"I hate waiting…" Katoura complained as we all walked up to the receptionist's desk to sign in at the lobby. For almost 20 minutes the only thing that happened was Katoura's silent drumming and growling, Avantiana's invisible and inaudible guitar, and my own non-existent bass, and amazing lip-syncing to our song, 'Your world is fake', repeatedly. As if on cue, we finished the fifth time, and the receptionist yelled for us. "Bleeding Pages follow me, please." We did as she said listening to the staccato of her heels against the marble flooring. As we walked down long hallway after long hallway Avanti turned to Katoura, and I, whispering: "I just hope he's not a stuck up 'suit' like the others we've had." We'd been to three other record companies, but they didn't like us, we didn't fit or the deal was shitty. We continued down two more, shorter halls and turned to face a large Cherry wood door. The woman had started to head back, turned to look at back and nodded giving us permission to knock. We each knocked once and waited for an answer, which was a loud deep voice yelling through the door. "Come in, Come in." Katoura turned to knob and Avanti and I pushed the huge, heavy door open, almost silently grunting with effort. We were greeted with a giant bay window and various over-sized, gothic-looking furniture including a desk and a stuffed chair, couches, tables, and a mini -but barely- stage with the makings of a band minus the players. As we took in the scenery and the gigantic office, Avanti pointed out that the chair had turned around yet nobody was in it anymore. All three of us spun around when we heard the loud slam of the wooden door, the agent was behind us now, but how did he get there so fast?

We weren't staring long enough to zone out and staring doesn't usually make you deaf, I at least should have heard him. Speaking of him, this guy was anything but a suit, but we should have figured that from his taste in décor. This man's hair was a dark black that shone ever so slightly when he moved. He smiled and showed perfect pearly whites that seemed…way too perfect. His eyes were a piercing green. His cheekbones were prominent, and his nose was pin straight, making his paleness work for him. He had his eyebrow and his ears pierced; the latter more than a few times. He had a small remote in his hand with lots buttons on it, he pressed one and the floor under the stage rotated to face us. The man held out a hand to me, I took it as I thought of what to say to him. "Um, I'm Feroscha, this is Katoura and Avanti." I pointed to each of them in turn. He smirked as if he knew something and thought it funny. "I'm Darius, the company prefers that I tell you to call me Mr. Eryns, but that's my Pick in the Ass father, not me." I noticed, to my astonishment, that he had his tongue pierced. He walked around and then in front of us until he reached what appeared to be his desk. Doing this gave us full view of what he was wearing: Tripp ™ Zip-off shorts, black and blood red, a Trivium band tee and a Trivium zip-up hoodie, and Black and red Chuck all stars™. As we watched him walk, I noticed out of the corner of my eye an older man practically float to the back of the chair and pulled it away from Darius right as he went to sit down. Darius fell to the floor landing hard on the marble. The older man spoke to Darius in a cold and unforgiving tone.

Both of their sets of eyes dancing in malice. "Darius, impersonating me again and in front of potential clients no less. Go sit and wait until we need you." Darius walked away and sat at the couch closest to the stage setup. The older man sat at the desk and motioned for Katoura, Avanti, and myself, to sit at the couch in front of him, which we did. "My son likes to think he is ready to take my position now and not later, like we have planned. I am Jonathon Eryns: owner and head agent of Merlyn records, you are, Bleeding Pages I presume? I hear you're quite good. Let's answer these surveys, then we'll have you perform your singles possibilities." Mr. Eryns handed each of us a two-page packet and as we filled them out I observed him. He was a more polished gray haired version of his son, in a black and red suit, perfect yet odd teeth, and fast and silent, scarily so. When Avanti had finished her last question she ran to the stage and picked the guitar, strummed, then brought it up to octave with the bass line I was already playing. We situated the set so we were in our weird triangle. Katoura slammed out the drum count to 'You're world is fake' I came in with a bass riff and Avanti plucked in right before the opening growl from Katoura. "Now that you've changed, I can't figure you out" I sang melodic and low for a soprano's range, Katoura growled into her mike as Avanti did her continual riff and some 'ooh' vocalizing. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" Jeez Katoura was scary sometimes. Bass riff change and then more lyrics. "You're not the one I thought I knew. Back away from me. I loved who you were and I hate what you've become."

