“Blackfox, come in,” Evie was already frustrated. Her communicator wasn't working, she could only hear static as she stepped out from behind some bushes with Jade next to her, “Shit. I don’t like this.”
"Where is the girl that was on the gargoyles up there?" Jade asked, pointing with a finger.
Evie turned cold inside.
Something was definitely wrong here.
"Come on everyone! Let me hear you scream because this is The Place I Came From!" Draco shouted on stage and all the people in the pool area cheered as the music played live.
Jade smiled. The acoustic guitar sounded perfect.
“I thank the Gods. For helping me to be somebody.” Kevin took a step forward and started singing, moving his hands over his torso and hair while staring into the audience. His voice was very pleasant to the ears, like an angel singing. He had improved a lot since Zeth and Draco taught him how to sing slower. “I carry with me all the colours of my flag! My body is the temple of my past!”
“I thank the Gods. For choosing me to guide the masses!” Then Draco stepped forward, dominating the stage, living his best life and singing his heart out. The audience was entranced. He had a beautiful voice, and the crowd fell completely under his spell as he sang.
“I think no matter if the tree bends left or right. The roots are planted deep within my heart.” Then Zeth stepped forward, and Jade almost lost her mind when he pointed at her while singing, winking. She was already hot inside, lost in his eyes. He looked absolutely breath-taking, and his voice sounded so raspy, powerful, confident and smooth. It was soothing. Zeth made another gesture and smiled at her. She nodded, trying to look calm and cool, and waved at him as he turned around to sing the chorus with the other guys.
“Me muero por bajar del avión. Go back home and then yell: I’m back now! Hey! I will never forget the place I came from. No importa si estoy lejos, siempre vuelvo.” They all sang in unison, with Frank moving a bit clumsily, Draco jumping around and Alex nailing some killer stripper moves with Kevin. Finn and Everett were singing back to back and Zeth... He was still looking at her.
It would be hard to tell them that she had already given up, but Jade knew deep down that the boys weren't for her.
And that hurt a little too much.
“I really need to get off this plane. Ir a casa y gritar: He vuelto! Hey!” They moved fluidly together and had a great rhythm. Maybe this was a variation of the song because, on the studio track, only Alex and Everett sang this part, but Jade couldn’t complain because their voices complemented each other well, creating a beautiful sound that resonated in her heart. “Yo nunca olvidaré de dónde vengo. I will never forget the place I came from.”
While Jade danced a little, Evie walked around in circles, desperately trying to contact her team.
This was wrong, so wrong!
Surely something had happened, something bad, and she was here without knowing anything.
She couldn't afford a distraction, and tonight she allowed herself one and now she was terribly sorry about it.
She couldn't lose the boys, she couldn't ever live without Frank's sweetness, Draco's cuteness, Alex's irreverence, Finn's firmness, Zeth's intelligence, Everett's social awkwardness or Kevin's smile.
For the rest of the song, Evie tried to check the hotel cameras from her phone only to find static, just like in her comms.
"I better get going," said Jade and Evie looked up at her, "It hurts to say goodbye, but I have to move on with my life and... Are you okay, Evie?"
“I have no eyes nor ears,” Evie whispered, "Jade, you must go. I think you are at risk."
Jade turned cold inside when she saw Evie turning pale, sweating cold.
"Okay, I'll leave and call 911," Jade nodded, but just as she began walking towards the hotel...
"Oh! Don't go, my sweet Señorita!" She heard Alex's voice, "We have something for you tonight."
Suddenly, a spotlight turned on, illuminating Jade, making her turn towards the stage.
"I would like to dedicate this song to our new bodyguard," Draco said on stage, with all the boys behind him smiling, "You've proved to be a truly skilled member of our team, Jade. And now, for the first performance ever of the song she wrote herself, this is Make Me Yours!"
And the people exploded in screams around Jade.
She froze.
The boys... Were they seriously going to sing the song she wrote?!
"Oh Jesus..." Kimberly startled Jade. She didn't see the blonde approach until she was already by her side. "Those guys really have a crush on you, girl!"
“You really think so?” Jade looked up at Zeth as he began to sing...
