References: Iconic pop culture, some notable celebrity names. The usual.
I found myself woken up from a strange dream where I had been cutting slices cheese and serving them to mice. Weird, I know. But not so much as the dream I once had about a trout in a fishbowl that had something to do with Superman.
I shook my head very much like the way cats and dogs usually do when they're yawning, and stretched, looking at the closed door of the guest room I had been given when the guys and Chace said they wanted to celebrate the success of the MV's shooting, by illegally drinking and partying in the living room in Leo's wing of his family's mansion and they refused to take no for an answer.
Apparently, it's okay to drink when you're seventeen going on eighteen and heading places, so long as you don't embarrass yourself and end up getting arrested for underage intoxication.
Rich people.
I freshened myself up with a shower and a change of clothes in the bathroom connected to the guest room before heading out to the living room outside. I was greeted with a sorry sight of hungover teenagers.
Shaking my head, I stepped towards the glass doors of the balcony outside while stepping over empty cans of beer and bottles of wine, and opened the doors, feeling a gust of the cold, chilly winter-spring wind rushing into the room. Ah. The medley of groans sounds like music to my sober ears.
"Cold! Cold! Too cold!!" I heard Jordan whine in his half-asleep and hungover state, "My head's killing me!!"
"God, Kaitlyn!" Tyson cried from his sleep, "Could you be more sadistic?"
"I think I have a migraine..." Gabriel groaned. I'm surprised he indulged in the drinking party. I guess since Gabriel himself is rich, he probably has the same mind-set as the rest of the rich, hungover babies sprawled all over the area of the living room.
I put on my best chirpy-morning-loving smile and beamed at the boys. "Morning!! How was your sleep?" I greeted enthusiastically, "I'll be making pancakes for breakfast!! Want some?"
Leo and Jay, ever so smooth, pulled themselves off the ground with amazing capability and grabbed each of my hands.
"Why, I'll be glad to eat anything that you make especially for me, love," Leo said, smiling brilliantly at me.
"They say when a woman cooks for a man, it signifies adoration..." Jay added, winking.
My Lord. Hungover and attacked by the frosty morning air, but these two really have amazing willpower and dedication to their statuses as suave gentleman and bad boy respectively.
I pulled my hands away from them. "Leo, you'd better make sure you want the damn pancakes and help me get the flour and ingredients out of the fridge, and Jay go get an aspirin or something, for the two of you. Wait, make that the six of you," I ordered as I cast a critical eye upon the people on the floor, "The rest of you, line up and take turns showering. Now."
No one budged, so I picked up a huge torchlight from the coffee table and strode towards the row of drawn curtains. "Get going or you will understand why the Darkness fears the presence of Light."
"Who are you now, Darth freakin' Hunter?" I heard Jordan mumble from his place on the floor.
I felt a prick of annoyance and I flashed the torch on and off menacingly. "Three...!"
"We're up!!" they hastily chorused in unison and picked themselves off the floor and couches.
Holding the torch in my hand like a lethal light saber, I watched as Jay traipsed off groggily to the medicine cupboard to look for aspirin tablets while Leo headed towards the kitchenette and the others lining up like prisoners in two separate lines, waiting for temporary custody of one of the two bathrooms.
The feel of total sober dominance and control makes me feel awesome and on Cloud Nine. Hear me roar!
-
Everyone was seated at the table in the kitchenette, clean, fresh, wide-awake and very much sober each with a plate of pancakes and fresh fruit. Chace was with us too, having dropped by a few minutes ago casting a critical eye of his own at the boys' audacity to indulge in underage drinking.
"I have no jurisdiction over what you do, but I'm warning you, this excessive consumption can lead to irreversible grotesqueness!" was the first thing he said when he took off his aviator sunglasses. Trust him to think that being beautiful is the most important thing in the world. What about things like liver cirrhosis or brain damage?
Probably suffering from attention-withdrawal, since everyone's attention was on their food, Jay decided to make an announcement.
"We all have to thank darling Kitty here for waking us up," he gestured towards me mockingly, "As the party for the band's debut as well as the music video for Blast From My Past is tonight!!"
Like little foolish lambs, the guys clapped for the egotistical guitarist with innocent wonder, while Chace and I shook our heads. Jay bowed to his 'loving' audience and continued, "Because of such a special event, we - the guys - will go to the arcade for the whole day while Chace goes shopping with Kaitlyn to look for a dress for tonight's prestigious occasion!!"
Thundering applause, if that's the right phrase for the next response. Really. I feel hurt. After all the trouble I went through to make sure they're not sick for the whole day and received a proper breakfast, this is how they treat me?
I sniffed in contempt. "Well,"
Leo grinned at me. "Well, Kaitlyn, it's not that we hate you," he assured, "We're just very enthusiastic at the prospect of having some quality hangout time together as guys,"
"Without me," I added blithely and pointed at Chace, "Or that,"
Chace's hand fluttered over to his chest. "What, I'm a 'that' now!?" his voice sounded incredulous and insulted.
"Details, details," Jay waved his hand loftily, "Leo's got a chauffeur waiting outside for the two of you. Knock yourselves out with the unlimited budget! Let's go and kick some digital butt now, men! Huzzah!"
"Huzzah!" the others responded gleefully as they filed out of the kitchenette, leaving me with Chace.
Huzzah indeed. It's like killing two birds with one stone for them. A) They don't have me to nag at them and B) They don't have Chace to nag at them.
"Well I never," Chace commented, sipping at his coffee, "Shall we leave now, mon ami?"
"He did say to knock ourselves out with the unlimited budget. Does that mean we can buy anything?" I asked brightly.
Chace held up a neatly folded piece of paper. "This is a list of things we're going to look for today in the very limited amount of time we have before we have to prepare you."
Aw. Killjoy. I was thinking of going on a culinary expedition to delight our taste buds too!
