Rising Star: Book 3 of The Orion Series

Anti's

That last night when we sat in awe

You tried to hack it with a saw

Spree, spree

Please find it without me

Glee, glee

Just let me be

I'm not like you

Insanities are not safe

Brash, brash

You've given me a rash

Smash, smash

Please don't take out this trash

--From the song I Feel Like A Million Dreams

Lyrics by Orion Bauwens

I'd like to say that what happened in Detroit was the only drama that happened during our first international tour. However, I can't.

After a six-day stint all around Japan, we jet over to South Korea. It's much of the same. Fans greet us enthusiastically. We stay at a hotel. Orion plays video games with our fans occasionally when he feels like it. Thoughts of what happened in Detroit are starting to slowly leave us. That is, until the fourth day in South Korea.

We were at a meet and greet. We sit at a long table in a lecture hall at a university. I can't believe how many fans are here. I can't believe their excitement. Even though we can't understand half of them, it's a really wonderful experience.

That's the thing that I love about music. It's cliche as all get-out, but it's universal. Language barriers are non-existent. They like us for us, our sound. We've touched the lives of people we never would have interacted with otherwise. We've brought them all together, all under one beautiful umbrella, our music.

It was starting to go to my head. This could very easily turn into a God complex for me. I needed to watch myself.

For half an hour we lapped it up. We signed autographs, we accepted presents (mainly plushies, flowers, various headbands that lit up or were cat ears...We were gifted a light up, electronic glow stick, which apparently is a huge part of the music fan scene over in Korea). Everything was going great.

I see a blur of something in my peripheral vision. I flinch, ducking out of the way. There's a sickening, audible thwack!, and I look over.

Orion had been sitting in the middle, Ben and I flanking him on either side. I was to his right. When I look over, he's not there. He's sprawled out on the floor. His eyes are closed, blood gushing from his head.

Our security team surrounds us. Pandemonium breaks out. For a few seconds it seems like everyone is screaming. Then there's a disturbing silence, with a few mutterings here and there. Ben and I are kneeling next to Orion. We're both freaking out.

It doesn't help any that we don't know what anyone is saying. Panic seeps into my pores. Our Korean interpreter is doing her best. She's a sweet woman, and I've grown very fond of her, but there's just too much happening right now to keep up with it.

"An ambulance has been called," Min-Seo, our interpreter, tells us. "It will arrive shortly. I am so sorry."

It's like, the millionth time she's apologized. The fan meetings security force is working on clearing the room for us. I peek out between the legs of the protective human barrier that's been formed around us. Just about everyone has been cleared out.

"Tell them to stop recording," I snap, absolutely fuming when I still see some girl's with their phones out as they're ushered out the door. "This is fucking bullshit, tell them to put the phones away."