Oblivion (ClikByte)

Chapter 1

Walking up the red-carpeted steps to the Rainburst Springs Gala, dressed in a bright-red Portia Levigne ballgown, all I could think was how absolutely out of my league I was at this event. Uncomfortable, awkward, and out of my depth all fit, too—but only on the inside.

I paused, the huge taffeta skirt tinkling with thousands of hand-stitched glass beads, and posed for the cameras.

On the outside, I was poised and confident. To the photographers, and the readers of those tabloids, I was Norah Sparkle, child star turned model-slash-influencer-slash-moron. I hated that name. My name was Noah, and that one extra letter made me into someone else.

“Tilt your chin up more,” my boyfriend Richard said quietly, his arm wrapped around my waist possessively as he flashed his veneers at the cameras. “You drop your chin too low and you’ll look fat in the photos.”

Like I wasn’t painfully aware of all my bad sides already.

I’d become “famous” as a little girl, when a reality TV series started filming our dance school for the drama between the competitive moms. Thankfully my mom had never pushed as hard as some of the others, and when I told her I wasn’t enjoying it anymore—at age twelve—she let me quit.

I probably would have just faded into obscurity and had a normal teen life if not for the invention of ClikByte.

Like a hybrid social media platform, with crazy lucrative incentives.

My brother Miles and I set up an account just for fun, but within a year we were one of the most-followed accounts on the platform, making more money than we ever realized possible.

It became addictive.

Now here I was, attending a fucking gala, wearing Valentino, and smiling for photographers. Like I was some kind of celebrity. Such bullshit. Contrary to the latest spin, I felt dead inside, almost all the time.

Richard guided me through the main entrance and away from the press, then immediately dropped his smile and his embrace. “Fuck, I need a drink already,” he commented, looking around.

Irritation prickled my skin and I frowned.

“We just got here. Maybe give it a bit?” Because we both knew he had a hard time slowing down once he started drinking lately.

I suspected he’d been experimenting with other drugs, too, but he’d never admit it to me.

No, he was well aware of my feelings on the subject.

“Maybe shut the fuck up with your judgment, Noah,” he snapped back, shooting me a glare with his deep brown eyes that was downright hateful, “Miles, keep an eye on her. I’m finding the bar.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” my brother replied, having just come through the door after us. He arched a knowing smile, and I scowled back at him as Richard walked away.

He and my boyfriend were best friends; had been since they were kids. Initially it seemed like a natural progression for me and Richard to start dating but lately it was starting to feel all too shallow, as if Richard actually didn’t like me, unless we were filming content—or fucking.

“Go,” I told him with a sigh. “Have fun. You don’t need to babysit me. I’m a big girl now.” I’d turned eighteen a few months earlier, but Miles was twenty, and Rich just turned twenty-one a week ago.

He flashed a grin, tossing his shaggy blond hair that matched my color perfectly. “Sure you are, Noah. But maybe I like hanging out with you.”

I wanted to call him a liar, but he wasn’t. My brother and I were closer than friends, and our shared ClikByte content was just a happy byproduct of that relationship.

“Come on, little sis, let’s go schmooze some celebs.” He shoulder-bumped me, his stiff tux rough on my bare arm. “Did I mention you look like a princess? Because you do.”

I shot him a small smile. “Thanks, Miles. I feel…stupid. Like, why am I here? I’m no one.”

He shook his head, guiding me further into the cavernous library with a hand on my back.

“That’s imposter syndrome talking, Noah.

Sure, we’re not movie stars like Cameron Eagle over there…

” He nodded to the gorgeous brunette actress sipping gracefully from a champagne flute nearby.

“Or rock stars like Seventeen Daggers…” He indicated to the sexy as sin—even if they were old enough to be my dad—rock group gathered near the bar.

“But we earned our invitation here. We didn’t pay for it or bribe anyone.

They invited us because we have several million followers on CB, and that, my dear sister, means we’re someone. ”

A reluctant smile curved my lips at Miles’s encouragement. He was the best hype man. I’d recently started a new CB account, an anonymous one that no one except Miles knew about, and with his help I was finally finding myself.

He winked, clearly sensing what was on my mind, and bumped me with his elbow. “Wanna jump off the memorial tower after we ditch this party?”

I grinned wickedly. “Fuck yes. Make my whole night and tell me you packed our gear?”

His eyes rolled. “Like I’d go anywhere without it. You’re impulsive as fuck, Noah. If I wasn’t prepared at all times, we’d miss all the good content.”

Amused acceptance rolled through me. He was my cameraman, but loved the thrill just as much as I did. We were two peas in a pod. Twins separated by two years, our mom liked to say.

“Well, I doubt it’ll be hard to ditch Richard this time,” I muttered, spotting my boyfriend across the room with a drink in hand and another at his lips.

Something had shifted in him recently; he was drinking a whole lot, and I hardly recognized the boy I’d had a crush on for my whole life.

