#g1arc1

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Only shows that were held in Del Sol Valley did Wes cave in for: they would only be hiring one bodyguard and let them go as soon as Isidora's performance was finished. That was mainly because they both liked to stay and enjoy the rest of the night away in those cases.

She felt much more free when not surrounded by security. Plus, her DelSol shows tended to be a bit smaller, bigger venues having way bigger names than hers playing in them. That night, Amani had also decided to come and enjoy the club, which wasn't a common occurrence.

Right after her set, Isi met up with her friends at the bar, knocking back a few drinks.

"So! You said you went on a real date with Mr Journalist?!" her friend asked.

"Yes, this afternoon, it was great. He took me to see a foreign movie."

"Wow, try to sound less excited girl!"

She rolled her eyes: "It wasn't bad, I guess I've just felt more thrilled to be close to someone before. We'll go on another date when I get back from my mum's."

Amani smiled approvingly, while Wes was shaking his head slightly. She changed the subject before they could comment.

A little while later, all three of them agreed it was time to go home and they started walking together, until hitting the point where Amani needed to go left and they were going right.

"Wait, one of us needs to go with you babe, I'm not okay with you walking all alone."

"Why are you such a mother hen with me lately?!" her best friend rebelled.

"I'm not, I just..." Isi didn't have time to finish before Wes pointed at her.

"Wait, she's right, you've been hyper protective of Amani!"

Trying to sound as detached as possible, Isi groaned.

"Really guys, I'm not, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 just have to go through a rough bit before you get home and I don't think it's cool for you to do so alone. So who's gonna go with you?"

She didn't leave any space for arguments so they caved in quickly, Amani taking Wes by the arm.

"Hey! I'm just as likely to get robbed on the way back you know!" Isi heard Wes protest.

"No you're not, now walk fast, it's getting chilly" answered Amani, pulling him away.

Isidora laughed and continued on towards her own flat.

Eager to make the trip back as fast as she could, the night air getting to her, she put her headphones on.

Had she not, she might have noticed the two dark figures that followed her. One hooded, the other one not.

She might have heard the commotion when they started fighting.

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"Are you ready for the biggest show of the month?" Wes asked, running late as always.

"I am, but you're not!" Isi answered, pointing at his head, still wrapped in a towel.

Shrugging, he walked to the bathroom door: "You know I like your hair products more!"

Rolling her eyes, she yelled after him: "Don't use too much, I'm running low and there's still two weeks left until I go to my mother's!"

He growled and Isi finished checking the comments on her last show. She had been back in the scene for about a month now.

They were now posting every show online and she was dedicating a mix to the top commenter each time. But this time, it was saying something about Isidora finally being free of Melody, asking the song Vampire. Raising her voice so he would hear her, she asked Wes what he thought.

"Of course you can. I'm sure if you're asking, it means you've already got a riff in mind anyway, so don't censor yourself! We're close to winning this whole thing you know."

"I know! That's why I don't want to risk it!" She answered, knowing what her therapist would say.

Wes came back out of the bathroom, his hair looking better than ever and they made their way to the car, preparing for the hour-long drive they had ahead of them.

As they got out, she was still checking her phone, trying to get news from Amani, so she didn't notice right away.

But after getting text confirmation that their friend was home and was going to stay there all night, she lifted her head and realised she was surrounded by not one, not two but three bodyguards.

"What's going on?" Isi asked Wes, confused.

He wasn't looking her in the eye when he answered: "Just routine security measures for big shows like tonight's, you know how it is."

Before she could get more information, the techs were showing her the setup and she was engrossed in the atmosphere of the show about to start.

Once the music had started, she tried not to think of the amount of muscle surrounding her anymore. She did play the parts of Olivia Rodrigo's song within her new set, mostly the "how do you lie" part and her favourite line: "that would mean you had a heart".

There was something intoxicating about using parts of songs that were extremely well-known or liked at a point in time and mixing them with ones that weren't so popular. Seeing how the crowd responded to the new rhythms tangled in what they knew.

That's why at first, she didn't trust her own eyes when she saw a flash of blue hair in the crowd. Then she blinked and it was still there. She was on a high, but not to the point to be hallucinating. And this didn't feel like any of her daydreams either.

