Andre was up in arms the next day about a Halloween party Niomi's friends were throwing on Friday. Andre could invite as many people as he pleased. He sent a massive slap post and invited nearly the whole school. Tori protested that it was too many people for a house party.
Andre only grinned, "You ain't seen her buddy's house then." Andre had a knack for getting invited to colossal parties with the connections he had. He had collaborated with so many musicians and had a great way with people. Only knowing Niomi for one day and he was already invited to a mansion party.
"It's gonna be hot!" Andre leaped up onto the top stair and clapped his hands. "People, people! Don't forget you all need to be wearing costumes! Or else you ain't getting in!"
Cheers resounded all around and many clapped him on the back. A girl asked him if he had a date and he only grinned and popped his collar. "You bet I got a honey."
Tori rolled her eyes, "You're going out with Niomi already?"
"Well not exactly," Andre said, looking around. He clapped Beck and Robbie on the back, "But you can bet it's only a matter of time."
.
That following Friday the streets were crowded with students running up the hill to the giant mansion that had a giant ghost on its lawn. Glowing pumpkins littered across the lawn along with skeletons. The doorway was the arched legs of a sexy witch and people hooted at seeing it, throwing their drinks in the air. Inside was much louder, loud rock and roll music blared, remakes of Halloween songs and covers of classics. There was a stage in the main ballroom where a band was playing.
As the crew made their way through the bouncing mob they spotted who was on stage. A blonde was rocking the mic with her cries, throwing her head back as she guzzled red fruit punch, closely resembling blood and tossed it at the crowd who roared with so much energy it was immediately contagious.
Tori held Cat's hand fast, promising not to lose her in the crowd. Cat was dressed as a female Jekyll and Hyde. Tori was dressed as Frankenstein's bride and the boys were dressed as the three ghost brothers from Casper. They were hardly creative and had thrown bags of flour and chalk on each other. Cat had laughed at their antics when girls in the crowd refused to dance with them not wanting to get their costumes covered in chalk.
They gathered drinks and listened to the band play. "Where's Niomi?" Tori shouted at Andre over the blaring music. "You're listening to her!" he yelled back and pointed at the stage. They all shot back to look at the blonde who was practically seducing the mic stand. They gawked. "That's … Niomi?"
"Now, I've got a confession!" Niomi yelled into the mic, "When I grow up! I wanna be famous! I wanna be a star! I wanna have groupiiiies!" The crowd roared in cheers, raising their hands as she burst open her jacket to reveal a corset. "Where my groupies at!?" Another roar louder than the last. "YEAAAAAH!"
The crew stood with their jaw hanging open, "Wait, just how old is she?"
"She just turned 19, she graduated last year and has been doing Halloween parties and anything Halloween related." Explains the side job at the theme park. "She's wild!" Beck exclaimed.
Suddenly the bass man belted out a deep tune and the crowd cheered again, loving the remake of a classic. Niomi grabbed the mic and she sang in her deepest voice, "Last night a DJ saved my life, Yeaaaah! Cause I was sittin' there bored to death and in just one breathe he said 'You got get up, you got get up, you got get down girl'" Then she threw her head back with the mic. "Last Night a DJ saved my life!"
"Called you on the phone no one's home," a pause in the song as she imitated throwing a phone into the crowd. "Baby, why you leave me all alone! And if it wasn't for the music! I don't know what I'd do, yeah!" She rocked her hips, swaying and moving them provocatively. She spotted Andre and pointed at him. "There's that hot chocolate mess looking like a marshmallow! Come up here baby!"
Andre was so ecstatic that he jumped for joy and ran towards the stage, people making way for him. She caught his hand and hauled him. She hugged him and licked his cheek, making a face immediately. "Oh god boy, is that coke on ya?" She laughed and threw him into the crowd. "Here, you guys eat him up!" They crowd surfed him while screaming hoots and cheers. He raised his arms and hooted.
"She seems unstable," Tori said to Cat who was staring at her. Cat shrugged, "Maybe's she's just playing a mess." Beck laughed out loud and pumped his arm. "Whatever it is it's got this crowd wild!"
.
An hour later the performers switched their mood and people were swaying to the music. Niomi gripped the mic and leaned into it, her face sober and serious.
"You made a mistake,
On the day that you met me and lost your way,
You saw all the signs but you let it go,
You closed your eyeeeees.
I should've told you to leave,
'Cause I knew all the time you couldn't handle me,
But you're hard to resiiiist,
When you're on your kneeeees begging meeeeeee…
I'll tear you down, I'll make you bleed eternally.
Can't help myself from hurting you, when it's hurting me.
I don't have wings, so flying with me won't be easy
'Cause I'm not an angel, I'm not an angel."
