Archive for April, 2008

Chapter 16

{ April 30, 2008 @ 10:57 pm } · { Fellowship }
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16

 

Her heart froze in her chest when Emppu told her. No. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be! She trusted Tarja, thought she’d found another friend. Surely Tarja wouldn’t do such a thing, would she? Emppu wrapped an arm around her and Anette didn’t feel it for a second, but when she did, she pulled away. It wasn’t comforting her, it wasn’t right. Emppu’s only my friend when there’s something wrong, she realized, remembering how Emppu hadn’t spoken to her all weekend, how alone she’d felt in that amount of time. She didn’t want his help now, didn’t want him to pity her anymore. She let her hair fall in front of her face, hiding the tears that had risen in her eyes, hiding the shame she felt at his pity. Pity was the last thing she wanted. He started to apologize, but Anette wasn’t listening; she just wanted him to leave.

“Emppu, just…I need to be alone.” She cursed her voice for betraying her when it shook.

“If you ever need me…you know I’m here for you,” Emppu said, and Anette felt more tears rushing to her eyes, sobs choking in the back of her throat. Why wouldn’t he go? Finally she heard his footsteps walking away, and, bringing her other hand up to her face, let the betrayal she felt out in gasping sobs, tears wet on her palms. How did everything go so wrong?

 

She heard another knock at her door and straightened herself, taking deep breaths to calm the sobs that were still tight in her chest. Why wouldn’t Emppu just leave her alone? She quickly wiped wet tears from her face and walked over to the door, opening it slowly, preparing herself for more pity. The person on the other side wasn’t Emppu, though; it was Tuomas. Surprised by this, Anette wasn’t sure how to react, but something seemed to warm a bit inside her. Tuomas did care after all. When Tuomas asked to come in, Anette, not trusting her voice, shrugged, pushing the door open wider, hoping Tuomas would understand. He did, and he went and sat on the chair by the desk, Anette following and taking a seat on the bed. She couldn’t make herself look at him, so she studied her feet, and Tuomas was the first to speak, a rare occurrence when the two were together. Often Anette was the first one speaking, Tuomas patiently listening, but this time was different. So much had changed.

 

She heard only vaguely what Tuomas was saying, busy wondering what had taken him so long. She interrupted him to ask, finally look at him, waiting, wondering. His eyes slid from her face to the floor.

“I guess I was…I was scared.” Anette tried to swallow the lump growing in her throat. Didn’t he know that she just wanted to know he cared? Just a sign, any sign? He’d shown none.

“Why? What were you scared of?” She could feel it building up inside her again, all the sadness, all the pain, clawing at her throat, behind her eyes.

“I guess…I didn’t want to make things worse.”

“How…how could you have made anything worse?” How could he possibly think she wouldn’t want his support and caring, how could he think that things could get worse? She couldn’t contain the tears anymore, but she didn’t want Tuomas to see her like this, to see her weak. She didn’t want him to pity her. She hid her face, just as she’d done when Emppu was there, but she didn’t tell Tuomas leave. She didn’t want him to leave. She wanted him to stay and to make her smile the way only Tuomas could, a genuine smile, hopeful. She doubted he would stay, because he was Tuomas and he shied from displaying how he felt outwardly, and that made her cry harder, though she tried to stop herself, to contain herself. Then she felt his arm, warm across her shoulders, comforting. She leaned into him and he wrapped her in his arms, and she knew that this wasn’t pity, that this was friendship in its purest form. She knew, with sudden clarity, that Emppu didn’t pity her either, but was just doing the best he could. With this knowledge, something that had been weighing on her heart lessened slightly. She wrapped her arms around Tuomas, not wanting to let him go, holding onto him as though he were anchoring her, keeping her from flying away as the memories rose one by one, and the tears seemed endless. Without her realizing it, though, she had stopped crying, and it felt like a woolen blanket had been placed over her mind, so weary was she.

“Thank you, “ she said into Tuomas’ shoulder, though the words were insufficient. How could she thank him for finally being there for her? How could she thank him for comforting her today? For letting her cry on his shoulder? The gratitude she felt…no words could express it, but words were all she had. She pulled away from him, looked into his eyes, wolf eyes, compassionate. “Thank you so much.” It was all she could say, and she hoped Tuomas knew how much she meant it.

“Don’t mention it,” he said, leaning in to hug her. An impulse deeper than her thoughts rose inside her, and, without thinking, she leaned in and kissed him. The instant their lips touched, she pulled away.

