The Hallow Inn was illuminated with neon floodlights and a light sign that read 'Monster Mash' shining bright from the bell tower.
As Evie drove her blue Camaro past the hotel on her way to the underground parking ramp, Jade had to hold her own hands to stop them from rubbing the sides of her face.
She was so excited!
Her cheeks were red, the same red as the day she met Zeth Rahman himself right here a few nights ago.
But now red was the colour of anger, not shock.
She felt like she had walked a long way to be here, from being just another fan to being the boys' personal bodyguard for a night. And then there was the fact that she wasn't dressed like that night, she wasn't wearing the fangirl outfit she wore for their live-streamed concert, no. She was dressed like a warrior now, a protector.
And despite everything, all the effort and the struggle, Evie and Zeth had destroyed her completely, and with the firm desire to see her die inside.
There were already so many people outside the hotel, all of them buying merch from a tent while waiting for the event to start.
They were all fans, hoping their idols would pay attention to them.
Jade once wanted that too but was too afraid to even think about it, and now she was their bodyguard, and wow! Things like these didn't happen to girls like her all too often. So she would do everything to beat Evie and claim her throne, because fate gave her an opportunity and a stupid bodyguard wasn't going to take it away from her just because she's prettier and more athletic than her.
"Charming. Love the haunted castle aesthetic," Kasey said, looking out the car window, holding the Monster Mash Bodyguard badge in her hand, "And I like this badge better than the Alpha Hunter one. At least this one is actually gold."
"And it has a unique engraving," BC-13 said in the backseat next to Jade as Evie drove into the parking garage, "To make sure there are no fake bodyguards, your badge has a scanner. If another bodyguard's badge causes it to flash a red light, shoot."
"That's always my favourite part," Kasey chuckled and put the badge in her purse.
"Kasey, you're dressed up to be undercover. Try not to shoot." BC-13 said as Evie turned off the car.
"Come on, we have work to do," Evie said, putting her own badge on her chest.
The four of them got out of the car, all much more military than when they went to the diner a few hours ago, much more serious, and that made Jade really understand how far she had come. This was Evie's world, and she had just stepped into it. She had improved a lot, changed too much, grown like she never thought she would have.
There was no longer any need to think about her old life anymore.
She would make the best out of this new one, no matter what.
Because she'll impress the boys so much that they'll fire Evie, and get her out of their lives once and for all!
Jade would be the greatest possible protector ever.
"Jade, here's your badge," Evie said, holding out her hand, "You're already registered. Your employee number is JDR-460N."
"Those are numbers and letters," Jade acted know-it-all as she put on the badge.
"Your code name is JD-46." BC-13 told her.
They walked towards the elevator slowly.
The ride up was silent.
They stepped out of the elevator and the air was immediately colder. The place was full of neon lights and there was Monster Mash music coming from somewhere. There must have been hundreds of people working hard for the guys perform.
"BC-13, check all the hotel guards, I don't want infiltrators," Evie said, walking through the huge lobby, the sound of her heel boots was loud, her steps firm and determined. "I want their past jobs, their names, dates of birth, social media, everything."
"Understood," BC-13 nodded, walking among busy workers, disappearing behind one of them.
"Shouldn't you have checked that before?" Jade scoffed.
"There are Hunters who infiltrate last-minute, Jade," Evie replied, "I'm just confirming. Kasey, I want all cameras active, ours and the hotel's."
"On it," the blonde was already walking towards the reception desk.
"Jade, you and I are going to the basement, we'll meet up with the rest of the team while Everett finishes setting up the stage with the workers and the boys finish their makeover. It will take about an hour and a half, if we're lucky." Evie opened a door at the end of the lobby next to the elevators, and both walked down some stone steps into the darkness.
"I'm back where it all started," Jade whispered as she walked down the stone steps behind Evie.
This time, when Evie looked over her shoulder, Jade noticed something strange. There was fear in her eyes, fear mixed with rage.
"Jade. You have to be very attentive tonight, remember that today we will catch Kasey's client and there may be more Hunters working for an unknown third-party," she hissed quietly. "Don't forget that we're here to protect our boys. If someone wants to attack them, we must do everything to save them, even die."
That was such a strange thing to say! But, after all, Evie did have a point.
The two continued their journey in silence and soon enough, they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered a long hallway.
It was all quiet here, but Jade broke the ice.
"Evie, we need to talk about your relationship with the guys," Jade said as her rival, now boss, walked in front of her. The hall was empty, lit only by LEDs that gave off a soft, white glow everywhere.
"What did you just say?" Evie stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to look at Jade.
"You and I both know that the boys were interested in me. But you, with your Hunter manipulation tactics, made them turn their backs on me and humiliate me at the castle gate." Jade said, "How did you do that? How did you mess with the mind of someone as smart as Zeth?"
"I didn't."
"I don't believe a single word you say."
"Are you going to make a scene here? Because I don't know if you remember that I'm your boss right now." Evie raised an eyebrow. "Any personal matters should be discussed outside of work hours, but I remind you, Jade, that my love life is none of your business."
