Silvester Belt plopped his baggage on the bed of his hotel room. After a long sigh, the Lithuanian man unzipped his suitcase to unpack. He looked in the mirror. His curly Strawberry-blond hair was standing all over the place. Silvester laughed as he grabbed a comb from his bag and brushed his hair out to look presentable. He figured he'd just spend tonight to relax before rehearsals. The day was The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 was set to happen in under three weeks. Silvester was the Lithuanian representative for Eurovision 2024, which is why he was here in Malmö.
After Silvester finished unpacking. He plopped down on the hotel bed. He pulled out his phone to check for messages. He had a few from family and friends wishing him a safe flight to Malmö. He smiled at the warm-hearted messages from fans as well.
That's when Silvester decided to get something to eat. After all, he's been practically starving since he got off the plane. Silvester slowly stood up and walked out of his hotel room to find the dining room. On his way down, he noticed Artūrs Šingirejs, or more commonly known as Dons. Dons was Latvia's representative for Eurovision 2024. He was leaving his hotel room as well.
"Heyyyyy Silvester!" Dons cheered.
"Oh, hi!" Silvester laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Are you going to come to the party tonight? It's down in the dining room of the hotel!" Dons spoke with a smile.
Silvester made a face. There was a party tonight? He just wanted to relax for his first night in Malmö. Especially after what happened the previous two years.
"Sorry. I don't think I'll make it tonight. I kinda wanna relax tonight. Besides, aren't you aware of what happened last year and the year before?" Silvester replied.
"You really think something like that will happen again? It's very unlikely! Please come!" Dons begged. Silvester rolled his eyes.
"Dons, I'm sorry. I don't want to go." Silvester sighed. "I'll catch up with you all tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay then. It's your choice, I guess." Dons sighed. "Get some rest. You seem to need it."
"Thanks for understanding, man." Silvester smiled. "Good night."
"See you later then." Dons smiled. Silvester closed the door. Dons looked down at the floor. He was a little disappointed that Silvester didn't want to go to the party with him. He decided to shrug it off and go to the party anyway.
Silvester looked out the window in his hotel room. He felt bad. He felt like he had been a bit harsh towards Dons, but he also knew about the incidents last year and the year before. He knew about Mahmood getting arrested for a crime he didn't commit in 2022, and he knew about Darius Raja, who tried to kill off many of the Eurovision 2023 participants. It was Theodor Andrei who had saved them all.
Silvester shuddered at the thought of something bad happening again this year. He didn't want anyone to get hurt. He just wanted a normal Eurovision year.
Suddenly, Silvester's phone started vibrating. Silvester raised an eyebrow. He typically has his phone on silent because of all the countless tagging his fans and other news channels do. He picked up his phone. He was getting a call from a number with a Swiss area code. Shocked, and a bit nervous, Silvester answered the phone. When he heard who was on the other end of the phone, his worries vanished.
"What did your parents tell you about answering the phone to strangers?" Nemo, Switzerland’s contestant for Eurovision 2024, spoke through the phone.
Silvester laughed. Nemo and Silvester have been very close since Nemo was announced to be representing Switzerland with their song “The Code”.
"What did your parents tell you about calling random numbers?" Silvester joked.
"Ooohhhhh the good old Uno reverse card, eh?" Nemo snickered. "Are you gonna be at the party tonight?"
Silvester sighed as Nemo asked that question. This only made him feel worse about not going. He sighed.
"I told Dons that I didn't think I'd go." Silvester sighed.
"Please come! It's lonely down here without you. Tali is fun to talk to, but nowhere near as fun as you!" Nemo whined. "Plus, I think you'd like that it's not just us from Eurovision 2024. We've got a few people who represented Romania in Eurovision in the past!"
"Wait, why Romanians?" Silvester asked.
"I dunno. Probably to make them feel a bit included in Eurovision this year as Romania isn't competing." Nemo shrugged.
"Who all is there?" Silvester asked, genuinely curious.
"Not everyone is down there yet. I see Ester Peony, Cezar, Theodor Andrei, Paula Seling, and Andrei Ursu. I heard Roxen, Ilinca, Mihai Trăistariu will also be down soon." Nemo confirmed.