What am I doing?!

Standing, scolding herself, twisting her hands as guilt and shame warred within her, she couldn’t look at him, didn’t want to know what he was thinking.

“I should probably go,” Tuomas said, quietly, but Anette said nothing as he left. Why had she done it? She was married, they were friends, she couldn’t do this. It struck her, enlightenment, that what she felt wasn’t romance, nor was it lust. It was love, love for a friend who had done more with his silence than any of the others had done with words, love without romance. Friendship, pure.

 

She fell asleep, weak and tired from crying, and woke a few hours later to a knock on the door. Stretching, she made her way to the door, knowing she probably didn’t look her best right now, but not caring, and opened it to see Tuomas on the other side. She couldn’t contain her smile, and he smiled his shy smile, his hands in his pockets.

“You wanna go get something to eat? I think we kinda need to talk,” he said, looking down, smiling more. Anette felt laughter bubbling inside her and realized that it had been a long time since she laughed. She giggled and nodded.

“Yeah, I think we do. But I have to make myself pretty first. Come on in.” She held the door open wider and he entered, bowing his head slightly as he did. She gave him a quick hug and then went into the bathroom to wash her face and clean herself up. She felt the need to make conversation, so she called out of the open door, “So what did you do this afternoon?”

“Not much, just kind of walked around,” Tuomas replied. “Everyone was off doing their own thing anyway. What about you?”

“Me? I slept,” Anette said with a little laugh, exiting the bathroom and grabbing some fresh clothes from the bag beside her bed. “I just gotta get changed, I’ll be done in a minute.”

Tuomas grinned wickedly. “Well, feel free to change right here.”

Anette laughed again and hit him lightly with the shirt she had in her hand.

“No, no, no. That would make the other boys jealous.” She grinned too and then went to the bathroom and closed the door. It was so nice to be joking around again, to be laughing. She felt much lighter than she had in what felt like eternity.

 

“Oh my god, are you Anette Olzon?”

Anette looked up, surprised. Whenever Tuomas was around, everyone always noticed him first, but this time she was noticed first. She raised her eyebrows and replied, with a small smile, “Yes, I do believe I am.” In the back of her mind, annoyance crept up. She just wanted to eat and have a conversation with Tuomas without being interrupted, but now everyone at the tables around where they were seated was watching.

“I heard about what happened, are you okay?” The girl put her hand on Anette’s arm, and Anette jerked her arm away, felt heat rising in her cheeks and looked down, clenching her teeth.

“I think you should probably –” Tuomas started to stand to make the girl leave, but the bodyguards, who had been seated two tables away, were up before him.

“Excuse me, miss,” one of them said, the taller one with broad shoulders and short black hair, smile lines around his eyes, though his face was grim now. “You should probably leave.”

The girl looked terrified. “I’m sorry, I…I didn’t mean any harm,” she stammered.

“We know, but it’s best if they were left alone.”

She nodded, looking around the big man’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry,” she said to Anette, and left.

“Are you okay?” the guard asked, turning to the vocalist. She nodded but said nothing, still looking at the table.

“Thank you,” Tuomas piped up from across the table. The man nodded, and he and his companion returned to their table, everyone around them quickly averting their eyes, trying to pretend that they hadn’t been watching what happened. Tuomas leaned across the table, placing a hand over Anette’s and said quietly, “Do you want to leave?” She nodded, not looking up, tears blurring her vision. Tuomas didn’t say anything, but he stood up and went to stand beside Anette as she rose from her seat, placing an arm around her shoulders and guiding her out of the restaurant, because she still wasn’t looking up. She didn’t want to be reminded of what happened, she just wanted to forget and move on, but the worst thing was that she knew that she could expect more of this, that this was just the beginning.

Chapter 15

{ April 27, 2008 @ 6:56 pm } · { Fellowship }
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15

 

Emppu watched as Jukka, Marco and Tuomas left down the hall, and then raised his fist and knocked on Anette’s door.

“Anette, it’s me. Open up,” he said. He heard movement on the other side and relaxed a bit, glad that she was going to open the door for him, even if the thought of what he had to tell her worried him to no end, and he had no idea of how he’d manage it. He heard the latch click as the doorknob was turned from the inside and then the door opened slowly to reveal the person that he was looking for.

“Did you sleep at all last night?” he asked, stepping into the room. Anette had dark circles under her eyes, though her makeup was on for the day, and she looked so weak, so fragile.

