Outside the Hallow Inn, Zeth and Alex smoked cigarettes next to a tube-shaped ashtray, talking about the video clip for their next single. Draco was done smoking, turning from one side to the other every time Alex or Zeth spoke.
"And you want to film the video at the Hallow Woods University campus?" asked Alex, putting out his cigarette.
"The campus looks like some castle out of a teen movie, so yeah," Zeth replied, "I already asked Egor to talk to the Dean, his name is Maddox Hill."
"Madew Hill's son is the Dean?" Draco asked.
"It was to be expected." Zeth snapped his fingers and nodded, "I think a classic concept is what we need. Remember when we shot 'Frozen Heart' in Quebec and Oahu?"
"It was just us having a good time! And I'm talking about Hawaii because I was freezing to death in Canada," Alex shivered.
"And I loved the editing of how we went from cold to hot! I want to shoot another video like that again!" Draco started to bounce in place, and Alex stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.
"And it was our video with the most views and likes in twenty-four hours," Zeth took another drag on his cigarette, "Nothing that a full video of me... I mean us, going from winter clothes to shirtless couldn't accomplish!"
"That was my favourite video!" Draco said, nodding way too effusively, "But I swear, swear, swear that the camera that broke was not me!"
"I know, Draquito," Alex nodded as Zeth lit his second cigarette with a gold lighter "I asked Evie to follow you everywhere from afar and she told me that you behaved. En fin! I liked shooting that video too!"
"I always have amazing ideas." Zeth ran a hand through his hair, "We all had a great time that day."
"Except for Frank! He burned his eyebrows!" Draco was laughing madly, even doubling down, "We, we told you jumping a rope on fire was a bad idea, Zeth! You should have given Finn that instead of a boring beach scene!"
"Not everyone has the grace that I have to jump a flaming rope." Zeth replied.
"Oh! One of my favourite things about our ten days in Oahu was the food trucks!" Draco began jumping a bit.
"Yeah, those were great," Alex nodded. "I got to admit Finn was right when he said Giovanni's Shrimp Truck was a bit overhyped."
"But all the food trucks Finn recommended were great. I mean, he worked nearby." Draco said, licking his lips. "Oh! OH! The garlic shrimp galette of North Shore Crepes cafe was amazing!"
"And Frank said the blackened Mahi Mahi and coconut shrimp of Haleiwa Seafood were amazing too." Alex said. "And Everett said there was an astonishing line out the front door of Matsumoto Shave Ice but that it was worth the wait."
"Sometimes I miss eating," Zeth said.
"You missed a lot, Zeth." Draco said, then scratched his head, "Although I still wonder why that surfer girl who made Finn's nervous referred to him as 'Barracuda Seamons' because, I don't know, he's not..."
"Okay, okay, we're getting off track." Zeth snapped his fingers, "Back to important matters. This album is almost complete and all that's left to do now is release each single one by one until Halloween Night, but Egor will take care of that. We need to re-record 'Alien Crap' and shoot two more music videos and the 'Neon Wights' era will be over. And we also have Frank's charity concert here at the Hallow Inn this Saturday."
"Oh! I'm really excited to have a concert here," Draco said, making a square with his fingers, closing one eye. "I think we can decorate the whole place to look like a neon haunted castle."
"Wait! Re-record 'Alien Crap' again? Why?!" Alex lost it, "Because his majesty didn't like the way it turned out?"
"That's right." Zeth replied, "And saying 'again' while having 're-record' in the same sentence is redundant. Anyway, we'll re-record it as soon as Draco makes the necessary corrections to the mess of a song you wrote, Alfaro. It is atrocious! You thought the melody was a slight suggestion! It's useless, period."
"Well if that's all it takes to finish the 'Neon Wights' era, that's fine by me," Alex nodded and put his hands on his head, closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, "Finally a break!"
"Not so fast, Alfaro," Zeth immediately said, "We need to start working on the fifth album now that we're off tour so we can calmly record everything in the studio of Lyonfort. But I think we can do a lot more than just that."
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked.
Zeth took a drag on his cigarette, then explained...
