Beyond the Prophecy

To my surprise, Calista and I managed to get out of the mansion and drive to my apartment without getting caught. It helped that she drove like a maniac. It’s not that she sucks at driving though; it’s that she’s too good, and fast too. How we managed to not get pulled over by a peeler is beyond me. During the drive she told me that the nocturnal guardians were ordered not to attack us, ever. I was thankful for that, but when she mentioned that it was Chris’s doing, I started to wonder if he had other plans for me that involved some kind of punishment. I can’t worry about that right now though. Tonight is about the contest.

The moment I walked into the apartment I heard a chirping sound that always makes me smile. My favorite companion was already at my feet, brushing her soft body against me. I turned on the light and bent down to her level. And then Leda, my Egyptian Mau cat, moved closer to me.

Her precious little pink nose sniffed my hand just before her green eyes looked up at me. The trinket with her name etched on it dangled from her black collar and reflected the fluorescent lights above. Leda’s short, black spotted and silver fur always looks lighter under the light. Her thin and muscular build made her easy to carry.

“Aw, he’s such a cute cat,” Calista said.

“She, actually. Her name is Leda. You can pet her if you’d like.”

Calista held up her hand towards Leda for a bit so that Leda could sniff it, and then she started to stroke her head. Leda’s head moved with her hand movements so Calista chuckled.

“Is it just you and Leda living here?”

“No, I live with my roommate Samantha. She decorated this apartment, except for my bedroom.”

Every floor in the apartment was hardwood, with the exception of the white tiled kitchen and bathroom floors. The kitchen to my right is closest room to the door. Walking in further was a small alcove, which is used as a dining area. The living room directly across the door had a cream, tan, black and white color theme throughout it, down to the centerpiece on the coffee table. In between the dining area and the living room was a hall that led to two bedrooms and the bathroom. I headed towards my room, with Leda trailing behind me.

“It’s really nice,” Calista told me. “I honestly thought you were one of those struggling musicians.”

“I do struggle, just not financially.”

“How come?”

My room didn’t exactly fit in with the rest of the apartment. Plum colored walls matched the blue and purple bed covers, while the ceiling and accents were painted white. My furniture was dark brown, including the standing mirror across the room. Some of my clothes were thrown on my bed and chair from last night. I had posters of various bands plastered on my wall, along with all of the fliers my band mates and I made for all of our performances. There’s a plastic drawer I keep beside my closet that holds some of the merchandise we sell after our shows. Jason has the ones we’re going to sell tonight.

“When I was a child, my mom and my step-dad went missing. Everyone searched for a year, but there were no signs of them. My mom had a will in which I get half of her finances and possessions. I thought that it would be a decent amount that would help me before I could get a job, but it turns out that it the amount was so large that I never have to work a day in my life. It was a good thing too, because I was too young to work and my aunt could barely afford to support my cousins, let alone me.”

“Whoa. What was her job? I’d love to make that kind of money.”

“She never really had one. She was a stay-at-home mom and a freelance artist. I don’t know how she had that much money, but I didn’t want to touch it unless it was an emergency. That’s why,when I was old enough, I worked.”

“Why?”

I pulled off the green t-shirt I wore and slipped into a black tee with my band’s name on it in white. I cut up the back of the shirt and sleeves yesterday before going to Jason’s house, so now they’re shredded.

“Because…using the money would mean that she’s really not coming back.”

I tried not to look at her because I knew what would be on her face. Sympathy. That’s the last thing I want tonight, though it is appreciated. Tonight was about the contest and the contest only. Since she didn’t say a word, I’m assuming she didn’t want to keep talking about the subject either.

“So, who’s Shades Apart?” she asked.

I turned to face her and saw her looking at the poster on the wall behind my bed. A smile came on my face as I walked up to it. “They’re my muse. I saw them in concert for the first time three years ago, before I even knew who they were. Ava, my band mate, was the one who invited me to it.” I placed my hand on the poster, remembering the excitement of that night. “Watching them in concert is what inspired me to want to be in a band. They’re my favorite musicians.”

“I think we need to move quickly,” she said, glancing at my clock on the nightstand.

“Why are you suddenly so serious?”

“We’ve been gone for almost an hour already. Master Chris might notice that you’re gone. If he does, he’ll be here A.S.A.P.”

“It took us a while to get here. That buys us a little bit of time.”

“No it doesn’t.”

I changed into my jeans that were ripped at the knees and then grabbed my boots from the closet. “Why not?” I asked when I sat on my bed.

“Master Chris has other powers that you might not know about yet. One of them is—” She paused when my cell phone rang.

“What were you going to say?” I grabbed my phone from my jacket’s pocket and saw that Ava’s calling me.

Calista sighed. “Master Chris can teleport.”

“That’s not possible,” I said with a chuckle.

“After everything you’ve seen in the past twenty-four hours, do you really believe that?” She gave me a nod when she saw my smile fade. “He can teleport fast too. Faster than I can blink.”

In the blink of an eye? I thought. That must’ve been how he caught me off guard in the alley. My phone stopped ringing, but it was okay because I had no time to talk. I’ll call her on my way there.

