Craig shoved Stone in the shoulder in an attempt at distracting him while they were playing video games in their room, no such luck he still lost. “How do you manage to keep your concentration man?”

Stone chuckled at him. “I have two older sisters dude, you cannot distract me, it’s a statistical impossibility.”

“That is totally unfair. I’m an only child; you have an advantage that I don’t!”

Stone shrugged. “Wanna play again?”

Craig was about to say yes when Skylar stuck her head into the room. “Guys, meeting our room! Come on I have great news!” Her announcement ended with a very Skylar-like squeal.

Stone winced. “I do not know how Death stands that.”

“Neither do I. You’d think someone with an ear for music like him would be sensitive to a sound like that,” Craig answered as they both stood to follow Skylar.

Stone cracked a smile. “Well, how do you stand Ziva?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Come on … she’s, you know, a little hard to take sometimes. She’s kinda cranky.”

Craig snorted. “Right, like A’Cadia isn’t?”

The argument continued as they made their way down the hall toward the girls’ room. Stone finally shrugged. “Yeah okay, so we agree they’re both a little rough around the edges. But hey, what female isn’t? I mean if they weren’t we’d probably get bored, neither one of us has a long attention span.”

“Speak for yourself,” Craig said with a chuckle and a shove to Stone’s shoulder. It had become his goal to see if he could catch his roommate off guard, get in a good push, and get Stone to stumble. So far, he’d had no luck, the guy was literally rock solid.

Stone shoved him back, causing him to lose his balance, he sent Stone a scowl his roommate didn’t notice. “Come on you can’t afford to pay attention my man.”

“God that was a lame joke.” Craig rolled his eyes.

When they entered the room, they found Ziva sprawled on her bed, Skylar pacing excitedly around the room, and the three curtain climbers sitting cross-legged on the floor looking expectantly at Skylar.

“So, why we here Hyper Girl?” Mellissa asked Skylar.

“Be nice, Mellissa or I won’t let you come with tonight!” Skylar told her.

Mellissa wrinkled her nose up. “Tell me where and I’ll decide if I wanna even go, ’cause no offense Skylar you pick some really lame places to go. Like that museum all about knitting last year, talk about laaaaame!”

Skylar stomped a foot. “It was not lame! It was very interesting if you had paid attention!”

“Riiiight.” Mellissa didn’t sound as if she believed that for a second.

Before a fight could start, A’Cadia stepped through the door, shoving between Craig and Stone, where they stood blocking the entrance. “Can you two move it? Why have you called this little meeting, Skylar?” A’Cadia asked as she moved across the room to sit on Skylar’s bed. Stone followed and dropped down next to her. Craig took that as a cue to go sit with Ziva.

“Well, you will all notice that Death isn’t here.”

“OH MY GOD IS HE DEAD?” Mellissa shouted. “That’s where we’re going, his funeral, isn’t it Skylar?”

 “Mellissa! Oh, Lord no! He is not dead!” Skylar gave her a stern look. “Death’s Door has a concert tonight at Madison Square Garden! And we’ve all been invited!” She pulled out tickets and waved them around. “Death even gave us back stage passes! Isn’t that great?”

“Uh, yeah fab,” Ziva said in a less than excited voice.

Mellissa jumped up and headed for the door. “I’m gonna go get ready right now! This is awesome I’ve never gotten to go to a concert before! I so wanted to go to the ZZ Top concert last year but Storm said they weren’t appropriate for me to go see. I mean come on now? A bunch of old bearded guys? What’s not appropriate about that? Jeez! Not like I wanted to go see Ozzy! Seriously!”

Ziva blinked and turned to stare at A’Cadia. “Did she seriously just say that?”

“Yes, I think she did. Do you think she meant it or was she just seeing if we were paying attention?”

Ziva shrugged. “I think we should ignore it and move on.” They both nodded.

A’Cadia shoved at Stone. “Take Craig and go get ready.”

“What? Why? Aren’t we ready enough?”

She wrinkled her nose at him. “No. Go dress more … I don’t know darkish like.” She looked at Skylar for help.

“Black. Lots of black, Stone,” Skylar said cheerfully.

“Right of course, silly me,” he grumbled as he and Craig left the room.

A’Cadia grinned as she rose from Skylar’s bed and headed for her own room to get ready. “Hey at least this is one event I know I have outfits for!”

Ziva nodded agreement. “Me too!”

Skylar sighed. “I have a few; Death took me shopping a couple of times after we started dating. He said my wardrobe is very sunny, which he loves, but it doesn’t work for their concerts.”

Ziva and A’Cadia both laughed before A’Cadia finally left the room.

***

“We’ll take the Escalade and my car,” Skylar was talking as they stepped into the garage.

“We should take my car,” Ziva told her. “The Escalade is too hard to park. It’s huge and we seriously don’t need it.”

Skylar pursed her lips. “Yeah, fine. Take yours then.” They piled into the cars and drove to the concert. Death had gotten them special VIP parking passes. They got to park right up front so that they didn’t have to fight for spots in the lot. They felt all special.