"And if you were thinking of some food indulgence trip-," Chace added - whoa, he's a psychic! - with a pointed look, "-you're sorely mistaken. You're the only one who wants to get fat,"
"Are you saying that I'm fat?" I asked, slightly insulted.
Chace stood up from his chair and grabbed the platinum card Jay had left lying on the table.
Apparently, the guys had decided to use the band's platinum card for my shopping trip with Chace, having given him free reign to wreak havoc on the world. As far as money was concerned, the limit surpassed the stratosphere.
Please wait while I mutter about people with more money than common sense.
"You will be, if you decide to deviate from this pre-arranged trip and proceed with your gluttonous idea,"
"Pre-arranged my foot," I muttered as I grabbed my coat that was draped on my chair, "No one told me that I was gonna be abandoned with you today,"
"When someone is supposed to have a shopping appointment with a celebrity stylist like moi," Chace announced, "Nobody has complaints. So shut up, listen and get into the car, comprends?"
So shut up, listened and got into the car I did.
-
"I was thinking maybe if we go with the Little Black Dress concept, nothing will go wrong," Chace mused. He turned to the sales assistant. "What do you think?"
I sulked as I squirmed in my seat on the plush velvet sofa that the boutique provided for tired guests. I, for one, was definitely tired from walking so much, after going to about a billion different high-end boutiques until we reached this place. Who knew shopping could qualify as good exercise?
"What's the occasion, Chace?" she asked, giving me a once-over, "Someone's Sweet Sixteen?"
Sweet Sixteen? What the heck?? I'm seventeen going on eighteen, lady!
"Ah, non. I'm just picking out a dress for an absent client," Chace lied easily, "As you can see, my assistant, Tiffy here, is a replacement, because both my client and her have similar body structures,"
Tiffy? Of all names, he had to choose Tiffy?
I narrowed my eyes and gave Chace the best glare I had in my arsenal, as he continued to debate on the choice of dresses with the sales assistant. All the while, the damned stylist had a devious smile on his face.
This guy is really good; everything is like water off a duck's back for him.
-
I ended up with a really cute dress that follows the Little Black Dress concept or whatever Chace's been talking about for the past two hours, and a matching pair of killer (literally) high heels and now, we're picking out jewelry to - as Chace says - complement my outfit.
"Just so we're clear," I whispered to Chace as the sales assistant went into the back room to bring out their more pricey and valuable pieces, "We're not going to pick out a necklace, all right? Just a bracelet or something,"
"Why ever not?" Chace whispered back, "I mean, you didn't have any complaints or guilt about the money we spent previously,"
"Well, guilt has caught up with me," I retorted snappily, tapping my fingers against the glass counter.
Chace scrutinized me carefully, and slowly, he hooked the previously unnoticed silver chain around my neck with his finger and held it up. "Is this of any sentimental value to you, mon ami?" he asked, "Because as far as I know, I've never seen anything like this. Is it handmade?"
The pendant swirled freely in the air. It was nothing valuable, just an intricate clover pendant, made by twisting bits of copper wires around, with four tiny, glittering, green crystals in the clover's leaves.
I bit my lip. "Maybe," I said as an answer to both his questions, trying to pass off as nonchalant, "Anyhow, no necklaces,"
Chace sighed and didn't press any further, only turning to look at the array of silver bracelets in front of him.
Some people do know how to respect other people's privacy.
-
"Keep your back straight! No hunching! Stick out whatever you have!" Chace scolded as he escorted me towards the doors of the ballroom of the hotel that had been rented for the occasion, "There's a reason why we bought this strapless dress!!"
"What, so it can slip off and render me naked to the whole world?" I replied snarkily. I had not been happy when Chace had made the purchase.
Chace raised his eyebrows. "Of course not, débile," he chided, "It's to show off your non-existent womanly assets and as well as your back to the whole world, actually, since you refused to buy the backless piece I picked out. Ever heard the song Sexy Back?"
"Chace, that song was about bringing sexy back, not a bunch of sexy backs," I explained with annoyance, as I tottered up the stairs clumsily. I think I have blisters already.
"No one cares," Chace said airily as he caught hold of my hand and steadied me, "Now, listen here. Talk only to nice boys, okay? Also, no bad impressions on any of the important people,"
"Who are you, my mother?" I muttered.
Chace smiled. "I'd be honored to substitute your currently absent mère, but I am biologically unsuitable for the role,"
"Wow, I hadn't noticed," I replied glumly as the doormen asked for identification.
"Name on the list?" Doorman One asked, looking at the clipboard in his hands.
"Chace and the Lightning Kitty," the stylist answered.
Doorman Two regarded us. I guess he has the right to have doubts. Anyone could impersonate me with a cat mask like mine. "Are you sure? Do you have any other form of identification available?"
Chace's good-natured smile melted away and he narrowed his eyes. "Do you think that I, Chace, number one stylist to the rich and beautiful, would lie like a common street rat to get into a party?" he asked, "If that is so, I have some very, very dangerous connections that could get rid of the both of you and no one would ever notice,"
Doorman One hastily opened the door, "Welcome to the debut party of the Lightning Devils! Congratulations on your success, Miss-!"
"Lightning," I answered, as Chace led me through the open door, "Or Kitty. Although Lightning is better,"
-
Chace scanned the crowded ballroom from the top of the stairs, looking for someone. "Chace! I'm so glad you could make it!" a beautiful woman with blond hair dressed in a deep red evening gown - comparably prettier than my black cocktail number - hugged Chace and they air-kissed each other. "And this must be the elusive Lightning Kitty!"
"Um. Hi," I said dumbly registered the fact that I'm one of the main attractions here tonight.
Chace tutted and pulled me towards were he was standing with the woman who had greeted us. "Lightning, this is Sharon Dominic, Jay's mother," Chace supplied, "Sharon, this is the Lightning Kitty. Call her Lightning, because apparently that's what she prefers,"
Jay's mom? This woman is the woman that Jay hates? How could he hate a woman like her?