"After we released 'Disembodied Voices' several music critics and Mashers alike agreed that the whole album is a sickening reminder that we belong in Punk-Rock music, I mean, Cadence wrote about that too. And after we released 'Evil Rise' and 'I'm Just A Clown' for those horror movies, many critics said that those were excellent additions to our rock catalogue. Considering that 'Slasher Mask' is our next punk-rock single, I think we'll get similar feedback soon so we have to give the people what they want."
"Wait. What exactly are we talking about?" Alex asked.
"Monster Mash ReVamped," Zeth said, laughing with his hands up, "I know, I know, not too original, been done before. But it will be our first remix album and will comprise our greatest hits, re-recorded rock versions of course. Miss Van Shee is on it already."
"And do you think Mrs. Van Shee can make it happen?" Draco asked, "She's already old and I don't think she is fast enough to compose melodies for the fifth album and this remix album. Maybe we should get some musicians to help her."
"Finn can play the electric guitar," Alex said, "And Zeth, you can play a lot of instruments, why don't you..."
"I don't have enough time, Alex." Zeth replied, "If I did, I wouldn't be looking for a composer to assist our composer. Now, back to the new video..." Zeth continued, dismissing with one hand, "I want it classic! Something without so many complications."
"Finally!" Alex said, "I'm glad you finally see the simpler side of the job, Zeth. I actually have some ideas."
"I'm listening?" Zeth raised an eyebrow.
"Okay." Alex rubbed his palms together, "If it was up to me, I'd shoot something simple but fun, some twerking, miniskirts, maybe some stripper poles, fun for the whole family, you know?"
Zeth and Draco looked at each other in complete seriousness.
"I'm going to pretend you said nothing... As I was saying. I want Frank in the robotics lab, you in the library," Zeth pointed at Draco and then at Alex, "You in the basketball courts, Finn by the pool, Everett in the foyer, and me!" he raised his head like a diva, "I'll be with the cheerleaders! At long last!"
"So there won't be any Dragon?" Draco pouted, "I mean, the song is about a Dragon."
"We all wrote the song about Evie," Zeth said, "And there's no better place to shoot the 'Dragon Slayer' video than where it all began: college. But here comes the twist... Evie will be the protagonist fighting against a model who will play the dragon. It will be a homage to teenage romance movies with a medieval touch. I don't know if I explained myself well."
"I like the idea," Alex nodded, "Kind of like medieval Mean Girls. I'm in. But do you think Evie would want to be our model?"
"No idea," Zeth replied, "I will ask her. And I still need the dragon girl."
"Hey, do you think my trophy is still at school?" Draco asked, bouncing a little, "Because I'd like to show it off in the video! The chess champion is back, baby!"
"I didn't know you played chess," Alex raised an eyebrow and Draco nodded a little too enthusiastically.
"Oh! Oh! I loved it! I used to play every day! It was the Angry Bats of the past!" Draco then got a little lost, staring at the stars until Alex snapped his fingers, "Oops, Ãmi pare rÄu. I got lost. We were talking about..."
"Chess," Zeth replied.
"Wait," Alex was so confused, "You two, Frank and I went to college together. Correct me if I'm wrong but, Draquito never won anything. I mean, you weren't even in the chess club."
"No, not when I went to college with you, but I actually went to college with the woman who wrote the article, and so did Zeth!" Draco gasped, "Oh! Zeth! Zeth! Tell him! Tell him how you and Cadence, ha-ha! You know, behind the bleachers?"
"Draco, don't go there," Zeth warned.
"I don't get it. What..." a sound among the branches of a tree made Alex turn quickly, but he gasped when he saw Draco hopping in place. "Hey! Animaniac! Behave! You promised not to do anything stupid!"
Draco nodded, but a light, sweet meow made both boys' ears perk.
Oh. No.
"Oh. OH! Guys! GUYS! A cat!" Draco exclaimed, pointing a finger at a tree at the foot of the stone steps.
"Here we go again," Zeth sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, "Just like when we were kids and Draco got stuck in a tree that ended up falling on The Titan's stables."
