Round Three

Red Carpet Treatment

I hate dressing up in suits. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I have enough of that in school, yet here I am again wearing a suit. I had no choice for my Grandma’s double wedding, and what’s worse I had to wear white. This is neither white nor fancy; I don’t care what anyone says, this is the best you’re going to get.

After splashing some cologne behind my ears I leave my room, a smile spreading across my face as I notice him in his room applying any finishing touches he needs. I saunter inside, snuggling up behind him as I slide my hands round his waist.
“Hi sexy,” I greet as I plant a kiss on his cheek.
“Hey,” he smiles, completing his preening before turning round to face me, his arms encircling my body. “How’re you doing?”
“Fine,” I reply, “You?”
“Nervous,” he chuckles.
“You’ll be fine,” I reassure him, “Just act like no one’s watching.”
He nods with an awkward smile. I move a hand to his jaw, brushing it lightly with a finger before gently kissing his lips.

All too soon, our tender moment is rudely interrupted by a loud thudding on the door.
“Come on you two!” cries a familiar voice, filtering through the wood, “The limo’s here!”
“Yes Sir!” I reply as we leave, opening the door to the other two before pausing thoughtfully for a moment.
“Hold on. Limo?”
“Yeah!” Kii grins, “Dead classy black one!”
I cackle in delight as I race downstairs and out of the house, the other three struggling to keep up as usual.

“Wow, this is cool!” I grin, looking about me as we ride. This car is huge! There’s even a TV…
“You okay?” Kii checks. Frowning, I look around for whoever he might be asking, and then I spot Alec – the poor guy looks terrified!
“Hey, what’s up?” I ask, laying a hand on his shoulder.
“Just nerves I guess,” he replies, trying to ease our concerns, but then grimaces as he clutches his stomach. “I feel sick,” he complains.
“You want us to pull over?” Kii offers, but I have a better idea, promptly unfastening my seatbelt and turning myself round to face him.
“Here, undo your seatbelt a minute,” I tell him. Frowning, he eventually does so, and after some encouragement on my part he turns with his back facing me. Moving closer, I then apply not a shoulder rub, but a proper back massage designed to relax the body, and hopefully mind. It’s times like this I’m glad for such a large family, and for a centuries-old vampire for a mother – amazing what you can pick up from the right people.
“Is that better?” I ask after a while, not with the intention of stopping unless the answer’s no. His head slowly nods in response, so we stay like that for the remainder of the trip.

“Here we are!” Kii grins as the limo pulls up. My eyes widen in delight as I spot the hive of activity just outside, with the paparazzi waiting, armed with cameras to snap our best moments… as well as our worst, Alec muses.
“Come on, don’t be such a pessimist!” I tease, playfully ruffling his hair.
We step outside and soon disperse, as we all find places to explore. My eyes light up as I spot a few members from Rhapsody of Fire, one of my favourite bands, and pat my back pocket. Satisfied that my notepad and pen are still where I left them, I head off armed with a happy grin and fluency in Italian, since that’s their first language.

“Hi guys!” I greet cheerfully, introducing myself.
“Hello my friend!” Luca greets, “How are you?”
I still glow with pride even now, just knowing that so many of my family, extended or otherwise, happen to share his last name. Luca Turilli, founder of this band and of two others. I barely know him yet I can safely say he’s one of the most amazing guys I’ve ever had the fortune to meet.
“I’m good thanks,” I grin in reply, “You?”
“I am well, thank you,” he smiles, before breaking into giggles. “Nice suit!” he grins.
“Thanks!” I smile, my eyes lighting up, “It’s the closest you’ll get to seeing me smart, put it that way…”
“Buena sera!” a soft voice greets, coming it seems from nowhere. The men frown, eyelids batting in surprise.
“Where did you come from??” Fabio, their curly-haired singer exclaims.
“Huh?” I quiz, looking about me, before noticing this other man stood right by me. I smile wryly as I notice his eyes, but also study his features – there’s an odd familiarity about them.

