Undercover
By theladyknight
Disclaimer: Digimon, Harry Potter, and "Let Me Go" by 3 Doors Down are not mine!
Chapter 10: Prelims
"So, given the different threats and vandalism that has occurred, do we have any reason to feel safe here?"
The middle-age man on the stage gave a frustrated sigh. "What kind of question is that? Of course we have a reason to feel safe! The Miss America Pageant is providing top-of-the-line security. We couldn't be in safer hands."
"But by saying that, aren't you giving so-called Beauty Queen Killer a calling card to come in here and wreak havoc?" the reporter persisted, doing his best to cause some ripples in the Miss America ocean.
"I stand by my previous statement," Mr. Fujiyama dropped the question, trying to stay as cool, collective, and professional as he could in the process. "Next question, please."
From her perch on the stage above him, Sora's eyes searched the crowd like a preying hawk. Her prey was out there somewhere. She continued her search, trying to find the familiar gleam of the golden-haired god. I did not just compare him to a god. Good Lord, Takenouchi. Keep your head in the game.
She heeded her own slap on the wrist to some extent. The redhead's orbs darted back down to the multitude of journalists and cameramen. Finally, failing on her epic odyssey, she settled back in her seat. He'll reveal himself to me eventually. He always does.
"We have a fantastic group of young women this year. I'm sure this year's competition will be one people will be talking about for ages." Sora had to smile. She knew how hard the man was working to reassure everyone that things would be fine while at the same time, building up the hype for the pageant. "Yes sir, from T…Tak…Takari News."
Sora watched as the reporter—probably in his early to mid twenties—flashed his pearly whites in Mr. Fujiyama's direction. He's not bad on the eyes. The girl studied him, taking in his crisp white-collared button-down shirt, tucked into a pair of dark black pants. His jade green eyes held a playful touch, one most journalists Sora had worked with before usually held. But what struck her most was the bleached blond hair spiking all over the place. That doesn't look natural…
"That's Takari News sir, straight outta northern California." Mr. Fujiyama gave a weak nod, motioning for the reporter to continue. "Sources around the States are stating that you've run into some financial qualms recently, Mr. Fujiyama. Can you comment on that?"
Sora groaned as quietly as possible, feeling her cheeks heat up for not realizing it sooner. I knew that wasn't natural. Damn, Ishida; how do you always manage to do this to me no matter what disguise you're in? And what's with you and dying your hair!
The pageant director was getting nervous. Evidently this was not a subject he was comfortable discussing. "Naturally when planning an event this huge and spectacular you are going to face some monetary issues. We've hit some walls, come tumbling down, but picked ourselves up, facing the problems we've encountered and fixing them."
Hands buzzed all around the blond reporter and a smirk came to his face. "Even so…"
"Thank you all for your time! The Preliminary round of the Miss America competition will be taking place in approximately ninety minutes. This will conclude our press conference. I would like to thank you all for your time and questions."
He fled the stage like a bat out of hell. Almost instantly, live action reporting sprouted. Sure, it had been going on before, but it was nothing like it was now. Matt Ishida rolled his eyes, seeing the men and women around him going crazy, nearly shouting into the camera any information they found, which, of course, they found ground-breaking and life-altering. Dumb paparazzi. At least I learned what I wanted to know. And I got to see Sora…
While he had been paying attention—sort of—during the press conference, the blond was sure he'd put on a good performance. His camera operator, Kari, and newspaper reporter, TK, had never doubted he'd been watching. And Tai had been too busy staring a hole through that Mimi girl up on the far edge of the stage.
Leaving him a perfect angle of Miss New York.
He had to smile, thinking about the way she was sitting there. He saw her looking around the room for him, giving up, and settling back down. You'd think by now she'd be able to see through my disguises. Apparently not. The woman was dressed in a pair of faded jeans with holes scattered throughout them. A short sleeved yellow shirt completed the look. Apparently none of them are too dressed up.
