That night, the pale light of the crescent moon cast shadows down on Jen as she lay awake, wrapped in the confining net of her thoughts. A deep sigh shuddered through her body as she heaved herself out of the bed and paced the floor, a crease forming on her forehead. Her eyes wandered the room, searching for something to busy her mind. They locked in with her laptop, left unceremoniously on an empty chair. She opened it and her slender fingers darted over the keyboard, aimlessly looking at the tasks on her 'to do' list for the next day. The crease on her brow deepened as she scrolled down the long list. Just thinking about it gave her a headache. She was about to close the window and attempt sleep again when something caught her eye. In the right corner, just below the close button, there was a section about new interns arriving the next day. She raised an eyebrow and clicked on it curiously. A list of names and arrival dates appeared, her weary eyes scanned over them and one name in particular jumped out at her. Her heart leapt. Her eyes widened. Her mind raced. It couldn't be... Could it? Her head span as she questioned if she was indeed correct. The name on the computer simply sat there, staring her in the face. Sammy Sangre... Jen closed the computer with a satisfying thud and let her feet lead her back to the bed, her head still filled with questions, but too tired to think about it any longer.
The next morning, Jen was awoken by the harsh light of the sun seeping in through the flimsy drapes that veiled her small room. Her chapped lips opened in a yawn as she reluctantly dragged her already exhausted form out of the warm bed. She went through the motions of her morning routine, but her mind was elsewhere. She still couldn't stop thinking about that name on her computer. She tried to shrug it off, thinking to herself that their arrival date was supposed to be that day, so she wouldn't have to wait long to find out, but it didn't seem to help. She still couldn't take her mind off it. Her mind's eye held Sammy's face like a locket. Jen remembered how her blonde hair grazed her shoulders, how her smile looked so sweet and genuine, how her eyes sparkled like sapphires. She caught herself, internally reprimanding herself for daydreaming when there was important work to be done. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she dressed quickly and got to work checking the sound and lighting for the day's performance, trying desperately to herd her mind away from distracting thoughts.
"That lighting can be sorted later, Jen. I need you working on the sound right now!" Came a sharp, grating voice from behind her, making her jump. Her face fell as she moved over to the computers linked up to sound. "Yes, Piper. Sorry about that. I just thought-"
"Do I pay you to think? Just get on with what I told you. And hurry about it!" The mantis-like woman yelled, causing Jen to cringe into herself. The abrasive woman then moved off in a huff, already shouting at someone else in the distance. Jen quickly busied herself with checking over the sound, staring intently at each of the computer displays and occasionally tweaking the sound technician's work.
Only a few minutes later, another voice sounded from behind Jen, once again startling her. "Is she always like that?"
"Huh? Oh Piper. Yeah pretty much, I think this is one of her good days, though." Jen replied, not even bothering to look up from her work, her back still turned to the stranger. For a moment, she stopped, lost in thought. Wait a second. She knew that voice. "Sammy?" She asked slowly, turning around, unsure of herself. When she'd turned around fully, there she was. Both their faces lit up with wide smiles, clearly both equally as happy to see each other again. "But what are you doing here? I didn't think I would see you again." Jen asked, bewildered, a light blush spreading over her cheeks. With a grin, Sammy flashed her backstage pass, inscribed with the word 'Intern'. "That's the short version. The long version would take a bit more time to tell."
Jen chuckled. "How about a coffee break and you can tell me all about it?" She asked, already leading Sammy over to the empty break room.
Once they'd checked the coast was clear, they closed the door and Jen set to work making coffee for them both. "I know you just got here, so we shouldn't really be taking a break right now. But I'm curious. Tell me about this long version." Jen said, setting the coffee down on the table and taking seat next to Sammy. Sammy chuckled and sipped her coffee. "Well, a couple of months ago one of my friends was going on about this band she really liked. We'd had a couple of drinks so I didn't remember what band it was. When we got the backstage passes yesterday, I figured it could be this one, but I couldn't be sure. I mean she likes a lot of bands. Anyway the point is she hooked me up with an internship there. I just didn't realise yesterday that it was here. For what its worth, I'm glad I am here, though." Jen smiled at her, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. "So am I." Sammy smiled back in return, tucking a stray strand of tawny hair behind her supervisor's ear. Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment, then Jen's gaze flickered down to the floor. "Uh, we should get back to work. Piper will be wondering where we are."
* * *
In his dressing room, Kaide was getting restless. He was pacing the floor, wondering how long before the set that night and a deep sigh shuddered through his body. He opened the door and checked around the stage. One of the new interns saw him and wandered over. "Hey there, I'm Wrenn. Anything I can help you with?" They asked, noticing his curious expression.
