Fireworks 1 and 2

Jungle: Chapter Seventy-One

    "Soul Cry" wasn't the only song that Mia performed. The other songs that she provided backup for, she practically turned those songs into duets. And she didn't provide her vocals from behind Drake, as originally planned. She either stood at the front of the stage with him, or worked the stage.

    While on that stage, she took all of the emotions she'd felt in the past few weeks and poured them into her vocals. The result was a raw, throaty voice wrapped in melody. She could hear herself in the earpiece she wore, and the voice coming out of her mouth was a voice she'd never heard before in her life. The belting out she'd done at the end of "Soul Cry" was also a voice she'd never heard before. Where is this sound coming from? she wondered as she propelled through the last song of the night.

    Just as the stage fireworks started to go off, she whirled around to face Drake and beamed proudly at him.

    The look he gave her was full of both pride and confusion. He looked like the same question was on his mind: Where did that voice come from? He crossed the stage and walked up to her. Then he curled his hand around her neck and kissed her in front of an audience of nearly twenty thousand people.

    Cell phone flashes went off. Professional photographers' camera flashes went off. The entire stadium lit up and filled with screams and cheers throughout the duration of the kiss.

    When he pulled back, she stared up at him. And oh, it was so easy. It was so easy to forget that she was mad at him, easy to forget that he'd hidden not one, but two major secrets from her in the course of their relationship. His kisses were so soft and sweet, and his face was so adorable. So deceitfully innocent. So easy to love, easy to smile at.

    But reality came crashing down around her as she looked into his eyes. As much as she wished she could live in a fairytale land where secrets didn't matter, they did. She'd gotten her heart broken once before, and didn't want to experience that ever again. So even though it hurt her to do it, she put her walls back up and moved away from him. She turned to face the crowd and flashed a bright smile for them. Then, she raised her microphone to her mouth and shouted, "Thank you, New York!"

                                                                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    On a nationwide tour, there were some cities that begged for a performance after-party. New York City was one of those cities. It was tough for musical acts to pass through without living it up at least one night during that act's visit. Such was the case after Drake and Mia tore the roof off of Madison Square Garden.

    The club was packed. The liquor flowed endlessly. Celebrities and fans alike stopped by VIP and shouted their appreciation to Drake and Mia for giving a good show. Chubbs and Tank stood posted near the VIP entrance, keeping an eye on things.

    Holding a colorful mixed drink in her hand, Mia sat down on one of the VIP area couched and crossed one leg over the other.

    "No one puts Mia in a corner," Drake said, putting a spin on a classic Dirty Dancing quote. He followed her lead and sat down beside her. "That voice. Where did it come from?"

    She stirred her drink, while watching the dancers out on the floor. In this club, unlike most others she'd visited, the VIP area was on the same level as the main level dance floor. "I figured it was time for the world to meet Mia, the solo artist," she said.

    He shook his head. "I've never heard you sound like that. I've never seen you perform like that."

    "I didn't know I was capable of it," she admitted. "I could hear it, but it was hard to believe that it was coming from me."