Chequered Nettle

It was the stuff of dreams. Going to a concert, then single handedly being chosen during the performance by the biggest star of the time to go back stage with him. What could a girl possibly do, but to comply. Then they were there, standing before her after the show. All of them, Logan, Russ, Luther, and Teddy together, like a dream.

There was nothing she could say. Nothing that could come to mind that could ever compare to the beautiful minds of these people.

"Hello." It was the silky voice of Luther Maverick. The one who without fail made his guitar weep and may her wail just like the sound of the guitar in his hands. Then Luther came up to her, placed his arm over her shoulder and smiled. She had become very aware of the fact that she wasn't breathing yet it didn't seem to matter. It was as though if she didn't breathe the moment would be preserved forever.

"Hello." his voice seemed to drag on forever. Evan as Luther went around talking to people, who congratulated and praised him. His voice persisted, all through the ride to their place, and straight through the night.

She was too much in a daze, too much in dazzled to notice. Though he didn't detach her from his hip, his hello had been the only time he had taken incentive to speak to her. All the while, it was those around him who would speak to her. Luther was busy talking to any of the other people that constantly surrounded him.

There was an unspoken agreement almost. When the night ended and the halls cleared she followed him into his car. Luther didn't speak all the while, and she was glad. Glad that she didn't have to make small talk before he took her home and they would fall in love.

The next morning, she awoke, the glittery sheen from before still sparkled in everything she saw in Luther's bedroom. Sleeping soundly beside her was Luther in all his glory. His black hair was still the same way as before. The work of celebrity stylists. She smiled silently, before carefully climbing out of the bed.

Her clothes were scattered about the room. She had to gather them before she put them back on. Her shirt was draped over the mirror. Her skinny jeans were next to the dresser. Her panties hanging from the ceiling fan. How they got there, she didn't know.

She knew she would have to go home eventually, but she felt awful without saying goodbye. She couldn't wake him. Not after he worked so hard the night before during the performance. There was no knowing how long it would be before he woke up and they could share their first goodbye. So to by time, she decided to make herself something to eat.

She the ground of the penthouse. It was the very same that Luther, and the others had walked by countless times. It was hallowed ground. The kitchen, where they cooked the meals that would nourish Via Purifico. It was amazing to her that she would be picking something from the same shiny, reflective refrigerator that Luther did.

There was no time wasted as she quickly ate a sandwich which she had hastily made. When she was done, she found herself wondering what to do next. A loud boom echoed down the hall and made up her mind for her. She followed it and was led to a room where it was dark and a huge television screen filled most of one side the wall. Smaller televisions screens were set around it, each displaying a different thing.

A section of the floor was a transparent. Inside the floor there were many game consoles. She only recognized a few. The ones some of her old boyfriends had possessed. Some however, she had never seen. On the floor under the big screen were an impossible amount of controls. At least four of each.

A grenade was launched on the biggest screen and the room shook by the terrible noise. It was so loud it sounded lifelike. Tucked in between the couch pillows she saw a figure, nestled in a mess of blankets. A white headset was over his head and she recognized Teddy as the wearer.

"Me a fag? I guess I must be since just ass raped you four times in a row." Teddy said with a laugh. His eyes never moved from the screen.

She was stunned. Theodore Lewis was standing, alone before her. It was unfortunate, since she was a woman of one man. One man that she loved above the rest, and she was utterly devoted. It would still be nice, though, to meet one of the people Luther was so close to one on one. She approached him and sat down beside his fort.

"What are you playing?" she asked trying to make light conversation. "I can play too." Teddy didn't move. The screen reflected olive green eyes. He showed no indication that he knew she was there. She repeated herself, shouting this time.

Teddy didn't look at her, instead he reached for the counter; the blanket over his head had fallen off, revealing his brown hair. He handed her a bright pink device. "Here play with this. I'm busy." he said. "I was talking to some chick." He said into the mouthpiece that was attached to his headset. "Doesn't mean I won't kill you."

The device was familiar. It was the very same her younger sister had. She was gonna say something, but Teddy had already retreated to his fort again. There was nothing to do. It hadn't been that long since she had left Luther so she decided to figure out the fascination people had with gaming. It wasn't long before she returned the device to Teddy.

"Did you save?" he asked as she stood up to leave to check on Luther.

"Yeah." she replied. It was like she had uttered something horrible. Teddy dropped the control and ignored his game. He burst out of his fort and picked up the device that she didn't shut off. She didn't under stand. All she done was select 'new game' when she began. It didn't feel right continuing where Teddy had left off.

"Oh my god. Oh my god! You erased my game!" he said just before he turned it off. "My, my shiny vulpix! I was just about to get a fire stone to get it to evolve into ninetails! Oh. My. God! My chikorita with surf! It's gone! All of it; GONE!"

He was to preoccupied with what he had lost he didn't even notice her slipping out of the room. She gently shut the door behind her and all the noise from the game he had been play was muted. From the outside, it sounded like a dull hum.

As she made her way back to Luther's room she saw someone sitting on the couch that wasn't there before. He was sitting there with his feet up on the coffee table. He held a guitar in his hands, occasionally plucking a string to make a note. The blonde haired, dark eyed, Russell Bailey - Via Purifico's bass - sat before her. He was the soul if their music was a living being. Just like Logan was the face.

"You're Russ Bailey!" she said excitedly taking a seat next to him.

"Suppose I am." he said. Like Teddy, he didn't look up at her when he spoke. He was to devoted the instrument in his hands.

"You're a very good musician." she complimented.

