Tip-toe, when you chase me,
Turn around, you can't make me.
And I won't let it go,
Lovin' you is like walking on a tightrope.
•~•

Luna

I softly shut the door behind me, leaned back against it and let my body slide to the floor with a sigh. Closing my eyes, I curled up, resting my forehead on my knees and clutched my wildly racing heart.

It had taken all my concentration to keep my calm and ignore Matthias. Every molecule within me screamed just to look at him, to touch him, to be with him, but by some miracle I managed to resist.

Thump, ba-thump, thump, went my heart.

Feeling his conflicting emotions didn't help either.

Ba-thump, thump, ba-thump!

It was all Tina's fault. She probably invited him to come and watch, neglecting to tell me beforehand on purpose. Though it was unnecessary, since I could feel his presence as soon as he arrived.

Even so, my heart wasn't prepared for another meeting so soon. It refused to stop beating, knowing that he was only a few feet away from the door behind me.

Thump, ba-thump, thump, ba-thump, THUMPH!

I heard footsteps approaching. They stopped in front of me and someone crouched down. I looked up to see Alice looking at me in concern. "Luna, are you alright?"

"Just fine," I told her sourly, easily regaining my composure. Thank God I had Alice to listen to my problems. "It's just that I found out that we have an unexpected guest this evening."

"Really? I wonder who could make you irritable like this. You're usually more prepared for our performances..." She frowned in thought. I opened my mouth to tell her when she easily concluded, "Oh, Matthias is here, isn't he?"

Ba-thump, thump, ba-thump!

"Took the words right out of my mouth," I grumbled, glad that I didn't have to say his name, yet ached at the missed opportunity. My heart fluttered at the sound of it.

"You could say that I'm . . . a bit nervous about singing in front of him."

To my surprise, she laughed at my confession. "Oh, is that all? Don't worry too much about it. The words will come out naturally, and even more so when you're singing for him."

Thump, ba-thump, thump!

"You don't say," I stared at her skeptically. "The butterflies within me doubt your words."

"There's no reason for them to!" Alice protested with a smile. "Don't you remember last summer when I sang to Alfred for the first time on his birthday? Sure, I was nervous as heck, but as soon as I looked into his eyes, all my uneasiness fell away and I was able to sing with all my heart and soul."

"Alright then," I muttered, not fully accepting her words. Unlike her, I wouldn't be able to watch my soulmate's reaction during our performance. It'd look weird if I put on my sunglasses now...

I'll have to figure something out. But there was another pressing problem that demanded attention.

Ba-thump, thump, thump...

"Also, Gilbert asked me to 'singy a songy' for him too. I have no idea what to pick." I grimaced as an afterthought.

"Ah," Alice's emerald eyes lit up with mischievous delight. "In that case, I have the perfect song for him."

•~•
Tightrope, tightrope.
•~•

It's only been a few minutes since Luna left, and I found myself awkwardly making small talk with my table-mates.

I was just about to kill myself out of boredom when the mood of the music suddenly changes up from a subtle, pulsing beat to an old-timey sounding tune. The audience begins to cheer as Dylan—Oh right! That's his name!—steps on the stage with a mic.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thanks for your patience. Here's what you've been waiting for, Siren's Voice!"

The lights drop and the music picks up, the curtain rising to reveal Alice and Lovina posed back to back on the stage. As the crowd cheers, they begin to sing.

" Now's the time, get in line,
Don't be afraid tonight
We're gonna take you high,
Before you realize—

Luna and Tina stalk in from the sides, continuing the song in synced voices:

'Round and 'round you'll go,
Up and down, never slow...
Feel the excitement grow, oh!
This is where you let go—

They moved in time to the beat, their arms and hands forming quick patterns. I had to admit, it was impressive. It must have taken hours of practice for them to perfect their timing.

Hands high like a roller coaster,
This love is taking over
Take us higher, here we go!
Oh-o-oh
Welcome to the show!"

Together they bowed to the audience with a flourish, rousing a loud round of applause. Alice held her hand out for Dylan to toss her the microphone.