She started following the familiar figure, only to be stopped in her tracks two steps out, a security guard extending an arm in front of her, keeping her from the crowd.

Isidora tried dodging it but Wesley's voice rang from behind her.

"Hun, you have to stay here."

"What?!"

He took her by the arm and led her back to their car, explaining as they walked:

"We got word that this event might be infiltrated by people who want to hurt you..."

"Hurt-" she was about to protest when she realised. She'd seen some discourse online lately... Racist propaganda.

Her followers and PR team would usually run them out of her online space quickly, but she couldn't help remembering the words used against her. The threats. All because she'd dared to contradict a white woman publicly. She didn't resist when Wes pushed her into the car.

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"Is Matteus meant to be my partner forever? Is he my soulmate?"

Padma let her eyes leave Amani to move on to Wesley. Closed them. Then, only a second later, reopened them.

"No . And that was two questions. But I'm feeling nice so I'll let your last friend get one as well."

Isidora hadn't thought of an interesting question up until then, but hearing Wesley's prompted one:

"The idea of a perfect person, a soulmate, is it even real?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, not closing her eyes this time. Isi felt her friends lean in, curious of the answer.

"For most people, the answer is no. But fate seems to have plans for you, specifically."

Wesley cheered as Amani gasped, yet Isidora didn't let herself react. She didn't know what to make of this. She promised herself she wouldn't overthink it.

"It is time for your collective question now" Padma stated.

Wes gave the girls a look, as if to ask if he could go ahead, and no one seemed to want to stop him, so he simply queried:

"Have either of us already met the person they'll end up marrying?"

Padma started pointing.

First, at Amani and Wes.

"No, and no."

Then, at Isi: "For you though, it's a yes."

As she said that, the crystal ball in front of her seemed to shimmer, brighten. It stopped when Padma broke eye contact.

An entire minute of silence went by before the psychic decided they'd had enough of her time. She stood up, giving everyone the signal that the session was over. However, as they started walking out, she put a hand on Isidora's shoulder.

"Can I have a word with you?"

Startled, Isi nodded to her friends, who were looking back at her, curious. As soon as they'd left, she turned to face the woman.

"What is it?"

Across from her, Padma seemed to hesitate. Sensing that she wouldn't have stopped her without a real reason, Isi pushed:

"Tell me."

"By now, I'm sure you've figured I'm the real deal. Sure, not the strongest of seers this earth has known, but I can usually tell what the near future holds for humans and occults alike." There was a pause. Isi waited. "Your friend there, the one who asked about her mother."

"Keep a close eye on her. I can't see anything in her future."

This time, Isi urged her on: "What does that mean?"

"There are only two possibilities: one is death."

Something in Isidora broke, as Padma was continuing.

"The other is even worse."

[polillalegacyarchive]

Amani wasn't convinced, but Isi thought it'd be fun, so they went.

"I can totally feel the vibes!" Wesley smiled as they entered the 'prophecy shop', as it was called online. Isi and Amani stayed silent, one trying not to laugh, the other trying not to be too dubious.

Before they could sit down, a woman appeared and introduced herself:

"Good evening votaries, I'm Padma and I own this place. What has brought you to me today?"

Excited like a kid on Christmas morning, Wes started explaining that they were looking for dating advice.

"Great. Matters of love are my specialty."

She was talking with a matter of fact tone, her eyes lingering on the three of them, as if to evaluate them. She raised her brows, asking: "Are you all coming in at the same time?"

"Yeah, we want the group discount!" answered Wesley.

"In that case, come on in."

The woman pulled the curtain hiding her 'divination room', beckoning them inside with a shrewd smile. She sat behind the small rounded table, gesturing for them to sit across from her.

They settled in, Isi trying to ignore their surroundings.

She could feel that some of the items in this room held real power, things that would actually affect occults and humans alike. But whether this woman also knew that... Isi couldn't tell just yet.

"Who'll start?" Padma asked, her eyes full of mischief and promises.

Amani leaned in, clearly humoring her friends:

"I'll go. What are the rules of this? Can I ask any question and you'll answer?"

The woman's smile got wider.

"I would recommend you not asking a question you've not thought deeply about as I will only answer one for each of you."

"And once you've all had your turn, I will give you a group question. One that applies to you all individually."

Padma went quiet and the three friends mulled it over. The rules were clear enough, now they had to decide what mattered most to them.

