Chapter 9
"Ladies and gentleman, I give you, Ariana McGallen."
The live studio audience applauded and cheered as the curtain pulled back and the lights went up around a smiling Ariana. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a French braid and she wore a simple black sundress paired with peep toe kitten heels. She smiled for the cameras and tapped her foot as the pianist started playing. The audience quieted when Ariana stepped closer to the microphone stand and started to sing a cover of a Rihanna song.
"All along it was a fever.
A cold sweat, hot headed believer.
I threw my hands in the air, I said, 'Show me something.'"
I placed my hands on my hips, tapping my foot to the beat of the slow ballad. Next to me, President McGallen and Margaret stood hand in hand, beaming like the proud parents they were. Skylar and Preston were back in the green room lounge, no doubt pigging out on the buffet of crap they had there. Literally, they had a chocolate fountain and everything. Joshua stood behind me, watching his half-sister preform. Cassandra was typing frantically on her BlackBerry, no doubt already booking Ariana's next talk show appearance. The host of the talk show, Jimmy Fallon, sat at his desk, nodding along to the music and smiling.
"Round and around and around and around we go.
Ohhh now tell me now, tell me now, tell me now you know.
Not really sure how to feel about it. Something in the way you move."
"How's everything looking from where you are, Kitty Cat?" I heard a little voice in my ear.
Out of habit, I brought my hand to my ear. Surveying the area, I checked every little nook and cranny. Nothing.
"All clear, Everest. Nothing to report." I answered, Joshua giving me a confused look.
"My comms." I mouthed.
He nodded, looking back to Ariana. I listened to the Secret Service men paging in their statuses while listening to Ariana. Being a spy, I'm a pretty badass multi-tasker. It's something I grew into learning. My upbringing was surrounded by spies, spies, and more spies. Literally.
On the make-shift stage set up for Ariana's guest appearance (after she had to go through a whole interview), Ariana belted out a long note. The crowd applauded and cheered before she launched into the final chorus of the song. I smiled, crossing my arms over my chest. She's the closest thing I have to an actual friend who's my age (most of my buddies are adults), so I'm happy for her. Despite our differences in the past (polar opposite differences), she's grown up and take her career seriously. Cassandra does a great job being her agent, booking whenever necessary but not over-taking Ariana's schedule and shipping her off to an interview or photo shoot every ten minutes. If I were famous and I needed an agent, I'd hire Cassandra in a heart beat.
The crowd thundered their loudest applause and cheers as Ariana finished her song, smiling and thanking them. The cameras turned back to Jimmy Fallon, who was laughing and applauding.
"Wasn't she incredible? Please give it up again, folks, for the beautiful and talented Ariana McGallen."
Suddenly, my phone started ringing in my pocket. Pulling it out, I checked the Caller ID. The name read Unknown. I raised an eyebrow and stepped away to a quieter area, pressing the phone to my ear after answering.
"Hello?" I raised my voice to hear myself over the roaring crowd.
"We're ready for you. We're coming for you."
Then the line went dead.
(Ariana's dress and the song she covered is on the side! Enjoy!)
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