Fifteen minutes later, Calista and I were walking towards the entrance to Escape. I could feel the heavy thumping of the music inside as it made the ground beneath me vibrate. It fueled the energy building up inside me and elevated my eagerness to perform. As we made our way towards Phil, the bouncer, I looked up at the large, white title of the club on the black awning with lights illuminating it. Phil glanced at me with a smile and I smiled back.

“Hey, it’s about time you showed,” he told me.

“Oh you know me. I’ve got to make an entrance.”

“Go on in, the rest of the band’s already there.”

“Thanks.”

Some of the people waiting in line started greeting me with excitement, and I laughed and greeted them back. They even wished me good luck. I guess some of the regulars came to see the contest. I was almost inside, but stopped when I heard Phil tell Calista to wait in line.

“Phil, she’s with me,” I told him. “She’s our tech girl. Everything has to be perfect tonight, so I don’t want to take any changes.”

Calista pulled out her I.D. from her bag and showed him. He glanced at it for a couple of seconds, handed it back to her and allowed her to come in with me.

The club was packed more than usual, so much so that we had to squeeze our way through the crowd. This floor was made so that the live bands could perform and downstairs was made as the actual nightclub part. If it was this full up here, I don’t even want to know how many people were packed downstairs.

Some of them were dancing to the music blasted by the DJ, while others sat in the lounge area on the left side of the club or at the bar to the right of the club. The lights were on but weren’t too bright. I made my way towards the stage, and on my way some of the people at the club greeted me with enthusiasm. A lot of the regulars must be here tonight.

“How come so many people know you?” Calista shouted over the loud music.

“My band performs here regularly,” I shouted back.

When we came onto the stage, which was kind of hidden from the audience by two thick curtains, I saw my band mates setting up the instruments. The moment they noticed me, they quickly made their way towards me.

“It’s about time you came,” Jason said to me. “I thought you were going to be a no-show.” He was wearing the army green zip-up sweater with our band’s name written in front and back. Underneath it he wore a black shirt, and a pair of loose jeans and black sneakers covered his legs and feet. A matching knit cap covered his buzzed hair. I swear, he always wears a cap. His brown eyes held a smile that makes it seem like he’s plotting something, as usual.

While his held trouble, Ava’s dark brown eyes held youthfulness. “I knew you’d do what it takes to get here,” she said. Her long, brown hair swung a little when she turned to look at Jason. “You owe us each ten bucks Jay.”

“I’m so glad I can help you guys make money,” I said in a monotone.

“So are we,” Ava said with a grin. She had on a red tee with “Siren” written on it in black. She also wore black, formfitting pants and black boots that stopped mid-calf. Assorted bracelets on each wrist matched her clothes.

“Oh by the way,” I said before moving Calista closer, “this is Calista. Calista, this is Evan, Ava and Jason.”

“Nice to meet you,” she said.

“And it’s so nice to meet you,” said Jason flirtatiously as he took her hand and kissed it. Calista raised an eyebrow, which made the rest of us laugh.

“I thought you had a thing for redheads,” I told him. “Or was that just a line you used with me when we met?”

He grinned. “There’s no need for jealousy, Tasha. There’s plenty of Jason to go around.” He placed his arm around my shoulders and I slid it off with a laugh.

“I think dating you once was enough.”

“Once is never enough,” he said, his grin growing bigger.

“How were the other bands?” I asked Ava, ignoring his comment.

“Honestly?” she said. “They kind of suck.” She started to laugh before she spoke again. “One of them tried to do a drum solo, but then one of the crash symbols fell on the singer. They were too embarrassed to even try again.” She looked passed me and shook her head. “I think Jason’s scaring Calista. Don’t worry, I’ll fix it.” She moved closer to me and whispered, “Talk to Evan in the meantime.” Then she walked away.

I tried not to smile before I walked up to him and crossed my arms. “You’ve been pretty quiet.”

“Yeah. I think I’m just nervous about the performance,” he said before running his fingers through his hair.

That small gesture made me want to bite my lower lip, but I held it back. I let my eyes wander though. He wore an army green formfitting t-shirt over a gray, long sleeved shirt. The band’s name was written on the green shirt and on the left sleeve of the gray shirt. His black jeans were tighter than Jason’s but looser than the tight ass jeans some male musicians wear today. That’s one trend I’ve never understood.

“Natasha, there was something I wanted to tell you last night, but I didn’t want to tell you in front of anyone.”

That’s right; he was trying to tell me something. He said he’d tell me today too. How could I have forgotten that? This could be what I’ve been waiting for him to say; that he has feelings for me too. I hope that’s what it is anyway.

“The thing is, I’ve had a crush on someone for a while, but I’m afraid to say anything because she might reject me.”

“What makes you say that?” I sounded calm but I screamed excitedly on the inside.

“I don’t know. She might only see me as a friend. Plus, I don’t want to mess up our friendship. Should I tell her, or keep it to myself?”