Amani spoke first.

"Will I marry someone that my mother approves of?"

Isi hung her head low, knowing fully well that Amani's mum never spoke kindly of her daughter's boyfriends. Not even Jak, who had been a devoted partner.

Padma closed her eyes for a moment before answering.

She frowned, her mouth tensing slightly, before opening her eyes again and saying:

"I'm sorry, it seems to me that your mother won't be present on your wedding day."

The temperature in the room dropped for a few seconds, nobody knowing how to react.

[polillalegacyarchive]

If you're wondering what they'd see if your sims lived near mine in DelSolValley, these three would pop up on Cupid's Corner.

And if you want to be teased: these two potential matches would also be there at this moment in my story 😌

[polillalegacyarchive]

After an entire day out, Amani was satisfied with the pictures of Isi she had and started to create a Cupid Corner's profile for her. And as they were climbing up the stairs to get back to her flat, her best friend stopped, looking at Wesley's door.

They could hear the melancholic music coming out from it and Amani sighed.

"I haven't brought him any food today, I thought he and Matt would have patched things up by now..."

"Wait, you've been cooking for him too?!" Isi frowned, realising he'd been getting doubles for a week.

Without needing to exchange a word, they both adjusted their path to go knocking on Wes's door instead of continuing up the stairs.

They waited a bit longer than usual for him to come and open it and noticed the smell of food as soon as the door cracked open.

"What's in the oven?" Isi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Is it her lasagna or my shakshuka?" Amani followed up, mimicking her tone.

Wes had the decency to look a bit sheepish and, before they knew what hit them, pulled them inside.

"It's actually Nessa's Japchae! Come in!"

They sat at his kitchen table and he brought out some food for the three of them, asking how their day had gone. Taking the invitation to talk about something else than his boyfriend, for once, Isi didn't hesitate to give Wes the long story while Amani was checking her phone.

"So you're now seeing if you have any matches?" Wes asked her when Isi was done.

"Any? More like I'm seeing if any of them are viable..."

They all sighed and moved on to the couch, thinking about all the times they'd been lied to on a dating app, all the shitty first dates.

"You know what?" Wes suddenly chirped. "Let's make me a profile too!"

Amani and Isidora stared at him for a couple of seconds, silent.

"Hey, if Matt doesn't know what he's got, I'm not about to wait for him to realise it!"

The silence went on for another beat.

"Fuck yeah!"

"I never liked him anyway!" said Amani, almost as excited as when she'd convinced Isi to get back into dating.

"Okay, still a bit too soon" Wes stated, looking like he was trying to hold it it.

"It's true though, remember when he tried to convince Jak that I was cheating?"

Wes's eyes went wide. "Oh I remember that clearly, it was a mess!"

"If only we knew ahead of time which ones would be a waste of time" Isi stated, thinking out loud.

"Wait. You're right! We should totally do that!"

"Do what Wes?" Amani asked, looking scared.

"Go see a psychic!"

[polillalegacyarchive]

Interviews came and went, Isi not risking to be anything other than professional again. She went to therapy and started writing songs again. Not great songs, it was hard for her to find inspiration these days. Like walking through thick fog. But she was still trying.

She felt her passion and talent slowly dimming in the city. Like a candle, slowly burning itself out, silently. She couldn't tell if it would come back after being completely spent, but she was doing her best not to think about it. She had no idea how to stop it or fix it anyway.

She talked about it with her therapist. Even mentioned it to Amani once. Her best friend had always been her safe place, nothing could beat the comfort of talking to her.

Even though she had to admit professional help was good for her, especially with Jak still missing.

She was convinced that's why she was still daydreaming about Rory constantly. At her therapist's office, at the store, everywhere, all the time. In bed, mostly... It was the only thing that still sparked a little bit of inspiration, so she didn't try to wish it away.

That, she hadn't even told Amani about. Every time she'd thought about it, she'd realised that most of the daydreaming was a bit too... intimate to be shared with anyone. And she didn't want to encourage Wes in his disillusion that they were "meant to be".​

She could see that his own boyfriend trouble were pushing him to idolise what fleeting thing she'd had with Rory. She didn't believe in such things as "soulmates" herself and wasn't about to. Even though, she was still waking up every day thinking about Moonwood Mill.

