The hall was packed, and it was a struggle to get to our places, but Flo's radiance helped: like Snow White navigating a sea of dwarfs with prince charming in tow, she brought us to our reserved seats. Once seated, the first half an hour was spent waiting for the show to start, which was not very pleasant. The problem was that Joe did not have any conversation, and when he talked, it was about things that neither Flo nor I found interesting. What do I care who scored last Sunday or who does the better ball trick in a stadium? Urg. I tried to propose some more intellectual themes through Flo, like books, games or movies, but he blocked those completely. Well, except for a shooting game where I was a null.

As a consequence, I completely lost interest in the conversation.

I was happy that Flo was in the lead; I could enjoy looking at him and letting her do the work. Flo could have told him anything she wanted, as long as he was looking with those eyes at me.

I was so ensnared by simply watching him that I was surprised to find out that a couple of guys had meanwhile appeared on the stage. They were making some checks together with the band's drummer. I realized they were there when Joe started to yell and whistle.

It was refreshing to see how near they were, or rather how close we were to the stage; they could simply give me a hand and pick me up. These were really VIP places. They waved and talked with us. They all looked at me, and I think that even the camera was pointing more at my décolleté than at the band. Or maybe the cameraman abused the time when he was not on? I was happy and enjoyed letting Flo do the heavy lifting in the conversation. With this very revealing, sexy red dress, I would feel half naked, what I was, and thus feel intimidated, timorous and constipated. Not her. She was doing it with a natural grace that I always wanted to possess but knew was not mine. A dream that now came true in an interesting and funny way.

However, soon there was trouble, as another pair came reclaiming our seats, and a vivid discussion ensued. They seemed to have paid an exorbitant price just to get tricked, but the girl asked in the end if we could not arrange ourselves, me sitting on Joe's lap and she on her friends'. The hall was hopelessly overbooked, many people were sitting on the stairs and between the chairs; there was simply no chance to get somebody to clarify the ticket issue. Joe asked me if I was ok, and I agreed, so I ended up on his lap.

This will be anyhow soon irrelevant as the chairs will be removed in the second part of the show and the people from the gallery will be allowed to come down. I wondered how they'll do that with so many people here.

His hands were now resting on me all the time, but I did not mind, and Flo was happy to oblige all my wishes. In reality, nothing could have made me happier. Drats, I am irrevocably, irremediably enamoured in him.

To touch without having to do the touching, to move without having to make a movement, to enjoy without flipping out crazy, my alter ego, my split personality, allowed me to enjoy and feel things I could not dream of. Whilst Flo was talking, moving, and doing all that, I could concentrate on feeling, relishing and savouring.

The new neighbour offered us something to drink as thanks for the place, they had a set of mini-bottles with them, and then the boy asked if Joe played football. A vivid conversation ensued; both were fans, even if of different teams.

Finally, the band came and soon after they started to sing. They have several heavy metal songs that I really love, and they began the show with one of them. It was maybe a bit too loud even for me, but terrific bass. I was feeling the vibrations deep in my spine. The crazies around started to scream and wave, but the noise was so deafening it covered everything.

The neighbour girl was a blonde named Sandy, looking a bit like Lola, with a lovely azure dress, and she was making a lot of noise engaging Flo all the time, so we became something like an additional attraction, almost like cheerleaders at a game.

In the moments when I was sitting quiet, Joe was cuddling me, kissing me behind the ear and joking with me. I was in the ninth heaven.

It could have gone on and on forever. And to think that after this we will party all night! Drats, I'll be drunk only from feelings.

I did not even realize how the first half of the show was gone in the blink of an eye, or so it seemed to me. A short break ensued, and we hurried for the toilets while the ground floor hall was being refurbished. Now comes the part with more movement and dance. We chatted with the neighbours and returned to our place to have a good position for the second part before they opened the gates for the gallery.

As soon as the music began, Flo asked me:

“Would you like to take the lead?”

I was just resting my back on Joe and feeling his warm body behind me, his hands embracing me gently while we were enjoying a slow song.

“Are you crazy? Why would you do this to me?!”

She laughed softly. I was afraid Joe would ask what was so funny.

“Joe is your friend. Would you not like to be yourself? Would you always want to hide behind me? What would you do after we separate? I can keep doing this if you want...”

I felt how she shrugged, and Joe instinctively held me tighter.

Oh, well, maybe she is right. Maybe it is time to come out of hiding and be me? Perhaps this is the true purpose of my alter ego? Help me finally come out of my shell?

“OK, but you take the lead back as soon as I ask you.”

“Of course. You have the lead now!”

The place was crowded now, and I could not avoid contact from the sides either, so all I had to do was rest even stronger on Joe. Yes, it is Joe and me, no intermediary, not even my alter ego!

The next songs were not so peaceful anymore.

All around us, everybody screamed and yelled, the cacophony of voices regulated and streamlined by drums and the electric guitar created one of the most exciting atmospheres I have ever enjoyed.

