Fight for Me

Chapter 13

As soon as the four singers took the stage for the final number, Sherlock could tell that something had happened. They were all stellar actors, but Sherlock could tell there was a thick tension between Noah and Lydia. He lowered his voice so only John could hear and muttered, "something's wrong."

"Hmm?" John turned to Sherlock, taking his eyes off of the stage only to find Sherlock standing from his chair and weaving his way through the audience. "Wha- Sherlock! Where are you going?"

John sighed when Sherlock continued with no response, and clambered out of his own chair in an attempt to catch up with him. Sherlock slipped backstage, John following until he lost him somewhere in the hallways. He called out Sherlock's name as he searched the area for him, but it was as though his friend had vanished into thin air. Frustrated with Sherlock always running off without any explanation, John decided to wait in the dressing room backstage and hope that he would show up eventually.

Sherlock, meanwhile, was hiding near the wings so that the group would not see him as they exited the stage. As he anticipated, they immediately began arguing as soon as they got offstage, oblivious to him listening in on the conversation.

"Lia, I don't understand how you can be ok with this! They're just using us, and what have they given us in return?!" Noah exclaimed in exasperation as their voices were finally close enough for Sherlock to make out the words.

She cut in angrily, "yeah, except, you know, giving us the training necessary to get as far as we have. People do come to our concerts and that's because of them."

Lawrence scoffed at this, "yeah, look what good all of their training has done for us. They relegate us to surviving off of concert performances, sending us all over the world then calling us back whenever they feel!"

"It may not be ideal, but it is certainly better-" Lydia cut off abruptly as she passed Sherlock's hiding spot and he inhaled sharply, wondering if she had realised he was there. However, she continued walking as she finished, "it is certainly better than the alternative. Would you like to end up back on the streets? At least we have a chance with the training they have given us. We may not be where we want to be, but that's not their fault, that's on us."

"But to expect us to answer to their every beck and call! We're trying to start careers here and trying to live and they just expect us to do a concert for free!" Zoe added, making Sherlock realise that everyone was ganging up against Lydia. Clearly she was less willing to fight the Rose Foundation as the other three were.

Lydia sighed, "Zo, we're helping them bring in more money so that they can help more people like us."

Sherlock heard Lawrence snort at that, but he grew too far away for Sherlock to make out what his response was. He waited a moment for them to pass before making leave his hiding spot, immediately bumping into Lydia, who was standing in front of him with her arms crossed.

"So you degraded to eavesdropping, have you?" She questioned, quirking an eyebrow. He narrowed his eyes at her, wondering how she had realised that he was there. She seemed to know what he was thinking because she added, "next time you hide, you might want to make sure your shadow isn't noticeable in the hallway."

Sherlock failed to catch her in the lie, to Lydia's great relief. She was far too embarrassed to speak the truth, when it was his smell that she had picked up on in the hallway before noticing the shadow painted across the floor.

But Lydia snapped out of her thoughts and Sherlock explained, "I knew something was wrong and you have not been the most forthcoming of people, of course I decided to eavesdrop."

Lydia rolled her eyes, "you could have just asked, it's not something that we were planning to keep secret. The Rose Foundation has asked us to perform at their charity event in two weeks. I suppose you will want to follow us there as well?"