“Not really,” she replied wearily, rubbing a hand over her eyes as the door swung closed. Worry made Emppu frown and he forgot briefly why he was here.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She waved a hand as if the question was pointless, but Emppu noticed that she didn’t look at him. He took a seat and she kept moving around the room, packing things up, but it seemed she was just trying to keep herself occupied. Emppu decided that he had to just tell her what he came to say, straight-forward, not sugar-coated. She was going through the contents of a bag, her back to him, when he said it.

“Anette, Tarja told the tabloids.”

She froze, her hands in the bag, and didn’t say anything.

“Anette?” Emppu asked, breaking the stillness. The woman drew herself up slowly and sat down on the bed. Her face was blank, she could have been carved of marble. The only thing that gave away that she was feeling something was the way she twisted her hands in her lap. They sat in silence until Emppu finally went and sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. She didn’t say anything, didn’t move, for a moment, before she abruptly stood up and walked away from Emppu, leaving him sitting on the bed. He watched her back, the way she raised a hand to her face, how she let her hair fall so that he couldn’t see that she was upset, though it was painfully obvious.

“I’m sorry –” Emppu started but Anette interrupted him.

“Emppu, just…I need to be alone.” She didn’t look at him, but her voice shook. The guitarist bowed his head, feeling horrible for having had to be the bearer of bad news.

“If you ever need me…you know I’m here for you,” he said quietly, standing up to leave. She made no response, no indication that she heard, so Emppu left, glancing back as he closed the door to see Anette bury her face in her hands, head bowed low, her back heaving with silent sobs. Guilt twisted inside his gut; he shouldn’t be leaving her like this.

 

Tuomas was in the hallway when he left Anette’s room. The keyboardist’s face was a storm cloud, and Emppu wondered why, but didn’t ask.

“You look like crap,” Tuomas said. Emppu supposed he did. Not only was he hung-over, but he’d just delivered bad news to one of his best friends and left her alone when he should have stayed and comforted her.

“You’re not looking too great yourself,” Emppu noted. Tuomas looked tired and was probably hung-over as well, and he looked so angry right at that moment. “I’m going for a walk, I need to clear my head.” Maybe if he just had some time and space to think, then he’d feel less guilty, think of some way to make Anette feel better, think of some way to fix all of this. Suddenly the hallway felt stifling and his urge to get out was nearly overwhelming.

“Conversation didn’t go so well?” Tuomas asked. Emppu’s mind flared in annoyance. Obviously it wouldn’t go so well.

“Could have been worse,” he said, holding back his temper, telling himself to calm down. “I’m really worried about her.”

Something flickered in Tuomas’ eyes, something Emppu couldn’t recognize, when he replied, “We all are.” He was about to ask about it, but changed his mind, figured that was a conversation best left unspoken.

“Well I really…I need some air.” He pushed around Tuomas, barely resisting the urge to jog out of the hotel, forcing himself to keep his composure. A walk in the wilderness would clear his mind, soothe him on the inside, where his emotions were all knotted up and fraying at the ends.

 

By the time he got to the other end of the hallway where the stairs were, he realized he should bring his camera. Taking pictures had always been a form of escapism for him and he needed to escape more than ever right now. He trudged back down the hallway right as Marco was coming up. He, too, looked angry, but Emppu really didn’t feel like talking to anyone right now. Marco asked the same question as Tuomas, and Emppu replied the same way. When the bassist said Jukka was talking with Tarja, a flicker of worry and curiousity sparked Emppu’s interest. When he asked why, Marco didn’t seem about to share any details, so Emppu bit his tongue to prevent himself from asking further questions. He just wanted his camera, and then to leave. He let himself into the room and Marco followed behind him, and it took a second for him to realize that Tuomas wasn’t there. He wondered for a second where he could have gone, but had a feeling he knew the answer to that, so he grabbed his camera quickly from his bag as Marco laid down on the bed, and without saying so much as a “good-bye”, Emppu let himself out of the room.

