Valeriana went back to the residences after Seraphina told her she would be taken to meet this person tomorrow night. There really was no need to pursue the topic, was there?
She was just a little bit shaken knowing what would happen tomorrow when she still couldn't figure out what to do.
No excuses though.
Loud music echoed all the way outside that Valeriana curiously hurried her way back down to the basement. The electric guitar was roaring in chorus with a male voice. It wasn't Tamara singing, obviously.
Then who?
"Cuz she's bittersweet, she knocks me off of my feet!" The boyish voice had a mischievous coating to it, with a smirk accompanying the lyrics. "And I can't help myself, I don't want anyone else!"
That song. She was familiar with it. It was Cole's favorite. Just the Girl by The Click Five.
Just as she landed on the bottom of the stairs, she was greeted by the sight of Zion rocking out on his guitar while belting out the words to the song. He met her gaze with a wink, followed by that trademark smile of his.
"She's a mystery, she's too much for me. But I keep coming back for more!"
Valeriana's brows rose to her hair line. The Twelve made no move to stop him at all. They were busy watching him perform.
The irritation on Tamara's face was evident.
"She's just the girl I'm looking for."
"What's going on here?" She asked.
"Finally!" The third threw her hands in the air.
Elfre was squealing, a side to her they've never seen before. She fanned herself and coughed into her fist.
Genevieve and Zevlin were exhibiting absolutely the opposite of Elfre's mood.
"We were going through your gadget." Began Charles. "When we came across a song that made Zion . . . sympathize. He went through the papers and insisted on finding the score. Afterwards, he performed the first verse straight to the chorus, just when you arrived."
He then waved to the scattered papers on the floor.
Despite the mess, there was no denying just how talented the guy was. If he could sing that well, he could probably be a rock star.
"He did not need a DJ." Keelan sadly stated.
"Corvan has a song too!" The twins chorused. "In fact, it came first before Zion's!"
With that, they pushed the first-ranker forward, pulled Rowe as well, and made them start.
"Stop it with this insolence!" Corvan exclaimed, forcing Zevlin to unhand him. "I do not desire to--"
Rowe started plucking on his guitar. "You should at least try, Your Excellency." He smiled, stopping when he refused to start.
"No fair!" Zion fumed. "I came first!"
The seriousness took over the second-ranker's voice. "Will you let the pride of the Wyldens be in vain, Lord Corvan? With you, as the only heir?"
"I do not like the way you are talking." Replied Corvan. "I am not obligated to sing such as stupid song."
"If your parents become informed of the fact that you refuse to perform such a simple piece in front of a very small crowd, I wonder how they will react." Rowe's voice was coated with disappointment as he shook his head with a sigh.
How surprising was it to know that Rowe had this teasing side to him?
"How dare you, Rowe!" He seethed.
"My, young lord." He chuckled. "Is that really becoming for someone of your stature?"
Corvan crossed his arms, turned his back, and said, "I am simply unfamiliar with this piece. There is no other reason."
"We have the music sheet for the song! It includes the notes for the singer." Genevieve held up a piece of paper. "We've been playing it over and over again since a while ago, too. With a sharp memory like yours, it's impossible you don't know."
"You know how to read these things right?" Zevlin tapped on the paper his sister was holding up.
Unwilling to let his pride be hurt, Corvan snatched it away and looked down on the printed illustrations on it. Rowe smiled at this, chuckling under his breath.
"I'm ready when you are."
Zion childishly started yelling. "I will not allow this--"
"Shut up!" The twins jumped at him, pulled out a cloth from somewhere and had him tied down to a chair in an instant--gagged.
How they did it, Valeriana was clueless.
Corvan frowned at the sheet music and lyrics. "I shouldn't love you--what is with this atrocious lyrics?"
They laughed.
"Feelings." Brindon quipped, his brows wrinkling ever so slightly.
"Put some more feelings into singing it, Lord Corvan!" Raziel cried. "Music is a form of expressing emotion!"
"I shouldn't love you--"
Valeriana snickered to herself.
Corvan sounded like a robot.
"Don't just say it!" Tamara yelled. "For goodness's sake!"
Zion was laughing at his misery.
"Shut it!" The lord lashed, glaring the blue-haired boy down.
"Once again, milord." Rowe encouraged. "Third time's a charm."
He sighed deeply. This was not going to stop--not if he wouldn't do it properly.
"I shouldn't love you, but I want to." His voice reverberated deeply, the vibration sending the entire room into silence.
Valeriana watched his lips move to form the words, wondering where he was taking his voice from.
His notes were a little clumsy, but it added a sort of charm to it. With a smile, she listened to him further. So this was Just So You Know by Jesse McCartney.
"I just can't turn away. I shouldn't see you, but I can't move. I can't look away."
A brief instrumental part for Rowe came in.
Valeriana made her way to the drum set, grabbed one stick in each hand before she started hitting the beats the moment he opened his mouth next.
"And I don't know, how to be fine when I'm not. Cuz I don't know how to make the feeling stop."
The groove settled into the music. Valeriana felt a smile on her lips as she remembered the routine for this song.
"Just so you know, this feeling's taking control of me. And I can't help it."
Some started their bobbing their heads along while Zevlin and Genevieve gave each other a high-five, smiles on their face.
Elfre, feeling bitter, glared at them. "Aren't you two supposed to be fighting?"
Meanwhile, the song continued.
"I won't sit around, I can't let it win now." Corvan's vibrato made Valeriana feel the excitement of their jam. He seemed to have grown a bit more confident since ago. "Thought you should know, I'll try my best to let go of you. But I don't want to. I just gotta say it all before I go. Just so you know . . . alright, no more."
Valeriana stopped when he did. "That actually felt good!"
Zion huffed.
"No truer words have been spoken." Rowe smiled.
"What about we try the chosen songs?" Aneeka held up the list of songs they decided on. She handed them all to Valeriana.
Not bad. Taylor Swift's Eyes Open and Long Live, Maroon Five's Sugar, The Band Perry's Done, Avril Lavigne's Alone, and Sara Bareille's Brave.
"Do you guys wanna try 'em out?"
"Let's get this party started!"
(*)