The Fifth Element

Chapter 13

Raul did a quick touch up on my makeup, which I went along because I was hoping that Nathan knew what he was doing. Raul wiped away another tear and beamed at me before heading toward the stage...er whatever you'd call it at a 'club' like this. Walking forward, with a microphone in hand, as if he were on a catwalk.

"Ladies and gents!" He began. I had a feeling there would be no ladies here aside from the 'dancers' and Lex, Peri, and Talia."Please welcome the lovely Ms. Frost to the stage!" Really? I could've come up with a better stage name under the influence of valium. The previous dancer left the stage (surprisingly with all of the essential parts covered) and brushed past, her face to the ground, as multiple wolf whistles rang out. I caught a familiar characteristic in the girl's face. She couldn't be older than eighteen. Was that...Paris? Oh...this was way too ironic. Paris was normally so shy and reclusive, but her long black hair was tousled and she was wearing a tiny, form fitting, red dress with black strappy heals. Woah...the girl had some serious curves. In fact, she made me look like like a twig. Not that this was a challenge or anything.

And then it dawned on me: Paris didn't recognize me at all. Most likely, the Nightmorphs were to blame for that. How was I going to let Nathan know that he had to get me AND Paris out of the show? I didn't even have time to brainstorm because Raul clung to my shoulders and whispered: "showtime!" as he forced me onto the stage.

I gained enough composure to not trip in my stilettos and decided that if I wanted to save Paris, I'd have to play the part of a dancer. I stood up straight as the stage darkened, a single beam of lavender light illuminating me. J. Cole's "Work Out" began to play and I rolled my shoulders to the beat. At least I've already heard this song a billion times before. I caught Nathan grinning as I dropped down a bit to the floor and sprang back up, pumping an arm and doing a body roll. He was supposed to be rescuing me from this plight, not enjoying my pain. I remembered the signal from earlier and suddenly heard Nathan shout: "King of Hearts", and ceased the ridiculous dancing as he sprang onto the stage.

"Hey, buddy!" A guard yelled. "We don't need any male dancers! Female only!" I stiffled a chuckle and Nathan actually guffawed as the guard proceeded to leap onto the stage. Without thinking, I brought out a roundhouse kick and before I knew it, one of my heels was lodged into his face. Well...that was actually very convenient. Another guard tackled Nathan to the ground and I hobbled over to him, kicking him square in the butt with my other heel. He howled and let go of Nathan, who rolled him off of the stage with my help.

We heard a mixture of protests, laughs, and confused noises from the crowd and I realized it was time to go. I kicked off my remaining heel and grabbed Nathan's arm, leading him backstage where I was pretty sure Paris would be. Nathan flashed me his King of Hearts card along with a sly grin.

"Don't give me that look," I laughed. "Checking me out on stage like you know me."

"Well, I'm sorry Ms. Frost, but I did pay for the show, after all," he shrugged.

"With what?" I asked skeptically. "Playing cards?"

"Hey, don't diss the cards!" Nathan pouted.

"Whatever, Magic Boy," I giggled, sauntering backstage to search for our comrade...who hopefully was not under the influence of Nightmorph ruses.

I pushed back a beaded curtain and found-NOPE! I slammed the door quickly.

"What?" Nathan questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Wrong door?" I offered. No way was I telling him there was a guy in drag in there. "Let's try another place."

I found a nearby door that resembled a dressing room and carefully turned the knob, holding a hand out behind me to let Nathan know that I wanted to scan out the scene first. A few older girls were putting on tights and jewelry while a younger girl brushed a bit of blush across her cheeks. And sure enough, Paris was lounging on a couch, wearing her skin-tight red dress, a blank stare in her grey eyes.

I motioned for Nathan to stay in the doorway and snuck in, crouching down near Paris. "Paris, it's me, Sky!" I rasped. She continued to stare blankly. My mind raced as I tried to fgure out what was missing. This reminded me too much of the Waffle House incident with Talia. Something wasn't quite right, like that feeling you get when you leave home knowing you've forgotten soething important, but aren't qute sure what it is.

"Paris?" I inquired once more. She slowly turned her head toward me, glancing at me with an empty stare. She said nothing in response. My eyes fluttered over to her long limbs and I noticed a black triangle on her lower thigh. Ugh. I had almost expected this to happen.

I stumbled out of the room as I heaved a defeated sigh. I shook my head as Nathan gave me a quizical look. "It's not her. A Nightmorph took on her form. In fact, I'm surprised it didn't come after us."

Nathan put his arm around me for reassurance. "We'll find her, Sky. Let's not put your performance to waste." He rubbed my back slowly and I felt a bit more at ease. Sometimes his sarcastic jokes, combined with affectionate gestures, lightened up the mood.

Sure enough, I heard a banging noise on a different door and jumped up, startled by the sound. Nathan released me and jogged over to the door, trying to unlock it. He yanked the knob, jiggling it back and forth to no avail.

"You might want to step back for a second," he suggested before setting off a small flame to melt the metal that locked the door. A frazzled Paris stared back at us as the door swung open, her hair wild, still in the same outfit as her Nightmorph double. She embraced us and pulled her skirt a bit over her exposed skin. And here I was, shamelessly standing here in my micro-mini dress. The sweet, modest child. I loved her.

The three of us planned to find the others before blowing this popsicle stand from hell. I scooped up a few conveniently placed t-shirts and sweatpants from the ground (good thing they were laying around) and made my way toward the back exit with Nathan and Paris before stumbling and falling to the floor. A sudden pain struck my ankle and I cried out. I felt as if I had been burned. Nathan looked around for a bit, confused as to why I wasn't beside him, and finally noticed that I was on the ground. He dashed toward me but stopped abruptly.

"Sky..." I heard Nathan utter slowly. Paris gasped.

The fierce pain subsided and I grasped my ankle, only to look down at a black, triangular design.

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Feel the thrill of an intense chapter ending! muahaha! Sorry it's so short; this week has been super busy! Enjoy, and thanks again for all of the support! Didn't expect this to be so popular! :)