Joe's left hand stayed on my belly while his right hand wandered dangerously close to my left breast. I felt his breathing warm on my neck. I wanted to embrace him; I wanted to kiss him and tell him I love him. Oh, baby, I love you so much! He is mine, and I am his. Yeah!

The singer came towards us asking:

“Who wants to fly? Who wants to fly? Do you want to fly? Do you want to fly? Into the darkness!!!”

At first, I did not understand, but Sandy raised her hand and screamed: me, me, take me!!

I did the same, waving my hand, and to my surprise, the singer pointed his finger at me:

“You, red beauty! Come to fly, the flight into the darkness!!”

He called me red beauty!! HE CALLED ME RED BEAUTY!!!

I was a bit confused about what was about to happen, but then I remembered they did the same at the previous performance, where several girls were let to “fly” on the hands of the audience around the stage. It's the 'Into The Darkness' song, and I am chosen! In the end, I will be brought behind the scene that symbolizes the black hole, the flight into darkness.

OK, I did not expect to be one. Not when I was not being impersonated by Flo. I hesitated a very short second and looked at Joe, but he only grinned and said go, go!

I felt Joe's muscular hands straining around my belly while he pushed me up, my ass resting a moment on his pectorals; I caught the singer's hand; another stage manager was there to pull my hand, Joe pushing up my bones, and I landed on the stage near the singer. He presented me to the hall, like meat at an auction and then the song started, and the hall literally exploded:

“Fly, fly, fly!! Into the darkness! Fly, fly into the darkness!”

I felt a little dizzy, so I did not have a very elegant presence; luckily, there was no such request from me, as the lights were dim, changing all the time. All I had to do was stand straight at the rand of the stage, get a kiss from the singer and then fall on my back in the hands of the audience. At standing straight like a broom, I can win any contest.

For the kiss, he did a pose like at a tango where I was bent backwards, and then he just let me fall:

“Into the darkness!! Thousand of hands gripping you, dragging you into the darkness!”

For a moment, I was panicked that I'll really land hard on the ground, but many hands grasped me, and I remained suspended there on my back, floating over the mass of humans. I was feeling good, the light was on me, the music was fabulous.

Up there, something like an explosion happened, and thick clouds of vapour started descending towards us.

“This is Mephi’s dark fog! Run!” - screamed Flo in my mind.

“Don’t be silly; these are stage effects. CO2. Good that I am in the lead, you silly girl!”

“No! Believe me!!! Run!”

I giggled as the clouds enveloped me, but then the grips became harder and unpleasant like they would want to rip souvenirs out of my skin. I have hard skin, so that will not be easy, but what is happening? If they insist, I'll get some purple marks there.

“Fly, fly, fly, into the darkness!”

Everybody sang, and they pushed me up with each 'fly', throwing me up in the air by the end. My heart was drumming crazy with each flight, and now confetti was descending.

But something was off, the yells became animalistic, and the music descended into a cacophony of screams. The masses below me moved; somebody held me on the right side, but the left side missed me, and I rolled to the ground, losing one shoe.

Lucky me, I have Cala's power, and I pushed myself back up.

Something was off with the people; they were pushing too hard, this was not fun any more. Plus, I lost one shoe. I was feeling angry and confused.

The fog was just too dense, and I could not clearly see.

I care for these shoes! Lucky me, I have Flo, who will find it!

“Flo, take the lead; you lead! Help me! Find that damn shoe!”

My vision got suddenly wobbly, and I realized I had made a terrible mistake. Flo was not by conscience. Not fully.

I fell.

Can it be that she was right? Can this be Mephi's fog?

But then, are these kids going to descend into some kind of brutal madness!? No, this is not possible!

But then, what's wrong with Flo?

“Flo! Give me back the lead! Flo!”

I had a vision of feet coming out of the darkness and trampling over me again and again and again. I thought it would never end. I felt each and every kick, each and every footstep, over my fingers, over my belly, over my face. Somebody fell over me, then stood again up, pushing his knee into my neck.

“Joe! Help me, Joe! Please help me!”

I could not scream but in my mind.

Cala had an incredibly robust body; I would have been dead otherwise, but how long can she take this kind of abuse? It was like a nightmare where you could not move; you could not do anything but see and suffer.

Again feet over my face, over my lips, crushing my fingers, my breasts, knee in my belly, feet over my legs, all at the same time, again and again. My nose got crushed, and my ear was trampled. My neck was crushed again under a heavy knee. Somebody did try to raise me up but then fell over me, then he dropped me and pushed me down to raise himself, then more people came, and I was again pounded, then I partially lost sight as my eye was trampled over. I could see only with the other eye that was closer to the floor.

Blood was running from my broken nose and broken lips. When will this end?

There was a cacophony of noises that made no sense, probably because Flo was under that damned influence. My vision, as far as I had it, was not clear but continuously wobbling.