Ghost Bird | ✔

Forty-Two

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Be sure to check out the new chapter for my new fanfic, After! It is another Academy fanfiction with an original lead character and the Toma and Blackbourne teams.

***

"Come on, Sang," Cecile calls, even though I am right behind her.

She shoves open another metal door and we enter yet another large room. On one side, there is a large stage with screens behind it and tons of lights and fans directed at it. At the back, there is a room separated by glass. It looks like a studio of some sort.

Cecile sighs, "Come on out, Gabriel."

A boy with brown and blond hair trudges out, an empty look to him. He looks like he has been hollowed out. But I know who it is.

"Gabriel Coleman? Is that you?" I call softly in French.

His head snaps up and I lock eyes with those same sky eyes as before. This is the Gabriel that I saw when they came to rescue me, the Gabriel that Silas has told me so much about.

"Sang?" He breathes, his eyes widening as he gets closer.

I nod. "Silas is here too."

Tears slip down his smooth face. He has an angular chin, slight nose, and shaped eyebrows. Two locks of hair, tucked behind his ear, are blonde, a beautiful contrast from his rich brown waves. He has navy studs in each ear and four black rings in his right ear.

"Silas is alive?" He chokes out, his deep voice cracking with emotion.

Again, I nod.

"Don't worry, you'll be locked up with him," Cecile says in a bored tone. "Lot's of time for an emotional reunion then."

"We thought he was dead," Gabriel sobs.

Hesitantly, I place my arms around him in an awkward hug. I'm not really sure what to do in this situation. If it were Silas, I would hug him and speak with him in Greek, telling him one of those ridiculous jokes that he loves so much. Gabriel, however, I don't know well enough.

He tightens me into a hug and I'm pretty sure I did the right thing.

"Okay, reunion's over!" Cecile barks. "You two have a job to do!"

"Job?" I echo blankly.

"I didn't stutter, yes, a job. Gabriel, get her ready for a filming session. The details are in the folder on the vanity," Cecile snaps.

Gabriel releases me and grabs my hand in a tight hold. He pulls me in the direction he came from and through a door. Still holding my hand, Gabriel uses his free hand to flip through the file, his crystal eyes widening with each page.

"Well?"

"Well, come on, Ghost Bird," He says with a smile, his eyes brimmed with tears that I know are from joy. Not from anything in the file, though. I think he may have actually missed me as well as Silas.

I smile at him warmly and we get started. Gabriel has me stand there while he walks around me in a circle, studying me and making me feel awkward. Gabriel nods and rushes off, pulling clothes off of rack after rack. He pulls out a white leather jacket, white jeans that stretch like leggings, and heeled white boots.

"Go ahead and get dressed into this shit," He instructs. "Then I'll do your hair and makeup."

The way he says makeup as if it is almost a dirty word causes me to let out a small giggle and I take the bundle of clothes from him. Heading into a small bathroom, I quickly strip and pull on the clothes he instructed. The boots make me taller and it takes a second to get used to walking on the balls of my feet.

Stepping out, I feel Gabriel's eyes on me and I duck my head, a blush spreading across my cheeks.

"Good," Gabriel says with a sharp nod and a sweet smile.

Gingerly, I sit down on the stool and Gabriel grabs a brush.

"Damn, I wish we had time to wash your hair," Gabriel sighs. "Who colored it?"

"No one, what are you talking about?" I ask, confused.

Gabriel gawks. "You mean this is your natural fucking hair color?"

"Yeah," I say, cheeks burning. "It's just dirty blonde. Nothing special."

"Nothing special?! Dirty blonde?!" Gabriel echoes incredulously. "It's not dirty blonde; it's fucking chameleon! It's a beautiful blend of colors that change in the lighting."

"Oh," I say, not really sure what he wants me to say.

"Exactly. Now, I don't want to put makeup on you, but the damn file says to, so we'll just give you some light makeup to highlight your eyes."

I shrug, not caring either way.

Gabriel uses this sponge on my face that feels amazing before using several brushes. I'm not exactly sure what he does, but my lips stay completely clear of anything.

"How is the team doing?" I ask softly.

Gabriel pauses in his work.

"Bad," He answers honestly. "Losing both you and Silas is becoming the destruction of our team. My disappearance will push them to the tipping point."

"I'm sorry," I whisper, blinking back tears.

Gabriel shakes his head and responds, "Don't worry about it, Sang. Just focus on staying alive and getting out of here. The three of us need to get back to them before everything falls apart."

I nod mutely and make sure not to cry. I wouldn't want to ruin Gabriel's work.

Finally, he brushes my hair out of my face and ties a red bandana around my face. Frowning, I finger the hem of the bandana and look at him curiously.

"Don't worry, Sang," He whispers. "We'll be out of here in no time, don't worry."

I smile at him in thanks, but he can't see it through the bandana.

"She's ready!" Gabriel calls.

"Well, get out here, Sang!" Cecile shouts, exasperated.

I scramble out of my seat and hurry to her, stopping at the door.

"Thank you, Gabriel. Thank you very much," I tell him seriously, locking eyes with him, before hurrying to Cecile.