The Better to See You With (My Dear)

Peering Beyond Smoke and Mirrors

◇─◇──◇─────◇──◇─◇

Contrary to what others might believe, Tori was usually fond of the night. If ever she had a bad day, her mom would doctor her with a cup of Belgium hot chocolate. Together, they would sit on their back patio underneath the starlit sky, observing how those tiny specks of light dappled the atmosphere like freckles on its complexion.

("See that one over there? It looks like the mole on your back." "Mom!" "What? It's true.")

On the nights where the clouds obscured the stars—which were more often than not—, she'd peer through the living room window and watch the cityscape flicker from a distance. Her fingers would trail across the silhouettes of buildings as breathtaking stripes of neon light engulfed them. Of course, it never compared to the luminescence that came from actual stars, but given the flurry of industrial activity that occurred in Hollywood, she'd accepted the fact that stars were an infrequent luxury.

She found comfort in the night, so long as there was something to pierce through the darkness and as long as there was someone to make it shine.

So as Tori aimlessly fiddled with her earpiece to prepare for her group performance at the Full Moon Jam, she couldn't help but admire the array of colorful lights that gleamed on the floor of the stage. Behind her, she could faintly hear the banter of her friends while they prepared their equipment.

"But it tickles! Why does it have to be so close to my face?" Cat pouted while Jade adjusted the redhead's microphone.

"Cat, I swear on the decapitated head of Mr. Purple, if you don't quit fidgeting, I'll duct tape this thing to your cheek," the goth grunted out warningly.

"Guys, we're almost up!" Robbie called from the crossover, nearly bumping into André as he was wiring his keytar up to the amplifier backstage. "Eek! Sorry 'Dre!"

"No worries Robs. Are we all set?" André addressed the gang brightly. When he received affirmatives from all the members, each with varying degrees of enthusiasm, the musician grinned with a newfound sense of determination. She could sense the corners of her own mouth turn upward with a tinge of wistfulness.

"Hey Tori, you holding up okay?" She shuddered slightly as a cool palm came to rest on her shoulder. She whipped her head to the side to lock eyes with a worried Beck. His expression was laced with an emotion that vaguely resembled... well, she wasn't sure. Was it sympathy? Caution?

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Tori chuckled perplexedly. She directed her gaze back to the group, only to find that they had all halted their activities and were staring at her with the same uneasy glances.

Was she okay? Surely they wouldn't be exchanging looks of concern if there wasn't anything visibly wrong with her. Did her breath smell? Were her contacts loose? Did she forget to cover up a blemish?

Tori suddenly felt the warm glow of the spotlight puncture the surface of her skin. It took a moment for her to realize that she had somehow made her way to the center of the stage. Instead of joining her on the platform, the gang filled out the folding chairs as the sole members of the audience.

"Chica, we don't want you to have to put on a brave face for us. You won't have to go through this alone anymore," André articulated.

"Go through what anymore? I don't understand," she answered warily. A light switched on. She breathed in deeply.

"We're your friends. Your wellbeing is important to us, and if something is getting in the way of that, we'd like to know," Beck explained.

"There was never anything wrong! Believe me, I'm fine!" Another intense beam of light. Her lungs expanded with hot air.