"What are you talking about?" Alex's eyes widened.
"I'm saying that Draco almost got me killed last time this happened, I wasn't immortal yet so..." Zeth sighed, "Forget it, history is bound to repeat itself right now."
"But what..." Alex swallowed hard.
"Oh, poor little thing! I'm going to help you, kitty! Hold on! Super Draco is here to save the day!" Draco exclaimed, running towards the tree laughing childishly, grabbing onto the strongest branches and climbing surprisingly nimble in his Goth boots.
"Con una puta madre! Draco! Get down here! You're going to fall!" Alex yelled, running after his friend. "Draco! Draco, that branch is going to break!"
Zeth took a drag on his cigarette while watching.
It was almost comical to see these two; he couldn't deny it.
It was like watching cartoons.
Draco climbed higher and higher, and Alex was at the foot of the tree, perhaps analysing the branches to see if they would stand his weight.
"Zeth! Cabrón! Help me out!" Alex yelled, and Zeth's shoulders dropped.
"I'm not going to climb that tree, Alfaro. Do you know how expensive the jacket I'm wearing is?" Zeth pinched the bridge of his nose, "He'll be fine!"
"Aren't you worried about Draco? Don't you say he's like your little brother?!" Alex was already pulling strands of his hair.
"He is. Born a vampire three years after I was born a mortal," Zeth said, "Relax, Alfaro. He's immune to everything except for sacred wood and that tree isn't..."
"Zeth! Don't give me any explanations! Use your powers and make him come down!"
"I can use my powers to make the cat come down, you know?" Zeth rolled his eyes, "Just let Draco be Draco for once!"
"And that's why Draco keeps getting into trouble, Zeth! You never ground him and you always let him do whatever he wants!"
"I'm not his dad, Alfaro," Zeth replied, "Believe me, I met the guy and he was the worst father ever."
"I almost have the cat!" Draco shouted from above, "Oh wow! So cute! Can we keep it?"
"If the cat has no owner, we can adopt it," Zeth said, but Alex shook his head.
"Zeth, I can find a home for the cat, but no, no pets for Draco!"
"We can adopt it to honour Sphinx," Zeth said with a smile and Alex growled.
"See! You're too permissive with Draco! Why?!" Alex was already growing claws.
"Now I have to explain myself?" Zeth raised an eyebrow.
"No, I'm just saying that you're going to get Draco killed if you let him do whatever he wants!"
"I grew up with Draco. Believe me, after so many centuries, you begin to understand that nothing will happen to him."
"Get on my shoulders, Zeth!" Alex ordered.
"I'm telling you, Draco will be fine! Do you know how many trees he's fallen from?! Let him be!"
"You were a cheerleader for God's sake! Get on my shoulders!" Alex grumbled and gasped when a branch snapped above him. "Fuck, Zeth! Get on my shoulders now!"
"Fine! And just so you know, I was a cheerleading captain and I have a trophy at home to prove it," Zeth said and walked like a runway model towards the tree. "Okay, let's do this, first, I need you to..."
But then there was a piercing meow, and Draco began screaming.
"Help! Help! The cute kitty is... Attacking me!"
There was a crack, a branch breaking.
Draco fell butt first to the ground in a second, and in his strong arms, which were covered in scratches like his face, was a tabby cat.
"Draco!" Alex lost it completely, "See! I told you so! I told you that you were going to fall, pendejo!"
"It was a worth it, wasn't it?" Draco replied, rolling on the floor, rubbing his back, and letting go of the cat, who immediately ran to Alex's feet to rub itself against his purple leopard print sweatpants.
"Are you okay, bro?" Alex sounded genuinely dismayed.
"God, my sciatica!" Draco was still rolling like a log.
"He's going to be okay," Zeth said, patting Alex on the shoulder.
"Whatever!" Alex bent to pick the cat up, and it purred.
Draco sat up, rubbing his head.
"Everything is okay now, Buddy," Alex held the cat in his arms, and it purred louder and louder, "Hey! There's a Seven Eleven across the street. Maybe we should buy a bag of food."