"Oh! You think it's none of my business how you brainwashed everyone to stay with you and not me?" Jade asked and Evie moved her shoulders. "You're probably manipulating everyone. Frank asked me out on a date and you took it upon yourself to manipulate everyone into believing the date was for you, same with Everett. You've always been a liar who hides secrets, manipulative, you're still a 'Hunter in Disguise' no matter how much you say you've changed."
"Two girls fighting for the love of one man is already pathetic, but one girl fighting for the unrequited love of six? That's already sinking way too low." Evie replied. "I know your past, Miss Kardashark. You lie to fit in, you try to be someone you're not. I know everything about you. You lied throughout high school pretending to be a millionaire, you made a drama in the middle of your graduation when you weren't named a star student even though you failed almost all your subjects, you demanded a recount when you were not named Prom Queen even though no one voted for you, you tried to separate your best friend and her boyfriend so that he would pay attention to you, your mother gave you money to buy groceries and since you spent it on dolls you preferred to blame her new boyfriend, you yelled at your mother on the phone at the airport, you even told Zedrick your family was super rich and judging by your obsession with being the centre of attention, I bet that you've probably manipulated everything to keep me away from my boys."
"Ooohhh. I'm such a sinner! But did I almost kill the boy I supposedly love?" Jade asked.
"Don't you ever dare mention Frank's incident in your life again, Jade!" Evie pointed an accusatory finger at her.
"Before judging my past, remember yours!" Jade yelled.
"My past doesn't matter. Our present is what matters right now." Evie said, walking a few steps ahead of Jade down a long hallway.
The air was colder here, lighter, and a woodsy smell was ever present. There was an aura of familiarity, of closeness that made her feel home.
"Evie, you and Zeth... You have a past, right?" Jade asked.
"With all due respect, what's it to you?"
"I just want to know why he said he's loved you for years," Jade insisted, "How long have you known him? What do you know about him?"
"If you have any doubts about Zeth's past, ask him," Evie replied.
"Evie... Zeth hasn't told me anything about his past," Jade said, her eyes on the floor, "Do you think he's traumatized?"
"Well, never ask about his life in Evalon, got it? Not unless he talks about it first," Evie sounded serious, but not overly so. She had to be careful with what she said to Jade, since there were some things she didn't want her to know.
"And do you know anything about Zeth's family?" Jade asked, "Besides the names of his father and mother?"
"Not much. Zeth doesn't talk much about Evalon, nor about his time as Queen Zafira's Envoy."
"Envoy?"
"Monsters that came straight from Evalon thousands of years ago," Evie then took another turn but this time to the right. All the damn hallways looked the same here, "Only Zeth and Draco were Envoys if you're wondering, at least in the band, two of the fifteen who fought for humanity and helped us grow."
"Wait, how long have Draco and Zeth been here? In the human lands?!"
"As far as I know, Zeth and Draco arrived in Egypt in six thousand BC, give or take," Evie said.
"But that can't be!" Jade covered her mouth with her hand. Did that mean she was in love with Methuselah?! "Wait, but that's..."
"That's right, long before humanity prospered." Evie chuckled.
"I thought Zeth was as old as the pyramids."
"In fact, Zeth was the one who taught humans about pyramids, he told me those were common in Evalon, although I think there is only one left."
"You mean there was something before there was something in this... I don't know. World?"
"Well of course!" Evie said without turning to face Jade, walking a little faster, "In fact, Zeth told me that the myth of Osiris, Horus and Set was a story he told the humans of Egypt, but they mixed things up a bit."
"How?" Jade was getting curious, and she couldn't control it.
"The first Set to kill his brother and nephew was Duke Zehtt Rahman of Zeleste Island. The other one was King Zehtt Greak, who killed his nephew, Heruz, for trying to claim the throne. The last one was Prince Zehtt 'The Blond' Rahman, who was killed by his nephew Heruz 'The Giant' during the Clash of the Rahmans in a duel in which both rode dragons above the Nyle River. However, there are hundreds of years between one and the other, so it can be said that this myth is divided into three time periods."
"Was Zeth already born back then? During the Clash of the Rahmans?" Jade actually sounded worried.
Evie stopped walking.
"The old man is not that old. Zeth was born decades after the Clash of the Rahmans," Evie replied, "But certainly, he and Draco lived through the worst of wars in the worst and cruellest era of Evalon. Then they came here with the other Envoys, the rest is literally in the history books."
"And what happened to the other Envoys?" Jade asked.
"Zeth doesn't talk about it, and neither does Draco, and none of the other guys know anything because they were not there. They're just descendants of a long line of descendants of Great Houses."
"Were there many Great Houses?"
"Oh yeah. Houses Seamons, Alfaro, O'Pry, Hill, Von Stroker, Nosferatt, Rubinstein, Hellfire and Rahman, Those are the oldest and most famous ones, nowadays I think things have changed. Many of those houses have already moved to the Human Lands or are extinct." She looked at Jade over her shoulder a little surprised, "You really don't know anything about Evalon, do you?"
"Is that bad?" Jade cocked her head.
