"I'm so nervous!" Eva whispered. Authenfinity was lined up backstage, waiting their turn to perform. "Do I look okay?"
Brianna examined the lead singer. She wore a white top that read Girl Power! in purple letters and a purple plaid micro-mini. Large silver skulls dangled from her ears. "You look phenomenal," Brianna said.
"Is my hair okay?" Dave asked. "I used a whole bottle of gel." His blue-and-green-striped Mohawk stood up at least seven straight inches.
"It looks great, babe," Eva said.
Pat's notoriously frizzy crop of orange hair was as wild as ever. "How does my do look tonight?" he quipped, pretending to smooth his unruly locks.
The group laughed, releasing some of their anxiety.
The announcer's voice boomed through a microphone. "With Eva Hernandez on vocals, Brianna McKinney on guitar, David Ferraro on bass guitar, and Patrick Mahoney on the drums, let's give a warm welcome to our next band, Authenfinity!"
Brianna's heart beat harder with each step. She took her place on stage and strapped her guitar over her blue tiger print halter-top. Pat clapped his drumsticks together, one, two, three times, and then they started to play.
Motor memory from months of practice made Brianna's fingers feel like they were moving magically across her guitar strings. Dave strummed his bass with impeccable precision. Pat struck the drums in perfect tempo. Eva's voice was rich with emotion, sending chills down Brianna's spine.
As she played, Brianna swung her long, loose hair. For the first time, she bravely gazed out at the audience. The crowd danced and swayed to the sound of Authenfinity. As the song reached its crescendo, Dave jumped and rocked wildly, his enthusiasm revving up the crowd. At the end of their performance, the audience exploded into applause.
Brianna stepped off the stage and was mauled by her twin sister. Mandy hugged her and jumped up and down. "That was amazing!"
More hugs and compliments followed from Logan, Renee, Maeve, Charlotte, Gavin, Brent, Kerri, Emily, Liz, and Alise.
The next band started, and they were fabulous, but Brianna wasn't worried about the competition. As far as she was concerned they had already won.
One reborn stood back, patiently waiting his turn. Jared wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, his mouth tasting hers, their tongues intertwined. Their lips separated, but he still held her close. Brianna looked up at him. The world around them seemed to dissipate. All she could see was his smoky eyes, gazing into hers with acute admiration.
"You were incredible up there." Jared's gaze was transfixed on hers. A montage of memory snippets flashed in Brianna's mind—their first dance at Brent's party, riding the Ferris wheel at the fair, their arms wrapped around each other on the deck of the yacht, their magic bricks melding together in Supertopia, their time spent partying with the members of Red Rapture, and lots and lots of kisses. She could feel how soft her lips felt to him, and how her touch rose goose bumps on his flesh.
"Wow, what a rush! Did you do that on purpose?" Brianna asked.
Jared nodded. "I love you."
Hearing those words was as exhilarating as running on the wind. All of her worries disappeared. Her heart somersaulted, twirled, and then took off in flight. "I love you," she said.
When they kissed again, it was pure magic.
****
Everything was perfect. Brianna couldn’t have imagined a better night. After the Battle of the Bands, Brianna, Mandy, Maeve and Renee headed back to the McKinney residence for another slumber party. The girls indulged in midnight ice cream sundaes, then stayed up for hours chatting and giggling. Before the sun rose, the witches sat in a circle in the backyard. Together, they cast a new spell that Renee had discovered. It was meant to send positive energy into the universe to promote peace for all of mankind. “It won’t help much,” Renee explained, “The positive energy we expel will clash with the negative. Evil will seek to destroy our efforts for love and harmony. It’s an endless battle, but we must do our part.”
The sun was already high in the sky when the girls finally went back inside and shimmied into their sleeping bags.
Brianna lay wrapped up in her blankets with a smile on her face. With wonderful thoughts of Jared on her mind, Brianna drifted into sleep. She gazed into his smoky blue eyes as they gradually darkened. From slate to lead to charcoal-gray to black.
His facial features slowly transformed. Licinia's onyx eyes glared, her brows furrowed in a harsh line. Her pretty features were marred by hatred. Blood red lips began to move but the words didn’t make sense at first. She strained to hear them, but then like the crescendo of an orchestra they suddenly became clear
Brianna jolted upright, Licinia’s words a staccato endless echo inside her mind.
"I told you I'd be back."