The Zodiac War

Chapter 7

Valinda and the kids didn't speak on the flight until it was near time to descend.

"They figured out you were different Zodiacs. I begged them not to send you to the Leaders," Valinda hissed at them. The teens flinched at her tone of voice.

"Valinda-" Elizabeth began.

"Save it! You broke the laws." Valinda crossed her legs and arms.

Sighing, the teens looked down, disappointed in themselves. Rosalie and Jessica felt the most responsible for what had happened. Colin reprimanded himself for speaking when he shouldn't have. Jonathan perceived himself as the cause of the entire incident by suggesting they should sneak away.

"Valinda, it's our fault!" Jessica and Rosalie blurted out.

Colin disagreed, "No, it's mine."

Jonathan shook his head unhappily, expressing firmly that the one at fault was he. "It's mine, guys."

"You're all at fault! I'm grounding you all to the hotel when we land in five minutes!"

-=+=-

The kids had another special hotel suite to accommodate all of them. "Well what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Wolf grumbled, dissatisfied with his situation.

"We don't do anything. We screwed up last night and now we gotta pay for it," Chase sighed.

Colin plopped down on his bed, his hands covering his face. Blue laid on the floor, bored out of his mind.

"How do you think the girls are coping?" Wolf wondered aloud.

Chase grunted. "Probably much better than us. I'm going to the hotel restaurant. You guys wanna come?"

Blue stood up. "Please take me with you, I'm bored."

  "Bring me too, please," Jonathan begged.

-=+=-

The girls were busy singing karaoke in the hotel restaurant, making the most of their punishment. Rosalie and Elizabeth sat in the crowd, watching their friends sing their hearts out.

  "Cause we gon' light it up! We gon' go all night!" Spafina screamed/sung into the microphone.

"We gon' it up like it's dynamite!" Jessica continued.

"Cause I told you once!" Aria sang.

Jewel's turn came. "Now I told you twice!"

All of them sang the last part. "We gon' light it up like it's dynamite!"

The spectators in the audience clapped to thank the girls for their performance. The teens climbed down from the stage to rejoin their friends.

"That was really good!" Elizabeth praised them.

"Yeah, better than us," Rose added.

"You guys could sing if you wanted to!" Spafina encouraged her friends, motioning towards the stage. Rosalie and Elizabeth shook their heads in disagreement.

  The waiters came up to them with their food. "Oh, yay!" Aria exclaimed.

  "Hey girls!" Jonathan greeted excitedly.

  "Hey Jonathan," they responded.

  "I'm here, too," Chase interrupted, "We had Blue, but he decided to ditch us for the arcade."

  "So, karaoke?" Jonathan pried, attempting to start a conversation.

  "Yeah, you should have seen us," Spafina smiled warmly and proudly.

  "Did you sing, Beth?" Jonathan directed at Elizabeth. She blushed faintly, shifting uncomfortably. Smirking, Jessica nudged her.

  "No," she said at last, "I didn't, but it looked fun."

  Jonathan signed, "Oh, well I would have loved to see that."

  "You two should sing together," Rose suggested nonchalantly, sipping her lemonade and winking at Jess.

  Elizabeth refused calmly, but was blushing noticeably now. Jonathan rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

  "Aw c'mon! If you two go, then I'll make Rose go with me," Chase offered, glancing at the now irritated Rosalie.

  She pointed a finger at Chase. "I will agree to that as long as you can get them to go."

-=+=-

  "Wasn't that fun?"Aria sighed once she reached the doorknob of the girls' room.

   Spafina nodded eagerly and Jewel smiled. Jessica was holding in her elated emotions. Rosalie shrugged as if to say "It wasn't bad."

  "Y'all!" Jessica called. "Watch them!" She motioned to Jonathan and Elizabeth.

  "Tonight was so much fun! Thanks for that," she expressed gratefully, glancing down.

  Jonathan smiled, "You're welcome." The two stared awkwardly into the others' eyes for a few minutes, the silence unbroken.

  Chase popped up behind the girls. "Hiya!" They shushed him. Rose slapped his arm. Spafina put her hand over his mouth.

  "So... Good night?" Elizabeth guessed.

  "Uh, y-yeah, good night." Suddenly, Elizabeth kissed him passionately before realizing her mistake. She turned her head at the sound and sight of gasps and appalled faces.

  The loudest and most prominent ones belonged to Valinda.

  "What are you two doing?!"