A Symphony Of Home

Thirty-Nine (Elysia's POV)

(Edited)

The evening of our long-awaited appointment had arrived, and the nerves were palpable. We were all decked out in Black Blood merch, a nod to the band, but underneath our baggy shirts, we wore outfits meant for a night out. We wanted to look like fans, but with a little twist, as if we were their biggest groupies.

"Where are we meeting them?" Damru asked, glancing at me in the mirror as she adjusted her clothes.

"Near the stadium where their concert is," I replied. "We're lucky to catch them on the last day of their tour. They're probably exhausted."

"I doubt we can even imagine how tiring these past few months have been for them," Maria mused, reminding us of the intensity of their schedule. I thought back to the times we'd traveled for just a week at a time, and even that was draining.

"They've been juggling so much," Dina added, applying some final touches to her makeup. "Speaking of which, isn't it a little late for us to be heading there?"

Now that she mentioned it, the timing seemed a bit odd.

"Maybe we'll catch them just before they go on stage," Damru speculated.

"Whatever happens, we'll see soon enough," I replied, trusting Yeong's arrangements. He wouldn't steer us wrong, right? At least, I hoped not.

The hotel phone rang, and the lady at the front desk informed us that our transport had arrived. With giggles and excitement bubbling over, we grabbed our bags and headed to the lobby. A sleek, black SUV with tinted windows awaited us, the driver opening the door like we were VIPs ourselves.

As we neared the venue, my phone buzzed with an email from an unknown address titled 'Instructions and More.' I opened it, reading through quickly, but as I reached the end, my heart nearly stopped. I froze, mouth agape, staring at my phone.

"What's wrong, Elysia?" Maria touched my arm, concern lacing her voice.

I turned the phone towards her without speaking. Maria took it from me, her eyes scanning the screen. Silence filled the SUV as everyone waited for her reaction.

"Oh. My. God. OH MY GOD!" She exclaimed, her voice rising with excitement. "We're not just meeting them... we have five VIP tickets for tonight's concert!!!"

The SUV erupted in screams and cheers as the realization hit. Even the driver glanced back at us in the rearview mirror, smiling. I mouthed a quick "sorry," but he just shook his head with a smile, clearly used to this kind of reaction.

"For a second, I thought it was bad news," Dina admitted once the noise subsided. "I thought someone had canceled on us or, worse, something had happened to Raven."

"Thankfully, no," I sighed in relief. "That would've been a whole different story."

We arrived at the VIP entrance, and the driver opened the door for us. Mr. Lee stood at the venue's entrance, and without thinking, we rushed to him, pulling him into a group hug. Panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly softened, laughing as we squeezed him.

"It's been a long time since I've seen you all," he said, stepping back from the hug, clearly uneasy.

"That it has," Damru quipped. "Honestly, I didn't think I'd miss you this much," she added, making us all laugh.

"I completely understand," he chuckled. "So, I hear you've got tickets to the concert?" He glanced at me for confirmation, and I handed him my phone, showing him the email.

"Yes, Elysia got them," Imani chimed in. "We all thought she was having a heart attack for a second there."

"Not surprised," Mr. Lee laughed. He led us inside, where a staff member scanned our tickets. As she handed back my phone, she smiled warmly and gave us instructions for the concert. We were then handed a slip with a number for the photo submissions, just like my sister had mentioned.