Mr. Eryns clapped at the end of the chorus and Darius looked upset that the song wasn't finished out. Mr. Eryns waved his hand for us to go on with the next song on our list; 'Sake of my heart' Katoura started it off with a three beat count-in and a thump, rest, thump, rest, thump, of the bass drum. I came in with a high octave ooh-oh-ooh right before Katoura came in with the rest of the drums and a low-resonating rumble of a growl. Thwang-g-g of the bass riff and Avanti was off on a masterpiece of a guitar opening solo. Four counts in I started to sing the opening line "Show me what you're good for… Now." The bass got a little faster and drums picked up tempo to match Avanti's guitar riff, Katoura growled some more unintelligible-to-all-but-her lyrics and I came again with the real lyrics. "I needed you. And you. Let. Me. Down. Why can't I walk away, for the sake of my heart? I need to, I need to, I need you to save me." Vocalizing and some growling and all that we had to do for that song was finished too. Darius was practically falling over in his chair for God knows what reason and Mr. Eryns motioned for us to come off the stage and sit on the couches in front of it. Darius had his mouth forming his first word when Mr. Eryns walked around to face us. "Girls…" Our hearts sank. Was he rejecting us too? "Just end it; it's cruel to make them wait." This had come from Darius so we all kind of dropped our heads and waited silently for them to continue.

"Your band… is probably… the greatest all girl metal band we've ever heard." My head flew up without a second's delay and during this time my jaw had dropped. Avanti was the first able to speak, granted after a minute or two. "WHAT?" Then Katoura, "Really?" Finally me, "I can't believe this, so does that mean we're signed?" Mr. Eryns nodded vigorously. "Of course. Did you think that we would be idiotic enough to not sign you as soon as possible?" Katoura looked as if she'd kiss the older man, twitching in her seat. Avanti couldn't contain herself she was running around the stage and furniture like a chicken with its head cut off. I was the only seemingly calm one out of us all; I was about to address Mr. Eryns when Katoura finally burst into a jumping fit then joined Avanti running, jumping and yelling. Mr. Eryns spoke to them to get them to sit back down again. "We need you to have someone look over the contract and once that is done you can bring it back and we'll go over the changes, if any, and sign you within the week. Is this acceptable?" I nodded as we all stood up this time we all shook hands with Mr. Eryns and then Darius in turn. When I reached Darius we shook but he had something in his hand and it was transferred into mine without a word about it. "We'll see you later." Darius had said as we shut the door. I waited until we were halfway down the second hallway to look at the thing Darius had handed me. It was a piece of paper folded twice with a hand written name, number, address, time and a little note.

Darius Eryns 894-4571

4541 Jamespear Road

Call me please

5:30 p.m.

I showed Avanti and Katoura, trying to decide when to call him. Avanti being her opinionated self was first to doubt his intentions. "Maybe he thinks that he can use the contract to get in your pants then blow you off by using the fact the we would be working for him and his father. Not to mention he lied to us about being the agent." Then Katoura countered Avanti with her own thoughts of it. "Or maybe he thinks that because we would be working for him and his father that he'd get any of us when he wanted so we could stay on the label." I interceded before either of them could add any more. "Or it could possibly be that he liked me and wants to go out and not just to have a piece of ass. Did you ever think that could be it? Now that the 'Shamus-thing' is so over someone that isn't a douche-bag just might want to be with me. But I'm just trying to keep it positive here." I started to walk ahead of them when Avanti grabbed my arm and jerked me around to face herself and Katoura. "We're just looking out for you; you've had some pretty bad judgment lately, 'Roscha. We don't want to see you hurt again, that's all this is." I thought about this the whole time driving home since it was my turn to drive. Could they just be trying to help or are they just paranoid? I drove the back roads back to our huge three-apartment system. We live in an apartment complex; with Avanti and I living on the bottom floor in apartments #7 and #8 and Katoura in #9 above me. We all wanted to live together in one but there wasn't enough room in one. So since we were in my original apartment Avanti moves across the hall to the empty #8 and Katoura lived there with her, until #9 became available.

