Page 24 of Snapdragon

Which means I’m going to have to perform in front of Sebastian. I gulp as I think about it. I’m not normally one for stage fright, but this is terrifying. To top it all off, we’re to have ‘get to know each other’ games to break the ice with our new colleagues.

I am excited about the studio though. I’m supposed to be writing my album at the moment, and I think it will be a fun change of pace to work there. Besides, I’m curious to see the Monsters in a normal work setting. I imagine it’s kind of like when you see a teacher outside of school, doing something completely normal.

I’ve been working on the early stages of my new music recently, so it will be good to get back into the studio with Alex again. Alex is amazing, they have produced all of my work until now and I wouldn’t be able to create my sound without their collaboration. They’ll be there today too.

So will Daisy and Cleo, I’m doing a full out performance, so I have to have my dancers. I’m actually going to pick them up on the way there.

I’m trying to shift my thoughts to be more positive. It’s almost working, until I remember that I’m going to see Sebastian and his band play today. Or at least I assume I am. I haven’t actually considered if every artist under the label will be playing. I hope he does, I’ve been listening to his music on repeat all week.

The label released a new music app to feature both Human and Monster artists. I’ve been listening to so much cool new music, and it’s been inspiring for me. Sebastian’s music, especially. I’ve been sharing some of it with Alex, and even they can’t figure out how some of the technical layering works. So they’re excited to try and meet Sebastian’s producer today.

I sigh, rolling out of bed. It’s time to get ready and get to work.

I pull up into my space in the lot, then double check that my parking card matches the number.

“This is a good spot.” Cleo calls from the back seat.

It is a good spot, too good a spot. Since when do I get to park this close to the building?

I switch off the ignition and turn to look at Daisy and Cleo.

“Are you guys as nervous as I am?”

Daisy nods as Cleo declares, “I’m excited! I want a Monster boyfriend like you, Flora.” She sticks out her tongue at me, teasing.

I look away quickly, starting to pack up my purse properly and then checking my hair in the rear view mirror. I hate having to lie to my friends about Sebastian, but I would hate having to break that airtight NDA even more.

Lucky for me, apparently we’re very convincing at being together. Even my friends don’t really see through it. Well, that’s a lie. Rosie can tell that something’s up, but she also knows that if I could tell her I would. So she doesn’t ask.

“Come on, let’s go in, already!” Cleo whines. I make eye contact with Daisy in the mirror and we share a look. Cleo was going to be a lot to handle today.

“Hang on a sec.” I say. “Alex said that they’d be here in a few minutes. Let’s wait for them and we can all go in together.”

I take the time to look at the building. It’s huge, looking more like a corporate office building from the outside. I guess they didn’t need to worry about space in this part of town. It’s located right on the border between the Monsters and Humans.

There’s a Monster making his way down the sidewalk right now, heading towards the building. He is dressed in a suit, well, his top half is. Instead of having legs, the rest of him is a giant snake. He carries a briefcase, so I assume that he’s an important executive for the label.

“Still sure you want to get with a Monster, Cleo?” I tease, seeing her jaw drop as she also notices him.

We’re staring at him so intently, that we all jump when someone knocks on the passenger side window. I unlock the doors when I see it’s Alex and they come and sit with us.

“Hey, love,” I lean over to hug them in greeting.

“Hey girlies,” Alex replies. “I’m incredibly nervous right now.”

“Us too,” Daisy quips.

I’ve done this before, I’ve met quite a few Monsters now, and I know I can handle this.

“OK. Let’s rip off this band aid.” I open my door and walk around to the trunk, popping it open. The girls join me and we all grab our dance bags. We’re already dressed for the performance today. I’m wearing my teal blue wig that’s tied up into a pair of high bubble braids. I’ve paired it with white combat boots so I’m comfortable for the day. My outfit itself being a lavender baby tee and a teal mini skirt. I wanted to represent my onstage persona, but also go a little more casual for comfort more than anything else.

Not that this wig is comfortable at all. Sometimes I regret the wigs, but then I see the photos and video clips from performances and I’m so happy with them. I tasked Daisy and Cleo to wear their teal baby tees and lavender cargo pants, slung low on their hips. They can pull that look off so much better than me, my pants would literally fall down if I tried to wear them that low.

We make our way to the building and step inside. Cleo is first through the door, always the eager one. A female with snakes for hair meets us on the other side, a clip board in hand.

“Hello to you all,” she says. She checks us in and has us move to get in line to get new ID cards created.

I’m sitting across from a young Orc woman, Tabitha. She’s pretty nice, and we’ve been chatting about wigs for the past ten minutes. She was fascinated by mine and wanted to try out something new. I didn’t blame her after she told me that her black hair can’t be bleached or colored.