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Ayla didn’t need to test the game out to know that Evo was going to be successful. Just seeing the planetoid was enough to be sure of that. It was the ultimate adventure, the pinnacle of innovation and entertainment. Something new and exciting would be enough to attract people, but once people got to Evo, they would experience something beyond their wildest expectations.
Ayla had been impressed by what she’d seen so far, and that included the arena. No expense had been spared to create the huge coliseum with a retractable dome, allowing them to change the indoor space into an outdoor venue in a matter of a few minutes. Right now, the roof was closed, keeping any sound from reaching outside. That was a good thing since she didn’t want people to hear a preview of what was to come.
Although this was just a rehearsal, she belted out the lyrics at full volume, treating it like a real performance, sans makeup and costumes. During the real show, she would dress to dazzle. But for now, she wore a pair of gray leggings, an oversized sweater the color of ripe plums, and a pair of knee-high boots that were lined with a soft material that made it feel like she was walking on clouds.
A rehearsal was about getting used to the stage setup to make any necessary adjustments before the actual performance, but most of the performers had already done that by holo. While they were fine with just a simple sound check before the concert, Ayla still insisted on doing a brief rehearsal in person. She liked getting the feel of a place before she walked on stage for the real show.
The stage itself was shaped like an hourglass, with her band on their own platform near the center. During the concert, the stage would rise up into the air to give everyone a better view of the performers. The arena had been created to host concerts, sporting events, and gaming competitions, so there were also several floating viewing screens that would provide everyone with a close-up view of what was happening on the stage below.
Although she loved the energy a large crowd provided, Ayla occasionally missed singing in smaller venues where the experience felt a little more intimate. She didn’t like the lights blinding her so she could hardly see the audience, and thousands of screaming fans made it difficult to hear. That made her feel a little disconnected from everything that was going on around her.
As the song ended, she immediately flowed into the next. When that one was finished, she gave the band the signal to pause. Ayla’s assistant, Lina Z’Mar, hurried over to shove a water bottle into her hand.
“Drink. You need to stay hydrated.”
“So you always remind me.” Ayla laughed before following orders. “How did it sound?”
“Excellent, as always.”
“You always say that.”
The younger D’Aire female shrugged. “Well, it’s true.”
“Let’s see what the critic has to say.” Ayla lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the lights. “What do you think?”
She was aware that there was a group of Evo security personnel in the building as well as her own personal protection team, but they weren’t who she was waiting for a response from. The blaring lights made it difficult to see the thousands of seats in the venue, but she knew her brother was out there somewhere. As was his habit, Artem had chosen a random seat to listen to her rehearsal, so she patiently waited until he made his way up to the stage.
Like most of the D’Aire race, her brother had the same white hair and iridescent blue eyes as she did. But that was about all they had in common. While she was a free spirit, he was practical to the point of being boring. Since he preferred human styles over more traditional D’Aire clothing, her older brother was dressed in a pale blue dress shirt with gray pants and a matching vest.
Unlike her, Artem wouldn’t be caught dead wearing casualwear in public.
As he came into view, Ayla was surprised to see he wasn’t alone. One of the members of Contagious, the band that had been opening for her over the last few months, was with him. As they made their way onto the stage to join her, their smiles confirmed what she already suspected.
The acoustics in the arena were almost magical.
“You sounded good, sis,” Artem praised.
“You always do,” Nolan Dovico added shyly. “This place is amazing. I can’t wait until we get a chance to play in here.”
Nolan was the lead guitar player of Contagious and one of their main songwriters. Contagious was a talented band, but they’d had little exposure and had been poorly managed before Ayla had invited them to join her on tour. Now, they had risen to the top of the charts and were being managed by a bright young female who had personally been trained by Artem himself.
The pop-rock band was known for wearing black masks over the lower portions of their faces during their performances, and for their skull and crossbones logo. The other three members of the band weren’t present, but the young human males had gone out the night before, so she was shocked to see any of them already awake and functioning.
“What are you doing here so early?” Ayla asked. “I figured you would still be sleeping after your late night out.”
“I…I was hoping you might have time to look at the new song I’ve been working on after you are done with rehearsal,” Nolan said.
“Sure. I can give it a listen.”
Since she thought of the band members as her adopted younger brothers, she was always willing to help them out. She often collaborated with other artists and had even written songs for others on occasion.
“Hey!” Sebastian Vales, the lead singer of Contagious, shouted as he hurried over to join them. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed, but there was a manic excitement shining in his dark eyes. “We’ve been asked to do a livestream with Shout Out Loud. Can you fucking believe it?”
He let out a loud laugh as he lifted Ayla off her feet and spun her around in a circle. Shout Out Loud was another band that would be performing at the concert. The older rock band had been at the top of their game for many years, and it would be a great opportunity for the younger band to appear with them.
“No shit?” Nolan grinned. “That’s awesome!”
“Thank you so much for introducing us to them yesterday,” Sebastian gushed as he set Ayla back down.