“Don’t know if it is your face, or your body, or your gaze. Ooh, but you’ve got me so obsessed.” Zeth gestured towards her, pointing a finger as he walked to the edge of the stage, and then he stopped, staring at Jade while adding more emotion to the next line of the song. “Now I see you everywhere, even in the darkest place. Ooh, so I need you in my bed.” His voice was so powerful, so raspy and sensual, as addictive as his touch.
And that line... It was obvious that only Zeth was supposed to sing it.
Jade shook her head and looked down, avoiding Zeth's gaze for several moments. There was something about him that made her blush with just one look. But he kept looking at her, smiling widely.
“And I don’t know... Why I’ve been feeling brave! And stronger! But tonight I’m here... For you...” Then Frank sang with his fake brown eyes fixed on her. Those high notes were perfect, strong but full of emotion. His voice was sweet, full of love for her, a prodigious voice that made her skin crawl. She could feel every single eye on her. She now wore the envy of hundreds of people.
“Don’t know if it’s right to say these words.” And then Draco started walking to the centre of the stage while singing. “Take me now and make me say your name, babe. I’ll put in your hands my heart and fate. I’m naked here tonight and darling! I’m not thinking straight! So... Make me yours, make me yours...” Oh God! Draco was singing beautifully. All these intense emotions within Jade... Damn! They terrified her but made her feel so alive at the same time! “I’m naked here tonight! So, make me yours... Make me yours, make me yours... I’m naked here tonight! So, make me yours, oh!” When Draco was done singing, the entire pool area fell silent and the lights went off...
And then there was an explosion of neon lights and EDM-slash-dance-pop music.
The boys danced the choreography in sync, without missing a single step or jump or turn, happy and laughing, and those seven pairs of eyes were fixed on her.
Jade now wasn't sure if she wanted this to be her last night being their girlfriend, because even though she wanted to stay, she knew that maybe this wasn't the type of relationship for her.
Should she fight? Or get away from them? She didn't know anything about them, she didn't feel ready to continue with this, she didn't know if it was the right thing to insist on an empty relationship.
“Don’t know when we crossed the line, but my life is in your hands. Ooh, I’m desperate for you,” Finn and Everett sang in unison, both staring at Jade, “Through the cold, blood, sparks or sand, I’d cross the sea, or step on glass. Ooh, howling at the moon for you.”
Nothing could ruin this moment!
Nothing in the world could be more perfect than this!
But Jade wasn't sure if this was what she wanted.
She turned to see Evie by her right, pressing her earpiece, pacing frantically.
"Someone is jamming the cameras and my comms," Evie whispered, looking around at the people with prosthetics in the audience, "Beneficiaries and clients of Roman Industries.” She glanced at the guys on stage, "One of the beneficiaries is a Trojan horse and their prosthesis is causing the interference." She then analysed the company's employees, "They all have company pins on their clothes. Tiny cameras, so their boss knows everything without being here."
Evie turned to look at Kimberly walking towards the edge of the stage. She didn't look like a bodyguard in that black dress, that's why she was still here.
"She wants to leave the boys unprotected," Evie was breathing very quickly, "This sounds familiar...”
Evie saw all these people, distracted and dancing, celebrating without knowing that there was a shift in the shadows.
“Jade!” Evie looked at her, dancing a little by her left, "Jade! You like history, right?” Evie asked and Jade nodded, looking weirdly at her, “The conquest of the city of Latmus, Artemisia staged a festival away from the city to draw the inhabitants out and then captured it without a fight, right?”
“It actually was the work of Artemisia II.” Jade said, “Why?”
“Capture...” Evie turned to look at the boys, “Jade, I think history is going to repeat itself like Zeth says.”
“Do you think Artemisia Roman wants to capture someone?” Jade asked, “Who?”
Evie didn't have much time to think about it though...
There were screams, people looking up at a window several floors above.
“Evie! Look!” Jade gasped.
From the tenth floor, a woman fell, and all the people gasped.
The music stopped, the dancing too.
The woman fell like a cannonball, destroying the centre of the stage. Pieces of metal flew through the air, and the boys covered their faces and took several steps back as some of the dust cleared.
There was silence, then there was whispering, and all the boys were petrified when they saw a pale hand emerge from the hole between them.
"Enough of this ridiculousness!" A tall woman came out of the hole, wearing gold platform heels and a sand-coloured dress with an open leg. She was like an angel, with light blonde hair, almost platinum, and blue eyes as cold as ice. Her skin was like snow, her body was athletic, bodybuilding type, and her beauty was blinding. "Stop idolizing these idiots!"
