Midnight Music

Chapter 4

I sat in the same chair as my first time coming to Masked Muse. Receiving compliments from strangers, I somehow felt more confident in my disguise than in my best regular clothes. And I'll admit, I thought I looked rather beautiful. Daisy helped curl my hair, place a diamond headband on my head, and pin the front parts of my hair back so that we could see my mask and eyes. Before putting on the mask, she insisted on having me put on some sparkly blue eyeshadow that made my eyes look like a brighter shade of blue than usual, then dusted my face and neck with silver body glitter. Kind of flashy, but I sort of like it.

I really enjoy the fact that I've basically turned into a different person than the Amy Carter that a lot of people knew. During the Sing Off competition, I watched as people would sing duets together. Apparently, the rule was to try to not mess up or break character as you sang, then you can move on to the next round. If you missed a word, cue, or failed to hit the right note, then you're out. I cheered for everyone, since they were all rather skilled. But of course, not everyone was perfect.

Finally the last singer became a finalist. Beast, a tall man dressed in a long blue coat with gold trimming, a dark brown mane, and had a black mask that covered his entire face, save for the square-shaped hole around his mouth. It was like a Batman mask without the ears, and his costume reminded me of Beauty and the Beast, which must have been his persona's inspiration.

DJ Moon's voice filled the club. "Alright, we have our finalist, the Beast! And now, let's welcome our reigning Sing Off champ. Three months and counting, here's Masked Muse's star, Platinum!" At the sound of his name, the man dressed in the same ensemble as last time walked out, waving at the audience with a wicked grin.

I wasn't shocked that Platinum was the club's star, but I admired how he casually smiled and regarded the Beast like he wasn't much of a challenge. He didn't even look nervous. "Nice to see you again, Beast. What will the song be?" he said into his cordless microphone.

The Beast spoke into his own. "I think I'd like to sing 'Gaston' with you, since that should have been your name." The audience let out some 'ooh's in unison as the music for the song started. Seconds later, the Beast sang the part of LeFou while Platinum sang Gaston's.

They were both very skilled, but during the last measure of holding their notes, the Beast's voice gave out and he stopped short. So close! What a competition. They should have switched parts anyway, since the Beast is more of a bass than Platinum. Daisy gave my arms a comforting rub. "You nervous?" she asked.

"Yes, but mostly excited. Thanks for coming with me." I took a long drink of water from my glass as DJ Moon spoke to the audience.

"Three months in a row! Platinum is the star!" The club clapped and cheered. "Or will it end here? Is there a confident talent in the room, ready to challenge the man?"

There was silence for a moment, then I stood up. "Hey, Platinum!" I called out. Suddenly, all eyes, even a white spotlight was on me. My heart pounded like crazy in my chest, but I smiled confidently as I began stepping down the stairs toward the stage. "Meet your challenge."

Everyone clapped nervously, some hooted as I stepped onto the stage and a stagehand in all black handed me a cordless mic. "Looks like we have a challenger! What's your name, miss?" DJ Moon asked.

I thought of this for a while as I got ready in the blue and white dress, then added a yellow ribbon around my waist and a pair of matching flats, to give an extra pop of color. "Call me Iris."

"Pleased to meet a beauty like yourself, Iris." Platinum bowed and took my hand, moving to kiss it. I pulled it back and pushed him away by the bridge of his nose with a single finger.