Indeed, it looked like the women had been told to show the world their everyday appearances, at least clothes wise. I bet they were told to come dressed ready for the first round of preliminaries. The guys are all going to be very happy I scored us some tickets.
"Time to go?" Kari asked, snapping the blond out of his daydream.
"Not yet. I need to find Takenouchi and give her some last minute directions."
Tai grinned, turning to walk the other direction. "Sounds good,"
"Where are you going, Yagami?"
"I'm going to talk with Mimi." He paused, holding up a hand. "Yes, Ishida, I know the rules. Don't blow my cover. Don't let her know I know Sora. Yadda, yadda, yadda…"
His response managed to do something Tai had never accomplished before. Agent Ishida let out a small smile. "Fine, I'll send one of these two to get you later."
With a wave, the brunette headed off in the opposite direction. Matt, admitting something he never would've before, actually had to say he had a good time with Tai. Originally, according to the blonde's master plan, it would only be T.K. and Kari accompanying him.
But then Gennai gave him an extra ticket. No one else at the base had wanted to go—that, or Tai scared them all away from going. The agent, after spending a good deal of the morning with Sora's bush-headed friend, realized he didn't give the man enough credit. Though he didn't always act that way, Tai was quite clever. Can't say I really consider him a friend, but at least now I do respect him.
"Yo, Matt, Kari and I are going to go ditch this camera equipment and then head to the gift shop."
Intelligence obviously runs in the family. "Go ahead, Teeks. I'll call you when it's time to go, though. One of you will need to get Tai."
"Sure," they happily agreed, lugging the faux camera equipment—all plastic, yet very realistic toys Matt had ordered a few days back—to the Hummer. He watched them disappear around the corner then began to look around the room.
Now, free from everyone else, he was ready to find her. Truthfully, he didn't really have any new instructions for the girl. It was all just a ploy. He just wanted to see and talk to her.
She was so addicting. Everything about her was a force of attraction, both the good and bad. She was his Helen of Troy, beautiful, intelligent, and full of wit. Damn it, man! Next thing you know you'll be comparing her beauty to a rose or some other poetic crap. When the hell did I get to be so pathetic?
It was the effect she had on him. They'd seemingly met only weeks ago yet he knew he'd been attracted to her at first sight. She'd proved over the course of all their fights and skirmishes to be everything he wanted and more. But she was independent, unwilling—so he thought—to reveal any of her feelings. She'd softened up to him quite substantially, and though he was happy with where their relationship stood—they may actually be labeled friends—could he want more? I've never been one to rush into anything without thinking it over. But I've never felt like this before. Do I really want more with her? Do I want to further what we've continued to develop? Maybe this is one of those times that it would be better not to think and just to go for it. Wow, listen to me. I'm going soft. I've really got it bad for her…
Lost in his jumble of thoughts, Matt had no idea where he'd wandered to. At this rate, I'll never find her. He rounded a corner, not paying attention to where he was going.
BAM!
From his spot on the ground, the blond expected to get yelled at, kicked out of the hotel for most likely being in uncharted waters, at least for the "reporters."
"Do you have a fetish for dying your hair?" It came as a harsh whisper instead.
He smirked up at the woman standing above him. Her eyes looked at him quizzically, seductive pout etched on her face. But I doubt she knows she's doing it. "Do you have a fetish for my hair? Every time I go incognito you have to comment about the hair change."
Her cheeks turned red. "I'm just merely stating that your hair looks better in its original color. That's all."
"Funny," he stood up, "the way you talk, it seems like you're insinuating something more."
She gave a harsh laugh, leaning up against the nearest wall. "Believe what you want, Ishida."
He rose to his feet, cornering her to the wall now. "I will then."
"Is there a reason you're here?" And trapping me against the wall? Making my heart go off to the races? Making me want to do something very uncharacteristic of myself? Damn you!
