I'm very excited to let you all know that this story is now going to be a collaboration with XThatsaProblemX with her story, "A Light in the Dark", as a prequel to mine. We discovered that we share the same ideas and cooked up this plan. We hope you all like it!
Chapter 3
Shilo froze in her seat and Graverobber cursed under his breath. Meanwhile, the crowd stood up and cheered all around them. The spotlight continued to shine on Shilo. Graverobber inched closer to Shilo and whispered to her.
"Now what?" he hissed
"What do you mean 'now what'? This is all your fault!" she snapped back.
"Don't be shy! Come up onstage and claim your prize!" called Amber from onstage. Graverobber and Shilo turned to look onstage and noticed that her brothers were no longer standing next to her. Shilo flinched when she felt an arm around her shoulder.
"You've won, bella! Come and meet the beautiful, Ana!" said Pavi with a Cheshire cat-like grin and his face. Shilo gulped.
"No, I-I really don't want-", Shilo started but Pavi lifted her from her seat.
"Come and claim your prize. We insist!" smiled Pavi.
Graverobber then stood up with a sudden sense of protectiveness. "Now listen here!" he started. "You heard the lady. She doesn't want-"
"Why don't you come too?" Graverobber turned his head to see the eldest Largo son, Luigi, stand up behind him with a menacing smile. "The more the freaking merrier right?"
Without another word Pavi lead Shilo through the row of seats while Luigi led Graverobber the opposite direction. Soon both Shilo and Graverobber were onstage trapped in between the three Largos. Amber flashed a toothy smile at them and put the microphone to Shilo's lips.
"Why don't you tell us your name?" she asked.
"I'm, uh,-" Shilo couldn't think of any fake names.
"Michelle." answered Graverobber tilting his head into the microphone. "And I'm Logan."
Amber and her brothers just continued to smile in creepy way. "Well, congratulations then. Michelle and Logan." said amber. "Why don't we head backstage so that the concert may continue?"
The audience broke into applause as Shilo and Graverobber were forcefully lead backstage, unaware of what was actually going on. Graverobber shot Shilo an apologetic look as she glared back at him. Meanwhile, Ana, and her band were headed back towards the stage. Ana was stopped by a group of genterns who were smearing lipstick and blush on her face. She quickly shooed them away.
"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, annoyed.
"Miss. Sweet told us to make sure that you look perfect tonight." said one gentern black hair.
"From beginning." said a blonde.
"To end." finished a red head.
"Well, thanks but I don't need-" Ana stopped when she saw Shilo and Graverobber being manhandled by Amber's bodyguards.
"What are those two doing?" she started but the three genterns stood in front of her.
"They're just here because they won the contest, Miss Rosette." they spoke in unison.
"What contest?" she asked, confused. "Amber never said that there was a contest."
"A raffle of all the tickets sold." said gentern#1
"One lucky winner and a friend would get a chance to go backstage and meet you." said gentern #2
"After the concert is through." added gentern #3
"Okay but why are those two amazons pushing them like-"
"Will the voice of GeneCo take the stage?"
Ana shot a glance back but the bodyguards and "contest winners" had disappeared. Although she was a little concerned she shook her off and headed back onstage. All the while, Shilo and Graverobber had been pushed into an empty gray room by the two silent bodyguards. The door was shut and Graverobber banged against it only to find it was locked. He searched erratically throughout the room, trying to find an exit but it was no use, they were trapped.
"Fuck!" he cursed.
"I can't believe this. I knew this was a bad idea." Shilo groaned.
Graverobber let out a sigh of defeat and looked at Shilo who was now sitting on the ground up against the wall with her head buried in her knees. He sat down next to her and took off his wig. So did Shilo and they sat there in silence for a moment or so until Graverobber spoke up.
"I'm so sorry, Shilo." he said.
Shilo looked up at him and wiped away a tear. "No, it's okay." she sniffed. "I know that you never meant for this to happen. They were bound to catch us one day anyhow."
"I guess, but I still feel terrible."
Shilo reached over a squeezed his hand. "Don't." she said, smiling weakly at him. He smiled back and let out a heavy sigh.
"Well, it's been nice knowing you kid." he laughed, bitterly.
"Yeah, you too." she said laughed nervously. "So, how did you come up with the names, Michelle and Logan, anyway?" she asked randomly.
"Oh, uh, they were my parents' names." he answered.
"Oh. I see." was all she said.
Graverobber gulped and looked at Shilo. She was even pretty when she had been crying. "Listen, Shilo, since we're probably not gonna make it out of here, I just want you to know that-"
He stopped when the door opened and none other than the Largos walked in. Amber looked down at both of them as if they were scum, trash on the street, while Pavi just giggled with a mirror in his hand and Luigi weilding his knife. The heels of Amber's boots clicked as she strode over to Shilo and grabbed her by the hair, forcing her up.
"Let go of her!" yelled Graverobber but was held back by Luigi and Pavi. Luigi placed his knife to Graverobbers neck. "Don't fucking move." he snarled.
"You! I've been searching for you for over a year." yelled Amber, still yanking Shilo's hair. "Do you have any idea what a royal pain in the ass it's been trying to run this damn company and trying to track you down at the same time? It wasn't until I was able to get one of Graverobber's "friends" to give him those tickets that we were able to find you."
