I seriously need to back off and distance myself from Lane before the hometown week. The Final 3 are being announced next week, and I know if the girl who drowned me doesn't make it through and I do, there's a good chance something will happen. Something that I won't recover from. My trash can has been collecting threats for the last seven weeks, starting when my near-death experience occurred. There were three girls who all went in on it, and with two of them already eliminated, I only have to put up with the threats of the girl who put the whole idea into motion, and I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate to do awful things to me.
"Hey, Rayna has called us to the main floor for an announcement of some kind." Liana peeps into my room, as I finish up a rewrite of one of the boys' songs.
"Coming." I reply, jumping off my bed and following her down to the main floor, where the final thirty-five of us gather, waiting for Rayna. She called us all down here for a reason.
"Alright, girls. So, next week is the announcement of the Final 3. This announcement is pertaining to what will happen if you are chosen to be in that elite group. Only fifteen of you will get the chance to show the boys your hometowns. This is an extreme honor for any girl who is chosen.
"Since they are going to each of your hometowns, each of the boys will stay with your family for one day, then an inbetween day, so depending on how far away the next girl is, there may be some time in the morning before they have to leave, then you can choose to stay with your family or come back here.
"While the boys are in your hometowns, there will be cameras filming at all times, so show them around your hometown, do some fun activities, and just have fun." I guess I'll have to look for a hotel to stay in while I'm back there. It's been so long since I've been home, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold myself together when I arrive back there.
"Rayna?" Reagan, one of Beckham's girls, asks.
"Yes, Reagan?" Rayna replies.
"My family doesn't live in the US, they live in London, but my hometown is here." That's so cool. I've only ever lived in Connecticut.
"Well, for anyone who has issues relating to this trip, please see me and we will arrange everything necessary for each situation." Good. Now, I don't have to ask in front of everyone what to do because my whole family is dead. "Alright. You girls are welcome to go. I have some other things to take care of, so go have fun out in the gardens or maybe in the pool. I think the boys are in the pool now." Rayna hints, and I watch as thirty-four boy-hungry girls go put bikinis on, wondering how I even got here.
"What should I do since my family passed? My childhood home is for sale, and completely empty, so I can't stay there." I ask her, hoping to get some idea on what to do.
"It's up to you, but the show will pay for anything you need. I'd probably recommend a hotel nearby, or if you have some close family friends, that's also an idea. It's all up to you. Just let me know what you plan on doing." Rayna says, a soft look of mixed happiness and sadness on her face.
"I will." Walking back upstairs, I head back to my room, suddenly getting a spark for a new song, so I pull out paper, sticky notes, and a pencil and start jotting down ideas. As I write down the ideas, my memories from this journey start to flood back.
The first week, when we all arrived, and I was stunned by the palace we were going to stay in, and my imprint on the boys when they asked me questions about why I was there, and then in the second, when Lane was asked why I was chosen by him, saying I was the only girl who wouldn't fangirl over him every moment of every day. The first date, where I freaked, panicking because my past hasn't been kind to me, but Lane didn't pressure me into anything, and made me smile and feel like I had a chance at a good relationship. Then, when I went to Venice, and even though I was left there for an extra week, where I learned about real love, met an amazing old man, and learned a beautiful traditional Italian piano song. Halloween and the New Year's Masked Balls, when I sang and stumped Lane, but still not fulfilling my promise to him, to tell him my real identity. Who I really am. Without the threat of another attempt on my life. And he's a really good kisser. I know he's kissed other girls — namely Kelly, Caylee, and Adelynn — but it doesn't bother me. There are other girls in this competition, and I know he has an obligation to make sure he tries to form a romantic connection with each and every girl.
"My home isn't made of steel and stone
My home isn't something I can show" Ooh that's good. Transposing the lyrics I've stuck onto the walls into a notebook, I sneak into the recording studio on the third floor, which is personally much better than the ones on the second floor, and start playing with a melody on the beautiful acoustic guitar sitting here.
"Who are you? The girls from the competition aren't allowed onto this floor." I see a man, no older than thirty with darker skin and a slight Spanish accent, pushing a cart full of cleaning supplies and sigh.
"I'm Erika Taylor. Lane let me up here, and he doesn't mind when I use this studio. I just use it to create demos, not fangirl over the boys." He seems a bit wary of my response. "Here's a little secret. I hate their music."
"Finally, someone who agrees. Most of the staff doesn't like their music. It's all the same. There's no variation in the words or the melodies." I can't believe the staff of the Palazio Grande, Heart & Soul's home, hates their music as much as I do. It's a miracle.
"Someone who finally gets it. Can you keep a really big secret?" I ask, and he looks at me curiously.
"As long as I can tell the rest of the staff. We have running bets of who's going to be Chosen by each of our boys." Of course they do. Stifling a laugh, I walk over to him and whisper into his ear the one thing I haven't told any of the boys.
"I'm the mystery girl." His jaw goes slack, lips slightly parted as he soaks in the information. A few seconds pass, and once he realizes the significance of what I just said, it all clicks.
"I swear on my life, the boys won't be told. Unless you allow us to tell them." He promises.
"The day before the boys pick their girls, if the information isn't out already, you may tell them." I reply.
"Well, I just want proof in case someone doesn't believe me." I nod, and he pulls out his phone, and as soon as I remember the lyrics and melody to the song I sang the first night, I play a similar instrumental on the piano, and sing the words to the song that started this huge search.
"Oh the rain isn't gonna stop me
'Cause I know I'll become who I'm meant to be
When the sun comes out
I'm gonna be ready for it
When the clouds are gone
I'm gonna be brighter than I was then" It's only a few lines, but I know that's all Lane would probably remember. Not even the girl who tried to drown me knows what I was singing when we ran into each other the first night. Then again, I don't think she even knows I am the mystery girl.
"We will keep your promise until you tell us it is okay." The janitor says, stowing his phone in one of the pouches on the cart and walking away with a wink.
"Thanks. I'll see you around." I reply, worried but happy that my secret is more known than before and there's a fail-safe in case there's no way I can tell Lane or the rest of the boys.
YOU ARE READING
Heart & Soul
RomanceErika Taylor is the complete opposite of her geeky, science- and technology-driven family. She writes songs and creates the backing tracks for them, but no one in her family knows that. Especially her sister, who is obsessed with a show called "Choo...