"Can't a guy come to wish his partner in crime good luck?"
Sora rolled her eyes. "Is that all you came here for?"
"What's your cell number?"
"Why do you want to know?"
His eyebrows rose. "What's with the third degree?"
The redhead sighed, pushing her hands against his firm chest. "Matt, I don't have time for your mind games. I have to get to the dressing room."
"Then tell me your cell phone number."
"Why?"
"I'm going to check out the hotel you were staying at. I want to see if I can get any information on the vandalized rooms and tie it into our theory." She looked at him unsurely, finally deciding it would be easier—not to mention faster—to give the persistent blond her number.
"And you couldn't have asked me last night?"
He smirked at her. "Slipped my mind. Look, I'll call you when I'm done. And call me during and after the competition. The guys and I are going to be down watching the preliminaries and we've got the room your interview is in bugged. We'll be listening in then as we obviously can't be there."
"Can you possibly get a recording of each contestant's interview?" The idea had just come to her. "That way we'll be able to check for any clues they might accidentally slip. So many of these girls will crack if the scenario is right."
"I can do that. I'll download them on my computer, and the two of us can listen to them sometime soon."
"Sounds good," Sora studied the man before her. He didn't look ready to move, and, she didn't feel like moving either. She was oddly very comfortable, close to him, and civilly conversing—with the occasionally flirting. On both our parts. It just seems right. I can be myself, the real me that I've buried under my work and past problems. He was at first this stubborn jackass, but as I realized the reasons and gotten to really know him…he's just…wow. Could I be ready to start a relationship? Am I ready to let it all go and follow what my heart is saying? I think so…
The clock on the wall broke them from their welcomed silence. "Shit! I'm going to be late and chewed out if I don't get my ass in there." She pushed past the man, stopping only because of the warm hand on her arm.
"Sora?"
"Yeah?"
"Good luck…"
"May I help you sir?"
Matt looked up at the man by the yellow police tape, glancing quickly at his watch. Still in his disguise, he had managed to get into the hotel the girls were all staying at. It hadn't taken too long to find the vandalized rooms because they were blocked off and being carefully watched. Time to perform again. I need to get this information, and it's got to be fast. I have fifteen minutes tops. Then I have to get back to the pageant. The others will be waiting for me. "I'm with Takari News out of…"
"Look, I'm under strict orders not to tell anyone anything," the guard's deep voice boomed across the room. "If you know what's good for you, scram! Now run along blondie."
Apparently, I'm not going to be getting any information out of him. But that's my only way into the crime scene to investigate and get the information I need. I could tell him I'm with the FBI and show him my credentials.
"Is that a hard concept to grasp, blondie? No wonder they say blondes are dumb."
Provoke me a little bit more, and you'll be seeing a side of Matt Ishida you never wished to. If you know what's good for you, you'll do best to stay out of a fight with me. Unless of course you want to end up in the hospital.
He watched as the brawny male stood directly in front of the taped off area—most presumably the entrance to the rooms in question—with his arms folded menacingly, trying to get his message across. He doesn't look that smart, though. I'd have to scratch both plans. Beating the shit out of him will get me kicked out of the hotel. And he'd probably doubt my documents are authentic, and I'd have to prove they're true. That could take more time then I have and come back to bite me in the butt.
Dejected, Matt slowly walked to the front desk, hoping some idea would come to him soon. "Don't mind Mitch. He's a jerk," the woman behind the counter supplied.
Glancing at the woman, the new idea hit him like a wall of bricks. "I'm with Takari News out of northern California. I'm curious, has anyone bothered to ask you your feelings on the recent vandalism and terror here at the hotel?"
"Me? I'm just a part-time worker. No one would want that angle."
She looked around his age, probably fresh out of college on break. This could be easier than I thought. "But I imagine you have to know something. You strike me as the type of woman who would be worth listening to. One who would honestly describe a situation, throwing in no bias."
