Jade opened her eyes and struggled to remember where she was.
Golden walls, relics everywhere, diamonds and sapphires...
Right.
It was Zeth's room.
She had to get used to waking up here because very soon this would be a daily occurrence.
She was so comfortable in this bed she could not get up, and when she turned to see the alarm clock on the nightstand...
"It's one in the afternoon?!" she yelped. Her stomach tightened with the familiar ache that always came with hunger. She looked around, not finding anything out of place. No one at all. It was just her, the quiet and stillness. "Zeth? Are you there, Zeth?"
"He's gone," a voice said, a very elegant and calm, feminine voice, "I was just about to wake you up actually."
Jade cocked her head.
Wasn't she alone here?
From behind a golden sarcophagus, a tall girl, around five-foot-nine with shoulder-length black hair appeared. She was texting someone.
And Jade immediately felt ugly and tiny in her presence.
This perfect stranger was dressed in a long-sleeved blue sweater dress which hugged her athletic figure and fell to a flirty mini hem, and she was also wearing black mid-thigh stiletto boots.
Everything about her screamed style, and that posture, that aura full of mystery, gave Jade the feeling that she shouldn't mess with this girl.
Wow! She looked like a supermodel or some video game character! Even more so with those pistols placed in leg holsters made of apparent black leather.
The girl was the impossible beauty standard Jade detested and refused to live up to, but there was something about her, something empowering, that had left Jade shocked.
She had some 'one woman army' posture, the way she walked was elegant, she looked muscular but feminine, and Jade immediately felt envious or, perhaps, hopeful that one day she could be remotely similar to her.
This girl had just destroyed an entire lifetime of beliefs with her mere presence.
She was probably in her mid-twenties, but with one look, Jade could tell she was much more mature.
"Who are you?" Jade asked, sitting up. God! Wasn't she beautiful?
"My name is Evie," the girl said in a calm and collected voice tone, tucking her phone into a pouch on her belt. "I will be your bodyguard today."
Jade frowned.
Bodyguard?
She looked more like a top model than a bodyguard.
She had brown eyes, but they were so dull with seriousness that they looked black.
"Are you friends with the boys?" Jade asked, and Evie nodded with her arms crossed, looking at Jade up and down as if she were jealous of her. How could someone this imposing be jealous of Jade? Even thinking about it was silly.
"Zeth left you that phone and I made sure it can't be traced or hacked. Erich has already been informed that you're here so don't worry," Evie pointed at the nightstand where a golden phone lay plugged into an outlet by the wall, next to a laptop. Jade picked it up, staring down at the screen. Her hands trembled.
"Tell Zeth I am very thankful. This phone is very expensive," she said, inspecting it, "How did Zeth know I wanted this one?"
"I sneaked into your room the night Cadence's daughter yelled at you," Evie said, unfiltered and matter-of-factly, "I read your diary and told him the model you wanted."
"You broke into my house?!"
"I didn't break anything, I'm way too talented for that." Evie answered, "I also read that you wanted the band's dolls but you couldn't get them because they sold out quickly and you didn't have enough money to buy them from a reseller. Zeth has already taken care of that."
"Zeth bought me the dolls?"
"They will be in your hands soon, They will be the collector's dolls." Evie looked Jade up and down, "Your doll collection is also nice, they are all second-hand but it seems that you know how to repair and repaint them."
"I bought almost all my dolls at flea markets and garage sales... But I'm pretty worried about everything you just said," Jade gulped.
"Go get ready and don't take long, it will be a long drive and the event is somewhat formal." The girl checked a smartwatch that she had on her left wrist, "I'll wait for you outside. You and I will go have breakfast, even though it is already afternoon, to a place in Beach Seaty"
"Ooookay, I will shower first."
"Dress in your best clothes. Anything Zeth bought you will do."
"Zeth sent you?"
"I wish it had been Zeth," Evie shook her head as she walked gracefully to the door, very agile in those boots. Now that her back was turned, Jade noticed that she had a silver gun in a holster on her belt right where her back stopped being her back. Jade was feeling quite envious because she wanted to have a butt (and boobs) as round and firm as hers, but the gun was what caught her attention the most because there was some kind of hook coming out of it. Was that a grapple gun like those in spy movies? "If you're done staring at my butt, I'll answer your question," Evie said and Jade turned red with embarrassment, looking into her eyes, "Frank is the one who asked me to escort you to Beach Seaty."
