Jade was shocked.
There were cameras floating in the air around the boys as they danced.
Yes, floating cameras were a thing here, apparently.
Some went to the right, some to the left, some filmed from above, and others from below, all while Paul moved his hands from his director's chair, looking at the screens to make sure every angle was perfect.
"Paul has telekinesis," Jade whispered.
"Paul must be a pure-blooded Gheist." Evie said. "His ancestors must have been from The Shackles of Hephast in Old Shacklesack. He must be the last of his kind because that city sank into the Volcanic Sea years ago during The Cataclysm."
"I just hope no cameras get too close to Rubinstein or there'll be a short circuit here," Kasey said, standing up from the floor with a grunt. "The guy is close to the girl he likes. An electromagnetic pulse and show's over. Which girl he likes? I don't know." Kasey grimaced, and Jade turned with her eyes so wide they almost popped out of their sockets.
"So you also think he still loves Evie?" Jade blinked rapidly.
BC-13 turned to see a blushing Evie and Kasey laughed again.
"No, you said it! I was talking about me." Kasey flipped her blonde hair, "I am the fairest of them all."
"If you say so," BC-13 rolled his eyes, "Frank loves Evie."
"BC-13!" Evie stomped her foot.
"And do you still write his name everywhere like when we were younger, Evie?" Kasey asked. Evie punched her shoulder, "Ouch! What the Hell? It is not my fault the Rubinsteins are suckers for pain! They always fall for the wrong girl."
"What do you mean?" Jade raised an eyebrow.
"He is a Rubinstein, Madness runs through his veins." Kasey said matter-of-factly, "The founder of House Rubinstein was Mad Frank, cousin of King Zeth 'the Conqueror' you know? The Rubinsteins always make the worst decisions. Supporting King Anuber during the Clash of the Rahman is a good example."
"Not to mention Our Frank's great-great-grandfather was Franco Rubinstein, the founder of Franco's Pharma," BC-13 agreed.
"And Frank's great-grandfather: Francesco, was a mad scientist," said Evie, "Actually, one of Francesco's creations killed him in 1948. Although it is also said that Mother Alycia had something to do with it."
"And who was Mother Alycia?" Jade asked, hugging herself. She was shaking, as if that name was deeply buried in her memories and didn't know why.
"The sister of Duke Alycandro Alfaro, he himself founder of Moonfall." Explained Evie, with her arms crossed, watching the guys dancing with some dancers. Frank was holding Sue way too close to him and they bumped their bodies quite constantly during the dance routine, over and over again, much to Evie's dismay, "Mother Alycia met Franco Rubinstein about a hundred years ago during the final years of The Six Thousand Year Reign. Alycia was the leader of the Cult of Azathor. Franco was the brother of Duke Franken Rubinstein of Lightning Strike."
"Queen Zafira Rahman funded with gold the creation of a small village in the Human Lands, and Duke Franken Rubinstein sent thousands of Sparkmen to help build it all." BC-13 explained.
"Wait. Duke Franken? Is the village we're talking about Franken's Town?" Jade asked.
"Wow, you're slow," Kasey rolled her eyes, "Obviously. Franken's Town and Franco's Pharma were funded by Zafira Rahman to use humans as test subjects for the experiments that Mother Alycia and Franco carried out."
"And why did nobody do anything?" Jade asked.
"Duh! I mean, are we Hunters just potatoes to you or what?" Kasey grumbled, "But if you're talking about the police, come on! It was the 1910s, nobody did anything! And the Rubinsteins were the founders of Franken's Town and Franco's Pharma, the power of the company and the government were the same, there was never any retaliation for the many missing persons between 1914 and 1918."
"And does Frank know about all this? That his family is tied to Mother Alycia and stuff?" Jade asked, looking over her shoulder at Frank laughing while Sue twerked for the camera. "Does he even know House Rubinstein was, well, a Mad House? That sounds like nobility, right? Is Frank some kind of Prince or something?"
"Technically," Kasey replied.
"Maybe a Marquess, or at least he is in the line of succession, if we stick to Evalonian laws, which weren't written in stone to be honest. It's hard to know the rules when they changed with each passing king," BC-13 rubbed his nape, his eyes darting from Kasey to Evie, "King Viktor Rubinstein ruled the Nine Kingdoms of Evalon for a while so, that makes Frank heir to the Throne of Thrones? Or just heir to Lightning Strike's throne? I mean, someone from a House other than Rahman had not sat on the throne of thrones since King Zehtt Greak as far as I know."
"But Zehtt was the son of Commander Elizekhmet Rahman so he doesn't count." Evie eyed both BC-13 and Kasey, "And King Viktor was technically a Rahman. He was the son of King Anuber."
"Everyone was a Rahman at the end of the day. Anubersons but whatever." said BC-13, scratching his head thoughtfully.
