It was all over the news: “Local Indie-Band harboring two Supernatural members: Deathly Concert Massacre at Rockwick!”
Every time Leticia watched the television, showing Darren and Chantel’s faces, she got more and more disgusted with the news reporters coming up with conspiracies and stories about the duo's lives. Turning on television, many of the fellow musicians on the local music scene were turning on the duo on national television.
“Yeah, those two looked like they are the type to kill people… I mean, that Chantel girl looks and sounds dangerous,” A male musician coming from the Clare Point View music scene told a reporter interviewing them.
Leticia rolled her eyes when the person said that, while other interviews ranged from odd accusations to other bands trying to up their self promotion.
“Yeah, those two fooled us all. Y'all think you know someone. Oh, wait, can you focus the camera closer on me?!” A pale, white, young woman, about Leticia’s age, tried to position the camera man. She pulled out a CD case, then put it up to the camera. Smiling with pride with no shame, “Hey, everyone! Stream Mission Angels’s new album, Chaotic Road!”
Leticia facepalmed at this embarrassing girl. She can understand people wanting to promote their music, but who in the fuck would promote their album during a tragedy like this?! Luckily, only newbie musicians were doing this, not the older ones, who clearly knew to stay out of this. One thing Leticia knew for sure is that the Rise of Light was behind the attack. In addition, the guitarist felt livid that they put her boyfriend in the middle of this! She turned off the television, considering that these reporters are doing nothing but dragging Chantel and Darren’s names through the mud.
Everything in her apartment has changed for the past couple days. Her cousin Dana moved out, since Linda and he broke up. Her boyfriend, Trenton, looked depressed ever since what happened at the North Chantel's’ gig up in Rockwick. All she knows is that what happened at their gig killed their careers completely and their manager went missing! Now that Chantel and Darren disappeared, she was alone with all of this.
No matter how many times Leticia tried to contact them, none of them were picking up their phones. Massaging her temples to clear her mind, she needed to think about her next move. Leticia needed to tell the rest of her band mates the truth and, of course, she may have to leave the group. It was the best move for everyone's safety. The Rise of Light was going after her next. Leticia headed to her room, where her desk and laptop were at.
Slumping into the computer chair and turning on her laptop, Leticia threw herself into work on her band, answering any emails that her band mates sent her. One email she got from Raleigh, talking about breaking their contract, and added a list of lawyers to the email. Leticia just looked at the email, trying to figure out how to respond. She wanted to talk about this drug operation so badly to her, but not until she had the rest of her band together. Typing an email back to Raleigh, she became nervous about what would happen next.
Remembering what Chantel told her about the secret drug operation back in Underwood, not only is the Rise of Light dangerous, but so is Crimson Crown Music Group. This was sickening operation! Leticia did not want her band to be a part of that, and if she had to use legal means to get them out, she will. Lost in her thoughts, Trenton patted her on the shoulder for her attention from behind. Leticia looked up to his handsome, tired face, giving him a small kiss.
It was at this moment that Leticia felt her world was normal again. She still knows that Trenton was still probably mad at her for keeping secrets from him for so long. Leticia whirled her computer chair around to face her boyfriend, not knowing what else to say to him. All she could do is break down and cry in front of him; something that she rarely did throughout their relationship. Leticia hated crying, even when she almost broke down when she yelled at her brother for mistreating Victoria.
Crying made everything so dramatic. Feeling Trenton giving her a big bear hug, she bawled into his gray sweater he was wearing. God, she hated how that sweater looked on him! However, she did not give a damn how unfashionable he looked right now. Once Leticia moved back to wipe her tears from her eyes, her mind felt at peace again.
She did not know if this meant that Trenton forgives her, but she will take it.
“So, Leticia, what are you going to do now?” Trenton asked, holding her hands.
“Doing what I should’ve done a long time ago,” Leticia grabbed his hands tight, now having the motivation to fix all this.
