Chapter 33 Riot
Riot
I sit in the front row of the massive auditorium, staring at the wings hard enough to burst a blood vessel.
The droning of the crowd rises, helping to cover the frantic thudding of my heart.
I would be thankful for the distraction if I weren’t so anxious, but Eloise is about to step onto the stage, and the knowledge has reduced me to a ball of nerves and worry.
According to the pamphlets, Eloise will be playing songs from the major composers across the centuries, and it’s drawn quite a crowd. The Neon Valley Concert Hall is packed—completely sold out, with people flying in from all over the country to watch this exclusive event.
Growing impatient, my grip tightens around my phone. I look down at my screen for the thousandth time tonight, rereading the text I received an hour ago.
Forest: She has the note.
I suck in a deep breath, shoving the phone deep into my pocket. She has it. She’ll know I’m here. She’ll know what to do.
Three days ago, Enzo and I reached out to the surly bodyguard with a proposition to help us save Eloise.
I was skeptical about him at first, but as soon as we talked, everything changed.
Turns out, Forest has noticed Dave’s abuse in the few months he’s been employed, and he even tried to go to the police, only to be turned away.
No matter who he talked to, he got the same response—he should leave the Eloise situation well enough alone.
He stayed in Dave’s employment, knowing the monster he was but hoping his presence would lessen the abuse. And if it didn’t, he could at least compile evidence if someone ever listened to her story. If someone ever wanted to help.
So as soon as I mentioned my desire to free Eloise from her conservatorship, Forest jumped right in, offering all the pictures and video recordings he’d taken during his employment. Based on what I’ve glimpsed, it should be more than enough to prove Dave’s abuse and to sway the courts in her favor.
All the pieces are falling into place, and there’s just one left. It’s up to Eloise, now. And as long as it’s what she wants, tonight is the night she will be free.
The hum of the crowd lowers to a hush, and I sit up straighter in my seat, holding my breath as I scour the wings. Eloise…
She walks out a moment later, dressed in a flowing golden gown that pools like liquid mercury around her heeled feet. She looks beautiful. She looks like an angel.
Eloise makes a beeline for the piano, her face downcast, unable to muster a smile for the roaring crowd.
She takes her seat at the bench, adjusting her hips slightly before raising her hands to the keys.
Like all the times before, Eloise gives her acknowledgement to the orchestra, then turns to the conductor, dipping her chin in a slight nod to let her know she’s ready.
The opening chords of “Mariage d’Amour” ring out, and the concert hall falls into a reverent hush. The song is supposed to be reminiscent of spring—bright and lighthearted—but Eloise looks so sad as her fingers dance along the keys.
Sad. Just like the first day I saw her.
My heart sinks to my stomach. Maybe… she doesn’t want to be free. Perhaps she’s not ready.
I ball my hands into fists, my fingernails cutting deep into the flesh of my palms. There’s pain, but it’s nothing compared to the angry fire raging in my chest. She’s not going to choose me. She’s just not. I’m abandoning all hope, convinced I’ve lost her forever.
But then she stops.
I gaze up at the stage, the moment frozen in time. Eloise is perched at the piano, her head bent low, fingers frozen on the keys as the last chord she struck slowly fades to nothing.
Realizing what’s happening, the violinists screech to a halt, and several members of the brass section give each other worried glances. The conductor taps his stick rapidly against the podium, but Eloise remains as still as a statue, refusing to acknowledge him.
You can hear a pin drop in the massive hall—which is why when her chair screeches back, several shocked gasps ring through the crowd.
Gaze fixed on the ground, Eloise scurries to the side of the piano, gripping the mic stand poised above the keys.
She swivels it outward, bending it down to her mouth.
“I'm sorry for the inter—” Eloise cringes as her voice cracks on the last word.
She clears her throat, adjusting her grip on the mic nervously.
“I'm sorry for the interruption, everyone,” she repeats, her voice much stronger the second time.
“But I have an important announcement to make, and it can't wait a moment longer.”
Her chest heaves with a sigh, and as she does, her dress shifts, catching in the light and shimmering in a dazzling way. It takes my breath, but I don’t need oxygen. All I need, all I want, is standing on that stage. And how lovely she is.
Eloise’s eyes float out to the audience, scanning the thousands of faces—searching.
Our eyes meet across the distance, and it’s like a lightning bolt reaches down from the heavens and strikes my heart, lighting my blood on fire.
Little muse, I mouth. I love you.
Slowly, Eloise draws her hand up, placing it delicately over her heart. Her hand tightens into a fist, her lips tipping upward. She gives me a slight nod, her eyes saying more than her words ever could. She’s choosing me.
Eloise turns back to the mic, clearing her throat before continuing.
“I just realized that I… I can’t do this anymore.