Her eyes lit up, and she smiled coyly at the supposed reporter. "Well, I do know some things…"
"Dude, what the hell took you so long?" Davis shouted, flagging Matt to come over to where the guys were all waiting. "It's just about to start."
The blond rolled his eyes. He casually pulled a set of tickets out of his pocket, handing one to each of the guys. "I was doing a little work, relax."
"We're not going to have very good seats." Izzy mused.
Joe's confused face studied the boy genius. "Why not?"
"These are general admittance. You can sit wherever you want. Basically, it's first come first serve."
"If someone would have gotten here sooner…" the youngest boy sent a chilling death glare in the agent's direction.
Matt only smirked at them. "Do you guys wonder where Tai is?" he coolly answered.
Joe looked around. "Now that you mention it…wait, he left with you this morning."
"Precisely. And he's been here ever since, holding down our seats."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?"
The man snickered to himself as his three companions all darted off to where their bushy-haired friend was "politely" fending off a group of middle-aged women from taking their saved seats. Who would've thought they would go so crazy about getting to watch this. But then again, it is a pageant full of all sorts of girls. Girls obviously make us loose our normal demeanor. Takenouchi sure had some effect on me.
"Here they come! I told you they'd be here. Now if you'd please walk away and let my friends sit down."
The leader of the woman looked like she was ready to hit the brunette with her rather large, bulky handbag. But her senses—and the fact they were starting to make a scene—kicked in. "Fine. You'd think a young man could give up his seats for a bunch of older women. That would be the chivalrous thing to do."
Giving Matt a what-the-hell-did-that-mean look, Tai smiled. "I was here first."
She was ready to reply, appearing as though she was ready to snap when a man dressed in black slacks and a crimson vest approached them. "If you could please take your seats, we're going to begin."
With Davis leading the way, the four boys captured the coveted seats, Matt sitting down last next to a triumphant Tai. "Maybe next year, ladies."
If looks could kill, he would have been diced, sliced, thrown in a mixer and puréed. The women, as much as they wanted the very good seats, stomped off, settling near the back of the park the preliminaries—and the earlier press conference—were taking place in.
"You got into a fight with a bunch of old crows about seats?"
"They tried to take these," he indignantly replied to the blonde's comment. "What would you do?"
Matt had to hand it to him. I probably would've bitched at them too. He glanced around the area, seeing Mr. Fujiyama head to the main stage. Looks like things are going to get started soon.
Tai really had done a good job choosing seats. He probably wanted to be as close to Mimi as he was able to. I'll have to ask him how it went with her. They, like the hundreds of other lucky ticket holders, were seated on cushioned folding chairs. The main stage, really the amphitheater of the park, lay elevated about two hundred meters due north of them. They had to be some of the best seats in the park.
"I would like to welcome you all to the Miss America Pageant preliminaries! We've been working with these excellent young women for the past…"
Matt's phone began to go off as Mr. Fujiyama continued to talk and get the necessary formalities out of the way. Thanking his luck that it was on vibrate, he answered it. "Yeah?"
"Bout' time you got here!"
"Glad to talk to you too," he sardonically whispered back.
The voice on the other end laughed. "Kari and I are off to your left and up a few rows."
"So the others…"
"Think we left. The last Tai saw of us, we were "hailing" a cab to go back to my apartment."
Matt smirked. "I taught you well."
"You wish. I picked that up on my own."
"Listen, I can't talk right now…"
"…too busy waiting for Sora to come out?"
"When'd you get to be so cheeky?"
T.K. laughed again. "Now that was something I learned from you."
"Cute, very cute. I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, Matt. Don't drool too much when Sora comes out in her swimsuit. She doesn't need an ocean to swim in."
Arrogant little ass. He can be just like me when he wants to.
"Who was that?"
Matt turned to face Tai. "You wouldn't know him. Relative of mine. Very annoying." With a nod—though not completely believing the validity of his answer—Tai leaned back to listen to the rest of Mr. Fujiyama's address.