"I am so confused," Jade said, pulling strands of her hair. "Wait, you said something about some Anubersons? Was it a cult or something?"
"No, not at all," Said Evie, laughing, "They were the children, and the children of children, of King Anuber Rahman, all illegitimate."
"Bastards," Kasey said nonchalantly. Jade gasped. Evie flinched. BC-13 face-palmed, "Say it as it is, Evie. All Anubersons and Amyttsons were bastards."
"Were there many 'Anubersons' around?" Jade asked, raising a hand like when she had a question at school.
"Plenty!" BC-13 said with an almost manic laugh, "All straight out of The Titan to become rulers of all Evalon, wild cards who replaced all governors when the Rotting Sickness wiped out almost all of Evalonian and Zagarrtan nobility."
"Dimitri and Lutwing Von Stroker, who were Draco's father and his uncle respectively, were Anubersons," Evie said.
"King Viktor Rubinstein was too." Kasey said. "Priest Thotmaz Rahman and Queen Amytt Rahman..."
"Those were Our Zeth's parents." Evie told Jade. Wow! This was the first thing she knew about Zeth! Apparently he had parents and didn't appear out of thin air!
"How do you know so much?" Jade raised her eyebrow and Evie eyed the guys dancing sensually to the beat of the music, looking at one in particular, "Oh! Sure... Zeth."
"King Magnuz Rahman was an Anuberson?" Kasey asked.
"No, he was the son of King Imotthew 'the Conciliator' Rahman and Queen Dolfinna Seamons. He was a legitimate heir." Said Evie, "But Magnuz should never have been king, that right belonged to Zeth's father. Thotmaz was the son of King Anuber and Queen Anphyt, but she sent him away with his twin sister to an alehouse and no one knew of their existence until Imotthew's coronation. Thotmaz and his twin were still one-year-old babies."
"How about the Wine King Shesmund Rahman?" asked Kasey.
"No, he was the son of Commander Heruz 'The Giant' and Queen Anphyt Rahman." Said Evie, "Everyone believed he was the son of King Anuber until Imotthew's coronation."
"Zeth's mother was the one who had lots of children, wasn't she?" Kasey asked, "Didn't they call her the 'heart-eater' or something like that?"
"No, that was another Amytt," Evie seemed doubtful for a moment, "I think she was Duke Kade Rahman's aunt, I can't remember. But between that Amytt and Zeth's mother, I think there are almost a hundred and fifty years apart."
"I'm already dizzy! So many names! How can you not get confused?!" Jade put her head in her hands, "And what does that have to do with Frank?! Is he mad?! Or can he..."
"Frank is a lot of things, but a Mad Rubinstein isn't one if them" Evie said, placing a hand on Jade's shoulder, "He is the best person you will ever meet."
And Jade couldn't help but feel jealous instead of relieved.
There was something between Evie and Frank, something that didn't need words. It could only exist within those two souls.
And Jade was infuriated knowing that she had to compete because...
"Jade?" Evie asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Did you hear anything I said?"
"Uh... No, sorry... The drum beats are too loud for me. I got lost in my own thoughts," Jade said with a shrug. "What did you say?"
"Oh God! You really like that guy, huh?" Kasey wiggled her eyebrows. "I think Frank is the one you like the most of all."
"What?" Jade raised her eyebrows. "No! I feel the same for every single one of Zeth... Of them! I got confused!"
"Zeth? You only care about Zeth?" Kasey insisted, her voice was so mockingly cold, like nails on a blackboard.
"That's not true," Jade frowned, and Kasey rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's just..."
"If you're not interested in Rubinstein, the least you can do is let Evie have him." Kasey said.
Jade narrowed her eyes.
"Kasey, stop it!" BC-13 snapped.
"My love life is none of your business," Evie said, though her eyes were on Frank while he danced with Sue.
"Stop acting like Batman and admit it, Evie!" Kasey threw her hands up, "You're in love with all of them! It's obvious!"
"Kasey, you're being ridiculous," Jade grabbed Kasey's arm. "But what I did notice is that you were looking at Zeth, my boyfriend, and I must remind you that..."
"Boyfriend?" BC-13 raised an eyebrow.
"Let her dream," Evie rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I was. He's hot. So what?" Kasey smiled slyly and looked at Zeth. He was dancing with two girls, the black-haired Madilda and the red-haired Trazy Hill, sisters of Clyde and Jeyk Hill. Despite Draco being the irrefutable best dancer of the band, Zeth was the one who stole the show with every single move. Kasey looked back at Jade. "Dreamy, isn't he? And he can also take care of himself. I like that. I don't get paid to babysit no one."
"From now on they will pay you for that," BC-13 sighed, "When you sign your contract, please read it carefully!"