"I was just wondering if you know where Jen is." They nodded and lead him over to a small room with a phone, computer and a small computer chair, in which sat Jen, her eyes trained on her laptop and a weary expression plain on her face. "Miss J, there's someone here to see you." Wrenn said, clearing their throat softly. Jen's eyes lifted for a moment and saw Kaide standing before her.
"For the hundredth time, call me Jen, but thanks, Wrenn. What's up, Kaide?" She asked, plastering on a sweet smile.
"I was just wondering if I have time to go out and explore the city before prep for the show tonight." She checked her watch and nodded, telling him that he could go only if he kept a low profile around fans and the general public. He smiled broadly and left her to her work.
Kaide was clad in a black leather jacket, a grey tank top and a plain baseball cap to cover his head. The sun smiled down on him, glinting on the metal buttons on his jacket. He hummed a tune absentmindedly as he meandered down the street, noticing a bar to his left and entering with a slight smile.
The inside of the bar was lit by gently glowing overhead lights, casting dancing nymphs all around. His eyes scanned the crowd, searching for somewhere to sit. He manoeuvred himself onto a small stool at the bar, hailing the bartender and ordering a beer. He smiled to himself as he took a swig and a drop escaped his mouth. "You know you're cute with beer dribbling down your chin." A woman near him giggled, moving to the stool next to him. "Hey, uh, you look familiar. Have we met before?"
"Last night at the meet and great. I'm Lina." She winked, offering her hand. He took it with a smile, noticing her perfectly manicured, black nails. Lina's black hair framed her face perfectly, as she picked up his bottle of beer and took a swig of it for herself with a wicked smile. "Hey! That's mine!" He exclaimed, taking the beer back. "Hehe, sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself." She whispered, trailing her fingertip down the bottle in his hand, pouting excessively. Their eyes lingered on one another's as Lina leaned forward and whispered to him, "I wanna show you something. Come with me." She linked her hand with his and pulled him up from the bar. He rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide his smile as he chuckled and let her drag him to his feet.
Together, they ran through the streets of Madrid, hand in hand, giggling incessantly. After a while, they pulled around a corner into a large town square, packed with people. "The town square? Really?" Kaide scoffed, clearly unimpressed. Lina nudged his arm with her elbow and gave him a sharp look. "Plaza mayor is not just the town square. Its a cultural milestone. Its the centre of a community. Its the heart of the entire city's heritage." His eyes widened and Lina motioned him closer. They approached the statue in the middle of the square together through the throng of people surrounding it. Almost imperceptibly, Lina took out a small leather pouch at her side and rubbed a pinch of powder between her tanned fingers. As quick as a flash, the crowd disappeared, leaving them alone in the square. Kaide's eyes widened in shock, his mouth hanging open with surprise. "Did you...?" Lina simply smirked at him, creasing her brow in mock confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about, hun. Anyway, we're here now, lets enjoy the view." She said, taking his arm and gazing up at the statue before them with an expression of adoration. "This is the statue of King Felipe the third. He brought Spain into the thirty year war and made peace with the Dutch for a while. He wasn't a good man, but he was a good ruler. He served our people well." She told him in a proud voice. He smiled at her, looking at her appreciatively. Kaide glanced up at the statue with a critical eye, despite her claims. "So this guy did some negotiating, so what, he's only human. I'm sure he had flaws just like everyone else."
"You'd be wrooong." She said in a singsong voice. "He did have flaws, buuuut look a little closer. For me." She said when he looked sceptically at her. Kaide squinted at the statue with narrowed eyes, still not seeing anything. Lina sighed heavily, tracing her fingertip along his jaw, willing him to look closer. "Concentrate on his ears. Try and look beyond the surface of what you normally see. Like pealing away a layer." Then, it came to him.
In an instant, the statue before him changed. The dark metal stayed mostly the same, but the statue's ears had transformed. They were now pointed instead of round, like human ears, standing proud from the rest of his head. Once again, Kaide's eyes widened. "How did you...?" He whispered, barely able to get it out. She pressed her finger to his lips, shaking her head. "Nah-ah. Not me this time. It was all you. Its the true depiction of him. The hidden depiction. As I said, he served our people well."
"You mean he's... And you're..."
She chuckled at his sweet naivety. She looked at him, appraising him in her mind. Finally she spoke to him softly. "I'll be at your show later tonight. Straight afterwards, I'll be here, by the statue. Come find me after the show and I might show you more. I've never been able to resist a pretty face." She said with a wink and with that, she melted away into the shadows.