Cat and Tori had melancholy faces as they listened intently. She sounded just like Jade when she was serious. The way she sang the deep lyrics, the way she stared at nothing as she singed. Cat recalled the first time she had realised she was in love with Jade was through a song she had sung in a class assignment. The song wasn't directed at her but some reason it had pulled all the strings to her heart. Suddenly she was flash backed to the past, she was sitting on a stool and Jade was singing, moving toward her, making those hand gestures she did when she sang without a mic. Remembered vividly where she had imagined that Jade had leaned in to kiss her after the song ended.
Now here was a song with the same melody in her voice, sounding almost sad.
"I wasn't always this way, I used to be the one with the halo.
That disappeared when I had my first taste,
And fell from grace, it left me in this place,
Now I'm starting to think maybe you like it.
I'll tear you down, I'll make you bleed eternally
Can't help myself from hurting you when it's hurting me
I don't have wings, to fly with me won't be easy
'Cause I'm not an angel, I'm not an angeeeeeel
I'm not an angel. I'm not an angel. I'm not an angeeeeel."
Niomi laughed at the end of the song and she ran her black manicured hands through her unruly hair. "Okay, we're gonna take a break! DJ Strombone here is gonna keep you cats dancing. Alright peace!" she yelled and bounded off with the band to the backstage they had set up.
.
Andre was nowhere to be found and Tori was off talking to the band backstage. Beck had managed to find a girl to dance with and Robbie was outside lying next to the skeletons, pretending to have a conversation with them. Cat was left to herself on the couch with four boys who tried to chat her up. She stared straight ahead, unblinking, even as the strobe lights swung around at the jumping crowd.
She tried to drown out the music but what was playing was haunting her memories. "Save my love for youuuuuuu!" the speakers blared and she kept seeing shadows on the stage dancing and swinging around. The boys talking in her ears were drowned out as the song spoke to her on her so many levels.
"Disintegration.
You (you) and me (me).
Hold our breath and count to three
I want so much
To give you my everything
Cat found herself lost in the woman's soft husky voice. Suddenly she was alone in a dark room and dense smoke of some sort rose all around her in the shape of a woman, whispering in her ears.
Disintegration
Suffocation
My life is taken
Annihilation.
!Save my love for you
I'm saving my love for you
I save my love for you
I'm saving my love for you!
There's a beating inside of me
Open up we can take it slowly
Let's dissolve our humanity
You found the beat of my heart, my heart beat.
Cat slowly closed her eyes and leaned her head back, exposing her throat. Soft multiple glowing hands reached out to touch her, covering her in a sweet velvet blanket of mist. She opened her mouth and breathed in one of the hand, exhaling a thick smoke.
Oh so free
Give in to you endlessly
Live for (for) your touch
Never have I died so much (much)
Her eyes slowly opened as two fleshy hands extended out to her, revealing only a smile in the shadows, clearly feminine. The dense smoke swirled about the two of them and the room began to spin.
Disintegration
Suffocation
My life is taken
Annihilation.
Cat stared at the sinister grin painted across the mask. Hazy hands surrounded the person in question and caressed her as a lover, reaching inside her jacket, clutching her neck, drawing back her head to expose her supple, creamy throat, as if offering it to Cat.
Cat's pulse quickened and she breathed in heavily, feeling the sexual energy. Suddenly the mask was ripped off the woman's face to reveal tumbling blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkled with life of their own. The smoke cleared and revealed Niomi grinning at her.
!Save my love for you
I'm saving my love for you
I save my love for you
I'm saving my love for you!
Disintegration
Suffocation
My life is taken
Annihilation."
Cat's eyes sprang open in reality and the boys shot back in their seats, suddenly wary of her. She slowly got up to her feet and went into the crowd of dancing people, half in a daze. She was being pulled by some force to head outside. She opened the back door and exited the house into the cool night air. The noise dulled away as the door closed behind her. A few boys were rolling around on their skateboards doing tricks and off to the side was a tall woman clad in black, leaning against the wall, smoking. She blew out her nostrils and the dense smoke slowly spiraled out.
She found Niomi.
.
Tori caught a hold of Beck and tugged him away from his dancing partner. "Where's Cat?" she asked. He stopped dancing and looked around toward the couch where he saw her last. "She was sitting there. Maybe she went for a drink."
"And where's Andre and Robbie? I haven't seen them in a while. They alright?" Tori looked around her surroundings. Beck shrugged and grinned, moving to the beat as his partner continued to dance with him. "Andre is probably hooking up with Niomi. Robbie, well he probably hit the punch a bit hard or something just like last time. Don't worry they're fine. If they don't show up in an hour, we'll go look for them."
Tori shrugged, satisfied enough with the answer and went off to find a partner to dance with which took no time at all.
.
"Looking for me, Kitty cat?" Niomi spread her arms but didn't remove herself from her post. "Here I am."