"No, it's actually good. It's a terrible place anyway from what I've heard. Beautiful landscapes, horrible people," Evie resumed her walking and Jade followed close behind.
Evie turned right.
"I thought you didn't talk about Zeth's past?" Jade followed her, down another long endless hallway. It was difficult not to get lost in this huge black stone labyrinth.
"Don't be mistaken. I told you about the Envoys. Zeth was one, that's different."
"And how do you know so much about Evalon?" Jade was already losing her breath trying to reach Evie. She had so many questions to ask, so many things to learn! Her curiosity was burning inside her body like fire!
"Zeth has told me things that the Hunters don't know or things they thought they knew but were wrong," Evie walked a little slower, "But don't dig too deep, it's not good for you."
Evie and Jade finally reached the end of the hall and found themselves in front of a large wooden door that was completely black except for a single glowing red gem embedded in its centre.
"We're here," Evie said, "Okay, girl. I think it's time for you to meet your co-workers."
"Fine," Jade crossed her arms.
"Then let's..."
"Wait!" Jade said before Evie turned the doorknob. There were voices on the other side of the door, and laughter too, the kind of sounds of a workplace during breaks.
"Are you okay?"
"I just want to know... There's a lot of mythology behind the boys, right? A lot of things they don't say or that..."
"Let's just say the lives of Zeth and Draco in the Human Lands are just the tip of the iceberg," Evie placed a hand on Jade's shoulder and looked her straight in the eye, "There were around seventeen entire generations of war and death before Draco and Zeth were even born, and much more blood and death before they even set foot on human soil. But the past doesn't matter. What matters..." Evie fixed a loose hair on Jade's face with a hand, "Is that you're here to work, not no play detective. I'm sure you'll get along with your team." Evie then opened the door, and Jade swallowed heavily.
These people in here...
Was there no one who didn't look like a cover model in this place?!
The girls wore their uniforms perfectly. Even their makeup looked expensive.
Jade looked around and swallowed hard.
The blonde woman by a desk who had her hair in a braid, with the body of a bodybuilder, kept looking at her from top to bottom. Her black lipstick made her look more threatening.
"Yeva Freezakov," Evie said, "Former chief bodyguard of Vanessa Helsee, later an instructor at the Hunter Academy. She sabotaged the Soviet coup d'état of 1991, but became a Gulag inmate. While in the Gulag, she exercised and trained everyday. If you have any problems, call her. Kasey will be your chaperone but she is still on probation."
"And why..."
"Why isn't Yeva the team leader?"
"Because she is old?" Jade asked.
"No," Evie replied, "During my final battle exam, I had to beat Yeva or I would be executed for weakness. I faced her and proved to be a match for her, but she subdued me during the final round. She put me in a headlock and was about to snap my neck, but I broke out of the headlock and won," Evie said proudly, with her hands on her hips, nodding at a grunting Yeva, who nodded back, "Only Basil Iskov, Kasey, BC-13, Leonardo Lionheart and I have defeated Yeva. And she respects us for that. But yes, she also says that she is too old to lead the bodyguards."
Jade stayed silent. She was supposed to memorize at least the code names of the main bodyguards on the way here. She didn't do that at all.
"How old is she?" Jade asked.
"Yeva just turned fifty," Evie said, "But she looks as young and strong as Ronda Rousey."
Evie then walked to the centre of the room. She was in her element, walking like she owned the place, but Jade wasn't that confident yet.
Everyone in here looked elegant but extremely intimidating, forming a circle around her.
"Guys, this is Jade. The girl I told you about. She will be the guard of the Solar so we must teach her the bodyguard tongue," Evie said and everyone looked at Jade as if thinking she was still too slender and inexperienced for this job, "She is Erich's adoptive daughter, but she will not be treated with any privileges. She is just like any of us. Code name: JD-46."
"Adoptive daughter?" Jade asked but Evie ignored her.
"Really? She is just like any of us?" it was a male voice, mocking and raspy, almost like Zeth's, "I'm sorry, EV-13 but you are the highest paid member of the team and you are dating the bosses now, so the only one with preferential treatment is you."
"Why don't you step forward and say it to my face, Leonardo? And by the way, tell me who told you that." Evie said, crossing her arms, "And I'm not a preferred employee for hanging out with the boys. I am just like any of you in this room."
"Please! You earn $50,000 per month, plus expenses, and you say you are just like any of us?" Leonardo took a step forward from between two tall men.
"Oh my god," Jade said, taking a step back.
It wasn't possible for someone to be so perfect.
Jade couldn't believe who she was looking at.
She always believed that there was no one in the world more perfect than Zeth, but upon seeing this boy, she knew she couldn't be more wrong. His features were almost as fine and masculine as Zeth's, perfectly symmetrical. His hair was a little long, like a dark lion's mane. And that yellow eye colour? That facial hair? That body! God! It was all a wet dream!
"I hope you did your homework." Evie told Leonardo, "Did you investigate all the guests? Or do I have to bring Rocko to do what you were paid to do?"
"I investigated all the guests personally." Leonardo turned to look at Jade, and Alex's flirtatiousness was unmatched, "And I also investigated this young lady."