Sharon laughed lightly. "Oh Chace, you're still going with that story Jayden feeds to anyone who's ever asked him about his family?"
What? I'm confused. I looked up at Chace with raised eyebrows and big eyes, hoping that my question could be conveyed through the deceptive mask I was wearing.
Instead of Chace, Sharon answered my unspoken question instead. "It's true that I'm Jayden's mother," she assured, "But I'm not his real mother. I'm his aunt, actually. Jayden and his sister, Dakota are both Byron's and my adopted children,"
Before I could ask more questions, though, Chace grabbed me by my shoulders and started steering me away. "Okay! I see Byron over there! We'll take our leave for now, Sharon. We're going to greet Byron now!" he said, and leaned over to my ear to whisper, "Kaitlyn, it's best if you don't dig further into Jay's family matters. He's always been sensitive about the topic of his real parents,"
He withdrew and pulled me further towards a man with the same hair as Jay has, only neatly trimmed and graying at the edges. "Byron!" Chace called out, extending his hand for a handshake, "Thank you for inviting me and my friend here!"
Byron excused himself from the people to whom he was previously speaking to and turned towards us with a jovial grin on his face. "Chace! Good to see you!" he said and he noticed my presence, "This must be..." he looked around and whispered, "Kaitlyn also known as Lightning?"
So this is the Eccentric Billionaire with the spartan tendencies. I must say, I expected a hard-faced man with some military substance to him. Instead, Byron looked more like a movie star of his own right.
Uncle or not, Jay's obviously inherited some looks from his adopted father.
"Yes, sir, thank you for everything you've done for my benefit!" I said nervously as he grabbed my hand and shook it firmly.
"Don't worry about it! You're a talented young lady, Lightning, if only you weren't so camera-shy you'd be a universal success!" Byron said, "So, Jayden spent the night over at Leon's house last night? Whatever were you doing?"
Chace gave a bright smile. "The shooting for the music video was a success, so they decided a little celebration was in order,"
Huh. Looks like Chace hasn't lost his touch for giving clean-cut Disney versions.
"Hey, dad,"
The three of us turned to see Jay, Leo, Jordan, Tyson, Lance and Gabriel all dressed - Jordan still had his headphones around his neck, though. Guess there's no changing the geek in him. - and looking devastatingly handsome. It's no wonder that all the women - single or not - were turning their heads to catch a glimpse of them.
"Jayden! Where have you been? Why didn't all of you come along with Lightning and Chace?" Byron asked, hugging his adopted son and shaking hands with the others with a warm smile.
Jay grinned. "We went out for some guy-time while Kitty had a girlie day out with Chace,"
"I see, I see," Byron nodded in understanding. Clearly, he's well-versed in his son's antics.
"Jayden! You're here!" Sharon appeared out of the blue, "Boys! Hello!"
Jay grinned at his adopted mother. "Hey mom. Where's Dakota?" he asked.
Strange. I don't see any signs of malice here. Does this mean Jay's hatred is actually for his real mother and not his aunt slash adopted mother?
"Talking to one of the supermodels, I think," Sharon said, before ducking down to hide behind Lance.
"Mom?" Jay looked at his mother with an eyebrow arched.
"That Belle Hoover keeps wanting to talk to me about setting one of you boys up with her daughter!" Sharon sighed, shaking her head, "I couldn't stand her incessant talking about where, when and with who the non-existent date was going to happen, so I decided to take refuge in your little group of friends,"
Byron chuckled. "Well, I'm sorry about this, but you're going to have to re-greet Belle and her husband, Jonah, who happens to be a very important business partner of mine with me. He owns quite a lot of shares in Texas, you know,"
"Absolutely not!" Sharon shook her head adamantly, reminding me a hell lot of Jay, who was standing beside her.
"Why ever not?" Byron asked with a grin, "After all, what could be more aesthetically pleasing than my darling wife?"
With that, the strange couple took their leave.
The guys chuckled. "That's mom and dad for you," Jay sighed, "Always going on and on about many things and never having time to sit down and chill,"
"Well, I'll have to excuse myself for the moment as well," Leo apologized, "I can see my father and mother beckoning me over to them,"
The others and Chace said similar excuses, leaving me alone to fend for myself.
I wandered aimlessly in the vast ballroom, feeling lost and alone. I started cursing my luck.
"Hello."
The deep voice made me jump, and I turned around sharply. A black-haired guy around my age was grinning at me. If it weren't for the tell-tale cross piercing on his ear and his piercing eyes, I would've never guessed in a million years that it was Dashielle Stryker.
As I thought up of a quick excuse to escape from him, I couldn't help but be amazed at how much he has changed from when I first saw him. He sure cleans up good, what with the absence of nail polish, mostly black ripped-apart clothes and the vast collection of heavy stainless steel jewelry. He actually looks as good as the guys in the band.
"Hi?" I squeaked. My heart was hammering nervously as I wondered if Dash would recognize me any minute now.
"You're the one that everyone's been gossiping about all evening, aren't you?" Dash asked, smiling that proud and arrogant smile of his, "Lightning Kitty, the newbie of the Crying Babies,"
I smiled pleasantly. "Are you the official cult leader for the Sacrosanct Neophytes? Are you here to recruit members for your underground cult?"
Dash hummed in amusement. "Well, I can see we're going to have a pleasant relationship. My name's Dashielle Stryker. Dash, for short. I'm the bassist for Lucifer,"
I feigned surprise. "You play songs for Cinderella's evil stepmother's cat, Dash?"