I can’t keep living this lie. I won’t.” Hushed whispers break out among the audience, but Eloise doesn’t let that deter her.
“Many of you are familiar with my past,” she continues.
“But none of you know the real story. The person you see before you… it’s not me.
Not really. And those stories in the tabloids? They only got half of it right.”
Pulling her shoulders back, she addresses the crowd, her head held high. “For the past seventeen years, I’ve been controlled and abused by my guardian, Dave Blasko.”
There’s a loud bellow from the wings of the stage, followed by several thunderous crashes.
Dave Blasko wobbles out onto the stage, his combover askew and suit heavily torn.
He makes it all of two steps before Forest lunges from behind the curtain, his massive forearms wrapping around Dave’s middle and stopping him from moving farther.
Curses spew from his foul mouth as Forest hauls him backward off the stage, and furious whispers break out within the crowd.
Eloise gazes toward the sidelines, smiling at whatever she sees.
“Well, that’s kind of what I’m talking about.
But I refuse to be silenced anymore.” Eloise turns back to the audience, her head held high.
“I want to be honest with everyone tonight, because I’ve never been a day before in my life.
Not with myself, with my manager, and certainly not with the world.
But tonight… tonight I’ve decided to be brave. ”
Eloise tells them of her abuse and how she’s been forced to play this entire time even though it’s been killing her. Even though she doesn’t want to perform and hasn’t for many years.
She tells them of a man. One who’s chaotic, broken, outrageous, and absolutely perfect for her.
She tells them of the amazing life he’s shown her.
How he’s healed her fractured edges, soothed her worried mind, and filled her with love.
She says that, because of him, she never worries about going without.
That she’s safe to be her true, authentic self.
“Because of this… Because of his love… Because it’s what I want… I've decided that tonight is my last show.”
More murmurs break out among the crowd, but Eloise carries on, undeterred. “I’d like to finish it with something special, if that's okay with you all.”
Excited whispers replace the nervous murmurings, accompanied by several nods and cheers of assent.
“Thank you.” Her eyes well with tears as she meets my gaze in the crowd. “You have no idea how much I appreciate—” Her voice breaks, and she wipes her face angrily with the back of her hand. “Just… Thank you. Thank you so much. Without further ado…”
She steps back to the bench, and I can see her knees shaking from here.
She sits down and places her hands on the keys.
Leaning into the mic, she clears her throat.
“I want to dedicate this song to love… to those who never received it, and those who are chasing it.” She looks out at the audience, and our eyes meet.
“I didn’t write the lyrics, but they ring true all the same.
It’s about the things a man will do for a woman’s love. It’s about us.”
She leans back, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Her fingers press down onto the keys, the opening chords of “Glow” filling the hall.
I swear, my heart falls out of my chest.
And then—oh God—then she starts singing.
It’s soft at first. So soft you can barely make it out. But I know the words by heart, and I know by the movement of her lips. And I know she’s singing to me.
I see you in the crowd, like a spark in the haze,
A smile cuts through, sets my nights all ablaze.
Your love’s out of reach, but it lingers in my veins,
A fleeting kind of fire that I’m chasing through the rain.
The streetlights hum soft, like they’re calling your name,
Each flicker a pull to your flame.
Close enough to touch, but a world out of sight,
Still, I’m drawn to your glow in the dead of the night.
“Eloise,” I whisper. “My sweet, darling Eloise.”
She turns her head, finding me in the crowd as she belts out the chorus, and it takes everything in me not to charge up there and wrap her in my arms.
Oh, my heart’s a fading ember glow,
Burning for love that I’m desperate to know.
I’m reaching through want, through the ache, through the blur,
Desperate for comfort, what I wish that we were.
Eloise turns back to the piano, her voice softening as she transitions into the next verse.
I’m tethered to longing, a fire that won’t fade,
Desperate to reach you through walls you’ve made.
I’d trade all my sound for one word from you,
To hold your silence, clear out the blue.
I’m outside your walls, where the quiet cuts deep,
Your eyes hold a prison where dreams go to sleep.
You’re out there, you’re lonely, and I’m full of need,
Hurt with a feeling that’s too raw to bleed.
Oh, my heart’s a fading ember glow,
Burning for love that I’m desperate to know.
I’m reaching through want, through the ache, through the blur,
Desperate for comfort, what I wish that we were.
She looks up, her eyes shining as she plays the last set of chords, voice low and trembling—close to tears. It’s raw, beautiful, and fills me with so much pride, I’m sure to burst.
So I’ll sit by the fire till the heat burns within
Whisper your name, watch the colors turn dim
Desire’s a cruel ghost, keeps me warm, keeps me cursed,
I need you like water, but I’m drowning in thirst.