Ava and Eesha arrived at the concert, surrounded by the excited buzz of fans all around. Ava's eyes sparkled as she gazed at the massive venue, the energy palpable in the air. "Wow, this is incredible!" she exclaimed, her eyes catching sight of a huge poster of Stellar Vibe. Without another word, she darted toward it.
"Eesha, come over here! Take my picture with the poster!" Ava called, holding up her phone.
Eesha chuckled, taking the phone from her and snapping a few pictures. "Alright, got it. Come on, we should get closer before the concert starts."
Ava, barely hearing her, glanced at the photos. "Not yet! I need more! I've only taken about 200 so far."
"Only 200?" Eesha muttered to herself. "This girl is going to drive me insane."
Ava grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the stage. "Hurry up! The concert's about to start! This is a dream come true!" Ava jumped up and down in excitement.
Eesha smiled, watching Ava's excitement grow. She didn't often see her this happy, and it felt good to share this moment with her. The lights dimmed, and the crowd erupted into cheers. The stage was set, and Stellar Vibe appeared, beginning their performance. The audience screamed in excitement, some fans crying, others dancing, and a few lucky ones even reaching out to touch the band members' hands.
"Oh my God, look at Kai! He's so handsome!" a girl next to them shouted.
Ava turned to Eesha, her voice full of awe. "Eesha, just look at him! He's perfect! I swear, if he were my boyfriend..."
Before she could finish, tears started rolling down her face.
Eesha, concerned, asked, "Why are you crying? What's wrong?"
Ava wiped her tears but smiled. "These are happy tears! You don't understand. People sell their kidneys for concert tickets like this. We're so lucky!"
Eesha shook her head, laughing. "You're crazy, you know that?"
The concert continued, the group dazzling the crowd with their songs. As the music played, Eesha glanced around, taking in the happiness that seemed to radiate from everyone around her. She looked up at the sky, feeling overwhelmed by the joy in the air. "If only everyone were this happy all the time, the world would be such a beautiful place," she thought.
But then, something caught her eye. One of the spotlights above the stage was swaying back and forth, dangerously unstable. Eesha frowned. There wasn't any strong wind, so why was it moving so much? It looked like it was about to fall.
Suddenly, thick smoke began to fill the stage. The crowd thought it was part of the show, but Eesha knew something was wrong. The entire stage was soon covered in smoke, so thick that the performers could barely see or breathe. The fans couldn't see what was happening either.
Eesha's eyes widened in horror as she realized that the swaying spotlight was moments away from falling. She sprinted toward the stage, putting a mask over her face to shield herself from the smoke. Just as the spotlight was about to crash down on Kai, Eesha leapt forward, pushing him out of the way.
Kai and another band member, Jake, fell to the ground with Eesha on top of them. One of Eesha's hands was on Jake's face, while the other rested on Kai's chest.
Jake, gasping for air, mumbled, "Hmm... hmm..."
Eesha quickly apologized, "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to!" She stood up and offered her hand to Jake, helping him up. Then she turned to Kai and extended her hand, but he stood up on his own, brushing himself off. Eesha awkwardly scratched her head.
"Thank you," Jake said, still catching his breath.
"There's no time for thanks," Eesha replied. "The other spotlights are also shaking, and they could fall too. This smoke is full of chemicals—it's dangerous. Do you know where it's coming from?"
Jake shook his head. "No, I have no idea."
"Alright, take your band members and get off the stage. I'll find a way to stop this smoke."
"Got it. Be careful," Jake said before running to gather the others.
Eesha sprinted toward the source of the smoke, spotting some tools nearby—a knife and a cutter. As she inspected the area, she found a container leaking a chemical. She sniffed cautiously. "Formaldehyde," she muttered, recognizing the dangerous substance that could harm people if inhaled for too long. She quickly shut off the source of the smoke, but just as she did, she heard a sound behind her—a loud thud, like something falling.
"Who's there?" Eesha called out, her eyes scanning the dimly lit backstage area. She moved cautiously, and suddenly, she saw a figure dressed entirely in black, their face covered. The person was holding a knife and running away.
Without hesitation, Eesha ran after them, but they managed to escape into the shadows.
By now, everything made sense to her—this wasn't an accident. Someone had planned this, targeting the boy band and their fans. Luckily, the smoke hadn't spread far enough to reach the audience, so they were safe. And with the loud music and cheers, no one even noticed the sound of the falling spotlight.
Meanwhile, backstage, tensions were running high. Kai confronted the manager, his voice full of anger. "How can you still want us to perform after all this? We could have been seriously hurt, or worse! Do you really expect us to just go on like nothing happened?"
Ethan nodded in agreement. "Kai's right. Have you seen the state we're all in?"
Jake chimed in. "Yeah, there's no way we're performing."
The manager sighed. "Okay, I understand."
As Eesha returned, she found Ava waiting for her, still blissfully unaware of what had happened.
"Eesha, what's going on? The concert isn't over yet!" Ava complained.
Before Eesha could respond, an announcement came over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we must end the concert early. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. As a gesture, all attendees will receive a special discount for the next concert. We hope to see you again soon."
The fans, though disappointed, cheered in support. "We love you, Stellar Vibe!" they shouted.
As the crowd began to disperse, Eesha grabbed Ava's hand. "We need to go. Now."
Ava pouted. "But we missed the rest of the concert!"
"It's over, Ava. Let's go," Eesha insisted.
Reluctantly, Ava agreed, and they made their way back home.