Dash raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're the first one to think we're named after that gross-looking cat," What. I was wrong? "We're more based after the origins of the fallen Prince of Heaven, the Morningstar,"
I gave a non-commital shrug and a reluctant nod. "I... see," His eyes never left mine. Damn him for having good conversation etiquette! "I'm not really into biblical stuff. I go better with alternative rock and mainstream stuff,"
Dash shook his head. "Well, it's too bad a person who has a voice as good as yours is stuck in a sorry, baby band like the Crying Babies. It's also sad that you have to hide under that mask of yours,"
This guy really wants me to give him the finger really bad, doesn't he?
"Well, I'm a person who loves her privacy," I replied, the pleasant smile still plastered on my face, "I'm not too well-off enough to hire private security twenty-four-seven, you know,"
Dash seemed to study me closely. "You somehow seem familiar to me. Have I met you without your mask before?"
Oh crap. "No! Absolutely not!" I denied shakily, "I've already said I've never met you before, right?"
Dash's hand reached out to gesture at my hair. "But this hair... it's really familiar somehow..." A corner of his mouth curved upwards slyly.
"Lots of people have auburn hair with red highlights!" I was beginning to feel the telltale signs of a panic attack; my palms were sweaty and I could see flashes of white spots.
"Not in a conservative place like Sandfields," Dash retorted, "I get strange looks every now and then when I'm in my normal attire,"
He's cornered me with my realizing it!! I'm dead. Dead meat. "Er..."
"Lightning! Here you are!!" Chace! My hero! He's come to save the day!! "Oh, hello, Dashielle. Didn't see you here,"
Dash smirked. "Likewise," he answered back, "Lightning and I here were having a lovely chat before you rudely interrupted us,"
"Excuse moi, Dashielle, but I'm afraid your conversation has to end, because the boys require Lightning's presence,"
With that, he pulled me away from Dash. "Do they really require my presence?" I asked as we walked further away from Dash.
"Well, they wanted to talk about sleeping arrangements for tonight because Byron is hosting any guests who want to stay in this hotel tonight and I saw your troubled expression, so I decided to rescue you and bring you to them," Chace explained lengthily, "It's killing two birds with one stone, really,"
"Well, thank you for saving me anyway," I said happily, "'Cause Dash nearly found out who I was,"
"Be more careful next time, if you really want to keep your cover," Chace warned as we reached the boys.
Jay grinned as he saw me approaching. "Kitty! Where have you-?"
A sudden hush fell across the room. Jay looked up, following everyone else's gaze. I followed too, and realized we were supposed to be staring at the staircase.
A dark-haired woman descended the stairs like an angel of salvation; her iridescent white evening gown flowing along her steps like foamy waves in the sea.
Um, Megan Fox? I think I just found your sister.
Damn. She's hot. I had to agree with what the guys were saying. "I'm obligated to go greet her," Jay said somewhat half-heartedly as he caught his father waving him over, "See ya later,"
He jogged off towards his parents and Megan Fox's twin sister. "What's her name?" I asked, curiosity overpowering me.
The guys stared at me, jaws wide open. "You mean you haven't heard of her?" Jordan asked incredulously.
"Well, pardon me for being out of the loop," I said defensively, "If you must know, I've been quite busy with my early applications for the Art Institute in Boston. I have to still hand in more portfolios, you know,"
Leo chuckled. "Well, that person's the most in-demand actress right now. Her name's Meredith Ford. Not only does the Sacrosanct Neophytes deal with aspiring musicians; it's actually more of a talent agency,"
"She's a few years older than us, and people expect her and Jay to hook up one day soon," Jordan supplied helpfully, "They predict that the couple will be hotter than Katy Perry and Russel Brand or Miley Cyrus when she was with Nick Jonas. Or Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Or-,"
"Shut up, Jordan! I think she gets it already!" Tyson aimed a smack on Jordan's back, "Everyone knows you have a secret penchant for reading gossip magazines, so there's no need to advertise it!"
"What secret penchant? That's bull!"
For some strange reason, hearing about Jay and Meredith kind of annoyed me. I shook it off and just tried to enjoy myself for the rest of the night.
-
"I'm sick. I feel very sick," Jay moaned as I helped him along the corridors of the hotel, towards the room he booked for himself.
"Of course you'd feel sick," I scolded, "You downed ten shots of hard liquor at one go! What made you do something so reckless?"
'Twas true, because while I had been talking to the very nice male models - who aren't as stupid as they look, I discovered - I saw Jay sitting at the bar, drinking himself silly. Did something happen with Meredith?
"Kitty, don't nag now," Jay continued moaning, "My head's killing me and I feel like throwing up!!"
"You're almost eighteen and still act like a kid!" I continued as I pulled the card key open and swiped it across the door, opening it and lugging Jay inside, "Now go do your throwing up!!"
Jay obeyed, and as he did so, I ripped open the only pack of complimentary toothbrush and squeezed some toothpaste onto the bristles. Handing it to Jay, I said, "Here. Once you're done, brush your teeth,"
I went out to get Jay's duffel bag from Leo's room. I bid him a good night and promised to make sure Jay was all right before heading home. I went back to said person's room to find him draped across the king-sized bed. It's like this morning all over again.
He really wants to have liver damage, doesn't he?
"Jay," I said, poking the half-dead brunette, "Jay,"
I think Jay must've really been drunk, because he started giggling like a girl. "Hi Kitty!!" he slurred.
"What the-?" before I could complete my sentence, Jay put an arm around my neck and planted his lips unto mine.
I can barely describe what happened next. I got very, very angry. Like, volcano-eruption angry. I screamed like a banshee, slapping the drunk Jay across the face. He got angry too.
"What the hell, Kitty! What did you do that for!?" he cried as he instantly became sober from that slap I gave him.
I let out a strangled cry and stomped towards the bathroom, grabbing the toothpaste and toothbrush. I remembered that Jay had previously used the latter and I did not want another oral connection to him, so I furiously squeezed the toothpaste onto my finger and vigorously rubbed at my teeth.