"Oh! Of course I'll read it! I just want to know if the contract says anything about being the Ken Doll's secret lover," Kasey said, glancing sideways at Evie, "Is there anything in that for me, Evie?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Evie shouted. Zeth's attention shifted to them.
"Oh Evie. I've always been better than you at everything, haven't I?" Kasey laughed, "The sexual tension between you and him? Please! My radar is never wrong. And my eyes don't lie."
"Well, I think your radar is broken because Zeth is with me and he is a good man," Jade said. "And Evie? She's quite the lady so she would never do that."
"Exactly," Evie faked confidence, but BC-13 looked at her with a little discomfort.
"And... That's a wrap!" Sam Morgan shouted.
Everyone, from the staff team to the guys and Sam himself clapped their hands.
"We are done here. Are you done, Regina George?" BC-13 asked Kasey. Then there was a buzz, and he pulled a phone from the pocket of his black battlesuit. He frowned, staring at the message he had just received, "Girls, I have news."
"What is it?" Evie asked, walking closer to him.
"Hey, Mr Right," Kasey said and BC-13 looked up at her with a frown, "Is that my untraceable phone?"
"It 'was' your untraceable phone," BC-13 said, turning to look at Evie. "Anyway. Read this."
"Kasey's client will be at the private concert at the Hallow Inn tonight." Evie smiled. Finally some good news!
"Won't that be dangerous?" Jade bit her nails.
"That will make our job a lot easier," Evie said, looking at Kasey. "I guess you don't mind if BC-13 answers the message for you."
"I don't really care," Kasey looked over her shoulder at Zeth, who was checking some of the shots next to Sam. "I already have a new target in my sights."
"Jade, you're coming with me," Evie beckoned with a finger, and Jade, despite her jealousy, nodded with a grumble. If that little blonde tried anything with Zeth, there would be blood and war. Jade would probably go to jail but she didn't give a damn.
"Where will we go?" Jade had her eyes fixed on Kasey, who was looking at her from the corner of her eye as if mocking her.
"I'll ask Zeth's chauffeur to take you to Erich's house and..."
"No! No, please, Evie! I want to stay!"
"I'm sorry. I have to go with the boys to..."
"Where?" Jade was very insistent.
"To Phantown, I'll go with them to record another video and you'll go back home," And when Evie said that, Jade turned pale and cold ran through her veins.
Anxiety came back, the fear of being ignored, of rejection, of indifference, of having to go back to her normal life.
Oh! It'd been a long time since Jade got this anxious!
Once, she was stressed about having to look for a job, about job interviews and about working in general, but now the fear was worse.
She was stressed about having to return to a life without this much excitement.
"I will go with you. Say yes please!" Jade begged as Evie walked to the door and BC-13 put some sort of thick black handcuffs on Kasey, but she wasn't fazed in the slightest.
"Those cuffs won't be necessary, BC-13," Evie said. "I trust my fake-sister. If she had wanted, she would have already done something. I think we can give her a chance as a bodyguard, today could be her rite of passage."
"Why do you want bodyguards if those guys can defend themselves?" Kasey asked as she handed BC-13 her handcuffs. His eyes widened when she delicately placed them in his hands, perhaps wondering how she broke free so easily. "I mean, They are all very powerful. Von Stroker and Alfaro transform into beasts, Frostakov, Rubinstein and Seamons are forces of nature with legs, the Ken Doll has magic powers... What's the point?"
"The point is that they have a job and we have ours." BC-13 said, examining the handcuffs. Perhaps they were defective? "Now let's go. It's your first day of work apparently, the boss has spoken."
"Of course, babysitting sounds like fun," the blonde looked up at Evie, "You have a battlesuit in my size, all black, lying around. Evie?"
"We will wear casual clothes. Our job is to keep all six guys safe without gathering much attention," Evie said, sounding like a sergeant. "And we'll do that. Now... Jade. If you come with us, it will be as an apprentice bodyguard."
"Oh! Well... I guess I'm ready," Jade nodded and stood straight. "What am I going to do? I mean, no fighting or anything, right?"
"You'll just watch and report back everything you see," Evie said, "You'll collect data and stuff. And you will bring coffee from time to time," Evie gave her a small smile. "BC-13, casual clothes, no suit and tie, okay?"
"I'll wear a grey sweater and jeans," he nodded, "What about Kasey?"
"I don't think that fancy dress is appropriate for a road trip," Evie said, analysing the blonde, "I'll get you sports clothes in your size, all black, and wedge sneakers too."
"Oh well! You're the boss I guess. Wow! From being an expert assassin to being a babysitter, who would have known I would fall so low?" Kasey looked back to see Paul giving high fives to the guys. She smiled. "If I said thank you, I would thank you Paul Ter Gheist." She whispered, and followed Jade, BC-13 and Evie out of the Ball Room.