 

He felt something inside him loosen as he walked down the street, looking for things to take pictures of. It was still morning, so the streets weren’t too busy, and to the common passer-by, Emppu would have appeared to be alone, though he knew that a bodyguard was trailing a respectable distance behind. A couple people recognized him and asked him for autographs or pictures, and he’d force a smile onto his face and do as they asked, but he barely spoke to them, didn’t make jokes like he usually did. He just wanted to be left alone. Finally he came to a public park, quiet at this time of day, and followed the gravel path that wound its way through it. Every so often, he would stop and take a picture, but he was too preoccupied by his thoughts to pay much attention to what he was taking pictures of or to make sure that the pictures would turn out well. His thoughts were stumbling upon each other, but above them all was an overlying sensation of guilt and worry. He could think of no way to make Anette feel better, no way to fix what had happened, and the most he could do was hope that this story wouldn’t be spun into something more than it was, even though it was big. He hope people would be sensitive to what Anette had gone through and be wise enough to give her some space, but he knew better than to assume it.

 

He didn’t go back to the hotel that day, but instead wandered around Helsinki, sometimes talking to the man who was watching his back, sometimes walking ahead, alone with his thoughts. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing Anette again, because though his guilt at leaving her like that had receded slightly, it was still there. He didn’t know why he felt so bad, because she had asked him to leave, after all, but he did. Before anyone knew what had happened to her except him, she gladly accepted his company, hadn’t been afraid to cry in front of him, but today she had hidden her face, she had told him that she wanted to be left alone. It was with such thoughts that the guitarist walked around the city, stopping for lunch and supper at whatever place he happened to pass, sitting with the bodyguard, whose name, he found out, was Niko, and talking about everything except what was predominantly on his mind, though Niko had to be aware of the circumstances within the band. On one occasion during the afternoon, when the two were sitting together on a bench, and Emppu was explaining why he loved taking pictures, he suddenly remembered that he and Tarja were supposed to have coffee together in two days’ time. Pausing in his monologue about how you could capture things in a picture that you don’t see with the naked eye, Emppu excused himself and pulled his cell out of his pocket, walking a short distance away so that Niko wouldn’t see what was going on. After a brief dilemma over whether to call or text Tarja, Emppu decided he was too angry with her to call, so he would text. He quickly punched in “We still on for Wednesday?” and closed the phone without waiting for a response. Part of him hoped they weren’t because he wasn’t sure that he would even be able to look at her, but the logical part of him told him that he had to meet up with her so that he could clear up this mess.

Chapter 14

{ April 15, 2008 @ 11:21 pm } · { Fellowship }
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Author’s Note: I’m sorry! I couldn’t help myself! My fangirlyness got the better of me. I assure you, this is the first and last time that you’ll see any obvious romantic anything. Consider it a reflection of her current state of vulnerability if you wish. And omg, please don’t tell me it’s lame and cheesy, but actually do if it is. It’s why I don’t write romantic fanfics, you see. And yay! Early update!

 

14

 

“Tuomas! Tuomas, please! Listen to me, you don’t understand!”

He knew that, but it was like his body had hit autopilot the instant he saw the exchange between Marco, Jukka and Tarja. He couldn’t help himself. Just seeing her there angered him, and all the tension, sorrow, everything he’d felt these past weeks exploded in him. Even as he was walking away, he knew he was overreacting. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that they hadn’t even bothered to read the article, but even that knowledge didn’t stall his stride. Why couldn’t she have just left them alone? Especially after this. Couldn’t she just give them all, and more specifically Anette, some space to cool down? Why did she feel the need to justify herself, or whatever the reasons were that the information was out in the open now? She couldn’t explain it away and an explanation wouldn’t help at all. It had to be dealt with, and Tuomas was afraid there was no way to do that. Clenching his teeth, trying to suppress his anger and clear his mind, Tuomas jabbed the elevator button with his index finger. After a few moments, he decided it was taking too long and started up the stairs. Four floors wasn’t much of a climb anyway.

 

About to swipe his keycard and enter his room, he paused when he heard someone opening the door from Anette’s adjoining room, and Emppu exited, looking tired.

“You look like crap,” Tuomas said, intending to say it lightheartedly, but he couldn’t seem to force cheerfulness of any degree into his voice.

“You’re not looking too great yourself,” Emppu replied, wearily. “I’m going for a walk, I need to clear my head.”

“Conversation didn’t go so well?”

“Could have been worse.” Emppu sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m really worried about her, Tuomas.”

“We all are,” Tuomas said, sincerely.

Emppu looked about to say something but seemed to change his mind as his shook his head. “Well, I really…I need some air,” he said, smiling a half-smile and moving around Tuomas and down the hall. Tuomas stood for a second, alone in the hall, then went to go into his room again, but dropped his hand to his side and looked at Anette’s door. Should he go talk to her? Would it be alright to, or should he just leave her alone? Inhaling deeply, as if that could steel him, he stepped to Anette’s door, raised a fist and knocked. Well, here goes, he thought.