She twirled it in her hand for a few spins before bringing to her face to speak. "Good evening everyone! Glad you could make it. Tonight our first song is dedicated to a very lucky guy out there."

She handed the mic over to Luna, who glowered at her before reluctantly accepting it. She turned back to the crowd, narrowing her dark eyes at our table, stating chillingly, "This is for you, Gilbert. Hopefully, this'll tell you exactly how I feel about you."

From the way she rolled her eyes when the albino jumped up to shout drunkenly, "That's me!" I'm guessing that wasn't the way she wanted to start the night off. Then again, he was only on his fourth or fifth drink.

It might have been the trick of the light, but I thought I saw the smallest hint of a smirk on her face when she turns back to her usual calm, the cue for the music to begin as the girls began to hum the chorus.

I could only wonder which song she picked for him.

(Ow, ooh~)

" I let you get away with-
Thinking you're the cure...
I think I'm in too deep,
It's time to pull the cord.

The way Luna began the song was alot like when she delivered her lines in class, carefully measured and in monotone. I glanced over at Gilbert to see his response. He didn't seem to be affected by the words, grinning and nodding to the beat of the music. It didn't sound like a love song to me though...

" You like me more when you think,
I'm getting bored...
I hope you're home the day I-
Tear down the walls!

She flashed a quick smirk at our table before jumping into the lyrics with more enthusiasm than I thought she'd have. The group followed her lead seamlessly:

" I won't settle, settle, settle—!
You are never gonna hold me down...
So toxic, you ain't nothin' but a prick!
I'm the best thing that never happened to you!

Never, never, never,
You are never gonna live this down!
Life's too short, I can't fake it anymore.
I'm the best thing that never happened to ya!

Now a frown was starting to settle on Gilbert's face, his smile faltering. I couldn't blame him, it probably wasn't what he was expecting to begin with. He had it coming for him. Still, the next stanzas had to hurt.

" Don't you get sick of only
Hearing your own voice?
Talk like you're so damn tough,
But you're just a little boy.

You like to think you broke the mold,
But now I'm sure...
You'll crack just like the rest when I
Break your freaking jaw!

Amusement danced in Luna's dark eyes as she laughed openly into her microphone, chanting, "I won't settle! I won't settle! I won't settle...

" I won't settle, settle, settle,
You are never gonna hold me down!
So toxic, you ain't nothin' but a prick...
I'm the best thing that never happened to you!

Never, never, never,
You are never gonna live this down!
Life's too short, I can't fake it anymore.
I'm the best thing that never happened to ya!"

(Ooh, hahahaha, woah~)

They finished their song exactly as they did with their first, inviting another round of applause. Gilbert's head was on the table, his face hidden from view.

I felt kinda bad for him, being publically rejected like that. Even though he was rude to her, Luna didn't have to be that harsh on him. I decided to try to cheer him up.

"Hey," I began, ready to say anything, but then his shoulders started to shake with weird sounds muffled by his arms. Slowly rising from his slumped pose, he threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Kesesesesesesese! That's so Luna!"

"For sure," Vladimir agreed. "But I'll have better luck next time."

"Um... what?" I ended up asking, looking back and forth between them questioningly.

"Ah, this is just a bet between me and Gilbert," Vlad explained, taking a sip of his suspiciously red drink. "To see who can win over Luna first."

The albino crowed in agreement. "Yeah, and I'm winning!"

"No, you're not. Did you not listen to the song she sang for you-"

"KESESESESES! Admit it, you're just jealous of the AWESOME ME-"

As I watched them argue, I shook my head in amazement at their carelessness. Weren't they worried about their own soulmates at all? To see them fight over a girl–who wasn't even the soulmate of either one?

Or what Luna's soulmate would do about it?

Turning my back on their bickering, I turned back to the stage, where Siren's Voice had already started another song.

Even though Luna never looked back at our table for the rest of the performance, I could tell she was feeling smug and confident over her victory.

•~•

Shot me like a bee sting,
You know,
Poison is my everything,
And it, doesn't hurt so bad,
I'm past the point and never turning back...