“You should definitely tell her,” I said too quickly. “I mean, keeping it in won’t do you any good. You’ve got to tell her, or else nothing will ever happen. It’s better to get it out than to always wonder what would’ve happened, even If she does reject you.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Just out of curiosity, who is she? The girl you have a crush on I mean.”

He came closer and moved his mouth close to my ear. My eyes closed halfway. As he hesitated to speak, I could feel his breath against my skin, sending shivers up my spine. I wish I could always be this close to him.

“The girl I like,” he said lowly, “is Ava.” He moved away a little, just enough to face me, and I tried so hard to keep the shock off my face. “Just don’t tell her.”

I nodded slowly and he smiled. Jason called him so he walked away, while I stood still.

Ava? He has a crush on Ava? I thought it was me he’d have a crush on. But when I think about it, he always acted differently whenever Ava was around me. And maybe the reason he always chose to sit by me was because he was too nervous to sit beside her. Plus, he nearly told me this last night, but then changed his mind the moment Ava came back into the room. It was her from the beginning, not me.

Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away from everyone else. I looked down a little, noticing it was Calista. Her eyes were wider and she was breathing a little faster.

“Kyle is here,” she whispered. “He came beside Master Chris.”

“What?” I said aloud.

“Tasha, one of the judges said to make sure we’re ready,” Jason told me.

“Just give me a second. Go warming up with the others. I have to talk to someone real quick.”

I peeked through the curtains with Calista and spotted Kyle and Chris at the back of the club. Kyle searched the club as quickly as possible while Chris took his time. He did not look happy.

We walked down the steps of the stage and towards both of the guys. Chris spotted me before Kyle did, and I could see his anger building as I moved closer to them. I glared back defiantly.

“Hey,” I said to him. “Did you come to support the band?”

“What the fuck are you doing outside the mansion?” Chris spat.

“Competing. There’s a contest for local bands in which the winners get a record deal. I came here to make sure my band wins.”

“I don’t care. You said you wouldn’t try to escape.”

“So? I never promised, did I? I just said it.”

He moved too close to me, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of moving away. “You’re really starting to piss me off.”

“Good. The feeling is mutual.”

Chris grabbed my shoulders and slammed me against the wall. I cried out in pain but bit my lower lip to keep me from getting too loud. Then he smacked his hand against the wall and moved his free hand somewhat tightly around my neck. The glare I gave him made him tighten his grip.

“I’m…not your servant,” I said. “Or your slave.”

“If you continue to defy me, then you will be.”

A peeler came by and placed his hand on Chris’s shoulder. “Everything all right here?” he said.

“Yes officer,” said Chris. “We’re just talking.” Play along, or I’ll snap your neck.

That last statement caught me off guard. It wasn’t because he was threatening me (no surprise there), but it was because I didn’t see his lips move when he said it. No, his voice was actually in my mind. He reads minds and speaks in them. What was that called again? Telepathy. He’s telepathic. The night just gets better and better. I felt a little more pressure around my neck, so I stared at Chris and then glanced at the peeler with a smile. I could come up with all sorts of lies so that he could arrest him, but if Chris has all these powers and maybe others that I don’t know about, then he wouldn’t be contained for long.

“We’re just getting reacquainted,” I told the peeler. He didn’t look like he believed me, so I did something disgusting in order to prove it. I placed my arms around Chris and kissed his cheek.

“Very well,” he said before hesitating to walk away.

“Take your feckin’ hand off me,” I told Chris. “You need me alive, remember?” I smirked when he removed his hand off my neck, though he took his time doing it. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a show to do.” The smirk on his face made my eyebrows crease. “What?”

“Tell you what. I’ll let you compete uninterrupted if you do something for me.”

“What do you have in mind?"

“You have to move into the mansion.”

I laughed. “You must be off your nut if you think I’d agree to that. It’s not a fair trade. There’s nothing in this world that would equal a fair trade to what you’re asking.”

“Not even the life of an innocent? Or several of them, for that matter.”

“You’ve threatened me more times than I can count. I’m not about to start taking it serious—”

“Whoever said I was talking about you?”

He looked to his right and I followed his gaze. My band mates were trying to get my attention even from all the way on stage. I smiled a little and waved at them, but then the message Chris was trying to tell me started to sink it. My smile disappeared and my eyes went wide. Chris moved behind me, but I kept my eyes on my friends.

“Telepathy, teleportation and with one drop of blood from each of them, the ability to control your friends and have them do my bidding. All this I possess, or will possess, should you make the wrong decision.” With every word he spoke, the fear I developed for the safety of my friends and the rage I already had towards him increased. “I can torture them until they’re left begging for death. I can even force them to kill each other, or themselves. Perhaps I’ll just let the nocturnal guardians do as they please with them.”

“You asshole,” I said lowly while tears of anger ran down my cheeks.

I balled my hands into fists so tight that my nails were forming small crescent marks on the palm of my hand. Without giving it any thought, I turned and swung at him. He caught my fist and gripped it firmly. I whimpered and tried to move it away, but he held it in place effortlessly. Then he moved closer before he spoke.

“The choice is yours.”
________________________________________
Peeler: police officer
Off your nut: crazy