"Frank?" Jade cocked her head and searched through the bags of clothes, picking the black dress with diamonds, gold-heeled booties, and a golden jacket. "And what are you supposed to protect me from if I'm no one important?"
"I haven't stopped asking myself the same thing," the bodyguard said with a grimace, perhaps a bit of jealousy in her tone.
"Hey, quick question. I saw some woman's earrings and..." Jade swallowed hard, "Does Zeth bring a lot of girls to his room?"
"No."
"Oh. I thought another girl had slept here before me."
"You just slept? Alone?"
"Yeah. He let me shower and then I fell asleep and well, I just woke up."
"Good," Evie smiled slightly, "And he didn't tell you to say that, did he?"
"Do you think I'm an S Word or why do you ask?"
"Terrible word choice," Evie said and rolled her eyes, "Well, are you waiting for a written invitation? Go take a shower! Hurry up."
"Hey, but where do you know Frank from? Are you a monster?" Jade asked with her clothes in her hands, and the girl nodded her head.
"I'm a monster. If it weren't for me, Frank would never have needed prosthetics." she said and Jade gasped. "Now stop asking questions and hurry up."
Evie left the room, and Jade froze.
Why would someone ever hurt sweet Frank?
And why did Evie sound so cold and unfeeling?
Why was she so mysterious?
Why would Frank keep that girl around in the first place?
And why would he task her with protecting Jade if she was the one who hurt him?
Or was there something else going on?
Why would they leave her with this girl, knowing how dangerous she was?
She didn't have the answers to any of this.
After taking a shower in Zeth's fancy bathroom and getting dressed quickly, Jade decided to put on some expensive makeup that Zeth had left for her in one of the bags. Said makeup wasn't going to stay there at the bottom without anyone wearing it, was it?
Eyeliner, golden lipstick and eyeshadow, a little blush, yeah, that would be enough.
She even made sure that her hair looked fluffy, and that fancy shampoo and the treatment Laska gave her the day before did wonders because every strand looked silky smooth.
Once Jade came out of Zeth's room smelling expensive, Evie told her that they had the opportunity to attend The Opera House TV Show.
Jade felt like bursting out screaming.
What had the guys gotten her into?!
Looking at the ticket, there was a long list of clothing requirements which ultimately ended in being told to dress 'formally' like they were attending a nice restaurant or club. The ticket also said that if they didn't, they would be denied entry.
Now the clothes and makeup Zeth had bought for her made sense, so it's a good thing Jade took her time to look super stylish.
After an hour's drive north in a blue Camaro, Evie parked at a large mall of Beach Seaty.
The heat was overwhelming.
Evie offered to take Jade to eat at a fancy Japanese restaurant, and the yakimeshi, kushiages and sushi rolls were the best thing Jade had ever tasted.
Jade was hesitant at first to order because all the dishes and even the canned sodas were ridiculously expensive, but Evie told her that Frank had left enough money for them to eat whatever they wanted.
The meal was silent.
"Waiter, please bring the bill," Evie said in a polite, calm and elegant voice. Jade had never felt so envious, she didn't know why but this girl had it all - her looks, her brains, her behaviour, everything that made people jealous, she had it.
"So, you're really close with the boys?" Jade asked as Evie opened her purse to take out her wallet. "I mean, I don't mind you being friends with them."
Evie laughed.
"Wait. You don't mind me being friends with them? What are you talking about, girl?" Evie frowned, her lips tight like she was holding back on telling her what she thought. "I didn't know it was important to have your approval to be their bodyguard."
"I didn't mean that," Jade bit her lip as the waiter placed the bill on the table. Evie handed the money to the man, who quickly left, perhaps sensing the tension between the two of them. "I'm just saying that because, well, there's something very intimate and special between them and me, you know?"
"If you think I'm a threat to your non-existent romantic relationship with them, you're wrong." Evie replied harshly, and Jade noticed how her fingers tapped against the table. It sounded rehearsed. Like she had done it before.
"I never said that."
"Well, I am saying it," Evie quickly replied, "You know, I met the boys long before you, even before they were famous."
"Really?"
"Yes, in fact, I am Frank's ex-girlfriend," Evie said, and then Jade's whole fantasy collapsed.
There was a brief silence as both girls processed what was just said.
Jade felt sick. The world fell into blackness, her bones turned to water.
Jade didn't know that.
How could she ever know?
Why didn't anyone tell her this before?!
If she was Frank's ex-girlfriend... How the hell was Jade going to compete with that?!