As soon as I was done, I went back into the room to see a fuming Jay. I glared at him one last time before slamming the door shut in his face as I left his room.
----------------------------------
I shook my head very much like the way cats and dogs usually do when they're yawning, and stretched, looking at the closed door of the guest room I had been given when the guys and Chace said they wanted to celebrate the success of the MV's shooting, by illegally drinking and partying in the living room in Leo's wing of his family's mansion and they refused to take no for an answer.
Apparently, it's okay to drink when you're seventeen going on eighteen and heading places, so long as you don't embarrass yourself and end up getting arrested for underage intoxication.
Rich people.
I freshened myself up with a shower and a change of clothes in the bathroom connected to the guest room before heading out to the living room outside. I was greeted with a sorry sight of hungover teenagers.
Shaking my head, I stepped towards the glass doors of the balcony outside while stepping over empty cans of beer and bottles of wine, and opened the doors, feeling a gust of the cold, chilly winter-spring wind rushing into the room. Ah. The medley of groans sounds like music to my sober ears.
"Cold! Cold! Too cold!!" I heard Jordan whine in his half-asleep and hungover state, "My head's killing me!!"
"God, Kaitlyn!" Tyson cried from his sleep, "Could you be more sadistic?"
"I think I have a migraine..." Gabriel groaned. I'm surprised he indulged in the drinking party. I guess since Gabriel himself is rich, he probably has the same mind-set as the rest of the rich, hungover babies sprawled all over the area of the living room.
I put on my best chirpy-morning-loving smile and beamed at the boys. "Morning!! How was your sleep?" I greeted enthusiastically, "I'll be making pancakes for breakfast!! Want some?"
Leo and Jay, ever so smooth, pulled themselves off the ground with amazing capability and grabbed each of my hands.
"Why, I'll be glad to eat anything that you make especially for me, love," Leo said, smiling brilliantly at me.
"They say when a woman cooks for a man, it signifies adoration..." Jay added, winking.
My Lord. Hungover and attacked by the frosty morning air, but these two really have amazing willpower and dedication to their statuses as suave gentleman and bad boy respectively.
I pulled my hands away from them. "Leo, you'd better make sure you want the damn pancakes and help me get the flour and ingredients out of the fridge, and Jay go get an aspirin or something, for the two of you. Wait, make that the six of you," I ordered as I cast a critical eye upon the people on the floor, "The rest of you, line up and take turns showering. Now."
No one budged, so I picked up a huge torchlight from the coffee table and strode towards the row of drawn curtains. "Get going or you will understand why the Darkness fears the presence of Light."
"Who are you now, Darth freakin' Hunter?" I heard Jordan mumble from his place on the floor.
I felt a prick of annoyance and I flashed the torch on and off menacingly. "Three...!"
"We're up!!" they hastily chorused in unison and picked themselves off the floor and couches.
Holding the torch in my hand like a lethal light saber, I watched as Jay traipsed off groggily to the medicine cupboard to look for aspirin tablets while Leo headed towards the kitchenette and the others lining up like prisoners in two separate lines, waiting for temporary custody of one of the two bathrooms.
The feel of total sober dominance and control makes me feel awesome and on Cloud Nine. Hear me roar!
-
Everyone was seated at the table in the kitchenette, clean, fresh, wide-awake and very much sober each with a plate of pancakes and fresh fruit. Chace was with us too, having dropped by a few minutes ago casting a critical eye of his own at the boys' audacity to indulge in underage drinking.
"I have no jurisdiction over what you do, but I'm warning you, this excessive consumption can lead to irreversible grotesqueness!" was the first thing he said when he took off his aviator sunglasses. Trust him to think that being beautiful is the most important thing in the world. What about things like liver cirrhosis or brain damage?
Probably suffering from attention-withdrawal, since everyone's attention was on their food, Jay decided to make an announcement.
"We all have to thank darling Kitty here for waking us up," he gestured towards me mockingly, "As the party for the band's debut as well as the music video for Blast From My Past is tonight!!"
Like little foolish lambs, the guys clapped for the egotistical guitarist with innocent wonder, while Chace and I shook our heads. Jay bowed to his 'loving' audience and continued, "Because of such a special event, we - the guys - will go to the arcade for the whole day while Chace goes shopping with Kaitlyn to look for a dress for tonight's prestigious occasion!!"
Thundering applause, if that's the right phrase for the next response. Really. I feel hurt. After all the trouble I went through to make sure they're not sick for the whole day and received a proper breakfast, this is how they treat me?
I sniffed in contempt. "Well,"
Leo grinned at me. "Well, Kaitlyn, it's not that we hate you," he assured, "We're just very enthusiastic at the prospect of having some quality hangout time together as guys,"
"Without me," I added blithely and pointed at Chace, "Or that,"
Chace's hand fluttered over to his chest. "What, I'm a 'that' now!?" his voice sounded incredulous and insulted.
"Details, details," Jay waved his hand loftily, "Leo's got a chauffeur waiting outside for the two of you. Knock yourselves out with the unlimited budget! Let's go and kick some digital butt now, men! Huzzah!"
"Huzzah!" the others responded gleefully as they filed out of the kitchenette, leaving me with Chace.
Huzzah indeed. It's like killing two birds with one stone for them. A) They don't have me to nag at them and B) They don't have Chace to nag at them.
"Well I never," Chace commented, sipping at his coffee, "Shall we leave now, mon ami?"
"He did say to knock ourselves out with the unlimited budget. Does that mean we can buy anything?" I asked brightly.
Chace held up a neatly folded piece of paper. "This is a list of things we're going to look for today in the very limited amount of time we have before we have to prepare you."
Aw. Killjoy. I was thinking of going on a culinary expedition to delight our taste buds too!
"And if you were thinking of some food indulgence trip-," Chace added - whoa, he's a psychic! - with a pointed look, "-you're sorely mistaken. You're the only one who wants to get fat,"
"Are you saying that I'm fat?" I asked, slightly insulted.
