“He offered what?!” Dakota raised her voice as Leticia waved her hand to quiet her down.
The two friends found a private room near the production set where the interview was taking place. She was thankful that Dakota was here first before anyone else so she could talk to her about the meeting with Nico, Farris, and Rose. She told Dakota about everything that happened and how she felt the offer was nothing more than a dirty deal. It was also another way to threaten her into silence. Leticia did not decide yet, but she told Nico to give her time to think about her options.
“So, did Mr. Travolo admit to drugging Ray?” Dakota asked.
Leticia shook her head and answered, “He only implied it. Dakota, Raleigh’s life is literally in my hands. I don’t know what to do. Even if I choose the safest option, who knows that the Rise of Light will ask me to do and Mr. Travolo would not only drug Raleigh, but the rest of us?! We are in a losing position either way!”
The drummer grabbed her shoulders, calming her down. Leticia looked up at Dakota, then sat down at a near seat with one hand on the table and her head leaning on it. Her friend sat next to her, sitting in silence, until the door swing opened. Leticia saw it was Raleigh walking through the door. Noticing the girl still looked like a controlled robot, her head bolted up to gaze at the rhythm guitarist.
Raleigh looked at Dakota and said, “Dakota, I need to talk to Leticia alone. Please?”
Leticia nodded to her friend, signaling it was okay to leave her alone with Raleigh. As Dakota left the room, Raleigh sat in the empty seat where her friend had sat. Leticia bit her lip, still noticing that the girl’s eyes were still in a trance. She knew Nico was still drugging her, looking at the girl being stoned faced as a brick.
“I just wanted you to know to not screw this up for me. Mr. Travolo expects you to make the right choice,” Raleigh’s voice sounded so monotone, and it was clear Nico sent Raleigh to pressure Leticia to decide.
She knew that the rhythm guitarist would not talk like this. This pretty rock princess sounded like a zombie, and it looked like she had no idea what Nico had done to her. Leticia wanted to reach out to Raleigh. Pulling out a notepad and pen, she wrote a message to the mind-controlled girl. Leticia put the message on the table and slid it to Raleigh’s side of the table. The message wrote:
Ray, I know you are still there somehow. If you are, write something. Anything! Please!
She wanted to see if the real Raleigh was still in there. Leticia did not know whether the magical drugs are just as powerful as regular ones. As far as she knew, all drugs eventually have a wear off period. Raleigh could not stay drugged forever. But then again, there was magic involved. It was unpredictable to know. Watching Raleigh grabbing the pen, the girl wrote something on the same paper.
When she finished writing, she gave the paper back to Leticia. Looking at the paper of what Raleigh wrote, Leticia read this:
Help me....
Then she saw the rest of the message that the girl tried to cross out.
Just make the right choice. Don’t fuck this up for me.
Disturbed, Leticia said nothing as she did not know what to do! Raleigh bolted up from her chair and ran out of the room. Leticia folded the paper, putting it in her jean pocket to follow her. She needed to stay by her rhythm guitarist, if god forbid, the drug had worse effects on the girl. Raleigh was losing her will by the moment, and there was nothing that Leticia could ever do to save her.
---
The interview was live and, since they were at a local news station, the camera and lights flashed on them. So far, the interview was going fine. Leticia was sitting next to Raleigh and Dakota on a beige sofa, while Kiki and Cho sat behind them on high stools. The interviewer was on the left side of them on a beige armchair, sitting one leg crossed over the other and chatting with them. Their co-manager, Topanga, was off to the side, watching the band in caution.
The interviewer had her brunette hair in a bun and wearing a white pantsuit. The questions were mostly about their music, regarding their next album that will release next year. Leticia monitored Raleigh, while she did most of the talking and answered the questions. Cho from time to time could get an answer in about their music creation process. The interview was normal, until the interviewer leaned forward in her seat, meaning it was time to get into the gossip territory of the interview.
“I know people around the local music scene are talking about the Rockwick Concert Massacre. What is your opinion about the mysterious two Supernaturals conspirators of the event?” The interviewer asked.
Leticia laughed nervously and replied, “I have no opinion. It’s a pretty messed up event. I feel for the victims of that massacre.”
Leticia took a glance at Dakota, then the drummer looked back at her. She really wanted to move on from that question and thought she could. Too bad that Leticia did not get what she wished for when the interviewer allowed Kiki to speak. Kiki was waving her hand to get the interviewer's attention. She pushed her glasses forward and straightened herself up from her seat, preparing to speak.
The girl told the interviewer, “It just goes to show you that these people are pretending to be who they aren’t all along. I thought those people were good colleagues, but they turned out to be cold-blooded, calculated murderers.”
Leticia cleared her throat, then chimed in, “Well, that’s all public opinion. In reality, we don’t know if those two are really the murderers or whatever. All we know is that it is a sad event.”
Nodding in response to Leticia and Kiki’s answers to her question, the interviewer added, “Yes, but regardless, whatever these two are, they still seem to be dangerous. It is amazing these two are from the rising band called The NorthEasters. It’s a shame there is a possibility that the two members of the band may be cruel criminals.”
“Well, I think there is more about the event than meets the eye…” Kiki suggested.
Leticia could not keep her cool when the keyboardist would not let the question go. She just wanted Kiki to shut up and let the band move to the next question.
“Well, I think we should leave the authorities to deal with that,” Leticia tried to redirect the interviewer back to the major topic about their music.
“So, you agree that the two members of the NorthEasters could be monsters?” The interviewer pressed on.
Leticia was about to lose her cool and answered, “All I am saying is that we don’t know what they are! It’s none of our business!”
After that slight outburst, she watched Dakota brushed Kiki in the knee to keep her quiet. The entire rest of the interview is smooth, then the camera shuts off once the interview is over. Leticia got up and shot an angry glare at Kiki, furious about her behavior during the interview. Once the interviewer went away, the girl walked away from the group to follow the interviewer, then Leticia went to follow her. Once she caught up to the keyboardist, Kiki tried to pull away when Leticia grabbed her arm.
Leticia hissed, “What the hell? Are you trying to get our band’s image ruined?!”
“I’m trying to save people from more people like you!” Kiki spat back at Leticia. “If the band has to be ruined, at least, we are safe from you! How about you just admit that you’re just like the rest of them?!”
“Jeez, fucking hell, Katerina! I am not a murderer! You’ve known me for years and now, all of a sudden, when I told you what I am, you’re going to throw what this band worked for and me into the trash?! All because of your ridiculous paranoia! I’m not going to let you screw this band over!” She still held the girl’s arm and would not let her go; there was too much for them to lose at this point.
“We’ll see about that...” Kiki told Leticia as she started screaming loud enough that everyone in the studio could hear her.
Leticia panicked and tried to cover Kiki’s mouth, but the keyboardist started kicking and still screamed into the leader’s palm. Leticia had to restrain the girl, though she did not want to do this at all. Soon, all this restraining would not matter, since her aura suppression wristband was not enough to keep her powers from hurting Kiki. The device malfunctioned! Leticia moved her hands when Kiki’s screaming sounded more painful.
It did not take long for her to notice that the girl’s screams turned into cries. Leticia looked down to see that she had given Kiki burns on her mouth. It was a good thing that she did not keep her hand on her mouth longer enough to give Kiki more severe burns. However, even when Leticia moved away, a crowd of people saw what had happened between them. All she could do was stand in place as people ran to help the keyboardist up.
Leticia felt a chill up her spine when Kiki pointed at her and shouted, “She did this! Get this girl away from me! She’s a monster! Arrest her!”
At this moment, this was the start of the Apple Queens’ downfall from the throne!
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