On the left side of the stage, the Fifth Octave boys looked nervous, and their postures were stiff.
On the right side, Monster Mash all held each other's hands, a bit expectantly.
"Honey," Faltom Operman said to his wife, who was smiling like never before, "Would you like to start?"
"Ok course. I'll start with Fifth Octave..." she cleared her throat, "Damon, I find it disrespectful that you forgot the lyrics of the song,"
"It's a shame we only heard you sing in unison with your companions," added Faltom. "Your voice and Alycandro's here are very similar, and it would have been wonderful for our audience to hear what I heard in the studio."
"Whatever," Damon rolled his eyes, "I'm only here because you promised to pay me overtime for this show."
"Oh. No, no. There's no overtime in this business," Cadence said, again laughing passive aggressively.
"Ha! Yeah, sure. You wanted me to be the Bad Boy? Well, I will be!" Damon said, throwing away his microphone, "Fuck this shit! I'm out!"
There was an awkward silence, and someone in the audience coughed.
"Well. What about Boomer and Kato?" Anton asked, and it was as if he wanted to distract the audience and his parents from Damon, who was already getting off the stage leaving behind the sound equipment that hung from his waist.
"Boomer has an amazing voice, he makes no effort at all and yet he sings well, but just well, nothing impressive. Could be better," said Cadence with a passive aggressive laugh, "Sometimes, it sounds like he's imitating someone else, meaning Everett."
"I don't have much to say about Kato," Faltom spoke, "But only because I haven't heard enough of him to understand the full scope of his voice. However, out of all your bandmates, you are definitely the one who shines the most on stage. And that improvised duet with Draco? It was simply exquisite!"
"Oh! Thank you so much, being here is a dream come true for me," Kato said with a smile.
"Thank you very much. I will do my best to improve." Boomer said, bowing.
"You are very welcome," Cadence said, "Deadgar. Your voice sounds melancholic, sweet, soft, and frankly, you sound quite basic. But you have potential. I can hear a powerful voice like Frank's here that hasn't fully blossomed yet. I'm not impressed, that's all I'll say."
"Yes, honey, but he's an amazing singer," Faltom said.
"What are you talking about?" Cadence asked her husband, "He sounds like he's whining half of the time! He messed up the harmonies for Super Mash when he competed here! You told me that's why you eliminated Super Mash!"
Faltom was already looking very uncomfortable by this point.
"Oh well, I... I think we should continue with the show. Now comes the hardest part of the night," Faltom said, looking at his son with a little fear, but his wife didn't seem fazed. "Ummm, honey. How about you go first?"
"Anton, I know I'm your mother but we have to be honest here. You started off well but then you sang awfully. You hurt my ears, okay?" said Cadence. "There is a difference between singing and yelling."
"Honey!" Faltom said, loosening his tie, "You can't say that."
"It's just that something about Anton's voice has always troubled me, and it's the fact that it's always inconsistent," she continued. "He has a nice voice and tone, but he didn't sing the song the way it's supposed to be sung. He lost control, and it sounded forced and unbalanced. It sounded like sabotage to be honest."
"Mother!" Anton yelled, and the entire venue erupted in whispers. "You must support me! It is your duty!"
"My duty is to ground you in reality and be a vocal critic," she replied.
"Well then, criticize them! Vulgar apes who strip for fame!" Anton pointed at Monster Mash like a spoiled child. "Start with the mountain with legs!"
Everett growled, but all the Monster Mash boys looked up at him and almost telepathically told him to behave.
Everett dropped his shoulders and relaxed his fists.
"Frostakov, you are a person of few words and so am I," said Cadence. "In my opinion, your chest voice is simply excellent! You ascend from the second octave to the fifth as if it were nothing. In short, you impressed me."
"You should be singing opera, Everett," Faltom said. "You'd be a worldwide phenomenon!"
"Thank you," Everett said dryly but with a smile. "I'm not interested in leaving band."
"It would be tragic if you did," Cadence replied, turning to face her husband. "Who's next?"
"Rubinstein," Faltom began, and Frank raised his head, pressing his lips. "It's been years since you've been a contestant on this show, and I didn't see much in your voice, even though I did see a singer who was determined to win. But with time, your voice has grown and blossomed!"
"Thank you, Mr. Operman," Frank said with a humble smile, "I must thank Zeth and Draco, and Everett, for teaching me how to unlock my full potential."
"Oh Frank! It is so sweet of you," Cadence had a genuine smile on her face, "I have to admit I wasn't expecting much from you. I've always thought that when you sing it sounds like you're whining, but you know what? That's what I liked most about you tonight. It's a very particular style of singing that suits you well, it sets you apart from the others. And your belting and falsettos are amazing!" Cadence told him and all Monster Mash boys gasped, "Keep on shining, Frank! I'm sure we haven't seen everything you have to offer yet."
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Christensen. It means a lot coming from you," Frank nodded, and Alex put an arm around his shoulders, shaking him effusively.
"Draco," Faltom clapped his hands. "You are a vocal chameleon! Whatever the songs needed to transmit, you could do it."
"I agree," Cadence nodded. "I easily see you as one of the most important members of the band. You are the joy of the group, and despite being the one with the least vocal power, you make up for it incredibly with your stage presence and the emotions you evoke in the listener. You go from joy to seriousness to anger in a second and I could feel each and every one of those emotions, so you did an excellent job as an artist."
"MulÈumesc... I mean, thank you very much, Faltom and Cadence," Draco began to jump in place with a huge smile on his face and his cute cheeks flushed red, spinning around and throwing his arms in the air.