Chace stood up from his chair and grabbed the platinum card Jay had left lying on the table.
Apparently, the guys had decided to use the band's platinum card for my shopping trip with Chace, having given him free reign to wreak havoc on the world. As far as money was concerned, the limit surpassed the stratosphere.
Please wait while I mutter about people with more money than common sense.
"You will be, if you decide to deviate from this pre-arranged trip and proceed with your gluttonous idea,"
"Pre-arranged my foot," I muttered as I grabbed my coat that was draped on my chair, "No one told me that I was gonna be abandoned with you today,"
"When someone is supposed to have a shopping appointment with a celebrity stylist like moi," Chace announced, "Nobody has complaints. So shut up, listen and get into the car, comprends?"
So shut up, listened and got into the car I did.
-
"I was thinking maybe if we go with the Little Black Dress concept, nothing will go wrong," Chace mused. He turned to the sales assistant. "What do you think?"
I sulked as I squirmed in my seat on the plush velvet sofa that the boutique provided for tired guests. I, for one, was definitely tired from walking so much, after going to about a billion different high-end boutiques until we reached this place. Who knew shopping could qualify as good exercise?
"What's the occasion, Chace?" she asked, giving me a once-over, "Someone's Sweet Sixteen?"
Sweet Sixteen? What the heck?? I'm seventeen going on eighteen, lady!
"Ah, non. I'm just picking out a dress for an absent client," Chace lied easily, "As you can see, my assistant, Tiffy here, is a replacement, because both my client and her have similar body structures,"
Tiffy? Of all names, he had to choose Tiffy?
I narrowed my eyes and gave Chace the best glare I had in my arsenal, as he continued to debate on the choice of dresses with the sales assistant. All the while, the damned stylist had a devious smile on his face.
This guy is really good; everything is like water off a duck's back for him.
-
I ended up with a really cute dress that follows the Little Black Dress concept or whatever Chace's been talking about for the past two hours, and a matching pair of killer (literally) high heels and now, we're picking out jewelry to - as Chace says - complement my outfit.
"Just so we're clear," I whispered to Chace as the sales assistant went into the back room to bring out their more pricey and valuable pieces, "We're not going to pick out a necklace, all right? Just a bracelet or something,"
"Why ever not?" Chace whispered back, "I mean, you didn't have any complaints or guilt about the money we spent previously,"
"Well, guilt has caught up with me," I retorted snappily, tapping my fingers against the glass counter.
Chace scrutinized me carefully, and slowly, he hooked the previously unnoticed silver chain around my neck with his finger and held it up. "Is this of any sentimental value to you, mon ami?" he asked, "Because as far as I know, I've never seen anything like this. Is it handmade?"
The pendant swirled freely in the air. It was nothing valuable, just an intricate clover pendant, made by twisting bits of copper wires around, with four tiny, glittering, green crystals in the clover's leaves.
I bit my lip. "Maybe," I said as an answer to both his questions, trying to pass off as nonchalant, "Anyhow, no necklaces,"
Chace sighed and didn't press any further, only turning to look at the array of silver bracelets in front of him.
Some people do know how to respect other people's privacy.
-
"Keep your back straight! No hunching! Stick out whatever you have!" Chace scolded as he escorted me towards the doors of the ballroom of the hotel that had been rented for the occasion, "There's a reason why we bought this strapless dress!!"
"What, so it can slip off and render me naked to the whole world?" I replied snarkily. I had not been happy when Chace had made the purchase.
Chace raised his eyebrows. "Of course not, débile," he chided, "It's to show off your non-existent womanly assets and as well as your back to the whole world, actually, since you refused to buy the backless piece I picked out. Ever heard the song Sexy Back?"
"Chace, that song was about bringing sexy back, not a bunch of sexy backs," I explained with annoyance, as I tottered up the stairs clumsily. I think I have blisters already.
"No one cares," Chace said airily as he caught hold of my hand and steadied me, "Now, listen here. Talk only to nice boys, okay? Also, no bad impressions on any of the important people,"
"Who are you, my mother?" I muttered.
Chace smiled. "I'd be honored to substitute your currently absent mère, but I am biologically unsuitable for the role,"
"Wow, I hadn't noticed," I replied glumly as the doormen asked for identification.
"Name on the list?" Doorman One asked, looking at the clipboard in his hands.
"Chace and the Lightning Kitty," the stylist answered.
Doorman Two regarded us. I guess he has the right to have doubts. Anyone could impersonate me with a cat mask like mine. "Are you sure? Do you have any other form of identification available?"
Chace's good-natured smile melted away and he narrowed his eyes. "Do you think that I, Chace, number one stylist to the rich and beautiful, would lie like a common street rat to get into a party?" he asked, "If that is so, I have some very, very dangerous connections that could get rid of the both of you and no one would ever notice,"
Doorman One hastily opened the door, "Welcome to the debut party of the Lightning Devils! Congratulations on your success, Miss-!"
"Lightning," I answered, as Chace led me through the open door, "Or Kitty. Although Lightning is better,"
-
Chace scanned the crowded ballroom from the top of the stairs, looking for someone. "Chace! I'm so glad you could make it!" a beautiful woman with blond hair dressed in a deep red evening gown - comparably prettier than my black cocktail number - hugged Chace and they air-kissed each other. "And this must be the elusive Lightning Kitty!"
"Um. Hi," I said dumbly registered the fact that I'm one of the main attractions here tonight.
Chace tutted and pulled me towards were he was standing with the woman who had greeted us. "Lightning, this is Sharon Dominic, Jay's mother," Chace supplied, "Sharon, this is the Lightning Kitty. Call her Lightning, because apparently that's what she prefers,"
Jay's mom? This woman is the woman that Jay hates? How could he hate a woman like her?
