“Dating Advice, Drama, and Dance” (79.20) (Anastasia)

I was soaring. I'd never heard anyone sing so well. Zoey Delta's voice was as enchanting as her appearance, her cute face, her demeanor, everything. The band was so well set up too, I don't know if it was her power or a Cani around or just some production thing, but at some parts of her songs, pink smoke burst out. It weirdly added to the spectacle of her show.

She has Echela ears, though, so would she have a Cani power? My question didn't really matter at the moment, the important thing was hearing her sing, with songs ranging from exciting, upbeat jams to melancholic, beautiful solos.

I felt like it was just me and her in there. Nothing else mattered as I pushed forward, wanting to be front and center cheering my new friend on. I told myself too that as soon as Zoey finished her set, I'd find her, talk to her, dance with her, maybe tell her everything I was feeling.

Zoey met my eyes, and she smiled. She actually smiled at me! Finally, finally something good was happening in my rotten life. No more stuck in a lab with an old TV set looking thing on my head, no more pain from my relationship with Nikki, no more fears about where my father was, there wasn't even room in my head for rage at my sisters.

Between songs, Zoey took the mic, hyping the crowd up more. I thought I was going to lose my voice from cheering so loud.

"This next one's really special," Zoey said. "I think I'm going to need a special guest to help me through it."

A guest singer maybe? Was there another person waiting for this? That's what I thought, then Zoey pointed at me. I glanced all around to make sure she really meant me. She nodded, and waved for me to take the stage again.

The crowd wasn't as loud as I climbed back on stage without a second thought.

"What, uh, do you...do you want me to play, or...?" I stammered.

Zoey put the mic away from her so only I could hear. "I just want you by my side, looking pretty. You're good at that, right? Be a good girl and help me out."

I couldn't say no to that. I thought I was going to wake up any second now. This couldn't be really happening. Zoey Delta didn't just bring me on stage and say I was pretty. She put an arm around my shoulders.

"Wow, you're tall," Zoey said, which got laughs from the audience. She moved her arm to my lower back. "That's better. Even if you don't know the words, just having you here is all I need."

I unfortunately let out a giddy squeal adjacent sound close enough for the mic to pick it up, earning more laughs.

I barely even registered when Zoey started singing, I was so happy I thought I'd float away. The colorful misty waterfall changed with this song, swaying diagonally now as it started to look like a gorgeous meteor shower. Not as beautiful as Zoey's voice, but still very pretty.

I may have missed the beginning of the song from my bliss at Zoey's arm around me, but I caught the rest of it, and it was maybe her best one so far. It sounded both sweet and sad at the same time, the happy tone not matching the words about a lost friend, or lost lover maybe. It ended with a lyric that sounded almost familiar.

"You were never one for long goodbyes, but maybe you'll like a long hello instead?"

I teared up, not sure if it was just from the song or a lot of bottled up emotions. I figured it was time to get off stage. Everything went quiet, and time seemed to stop, as though the universe was processing something I hadn't yet.

"Ana!" I heard a desperate cry from the crowd, but all I could gleam from it was that it was Sai shouting for me.

"Huh?" I said before everything went dark, a loud, clanging bell ringing across my mind.

Huh?

I was on the ground now, and realized something had hit me in the back of my head.

What's happening? I could barely move, my head hurt worse than I'd ever felt it. I was able to reach to the back of my head, but didn't feel any blood. I was still in one piece. I felt a sharp kick at my ribs, and then a shove rolling me onto my back. Zoey stood above me, a frying pan in hand.

"Idiot," Zoey said sweetly. She brushed her hair aside as she rose, a stunned silent crowd providing bizarre ambiance as she approached her guitarist.

"Thanks, love," Zoey said as she handed the frying pan to the masked musician. "I don't know if anyone noticed, but they weren't even playing." My vision was blurry, but I could see her gesture to her bandmates. The would-be guitarist took off her mask, revealing herself to be Caeda.

But who were the others?

Nothing was right here, the others didn't matter. I'd just been struck with a pan, and it hurt worse than anything I'd ever felt before. My thoughts were simple and pathetic, just a few scattered thoughts in my mind as I remained on the ground.

Huh? Who...? Why...?

Zoey circled the stage, her cape flowing behind her.

She's so pretty... I thought, my mind unable to figure anything else out so she defaulted to that.

Zoey returned to my side, grinning again.

"Now it's time to really get this show started," Zoey said.