Isi thought about the mysteries that were unfolding there. About how good it had felt to embrace the non-human part of her life, for once. She thought about werewolves, and packs, and how it had been so much easier to live in that world, even with all the bad in it.

It wasn't just Rory she kept thinking about: she was just the embodiment of all the things Isidora hadn't felt for so long. Of the freedom that came with not hiding herself.

Eager to stop longing for it, she got back into her routines. Tried to fall in love with the city again.

As the holidays were approaching, she planned a trip to go see her mother, hoping a short break would help.

But before that, she had promised Amani she would get back on the dating horse with her. And her best friend had tons of ideas for that.

[polillalegacyarchive]

They moved to a couch, outside, the weather sunny and not too cold for the middle of November. At first, Isi wasn't sure if he was trying to get some 'of the record' statements or if she was right in thinking he wanted to get to know her more... personally.

It didn't take long for it to be clear that he was flirting. He started opening up about his life, his daughter, some stories about old friends, all kinds of personal stuff, shedding the journalist façade as much as possible. And she did so as well. He was a good listener.

It felt easy, nice. For the first time in a while, her stomach didn't turn when she let herself imagine them kissing. His laugh was contagious, she could feel it all the way into her toes. Slowly, the gap between them was closing. Until she caught sight of a silhouette.

Melody's agent and his wife were giving her some insistent looks. All of a sudden, she started to feel the cold, even with a jacket on. Shivering, she got up and quickly explained that she needed to dash away. Her flat was only a short 10 minutes away, but the ride felt longer.

Once she got there, she noticed another familiar figure not far from the front door of her building. Why was the day turning so shit all of a sudden?! Ignoring her ex, she slipped in the back door and headed straight to Wes' apartment, a floor below hers.

"Wes!" She barged in, using her key and hoping that he'd be awake.

"What's wrong?!" he asked, getting up from his desk, already in emergency mode.

"Mel's agent and the lawyer, they saw me speaking to the journalist!"

"So?" he seemed confused by her panic.

"So she's going to know I'm talking to the press again!" Isi said, her voice getting higher and her breathing not slowing down.

"That's fine, Iz, we never intended to hide this from them, it doesn't matter if they saw you!"

"But we were flirting!"

"You were what?!"

He looked stunned and she couldn't understand why exactly, but she repeated herself for his benefit:

"We were having breakfast after the interview, quite clearly not just 'working' anymore... I don't want anyone to say I seduced him to get a good article!"

"Oh my god."

Her heart skipped a beat. Had she destroyed all her chances of being heard?

"If they do, I'll take care of it" said Wes. Then, softly: "She really did a number on you, didn't she?"

Isi closed her eyes, trying to steady herself. Hands in her hair, she slowly breathed in and out.

"Okay, now let's go do some shopping, I feel like you need some retail therapy."

She shook her head and he frowned.

"We can't, she's standing right outside the building right now..." Isi's head was spinning slightly and she decided to sit down.

"What the fuck is she doing here?!"

"Don't know and I don't care. Put something on, please, I need a distraction. And I don't want to go home, in case she comes knocking."

Wes just nodded and turned the TV on, stepping into the kitchen to make her a hot cup of coffee. When he got back, they stayed silent for a bit.

A little while later, he opened his mouth again. "Hun... Do you think, maybe, it could do you some good to go and see someone?"

She wasn't in panic mode anymore and she had to stop herself from laughing. At how gentle her best friend was, and at them always thinking alike.

"I've got an appointment next week."

He sighed, betraying some deeper feeling than she'd expected. But true to himself, instead of dwelling on it, he changed the subject again.

"So. You and the journalist were flirting?! What about Rory?"

"Weeees! Will you let it go already?"

[polillalegacyarchive]

Early the next morning, Isidora was sitting in an empty café, across from a nice looking journalist.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" he asked again, his notebook already open and pen ready.

"I'm fine, already drank 3 coffees and I've only been awake for an hour."

He seemed surprised but didn't get side-tracked.

"Alright, in that case we should probably start the interview, if that's fine with you?"

"Shoot" Isi smiled, eager to talk about her work to someone else than her best friends for the first time in months.

First, he asked about her biggest influences, in music and life alike. He enquired about her process, her favourite places to write and her advice for anyone starting off in the business. All the usual questions. None of what she knew he really wanted to know and write about.