"That cat has a collar," Zeth commented, "It is someone's cat apparently. I guess we'll have to find its owner."
"It says here that his name is Mozart," Alex inspected the feline's badge, and then stroked its ears, "Wow, you are so cute, buddy!"
"Cute?! That beast left my face like a crossword puzzle!" Draco yelled and stood up, but the wounds on his face were fading with each passing second, "Don't you see that I live off my audience?"
"You sound like Zeth now." Alex giggled.
"Give me the cat, Alfaro," Zeth spread his arms, "Go buy something for him."
"Treat him well," Alex said and handed the cat to Zeth.
"You do know that I adore cats, right?"
"I was talking to the cat, Zeth," Alex said sternly. "Can I leave you in charge of Draco while I run to the store?"
"Hey, of course I can take care of him!" Zeth replied, cooing the cat.
"Don't take your eyes off Draco, Zeth," Alex begged.
"Pl-ease! It was just Draco and me for a long time, long before your parents were even born, Alfaro."
"Yeah but the last time you were left alone with Draco I had to call nine eleven. I don't want him to get stuck in any tube again," Alex put a finger to his chin, then shook his head, "You know what? Forget it! Draco, you are coming with me."
"Fair enough," Draco nodded, "Zeth has put up with my shit for over six thousand years already."
"Fine," Alex sighed, "Come on, Draquito! Let's not keep your majesty waiting!"
"Exactly! My time is precious!" Zeth said but Alex, who was already several steps ahead of Draco on his way to the store, shouted back.
"I was talking to the cat!"
"Sure, of course," Zeth began to stroke Mozart's ears then, "So you're the Mozart Everett was talking about earlier?"
"Draco! Oh My God!" Alex shouted in the distance.
There was a loud screeching of tires on asphalt.
Zeth sighed and looked up.
A car nearly crashed while trying not to hit Draco.
The driver honked and shouted some obscenities.
Alex had covered his ears and closed his eyes, and only straightened when he saw Draco alive and well.
"Sorry!" Draco shouted, waving at Zeth from afar.
"Come here you little shit," Alex soon took Draco by the hand and began to drag him along, "I already told you not to cross the street without looking both ways!"
"But nothing ever happens to me! I'm immortal!"
"And you're also impossible to look after! You're going to kill someone if you keep acting like this!"
"Amateur." Zeth smiled and looked down. Mozart was already falling asleep in his arms, "I'll tell you a bedtime story, Mozart." He cleared his throat, "Once upon a time, about six thousand years ago, Queen Zafira Rahman of Evalon sent The Envoys to the human lands to eliminate the Zeldichs that threatened the primitive human race, which was just blooming like a..."
"Excuse me," a voice behind Zeth made him turn around.
There was a young girl dressed in a white Monster Mash shirt and purple skirt standing there...
"Well hello there." Zeth said, but the girl was speechless, paralyzed, staring at him with wide, wide eyes. "Is the cat yours? Or do you want to take a picture with me?"
For Zeth, this was just another moment to make someone's night, but for her?
This had to be a dream!
"Hi," she finally managed to say, hoping her voice didn't shake, "I... I am Jade... I am... Hi."
"Hey," he returned with a cocky grin.
Everything around her vanished. She didn't know what to answer. God! She couldn't even remember her name!
It had to be a mirage.
It was him.
IT WAS HIM!
And he was much more beautiful in person!
And that expensive cologne, it was so... Manly!
Zeth had a smirk on his face, and was looking down at her as if she were the protagonist of a Wattpad story when meeting her next mistake.
"I see you are a fan," Zeth said in a melodic, sarcastic voice, looking at her shirt, "I guess I needn't introduce myself."
"Z-Zeth R-Rahman?!" She couldn't breathe.
This had to be a dream. No, it was not but... God! She was so nervous!
He was her favourite singer, her dream man, and he was standing here, breathing the same air as her!
Jade couldn't breathe.
It was amazing how they stood this close together, only a few inches separating them.
The air was stuck in her lungs, too thick to even take a breath.
"So your name is Jade?" he asked, but she was paralyzed.
Oh Dizzy Jesus Christ!
