CHAPTER 3

Suddenly the room grew silent, time seemed to stop for that one moment, then the look upon the audience's faces was revealed. A look of both horror, and shock. The host suppressed the look with all his might, but then loosened his coat collar and looked toward the audience, "Well be right back after a short...break! Yeah, Short Break, Back, after." The man seemed unconscious of his err and he hastened to the behind the curtain, with his arm around the now dark-hearted girl. The curtain closed behind them and the man's smiling face broke into a look of horror, "Did you mother tell you not to do that? It kills our ratings and makes us look like some sort of 'child abusers' through work of slavery!" Valor shot a nasty look at the man, "Look like some sort of child abusers? LOOK like some sort of child abusers?" She repeated, her voice growing louder as she spoke, "This is practically slave drive, ever since I was adopted by this so called 'mother' I've been practicing day and night for this one crap of an event! Why? So my mother can become even richer and act like she owns the world. Like she's some sort of Tonald Drump!" The man ignored her and quickly walked over to where the mothers were seated upfront the audience, and brought her back. Addie then began to speak,

"Dear, why would you say such a thing? I clearly told you not to say anything of the sort, and you are a beautiful child. That's why I chose you." Valor's hands turned into fists, but she attempted to restrain herself. She took a deep breath in and then out and she calmly spoke, "I am terribly sorry, mother Addie. I will give it one more try…" She said disappointed in herself and her mother at lack of self control. She was helped back onto the stage into the same chair across from the fake smile of a man. "Why hello Valor!" He said as if –nothing- had happened. The girl winced at the words spewed from his mouth,

"…Hello." She hesitantly said into the microphone, "…How are you?" She found herself saying. Valor questioned herself, was she really going to give in to this man, this bloody industry, and her mother. The man smiled and said, "Awww, isn't she cute? Making up for her lack of self-confidence by attempting and failing at being polite! Ruining my show isn't easy, but she manages to do it," He smiled and turned to her, a creepy look upon his large toothed face, "Yes you do, yes you do" He say pinching her cheeks as if she were some sort of dog.

Suddenly Valor's eyes turned a shade of black, outlined in white. Her hands too began to glow the same aura as she tightened her grip, suddenly a piece of heavy equipment fell upon the host, as the audience all jumped with terrified looks upon their faces. Valor jumped back as the host's arm flailed around from under the metal, as if it was being used to grab onto something and pull himself up. Valor's eyes faded back to baby blue as she had a look of horror upon her face, she winced, as the metal was a heating system, and it caught fire on the curtains behind. The curtain collapsed as it began to burn to a darker shade of crisped cloth. A man in the audience grinned and ran outside with the other fleeing people. Valor caught her mother's eyes, and Addie had a look of utter horror and disappointment upon her face, a tear formed in the mother's eye as her hopes burned with the curtain. Addie darted off, as Valor noticed the host's arm stop twitching. She sunk to her knees and sat on the ground, wanting to burn away with everything else. From this moment on, she knew her life would never be normal, ever again.