"Oh, Jade! I see you're okay," Zeth said, making a bit of space. "Come. Sit next to me," he patted on the couch, to which she gladly obliged.
She sat between Zeth and Frank, lowering her head.
"Hey Zeth... Can we talk? In private?" she whispered in Zeth's ear.
"Oh, you'll have to wait until we are done here."
"Why are they here?" Jade whispered again. He looked unfazed and even relaxed.
"It was Frank's idea," Deadgar replied in a low voice. "He intercepted me in a hallway of the studio after the show and told me to come here with the guys."
"Wait, it was Frank's idea?" Alex whispered, Zeth nodded but motioned for him to stay quiet.
"Frank said he didn't want to ruin our career," Deadgar said.
"And why did you say it was your idea, Zeth?" Alex asked.
"Because Zeth wanted to take the blame in case everything went wrong," Frank said, "Just like he wanted to take the blame for the poly idea."
"Zeth also took the blame of a terrible idea of mine a little over a hundred years ago," Draco whispered, still looking sad and weak.
"But we don't talk about it, Draco," Zeth whispered. "Alright guys. Where were we?"
"We were talking about my past," said Deadgar. "As I was saying, I am the son of the last ruler of Lightning Strike before the Cataclysm. My father was the only survivor of House Greyston and he was depressed about losing everything so he moved to Transylv Island in 1986 and let's just say he never recovered. My mother and I had many problems with him because of his apathy and he died of sadness when I was a teenager. My mum and I lived from day to day in Beach Seaty. I usually brought home money by playing the guitar and singing in pubs, buses and Syd-Pop beach, but I barely could earn some coins. Then I auditioned for The Opera House with my guitar. I did the best I could. I mean, if winning could take me and my family out of poverty..." Deadgar turned to Frank. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I was desperate. I didn't know that we were eliminated from the competition because of me."
"No problem," Frank sighed and nodded solemnly. "Sometimes it's hard to find opportunities when you start from the bottom. I understand that."
Jade's heart pounded when she heard Frank's calm voice. The boy was sweet, kind, and humble, perhaps too much for the environment in which he moved. And judging by the femme fatale bodyguard downstairs, Frank also seemed like the type of person who could forgive and move on. It was very mature of him, because Jade would never have been capable of such a thing.
"Wait, I have a question," Alex said, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Rubinsteins rule Lightning Strike?"
"Oh! OH! Yes and no. House Greyston became rulers of Lightning Strike after Franken Rubinstein defected and moved with his Sparkmen to Franken's Town in 1918 by the end of The Age Of The Disputed Lands." Draco explained, "Queen Zafira promoted the Greystons to a Great House status to prevent other kingdoms from trying to claim the territory the way it happened three years prior with The Madlands, but let's say it didn't help much because... Cataclysm."
"I didn't understand anything you said, Draquito," said Alex.
"And what about you?" Finn asked Boomer.
"I used to work in a library and there was an old piano in the basement, so the owner of the building told me that I could keep it if I fixed it," Boomer said. "I never thought I'd get this far. I sang and played the piano at a few weddings, offered my services with posters on light poles, and played at the wedding of a friend of Mr. Operman's, which is why I met Anton and his parents. Cadence immediately told me that I had potential, that my voice was very similar to Everett's, so that's how I joined Fifth Octave."
"You are great singer. Your chest voice is almost as powerful as mine." Everett said, "And you're almost as big and muscular as me, but not as handsome."
Boomer flushed slightly and put on a shy smile.
"And what about you, Kato?" Draco asked, but his voice sounded hoarse.
"Oh! Me? Not much to say. I used to work at Hanniburgers," he said it fast, "But I always liked singing, It was always my dream to sing for many people and make their day. Being on stage is the air I breathe, it is the only thing I have ever wanted with all my heart, so when I heard there was an audition, I couldn't say no!"
"Hey, we have a lot in common!" Frank said with a humble smile that Kato returned. "I used to work at a pizza place called Pablinni's Pizza here in Hallow Woods."
"From what I see, you all just wanted to make your dreams come true," Zeth said, "You're not bad people, you were just desperate to be someone in life. And you have all the potential to achieve it, but you lack harmony, no pun intended."
"I don't understand how you guys work so well together." Anton said. "I mean, I've seen you singing onstage, but... You genuinely care about each other and it's impressive how you've accomplished that."
"Hey, it wasn't always like this," Alex said, "At first we all wanted to kill each other. Zeth and I even had a fistfight once."
"But we learned to accept each other's differences," Frank said, "And Zeth? He's a great leader, that's why we all work well together."
"Come on, guys. Give yourselves more credit," Zeth laughed, "Let's be honest. We would never have gotten along if it weren't for Frank."