He chuckles at Fabio’s question, making no effort to disguise the little fangs peeking out of his mouth as he laughs. “Oh, of course, you’ve never met a vampire before, have you?”
The looks on their faces are priceless, I have to admit.
“Maybe now’s not a good time to say my Dad’s one too?” I muse with a wicked grin.
“Oh, Evan?” he checks, “How’s he doing these days?”
I wear a broad smile as I look back at him. “You’re Gino aren’t you,” I check.
“Yeah!” he replies, “Thanks for the invite!”
“You’re welcome,” I reply as we embrace, “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Hey, you kidding?” he says, “Miss out on a chance to see one of my nephews?”
I deliberately neglect to mention – or even think, knowing what vampires are like – the real reason I invited him. There were a few, but the most important is one he doesn’t need to know just yet. Put it this way, I’ve never been so glad one of my Uncles is a famous face.

Then it’s time for the awards. Time to shine in the limelight, and to give poor Alec another backrub to soothe his mounting nerves. He seems to be getting better though, maybe because he’s still high from his meeting with his favourite band. Yeah, like I don’t know how that feels! Although this time it’s me who risks losing his cool, not because of the presentation, but the nature of the award I picked, and the person I’ll be giving it to.
“And now, a special award,” I begin, “To someone whose story has not only touched me, but also driven me, who turned the tables on death and used his experience to help others, when he could have so easily fallen under and slipped away.” I need to swallow a lump in my throat before I can continue. “This award for acting’s most unsung hero, I am very proud to present to my uncle, Gino Turilli!”
I noticed the change of expression as I spoke, from interest to puzzlement, then to outright shock. As he approaches the stage, his face is already stained with his bloody tears.

“I wasn’t expecting that!” he grins before we break away, “Thank you so much!”
“Thank you for coming!” I reply, “It’s great to finally meet you.”
“You too,” he says, before gesturing to the award. “Is that why you invited me?”
“That’s the main reason, yeah,” I tell him with a smile. Maybe I shouldn’t have, as the tears start again and he throws his arms around me for a third time. He’s such a big softy, just like his brother!

Then it’s my turn to stand on the hot-spot, as a member of staff arrives with yet more questions.
“So, what kind of experience has this been for you?” he asks.
Oh boy. Act cool Leo, act cool…

“Well, it’s been different to say the least,” I answer evasively, before slipping into a reverie, “I joined because it sounded fun, and because I love to meet new people. I was hoping to make some new friends, from other places, and I’ve certainly done that,” I continue with a grin, “It’s been a great month, and I really hope to see them again. Especially one in particular,” I finish, winking at my new partner with a happy smile.
“How was it being around others who also want to win?”
At this I shrug broadly. “To be honest, that part didn’t bother me,” I tell them, “I wasn’t living with fellow contestants, just a bunch of guys I got on really well with. If I win it’ll be a nice surprise, nothing more, I didn’t join for that.”

Ah, home free! Nothing more to do now than relax and… answer more questions?! Oh come on, give us a break!
Alec: Well, look at it this way. Once more and we’ll be left alone.
Leo: True. Okay, what is it? How did I answer the questions? *laughs* Oh, that’s a classic, that is!
Alec: Can you take anything seriously?!
Leo: I have my moments, you know I do. Huh? Oh yeah. Well, I’ll be honest, that first question made me pretty nervous. I wasn’t about to go into detail about my other experience of this month, I had to rely on my gift of the gab for that one. The other was cool though, and no, I wasn’t just saying that. Huh? What did I really think of this experience? Well… It’s quite a jump; I went in just meaning to make friends, and came out with more than I bargained for…
Alec: You say that like it’s a bad thing.
Leo: Well, the first part was alright, for both of us wasn’t it.
Alec: You more than me, it has to be said.
Leo: Yeah – hell of a time to find out I prefer guys! Still, I found my first love here, that’s all that matters and I couldn’t be happier.

Alec: Aaaww. You’re a big softy yourself really, huh?
Leo: I have my moments *grins* Boys rule in more than one way!

Opening credits