Once I had everything on, I took another look in the full-length mirror to make sure I was free of any tags hanging out, or weird stuff going on with the collar on my shirt that made me look like a “wanna be” Elvis impersonator. The look was satisfactory, and I did not appear to have any fashion faux pas going on, so I sprayed on a few squirts of my favorite perfume before starting down to the car and heading for Spirits.
Pulling into the parking lot at Spirits, I glanced at the clock, which informed me that I was going to be right on time with little to spare. It appeared that being on time was to be late, judging by the amount of cars in the packed parking lot. The only spot open was in the very back, so that meant I got my exercise on the walk to the front door, wearing the heeled boots I had chosen. Once I got inside, I could not believe how many people were there! I had never seen this many people here at one time! They had brought folding chairs and placed them all around for extra seating with the exception of an empty space in the center of the stage area.
Glancing around the shop, there was not a single seat unoccupied, and it was also no surprise that 85 percent of the population was female between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five. I scoped out the group from our apartment building that Trev, Alex, Declan, Dorian, and Bradley had been talking to at my birthday party and waved; unfortunately, there was no available room to join them. I continued looking around for the miracle that there would be an empty chair, completely oblivious to the fact that all eyes were on me like white on rice.
I was so used to it that I no longer noticed. Sometimes I wondered if being numb to it all was such a good thing. Luckily I could sense if something was wrong or evil and I sensed nothing of the sort, so all was well. About that time, I saw my usual spot with a sign that said Reserved. I looked around for Avan, but all I got was a thought from him telling me the chair was for me and that I had a peppermint mocha topped with whipped cream and sprinkles on the way.
Within a few minutes, comfortably seated, I held a piping hot cup in my hand that smelled the same way I hoped heaven would. I could still tell that several people were eyeballing me as I looked up and caught them quickly turning away, trying to make it appear they were just casually glancing around the room. It always made me wish they would just come get to know me or ask whatever question they had as opposed to pretending not to spy and gawk. I guess the general population failed to realize that when you try to make it look like you are simply looking around the room innocently, it only makes it that much more obvious!
Suddenly, the house lights went down and the stage was illuminated, causing the otherwise hushed crowd to go into fan mode. A roar of screams from the crowd of doting females in the room filled the air so loud that I could have sworn I felt my overstuffed, sturdy, leather chair shake. I had to admit I was excited myself; I had never heard Avan sing so I was a looking forward to the crowd envying me as the one that the singing hottie belonged to. Judging by the reaction of the room Avan and the boys must know how to rock the place, so I was going to sip my coffee and enjoy it.
Taking the first sip of my peppermint mocha, I was unable to avoid the small hint of a whipped cream mustache, which I quickly wiped away, hoping no one noticed. Then there was the familiar voice that unmistakably belonged to Avan in my mind, telling me he hoped I could forgive him for what was about to take place. All I could do was smile and shake my head as I stared at the stage in anticipation. I knew there had to be more to this whole thing than just coming to the normal Saturday night concert.
He never pushed my coming before so I should have caught on when he showed up with roses. Whatever he was about to do would be well planned, that I knew, which meant there would be no chance to make a successful escape! I was stuck! Being stuck meant that somehow I was quite certain I was about to become the center of attention. I had no idea what Avan had up his sleeve but I knew now that I was about to find out what it was.
As soon as my last thought finished I heard the most thrilling harmonization of voices I had ever heard before, followed by Avan, Dorian, Bradley, Declan, Trev, and Alex spotlighted all around the floor. Tonight they were all in white slacks and black shoes. Avan wore a black sleeveless undershirt, Declan was in a tight black regular t-shirt, Trev, Alex wore black V-neck t-shirts, and Dorian and Bradley wore black turtlenecks. Each added something different to the well-coordinated look with their own hairstyles and physical traits that made them each look just as different as they looked alike.
The second I heard the first chord, I knew the song. It was the Billy Joel number “Uptown Girl.” The voice I heard next was one that was so familiar but more breathtaking than I had ever heard it before; Avan took the lead on the song, staring right into my eyes. I had heard the comparison before, describing someone with a nice sound as having a voice like an angel but now I could totally understand what it meant.
This was the first time I had ever heard an angel sing other than my mother cast into a human body. It was clear why they had acquired so many loyal and devoted fans of the female gender. The look plus the voices and choreographed movements created a show that any boy band would kill to achieve. I hardly noticed that they were all moving toward me, mesmerizing me in the song until they had surrounded me by the middle of the first verse.
All the practices they had had over the past week must have been intense, as they went over each song perfectly, going over each step and space occupied repeatedly until they had it down so well they could do it in their sleep! I saw why they put so much into their practices now, watching the creation their hard work produced. Everything they did was without flaw, even down to their facial expressions throughout the song. It was more like watching a musical as opposed to watching a weekly concert. I felt like Sandy in Grease as every girl looked at me in jealousy and outright envy.
