Chapter 8: The Final Battle Begins
808 Words
The finals of the Battle of the Bands were held on a Saturday night at The Crystal Ballroom. The Thunder Cats were performing against one other band for the chance to meet Victor Stone and get a record deal.
Maya hadn't talked to Luna in three days. Luna wasn't answering her texts or calls. Maya felt hollow inside, like a drum with no skin.
But she still had to perform. Jordan and the others were counting on her.
They arrived at the venue and set up their new equipment. The place was packed with hundreds of people. News cameras were recording. This was huge.
The other band performed first. They were good. Really good. The crowd loved them.
Then it was The Thunder Cats' turn.
Maya sat behind her drums. Her hands were shaking. She couldn't focus. All she could think about was Luna.
Jordan counted them off. They started playing.
It was terrible. Maya kept missing beats. Jordan's singing was off-key because he was worried about Maya. Carlos played the wrong notes. Amy's keyboard was barely audible.
The crowd was confused. The Thunder Cats were usually so good. What happened?
Then, in the middle of their second song, the stage lights exploded.
Two people appeared on stage in a flash of smoke and glitter. A woman with pink hair and a man covered in tattoos. They were holding hands.
"Zara and Atlas," Jordan said. "The final two exes before Victor."
"Are you kidding me?" Maya said. "Right now?"
"We're Ex Number Six and Seven," Zara announced. "Well, technically we count as one since we fight together."
"You're still dating each other but you're both Luna's exes?" Maya asked. "How does that even work?"
"It's complicated," Atlas said. "We were in a throuple with Luna for a while. Didn't work out. But we're still together."
"Good for you," Maya said flatly. "Can we finish our song first?"
"Absolutely not," Zara said. "Let's fight!"
They attacked together, even more synchronized than the twins. But Maya was ready this time. She was angry. Angry at all the fighting, angry at Luna for leaving, angry at Victor for creating this nightmare.
She fought with pure rage. She broke Zara's arm with a drumstick. She threw Atlas into the lighting rig. The crowd was screaming, but Maya didn't care anymore.
She defeated them in under five minutes. They exploded into coins.
The crowd went wild. The judges stood up and clapped. Even though The Thunder Cats had played terribly, the fight was so amazing that they won the competition.
Victor Stone himself appeared on stage.
He was tall and handsome, with slicked-back black hair and an expensive suit. He smiled at The Thunder Cats with too-white teeth.
"Congratulations," he said. "You've won. I'm prepared to offer you a record deal right now. You'll be famous. Rich. Everything you've ever wanted."
Jordan and the others looked thrilled.
But Victor looked at Maya. "There's just one condition. Maya has to give up Luna forever. That's the final term of the contract."
"What?" Jordan said. "That's not fair!"
"Those are my terms," Victor said. "Take the deal and lose Luna, or walk away with nothing."
Maya's heart sank. This was it. The impossible choice. Her dreams or her love.
Jordan looked at Maya. "It's your call."
Maya thought about everything. The coffee shop. The band. Her friends. Her music. And Luna. Beautiful, mysterious Luna with the purple eyes.
"I..." Maya started to say.
Then Luna's voice cut through the room. "Don't take the deal!"
Everyone turned. Luna was standing at the back of the venue. She walked toward the stage, her silver hair shining under the lights.
"This is my fault," Luna said. "I'm the one who should be fighting, not Maya. Victor, if you want to keep me away from her, you have to fight me, not her."
Victor laughed. "The contract doesn't work that way, Luna. You know the rules."
"Then I'm breaking the contract," Luna said. She climbed on stage and stood next to Maya. "I choose her. Over everything. Over you, over the magic, over all of it."
Something in the air shifted. The magical contract shimmered and started to c***k.
"No!" Victor shouted. "You can't break it! I made it unbreakable!"
"You made it so anyone who wants to date her has to fight," Luna said. "But I'm choosing to date her. That's not in your contract. I'm making my own choice."
The contract shattered into a million pieces of light. All of Victor's power drained away.
He stared at Luna in disbelief. "You'd give up everything? Fame? Money? Power? All for her?"
"Yes," Luna said simply. She took Maya's hand. "All for her."
Victor's face twisted with rage. "Then I'll fight her myself! No contract, no rules, just me and her!"
"Fine," Maya said, stepping forward. "Let's finish this."
- Writer
