Twisted Strings [MONSTER EDITING - Read at your own risk]

It's gonna be me

''Like I said, you guys will be blown away.''

''Are you going to craft Brad Pitt's face with chocolate this time?'' Elliot was only joking when he said that, but Dad gave us a secretive smile.

''Oh no.'' I heard my brother mutter.

''Anyways, we'll need to work swiftly-''

I gave him a worried look, ''We work fast Dad. I really think you should hire someone. How will you guys manage on your own?''

Elliot joined us, carrying his shake and two cookies. Now, who was greedy? He sat down beside me and I snatched one of them from him, taking a bite.

''Hey!'' He glared at me but I ignored him.

''We'll be fine honey. You'll be here and then Rhodes-''

I sighed, ''I have the contest that day.''

He stopped short and Elliot's glare transformed into a stare instead, ''Already? They told you, today right? Why didn't you say anything?''

''I just got here.'' I replied tersely,

''It's been more than two hours, Violet.'' Linda chimed in and all three pairs of eyes were trained on me, waiting for the big revelation.

I sighed again and met their curious looks, ''It's a battle of bands.'' My voice sounded dull and stupid, uncomfortable. Which spoke volumes, because that was how I felt about the whole situation.

''Come again?''

''Battle of Bands, Dad. They formed us into groups.'' I repeated,

A moment of silence followed. Elliot handed me his other cookie and I accepted it graciously, munching on it.

''And what's so bad about it?''

I met Dad's curious look, ''Of course it's bad! They paired us with strangers!''

''Us means-''

''Rhodes and I are together-''

''Then what's your problem? See, you are greedy!'' Elliot added, pointing at me accusingly. I brushed him off,

Dad shushed him with a stern look and turned to me, ''What did you expect? It's a competition, you'll be forced out of your comfort zone. Where's the challenge if things go your way?''

''This is not me making a chocoloate tower-''

''You can't make one anyways. You can't even fry an egg.'' Elliot piped in. Any other day, I would have poured his milkshake all over him, but I restrained myself and ignored his remark.

''-this competition won't come back!''

Dad regarded me for a second, ''Competition Violet, competition. They are not only testing if you can sing or dance or whatever-''

''She can't dance.''

I slapped Elliot's shoulder, making him jump, ''If you don't shut up now, you're going to regret.''

Dad continued, ''They want to know if you are passionate enough to overcome these problems. And if you hang your head and waste your time here, get ready to lose.''

He was right, I was aware of that. But challenge meant winning through our music and not spending our time, trying to bond with people we hardly knew. Challenge was about our skills and abilities, about being the best out of those twenty-nine-other people. Taking ten minutes to prepare yourself to greet Stella Baker was not a challenge, it was a nightmare.

''You guys don't understand! We don't talk to these people and there's no way, like no freaking way, we'll be able to stand on stage together.''

''Well, that's up to you guys. If they don't approach you, make the first move. The competition is more important here. If you want to win, then stop hesitating or making excuses and talk to them.'' Huh, it was easy for him to say that. But he didn't know Stella Baker. I had been in school with her for years and I had never talked to her once. In fact, I had never seen her talking to people willingly either. She was the ice queen of Lakesville High and now, we were supposed to work with her.