One of these days all these lies are going to come back to catch me. I hope it's no time soon.
"So, it's my pleasure to announce the beginning of the Miss America preliminaries! First up is casual wear with an onstage question. Judges pick up your pens and get ready to meet fifty-two of America's finest young ladies…"
The familiar sound of a cell phone cut through the idle chatter of the room, prompting a groan from all its inhabitants but one. "Dude, Ishida! How many freaking calls have you gotten today?"
The blond stood up, stepping out of the room to take the call—ignoring Davis's comment in the process as it wasn't the first time someone had said that to him. "Sora?"
"Don't even think about laughing at me."
"Why would I do that?"
He could tell she was frustrated and getting just a little worked up. "Do I have to answer that?"
"Point taken. But seriously, you did fine out there."
"I had no idea what I was doing," he heard a door slam in the background. Apparently she's getting a bit of privacy, not that I blame her. "My mind went blank when the host asked me that question."
He raked a hand through his hair. "But you didn't give up and quit. You gave an honest answer. It made a lot more sense than some of the other girls' answers."
"It's just," she let out a long sigh, "I'm already guaranteed a spot in the finals. I want to make it look like I actually deserve to be there. If I make a bad impression with the judges, they're going to wonder who was stupid enough to vote me into the Top 10."
Matt couldn't fight it anymore. He laughed.
"I thought you weren't going to laugh at me."
"I'm not trying to be rude, if that's what you're thinking. You're trying too much, Sora. Relax; stop worrying so much. Just breathe, go into your interview, and stay yourself. Fretting about things will only distract you. I understand that you're under so much pressure and all, but you need to stop thinking sometimes. Don't think; just do. Follow what you're heart is telling you; go with your instincts." Matt paused. "And I have a strong feeling the judges already like you."
"Why do you say that?"
"Well, I got off the phone with Gennai about twenty minutes ago, and he said he was quite impressed with the way you handled yourself out there. You didn't try to be Miss Superwoman, destined to save the world from every problem it's ever encountered. The judges respect the truth, not the fabricated fiction about "world peace" and all that shit. Your talent piece, considering the small amount of time you worked on it, went relatively well. And—luckily you're not standing next to me to slap me for the next few comments—you looked damn fine out there. Some girls looked too fake. Others looked too skinny. But you just looked…yeah…"
He had a strong feeling she was blushing on the other end of the line, and he could feel his cheeks heat up. "You know," she finally responded, "I'm surprised you're able to talk to me right now. I though your jaw would be permanently stuck in the down position after I came out during the swimsuit segment."
"…" Ooh, burned. I should've seen that one coming.
"I saw you, Ishida. Don't try to deny it."
"There's the Takenouchi I know. I was starting to wonder if you'd gone soft, what with all this worrying and nervousness."
Sora's smirk was evident through the phone. "Don't you think you should be the one worrying about going soft?"
Matt brushed off the comment. "Don't you have somewhere to be right now?" he growled, upset for letting himself get caught twice. Well, at least she's back to normal. She never fails to get her jabs in at me then.
"I suppose I can stop torturing you and go. So, are you guys listening in on the interview segments right now?"
"Yeah, they're into the "L's" right now."
She was silent for a second. "So…can you tell me the questions?"
He let out a rich chuckle. "The questions are different for each girl."
"Damn it." She recovered quickly though. "Have any of the contestants sounded suspicious yet?"
"None that I know of."
"Are we still on to listen to the rest of them?"
Matt smirked. "Well, today's Friday. The pageant is Tuesday night. With all the things on our schedules and with the things sure to come up, why don't we work Sunday over lunch at T.K.'s apartment? He won't mind; we can include him along with Kari. They'll be full of ideas."