"I'm glad we're no longer rivals," Frank said. "And I mean us, and Fifth Octave."
"I think we can put any differences behind us now," Alex said, looking at Damon, "And I'm also talking about you and me, Hellderson."
"Fuck! Don't even mention it! I never thought I could talk to you without yelling or beating each other to the ground!" Damon laughed loud. "I remember you and I would always argue and fight over who would be centre stage at the strip club. Dman! We were so pathetic!"
"Wait, where do you two know each other from?" Frank asked.
"He and I were strippers at the club we went to last night," Alex said, "We hated each other! He was Damon 'Firestarter' Hellderson and I was Alycandro 'Bad Wolf' Alfaro, two of the three most popular strippers. And Elord Darke liked to spice up the nights with silly competitions to see who of us could make the most money!"
"Alycandro and I we never won," Damon laughed, "Paul always beat us by two or three dollars!"
"Oh! The good ol' days," Alex chuckled.
"I just wanted to have enough money to pay my rent and credit cards," Damon said, "I was making more money at the strip club than with these guys if I'm being honest. Remind me never to listen to any of Paul's brilliant ideas again!"
"Wait, was Paul's idea for you to audition?!" Alex was very surprised.
"Yes and no," Damon laughed, "I just went to accompany him to his audition, but when Faltom turned him down, let's say I threatened to burn the whole place down with my powers, which resulted in Faltom wanting me in the band because he believed I was a firestarter. Then he asked me to sing, and I said no. He told me that was the bad boy spirit he needed. In the end, I agreed to go to L.A. to record an album but only if Faltom took Paul as well."
"You accompanied Paul to his audition?" Alex was shocked, "But I thought you hated him!"
"Yeah, it's true," Damon said, "I hate everyone. I wanted to see him fail actually but hey, the guy's got talent. I wasn't going to let Faltom turn him down, was I?"
Alex looked at Damon strangely, and after some thought, he knew this was a lie.
"You threatened to burn everything down because you disliked Faltom more than Paul, didn't you?"
"Yes," Damon admitted.
"In fact, Paul and I met in line for the audition here at Hallow Woods," Kato said.
"And I sort of had a run-in with Damon," Deadgar said.
"We didn't meet Boomer and Anton until we got into the recording studio," Damon said, "That's when we were given our cliché boyband roles."
"And I just wanted to be a composer," Anton said and looked up at his bandmates.
Jade wanted to say no one asked, and wanted to tell the boys that Anton was just like Melody: rude, conceited, and with a superiority complex. But as if reading her mind, Frank put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
"So you don't want to sing?" Zeth asked.
"My father said that the money was in being a group, that you guys made boy bands fashionable again. He let me compose 'Phantom' in fact." Anton replied.
"What a waste!" Zeth said. "If you only wanted to compose, you would have been a success. Your melody's like a mix between orchestral music and electronic pop, not to mention it is very catchy."
Anton's ears reddened, but he shrugged it off.
"Thanks. You are so good at listening, for an old man," Anton whispered.
"And they've been quite nice to us considering how we treated them," Deadgar continued.
"I thought you were an arrogant jerk," Damon told Zeth, "I was wrong about you."
The Monster Mash boys laughed.
"Zeth is a good guy," Frank said. "He's more than a leader. He is our guide. He is Mr. Wisdom."
"That was foreshadowing for the next book," Draco said weakly, "Though I don't know if the author is working on that yet. In fact this is the fourth or fifth rewriting of this book."
"Zeth may be the one who makes the hard decisions," Alex said. "But really, we all have the same level of importance in the band."
"And you have to remember that Zeth is always right," Draco said, sipping his red juice slowly.
"And that for every cup of rice, three cups of water." Everett said.
"And if Zeth's not right, then we're here to remind him that there's a variable he's not considering," Frank concluded.
"Let me tell you a story," Zeth said, rubbing his hands, "It is said that, as a prisoner, Queen Basterina 'the Puppeteer' Rahman offered her sister a truce to end the Clash of the Rahmans. If Queen for a Day Elizekhmet Rahman had accepted, she would have ruled six kingdoms while her nephew and sister would have kept only three. Elizekhmet could have conquered her nephew's three kingdoms later by using what she had, but she was too foolish to listen to Great Adviser Zeydon Munrahman."
"I don't understand anything you're saying," Anton replied, "Are you telling me that you are going to destroy us because you are more famous than us?"
"No, if that were the case, I wouldn't be having this conversation." Zeth cleared his throat, "Sometimes, to have it all, you first have to lose something and then get it back when you have secured an alliance. Anton, I can give you what you want: To be a composer. And I can give the rest of you what you want too. But for that, Anton, you have to give your place in the band to Paul."