"And now, the wayward boy..." Cadence turned to see Alex, who was already gazing her with challenging golden eyes. "Alycandro, you are a rebellious singer and have the courage to show it off." she smiled at him. "You have a very sensual voice, and even when I wish your technique was more artistic, your rebellious way of singing, never elegant but never off key, is something special."
"And you have to admit that his voice is clear and very soulful," Faltom said, and Cadence nodded.
"I appreciate your opinions," Alex nodded. "And I'm sorry for what I said... You know, about the lyrics..."
"No hard feelings," Cadence replied. "Okay, the next one... Finn Seamons," Cadence raised her head. "Since the start of Monster Mash, your talent has never been questioned, but your presence has always been underestimated and even dismissed."
"You were definitely the ugly duckling," Faltom chuckled. "You didn't shine because you always looked scared and hid behind your friends despite the impressive voice you have."
"But now that you've shown confidence?" Cadence clapped her hands and stood up from her chair. "Wow! Just wow! It was just epic to see you and hear you sing Zeth's part. Your belts made me feel empowered. Your stage presence made me feel alive. And your natural vibrato is to die for! And that 'Mo-oh-oh-oh-onsteeeer! Raaaawr!' part? Wow! I'm dying to hear you sing Aerosmith's 'Dream On' someday! You were born to sing ridiculously high notes, boy!"
"Thank you very much," Finn nodded. "I never knew how far I could go, but thanks to them..." Finn held out his hand to his bandmates. "Now I know."
"You guys are a great team," Faltom replied. "And you have a wonderful leader."
"Speaking of the leader, I'm gonna keep this short and simple," Cadence said while sitting down again, intertwining her fingers on the desk. "Zeth, I have no idea why you left the stage without a warning, whether it was to show off by falling from above or to let Finn shine, but it was very unprofessional of you and I didn't like it at all."
"You're right, Cadence. It was unprofessional of me," Zeth admitted.
"Well I was surprised by the way Zeth sounds," Faltom said. "Technically speaking, there are no negative things to say about your voice, Zeth. You can sing! You do it effortlessly, powerfully. Your voice is Adam Lambert's dark, evil twin without a doubt. And I regret not noticing your potential years ago."
"I see you as the first solo artist when the group falls apart," Cadence said, with a hand to her chin. "If you're interested, Phantom Records has a place for your solo career."
"Thanks, but..." Zeth put his arms around Finn and Draco. "I highly doubt this family will fall apart, and I don't know what these guys would do without me. So I'm staying here, for life. I belong here."
"Very well then!" Cadence nodded. "You were really outstanding, and we had a fantastic time watching you perform together. I am not glad, at all, that you insulted this stage by performing some stripper show just for shock value... But those special effects and stunts? You guys sure know how to put on a show! You consistently show how well-rounded of a group you are." Cadence stood up and faced the audience and cameras. "Monster Mash is one boyband you don't want to mess with!"
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
"This isn't over!" Anton yelled, throwing his microphone to the ground. "Fucking apes!"
"What about us?" Deadgar asked as Anton ran offstage. "Hey! Come back here!"
Anton walked down the stage. Deadgar, Boomer and Kato ran after him.
"Come here, Finn!" Frank laughed and hugged him, then Draco joined them, "This wouldn't have turned out so well if it wasn't for you!"
"We're a rockin' team," Alex said and joined the group hug, followed by Zeth.
"I'm going to hug you until I break your bones," Everett walked over, and all the boys exclaimed in unison...
"No!"
Between laughs and instead of leaving the Big Guy with open arms, all the boys hugged him, and although Everett tried to hide it, a tear of happiness escaped his eye.
Among the crowd, Jade was extremely proud of the boys.
It would be difficult to be in the spotlight with them from now on, there was no doubt about that, but how many people could say that they were close friends with Monster Mash? Or that she had them all obsessed with her?
Oh yeah!
Jade would finally make all the pretty girls at school jealous now! Envy would look good on them!
Oh God!
Even better!
Jade was now the true protagonist of a love story!
"Sorry I was late," Evie said, suddenly by Jade's side, clapping her hands. Jade didn't even hear her approach, "Did I miss something?"
"You missed everything," Jade grumbled, "Where were you?"
"There was a huge line outside the bathroom." Evie replied, pursing her lips, looking down at Jade with a smile, "But I'm sure everything turned out great, right?"
"You'd know if you'd stayed," Jade grumbled.
"I guess I'll have to watch the show this Sunday to find out what happened," Evie said.
"Ha! What a great bodyguard they assigned to look after me, huh?" Jade rolled her eyes.
"I beg your pardon?" Evie raised an eyebrow.
"You left me alone the whole time. We came all the way here so you could wait in line for the bathroom?" Jade replied, "I could have come alone."
"Hey, I didn't just come to babysit you," Evie said, "I also came to protect the boys."
"Oh really? You didn't even care enough to stay and watch the show. Were you going to protect them from the crocodile coming out of the toilet or what?"
Evie glared at Jade but didn't say anything.
Jade smiled. Obviously this bodyguard, athletic and beautiful, envied her so much.
Maybe that's why she left.
Because she couldn't bear the fact that no matter how perfect she was, the boys only had eyes for Jade.
It felt good to be the irresistible girl for once in her life.
Because from now on, Jade knew it would all be about her.
"I want you to wait for me in the car," Evie said, handing the keys to Jade, who immediately rolled her eyes, "I still have one more thing to do."
"Yeah, go cry in the bathroom because I'm the protagonist of the story," Jade said through clenched teeth, and when she looked back, Evie was no longer by her side. "Wow. So rude."