In retrospect, Frank and this woman definitely looked good together. Black hair, both very tall, perfect bodies, those were the similarities. At the same time, they complemented each other, like good cop and bad cop or sweet and sour. There was no doubt that they could be a fitness magazine cover couple.
"I... I..." Jade couldn't form words, she felt weak and dizzy. She was losing her breath, losing her footing, the bustle of the restaurant was now a distant echo. "I need some air." She grabbed her purse and stood up, making a beeline to the nearest exit. She vaguely heard Evie call after her but she didn't pay attention.
She pushed the door open and stepped on solid concrete, leaning against the wall, closing her eyes.
Her chest hurt at the sight of the sky, blue above her head like it always was, only this time there was nothing calming about it.
She tried to slow her breathing, try to think through what happened.
Tall, beautiful, athletic and elegant. That was Frank's ex. Jade was nothing like her.
Did the author of this love story hate her? Or why choose such a difficult rival?! Why the high standard?! Wasn't the protagonist supposed to be the best girl around?
No. That was the point. The point was that the guy had to love her just the way she was, quirky and clumsy, even if his ex was the cheerleading captain or a supermodel.
Frank and all the guys in the band had to love Jade for being different from the other girls, without needing to go to the gym or being sociable or even nice. They should love her for who she was, just for existing and having entered their lives unexpectedly.
The restaurant door opened again, and the sound of stiletto boots made Jade turn around.
"Let's move, we're behind schedule," Evie said, with her car keys in hand. "We have to arrive an hour early to queue, so I'm going to drive fast."
Jade nodded numbly.
They walked together in silence.
It didn't take long for them to reach the blue Camaro. There weren't many cars here, so there wasn't a lot of noise or people, just what Jade needed.
A bit of silence.
Jade got into the car and put on her seatbelt, barely able to breathe.
It would be better if she could forget, pretend that her whole fantasy didn't just fall apart like that.
"We are here," Evie said upon arriving at their destination.
Jade got nervous as she saw the long line outside the huge glass building.
They stood in line for a good hour in the blazing heat, but once they got in, Jade and Evie sat there for a really long time, listening to the guy the show hired to keep the audience interested.
They waited a long time.
People who came in significantly later than them got better seats because fate was on their side when tickets were being randomly handed out.
According to Evie, Everett had gotten these tickets because a woman owed him a favour after leaving her radiant for her wedding years ago, and for sculpting a huge ice statue of her with her fiancé hugging each other surrounded by doves, swans, and heart-shaped branches around them.
When the judges finally walked in, the audience cheered.
It was exhilarating, to say the least, and the judges said they were the best crowd yet, which they probably told everyone.
It was then announced that the guest judges, the Opermans, would only be present during the final act.
Right after the judges sat down, the show started. Jade was very pleased but wasn't ready for how long they actually spent on each performance.
The judges' critiques and banter were almost exactly as they appeared on television.
For three hours, Jade and Evie only got to see about ten people sing. It went even slower because the judges took long breaks every hour while the audience was told it would only take a minute.
It went really slow, and many people mentioned they wanted to leave before it ended, but the vast majority said they were just waiting to see Monster Mash, and Jade felt like a proud girlfriend.
The audience was getting restless near the middle, and almost everyone was only a shell of how excited they were in the beginning.
Jade wondered how much of this recorded show would actually be televised.
After twenty more minutes, the host spoke again.
"Please welcome Faltom Operman and Cadence Christensen!"
The judges stood up and thanked the audience, then sat down in reserved front-row seats for the Opermans to take their places.
Everyone cheered at the sight of slender and nearly bald Faltom Operman and his gorgeous wife, Cadence. They were both dressed nicely, with Cadence sporting her hair done up into an elaborate knot in the back. Cadence's dress was black and red with tiny roses decorating the top and she was wearing thin red heels to accentuate her legs.
"And now, the show everyone's been waiting for!" The lights danced, and Jade felt her nerves kick in, too nervous about her boys.
The stage began to change, turning purple and orange. Towers with banners reading Monster Mash and Fifth Octave emerged from the ground. Above the stage, neon decoration pieces descended with a loud buzz, mostly orange pumpkins and purple bats.
"Excuse me, I have to go for a second," Evie whispered in Jade's ear and stood up, leaving her alone here. What was this girl's problem?! Did she not care to see the boys at their most important moment?! Well good! Jade wouldn't let her ruin this for her anyway.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage... Fifth Octave and Monster Mash!"
The audience went crazy, and Jade's heart pounded against her chest.
This was really happening.
She was finally going to see her boys sing live and in the flesh for the first time...
How terrifying!