Princess Callie

Chapter 20: Terror Attack

The limousine came to a halt. I could hear cheering coming from outside. Sebastian went to the door and opened it for me. I was met with a crowd of Octarians cheering at me from behind two red velvet dividers. There was also a clear path with a red carpet heading into what looked like a massive stadium. Sebastian readied his octoshot as I left the limousine. He was really on edge probably because someone threatened to kill me. Having him around certainly put me at ease. I smiled and waved at the crowd as I made my way toward the front door with a battle ready Sebastian and wary Kevin in tow.

Two guards stood at the entrance and opened it for us as we approached. Inside, there were hundreds of Octarian soldiers which made sense. This whole concert was dedicated to them. Seeing so many soldiers gave me some level of comfort. If there was any trouble, everyone should be safe.

In front of me was a very familiar old octoling wearing a massive crown. "Octavio!" I shouted as I jumped at him to give him a hug.

"Oof! Callie! The concert is about to start. You better get yourself ready." Octavio said going straight to business.

"But I just got here!" I pouted.

"Yes but there's no time to waste." Octavio replied.

"My lord!" Kevin interjected. "I need to talk about security with you. This is incredibly important."

"Walk with me Kevin. Callie, you should get ready and Sebastian, keep her safe." Octavio and Kevin walked away from the group.

I wanted to talk with him but he was right. There wasn't much time. I went backstage to do some final preparations. Sebastian waited outside while I applied some makeup and redid my tentacles. Once I was ready I went with Sebastian to the stage itself.

The stage was mostly a large platform in the center. It was surrounded by seats full of Octarians of all kinds. Some sections had been reserved for the soldiers. I could also see Turquoise October sitting on flying saucers floating around the platform. Each one was dedicated to an instrument.

"I'm not sure about this. I only rehearsed these songs one time. That didn't even involve the flying saucers." I told Sebastian.

I felt Sebastian put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll do great."

"What about that threat? What if someone tries to attack me? What if someone tries to kill you?" I asked.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be right here and I have an inkjet. I have dealt with terrorist ambushes before." Sebastian tried to put me at ease. "One more thing. You shouldn't bring that roller with you on stage. I'll hold onto them."

Without hesitation, I handed him my roller then turned into a squid and super jumped to the platform. The cheers grew louder as I approached a smaller stage that seemed to have been built into the platform. It looked like half of a dome with speakers built into the side. Once I was in position, the concert began. I noticed there were large screens focused on me. I couldn't see the camera it was coming from. This really was a strange setup.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight." I began. It was strange. There were no microphones nearby yet I could hear my voice coming from the speakers. "This concert is dedicated to our soldiers who continue to defend us all. You are all doing great out there. For the first song of the night. Octo Eight-Step"

Turquoise October began playing their instruments. The fact that they were able to coordinate while the flying saucers moved erratically was astonishing. However, there was no time to admire their work. I began to sing along with the song. We all played our parts perfectly. It was just like the rehearsal. As the song closed, the crowd cheered and I felt a wave of confidence wash over me.