Kimberly took slow steps back, approaching Evie and Jade without taking her eyes off this mysterious woman.
"We're going to need this," Kimberly said, blindly reaching into her purse, handing a firearm to Evie.
"Where did you get this handgun?" Evie asked as Kim pulled one out for herself.
"From under the front seats of your car, you know what I'm like," Kim said, pulling out her grapple gun and tossing the cat purse to the side.
"Who is she?" Jade covered her mouth, turning to see Evie and Kim with serious expressions on their faces, "Evie! What is... Fuck!"
“Jade!” Evie and Kim shouted in unison.
A strong bronze-coloured, metallic arm hugged Jade tightly from behind, squeezing her. This man was tall, almost as tall as Frank.
“Jade!” Kim pulled the trigger. The man in the robot suit laughed as the bullet was deflected by his horned skull-shaped helmet.
People screamed all around them. With the first shot of a firearm, all the people lost control and began to run to the emergency exit of the pool area.
“Oh my God! What’s going on?!” Jade heard a shot, the incomparable sound of a grapple gun, and then she started going up fast, just as fast as when she climbed onto Everett's back. The guy in the bronze suit was laughing as she tried to free herself from his grip as they ascended, “Help! Evie! Guys! Help!” Jade screamed as she disappeared up into the air.
“Jade!” Evie drew her grapple gun, aiming up.
“Jade!” Frank looked up, “I am coming for you!” Frank raised his grapple hand but...
“Frank! Watch out!” Finn shouted.
Frank turned slowly.
The platinum blonde woman slid across the floor with two swords made of some type of golden energy in her hands, slashing at his robotic legs, slicing through them like a hot knife through butter.
Frank fell to the ground, on his chest, with a loud thud.
There were screams of terror.
Evie looked at Frank grunting on the floor, then up to where Jade had disappeared.
"I'm sorry Jade. My job is to protect the boys," Evie whispered, "But I promise to rescue you."
"Athenisia!" Zeth shouted, and the platinum blonde woman frowned as she unsummoned her golden energy swords.
"And who the hell are you?" She whispered, turning to look at Draco, "Oh! I know you, Von Stroker!"
"I'll go get Jade," Everett bent his knees to gain momentum, but Athenisia summoned an energy spear and put her foot on Frank’s back, threatening him with the tip of her weapon near his neck.
"No. You are going to stay here, Yeti," Athenisia ordered, "Or your friend here will lose more than just his legs. Now. Where is Zeth Rahman?"
"It's me you're looking for," Zeth raised his head, standing in front of his friends.
"What a way to hide in plain sight, I didn't recognise you," Athenisia scoffed, "You and I are going to settle our differences here, Uncle Zeth. You're going to tell me where your heart is."
"What if I refuse?" Zeth raised an eyebrow, but Athenisia raised her spear and pierced Frank's robot hand.
There were sparks and smoke.
All the people still in the pool area screamed. The rest were still fighting to get out through the emergency exit.
"Zeth! Don't tell her anything!" Frank begged and Athenisia laughed.
"I thought there would be blood and pain," Athenisia put the tip of her spear on Frank's flesh-and-blood hand, "Maybe this one does bleed?"
There was a gunshot, Athenisia looked up at a metal bar being pierced by a hook.
"Get off my boyfriend!" Evie used her grapple gun to swing, kicking Athenisia off Frank, landing hard in front of Zeth.
“Bluebird, the traitorous hunter,” Athenisia summoned and threw an energy dagger at her. Evangeline screamed when it lodged itself in her shoulder.
“Evie!” All the Monster Mash guys gasped.
"You are mine now, hunter," Athenisia held up her golden energy spear.
"Hang on!" Kim shot her grapple gun and swung, but Athenisia brandished her spear quickly, cutting the metal wire.
Kim fell face first on the stage.
"Guys, stand behind me," Evie said, with the dagger stuck in her shoulder, grunting, "I'll protect you."
"A hunter like you protecting monsters? How funny!" Athenisia laughed.
"I will too," Kim said, standing next to Evie, both nodding at each other as Athenisia laughed.
"Let's settle this with a Death Match then," Athenisia held her glowing spear with both hands, "Let's see who survives in the end."