Disclaimer: I ignore thee. Fine - I don't know Hannah Montana. Or Traci's deviated septum.
AN: I know, I know. Please stop throwing the blunt objects. Mari, I know - so this chapter is for you but I get the feeling that you will repeat what you said before. And everybody, I stand corrected; it's not Lou Anne... it's Luann. Thank you to onpointe91 for bringing that to my attention. My excuse? I just had a friend back in elementary school named Lou Anne. And so I always thought it was spelled that way when I heard it.
WARNING: I hope you guys don't get too confused with this one. I noticed that with their different aliases, Lilly and Miley act a certain way. So, when I switch the names, it means they act like how the name of the person usually acts. Example, Miley is shy when it comes to boys while Hannah is totally confident. Lilly has no reserves about her speech, or actions; Lola is a bit cooler about things and although she still has the tendency to act odd, she is not as open about it or as much as Lilly. Save for the first episode she became Lola Luftnagle officially.
Oh, and PLEASE don't kill me!
Dedicated to: All of my reviewers. Thank you for your support and kindness. You guys ROCK! I love you all. And to those who put me in their fave lists, or alerts who didn't/don't review – I love you guys, too. Since actions do speak louder than words. If there's anything you guys would like to suggest or tell me – don't hesitate to drop a line! I promise, I can take it – both good and bad.
Chapter 6:
Masquerade: When The Clock Strikes Twelve…
"DAD! JACKSON!" A disheveled but still pretty Miley got out of the house. She was dressed in a white V-neck dress with twisted straps and an empire waist. She had a simple silver chain with a cross pendant around her neck. On her back was a pair of white wings. She was wearing white-gold Greek sandals. (Think Gladiator, or Troy.) She wasn't wearing a halo, but she did have a white hair clip to hold her Hannah hair with in a half up, half down style. She had a white satchel for a purse. "Dad! Jackson!"
When no one answered, she unclipped her phone from her secret hiding place. "I can't call Jake..." She dialed a different set of numbers. "Oliver! I need your mom to drive me to a Halloween party right now!"
"What's in it for me? Can the Ollie Trolley come along for the partay?"
"Yes, you can come!"
Oliver and his enigmatic mom picked her up ten minutes later, and she explained what happened during the twenty minute car ride.
While Oliver marveled at place in Thousand Oaks, Miley told Mrs. Oaken that they'll be home by eleven and they'll be getting picked up by her dad later.
Oliver, who was dressed as "The Masked Musketeer", walked with Miley to the door and said, "I can't believe Luann would tie you up and try to ruin your life."
Miley just sighed and kept silent. The expression on her face just said, "I told you so."
Then as an after thought, he said, "You know? This is gonna make my date with her tomorrow night a little awkward!"
She reached over, drew his black mask by the nose back like a slingshot then let go. He took it like a man, he expected it. She just glared at him for acting like a knucklehead.
The he asked, "What are you gonna do when you see her?"
"I'm gonna rip off her wig, and punch her in the nose! Right now, just help me find her! It's not gonna be that hard! Come on, she's gonna be the only one who looks exactly like me. Well, almost - she doesn't have these wings, the necklace and my shoes." She showed him. But since he was a guy, he really didn't pay attention.
They parted the divider and saw a sea of blondes scattered throughout the premises. By the stage they saw a big sign that said, "Happy Hannah-ween". Then they backtracked.
Miley said, "Oh boy! Yeah, uhmm, this is gonna be a little harder than I thought."
Oliver silently agreed.
Yep. A sea of Hannah-imposters. When would they find Luann?!?!
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Lilly... er Lola! Lola was trying to enjoy the party, but for some reason Miley... err, Hannah was not fun that night. She had to keep her from making a fool out of herself, and it wasn't as fun! Usually Hannah would be the one who acted properly at these social gatherings, and Lola would be the one acting weird!
Then again, maybe it was just because of what happened today. I mean, Miley had dragged Luann to the mall to shop for a last minute costume and tired her out. Knowing Miley, she was just feeling guilty and channeling it in a weird way.
But this was beyond.
"Hannah" was busy stealing, err stocking up on candy and saying, "Oooh wee! Are these gummy ghouls better than Happy's Mountain Taffy!"
Lola ignored it while thinking out loud, "Man, you've been hanging around with your cousin so much you're starting to talk like her!"
Hannah moved to another bowl so she was forced to take direct control of the situation. "Stop loading up on candy!" She looked around. "People are watching!"
"Well of course, they are. I'm a SEE-LEH-BREE-TEH!"