He was mean… all the damn time. If I were a stronger person, I’d have broken things off already.

Miles sighed, running a hand over his platinum hair. “He’s dealing with some shit,” he said with a grimace. “Maybe if we told him about—”

“No,” I quickly shut him down. “No, this is our thing. You and me. Fearlys forever, remember?”

He gave a weak smile back, his gaze soft. “Yeah, Squirt. Fearlys forever.” It had been our battle cry as kids, while running headlong into fights I had no business starting. We both had it tattooed now, despite how cheesy it seemed.

Miles wrapped an arm around my shoulders hugging me against his side while drawing me deeper into the library-turned-gala party. “They invited a lot of content creators, huh?”

I looked in the direction he’d been staring, and my heart skipped a quick beat.

“I guess the organizers recognize who has disposable income at the moment,” I commented lightly, unable to tear my eyes away from the gorgeous, dark-haired guy.

Xavier Stone… I was woman enough to admit I had a huge crush on him.

While Miles, Richard, and I were ranked in the top-one-hundred creators on ClikByte—the platform that literally paid us for every click our content garnered—Xavier was top-ten. He was an actual celebrity, and a fucking sexy one at that.

“I bet his buddies are all here, too,” Miles huffed.

He and Xavier’s best friend, Ace Heart, had some kind of bad blood, but my brother would never tell me what had caused it.

My curiosity spiked, and I turned to ask Miles once more what had gone down.

Before I could get the words out, though, Richard’s arm snaked around my waist and pulled me back against his body.

“Peaches, babe, do you wanna go find somewhere to fuck real quick? I’m so horny.” He didn’t even bother lowering his voice, and Miles gave an obvious cringe. Richard’s breath was positively flammable already. How the fuck did he get so drunk, so fast?

Awkwardly shifting out of his embrace, I shook my head. “Uh, no… I’m good. Maybe I should go get us some water?”

Richard seemed undeterred, giving me a wobbly grin that was probably meant to be sexy.

“Later, then? Got it.” He winked and shot me a finger gun.

What the fuck? “Miles, my man! Did you see the tits on Cameron Eagle?” He cupped his hands suggestively, and a cold dread pooled inside me.

With every uncomfortable interaction between us these days, I was more and more convinced he was cheating on me.

“Dude,” Miles replied, shaking his head in disgust. “Not cool. Come on, Noah, I saw Jared arrive a minute ago.”

My brother tucked my arm through his and led me away from my intoxicated boyfriend. Thank fuck I wasn’t the only one creeped out by his behavior tonight, or I’d have been questioning Miles’s sanity.

“Told you he was acting like a dick,” I muttered as we walked away.

Miles just sighed, and I didn’t push things further.

He’d been Miles’s best friend longer than he’d been my boyfriend, so my brother’s loyalty was stretched.

Besides, my relationship wasn’t his problem to fix.

I just needed to find my spine and break up with Richard, regardless of the business implications.

“Noah! Miles! You two look incredible,” our manager, Jared, grinned broadly as he approached. “See, I knew you’d fit in here.”

I rolled my eyes, tugging uncomfortably at my designer ballgown. “I dunno about that. I’d be more comfortable jumping off a cliff right now.” Literally.

Miles and Jared both grinned. Jared had only recently been brought into the loop about my new CB profile, NoFear.

I’d started it just as an expression of freedom, but the Cliks—and earnings—started pouring in, and as my manager, Jared had questions.

We trusted him, though. He’d never done Miles or me wrong.

“Well, no one would ever know. We can keep that between the three of us,” he replied with a laugh. “Can I introduce you to some people?”

I nodded, glad for the distraction away from Rich and his drinking problem. “Sure. I literally know no one here, so I’d like that.” Without meaning to, my gaze drifted over to Xavier Stone again. Fuck, he was pretty.

“Yeah, count me out,” Miles said, shaking his head. “I’d rather not make nice with old acquaintances. New ones, on the other hand…” He excused himself and made a bee-line toward the Daintree Pumas cheerleading squad, dripping sequins and sex appeal across the dance floor from us.

Jared offered me his arm. “Shall we? I wanted you to meet some other content creators here tonight. You never know when casual acquaintances might help you out.”

Oh, I was one-hundred-percent on board with that plan.

Particularly if that meant he wanted to introduce me to Xavier.

Sadly, though, Jared’s idea of networking this event was to introduce me to other sequined and ballgown-clad teen girls who were making bank on recommending makeup and skincare brands. Gag.

When I made a sour comment about it, my manager quietly pointed out that my adrenaline-junkie NoFear channel was entirely anonymous. If I wanted to network those circles, then I had to out myself as the man—or woman—behind the mask.

I wasn’t ready to lose that freedom or excitement. Not yet. So I smiled and played the role expected of me, all the while watching Xavier Stone and his friends out of the corner of my eye.