"What do you want from me?" sobbed Shilo.
"Isn't that obvious?" Amber smiled. "I just want to be your friend. To help you in your time of need." Amber threw Shilo to the ground.
"What the hell do you think? You tried to steal GeneCo away from us you little bitch!" she growled.
"I never wanted GeneCo. It was yourdad who singed the papers to me." cried Shilo.
"Because he didn't trust leaving it to any of you three!" yelled Graverobber. Luigi was about to slit his throat but Amber held her hand up in protest. She bent down and looked at him right in the eye and smiled.
"Graverobber, Graverobber." she shook her head at him. "Why do you even bother? What interest could you possibly have in helping this little girl? Do you like her?"
"Why are you jealous?" he smirked.
Amber huffed. "Please. Why would I be jealous of her, especially for your sake? I am the most powerful woman in the world and you? You're nothing to me."
"Says the woman who got down on her knees and begged me for zydrate and did whatever I told her to without a moments hesitation."
Amber's smile faded and she punched Graverobber hard in the gut making him gasp in pain.
"Graverobber!" Shilo stood up and called out to him.
"Enough of this." said Amber. "Just kill them already."
"With pleasure." smiled Luigi.
"Wait!" cried out a new female voice. Everyone turned their heads to see that it was none other than GeneCo's new voice, Ana Rosette. She stood in the doorway with a questioning look on her face. She walked past Pavi, Luigi, and Graverobber who were staring in awe. She walked up to Amber demanding an explanation.
"Amber, what the hell is going on?" she asked.
"Nothing of your concern. We found these two trying to sneak in and we were just teaching them a lesson."
"Bullshit. I heard everything." said Ana with a disrespect that surprised everyone. "Is this how you treat your "contest winners", Amber?"
"There was no contest. That was just-"
"A diversion? So you get this girl without looking suspicious?" asked Ana gesturing to Shilo.
"And so what if it was? What does it matter to you, anyway?"
"I just don't see the point in killing them."
"Oh is that so?" Amber stood closer to Ana, getting in her face. "Well it doesn't really matter what you think does it? Don't forget your place, Ana. You have a contract with GeneCo and whatever way my brothers and I handle these things is strictly confidential. So if you think you can come in here acting all defiant and try and get in my way.."
"Who said I was trying to get in your way?" smiled Ana. "I just want to help."
Amber raised her eyebrow. "Help who exactly?"
"GeneCo, of course." stated Ana. "As an employee, I only want what's best for the company." Ana looked down at Shilo. "Think about it Amber. Think of how bad it would reflect on the company if anyone were to find about this. You and you new policy of change would be exposed as a fraud. On the other hand, lets say that you rescued this girl from poverty and gave her a new job and a new home. Think of how good it would be for press coverage. GeneCo's popularity would only increase and those nay-sayers who said that you couldn't turn this company around would be proved wrong."
When Ana had finished her proposal, everyone stared in amazement. Amber contemplated this idea in her head. It was simple yet very true. After the opera the past year, many had wondered what had happened to the young Wallace girl where she was still alive. If the public found out the truth of her existence and GeneCo had "saved" her, it would indeed be good for press. Amber looked back at the Shilo with a look of disapproval. If she did go with this plan she would undoubtedly need to keep the girl alive and thus lose her revenge. Then again while revenge was sweet, fame would surely be sweeter.
"Alright. Let's say I do decided to keep her alive. What do we do with her after we inform the public of her survival?"
"What better way then to make her a GeneCo employee?" suggested Ana. "That way she would still be serving you a purpose."
"What will she do though? She doesn't have any medical experience to be a gentern and she's too puny to be a surgery model." stated Amber.
"Maybe she could do something for me then." said Ana
"You?"
"Why not? She could be an assistant of some sort. You've always asked me if I wanted one."
"And you've always said no."
"Well, I've changed my mind."
"Alright then." said Amber looking at Shilo. "The girl will act as you assistant for now. Until I find something better for her. What about him?" she asked regarding Graverobber.
"He's a graverobber isn't he? Have him work for GeneCo too. If he can supply the company with a cheap supply of zydrate, you can save a lot of money."
"Hey! Hold on just a minute! There's no way I'm smuggling zydrate for the likes of-"
"Shut the fuck up!" yelled Luigi punching him.
"Hmm..I suppose it would be a lot cheaper. We would have to keep it on the down low of course but I'm sure we could mange that just fine couldn't we?" said Amber, patting Graverobber's cheek. "Very well then. Let them go."
"But, Amber-" started Luigi
"I said let them go!"
Luigi growled and he and Pavi released their grip on Graverobber. He turned to Shilo and put an arm around her.
"You okay?" he asked.
She simply nodded, still trying to process all off what was happening.
"Looks like you've lived to see another day, little girl." said Amber. "All thanks to dear, Ana. Who knew she had such good ideas? Welcome to GeneCo." With that, Amber and her brothers headed out the door. On the way out, Pavi winked and smiled at Ana who nervously looked away. She then turned to a confused Shilo and Graverobber. Shilo didn't know whether to thank the singer for saving their lives or to hate her for turning them into more of GeneCo's puppets. She wondered of Ana's true intentions. Were they good?
What are Ana's true intentions? Keep reading to find out!