"I don't know…would they really want to do that? It feels like we're intruding. Plus, we're involving them more into the mission. They weren't supposed to know. Matt, they aren't supposed to know. If Agent Jones ever finds out…"
"Sora, we need more people to help back our side and figure out what happened. If we don't figure out who the Beauty Queen Killer is before the pageant, something very bad could happen. No one else believes our side of the story. We have to play it both ways. Our leads are going somewhere. We can't just abandon them."
"But…" she was silent. "Do we really have to lie to them? I trust Tai and the others with my…"
"Sora, I understand what you're getting at. But it's obvious they think we're crazy for sticking with our hunch. They'll never let us go after these clues. This is one of those times we're going to have to break the rules." She was silent again. Matt paced back and forth, knowing someone would come out to look for him soon. "Sora?"
"What's our story going to be? How are we going to sneak out?"
"I'll cook up something. Don't worry about that now. It's got to be about time for your interview."
"Oh God, they're onto the "N's" now. I have to go! I'll talk to you later."
He smiled. "Good luck. Call me when it's done so we can start planning, and I can fill you in on the hotel information I got."
"Okay…bye."
Matt ran his hands through his hair. I never thought things would get this complicated. We're only four days away from the Miss America competition, and we still don't have a key suspect. I know it's dangerous, working behind the backs of the FBI agents and police, but we don't have a choice. He walked into the building, going back into the room where the others were playing a game of bull shit.
"Bout' time you showed up? You got a secret affair going on with some chick?" Tai asked.
The blond smirked at him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Duh, Tai, it's not one chick. It's probably like five! Oh and bull shit!" called out a smiling Davis.
"Damn it," Tai picked up the whole—very large—pile of cards. "Izz, it's your turn. Izz?"
"Guys, Sora's up."
Instantly, all thoughts of the card game and whose turn it was vanished. The men all turned their chairs to the large monitor Izzy and Joe had installed, focusing their attention on the redhead who had just walked into the ornate conference room. "Miss New York, Sora Lynn Rodgers," a man with a crimson top—one of the pageant volunteers—provided.
"Ah, Miss Rodgers, it's nice to see you." The eldest person, a man probably in his late sixties, greeted.
"It is nice to be here, sir," she replied with a large smile.
"Who is she, and what has she done with our Sora?"
Matt fought off the grin he wanted to show as the woman sat down in the chair allotted for her. "You're lucky she's not here to hear you say that, Kido."
"Why?" Tai's face bore an amused smile. "Do you know from experience or something?"
He chose not to answer that question, and luckily was saved when the man who had spoken before began to talk again. "I'm sure you're familiar with this part of the judging process. My fellow judges and I will each ask you a question, ranging from all sorts of topics. Give the answer that comes to mind first along with a brief explanation. Don't mind us; we'll be making some notes. Michael, why don't you start us off?"
Sora turned her attention to the well-known actor, waiting patiently for the question. "Miss New York, if you had one day as President of the United States, what issue would be chief on your priority list?"
"Well," she paused to gather her thoughts, "as someone training to go into the field of special-education and teaching, I think I would focus on America's kids. They're citizens like everyone else whether or not they are born 'normal' or with special needs. There are so many problems relating to kids these days, and I think that it's a problem that needs to be tackled."
"Good answer," Davis mused.
"Gennai trained her well," the boy genius responded.
The dull sound of pencil scratching on notepads filled the air. She bit her lip, eyes glancing around the room. Matt knew it was an attempt to calm her raging nerves.
"Miss New York, what is your secret talent?"
The redhead let out a light laugh. "Goodness…wow, I've never thought about that before. I'm absolutely hopeless in a kitchen. Don't ask me to bake anything." Two of women, including the person who'd asked the question, chuckled at her comment. "I do have a bit of a green thumb though. My p…my neighborhood," Don't mix up your story, "had a flower shop right on the edge. I helped out there one summer and learned a thing or two. My flowers bloom, but my cakes flop."
