14. Hydra Girls #2
“Because by the time we get there, there will be fewer people.”
“You know it doesn’t matter. Look at all the people just passing by. They’ll be here regardless of the time.” I gestured to the people on benches and sidewalks, admiring their prints of 3Rochi as well as the blind box merch they opened and showed off to one another. “Are you procrastinating?”
She leaned her head from side to side. “I’m trying to figure out how to approach them. It’s been a while, Pet. Nichley was a different battle and even though I’m going back to familiar territory, that was with Reef controlling me.”
“Do you think there’s much else you can do to prepare yourself?”
She leaned her head from side to side again.
“The best way to control the situation is for you to just walk up there. Don’t wait for them to reveal you, take a hold of their attention and walk in with confidence. Catch them off guard.”
She nodded, taking a moment to contemplate before saying, “Are you ready?”
“What do I have to worry about? You’re the one putting yourself back in the public eye.”
“I was in it enough in Arabasia.”
“Well, this is you putting yourself back into your throne with full control.”
“If anything, I should be more confident.”
“Exactly!”
She strutted forward, catching glances followed by whispers as we neared the front of the building. I heard her name echoing around me with gasps and exclamations. As people started to shout her name, she tossed her hat and any remnants of a disguise she had worn.
Amidst their gawking, she stared at the storefront with determination. Her charisma did not waver. In place of a stern glare, she held her smile triumphantly, just as she would before a concert audience.
The storefront was transparent with a slight violet tint radiating outward from the violet grid that lined each floor.
The bottom level store front took up the first two floors.
The store was all visible, save the end of the line on the second level, which was obscured by a giant screen playing 3Rochi music videos.
The voices from the crowd amplified as the uniformity of the line struggled to hold.
“Is that her?”
“Oh my Light, she’s back!”
Multiple sets of eyes flashed with the light of the neurospace as they began recording, as noted by the single red pupil in each of their sets.
“Naoma!”
“Neon Idol!”
“I love you!”
She grinned and took my hand again, squeezing it tight.
“Who is that?”
“Zeg me,” a man with a body-builder’s form said. He grunted as he punched a wall.
“She’s got a boy!”
“Who is he?”
She pulled me forward.
She waved to the crowd as we approached the door, but their voracious obsession would not make it easy. People swarmed from behind. Some in the line removed cards from their pockets, searching through their Reef collectibles to find the Naoma cards that they held out, begging for an autograph.
I stepped before her, pushing people out of the way when words weren’t enough.
More approached from behind, leading me to push our pace to squeeze through the crowd at the door.
People shouted, rushed to her for a picture or even a touch of her hand.
The passing skyrides and sounds from street advertisements added to the cacophony of obsession.
When a request for a picture wasn’t enough, people forced their way in to stand with us.
Naoma smiled the whole way, though I could tell that frustration was working its way into her composure.
I pushed fans away as we reached the bottleneck of the door.
As the crowd clustered around the entrance like filth in a filter, the line inside struggled to maintain order.
People reached out to touch her as we passed by the line up the stairs to the second level.
Though only a minute had passed since her exposure, I was sure that the neuronet was filled with posts of the Neon Idol’s reappearance.
Though she had been out of the public eye for only a short time, she hadn’t produced a weekly song like the other Reef artists.
We reached the second level and despite the three idols sitting on their neon thrones–for whom the crowd had come–the fans focused on Naoma.
Pressure built up from behind as people who insisted that they “weren’t in the line” pushed forward to touch the Neon Idol.
I stepped behind her and pushed her forward, positioning myself to block anyone else who felt they deserved an exception.
I realized the futility of the situation as people swarmed from the side, no longer worrying about their position in the line.
The girl in the red bob and outfit shouted to the security officer at her side, though I couldn’t hear over the crowd.
The guard stepped forward as if just now noticing the disorder.
He pulled out a violet rod, waving people back from the platform on which 3Rochi sat, then away from Naoma.
Another guard approached, neither of them stopping until the crowd pushed itself back to the top of the stairwell.
I let out a breath as I regained breathing room.
“Quiet please!” the girl in red shouted with an amplified voice.
“Is that the Neon Idol?“ the girl in yellow said, no longer needing to shout as she stepped down the platform.
“Where have you been?” the girl in red asked.
“We’ve missed you!” the girl in blue said.
Yellow rushed Naoma, taking her in a squealing embrace, then kissing her on the cheek.
“Nay, we’ve missed you sooo much around the studio.
Whatever happened between you and–“ She reached for Naoma’s hand, only to meet mine.
Her smile turned towards mischief and raised an eyebrow. “Well, I didn’t see you there.”
Blue approached. “Are you serious, Kyo? He was there the whole time.”
“I know, but I didn’t see the hands, you plug? I figured he was entourage or something.
“What are you doing here all alone?” Red scowled as she approached. “Look at this mess. We’re going to have to shut this down early.”
“Quit whining, Koro.” Kyo, the yellow one, waved her back and raised mine and Naoma’s hands to her eyes. “I want to know about this. Is this why you left Reef?”
Koro pointed at the blue one. “Kao, go hold the line while I keep Kyo focused.”
Kao touched two fingers to her forehead in a salute, then approached the front of the line with her security guard. She signed a variety of merchandise as another guard pushed the line back down the stairs.
“We’ll wait for Kao,” Naoma said. “There’s a lot to cover and I’d rather not repeat myself. It’s been a long day, you plug?”
“In this business, when isn’t it?” Kyo asked.
“You still are in this business, right?“ Koro asked. Before Naoma could think up an excuse, Koro turned back to shout, “Kao, close it already. They can wait a while if they really want more.”
The guard beside Kao closed the line. Kao returned to our group. “We have a meeting with Crystal in an hour so it’s best to stop here anyway.”
“But what about the people we missed?” Kyo whined.
Koro groaned. “There are always people we miss. We go over this every time. Do you want to go out there and sign on your own?”
“Can we go somewhere else?” Kao asked.
Koro took the lead towards the elevator. “There’s a Wavelength on the twentieth floor.”
“Pulse,” Naoma said. “I’d take that over more exposure.” She pointed to the crowd watching us through the windows. Even through the tinted glass I could see the red of neurospace recording in their eyes.
Kyo rolled her eyes. Kao pulled Naoma along towards the elevator, forcing her to drop our hands. Kyo pointed at me and Naoma. “I still want an answer.”
“When we get up there.” Naoma let out an airy laugh.
“Promise?”
She nodded.
“What is Wavelength?” I whispered.
“Only the peak of the peak have access, you’ll be fine as my guest.”
“And it is?”
“A lounge for people like us”—she pointed to the people out the window—“to get away from people like them.”