 

When she opened the door, the only sign that anything was wrong was the streaks that her mascara had left when she cried. Tuomas felt his heart reach out to her, he wanted to reach out for her, but she seemed isolated and remote.

“Can I come in?” Tuomas said at last. Anette shrugged and held the door open wider for him. Taking that as a yes, he stepped into her room and made his way over to the chair by the desk. The door swung closed with a click and Anette came and sat on the bed. The two said nothing for awhile, both looking at the floor. Tuomas finally broke the silence.

“Anette, I…I’m worried about you.” He looked up and saw her eyes still riveted on the floor. “I know that it might be hard, but I really think you should talk –”

“Why did you wait?” she asked, interrupting him.

“What?” Tuomas was genuinely confused.

“Why did you wait so long to come and talk to me?” She was focused on him now, but he couldn’t read what she was feeling in her face.

“I…” Tuomas couldn’t meet her eyes and looked at the floor by her feet. “I guess I was…I was scared.” He couldn’t believe he was saying this! He felt embarrassed by his admission and wanted nothing more than to just drop the subject, but Anette persisted.

“Why? What were you scared of?” Her voice was softer, shaking. Tuomas looked sharply at her, but she didn’t seem to be crying.

“I guess…I didn’t want to make things worse.”

“How…how could you have made anything worse?” Tuomas didn’t say anything, unsure how to answer that because he honestly didn’t know. She looked down, letting her hair cover her face, as she had been when she walked into the hotel when Tuomas saw her after she had been attacked. She covered her eyes with her hands, as if she was ashamed to be crying, but Tuomas couldn’t understand why she’d be ashamed. He’d seen her cry before, at his own songs. Feeling unnaturally confident, he went and sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He didn’t say anything; he didn’t need to.  She leaned her cheek onto his shoulder, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed silently. He squeezed her shoulders tighter and brought his other arm around her, as if he could shield her from the pain, bowing his head. She turned, burying her face into his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his chest, squeezing him tightly as if he was the only thing grounding her. He felt tears gather in his eyes and shut them tightly, and the two sat there in silence until Anette’s sobbing subsided.

 

“Thank you,” she said, though her voice was muffled because her face was still buried into his shoulder. She pulled away, though her arms remained wrapped about him, hands resting on his shoulder blades. “Thank you so much.” Her voice shook still, but Tuomas thought it had to be with genuine gratitude. In this moment, she was the most beautiful woman Tuomas had ever laid eyes on, so beautiful it made his heart ache, despite the tears still wet on her eyelashes, smudged makeup, flushed face from crying. Her eyes were sparkling, more clear than he’d ever seen them, and she was smiling, a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. She was so close, her arms wrapped around him, his around her, and there was an electricity in the air, making his mind buzz.

“Don’t mention it,” he said with a half-hearted smile. He leaned in to hug her again, properly, but she leaned in too and their lips met. Shock flashed through Tuomas’ mind, and before it had worn off, Anette had pulled away, pushed him away, and was standing, wringing her hands, looking everywhere but at him.

“I should probably go,” Tuomas said softly, standing and heading to the door. Anette didn’t move and Tuomas wondered what she was thinking, but knew better than to ask. Instead, he quietly slipped out of the room and into his own.

Chapter 13

{ April 9, 2008 @ 11:08 pm } · { Fellowship }
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13

 

Marco watched Tarja’s back as she left the lobby, aware that Jukka was not pleased.

“What the fuck’s your problem?” the drummer hissed, before walking out of the lobby, doubtless to apologize to Tarja. Marco realized he’d probably overreacted, but couldn’t seem to care, and he wandered off in the direction Tuomas had gone, glaring at the wondering onlookers who dared to meet his gaze. Maybe the stress of the past week or so had finally caught up with him, but whatever it was, his mind was wrapped in glowing anger that he couldn’t seem to quell.

 

Upon arriving on the floor where the rooms were, he saw Emppu walking down the hallway, looking tired.

“How’d it go?” Marco asked, pushing negative emotions aside for the time being, when they met up by the door.

“As well as could be expected, I guess,” Emppu replied with a sigh. He didn’t seem to want to talk about it, though, so Marco decided to let the subject drop, and he wasn’t about to bring up the encounter downstairs, so the two stood awkwardly in the hallway, waiting for one or the other to say something. Finally, Emppu broke the silence.

