Hard Fucking Death Core

THIRTY-THREE (Iselen POV)

"Only my hands..."

"Yes, okay, I've promised it... Only your hands playing guitar will be visible, not your face, although everybody will know it's you anyways..."

"I understand it but still don't want to be the guest star in your video, I'd get very anxious and would make a fool of myself." Ruby shakes her head and rolls her eyes but nods in resignation while the car stops, we get off the vehicle saying goodbye to the driver and head to the trailer were other members of the band are getting their makeup done. "Wow, this is gorgeous..." I whisper looking around surprised.

"The Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is one of the most beautiful places in this city, we've filmed a music video here before but that's not a problem because there're different areas: a Chinese garden, a Japanese one, a desert garden with cacti, another one with endemic plants of California, a garden for children and another one dedicated to Shakespeare. No one will notice that we're filming in the same location again."

"I'd like to go for a walk and explore it later, do you think I'll have time enough?"

"Yes, of course, you only need to film the flamenco arrangements with your guitar and you'll have the rest of the day off while we'll be forced to repeat take after take... But the video will be great, it's a song about how to get over a broken heart and all those flowers and green sprouts will represent the spring and a new opportunity..." Ruby opens the trailer door and we're welcome by the strong smell of tobacco, weed and perfume along with the girls' laughs.

"It's been a while since you wrote a song that talked about hope so clearly, most of the songs of your last album were dark and depressing, I could feel your pain hidden behind the verses..." My girl turns around with a furrowed brow and I close my mouth abruptly, worried in case I've offended her: Ruby takes criticism about her artistic talent to heart usually... like all genius do when they know they're genius.

"I guess you're right..." the singer grimaces before nodding. "I felt like I was sliding down a slippery slope heading to hell... but you arrived and threw me a rope, it was rough and hurt my hands at first but it softened later. I think I'm managing to climb that slope little by little helped by your rope and I hope I'll be able to reach the summit one day... That's a beautiful metaphor... It'd work great in a song... Damn it, I don't have my notebook here..." I rummage in my bag quickly and find a pen and a blank page in my planner for my girl, she sits down at one of the vanities and starts writing at full speed, tapping on the table with her fingertips from time to time following the rhythm of the music she plays in her head.

"You're tickling me..." Mads laughs her ass off behind me and I look back over my shoulder.

"It's your fault, if you're determined to wear your shirt unbuttoned in the video I have to put some makeup on your chest to unify the skin tone with your face... Stay still, it's just a brush... Madison!" The blonde bass player laughs her ass off again while the makeup artist shakes her head frustrated, shaking her stunning long hair dyed in different shades of red and orange that turn her locks into the flames of a bonfire.

"Thaïs! I haven't recognized you, you had your hair dyed like a rainbow before... But you look beautiful with these colours too... I'm jealous..."

"Cherry red looks good on you tho..." she answers while I get closer to the beautiful woman with tanned skin and we kiss our cheeks to greet each other, Mads watches us entranced and sighs disappointed.

"That's so French and Spanish, I love it, why don't we do it? I want to kiss girls' cheeks to greet them..."

"No way, fans would go crazy and will try to kiss your lips... They already do it, for fucks sake! And you let them kiss you..." I point at her with an accusing finger and she smirks mischievously.