I throw my sword onto the runway in front of him and he feigns surprise as he watches me run to the side, put my hand onthe top and scissor kick onto the runway. I roll over, retrieving my sword, and jump up in front of him, slowly pulling sword number two from its holder, crossing them over as we circle each other.
Fake McKinley makes the first move, advancing quickly towards me but not so quick I don’t know what he’s about to do. He calls his moves before he does them, if he’s going left or right, and which side he’s swinging his sword. I focus on his words, knowing how much it hurts if you get hit, even though they’re not real swords. He’s graceful and light on his feet, but no match for Eliza the Demon Huntress as I take him out with an unexpected left-hander. He lays still until the spotlight blinks out then he jumps up and jogs back into the shadows, looking back at me and smiling ear to ear.
The crowd claps along with the song, so even though I can barely hear it, I can still follow the beat. I turn and give them a bow, then straighten up and head up the runway. My muscles are on fire, but I keep moving forward, my heart beating along to the song. The spotlight illuminates the end of the runway and gasps fill Conference Hall A when the audience realises what’s happening next.
Drum solo, courtesy of moi.
Everyone jumps to their feet, screaming and clapping their hands together. I spin my swords round then throw them down. I’m drenched with sweat, so I detach my cape and drop it behind me, my hands up in the air, bringing on the screams from the audience. My thighs might not look like Vivian’s, but can hers do this?
I run towards the drumkit, throwing in a cartwheel, a flip and a roundoff, then I leap through the air, landing on the drum stool with both feet. I clap my hands over my head, then bend over and pull two drumsticks from the insides of my boots. I drop down onto the stool, smack the sticks together, then beat themdown on the skins – and that’s when I realise why Roxy said I might get wet.
Water splashes up the moment the sticks hit the drums, sending droplets of water high in the air. They seem to hover longer than scientifically possible, dancing with the flashing lights and the sound from the crowd. The audience screams along with each splash and each crash. I spin the sticks in my hands, throwing my head down as I hit the skins, not caring that my hair is falling in my face and my make-up is probably running. Right now, I feel like I’m possessed by Juliana herself, fresh from the Megna dimension to claim her rightful place as drum goddess and all-round badass.
It’s time to bring it home so I really go for it, hitting those skins like my life depends on it. I spot someone else clad in black moving slowly from the side, and a couple of Headset People hovering near the tables. I try to recall Roxy’s clipboard, but I don’t remember anything about a third person. I keep playing, nearly falling off the stool when a small torch suddenly bursts into flame in their hand as they creep across the end of the runway. One of the Headset People holds up a fire extinguisher and signals for me to carry on. I settle back into the drumming, just as the person carrying the flame stops a few feet ahead of me and turns to the runway. They hold the fire up to their mouth, suddenly expelling a mouthful of liquid through the flame and breathingan enormous cloud of fire across the runway in front of the drums.
The audience gasps.Igasp, and take this moment to look over at the guest judges who are all on their feet (apart from Dax St. James, who’s staring at his phone), smacking their hands together, including Amber Anderson. We make eye contact, and she holds her hands over her head, clapping just for me, then blows me a kiss.
Finally, amazingly, the song comes to an end. The spotlightblinks off and I slump against the drum kit, looking off to the side where Roxy and Fake McKinley jump up and down, clapping their hands,screaming, actually screaming with the rest of the audience. I catch my breath and sit up, wipingthe water and sweat, and maybe even tears, from my face. I shake my head; the noise is unbelievable. The fire-breather comes over to me and holds up a bottle of water. I take the lid off and gulp it down, nearly spurting it right back out when they pull off their balaclava.
“Dorothy?!”
Her hair’s damp with sweat and there’s a black smudge around her mouth, but she smiles at me, the sort of smile that hurts your cheeks but tickles your heart and you can feel it right through to your toes. I peel myself from the stool and crouch down at the side of the runway, the crowd still cheering us.
“Well done, Curly,” she says. “That was metal as fuck.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
VENEFICA THE WITCH
You continue to underestimate us.
VIGGO RASSMUSSEN
You and your vile cat?
VENEFICA THE WITCH
Women, jackass.
Vampire Falls. Season four, episode seven – “What Kills You Makes You Unpopular”
I don’t think I’m capable of shock any more. She pulls her glasses from inside her black top then looks up at me.
“Are you OK?” I ask. She nods, as theVampire Fallstheme starts and the Headset People usher us away from the drums. “Where the hell did that come from?”
“Used to be in the circus.”
“Of course you did,” I say. Roxy and Fake McKinley join her, and she puts her arms around them. I look at them all. “Was that OK?”
“FuckingOK?” laughs Roxy. “How’d it feel?”
I throw a drumstick in the air and catch it after a couple of spins, then look at her and shrug.
“OK, I guess.”
She shakes her head then throws her arms around me.
“So, so proud of you, babe. That wasintense.” She pulls away and wipes her eyes. “We’ll see you backstage in a bit. We need to get all this stuff down before Rashawn’s on.”