____
Heading over to her old manager’s house, where Leticia would have her last band meeting. Rose’s place looked like a mansion, at least on the inside. Leticia always wondered where the former manager got all this money. No doubt her sexual and cult activities probably funded her entire house. It has been a while since she saw everyone together with their other manager, Topanga Crowley. Entering the house, she saw the woman sitting in the chair at the corner of the living room.
Cho and Kiki sat on the sofa, while Dakota made herself at home in one armchair. Leticia sat on another couch when she noticed someone was missing: Raleigh. Where was she? The girl was never late to a meeting before!
“Ray Ray said she can’t make it on time. She asked us to fill her in on anything when she comes over.” Cho told the group before they began their meeting.
Topanga took her focus off of her phone, then glared at Rose in tension. She remarked, “So you brought the con artist back?”
Rose blinked at Topanga’s comment and looked at Leticia, “This is the cover you gave them for firing me?”
Leticia nodded. She couldn't care less if the woman pissed off at her for lying to her band mates about their former manager being a con artist. In her eyes, this cover up was tame compared to Rose’s other crimes.
Rose sat in a larger armchair in the middle of the room and said, “First things first. I want to say to all of you I apologize for my actions…”
“Excuse me, but what are you sorry for, anyway?” Kiki said before Leticia cut in.
“I lied about the real reason I fired Rose. Um…” Leticia tried to find the words to explain the impersonation. “You know how people were calling all of us whores? Well, there is some truth to it-” She said, until Rose interrupted her.
“I pretended to be all of you to protect you,” Rose blurted out.
The room went silent, until Topanga cackled, breaking the silence.
“How would a middle-aged woman like; you pretend to be an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl?!” Topanga was not taking this seriously.
Leticia still did not trust Rose but, in order for her band to know the truth, Rose had to show off her powers. Once Rose shaped herself as Leticia again, her outfit was bigger than her shape-shifted body. Kiki, Topanga, and Cho opened their mouths in shock. Soon, the sound of the front door swing opened as Raleigh walked into the room. Leticia looked at Raleigh, who’s hair all messed up everywhere, and her clothes looked out of place.
Watching the girl sit down next to Cho, where she just blinked at Rose, who is still in her Leticia form.
“Wait… Why are there two Leticias?” Raleigh asked, looking at both at the real and fake Leticia.
“Uh…” Leticia was about to say something until Rose comes forward to explain herself to Raleigh.
“It’s me, Lily… Well, my real name is Rose. I don’t know how to say this in a way…” Rose explained until Topanga bolted up from her chair.
“Oh my gosh, you actually impersonated CHILDREN?! You should be arrested! What kind of creature are you?!” Topanga exclaimed, which made Leticia’s face red in fury at her comment.
Rose may have done a terrible thing but, just because she has powers, it doesn’t mean they should treat her as inhuman.
“First off, Rose isn’t a creature; she just has powers, which can shape shift and all other things, but it's really hard to explain right now. I have the same kind too, but I’m not at Rose’s skill level, so you can relax. No worries about me pretending to be all of you,” Leticia told the group to calm them down.
“So… basically, both of you are like Darren and Chantel. Oh my god, does that mean you’re part of that concert massacre thing!?” Cho got up from her seat in shock with a tense fear in her voice.
“Hey, Leticia is not going to hurt you. Don’t you think she would’ve already done that by now? Calm down, Cho.” Dakota went over to Cho to defend Leticia, but then suddenly the girl jumped up from her seat.
Kiki’s face looked angry and about to turn bright red, “Okay, then how can we trust someone like you?! You’re lying!”
Leticia backed up with two of her band mates ganging up on her. She could understand this stuff scaring the girls, but she was not a monster. Leticia had no plans to hurt them like the horrible Supernaturals did that night at Rockwick.
“Kiki, none of us will hurt you…” Rose reached out to touch Kiki’s hand to calm her down.
With a quick motion, the keyboardist pulled her hand away from the woman, then slapped the woman’s hand away. Leticia gasped when Kiki left the room, while Leticia wanted to follow her as Dakota held her back. Everyone needed to process everything, so they took a break from the situation. Once everything was calm, everyone regrouped to talk about it. When Leticia recanted her story again, the girls did not say a word until Rose spoke up.