Lola was about to say something else when Traci came.
"Hannah!" She tried to do the celebrity kiss thing when Hannah wasn't participating. Trying to regain her dignity after the 'rejection' she straightened and fiddled with her faux hair. "You've been here an hour and you haven't said anything about my little Halloween surprise!"
Hannah crossed her arms. "Oh you mean everyone dressed like me? Yeah it was about as stupid as a vegetarian having breakfast at the Beef and Waffle!"
Traci looked really insulted, but at the same confused. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talkin' about stupid! Just like your stupid little voice! What's the matter? You got some candy corn stuck up in your nostril?"
"I have a deviated septum! And I own it!" Traci snapped her fingers then turned around and left, meanwhile thinking - 'that couldn't possibly be Hannah.' However she didn't say anything. She won't allow that one little episode to ruin her party and her friendship with the girl.
Lola shook her head and confronted Hannah. "What is wrong with you? You've been acting weird since we got here! It's like you want the whole party to hate you and OH MY GOSH YOU'RE LUANN!"
The Devil's Little Helper put a hand on her waist and smirked. "Well it took you long enough, Lulu!"
"It's Lola."
"Lilly, Lola, Lulu... you might as well go buy a purple head!"
Lola looked baffled.
"What do you use for conditioner? Grape jelly?" She turned to a serving girl. "Hi! Waiter, fetch me some peanut butter. I'd like to make me a sandwich!" Then she started snorting like a pig.
Lilly was panicking inside... too bad it affected Lola as well. She took Luann by the arm and started to lead her away. "I gotta get you outta here before you blow Miley's secret!"
In a burst of strength, the Evil Genius disengaged her arm from Lilly's hand. "Well shut my mouth! I wasn't even thinkin' about pullin' this wig off! If you'dun brought it up, that'd really fix'er wagon!" She patted the lilac-haired girl. "Good job, Gum Drop!" Then she cackled as she left Lilly who tailed her with a small, "But!!!!"
Unfortunately, Lola quickly lost her in the midst of all the Hannah imposters.
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Jake discretely yawned. He was on the way to Traci Van Horn's Halloween Bash; although the invite said "Come! Dress up as Hannah and you could win a prize! Let's celebrate Hannah-ween! But, shhh! Don't tell Hannah!" He had to admit that all he wanted to do was go home and sleep.
But then how would he show off the Romeo knight costume he bought last minute?
Speaking of which, he was wondering about Miley. He couldn't help but think she's in distress. Although she sent him a text message saying she can't really call him but said that she's having an interesting time at the party and not worry about her and Luann; needless to say, it worried him more.
And he couldn't really help but feel like he just served her on a silver platter to the wolves. He just can't explain the feeling he had. He needed to see Miley.
"How long till we get there, Jeeves?" He asked his limo driver.
"About ten minutes, sir."
"I'm sorry to ask for this, but do you think you can go a little faster? I just want to get the meet-and-greet over with, then go see my girlfriend."
"No problem, sir. It'll be my pleasure."
Jake got there in less than five minutes. "Okay, maybe I'll stick around for a half hour. Could you call me on my cell and pretend to be my dad or something and bail me out? I think that's good enough for making rounds."
Jeeves nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Thanks, I really appreciate it."
Jake entered the building. He immediately saw a sea of blonde hair and had to give Traci credit for her... ingenuity. They were all faced towards the stage area and he saw that he was just in time to see the "real" Hannah Montana, who was dressed in an angel costume, up on there. He couldn't help but think about Miley when it reminded him of the costume she said she was going to wear. But then he thought it was odd 'cause Hannah was spitting.
She said, "Bingo!"
'Okay, that's not Hannah.' He immediately thought. Her accent was all wrong; it was different, and he didn't feel any connection with her like he originally did when they were shooting Zombie High. And there was something about that person up there that didn't seem like the Hannah Montana he worked with. But it was weird! She looks exactly like Hannah Montana.
Then Jake shook his head. He felt like this one was a little cold, and dark. She wasn't down-to-earth like the girl he worked with. A quick check by looking in her eyes confirmed it. They were beady. Good thing he paid attention to his lessons about reading people by looking in their eyes.
A movement from the right area of the stage caught his eye. He was about to dismiss it because he thought it was just another Hannah Montana costume when he saw the girl was also in an angel costume. He couldn't help but think about Miley, again.
It made him think. He couldn't remember having someone remind him so much of Miley since he met her except for Hannah. But Jake quickly dismissed the thought when he saw that the girl in the angel costume looked exactly like Hannah Montana, too! Except her wings were different from the one on the stage had.