By the middle of the song Avan, was on one knee in front of me, holding my hand while the others framed my chair; Dorian and Alex stood on the table in front of me. Every eye was on me as I could feel the huge, idiotic, I am so in love smile pasted across my face. Once again everyone and everything else melted away into oblivion, leaving only the vision of Avan knelt in front of me as he had been the first time we had kissed.
I was lost in time; I could have stayed right here forever! I was living the romantic fantasy that every girl in the world secretly dreamed of finding. Everything was surreal and exquisite as the song continued. They ended the song back on the stage with an audience exploding in whistles, screams, and applause. The next song was yet another from my MP3 playlist as Bradley took the lead singing, “Your Love” by The Outfield. I could not resist tapping my feet and singing along in enjoyment.
As the concert progressed, every song featured was from my playlist of eighties music that I listened to repeatedly in the car. Avan had outdone himself once again by putting together a personalized concert for me made up of all of my favorite songs! It hit my right then that it was not just Avan who had done this, but our closest mutual friends as well. I realized how special it made me feel to have such amazing friends. Granted they were special anyway due to being angels, and maybe that is what gave them the extra oomph to go above and beyond to make everything count.
What I knew from hearing their thoughts throughout the performance was that they had put it all together to remind me of the good times my mom and I had always had, singing these same songs together so many times before when I was younger. The good news was that they had made it an ultimate success as the titles that kept coming sounded just as awesome, if not better than the original versions I listened to on a daily basis. All of my favorites were performed one right after another, “Faith” by George Michael, “Kyrie” by Mr. Mister, “King of Wishful Thinking” by Go West, and more.
The concert was almost over when Avan announced that they had saved the best song for last. I wanted to stand up and dance when I heard the music for “Make Me Lose Control” by Eric Carmen start to play with the prominent base line that made the song. Suddenly a spo
tlight shone right on me as once again all six of them started making their way back toward me. The light bounced off Avan’s hair and danced electrically in his creamy brown eyes as it played across his olive skin that showed the perfect definition of his muscles.
I could not take my focus from his beautiful face as his flawless smile showed his dimple when we locked eyes. His full, soft lips were begging me to kiss them, making it harder than ever to restrain myself as he read my thoughts loud and clear, smiling wider to show his dimple even more. He had pulled his hair back into a ponytail, showing off his thick neck and square jawbone, which were features that made every female who had ever seen him crumble. It was right then I also noticed that the other five were looking at me with the same wide smiles.
“Nice, Mattie, I wish you would tell us the details more often! This is incredibly entertaining. Do go on,” I heard Alex’s thought loud and clear.
“Super angel forgot we can all read angel minds! You should have only sent that message to Avan! You might want to keep your thoughts to yourself!” Dorian added to the thought conversation.
“So what else are you thinking there, missy? Don’t get shy now!” Trev chimed in.
“That’s enough, guys. We don’t kiss and tell!” Avan shot in as he winked at me.
“That is not even right dude! You get the angel of all angels, and she’s giving us details and you’re gonna stop her! Buzz kill!” Declan commented in thought to Avan where we could all hear.
“Yeah, it’s just because he’s embarrassed. He doesn’t want us to know all the good stuff! It’s like those guys on reality shows. You only get to see what’s aired on TV and they edit out all the juicy details,” Bradley interjected.
“Correction, you guys are just jealous because you aren’t the center of these thoughts!” I retorted jokingly to them all.
“Let’s do this!” Avan said as he jumped on the table in front of my chair. He started singing the first verse, making me blush as he changed the wording to put my name in the song. Every word Avan sang he inched closer, jumping down from the table and leaning over me in my chair. He pulled me up at the end of the verse, continuing with the chorus while his best friends harmonized, singing back up.
As Avan began singing the second verse, he led me to the empty spot in the middle of the room in front of the stage. My heart was beating so hard I thought it might explode right out of my chest as he sang. I could tell he was enjoying this more and more every second as he made sure I had become the center of attention.
I could not deny that I was not enjoying being the object of his affection and undying love in front of the entire world. His eyes glinted in satisfaction as he very obviously checked out my rather cute and sexy appearance from head to toe, letting me know I looked stellar. About that time he and the other guys in the band jumped on the nearest table to each of them, started the second chorus as they and I swayed to the music in the brightly shining spotlight.
At the end of the second chorus Avan placed one foot on the back of a chair pushed back from the table in perfect position that someone had conveniently moved from with the back facing me. Within a few seconds his other foot was on the seat and the chair tilted backward. He effortlessly balanced his weight, landing the back of the chair on the ground without even a thump and strode toward me with a confidence that was dead sexy! Backing me up until I bumped into the coffee bar he stared into my eyes the entire time as he sang the first half of the third verse; I never wanted to lose the feeling I had right then.
Finishing the first half of the third verse, I felt his arms slide around my waist and hoist me up onto the coffee bar as he jumped up beside me, pulling me to my feet. Bradley and the others made their way to the coffee bar as they jumped from their tables without missing a word or a beat on their back-up parts. They joined in for the second half of the third verse and chorus.