“Again, I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up for you girls,” Rose bowed her head in shame, returning to her normal form.
Leticia rolled her eyes at the woman, not really believing that she is sorry for impersonating. She took a glance at Raleigh, who looked out of it more than usual. Raleigh never said a single word though all this and almost slipped into what looked like a trance. She looked at Cho, who bit her lip and then to Kiki, who still glared at her in suspicion. Leticia observed Topanga’s neutral face as it seemed indecisive on what to do.
“Look, if it makes you girls feel better. I’m going to step down after our final band interview for the year,” Leticia stated, but Kiki shot back at her with cold eyes.
“Liar, you’ll just come back and call the werewolves to kill us and you won’t stop until you kill everyone!” Kiki continues to accuse Leticia, until Dakota holds her hand up to stop the keyboardist from talking.
“Kiki, I know you’re scared, but Leticia is not going to hurt us! Stop…” Dakota pressed on, stopping the girl from talking.
Kiki grabbed her bag, then looked at both Rose and Leticia. She just got up and headed to the door to leave. Leticia did not say a word, but she felt hurt at Kiki treating her differently now. She was glad that Dakota defended her, but now, she just feels more alienated. Maybe there was some truth to Mercedes’s words back then.
After the meeting was over, she felt relieved that Cho still stayed by her side. The bassist was still on the fence about Rose and could not put her trust in her. Leticia could not blame Cho, since the woman impersonated them, which damaged their reputation. When she left, Leticia turned her attention to Raleigh; her rhythm guitarist spent the entire time being quiet, which concerned her. Before Raleigh could leave the house, Leticia grabbed her shoulder, making sure Raleigh saw her face.
“Hey Princess. You okay?” Leticia asked.
Raleigh brushed her hair and huffed to her, “I’m fine.”
“You’re just quiet. I know you have always been like that. But… this type of quiet is new for you.” Leticia told her, walking outside of the house to see a black car turn into the driveway.
Leticia saw a tall guy with dirty blond hair walk out of the car. Dressed in a leather jacket, brown shirt, and black jeans, there was Jason White meeting up with the rhythm guitarist. The songwriter who Raleigh accused of misconduct towards her. Leticia told Nico Travolo about him and now this man has the nerve to show his ugly face here?!
She tensed up, making a bitter face at Jason, watching him walking up to the two of them. Leticia grabbed Raleigh’s arm tight and stood right in front of her.
“Hello, Ray and… Leticia,” The man’s tone went from a cheery to sour when he greeted Raleigh and Leticia.
“White… What are you doing here, you ass?” Leticia spat and pointed at him. “Going to feel up on Ray again?” Leticia made it a point to be rude to him, since he had tried to make Raleigh uncomfortable before.
She would not have that! Then Leticia suddenly felt Raleigh pull her arm out of Leticia’s hand. Raleigh marched up next to Jason. Leticia made a bewildered face at this sight on how calm the girl was being next to him. She looked at Raleigh’s face, who still looked like she was in a trance. Something was wrong here.
Jason waved his arm and smiled, “Relax, Hernandez. Raleigh and I worked out our differences with Nico and had a meeting with us together earlier. Raleigh made a mistake on her part about me and she is sorry that she caused some drama.”
Leticia did not know what to think of this, seeing Jason holding Raleigh’s arm tight. She noticed that the girl did not flinch at him putting his hands on her.
Raleigh just nodded and added, “Yes, Jason and I are okay now. We worked things out like professionals. There is nothing to worry about anymore, Leticia.”
Leticia did not know what else to say, but allowed them to leave. The tone in Raleigh’s voice definitely did not sound like her normal voice. Watching the car drive off, Rose touched Leticia’s shoulder in concern.
“I guess you and I don’t even need to say anything about what was going on in that interaction…?” Rose said.
Despite Leticia not liking Rose at the moment, they clearly agreed that something was obviously going on with Raleigh.
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