'Hannah has a twin?' He saw her being held back by a girl who was wearing a purple wig. Then he saw a guy in a Zorro-like costume draw his short sword step forward and talk then leave. He decided to follow them when they moved.
He lagged a little bit when he heard the stage Hannah say, "So uh, lookie here. You're about see something you've never seen before. The other side, the other side, the other side of..." Jake saw her put her hand to the top of her head, and then the lights went out. As soon as it did, he heard people panic but he closed his eyes for three seconds. Then he opened them and could slightly see in the dark. He slowly walked towards where he last saw Hannah Number Two and her purple haired friend.
Then the lights turned back on and he hurried. He was just in time to see the guy with the black mask and the purple haired friend separate the two Hannahs after some struggle with the red curtain.
Whoa. They really looked alike; especially since it was as if they were wearing the same dress with except for the slightest of difference. But it was useless to guess which ones which if you didn't pay attention to the detail of their costumes. Like, one had a necklace with a pendant with other didn't. And then the cut of their dress were slightly different too. One had a v-neck the other had a boat neck. Too bad, he didn't pay attention that that.
On top of that, the wings have been removed from their backs. They were nearly identical. But they both had a white dress with empire waists, and had blonde hair that was in a half-up, half down style.
Really, it could go fifty-fifty. Jake was about to make his presence known when he heard the Hannah on his left, the one next to the guy, say "You are so busted, Luann!"
While his eyes widened, the other Hannah said, "Guys! You grabbed the wrong one in the dark! I'm Miley!"
'What?' Jake frowned. 'Okay, there are two Hannahs, one named Miley and one Luann.' He was so confused. Although not for long...
"Nice try, you backwards witch! These are my BEST friends. They're not gonna fall for that." Left Hannah turned to each of her buds and said, "Tell her!"
While the Masked Guy and the purple haired girl clearly had no clue, Jake pieced EVERYTHING together.
He turned back the way he came and exited the backstage area as silently as he could. He then went to the bathroom, let the water run as he plugged the cleanest sink then dunked his head in, leaving his black mask in the water when he took his head out.
Miley was Hannah Montana? Or was Hannah, Miley Stewart? He couldn't believe it. His girlfriend kept a huge secret from him. Why would she do that? You can't have any relationship based on secrets!
But then as he thought about the subject a little bit more, he understood.
He remembered something she had said, "Sometimes, you need to know that people like you for who you are and not just 'cause you're a star."
'Wow! She actually thought of a plan to be a normal kid! Why didn't I think about that?' No wonder Hannah reminded him about Miley, and vice versa, sometimes! He remembered Good Morning, Malibu. He remembered Forbidden Love and her reluctance to kiss him. He blushed slightly when he remembered the 70's dance. That girl amazed him a whole lot more.
But he had to talk to her as soon as possible.
He quickly dried his face and exited the bathroom. He just caught Miley exiting the backstage door. She had put her wings back on and her masked friend was right behind her.
Jake quickly deduced that the purple-haired girl was Lilly and guy is the mask was Oliver. Lilly and Luann were nowhere to be found but he would guess that they were right behind Oliver. So he took this chance to draw his girlfriend's attention.
"Hey… Hannah!" Hesitated on the name, and almost called her Miley.
She stopped short of moving and slowly turned around. Yes… it really was Miley. Her eyes alone told him it was her. She looked slightly guilty, like a trapped rabbit. However, she quickly erased that feeling and acted differently.
He schooled his features into its most charming state. He smiled at her saying, "What a coincidence, running into you here! Who woulda thunk it?! I never figured you would wear a clichéd costume during Halloween."
She put her hands to her hips and flippantly said, "For your information, this is an exact replica of the costume Claire Danes wore during the Capulet Masquerade in the 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Even the wings. Speaking of clichéd costumes, what about you; Sir Knight?"
He gave her a smirky smile. He replied in the same manner she did, "Funny you should mention Romeo and Juliet. I'm sure you know that what I am wearing is an exact replica of Leonardo DiCaprio's costume in the same scene of the same movie."
"Sweet niblets, you're right. Who woulda thunk it?!"
Oliver spoke up. "Hey, uhmm, Hannah – would you mind if I just go grab a piece of that pie?"
"Oh… uhmmm… okay!" He left them alone, to actually get in line for the desert. Hannah started grumbling something.
Jake got sly. "Was that your boyfriend?"