Eventually, as she sensed he was running out of innocent questions, she started preparing herself. She was expecting him to simply come out with it. But instead, he said:

"I've heard you hired a PR team. Were you worried for your reputation?"

Isidora thought about it.

The framing of the question was subtle.

"You're probably aware of some... rumours that are being spread about me."

He stayed silent, raising an eyebrow to encourage her.

"My agent and I were wanting some exterior eyes to have a look at those. To tell us if it ever went too far."

"And has it?"

"We think so" she nodded.

"Is there any public statements you would like us to publish regarding this?"

She studied him for a minute. She had become wary, didn't believe in people's good intentions anymore. Yet, he had made her feel comfortable. Heard.

She decided it was worth a shot. After all, Wes had vetted him before choosing him as her first interviewer.

"Truth be told, there's only one thing I need to make clear. I want people to know that everything I make comes from deep within me. Not everyone can say that."

The journalist smiled softly. She noticed how nice his cupid's bow was and turned away.

"I think you're being too nice on her. But I respect you wanting to stay above it. Of course, I won't, when I write this article. Because she's on her way down and you're on your way up."

Isi leaned in and the sun hit him just right as he continued: "And if you ask me, you'll get to go way higher that she ever did."

A short silence followed. He closed his notebook and got up.

"The interview's over, but I'd love to treat you to breakfast, if you're interested?"

[polillalegacyarchive]

About a month in, Wes and Amani barged into her apartment, both clearly on a mission.

"Come on Iz, get off your arse, let's get this party started!"

"Easy, Wesley."

Isi had been sitting on the floor, watching some random reality TV on her phone, and chose to ignore them.

"At least the place is clean." Amani pointed out, looking around.

"Of course it is, she spends all her time in here, she's got nothing else to do!" Wes answered.

"And who's fault is that?!" Isidora jumped in, giving him a murderous look.

"Don't worry, I've come bearing news!"

He stopped and shook his head: "But first, you really need to wash your hair. And get ready, we're going out."

"Where?"

"To get your nails done, first. Then to get you some inspiration, because you've not written anything in weeks."

She did as she was told, knowing she wouldn't win against the both of them.

An hour later, they were at the nail salon, getting the full treatment, Wes telling her all about the plan that had been put in place for the near future.

"Did you say *tomorrow*?!"

"Yep! Phase one is finally done, you can come out of the shadows again!" Wes answered, proudly.

"So it was all part of your plan to have Isi tucked away in her flat for so long?" Amani asked, confused.

"It was! Although I didn't tell her to be miserable all through it."

"See, we were letting Melody spit out garbage, knowing that if Isi didn't engage, she would start lying more and more. She's dug a hole for herself. And now we're going to start throwing dirt back on it!" He seemed so proud of his scheming. And he was right to be.

"Have to say, I didn't believe it either, at first" Isi said, leaning over to see Amani. "But her and her team made exactly all the choices he said they would."

"What a surprise, I'm always right! So now, we're on to part two!" Wes smiled, the girls looking at him expectantly.

"The interviews, the spotlight, you're going to take it all in! Meet and greets, social media presence, the works! And within the shitload of things you'll say to reporters and to the public, you'll drop small bits of the true story. Bit by bit, we'll debunk Mel's lies."

There was a short silence after that. Amani broke it as her nail tech got up.

"And then what?"

"Then, she'll play at the biggest events, I've already got amazing plans for New Years. We'll be careful who she associates with and nothing like this will ever happen again."

[polillalegacyarchive]

The weeks after that were a blur. A rinse and repeat, really.

She knew how to handle the grind and the non-stop city life. However, this was different. Instead of busy days and sleepless nights, everything was now moving too slowly. Nights were long, days even longer.

She had no experience in the uneventful day-to-day that she was finding herself having to deal with.

She was still releasing songs, mostly things she'd written while away on tour. Her name was still rising, popularity growing, the label people ecstatic about her performances.

But overall, she was getting too big for the clubs she used to play at before the tour. And that was a problem. Because she wasn't big enough yet to fill venues either.

Wesley had reassured her that they had plenty of things planned ahead, that great stuff was brewing.

Yet in the meantime, all there was to do was wait.