"I know." he replied and a short silence filled the room. She didn't know what to say. What could she say that would earn her a look, or a smile?

"So, how's Logan? I haven't seen him yet." she asked excitedly having delusions of all of Via Purifico together having fun constantly. Or sitting together in a circle composing music.

"I don't know. I don't hang around those duchebags unless I have to preform." Bailey replied carelessly. To careless to be a lie.

"You don't?" said she. All the imaginary images she had built in her head began to crumble. Was it only Bailey who didn't like the rest? Or did they all disliked each other equally? "Maybe you should?"

"And maybe you should go back to reading your vampire books." Finally he looked at her. But it wasn't the one she expected. A vicious glare was on his face that intimated her and told her to stop trying to speak to him. Seconds later a woman emerged from the kitchen with a platter of small treats. Wordlessly, she began to feed them to him and he didn't as much a glance her way.

"What do you think it will do to your image if you showed up as such a mediocre event?" came a voice from behind her. When she looked back she saw a man talking to THE Logan Hayes. She couldn't move. The way Bailey was didn't even bother her anymore.

He looked just like he did in all those photographs. No, even better. Those photos just didn't do him justice. His hair looked blacker, his eyes much greener in real life. She saw him and it was like the whole world had just got uglier in comparison to him.

"Doesn't WMG sponsoring the Battle of the Bands? I want to make an appearance so I scope out my future competitors. Not that those things ever produce much of a challenge to begin with." Logan said with the voice that had seduced so many girls into his music. If she hadn't already come to the house with Luther, she would be doing anything she could to be with Logan.

"I've schedules an interview for that day. You can go to the finals. I won't schedule something of that day if you really have to go."

"Let me think about it Toby." Logan replied. They stopped when they noticed her standing in front of them. Her eyes sparkling like diamonds.

"Who are you?" he asked rather rudely, but she didn't catch it. To her his voice only had one tone, and it was beautiful.

"I'm Luther's girl." she replied happily. What did she expect? She should've known his reception to her wouldn't have been warmer than the others.

At the rate things were going who could anyone expect any better? It was the delusion, that poisoned her mind. So when Logan said, "I guess Luther picked up another whore then?" She was utterly unprepared.

"Now Logan don't be rude." Toby said, but there was amusement in his voice. Then he looked at her and asked her. "Will you be leaving anytime soon?" He was the first to ever address her directly. To inquire about her, and he was asking her to leave. Then she realized they all were, in their own way telling to get out.

She didn't respond. "Well here's some cash for a cab." Toby said placing money in her hand. "And a little extra for your trouble. The door's that way when you decide you're done here." With that, they walked away towards another unknown location.

All the glitter, the mystery from the night before had disappeared. All that was left has cruel brutal reality. The whole world got dark, and there was only ugly in the world. The most beautiful had proven to be the ugliest, and she could feel herself sinking away. In the real world, she realized, there were no telepromters, to dictate what they say.

The people who she had devoted to completely were nothing but the work of others. Managers, stylists, and editors. They were the ones that created the characters she had seen on screen. In their natural environment they were just people. They were worse than people, since they believed they were above everyone.

"What a joke." she whispered lowly to herself. But this single phrase made Logan stop in his tracks.

"What did you say!?" he said slowly. She was surprised that he, of all people, had stopped and looked back at her, his once indifferent voice now sounding vengeful.

"Nothing." she was quick to reply. She didn't understand why he was so mad at her all of the sudden. All she could understand was her desire to return to Luther's bedroom.

"You calling me a failure!" he accused her as he began walking back to her.

"I didn't say you were!" She made sure she was loud enough. Logan stopped and stared at her. One long, hard cold stare; she felt herself shrinking beneath it. Now his green eyes weren't so beautiful. They were menacing, and she wished she hadn't provoked him, even though she didn't know exactly what she had done.

When she didn't say anything, he sneered before walking away. Toby followed him, rambling about the upcoming schedule as if the outburst had not happened. Her chest pained so she breathed out hard not realizing she had been holding her breath. Then she left to Luther's bedroom. It was the only room in the penthouse where she felt the least bit wanted.

As she entered Luther was heading towards the bathroom, a towel around his waist. "Oh, you're still here?" he said as he looked through his drawers for a shirt.

"Yeah, I was just-"

"Right. Well pick up your shit I have rehearsals to go to soon and you can't come." he said before shutting the bathroom door. It had happened so quickly she didn't even feel the sting. Then when she began to feel the burn, the bathroom door opened and Luther peeked outside. "I'll call you later alright sweetheart."

"Oh, okay. Oh let me give you my-" he didn't let her answer. He had already shut the door. "number." she finished feebly. Inside she heard the shower turn on. Then she heard someone coming towards her but she didn't want anyone to see her. Not when she felt so close to breaking down.

She was out of the penthouse in a flash. Out of the building. She only stopped when she felt she far enough away on the sidewalk. On the opposing building was an enormous billboard featuring none other than Via Purifico. It was too much. They were nothing like she thought they would be. Not even a fraction of the fantasy she had in her head was true. The image, the characters they had created. All of it just a facade put for profit.

"The skank had to be horrible, for him to come crawling back to me. He had to call me. Luther knows I'm the best." A girls spoke into her phone as she walked down the street. She was smiling happily as she went.

She had longed for a temporary goodbye. One that wouldn't leave her so sad. Instead she got the worst kind of goodbye. She had wanted to share her first goodbye with someone she had thought would be the one to make her feel special. She just didn't know that the first goodbye with him she longed for, just so happened to be her last.