He had just said her name!
Her mouth had opened involuntarily, and the hum of silence sounded so loud that she feared she had gone deaf. He took two steps forward, studying her.
Jade's heart was beating like crazy, and there was an unfamiliar heat rising in her cheeks.
"You are so handsome," she whispered.
"What did you say?" he raised a bushy eyebrow, cocking his head. "Hey, usually at this point, you react and tell me we should take a picture, you know?"
Jade had to calm down. She had to control her breathing. In her head, over and over again, she was repeating what she would say to Zeth...
To Zeth Rahman...
He was looking at her, and he was Zeth Rahman!
Oh God!
"M-My friend... I will... I need to..."
"Are you okay?" Zeth asked, bringing his beautiful, perfect face closer until his nose was an inch from Jade's, "You look pale."
"I... I..." She could do this. "Ouch!" Jade gasped. She quickly touched her neck, right where she felt the pain like a bee sting.
"You okay?"
"I... I think I got bitten by a bug or..." With her nails, she removed the insect that had surely bitten her, except there was no insect crushed on her fingers, rather it was some sort of black disc the size of a dime.
"Zeth!" Someone was approaching. This guy had a pound sack of Cat Chow in his hands. It was him! Alycandro Alfaro! And Draco was behind him sucking on a lollipop! "Oye wey! I bought this! Hey! Is that the owner of the cat?"
Oh God!
Alycandro was so tall! And with each step he took, closer and closer, the scent of his woody cologne hypnotized Jade more and more.
"Hey! Your cat is a danger to the nation!" Draco yelled. Wow, he was short! But he was too good-looking. The cameras did not do him justice!
God! Wasn't he adorable?!
And he smelled like... Cherries!
Jade was standing in front of three out of six members of Monster Mash, and her heart was pumping, breaking, and rebuilding with every beat.
Her temples ached, the sound hollowed out.
"Oh God!" She took a step back, swaying. "I think that I am going to... Faint!"
With a blow, she fell straight to the concrete floor.
The three boys stood still, their gazes fixed on the girl sprawled on the sidewalk.
Silence followed.
"That was weird," Draco said, giving his lollipop a couple of licks.
"That was awkward," Zeth replied.
"Oh God! Why didn't anyone catch her?!" Alex ran to kneel next to the unconscious girl.
"I'm holding the cat," Zeth said as Alex checked Jade's wrist for a pulse.
"Draco? Why didn't you catch her?!" Alex looked up, but the only thing he saw was Zeth taking out his phone. "Draco?! Draco! Where the fuck did he go, Zeth?!"
"And how am I supposed to know that?!" Zeth yelled, "I'm going to call an ambulance, we don't know if she's going to wake up after seeing my beautiful face, right? And we don't want anyone to come and close my hotel!"
"Zeth, no one is coming to close your hotel and I don't think the ambulance is necessary. She just fainted! We must take her to our room," Alex said, picking the girl up in his strong arms.
"Where the hell did you get that absurd idea from?! A Wattpad novel?! The ambulance is necessary!" Zeth insisted, "You're going to get us into a lot of legal trouble!"
"To hell with the legal shit!" Alex grumbled, walking towards the hotel with the girl in his arms, bridal style, "Come on! We have to take her to our room now!"
"This is a bad idea. I'm already preparing for a lawsuit but..." Zeth threw up a hand in frustration, holding the cat tightly with the other, "Whatever! Let's do this the romantic and unrealistic way, right? I'm sure Zeth will take care of everything, right?! I'm always doing all the hard work and no one even deigns to tell me how good I look today! No! You only love me for what I do for you and for being the main attraction of the band!"
"No mames, estás bien pendejo." Alex whispered, "Zeth, shut up already! You sound like my ex-girlfriend! You're such a diva!"
"You clearly don't know the difference between being a diva and being reasonable. If this is your idea of helping someone, I don't understand how you've never ended up in prison!" Zeth grumbled, and with the cat in his toned arms, he entered the hotel after Alex.
Draco was already inside, jumping like a little boy in one of the armchairs in the lobby.