Winter was creeping in, the temperatures not changing much in DelSol, leaving Isi feeling even more stuck in time. She spent a lot of time alone. Trying to write more. But the city now felt empty. And so did she.

Most days she stayed in bed as long as possible. On her phone or simply just lost in thought.

Some nights she would go partying, hoping to take the edge off. She went to dark clubs, zoned out by simply focusing on the music. Made sure to avoid the places she'd gone to in the past.

She'd bring people home, knowing very well they weren't going to fill the void that was slowly growing in her chest. Pretending to sleep in the next morning to give them time to leave her appartment without having to interact again in daylight. She felt pathetic.

Her friends took notice. Wesley visited more often, telling her what was going on on the business side of things, giving her advice about what to say or not to say publicly and online. They had contacted a PR team to handle the whole Melody thing, which helped a bit...

Amani came to see her every other day, always bringing food, entertainment, anything to bring a smile to Isi's face. She was fleeing the chaos her house had become, what with two dogs there and her mother having officially moved in now:

"You positive I can't move in with you?"

"Again, babe, where would you sleep?! You know we can't share a bed, I move all night and you're an incredibly light sleeper..."

Isi tried not to let it show, but she thought it might make everything even worse if she didn't have her own space to retreat to. To be alone.

[polillalegacyarchive]

The next day, just as the moon was starting to rise up in the sky, Isidora and Wesley arrived at their best friend's town house for Friends-giving. They could hear the multitude of voices coming from the outside and both unconsciously picked up the pace.

Jak's dog, lying by the door, raised some hopeful eyes when the door swung open. Isi tried to ignore the pinch in her chest and to focus on the warm vibes in the small living room. Amani dropped the plates she was carrying on the table to come and hug them, welcoming them inside.

As soon as Wes had sat his ass down, Amani was going back to the kitchen, Isi asking if she needed any help.

"Not at all, settle in, I'm bringing some drinks out in a minute, you were the last ones here!"

"As usual!" someone said and laughter filled the air.

It felt good to be amongst friends. They all looked forward to this event every year, marking the end of the unbearable heat in DelSol, but also a privileged time without the pressure that the city was putting on them, just enjoying their long lasting friendships.

The rule had always been to *not* bring significant others to Friends-giving. Yet after a couple of drinks, Isi surprised herself daydreaming about bringing Rory to meet her friends...

Lost in the fantasy, she didn't catch on immediately when her name was called.

"ISI !!"

And before she could react, Wes chuckled. "Oh, I recognise that look now! You were thinking of your dearest Rory, weren't you?"

"Wesley! No I was not!" she shushed, but it was too late already and her friends could all spot the lie easily.

All their friends started asking questions at the same time:

"Who's Rory?!" "She or he? Or they? You've not tried that yet, have you?!" "Did you sleep with someone on tour?! I thought you were too broken up about the bitch for that!"

Isi put her hands up to ask for a cease fire.

When they all quieted down, she started with: "It's not that serious, Wes is just reading into it a lot."

"I am *not*" he simply said, looking smug.

"Tell us anyway!"

"Fine!" She started giving them a quick rundown of their time in Moonwood and how Rory fit into it.

When she stopped, they all looked at each other.

"Guys, stop it! It was just a hookup!" Isi protested.

"Yet you didn't hook up!" said Nessa.

"Only one way to settle this: Amani, did you know about this woman before today?"

When her best friend slowly nodded, everyone cheered.

[polillalegacyarchive]

Isi turned around, feeling Wesley tense at her side.

"What do you want Melody?!"

There was a pause, a silence.

"I've been thinking about us lately..." Mel finally said, her voice almost a whine, shooting a side glance at Wes, clearly not too comfortable with him there.

"Oh, have you?" Isi could hear the disbelief in her own voice, but it didn't seem to stop her ex.

"Can I take you out for dinner maybe? We could talk."

Wes huffed, but Isi put a hand up. "If you've got something to say, go ahead, I'm eager to hear it."

"Don't you miss us? What we had? I watched clips of you on tour and I can't help but think you were the best thing that ever happened to me. My life was so much better with you in it... I tried to call you, you know? But you blocked me and I understand why."

Isidora frowned.

"I didn't block your number."

Behind her, Wes cleared his throat.