More laughter. "As you most likely know, Atlantic City, New Jersey—the traditional home of the Miss America Pageant—declined to host it this year because of some internal problems. I'd like to know your general impressions on the city of San Antonio."
Davis's eyes widened. "That's our mayor!"
"Well, we've been on a lot of guided tours with the pageant, and I like what I've seen so far. It's a bit different than the never ceasing hustle and bustle of New York, but I quite like the city."
Ken Ichijouji cleared his throat. "Why did you choose to participate in the competition?" She was silent, very unsure of how to answer.
How do I explain myself? How do I survive this question and land on my feet?
"Miss Rodgers?"
"That's kind of a hard question to be honest, Mr. Ichijouji." Sora looked at his nametag for reference. "I don't think there's one defined answer as to why I signed up for the pageant. All the different elements enticed me to join, but I think, overall, it was the thought that if I win, I'll have the ability to spread my knowledge on children with special needs and help make their usually ignored case stronger."
"I don't know how she does that," Tai shook his head. "She could always manage to get out of trouble when we were in school by her fast thinking."
"…while you were the exact opposite." Izzy laughed.
Happy with her response, Ken nodded. "Miss New York, please name for us your best quality and worst flaw."
"I think for myself, and I don't always follow the crowd. Sometimes things get bad or dangerous, and though it would be easier to jump on the bandwagon, I stay true to my own beliefs. As for my biggest flaw, sometimes I have the tendency to act before I think things over completely. That trait has gotten me into a few jams," the girl replied.
The youngest person in the room cleared his throat. "What is your opinion on the level of security the Miss America Pageant has put into play?"
Sora studied the speaker. If I remember correctly, his name is Cody. His father used to be a policeman. No wonder he's asking. "I think the security employed here is doing its absolute best and giving its hardest efforts to ensure the pageant runs as smoothly as possible. I don't think we give them enough credit, the police I mean. It's a hard…well; it's got to be a hard job. Don't you think?" Stay in character!
"I agree," Cody smiled at her, content with the answer she gave.
"Miss New York, what's the most important lesson you've learned in your life?"
"Never give up in your dreams, even if others don't believe in you." Matt smiled at her comment as he remembered their earlier discussion.
Joe nudged Tai. "Am I missing something there?"
The bushy-haired male could only grin. Now I know there's something going on with the two of them. "Apparently we all are, buddy."
"Sometimes what we want to achieve may be precarious or quixotic, but if you have nothing to dream for then what's there to look forward to in life? Living and setting goals walk hand in hand. We push ourselves to achieve and shatter the goals we set for ourselves, ultimately reaching skyward to our dreams."
The five men in the room—along with the others from the San Antonio Police Department who had stepped in to listen—could tell the judges were impressed with her answer. And she was worried about them not liking her because? Matt knew that had she been a regular contestant, she would've had a good chance of making it to the finals. As of right now, that is. There are still three questions left.
Akira gave the girl a seductive smile. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"
Sora fought off the faint blush that was creeping onto her face. "No,"
"No?" he persisted.
"I believe you can fall in love with one's outer personality. But true love, the kind that really matters in life, can't be determined by a pretty face or at a first glance. Those kinds of things take time. I don't think you can experience love without going through a long drawn out process. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you loose. Love isn't about sweet nothings and happy, fluffy tender moments. It's about the ups and downs, goods and bads, jealous moments, nostalgic memories, pains, triumphs, and everything in between."
The singer flashed her a trademarked "lady killer" smile. "So I take it you've found your love?"
Izzy snickered. "That's the funniest thing I have heard all day!"
Matt sat quietly, wondering what her answer would be. She wouldn't say she's in love. I know she likes me, she's halfway admitted that, but there's no way she could love me. But I could change that in the future…damn Ishida! Don't think about that now.
"Now, now, Akira. You're only allowed to ask one question. Don't worry about him, Miss Rodgers."