"Uh - no! That's not my boyfriend… I don't have… I mean, my boyfriend and I are kind of away from each other right now. But I miss him. That donut, is my friend…"
"He's an interesting character." He nodded at the boy who got one piece, wolfed it down as he got back at the end of the line. "Reminds me of one of my friends from school actually."
"You have no idea…"
"Pardon me?"
"What I mean is – you have no idea how odd he is."
He smiled at that. "I think I can imagine – if he's anything like my friend Oliver." He saw her eyes light up when he mentioned that Oliver was also his friend. Then they became guilty again. "You seem to be in a rush actually, did I catch you at a bad time?"
She was quick to say, "No, no, no. O… Olaf and I just need to check in with my dad."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "Olaf?"
"My friend, Olaf Oke! The guy who wanted the pie?"
"Oh, right. That's… a weird name."
She shrugged. "What can I say? He's part Scandinavian and part… Hawaiian." She shook her head, as if mentally berating herself.
He laughed. This girl was really something. A song started to play overhead while an live performer was actually up on the stage singing.
I… I wanna run into someone's arms,
And lie on a bed of roses…
"So uhh, do you want to dance?" Jake asked her. He knew she was having an inward battle.
I… I wanna feel just like Juliet;
"Why don't we show them how it's done?" With those words, she relented and came undone.
"Okay, but you better not have two left feet, mister!"
I wanna fall in love…
…and I've got a feeling;
He laughed as he escorted her onto the dance floor where people gave them a wide berth as he twirled her around in time for the chorus. After the turn, he quickly placed a hand on her waist and encouraged her to place a hand on his shoulder.
Everybody wants someone to love,
Somebody they can trust,
Somebody they can touch;
Everybody wants to give their heart away.
He led her around the dance floor, looking straight into her eyes. He knew what she was thinking – they shouldn't be doing this; but it felt just right.
Then someone dimmed the lights to create the atmosphere of the song.
Everybody needs a little tenderness,
To feel understood,
To feel passionate!
Everybody wants to be in love this way…
Eventually, they got closer; he pulled her flush against his body and wrapped both arms around her midsection and therefore making her circle her arms around his neck. But neither noticed. They were just two people, dancing right then and there. Everything just kind of faded away.
I know I do, doesn't everybody wanna give their heart away?
I do, I do
Romeo and Juliet leaned in closer… the song ensnaring them into its spell.
Doesn't everybody want a love this way?
'Cause I do!
They kissed, both feeling the connection and the call of the music. Jake just kissed her in the middle of the dark dance floor. He broke away from her once, to gasp out a name, and then went back to take her breath away.
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When you kissed me
And whispered goodnight
I started feelin' the rest of my life
Miley vaguely heard the song end and another start up again.
I can't believe that
Just from your lips
She thought, Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!
I can't believe that
Just from your lips
That I surrendered
I couldn't resist
She wanted to protest. But she neither had the breath to do so nor the strength to push him away because her knees were weak, and he was supporting her.
So I made a wish
What else can I do?
And hope you feel me like I'm feelin' you
Her boyfriend was kissing her but in a way he's not her boyfriend – and he will probably hate her after he finds out the truth. She refused to let the tears that formed beneath her eyelids flow. She let herself enjoy his kisses. It might the last time she'll get them.
Besides, he tasted like spearmint; something she was thoroughly pleased about.
Oh baby, I wish I may
I wish I might
Have just one more kiss
That's what I wish tonight
BUT! They had to separate when his pocket started vibrating. They sprang apart so quickly that they cracked a bone, or two.
He said, "I'm sorry – I… I gotta take this call… but wait." He fumbled in the dark for his cell.
She took this time to breathe in and run away. She couldn't risk staying in that dark place where she felt like Cinderella with Prince Charming. She had to tell Traci not to dim the lights when it's like that! You'll never know what happens on the dance floor! Things like that definitely shouldn't have!
She never heard Jake go after her and calling her by her name as she found Oliver, Lilly and Luann outside, getting picked up by her dad.
Lilly asked, "Where have you been? We were looking for you!"
She shook her head and said, "Not now, Lilly!" They all got in and Mr. Stewart quickly drove off, eager to put distance from the place where his daughter's secret could have been broadcasted.
Miley couldn't help but glance back. She saw a blurred figure in the parking lot who, quickly got into a limo. She wished it was Jake, but then she wished it wasn't. She closed her eyes and silently cried. It wasn't any comfort that she was thinking about the last phrase she heard from the last song they were dancing to.
You can make all my wishes come true
I'm wishing on you
… … … Luann Arc to be concluded in the next chapter … … …