Sharon laughed lightly. "Oh Chace, you're still going with that story Jayden feeds to anyone who's ever asked him about his family?"
What? I'm confused. I looked up at Chace with raised eyebrows and big eyes, hoping that my question could be conveyed through the deceptive mask I was wearing.
Instead of Chace, Sharon answered my unspoken question instead. "It's true that I'm Jayden's mother," she assured, "But I'm not his real mother. I'm his aunt, actually. Jayden and his sister, Dakota are both Byron's and my adopted children,"
Before I could ask more questions, though, Chace grabbed me by my shoulders and started steering me away. "Okay! I see Byron over there! We'll take our leave for now, Sharon. We're going to greet Byron now!" he said, and leaned over to my ear to whisper, "Kaitlyn, it's best if you don't dig further into Jay's family matters. He's always been sensitive about the topic of his real parents,"
He withdrew and pulled me further towards a man with the same hair as Jay has, only neatly trimmed and graying at the edges. "Byron!" Chace called out, extending his hand for a handshake, "Thank you for inviting me and my friend here!"
Byron excused himself from the people to whom he was previously speaking to and turned towards us with a jovial grin on his face. "Chace! Good to see you!" he said and he noticed my presence, "This must be..." he looked around and whispered, "Kaitlyn also known as Lightning?"
So this is the Eccentric Billionaire with the spartan tendencies. I must say, I expected a hard-faced man with some military substance to him. Instead, Byron looked more like a movie star of his own right.
Uncle or not, Jay's obviously inherited some looks from his adopted father.
"Yes, sir, thank you for everything you've done for my benefit!" I said nervously as he grabbed my hand and shook it firmly.
"Don't worry about it! You're a talented young lady, Lightning, if only you weren't so camera-shy you'd be a universal success!" Byron said, "So, Jayden spent the night over at Leon's house last night? Whatever were you doing?"
Chace gave a bright smile. "The shooting for the music video was a success, so they decided a little celebration was in order,"
Huh. Looks like Chace hasn't lost his touch for giving clean-cut Disney versions.
"Hey, dad,"
The three of us turned to see Jay, Leo, Jordan, Tyson, Lance and Gabriel all dressed - Jordan still had his headphones around his neck, though. Guess there's no changing the geek in him. - and looking devastatingly handsome. It's no wonder that all the women - single or not - were turning their heads to catch a glimpse of them.
"Jayden! Where have you been? Why didn't all of you come along with Lightning and Chace?" Byron asked, hugging his adopted son and shaking hands with the others with a warm smile.
Jay grinned. "We went out for some guy-time while Kitty had a girlie day out with Chace,"
"I see, I see," Byron nodded in understanding. Clearly, he's well-versed in his son's antics.
"Jayden! You're here!" Sharon appeared out of the blue, "Boys! Hello!"
Jay grinned at his adopted mother. "Hey mom. Where's Dakota?" he asked.
Strange. I don't see any signs of malice here. Does this mean Jay's hatred is actually for his real mother and not his aunt slash adopted mother?
"Talking to one of the supermodels, I think," Sharon said, before ducking down to hide behind Lance.
"Mom?" Jay looked at his mother with an eyebrow arched.
"That Belle Hoover keeps wanting to talk to me about setting one of you boys up with her daughter!" Sharon sighed, shaking her head, "I couldn't stand her incessant talking about where, when and with who the non-existent date was going to happen, so I decided to take refuge in your little group of friends,"
Byron chuckled. "Well, I'm sorry about this, but you're going to have to re-greet Belle and her husband, Jonah, who happens to be a very important business partner of mine with me. He owns quite a lot of shares in Texas, you know,"
"Absolutely not!" Sharon shook her head adamantly, reminding me a hell lot of Jay, who was standing beside her.
"Why ever not?" Byron asked with a grin, "After all, what could be more aesthetically pleasing than my darling wife?"
With that, the strange couple took their leave.
The guys chuckled. "That's mom and dad for you," Jay sighed, "Always going on and on about many things and never having time to sit down and chill,"
"Well, I'll have to excuse myself for the moment as well," Leo apologized, "I can see my father and mother beckoning me over to them,"
The others and Chace said similar excuses, leaving me alone to fend for myself.
I wandered aimlessly in the vast ballroom, feeling lost and alone. I started cursing my luck.
"Hello."
The deep voice made me jump, and I turned around sharply. A black-haired guy around my age was grinning at me. If it weren't for the tell-tale cross piercing on his ear and his piercing eyes, I would've never guessed in a million years that it was Dashielle Stryker.
As I thought up of a quick excuse to escape from him, I couldn't help but be amazed at how much he has changed from when I first saw him. He sure cleans up good, what with the absence of nail polish, mostly black ripped-apart clothes and the vast collection of heavy stainless steel jewelry. He actually looks as good as the guys in the band.
"Hi?" I squeaked. My heart was hammering nervously as I wondered if Dash would recognize me any minute now.
"You're the one that everyone's been gossiping about all evening, aren't you?" Dash asked, smiling that proud and arrogant smile of his, "Lightning Kitty, the newbie of the Crying Babies,"
I smiled pleasantly. "Are you the official cult leader for the Sacrosanct Neophytes? Are you here to recruit members for your underground cult?"
Dash hummed in amusement. "Well, I can see we're going to have a pleasant relationship. My name's Dashielle Stryker. Dash, for short. I'm the bassist for Lucifer,"
I feigned surprise. "You play songs for Cinderella's evil stepmother's cat, Dash?"
Dash raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're the first one to think we're named after that gross-looking cat," What. I was wrong? "We're more based after the origins of the fallen Prince of Heaven, the Morningstar,"
I gave a non-commital shrug and a reluctant nod. "I... see," His eyes never left mine. Damn him for having good conversation etiquette! "I'm not really into biblical stuff. I go better with alternative rock and mainstream stuff,"
Dash shook his head. "Well, it's too bad a person who has a voice as good as yours is stuck in a sorry, baby band like the Crying Babies. It's also sad that you have to hide under that mask of yours,"
This guy really wants me to give him the finger really bad, doesn't he?