Cat didn't move and didn't say much either. "Uhm…" Niomi instead moved closer to her, slowly making her way over to her, soft clicks of her heels on the cement. She leaned against the wall that Cat stood by, she held out the blunt to Cat but she refused it. "You're a wonder, lil thing. With a haircut like that but with the attitude of a demure kitten, makes me wonder." She took another puff and inhaled deeply then released it nice and slow. Cat thought she looked like a dragon with red lips that curled up when she caught Cat staring. She had cleaned up since she got off the stage it seemed. Her clothes were no longer streaked in red punch and her lipstick was on point. Her hair was combed neatly and her skin was fresh like she had used face wash to get it smooth looking.
Cat was curious about her hair. "Do you dislike your hair?"
"Oh god no, I love my hair."
"Then why so many wigs?" Cat asked recalling the black wig and the purple one. Niomi chuckled, "It's because I love my hair I won't dye it the crazy colors I like." She came closer, "See, this way my hair stays nice and smooth without the chemicals of dyeing it. But I admire yours…" she reached out and let strands of it slide off her fingers. "Much like red fruit punch, my favorite…"
.
Robbie sat up slowly and stared around himself sleepily. A guy skateboarding off the ghost ornament had crashed near him, waking him up from cuddling with a skeleton. He looked at his watch and speculated where his friends were. He stumbled to his feet, still clutching the red cup that no longer held any drink. He stretched and fell backwards, almost rolling off the hill. He again climbed to his feet and adjusted his glasses. There was chaos all around him as ghouls danced and ran like crazy around him. He decided to look for his friends but couldn't find the door. He felt his way around until he found the back of the house and saw what he thought was a familiar face. "Jade?" he croaked.
.
Niomi led Cat by the hand back inside to the party and people cheered when she entered their dancing ring. Immediately Niomi started to dance and Cat was perplexed with how to move. Move along to her or do her own thing? Suddenly she was thrown into a flashback with Jade teaching her how to dance in her house. She swayed, dizzily but Niomi caught her and asked her if she was okay. Cat nodded and tried to smile but she fainted against Niomi's chest. Spooked, people backed away as if the girl would explode. Niomi lifted her up into her arms and pushed past people to get her away from the noise. She found a bedroom and placed her on the bed.
A crowd of people gathered by the door and Niomi shut the door in their faces and they exploded in cheers. Niomi turned around and switched the nearby lamp on, she then sat on the bed, carefully. She picked up her cell and was ready to dial for help but Cat's hand snaked her wrist and pulled her down onto the bed.
"Did you fake faint on me?" Niomi mused. Cat searched the room, "I fainted?"
"What is this?" Niomi chuckled. "Did you want to get me alone?" she settled on her elbow as she gazed down at Cat. "All you had to do was ask, Kitty cat."
"Don't call me that," Cat whispered, staring at the curling red lips. "Then what should I call you?" Niomi whispered back, slowly inching her face closer to Cat's.
All of the sudden there was a loud crash and a rock rolled into the room from the window. Upon hearing the sound, Niomi had shielded Cat with her body, covering her head. Cat cried out in surprise against her chest. "Oh, god, it's happening again!"
Niomi spun on the bed, shooting to her feet and bolted to the window. "Who's down there?!"
Cat heard a feeble reply. She walked over to the window, crunching glass and saw Robbie who was running back and forth from the bushes and the house in confusion. "Robbie? You threw that rock?"
"No! It wasn't me! I swear!" Robbie cried, staring up at them. "Cat! You're not going to believe this but-!"
"HOLY SHIT THE COPS!" Someone screamed and everyone ran in all directions as red and blue lights flared. "Shit," Niomi hissed under her breath. "Kitty cat, you need to leave." She unlatched the broken window and forced it open. "Robbie, come help your friend out." Cat quickly clambered over the window sill, trying hard not to scrape her bare skin with the broken glass. "Sorry about your window," Cat said sympathetically.
"Naw, this bastard's rich he can afford a window. Easy now," she helped Cat land on her feet and quickly closed the window for what good it did. She was out of sight before Cat could say her thanks.
"C'mon we have to go!" Robbie took a hold of her hand and keeping low in the shadows of the trees they ran towards Beck car that was parked a few yards away. "Cat, I need to tell you something," Robbie hissed in her ear as they kept close to each other. Cat dismissed him, "It's gonna have to wait Robbie!" her eyes on the police officers who started to cross the lawn. "Okay go!" they both ran in the shadows and saw Beck's car ahead but it was directly behind a cop car and they saw Beck being hauled away.
"What the?" Robbie and Cat said in unison but kept hidden. "Guess we're walking home, Robbie."
.
Songs used in this crazy chapter:
When I grow up – Pussycat Dolls
Last night a DJ saved my life- Indeep remix
I'm not an angel – Halestorm
Disintegration – Monarchy ft Dita von Teese