"Well, *someone* did." Mel said with a poisonous look over Isi's shoulder. "But it doesn't matter. I just want you to know I'm super proud of you and happy that you're blowing up these days! You deserve it!"

Isi felt her heart miss a beat and couldn't help but ask: "And what does Jaqueline think of that?"

Mel's eyes widened slightly as she said: "I don't think we're meant to be, Jaquie and me... I'm thinking of ending it."

Everything was so clear now, how had she been so blind to it?

"Thank you, Mel." Isi heard her best friend make a stunned noise but continued anyway. "Without you trying to rob me and claim my work for yourself, I might have continued making excuses for you."

Suddenly, she felt strong again. She'd learned a lot about herself on the road.

"Without you crushing my heart to pieces, I would have been pining for you the whole tour. Missed out on some of the greatest experiences of my life. Maybe I would have even cut it short. I was planning to, actually."

The truth of it cut Isi deeper than she thought it would.

Slightly bitter still, she decided that it was time.

"And I don't doubt you miss me. I believe you without hesitation when you say that your life was better with me. But mine is so much better now. I'm so glad you showed me your true colours so I could move on properly."

Mel didn't seem to have the strengh to say anything back. And Isi felt good about it. She had never been the one to have the last word in their relationship in the past. Now she was getting that chance.

"So thanks. And good riddance!"

She took Wes's arm and walked away.

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"Just so you know, the label is taking care of all expenses on this, they want you to be able to release your songs without any shadow of a doubt they're yours and they are completely ready to drag her through the mud if needed."

Wes's confident tone made Isi uncomfortable.

They were on their way to a meeting with lawyers, with the ultimate goal of finding a compromise, a solution to this situation. But her best friend was using his shark tone, the one he used when he needed to be more agent than friend. And she didn't know how she felt about that.

"Do you think that'll be necessary?" she asked, as they entered the fancy office building.

"Not sure. I guess we'll see."

When they found the meeting room, Wes walked in first, looking ready for battle. And he wasn't the only one with a belligerent look on his face.

Isi couldn't handle having to sit accross from Melody, so she chose the chair opposite her agent. It wasn't much better, but at least she wouldn't have to look into her ex's eyes for the next half hour. Wes sat next to hers and raised his brows:

"Well. What are we doing here?"

Mel was the first one to speak up, only looking at Isi:

"I've made you a cup of coffee."

Her voice was gooey, as if she was trying to soothe a wild animal. But everyone in the room saw through it easily.

"Oh, fuck off Mel!" Wes started, clearly about to rip into her.

"Mister Garrison, we'd appreciate you not to use such colourful language in here."

Isidora had only met Mel's agent once and he'd seemed much kinder at the time.

Soon, the lawyer at the end of the table started stating the details of the complaints out loud and Isi zoned out.

She was trying her hardest not to think when she heard her name. Wes was looking at her as if it wasn't the first time he'd tried to get her attention.

"What?"

The lawyer answered, repeating her last sentence:

"Are you agreeing to the terms, Miss Polilla?"

"Repeat the terms for her" Wes demanded, his voice full of anger.

"Do you agree to relinquish all artist rights to the song Purple Wings to Melody Holt? In addition to giving her label 20% of revenues made on any release for the next 5 years? As well as signing an NDA, of course."

Isi looked at Wes, completely lost. How was *that* considered a compromise?

Her best friend took the hint and let his anger out on the other agent.

"I'll pass on the fact that this lawyer is your wife, because it's going to give us even more bullets to throw at you in the media."

He got to his feet and gestured at Isi to do the same.

"You can shove your offer up your ass, you lost your client her only chance to recover from this. I can't believe you're that stupid, this is going to cost you everything. Have you not been keeping up with the news?"

The other agent was stood too, Mel looking shocked at Wes's outburst. But he continued on all the same:

"Take a look around! Nowadays, the young, pretty singers who got scammed out of their songs' rights and money are the ones winning. Oh how fun it'll be to destroy you!"

Not waiting for an answer, Wesley took Isi by the arm and walked her out of the room. He was jubilant, planning ahead for a media campaign that would announce the truth to the world, drown Melody in hate messages and leave Isi completely free to make music and claim her song.

For a couple of seconds, Isi felt the weight of all that was going to happen crush her, giving her a taste of how incredibly exhausting the next few months would be. Then, as they were exiting the building, she heard a voice call her name.

