When I arrive at The Arena, the amount of people waiting outside to get in is staggering. I have never witnessed so many people in one place, at one time, for one reason.
I turn on my cell and say "find Rex", hoping that it will work, because I don't know her last name.
A picture of Rex pops-up and it asks, "Rex Ingles?"
"Yes," I confirm.
"Rex Ingles has been located," my cell continues. "Follow directions to be led to her."
I follow the cell's directions and then I see Rex standing near a big fountain in front of The Arena.
"Rex!" I yell. "Hey Rex, over here!"
She looks up from her cell, smiles and waves, making her way toward me.
"What's up, K-Nigma?" she says, giving me a fist bump.
"Nothing much," I respond. "This line is nuts, let's get in it before it gets longer!"
We both find the end of the line and start standing in it. After about 45 minutes, we reach the front and the man takes our tickets and lets us into the building.
Inside, there are vendors everywhere, selling Iggy merchandise - T-shirts, jewelry, posters, notebooks, signed photographs and of course, the Elixir.
"I need to go to the bathroom really quickly," says Rex. "Wait here?"
"Yeah, for sure," I reply.
As Rex heads to the bathroom, I realize that I don't actually have a real plan for getting backstage and talking to Iggy. I check my ticket to see where our seats are.
No way. Zayn got us front row seats + VIP passes! He is a genius!!
"Alright, you ready?" Rex says as she returns.
"Wait, Rex," I say. "Did you realize that we have front row seats AND VIP passes?!"
"Um, well, I knew we have front row seats," she answers. "But I definitely don't have a VIP pass." She takes my ticket and compares it to hers.
"But you do," she adds. "You lucky B!"
I can't believe Zayn did this for me. How?
Rex and I walk toward the entrance for first-row ticket holders. I see her eyeing some of Iggy's Elixir.
"You want some?" I ask.
"Nah," she answers. "That stuff freaks me out. My brother Ro's girlfriend drinks it by the ton, and I think she's become even more scary looking than before she started drinking it."
"Word," I respond.
We both laugh and walk through the door. The space opens up into an incredibly huge stadium. There are so many people. Hundreds of thousands. You can feel the anticipation in the air. The energy is incredible.
We find our seats and put our stuff in them but decide to remain standing, like everyone else. We are all itching for Iggy to step onto the stage.
Suddenly, the arena goes pitch black.
Everyone screams. The sound is epic. I close my eyes and scream and scream.
"IGGY, IGGY, IGGY, IGGY, IGGY..." we all chant in unison.
Then, a spotlight appears on stage, and there she is, standing with her back facing us, dressed in a multi-colored, jeweled jumpsuit, holding a microphone and striking a pose.
The crowd roars even louder than before. I am overwhelmed by the emotion of so many people all overjoyed to be witnessing the same thing, my sister.
Tears stream down my face.
"SHINAR," Iggy screams. "Are you ready?!"
Everyone screams back, "Yeeeeees!"
Then, the beat to "Outer Space Love" begins, and again, the crowd roars with excitement.
Iggy begins to sing the song and dance. Other dancers join her. The whole thing is an amazing spectacle to behold.
At one point during the concert, I notice Rex making out with some dude. A few minutes later, she taps me on the shoulder.
"K-Nigma," she screams, over the volume of the concert and the other people. "I'm gonna head out. The concert is almost over anyway, and I found a friend." She nods her head toward the guy she was kissing earlier and winks.
"Cool, have fun!" I respond. "Thanks for coming with me."
"Are you kidding?" she answers. Thank YOU! I'm so jealous you're going to meet Iggy! Can't wait to hear all about it!"
Rex gives me a pop kiss on the cheek and then heads off with her new friend. I can't help but smile as I watch her disappear into the crowd. She really is something.
Iggy is on her last song, and as she finishes the last few notes, the lights dim and everyone continues to scream and scream.
They begin to chant "ENCORE, ENCORE, ENCORE!" but it becomes clear that Iggy is not going to come back onto the stage.
I follow the directions on my ticket so that I can have my ten-minute VIP session with Iggy.
When I reach the designated spot, there are a few of people in front of me.
"She's just changing," says the security guard near her door. "I'll let you know when she's ready to see you. You each have ten minutes."
I'm last in line, so after almost an hour, it's my turn.
"You're the last one," the guard says. "Remember, only ten minutes."
