That was a bad lie. I was supposed to film a PV with Maryann this week and I was the only one to turn up. The filming went ahead without Maryann and the Vocaloid Masters are refusing to tell me anything!'

I close my eyes in exasperation. It is so hard to hide things from him like it is from others. I feel like I'm betraying him.

"Mia!" Rachel's sharp voice cut through the silence. I look up and see her in a temper. "Do you mind not doing that when I am unable to."

"Sorry, Kevin was getting suspicious," I say, knowing she was talking about Mind-Messaging.

"I don't care! Save the conversations for when you get home!" she says, hitting me hard with a book.

"Ow!" I say in anger, rubbing my arm. The pain seemed to fade. That's odd, that's never happened before. I look down and see my hand glowing. More Vocaloid Actor magic. "What spell was that, Rachel?"

"A healing spell, most likely Episkey," she says with a bit of awe in her voice. "I have never accomplished that spell even when I try to do it purposefully. You can do it accidentally, you must be really talented in magic even though you've just discovered it. That red mark caused by the book disappeared soon after your hand glowed."

I take my hand off my arm to find Rachel is right. The glow around my hand disappeared soon after, which is just as well, as Rachel's mother came in two minutes later. "Hey, do you two want some lunch?"

"Yeah, please," I say, my stomach rumbling.

"I'm not that hungry," Rachel says sadly, looking down on the bed.

"Rachel, you need to eat," I say. She's been like this ever since her band has been stolen, with the loss of her appetite and being generally miserable. "At least a chocolate bar."

"Okay," she says miserable. I hate seeing her like this.

We eat lunch and she sits there crying silently while I finish my drink.

"Hey, I think I have an idea to cheer you up," I say, hitting on an idea. "To revise the practical for Dance why don't you practice the dances you do when you film for PVs."

"Yeah!" she says, a small smile forming on her face for the first time in the two weeks of her band being missing.

I put on the dance for Melancholic and she clears a space on her floor before taking her place. The music starts and she starts to dance, eyes closing as she gets lost in the music. I watch her as she hits every step flawlessly. She doesn't even need to watch the screen to get the dance correct.

The song finishes and I clap my hands. Her eyes snap open and she gives a big smile.

"Thank you, I needed that. Your clapping reminds me of performing in concerts," she says, joy evident in her voice. I smile as well as I remember my first concert I performed in recently. I believe it was Miku Expo 2017. The crowd was amazing and I really enjoyed the performance.

"Want to do more?" I ask.

"Of course!"

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A/N I needed a filler chapter before the next important event and I used it to show how badly the loss of her band affected Rachel.