After an hour and a half of great music and not-so-great jokes from
Jake, Jimena noticed that the music seemed to have a strange effect on the
people in the audience, herself and other Daughters included. She'd seen
the same effect with their CDs, but now at Planet Bang, with the huge crowd
of kids, and the band actually there playing live, it seemed to double.
She kept a close eye on Ambrose, Cameo, and Dolores. Even THEY were getting more into the music than usual in their own dark, sinister way.
Serena's brother, Collin, with whom Jimena was dancing, also seemed very caught up in the song. "You know," he said to her, "This is generally not my style of music, but this guys are unbelievably good!"
"You don't usually date cholas either." She tilted her head and smiled at him flirtatiously. The lyrics, along with the chords and melodies, seemed to have some sort of element to them. . .some quality. . .something that made them seem almost spellbinding, and the talent of the musicians only added to it. Her feelings for him seemed to grow inside her as though the music were feeding them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, singing her hips back and forth to the beat and pulling him closer.
He grinned and placed his hands on her hips. "True," he answered her comment. "I guess there are exceptions to every rule." Collin was a surfer. He practically ate, slept, and lived on his board. Jimena, on the other hand, was a former gangster, but while she was no longer an official member of "Ninth Street," she still maintained her reputation. People still feared her, and she feared little to nothing. That was the only thing she had in common with Collin: No fear.
"Hey," Collin said, glancing around, "Did you notice that not one single person has stopped dancing all night?"
"What?" She glanced around. She hadn't noticed. She'd been concentrating on the Followers she'd seen in her premonition. It was true. Everyone was dancing. She turned back to Collin and shook her head. "Woah. . .too weird!" she whispered.
The song ended with one last resonating chord, and then Jake and Natalie stepped forward once again.
"I don't know about you, but I think it's about time we slowed things down a bit. What do you think, Natalie?"
"Oh please, God no! You don't need to get any slower than you already are!" Some people laughed, and Jake made a face and took the mike back.
"Hilarious, Nat, but you know that's not what I meant. I see a lot of couples out there. Let's play something for them! Kevin, if you please. . ."
Kevin softly vamped the introduction to a slow, romantic tune, and Jake turned to face Natalie in a smooth transition to match the mood of the music. The lights played across their faces, giving them a surreal, in-the- movies sort of look.
"Natalie, he said, extending a hand out to her in a sort of gentlemanly fashion, "May I have the honor of this dance?"
"Let me think," Natalie teased, looking around her as if considering all of her other options. Then she turned back to Jake with a smile. "Sure."
He beamed and wrapped his arms around her, and they swayed to the sensual rhythms along with all of the dancers as they sang together.
"When you hold me close
So I can hear the beating of your heart,
It fills me with such joy
To know we'll never be apart.
I have a hope I'll hold forever,
Far beyond my dying day,
A hope that we will be together,
'Cause we were meant to be that way."
Jimena's eyes widened as she looked at Dolores and Cameo over Collin's shoulder. Their eyes glowed phosphorescent yellow, as they should only do in the light of the full moon. They clutched their temples and staggered as though some unseen force were causing them great pain.
She looked around anxiously. Serena had disappeared again, probably to dance with Stanton, who was more than just a powerful Follower. He was the Prince of Darkness in the Inner Circle of the Atrox, and Serena had "fallen in love" with him, much to Jimena's displeasure. Couldn't she see how dangerous he was? But Jimena didn't have time to waste getting frustrated over this again. She looked to Catty and Tianna, and then to Vanessa. All three of them were staring with wide eyes and jaws hanging in horror and confusion. What was happening?
The only other who seemed to notice was Ambrose, who seemed surprised and confused, but not the least bit worried about his pupils. Jimena hated that. It made her shiver. She couldn't imagine being a Follower, if only for their obsessions with themselves and their indifference toward others. How did they ever get by without someone to care about? Ambrose, like Stanton, was an immortal, and Jimena knew that immortality was not given out to just any Follower who asked for it, and she shuddered to think about all the evil deeds they would've had to do to attain it.
She excused herself from Collin and moved to where Catty and Tianna were standing. Soon they were joined by Vanessa, and eventually Serena as well. None of them seemed to know what to do, so Jimena prepared for battle, suspecting that it was some sort of trick. She could feel the power building up inside of her. It came in a swell of energy from her chest to her fingertips, and she could sense the others following her lead. Ambrose caught her eyes and gave her a dangerous smirk.
Goddesses, he said in their minds, but that was all he managed to get out. Suddenly, the song ended, and Dolores and Cameo rose to their feet looking a bit dazed, at first, and their eyes no longer glowed. Then they shoved Ambrose to the ground, breaking his concentration, and as the next song began, he found himself unable to get up from beneath the dancers' feet.
The Daughters of the Moon could not believe what they had just seen. They wore astonished expressions as Dolores and Cameo walked up to them, shaking their heads.
"We're not sure what you did, Goddesses," Dolores whispered, "But thank you." Cameo nodded and the two of them hurried out of Planet Bang.
The girls exchanged bewildered looks. "They're free. . ." said Vanessa.
"Did we free them?" Serena was confused.
