If Leona had to have three guesses of who would be knocking on her door during the middle of the week, she would have guessed either the landlord, a door-to-door cult member trying to recruit followers, or possibly even her grandmother since the elderly woman lived next door.

Alarie Thackery wouldn’t have even been in the top 10 of her guesses. Yet there she stood on the doorstep of the townhouse.

“I thought you weren’t talking to me,” Leona said with a bewildered frown when she opened the door.

Alarie seemed a little ashamed now that Leona had come right out and said it. Leona hadn’t spoken to either of her former band mates in at least two weeks. Not since Illyana got snippy and hung up on her when she tried to apologize. It was turning out to be a very lonely summer. The only thing to look forward to now was the catalyst that had started the entire feud: The Mayor’s Ball.

Alarie touched her forehead regretfully, “I’m sorry, Illyana can be…”

“Unforgiving?” Leona frowned and crossed her arms.

Alarie shrugged, “She finally forgave Nick Hart.”

“Great, so I have about five years before she’ll speak to me again,” Leona grumbled in bitter sarcasm. “What did you come here for, Alarie?”

“Is your Dad home?” Alarie peeked over Leona’s shoulder with a hint of worry.

“No, he’s out. Why?” Leona asked sharply.


“I brought you a little surprise,” Alarie’s worry turned to a sly smile and she stepped out of the way to reveal her tall, dark, and extremely handsome elder brother standing down the walkway.


“Antoine!?” Leona gaped, but a little composure was regained as her gape transformed into a wide smile. She and Antoine had a definite attraction in recent years but barely got to see each other since he had left for university. That, and her father disapproved of his attentions toward her. She was three years his junior, but honestly, that didn’t bother either of them. She felt momentarily embarrassed her face was going through a bout of teenage acne on the day she should see him again. But he wouldn't have cared anyhow.

“Hey there, songbird” he smiled as he said the nickname he’d given to her.

She could have melted on her doorstep but instead ran full throttle at him until he caught her in a big hug where he lifted her off her feet and twirled her. Once she was back on the ground, they kissed.


“You have no idea how much I have missed you!” Leona said, feeling joy erupt through her chest as he set his forehead against hers, creating a small and intimate space to look into each others’ eyes.

“It’s kind of hard to see you when your father hates me,” he answered. Her father was a reasonable man unless it concerned Antoine Thackery. He’d been that way ever since he had walked into his daughter’s room when she was 15 and found her making out with a high school senior.

“Well he’s out at the gym now, so you are safe,” she kissed him again.

“Eugh, okay come on let’s go,” Alarie coughed in a disgusted manner and started heading towards the sidewalk.

“Where are we going?” Leona asked, half apprehensive.

“Your favorite place,” Antoine put his arm around her shoulders as they followed his sister.


Leona belted out the last few notes to her favorite song in a private room at the Karaoke Club in downtown Scandalica City. As of late, she had only been practicing the song she had planned to sing at the Mayor’s Ball and it was nice to sing some songs for leisure for a change.


Alarie and Antoine watched her while sitting on the room’s sofas.

“Whose next?” Leona asked with a jubilant smile. She couldn’t hog all the songs to herself. Alarie didn’t seem to want to sing but Antoine actually had a good voice; she raised her brows and held the microphone out to him, meaning for him to take it. He grinned and stood, picking it up from her hand and started searching the karaoke machine for a song to sing.

It was so wonderful to see him, to be near him. She thought for sure he would forget her and start dating other girls in college. Her father told her as much, to try and persuade her to stop holding a flame for Antoine.
He came back though, to see her. This proved he still felt for her. Her heart did a giddy flip flop and she glanced at Alarie, wishing she would go somewhere and leave Antoine and Leona alone just for a bit.


She leaned against the wall to watch Antoine start singing lyrics to a popular song on the radio.

“Leona?” she heard Alarie say her name and she turned her head slightly.

“Yes?”

“How did you get invited to sing at the Mayor’s Ball?”

“Well…I ran into the mayor’s daughter at Sand’s and…”

“She offered you a spot,” Alarie’s expression darkened as she finished Leona’s sentence for her.

“How...how did you know?” Leona asked, clearly puzzled as she had never said anything about the mayor’s daughter being involved.

“We found out that Evelyn Jane Orbinson is playing with her own band at the competition. She must have wanted you to drop out so she had a better chance to win.”

Leona blinked a few times at that bluntness, just to process the conspiracy theory. When she finally understood what Alarie was saying, she knew It couldn’t be true! She had the invitation and everything!

“She may be playing, but I have an invitation to the Mayor’s Ball. I still have a spot to sing.”

“Do you really know that for sure?” Alarie snapped.

“Why would I not?” Leona asked in offense.

Alarie groaned and faced Leona, bracing herself against the wall with one hand on her hip, “How naive are you? Evelyn Jane can’t be trusted. You don’t know her like we do. She pulls this kind of shit all the time at school. She’s the core essence of manipulation.”

Leona frowned, “How do I know you aren’t trying to manipulate me into coming back and singing for you and wasting my chance?"

Alarie glowered, “How can you say that? I'm your friend and came to you out of concern. The Battle of the Bands will have talent scouts. If we win, we get to open a concert with our own set. How is the Mayor’s Ball more important?”


“Ladies…?” they heard Antoine’s deep voice cut through the argument–apparently he was done singing and they had missed every word.

“Talk some sense into her!” Alarie clenched her fists and promptly left the room in a huff of frustration. Leona looked to Antoine with a puzzled frown. Was he only brought along to persuade her to give up on her dream?


But she refused to have those thoughts cloud her happiness because now that Alarie had vacated the room, Antoine opened his arms and Leona gladly went to him. He embraced her and held her close, “I thought we’d never be alone again.”

She lifted herself onto her toes to kiss him, and their lips met passionately, his mouth nearly crashing into hers. She desired more, but he tilted his head back, denying her.

“You should hear my sister out,” he sighed.

Leona pushed him away with wide, betrayed eyes, “Antoine, it’s a rare chance. I thought you of all people would be on my side!”

“I am on your side, but I am just saying there has to be some reason to what she is saying. Could it be possible that a member of one of the most powerful political families in the region has manipulated you into dropping out of the Battle of the Bands to better their own chances of winning?


Leona shook her head, “I just don’t believe it.”

“What, that you are good enough to be a threat?” he asked.

She looked away, and said sadly, “That you wouldn’t trust that I know what I am doing.”

“Songbird…” Antoine’s look softened and he reached out but she slapped his hand away, suddenly miffed at him.

In a voice full of resolve and with a leveled stare she declared, “I’m going to sing at the Mayor’s Ball and not even you can convince me otherwise.”