Security also escorted them from the parking lot to the building, as “special guests of the band”. As they walked up the red carpet into the front entrance, photographers snapped photos of them entering the building. A’Cadia sighed and frowned slightly.

“Great, now we’re gonna be on the front page of the news papers and gossips rags tomorrow with the headline: MYSTERIOUS KIDS WALK RED CARPET AT DEATH’S DOOR CONCERT.”

Angela giggled. “Yeah and everyone will be scrambling to find out who we are and we’ll be all famous! Awesome!”

A’Cadia snorted. “I don’t want to be famous; I want to be left alone.”

“Does that include me, because I do not plan to leave you alone,” Stone asked with a giant grin.

A’Cadia blushed and elbowed him in the ribs, then frowned when she realized she hadn’t hurt him with that action. “No, you don’t have to leave me alone.”

“What about me?” Mellissa asked cheerfully.

“Yes, you do.”

“Awww! No fair!”

“Can you all please behave!” Skylar snapped before plastering a smile on her face for one of the paparazzi who shoved a camera in her face.

A rather large man wearing a tight black T-shirt with the word security emblazoned across the back in large white block lettering, stepped forward, shoved the man with the camera away from the front doors, and then pulled open the door for them. Skylar thanked him pleasantly and by first name.

“How on Earth do you know his name?” Ziva asked.

“Oh I know all the security personnel. They travel with the band everywhere,” she answered. “Death believes in knowing who is watching over the band, he has an entire security team that follows them on every tour and secures every facility. Costs a fortune but it’s worth it, the team is totally loyal to the band because they’re paid very well and the band treats them all fabulously.”

Ziva gave a nod. Damn smart of the band. She strolled along beside Craig and behind the others as yet another security guy led them to their seats. Which were pretty damn close to the stage, by that she meant right in front of it. They took their seats. Seats around them were starting to fill up, even though the concert didn’t start for another forty-five minutes.

Skylar was bouncing in her seat. “I can’t wait! The opening band is supposed to be really great. Death found them at some local club and I haven’t seen them play yet.”

Stevie holstered his iPad and looked over at Skylar. “What’s the name of the band?”

“Gang of Carts.”

They all stared at Skylar for a moment before Mellissa opened her mouth, closed it, and then frowned before speaking. “You’re shitting me?”

“MELLISSA!” Skylar screeched.

“No, seriously, you are shittin’ me. Right? That’s not really the band’s name.”

Skylar glared at her. “Yes, it is and if you don’t stop saying … that word, I’m calling Storm.” She sat back in her seat and folded her arms tightly over her chest.

Ziva and A’Cadia both snickered and very quietly gave Mellissa high fives. Stone and Craig disappeared to go buy T-shirts. Stevie had taken out his iPad again. A sudden high-pitched squeal interrupted the semi-quiet.

Ziva turned to stare at two rather emo looking girls standing at the end of their row, staring directly at Skylar. The girl with the nose ring, pink highlighted hair, Death’s Door artfully torn T-shirt, and super tight skinny jeans, squealed again and pointed at Skylar. “Oh. My. God. You’re Skylar! You’re Death’s girlfriend! You’re like here! Actually here!”

A’Cadia leaned over and spoke to Ziva behind her hand. “Not just here, she’s LIKE here.” Ziva strangled back a hysterical laugh at her words.

They listened as the two girls gushed over Skylar—who looked thoroughly embarrassed—and asked her tons of questions about Death and the band. Skylar handled it like a pro, deflecting any questions she knew Death and his band mates wouldn’t want answered, and answering any they wouldn’t mind her fielding. Before long, the girls were on their way to their own seats a section over.

“Wow Skylar who knew that you were famous!” A’Cadia said with a note of awe.

“I’m not, really, some of the fans just know that I’m dating Death. They think I’ll give them inside info on the band.” She shrugged it off.

A’Cadia would have said more, but the lights dimmed at that moment and an announcement was made about photography and filming during the concert and blah, blah, blah. No one really listened, people were yelling and cheering and demanding that the concert start. Lights on stage went up and the opening band stepped out onto the stage.

While it wasn’t Death’s Door, the crowd cheered in excitement, simply because things were getting started. The band took their places, the lead singer smiled widely and waved to the crowd as he stepped up to the microphone.

“Evening everyone, I’m Griffin Baye and we are GANG OF CARTS!” The crowd cheered loudly as they began playing.

Ziva sat back in her seat and listened, they weren’t bad. Certainly different from Death’s Door. Definitely not emo-alternative rock, or whatever it was Death’s Door classified themselves as; they were more simply alternative rock. Before long she and A’Cadia were on their feet cheering alongside the rest of the crowd.

When the band finished and stepped off stage the anticipation inside the arena intensified as the crowd waited for Death and the band to take the stage. When they did the roar of the gathered crowd was deafening.

