Chapter 70: Bad Timing.
"Dawn of the wolf, the resurrection of the serpent but the devil sees through it all.
All Father, Almighty, Thor, Son of Odin. The gods have descended.
They have fallen into the world of man but now, we shall kill them!
The gods are lost, the gods need saving! But we are not saviors!
I bring down the axe, I bring down the hammer, the seal of the undead is broken!
We are the damned, the broken and abandoned!~"
Kyle couldn’t believe his ears. This was incredible. The heavy beat and bass blended with Ella’s voice, giving him goosebumps, and the transition between the powerful screams and melodic vocals flowed effortlessly.
The combination was simply hypnotic, drawing him in with every note. He had never imagined that Ella could reach such remarkable vocal ranges.
It was a sound he hadn’t anticipated, especially in a genre like heavy metal, where female leads were often overshadowed by their male counterparts. But this—this was beautiful.
Kyle glanced over at Isabella, knowing that this style of music was far from her usual taste.
By the slight wince she made every time Ella screamed, Kyle could tell she wasn’t particularly enjoying the genre.
Despite that, Isabella was enduring it, and Kyle appreciated her effort. He also knew that Isabella was exactly the person he needed to assess Ella’s talent—a neutral party, someone who didn’t listen to this type of music on a regular basis.
Her opinion would be more valuable than someone already familiar with the genre.
As he listened, Kyle realized that there were moments in the song when Ella sang with the kind of precision and beauty of a pop star, further showcasing her versatility.
It highlighted her potential in the music industry, even if heavy metal wasn’t her final destination.
The fact that she could smoothly transition between such contrasting styles made her stand out in the best way possible.
"What do you think?" Kyle asked, pausing the music after they had listened long enough to form an assessment.
Isabella quickly cleared her throat, composing herself.
Kyle watched carefully, knowing she might be tempted to tell him what she thought he wanted to hear.
This was the perfect opportunity to see if she was someone who would try to feed him superficial praise or if she would be honest, even if her opinion wasn’t aligned with Kyle’s preferences.
"I don’t fancy this sort of music, to be honest," Isabella began, her voice carefully measured.
"But I have to say, I could feel the emotion, the pain behind her voice. I can’t really describe it, but I have goosebumps. She also showed an impressive range—one moment she’s screaming like she’s in agony, and the next she’s singing like an angel, without any visible strain on her throat."
Isabella’s assessment was spot on, and Kyle couldn’t contain his surprise. It was clear that Isabella had a keen ear for talent, even though this wasn’t the genre she preferred.
"Wow, that was impressive!" Kyle said, his enthusiasm rising.
He was thrilled by the assessment and understood that this was great news for Ella’s potential career.
"You have excellent ears! I’m glad you’re here," Kyle continued, feeling a sense of relief.
"But I need you to handle this talent for me. Any openings, any gigs, make sure you run them through me first," he instructed. Isabella nodded in understanding, confident in her ability to manage this task.
"Is there anything else?" Isabella asked, curious if there was more to discuss.
Kyle leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment.
"What’s with the line outside? And why are there only women waiting? I thought this wasn’t a women-only agency," he questioned, genuinely curious.
Isabella sighed slightly, clearly prepared to answer.
"The majority of our clients are women. We’ve found that we appeal more to women, and that’s our target audience, though we do accept male clients. It’s just that we’ve built a reputation for catering to women’s needs." Isabella informed her new boss. Kyle nodded in understanding.
That was a reasonable explanation, and he didn’t feel the need to push the matter further.
It was clear that Isabella had found a niche and had been successful in it, even if it wasn’t his primary focus.
Just as the conversation was settling down, a knock at the door interrupted them.
Kyle was certain it was Carly, but he also knew that Isabella likely had a no-disturbance policy while she was in meetings.
"What is it, Carly?" Isabella barked, trying her best to maintain her composure and elegance in front of Kyle.
"Misses Wave is here..." Carly informed them, and Kyle’s face immediately stiffened. His thoughts raced, and a sense of unease washed over him.
"Calista!" he thought to himself, recognition flashing through his mind.
-
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Jane was sitting beside Ella, who was getting discharged that day. The doctor had emphasized the importance of Ella attending an AA meeting to discuss her struggles with other addicts. He explained that it wasn’t something he was forcing her to do but that it might help her in the long run.
"Are you okay?" Jane asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I’m great. I just need a week of sleep, honestly," Ella replied with a loud sigh, trying to make light of the situation.
Jane smiled softly but didn’t push.
"Me too... But that’s not exactly what I meant. I mean... how are you really doing?" Jane hesitated, not wanting to intrude too much, but feeling the weight of the unspoken emotions.
"I’m fine, Jane. I really am," Ella replied, her tone trying to convince both Jane and herself. Jane, however, wasn’t convinced.
Jane had always been a firm believer that if someone wanted to share something, they would.
She didn’t want to force Ella to talk about anything, but she knew that being present was sometimes just as important as offering advice.
"Ella..." Jane began, sensing that there was something weighing on her friend’s mind.
Ella called her name quietly, as though she was about to share something deeply personal.
"Yes?" Jane responded, leaning in to listen intently.
"He is one of the good ones," Ella said, her voice filled with rare sincerity. "Don’t let him go." Her words were about Kyle, the first guy that Jane had shown interest in, and Ella approved of him.
Jane was taken aback by Ella’s openness, and she felt a deep sense of trust in those words.
Jane nodded, understanding the weight of what Ella was saying.
"I know, I won’t mess it up. I promise you," Jane assured her.
For a moment, Jane’s thoughts drifted to Cleopatra, wondering why she had been acting so strangely.
She hadn’t seen her older sister in years, and there was something about her presence that always felt intimidating.
Cleopatra had an air of mystery and command, her striking appearance often turning heads.
Despite her admiration for her older sister’s strength, Ella had always tried to emulate her but in a subtler way.
Ella’s goth-like style wasn’t as extreme as Cleopatra’s, but she had always found solace in a similar appearance.
Cleopatra’s ghostly pale skin only seemed to add to her mystique.
"Ella, what did she say to you?" Jane finally couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. But Ella, to Jane’s surprise, didn’t say another word.
She kept her lips sealed, and Jane couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on inside her friend’s mind.
But as Ella clutched Jane’s hand tightly, Jane could see through her fake bravado. Ella was trying to convince herself that she was fine, but the cracks were beginning to show. In that moment, Ella broke down in tears, and Jane immediately wrapped her arms around her, offering comfort.
It was then that Ella finally spoke the words that had been festering in her heart.
"My p—parents... they are dead." Ella confessed.