Catty shook her head. "I don't think so. Do you know what happened, Jimena?"
Jimena sighed. "All I know is that the premonition I had outside just came true."
She kept a close eye on Ambrose, Cameo, and Dolores. Even THEY were getting more into the music than usual in their own dark, sinister way.
Serena's brother, Collin, with whom Jimena was dancing, also seemed very caught up in the song. "You know," he said to her, "This is generally not my style of music, but this guys are unbelievably good!"
"You don't usually date cholas either." She tilted her head and smiled at him flirtatiously. The lyrics, along with the chords and melodies, seemed to have some sort of element to them. . .some quality. . .something that made them seem almost spellbinding, and the talent of the musicians only added to it. Her feelings for him seemed to grow inside her as though the music were feeding them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, singing her hips back and forth to the beat and pulling him closer.
He grinned and placed his hands on her hips. "True," he answered her comment. "I guess there are exceptions to every rule." Collin was a surfer. He practically ate, slept, and lived on his board. Jimena, on the other hand, was a former gangster, but while she was no longer an official member of "Ninth Street," she still maintained her reputation. People still feared her, and she feared little to nothing. That was the only thing she had in common with Collin: No fear.
"Hey," Collin said, glancing around, "Did you notice that not one single person has stopped dancing all night?"
"What?" She glanced around. She hadn't noticed. She'd been concentrating on the Followers she'd seen in her premonition. It was true. Everyone was dancing. She turned back to Collin and shook her head. "Woah. . .too weird!" she whispered.
The song ended with one last resonating chord, and then Jake and Natalie stepped forward once again.
"I don't know about you, but I think it's about time we slowed things down a bit. What do you think, Natalie?"
"Oh please, God no! You don't need to get any slower than you already are!" Some people laughed, and Jake made a face and took the mike back.
"Hilarious, Nat, but you know that's not what I meant. I see a lot of couples out there. Let's play something for them! Kevin, if you please. . ."
Kevin softly vamped the introduction to a slow, romantic tune, and Jake turned to face Natalie in a smooth transition to match the mood of the music. The lights played across their faces, giving them a surreal, in-the- movies sort of look.
"Natalie, he said, extending a hand out to her in a sort of gentlemanly fashion, "May I have the honor of this dance?"
"Let me think," Natalie teased, looking around her as if considering all of her other options. Then she turned back to Jake with a smile. "Sure."
He beamed and wrapped his arms around her, and they swayed to the sensual rhythms along with all of the dancers as they sang together.
"When you hold me close
So I can hear the beating of your heart,
It fills me with such joy
To know we'll never be apart.
I have a hope I'll hold forever,
Far beyond my dying day,
A hope that we will be together,
'Cause we were meant to be that way."
Jimena's eyes widened as she looked at Dolores and Cameo over Collin's shoulder. Their eyes glowed phosphorescent yellow, as they should only do in the light of the full moon. They clutched their temples and staggered as though some unseen force were causing them great pain.
She looked around anxiously. Serena had disappeared again, probably to dance with Stanton, who was more than just a powerful Follower. He was the Prince of Darkness in the Inner Circle of the Atrox, and Serena had "fallen in love" with him, much to Jimena's displeasure. Couldn't she see how dangerous he was? But Jimena didn't have time to waste getting frustrated over this again. She looked to Catty and Tianna, and then to Vanessa. All three of them were staring with wide eyes and jaws hanging in horror and confusion. What was happening?
The only other who seemed to notice was Ambrose, who seemed surprised and confused, but not the least bit worried about his pupils. Jimena hated that. It made her shiver. She couldn't imagine being a Follower, if only for their obsessions with themselves and their indifference toward others. How did they ever get by without someone to care about? Ambrose, like Stanton, was an immortal, and Jimena knew that immortality was not given out to just any Follower who asked for it, and she shuddered to think about all the evil deeds they would've had to do to attain it.
She excused herself from Collin and moved to where Catty and Tianna were standing. Soon they were joined by Vanessa, and eventually Serena as well. None of them seemed to know what to do, so Jimena prepared for battle, suspecting that it was some sort of trick. She could feel the power building up inside of her. It came in a swell of energy from her chest to her fingertips, and she could sense the others following her lead. Ambrose caught her eyes and gave her a dangerous smirk.
Goddesses, he said in their minds, but that was all he managed to get out. Suddenly, the song ended, and Dolores and Cameo rose to their feet looking a bit dazed, at first, and their eyes no longer glowed. Then they shoved Ambrose to the ground, breaking his concentration, and as the next song began, he found himself unable to get up from beneath the dancers' feet.
The Daughters of the Moon could not believe what they had just seen. They wore astonished expressions as Dolores and Cameo walked up to them, shaking their heads.
"We're not sure what you did, Goddesses," Dolores whispered, "But thank you." Cameo nodded and the two of them hurried out of Planet Bang.
The girls exchanged bewildered looks. "They're free. . ." said Vanessa.
"Did we free them?" Serena was confused.
Catty shook her head. "I don't think so. Do you know what happened, Jimena?"
Jimena sighed. "All I know is that the premonition I had outside just came true."