The man on the far end of the oak table cleared his throat. "Miss New York," his booming voice echoed around the room, "who would you consider your role model?"
Thank God Gennai prepped me for this question.
"My father. He was such a positive influence on me in my life. Growing up in the area of New York that I did, I learned firsthand that there is often a lot of bad right in front of your eyes. Dad was always positive and encouraged me in ways I'll never forget. He was there for me no matter what. When he died though…"
"Wait a minute." Mr. Oikawa interrupted her, consulting the notes about Sora that each judge had been given prior to the interview. "Your father is not dead. It states right here that he's alive."
One by one the other judges all looked over there notes. "Shit…she is so dead."
"Joe, don't give up on her. Yet," Tai urged.
"What do you think they're going to do when they get her to admit she's lying?" Izzy asked.
"I can't believe you guys." Everyone turned to face Agent Ishida, a bit surprised by his outburst. "Don't you have any faith in here? She's smart enough to pull herself out of this deep hole she's dug. Imagine what Takenouchi would think if she knew what you said."
"Let me explain," Sora's voice snapped everyone's attention back to the screen. "I guess I should've told you a little more before I said that. I have a very close childhood friend who lost both his parents in a fire. They were, after my parents and friend, the closest people to me. He and I used to be inseparable. I considered his parents almost like my adoptive ones. I called his parents Mom and Dad, and he did the same to mine. So, where I left off before…my friend's dad, my "dad" was killed, and it really shook me up. My dad did the best he could to comfort both my friend and me, and at that moment I realized I wanted to be just like my father when I grew up."
Tai's mouth had dropped to the ground. "Holy shit,"
"You're telling me," Davis responded. "Where did she come up with that?"
"She switched around her parents and mine." Tai whispered to himself and only the blond caught it.
"I told you not to rule her out."
Mr. Oikawa forced a smile. "Thanks for the explanation. Go ahead to the final question then."
Sora could see him making a lot of markings in his notepad. Another glance told her he'd filled a few pages. Why do I get the impression he doesn't quite like me?
"Miss New York," It was her final question. The speaker was the man who had greeted her in the first place. "If you were in the Harry Potter realm, what character—male or female—would you be?"
A true smile formed on the redhead's face. "I think…I'd be Lily Evans, Harry's mother. You never really find out about Lily's life; the only things the reader learns come from bits of sporadic evidence the author scatters in the book. From what I gather, she was a smart young woman but wasn't so focused on books and things that she didn't know how to live. Plus the red hair kind of words in my favor."
The man laughed. "Very true. I would like to extend a warm thank you from all of us for taking the time to meet with us here today. Good luck, Miss Rodgers."
Sora stood up, pushing her chair in. "Thank you very much."
The men watched as she walked out the door. Izzy hit a button that turned off the monitor. "Well, I think she did pretty darn awesome!" Tai exclaimed.
"Me too." Izzy mused. "At least we know she's guaranteed…"
The song "Let Me Go" by 3 Doors Down began to play. Four of the boys groaned while Matt stood up, answering his cell phone. "Hello…"
Important A/N: I'm heading to Mexico in one month. There's probably a very good chance this fic won't get updated again till sometime in the middle or end of August, but I'm going to do my best to try and get it done. On a brighter note, the sequel to "To the Highest Bidder" for any of you who have read that fic—if not, shame on you! Lol! I kid—will be out sometime next month. I'm guaranteeing this one will be out before I leave for Mexico, and I guarantee it will be done before the 6th Harry Potter book comes out on July 16th. I'm not going to attempt to write anything that day; I'll be too busy reading. And Harry Potter is definitely more interesting than anything I write, at least in my opinion. But anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review! If you've taken the time to read the chapter, I'd really love to hear what you have to say! Your guys' reviews inspire me to write. Keep them coming.
Next chapter: Expect the romance to finally kick in…and not just for Sora and Matt! It's Girls Night Out, but do you really think the guys can leave them alone?