When we got home I went straight for a shower, when I got out Katoura was in my living room and Avanti was raiding my fridge. "Haha, you guys are a bunch of losers, did ya know that?" Katoura nodded and started Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles™ for our Wii™; the only reason it was permanently in my apartment was because I used it constantly and I had the biggest TV. Avanti came out of my kitchen with two plates of food and smiled over them. "Hey, you know you love us anyway, girl. Have you decided what you want to do about the Darius guy?" I shrugged picked up some of the food and shoved it into my mouth; Gotta love fast metabolisms. Afterwards I picked up a Wii-mote® and Nunchuck® with a Zapper® and joined Katoura in the zombie-killing spree. "I don't know. I want to go meet him but I'm nervous at the same time. God, guys are so confusing sometimes." Katoura blasted the head off of the nearest zombie and snorted after. "Sometimes? Guys are confusing all the time, girl, you just got to get used to it." I used a defensive move taking out 3 or 4 zombie-faced people in one swing. "Yeah, but this is so much more confusing than usual. Can't I get a break?" Avanti and Katoura were silent for a few minutes and then proved why people thought we were triplets. At the precise moment that I said 'Should I call him?' Avanti and Katoura asked 'Should you call him?' We shared a laugh and I decided to call him and figure out what he wanted and what I should wear. The phone rang and Avanti had insisted on putting it on speakerphone.

"Darius here." My heart was pounding ungodsly loud in my chest. "Hey, Darius this is Feroscha, the note said to call you? I-" He cut me off rambling to himself. "Oh god…What should I say?" I started to ask him what he wanted to do when he cut me off once again. "Oh… did you want … Just please come to my house tonight I wanted to go on a date with you. Remember to dress nicely please. Will I see you at five-thirty, Feroscha?" Avanti and Katoura were hanging on my every word. "Uh, yeah, but why should I dress nicely?" They looked as shocked as I was. He responded quickly. "It's a surprise, you'll see." he hung up after saying goodbye. I looked at Katoura and Avanti, but realized that Avanti was already in my room rummaging in my huge over-stuffed closet of shoes in what was supposed to be one of the bedrooms but it was now my Music Room. It had my basses and microphone set-ups and keyboards and a drum set and guitar for when Avanti and Katoura came over. We all had the same basic set-up, but emphasizing on what we each played. Before I could even shut my cell and stand up, Katoura was in my Vanity Room, the second bedroom to those who used them 'correctly'. She was already setting out outfits that were dressy by our standards, but she didn't know about my hidden door in the closet that held my dresses.

And she wouldn't find out if I had anything to do about it. I walked into the Vanity Room and Katoura had four outfits and my newest dress –I hadn't had the chance to put it away properly- that looked better than the other things out on the bed but I didn't want to wear a dress tonight. Avanti came in the room to see the color scheme that she was working with: black, red and white. Five minutes later Avanti came back with eight pairs of shoes and three pairs of striped tights. I was going to be forced to try every possible combination of these items so I might as well start it early and make a show of it. "Well is this every thing?" The two of them whirled to face me with shocked faces. "Shut up! You actually want to go through this, Feroscha?" Katoura practically screamed in my face incredulously. I shrugged and nodded sheepishly. "Maybe I'm a little excited to be doing something with a guy other than Shamus. Is that so wrong?" Avanti shrugged and pushed me into the bathroom with the first outfit they'd picked out. A red and black zip-off skirt as the shorter version, landing right above the knee, allowing me to show off my smooth muscular calves. Katoura had paired with it a red and white corset with long black and red striped sleeves, ending in a ring on my middle finger, that came out of the back leaving my above-average chest open and as exposed as it could be without being indecent. The corset also showed a little of my well-toned stomach and curvy hips. I walked out of the bathroom to their instant approval and after trying every outfit on and walking out we decided on the first outfit I had put on, now for the shoes and make-up and hair.

I puut on black flats. Katoura pulled most of my mane of dyed burgundy hair back and out of the way in a bun, leaving some long wispy bangs that she spiral curled for me. Avanti put my flawless makeup on. Black eye shadow and some sparkle in the powder on my face. I started out pale and ended up even more so. The black around my hazel eyes, brought out the specks of green in them. I had on normal lip-gloss before, but that wouldn't do. I now had blood red lip color with a gloss cover. I put the silver stud back in my nose, switched the ring in my librea to a barbell with a glow-in-the-dark rubber spike on it, put all my earrings back in and switched the black barbells in my industrials to glow-in-the-dark ones as well. I stood, twirling as I did so. Katoura sighed and smirked, "You're gonna knock him dead, Feroscha!" Avanti high fived her then turned to me, laughing, "Maybe he won't even recognize you that'd be hilarious. I smiled and checked the time: 4:30, Is that late enough that I could go now?