"Isi! Wait!"

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By the time she'd finished retelling every event, leaving out the not-so-normal parts, the two of them were sitting on the balcony.

"And we just had to leave, even though no one has found Jak yet, because of this whole legal mess I'm in now..."

"Mel still a pain in your ass?"

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to the appointment I have with lawyers tonight, apparently she'll be there."

"Want me to come with you?" Amani offered.

"No, you've got to take Rhea and Bullet home and get them settled."

As she was talking about Jak's dogs, she heard a bark.

She felt herself getting worked up again and was finally able to put her feelings into words:

"Amani, I feel like I took him from you. I hired him to work on my silly little tour, always downplaying the need to have a bodyguard, and he's probably-"

Her words caught in her throat again. She forced herself to start again, even though her voice broke halfway through: "He's probably dead somewhere in that maze and I feel so responsible for it..."

"Babe, look at me." Amani's voice was strong, even though her eyes were misty.

"I know Jak. He's literally the most stubborn person in the world. If he'd decided he would go check out some mysterious threat all out on his own, no one could have talked him out of it. So don't you dare feel guilty for choices he made, Isidora."

Her gaze wandered to the city.

"He always thought he was indestructible, that man..."

Silence fell between them for a couple of minutes. Then, Isi asked, her voice hesitant:

"So you're not mad at me? Or Wes? For not watching over him?"

"If there's anyone I should be mad at, it's Jak. But I'm not."

"Now come on, let's lift your spirits! Tomorrow's Friendsgiving, remember? We absolutely need you to make your mother's famous sauce."

They put a movie on for background noise and Isi started working while Amani was catching her up on the city gossip.

Amani gasped when Isi had to take out her phone to check a quantity.

"Hey! I thought you didn't *have* a recipe for it! That's what you said last year when I asked you to share it with me?!" 

Wes chose that exact time to walk in, unannounced and immediately siding with Amani.

"There *is* a recipe? You snake!"

Laughing at their playful tones, Isi ignored them entirely and put the ham roast in the oven, soaking it thoroughly. All of a sudden, with all the noise: the dogs, her best friends, the TV still on... She didn't feel so alone anymore.

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Isi took her time to finish packing. They had trouble getting the dogs to get in the van.

And by the time they were ready to leave, shadows were growing. Wes cranked up the radio when one of Isi's new releases came on and they left. Oblivious to the shining eyes in the forest.

They took turns driving until they reached the big highways outside Del Sol Valley. From then on, they decided not to stop anymore. They got home at 5am, separating in the hall of the building they both lived in, trying not to think of Jak. Three had left, only two had returned.

Glad Wes had volunteered to take the dogs for the rest of the night, Isi crashed in her bed, only opening her suitcase to change into clean underwear. She was asleep before the sun came up, above the covers as it was still warm in the valley, even during the fall.

For the first night in a long time, she didn't dream... And when she woke up, she felt strangely lonely. Where she'd been used to meet up with Wes and Jak every morning during their tour, that's not usually what happened in DelSol. She hesitated, glancing at her phone.

The sun was already high up in the sky, and yet she wasn't sure her best friend would be awake yet. So instead of calling him, she just made breakfast with the few things she had in the fridge (PB&J) and sat, alone, in her apartment... Thinking of what was to come.

The answer to her loneliness came in the form of a knock on her door, about an hour later, interrupting her unpacking. Without waiting for an answer, her best friend came in, instantly making Isi feel more at peace.

"Hello Babes! How are you? The city has missed you!"

They fell into each other's arms. But before Amani could let go, Isi felt her happiness melt. In a blink, sorrow took over. She felt so silly, not knowing why the tears were chosing this moment to fall. Incapable of stopping them. Yet her best friend held her through it.

It wasn't the kind of silent cries that people usually displayed in public. No, it was dry sobs, not even that many tears rolling down her cheeks but a big lump in her throat and it took ages before she was able to speak again.

"I'm so sorry Amani, I don't..." She turned away.

"Hey, it's okay, I get it."

Isidora didn't even get it herself, but Amani's hand on her shoulder somehow made it okay face her friend again. And the compassion in her eyes was the final straw. She unloaded everything that had happened since they'd left, no detail left out.