A’Cadia and Ziva sank back into their seats and watched the show with equal bits of boredom and amusement as they watched the fangirls in the crowd. Either some of them didn’t realize Manny and Charles were a couple or they simply didn’t care. Several were holding up signs that read either MARRY ME MURDER or MARRY ME MAYHEM. Both were frightening prospects, not because they band members were gay, but because the girls holding the signs looked like rejects from a school for those learning the fine art of piercing … and failing badly at it.

Skylar suddenly screeched and jumped up to stand on her seat. Death was smiling as he reached for her hand and drew her up onto the stage.

“Oh good Lord is he going to sing to her?” A’Cadia asked.

Ziva was afraid to answer so she simply stared and listened in fascination as Death began to sing.

Step inside

Step inside my soul

Deep and dark

Full of secrets and pitfall

Padded with potholes

Cloaked in Hell

Step inside

Step inside my soul

The world is shaded in the sane

Babe I’m shrouded in insanity

Lock my door

Toss aside the key

Step inside

Step inside my soul

No shaft of light

No ray of hope

No thread of love

Could step inside

Step inside my soul

Until I met you

Ziva blinked rapidly. She was so not going to cry over that lame song, she was not going to ball like a baby. She looked sideways at A’Cadia and saw her quickly wipe her sleeve over her eyes. Okay, now she didn’t feel like a complete idiot.

Death helped Skylar back into her seat. “My girlfriend Skylar everyone. Give her a round of applause.”

Skylar blushed and stood, waving to everyone in the audience. She leaned over toward Ziva, smiling madly. “Wasn’t that soooo romantic?”

Ziva could only nod. She honestly didn’t know what else to call it. Dragging your girlfriend up on stage before millions of people and singing a lame sapping song to her? Yeah, not Ziva’s idea of romance. She leaned around A’Cadia and shouted at Craig. “You ever drag me on stage anywhere and sing to me in front of a crowd and I’ll murder you and they’ll never find the body when I’m done.”

Craig stared at her wide eyed as she sat back. She heard A’Cadia seconding what she’d said and Stoned laughing loudly when she did.

The rest of the concert passed in a blur of yelling fangirls, security dragging more fangirls away from the stage when they tried to get to the band. One girl was hauled away screaming that she was sent by aliens to have Death’s love child to save the world from a coming apocalypse.

It was an eventful evening to say the least.

The kids were hopped up on adrenaline and snacks by the time they finished with the backstage events. They had hung out with both bands. Gang Of Carts turned out to be a pretty cool group of guys.

Angela crashed on the way home and drooled all over Craig in the car. “Eww, why did I have to sit next to Angela?”

Ziva chuckled. “Because you questioned me about the singing to me thing when we got backstage, that’s why you were banished to the back and A’Cadia got to ride shotgun.”

“Mellissa, if I have to tell you to put on your seatbelt again I’ll also inform Storm you weren’t wearing it!” A’Cadia yelled back at Mellissa where she occupied the third row seat.

“Fine! I can’t see though when I’m all tied down!” She slumped into the seat and put her belt on. Five minutes later, she was fast asleep.

Stone laughed. “Nice job.” A’Cadia shrugged. She wondered if Skylar was having more fun in her car with Stevie.

Skylar hummed as she drove. Stevie looked over at her. “Thanks for making Mellissa ride in Ziva’s car. She really gets weird sometimes.”

“Oh sweetie, it’s just because she likes you so much.”

Stevie made a face at her. “It’s creepy. I mean we were best friends one day and then all of a sudden POOF, she acts like we’re getting married or something. Angela too, it’s just too weird for me.”

Skylar giggled. “You’ll get used to it, Stevie.”

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “Don’t think so. Computers are so much easier to understand than girls are. I think I’ll stick with them.”

Skylar laughed but made no other comment.

It wasn’t long before they were pulling the cars into the garage at the school. Stone and Craig took Mellissa and Angela up and tucked them into bed and Stevie dragged himself upstairs.

The others were about to head off to their rooms when Logan appeared. “Have a good night?”

A’Cadia grimaced at her father. Just what they needed her dad checking up on them. “Fine Dad, the concert was great. Now we’re going to bed. Night.”

“That’s it? ‘The concert was great. Night.’ That’s all I get?”

A’Cadia rolled her eyes, walked over to him, gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Goodnight Dad.”

He smiled happily. “Good night sweetheart.”

A’Cadia grumbled as she passed Ziva. “One word and I’ll turn you into tinsel Sparky.”

Ziva smirked at her. “What? Me? Why would you think I’d have anything to say about that beautiful display of daughterly affection?”

A’Cadia growled and continued down the hallway without comment.

Ziva swallowed a laugh and followed Skylar to their room. Stone and Craig had already put themselves to bed after tucking in the girls. As they got ready for bed, she had to listen to Skylar gush about the song Death had written for and sung to her.

It wasn’t until the lights were out that it was finally quiet. She thanked God for that as she drifted off to sleep. Sadly, she couldn’t get the words of Death’s stupid step into my soul song out of her head, which resulted in her having a rather unfortunate dream involving Death’s soul and her walking through it. It was frightening, to say the least.

She’d rather have continued her pirate adventure dream with Craig; it would have been much more exciting.