I step through the door as the guard closes it behind me. There is another guard standing in the corner of the room.
"Hello!" says Iggy. "Thanks so much for coming out tonight. What can I sign for you?"
"Oh, um," I begin. My heart is pounding. "Iggy, um, my name is Karina."
I wait to see how she reacts to this. She pauses slightly but continues to maintain her chipper demeanor. She doesn't seem phased.
"Pikar?" I say, seeing if she'll react to this.
Her face drops and her eyes narrow.
"Who are you?" she snaps. "What are you doing here?"
"Iggy, eh - Pikar?" I continue. "It's your baby sister, Karina."
The security guard comes up to me and grabs my arms.
"Ma'am, do you want us to remove her?" he asks.
I squirm under the guard's tight grip as she glares at me.
"Piks, come on," I urge. "It's me, Karina. Your sister. Don't you recognize me?"
"I don't have any family," she answers, stone-cold. "You are lying."
The security guard attempts to drag me out of the room, but I resist.
"Piks!" I scream. "Come on! Remember that time mom and dad took us to Moshie's, and I got that strawberry chocolate cupcake that you begged me to share with you and you got that huge, red lollipop? Shaped like lips? It was chocolate on the inside?!"
I manage a nervous laugh. "You loved it so much," I add. "Remember?"
She looks up at me, a stone-cold expression on her face, and remains silent.
"Or that time you got into SO much trouble because you played with mom's fancy body powder and made a ridiculous mess all over the carpet - you were covered in powder?!" I continue.
"You loved it, because it was glittery," I add. "Remember?!"
The guard is practically shoving me out the door at this stage, and still, she doesn't say anything. She just stares at me, like she's seen a ghost.
"Or," I continue. "That time on the beach. The last time we were ever together."
Now, I see a small tear roll down her cheek, and she finally speaks up.
"Give us a few minutes," she says to the guard.
"Are you sure?" he answers.
"She's the last VIP person, right?" she asks.
"Yes ma'am, that's right," he responds. "You sure you're ok?"
"Yes, thank you," Iggy says. "Please go."
The guard hesitates for a moment but finally exits the room and shuts the door behind him.
Iggy gets up and pours herself a glass of water and paces for a moment before sitting back down.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" she snaps.
"Piks," I begin, but she cuts me off.
"Don't call me that," she snaps.
She stands up and again and paces back and forth.
"I don't have any family," she repeats. "Who sent you here? What do you want?"
"Pi...eh, Iggy," I begin. "No one sent me here. I'm just looking for my big sister."
She sits down and takes a sip of water. She won't look at me. There is a tense silence. What is she thinking about right now, I wonder.
"Will you show me your left wrist," I finally ask.
"My big sister, Pikar, has a very distinct birthmark on her left wrist that looks sort of like a deformed heart," I add.
Pikar touches her left wrist and looks at me. She extends her arm. And there it is. The mark that confirms that Iggy is in fact Pikar. I have found my older sister.
Her eyes begin to well-up with tears.
"Where did you get that?" she asks, pointing to the ring I found on Mimba.
"It was a gift," I lie, not wanting to explain Mimba - or the Squad - just yet.
"That looks exactly like a ring mom always used to wear," she says.
There's a moment of silence. Then Iggy continues to speak.
"What is mom's favorite snack to eat during the summertime?" she asks.
"Green mango dipped in salt," I answer.
"And the color of dad's favorite tie?" she asks.
"Cobalt blue," I respond.
"The special word you used to say to me every single night before going to bed?" she asks.
"Good night, sweet dreams, love you, ma-foo," I answer.
She puts down her glass of water and stands up.
"But, Karina," she begins. "How can it be? I don't believe it. I thought you were..."
"Dead?" I conclude. "No, I'm not. It's me."
I stand up and grab her hand.
Tears start to stream down her face and I lean in and give her a big hug. Now I'm also crying. We both hug each other and cry and cry.
"Oh Karina!" Pikar says. "Kishmish. I can't believe you are here in front of me."
"Pika Pika, I've dreamt of this day for ten years," I sob. "Ten whole years."
"Can I change into my pajamas," she asks, wiping the tears and snot from her face. "This outfit is so suffocating."
I laugh, "Of course. Got an extra pair?"
She laughs and throws me an extra pair. We make tea and order dinner and recount the past ten years of our lives to each other, one story at a time.