“Where’s Jukka?”

“Talking with Tarja, I imagine.” He must have said it angrier than he meant to, because a look of worry crossed Emppu’s face.

“Why’s he talking with Tarja?”

“Because he is.”

Emppu seemed about to say something, but he dropped the subject and shrugged instead, swiping his keycard and entering the room. Marco slipped in behind him and blinked as the lights were flicked on. Why were the lights off to begin with? Hadn’t Tuomas come to the room? With a brief glance around, Marco came to the conclusion that, no, he had not. Where had he gone then? Deciding it was a mystery that could be solved later, Marco walked with leaden feet into the room and flopped down onto the nearest bed. He was suddenly very, very weary, and he figured that it wouldn’t hurt to just rest his eyes for a bit. Just for a bit…

 

When Marco awoke, the lights were off and it was dark inside the room. The curtains had to have been closed, because it couldn’t have possibly been too late into the afternoon. He heard a small click as someone swiped their card in the door and entered, and he sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He now focused on the person entering the room, and it took a moment to register that it was Tuomas. Tuomas didn’t turn on the lights.

“Where did you get off to?” Marco asked gruffly, and he could see Tuomas’ silhouette jump.

“Nowhere in particular,” he responded after a pause.

“And where is that?”

“Anette’s room.” Tuomas must have realized how that sounded, because he quickly added, “We were just talking.”

“I see. And what were you talking about?”

“I don’t see why that’s important…”

“I’d just like to know.”

“Well you don’t have to. We had to talk, so we did.”

The fact that Tuomas was being so evasive bothered Marco, and he became aware that he had a throbbing headache.

“Whatever,” he said finally, rising from the bed and shoving past Tuomas into the bathroom. “I need Tylenol or something. Where the hell do we keep it? And don’t turn on the –” he winced as Tuomas flicked the bathroom light on “- light.”

“Sorry,” mumbled Tuomas, who didn’t turn off the light, as he began digging through the towels, bottles of shampoo and shaving kits piled on the counter. “I have some here somewhere, just let me find it.”

Marco massaged his temples as he waited for Tuomas to produce the bottled relief, and finally he was successful, holding up the bottle of Tylenol triumphantly.

“Thank you,” Marco said, taking the bottle from him.

“Don’t mention it.” And Tuomas left before Marco had the chance to ask about his conversation with Anette again.

 

The band didn’t have supper together that night. Marco saw Anette and Tuomas leaving together earlier, and Emppu was nowhere to be found. Jukka had been avoiding him since the morning showdown with Tarja, so Marco sat in the room and ordered room service. There was a knock at the door when he was just digging into the pizza, and with a mournful sigh, he set the slice back down; its savoury goodness would have to wait until he dealt with whoever was at the door. It was no one to be dealt with though, only Ewo, wondering where the rest of the band was. Marco shrugged, said he didn’t know, and invited Ewo in. He could use some company. The manager smiled and stepped into the room, inhaling deeply.

“Smells like pizza!” he exclaimed, eagerly walking towards the loveseat where the pizza box was resting. Marco laughed.

“Help yourself!”

“I was going to anyway.” Ewo grinned and grabbed the slice of pizza Marco had been about to eat, taking a seat. Marco sat on the other side of the pizza box, also grabbing a slice.

“So what’s been up with Anette?” Ewo asked around a mouthful of food.

“I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you…” How would the others react if they found out he’d told Ewo? Was he not supposed to know?

“Well, I should know, don’t you think? I mean, I am the one who’s been canceling all these shows for her lately, after all.”

“That’s a good point, but I really think you should ask her.”

Ewo said nothing, but his look said it all. It was true, she wouldn’t tell him.

Marco sighed, unsure of how to word it.

“Haven’t you seen the tabloids?” he asked instead.

“What tabloids? You know I don’t even look at those things.”

“You’re right. Well, I guess, I can just say that she was hurt…really badly.”

“Well, I saw that. I want to know how she got so hurt…”

Marco winced, aware that he would, in fact, have to tell the manager, and that he’d have to be blunt about it.

“Well…she was…” he took a deep breath, bracing himself to say the word that conjured so many painful images. “She was…raped.” There. He said it.

“What?” Ewo’s face fell, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard, but Marco wasn’t going to repeat it. Just the thought of it made him sick with anger at the person who did it.

“I have to talk to her,” Ewo said, his face and voice a mixture of emotions, and none of them good. “She has to tell the police.”