Page 118 of Loaded

“How does anyone ever break out?” Easton’s shaking his head as he follows us to the edge of the stage. “The pressure. The numbers. The odds aren’t great.”

“Thanks, honey.” I start to walk past him, and he grabs me, circles my waist with his hands, and dips me. My heart is pounding when he presses a kiss against my lips.

“You, Beatrice Fansee, are the most talented woman I’ve ever met. Now go show all them what I already know. The other performers should just go home.”

It helps.

Having someone watching on the side stage, having Jake and Emerson, Elizabeth, Ardath, Dave, Seren, and even Killian in the audience, it all helps. Even if we mess up, even if we come in dead last, they’ll still be cheering for us.

I squeeze Octavia’s hand.

The music for the band in front of us is so loud, I can barely hear that she’s running through one of her vocal warm-ups. It’s like she can’t help herself. She’s been flawless in every practice, in every warm-up. Her voice alone would make a heavenly chorus jealous, and she’s still nervous.

Something about that calms me.

“Alright, you gorgeous monster,” I whisper. “Let’s go show those beasts out there what they came here to experience. Let’s open their eyes.”

Her smile’s tentative, but it’s genuine.

When the music cuts, we take our first steps onto the stage.

As the applause for the song in front of us fades, I’m seated at the piano. Just like we discussed, Octavia’sstanding sideways so the audience can only see her ‘good’ side.

I keep the notes light. Sharp and haunting, but bright. When Octavia’s voice joins me, it hits like a cool stroke along my spine.

The world is full of beauty.

The world is full of peace.

The world is full of light and joy,

That almost never cease.

You made me lots of promises.

You made them all come true.

I can hardly imagine living in

A world devoid of you.

But when the music segues, when the chords shift, she turns too. She looks out at the audience, and their gasp is a palpable thing. I keep playing, but something inside me curls up as her voice shifts, too. It’s sharp, it’s dark, and it sounds dangerous.

The world is dark and terrifying.

All your promises were lies.

The ones who talked of beauty,

Were the first to avert their eyes.

The face you said was gorgeous,

You now cringe and turn away.

The world has made it ugly,

Your gorgeous monstrosity.

---