"Ohhhh that's interesting." Silvester said. He thought back to the incident in 2023. How could Theodor Andrei even consider coming to a party like this after what happened last year? Silvester knew that Theodor was a social person, but he didn't think Theodor was that social to show up at a Eurovision party after last year's fiasco. Silvester thought the same about Andrei Ursu from 2022. Although Silvester had heard that Andrei wasn't involved in a lot of the drama in 2022, he still knew that what happened in 2022 had affected him as well.
"So, are you coming down or not?" Nemo asked. Silvester thought about it for a bit. He wouldn't mind a bit of fun on the first night, and he could use a drink or two.
"Yeah, sure! I'll be down in about five minutes." Silvester spoke through the phone.
"Okayyy! See you down there! I'll save you a drink!" Nemo cheered.
"Alright, then!" Silvester beamed with a smile on his face. "See ya!"
"Byeee!" Nemo cheered, and the two were off the phone. Silvester looked in the mirror to see if he looked presentable enough. He decided that he wanted his hair out and fluffy tonight. He fluffed his hair up with his hands and smiled.
"I just hope nothing happens this year." Silvester sighed as he walked out of his room.
Silvester ascended down the hallway. As he walked, he heard a bit of muffled talking from one of the hotel rooms down the hall. Curiosity got the better of Silvester, and he decided to listen to the conversation. To Silvester's surprise, the caller was able to be heard as well. They were probably on speaker.
"You're able to do it tonight?" The person on the phone asked.
"Yes. I think tonight would be the best night for it." The man spoke.
"Do you really think you have what it takes for this mission?" The caller asked.
"I was born ready! Do you realize that he took Malmö from me??" The man raised his voice.
"I'm aware. He made all of us look terrible!" The caller responded, just as angrily as the man did. Silvester raised an eyebrow. He had no idea who this mysterious person who supposedly took Malmö from this man, but he had to know. Someone here could get hurt.
"You don't need to worry. I'll deal with Octavian. He won't get in the way of anything after I'm done." The man said.
Silvester gasped. He didn't know what these people were gonna do to this Octavian guy. Who was this person? Silvester didn't know anyone named Octavian. He began to think. He zoned out in his thoughts. He stood there for about two minutes before he finally realized who Octavian was. Without thinking, he cried out.
"THEODOR!"
The man in the room stopped talking. It was dead silent in the room.
"Hold on... I'll call you back." The man muttered to the caller before hanging up. Silvester knew he had to make a run for it, but before he could make it three meters, the door swung open. A man who looked somewhat familiar to Silvester approached him. Silvester gulped. He backed up as far as he could. The familiar man had backed him into a corner.
"Wow, Silvester Belt. I thought you were better than this. I thought you knew better than to snoop in places you shouldn't be snooping." The man spoke in a monotonous voice. Then, he laughed. Silvester looked at him with fear in his eyes. He didn't know what this man was planning to do. He didn't know what would happen to Theodor, or himself.
"Now, I'm feeling a bit generous. I'm really not in the mood to pick a fight, so I'll give you a choice." The man sighed. He walked closer to Silvester, only about five centimeters from him.
"If you don't say a word about what you heard, I'll spare you. However, if I catch you saying anything about what you heard, I will not hesitate to end your life. Do you understand??" The man muttered. Silvester stood frozen in shock and fear. Was this really happening? Was he actually being forced to choose between Theodor Andrei's well-being and his?? This was all nearly too much for the Lithuanian man, but after a few seconds, he realized regardless of whether he chose to speak up or not, Theodor would be in danger. Silvester needed a way to get out of his current situation.
"O-okay! I-I won't say anything! I promise!" Silvester gasped at once.
"Good." The man spoke as he backed away from Silvester, giving him space to leave the conversation. "Remember... you know nothing!"
Silvester nodded quickly, and once the man was back in his hotel room, Silvester gasped for air. He had no time to process what had just happened at all. All he knew was that he couldn't keep this hidden. He had to warn Theodor. Silvester just had to figure out where he'd be. That's when he remembered Nemo saying that he was at the party. Silvester knew he had to get down there.
He ran down the stairs, not looking back.