After the third chorus they joined in perfect harmony for the a cappella chorus before the explosion of instruments for the last chorus that ended the song that was exhilarating! My ears had never heard such a beautiful sound in all my life! This is why such crowds never failed to come see them all the time and I was just now discovering it! I wished at this moment that I had come every Saturday the millions of times when everyone else from school had talked about it over the past few years. Even though Avan had not always been a part of the group I was sure that the performances had more than likely never failed to be showstoppers!
Starting the last chorus, they all lifted me off the coffee bar, placing me on the floor and leading me onto the stage. At the same time the instruments started back in, the stage lights went crazy as they synchronized with the music and the song ended with a bang! Avan and I, locked in the mother of all kisses, remained only in tune with one another when the house lights came back up. The crowd was going wild! I couldn’t have cared less; at that particular second it was all I could do to control my thoughts of pushing him into the nearest closet and locking the door.
When we pulled away from each other, we were still receiving catcalls, applause, and all kinds of angry looks from many different girls who were making it clear they didn’t like me very much at all. Shockingly we were receiving many more “awe, how cute are they” reactions than we were negative reactions. I was just happier than ever that I knew he was mine for all eternity! Lost in happiness I completely ignored the weird feeling that I thought I had felt. As I looked out on the crowd, my smile went cold as my eyes met Lena’s.
CHAPTER 18
I had no idea why Lena would show up after so long, but I had to find out. I knew her dad, or whoever he really was to her, was definitely evil. Somehow I just could not believe that Lena knew anything about what was going on or what he really was. There was no possible way she could be my best friend for so many years and hide the fact that she knew her dad was a horrible creature from another world without breaking. I had to talk to her and find out answers to some of my questions.
Avan was against the idea as soon as it crept into my mind, shooting back thoughts, warning me to stay away from her. He kept reminding me of how Natasha had said I needed to be careful and not fall into any traps. Sadly, I was reminding myself of all of the same things, but I could not pretend that Lena was not there. I also knew that she had not shown up for the sake of seeing the show either. I knew she was probably still angry and hurt for the way I had just up and moved out without actually giving her the decency of a face-to-face explanation and did not have it in her to face me until now.
We had known each other for years, and yes, after talking with Natasha, I did question her friendship, selfish ways, and behaviors, but did that mean she was really a bad person or just acting the way she had been raised? Either way, I needed some answers, and if she was evil or not, maybe she knew something about Allen. I had to try. I at least owed Allen that much even if I did not owe Lena anything.
I told Avan I was going to go outside and talk to her, letting him know I was wearing my bracelet and would let him and the others know if I needed anything at all. I shut my thoughts off to everyone before they had the chance to argue and headed toward Lena, who was waiting as if she had already assumed the conversation was coming.
“Hey,” I said, sounding guilty.
“Hey,” Lena said back to me softly.
“Can we talk?”
“Yeah, but I don’t have a lot of time,” Lena said, looking around worriedly.
I took Lena’s arm, leading her outside to the parking lot.
“Look, I know you are probably really mad at me and I have a lot of explaining to do, but I need to know if you have any idea where Allen Hearsch is.”
“I’m not mad, Mattie. I know why you left. It is the same reason I left too. Listen, I can’t stay long, okay? I can’t risk letting my dad know where I am. I’ve been hiding out, going from hotel to hotel, using cash to pay and fake names so he won’t be able to find me. If anyone recognizes me and tells him I was here, he’ll know I’m still in t
he area and try to flush me out. You know what he is, Mattie, and so do I! I’m scared; I never knew any of this existed! I don’t know what I am or who I am! I have never been so scared in my life! The one person that had taken care of me is a murderer and God only knows what else! Mattie, I am so sorry. I should’ve known! I should’ve seen there was something wrong about him! Then you were just gone and I’ve been trying to understand all of this and learn to deal with it all and I just…I can’t…I don’t know what to do…” Lena cried hysterically.
“Shhh, shhh, shhh, it’s gonna be okay. This isn’t your fault, but I’m glad you found out the truth. I didn’t know how to tell you, and I didn’t know if you were one of them. I’m sorry, Lena. I never meant to just leave you there without telling you what I knew. I just…” I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.
“I know. I just can’t believe I was always so cruel and selfish. I don’t know why you even want to talk to me. I’m a mess.”
“Lena, how could you have known? I didn’t know what I was until I had to find out the hard way.”
“So what’s it like being the whole super angel thing?” Lena asked with a laugh.
“It is definitely an adventure!”
“Well, it looks like it landed you all the hotties at Spirits, so it can’t be all bad right?” she said jokingly as she wiped her tears.
“Just one,” I told her, showing her my ring.
“Oh my god! You’re freaking married? Can angels even get married? To Avan?” Lena said, smiling.
“Something like that anyway.” I snickered.
“So look, I’ve gotta get outta here before somebody sees me. I’m staying at the Fly By Night Hotel in room 1306. I really need to know about all this crazy stuff and know what I need to do in order to figure out what I am. Will you please come have a coke and talk to me for a little while? You don’t have to stay for a long time; I just really need a friend who can identify with me,” Lena said, looking completely lost.
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