"And you think his parents will agree?" Deadgar asked, "They have already invested a lot of money in this."
"I think they will agree if we make a partnership with Phantom Records," Zeth said, "They will not lose any of their investment or efforts. And I can offer Fifth Octave the opening slot on our next world tour, and we can start with tomorrow's charity concert."
"My parents don't care how much money my band and I make," Anton said. "They just wanted me to be someone in life, just like my sister. They already have plans for a girlband in fact."
"More foreshadowing. Great." Draco said weakly, sighing. "But back on topic, I know Cadence and Faltom. If that's the case, I think they'll agree to everything we offer. And you will be someone in life, the official composer of Monster Mash and Fifth Octave."
"Well, composer's assistant actually, you'll be working for Miss Van Shee," Zeth said, "And your band? With you out of the equation, I'm sure your parents will sell it to me and I'll manage their careers."
"Do you want us to work for you?" Damon asked.
"And do you want me to be your composer?" Anton blushed.
"We don't want you to work for us," Finn said. "But rather with us! Nobody works for anybody here. We all work as a team, shoulder to shoulder, and we want your talent."
"Are you kidding me?" Anton asked incredulously. "How can you trust us?! We were so rude to you!"
"It was just Damon, you and me who were rude, Anton," Deadgar said with a guilty face. "Boomer and Kato didn't really do anything against Monster Mash."
"Wow! Fuck you guys. You just threw me under the bus!" Damon complained.
Jade, quiet between Frank and Zeth, agreed. How could they trust these guys?! Well, only Monster Mash had the answer.
"It's water under the bridge," Finn said.
Jade wanted to scream that it wasn't!
"It was just a misunderstanding," Frank waved his hand dismissively.
No, Frank. It wasn't a misunderstanding, and Jade was already green with anger!
"No," Anton insisted, "It wasn't, and you know it! And now you expect us to... How can you trust someone like us?!?"
Jade nodded involuntarily. There was no way to trust someone so vile and narcissistic!
"Trust is a two-way agreement in our team," Alex said with his arms crossed. "But trust is earned and easily lost."
"You can trust me," Damon nodded, looking at his band, "You can trust all of us."
"Okay. Then welcome to the team." Zeth clapped once.
"Hey!" The door to the suite swung open, and there stood Paul, sweaty and barely breathing with a hotel employee holding his backpack and a keycard, "Sorry I'm late! I took Mum to the hospital."
"And?" Zeth smiled, inspecting his nails.
"The cancer is gone!" Paul said, and all the Monster Mash boys jumped out of their seats, high-fiving each other, "That's right! And all the damage from the chemicals is gone! Mum is already growing healthy hair!"
"It's a miracle," Anton said, nodding, "I'm happy for your mum, Paul."
"It wasn't a miracle," Paul said, entering the suite, "It was Monster Mash."
"This has been a night full of surprises," Zeth said, glancing at Frank, "But there's still another one to come, isn't there, my friend?"
"Yes! You're going to be the official leader of Fifth Octave, Paul!" Alex said, running to give his old friend a hug.
"Actually, I was talking about another surprise," Zeth said.
"Oh! Right! The date." Frank said and blushed.
Jade looked up at Frank, and with a nod, she stood up.
"So, everything is ready for your special date with that super special girl?" Jade asked.
"Yeah. But I have to meet with someone before that," Frank said, checking his cell phone.
"Are you going on a date?" Draco asked, without any energy, "Great."
"Hey Frank." Everett said, giving a thumbs up, "Good luck with special girl."
"Thanks, Big Guy." Frank smiled back, "I hope that after tonight we can all finally be happy."
Zeth seemed a little uncomfortable, Jade noticed it immediately
Yes, she obviously made him nervous.
"Ummm, Jade," Frank said, "Could you tell Evie that..."
"That there's no need to be my bodyguard so as not to ruin this special night, Frank?" She asked, and she was smiling brightly. This would prove her point, that she just had to be her special self to be loved by all the boys, "I already told her that."
"Oh, no. Could you tell Evie that I asked the hotel employees to make a delivery, you know, so she doesn't think it's a trap."
"Frank, your date is in twenty minutes," Zeth said, checking his wristwatch, "Hurry up. And here," Zeth handed a keycard to Frank, "Room 301-A. Sue told me you needed to talk to her. She's already waiting for you there. And there's a suit in your closet. Take it with you, you must look elegant."
"Wait, Frank," Finn said, "I think you should go to Evie and talk about this date in person. I think there was some confusion at the strip club and Jade thinks..."
"Seamons, let's not delay Frank any longer," Zeth said, putting his arm around him, "Whatever you need to tell him can wait until after his date. Frank has waited too long for this for him to be late."