"Well, I'm a person who loves her privacy," I replied, the pleasant smile still plastered on my face, "I'm not too well-off enough to hire private security twenty-four-seven, you know,"
Dash seemed to study me closely. "You somehow seem familiar to me. Have I met you without your mask before?"
Oh crap. "No! Absolutely not!" I denied shakily, "I've already said I've never met you before, right?"
Dash's hand reached out to gesture at my hair. "But this hair... it's really familiar somehow..." A corner of his mouth curved upwards slyly.
"Lots of people have auburn hair with red highlights!" I was beginning to feel the telltale signs of a panic attack; my palms were sweaty and I could see flashes of white spots.
"Not in a conservative place like Sandfields," Dash retorted, "I get strange looks every now and then when I'm in my normal attire,"
He's cornered me with my realizing it!! I'm dead. Dead meat. "Er..."
"Lightning! Here you are!!" Chace! My hero! He's come to save the day!! "Oh, hello, Dashielle. Didn't see you here,"
Dash smirked. "Likewise," he answered back, "Lightning and I here were having a lovely chat before you rudely interrupted us,"
"Excuse moi, Dashielle, but I'm afraid your conversation has to end, because the boys require Lightning's presence,"
With that, he pulled me away from Dash. "Do they really require my presence?" I asked as we walked further away from Dash.
"Well, they wanted to talk about sleeping arrangements for tonight because Byron is hosting any guests who want to stay in this hotel tonight and I saw your troubled expression, so I decided to rescue you and bring you to them," Chace explained lengthily, "It's killing two birds with one stone, really,"
"Well, thank you for saving me anyway," I said happily, "'Cause Dash nearly found out who I was,"
"Be more careful next time, if you really want to keep your cover," Chace warned as we reached the boys.
Jay grinned as he saw me approaching. "Kitty! Where have you-?"
A sudden hush fell across the room. Jay looked up, following everyone else's gaze. I followed too, and realized we were supposed to be staring at the staircase.
A dark-haired woman descended the stairs like an angel of salvation; her iridescent white evening gown flowing along her steps like foamy waves in the sea.
Um, Megan Fox? I think I just found your sister.
Damn. She's hot. I had to agree with what the guys were saying. "I'm obligated to go greet her," Jay said somewhat half-heartedly as he caught his father waving him over, "See ya later,"
He jogged off towards his parents and Megan Fox's twin sister. "What's her name?" I asked, curiosity overpowering me.
The guys stared at me, jaws wide open. "You mean you haven't heard of her?" Jordan asked incredulously.
"Well, pardon me for being out of the loop," I said defensively, "If you must know, I've been quite busy with my early applications for the Art Institute in Boston. I have to still hand in more portfolios, you know,"
Leo chuckled. "Well, that person's the most in-demand actress right now. Her name's Meredith Ford. Not only does the Sacrosanct Neophytes deal with aspiring musicians; it's actually more of a talent agency,"
"She's a few years older than us, and people expect her and Jay to hook up one day soon," Jordan supplied helpfully, "They predict that the couple will be hotter than Katy Perry and Russel Brand or Miley Cyrus when she was with Nick Jonas. Or Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Or-,"
"Shut up, Jordan! I think she gets it already!" Tyson aimed a smack on Jordan's back, "Everyone knows you have a secret penchant for reading gossip magazines, so there's no need to advertise it!"
"What secret penchant? That's bull!"
For some strange reason, hearing about Jay and Meredith kind of annoyed me. I shook it off and just tried to enjoy myself for the rest of the night.
-
"I'm sick. I feel very sick," Jay moaned as I helped him along the corridors of the hotel, towards the room he booked for himself.
"Of course you'd feel sick," I scolded, "You downed ten shots of hard liquor at one go! What made you do something so reckless?"
'Twas true, because while I had been talking to the very nice male models - who aren't as stupid as they look, I discovered - I saw Jay sitting at the bar, drinking himself silly. Did something happen with Meredith?
"Kitty, don't nag now," Jay continued moaning, "My head's killing me and I feel like throwing up!!"
"You're almost eighteen and still act like a kid!" I continued as I pulled the card key open and swiped it across the door, opening it and lugging Jay inside, "Now go do your throwing up!!"
Jay obeyed, and as he did so, I ripped open the only pack of complimentary toothbrush and squeezed some toothpaste onto the bristles. Handing it to Jay, I said, "Here. Once you're done, brush your teeth,"
I went out to get Jay's duffel bag from Leo's room. I bid him a good night and promised to make sure Jay was all right before heading home. I went back to said person's room to find him draped across the king-sized bed. It's like this morning all over again.
He really wants to have liver damage, doesn't he?
"Jay," I said, poking the half-dead brunette, "Jay,"
I think Jay must've really been drunk, because he started giggling like a girl. "Hi Kitty!!" he slurred.
"What the-?" before I could complete my sentence, Jay put an arm around my neck and planted his lips unto mine.
I can barely describe what happened next. I got very, very angry. Like, volcano-eruption angry. I screamed like a banshee, slapping the drunk Jay across the face. He got angry too.
"What the hell, Kitty! What did you do that for!?" he cried as he instantly became sober from that slap I gave him.
I let out a strangled cry and stomped towards the bathroom, grabbing the toothpaste and toothbrush. I remembered that Jay had previously used the latter and I did not want another oral connection to him, so I furiously squeezed the toothpaste onto my finger and vigorously rubbed at my teeth.
As soon as I was done, I went back into the room to see a fuming Jay. I glared at him one last time before slamming the door shut in his face as I left his room.
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