StarPyre Read online

  StarPyre

  Jade Waltz

  Copyright © 2020 Jade Waltz

  StarPyre is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  All rights reserved.

  Published by: Jade Waltz

  First Edition: June 2020

  E-Book ISBN: 978-1-952420-90-0

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1-952420-04-7

  Cover Artist:

  Mel Shinyama

  https://www.kamayama.net/

  Formatting: The Nutty Formatter

  Contents

  1. TORI

  2. AURO

  3. TORI

  4. LUWYN

  5. TORI

  6. CELYZE

  7. TORI

  8. AURO

  9. TORI

  10. CELYZE

  11. TORI

  12. LUWYN

  13. TORI

  14. CELYZE

  15. TORI

  16. TORI

  17. TORI

  Author’s Note:

  Connect with me at:

  Other Works Found At:

  Sneak Peek:

  5313-3F

  One

  TORI

  School was out, summer classes had yet to begin, and I was ready to dance my worries away.

  As I passed through the secured entrance, I closed my eyes, enjoying the sense of relief rushing through me. After spending weeks studying with my nose down in my notes, this was exactly what I needed—to be free from the weight of it all.

  My grades may not have been the highest, but they were good enough to graduate next year. I could worry about my future beyond college once my super senior year started in the fall. Most of my acquaintances had already moved away, soon after their commencements, leaving me here to suffer my way through my fifth year in college. Everyone who stayed behind knew that summer classes were designed to be quick and easy. Not even the professors wanted to waste these gorgeous days inside.

  Taking in a deep breath, I rolled my shoulders, feeling the tinsel on the pads tickling my bare arms. Letting it all out, along with my stress, I opened my eyes and scanned the party.

  The “Beyond the Stars” Summer Rave was in full blast with its space-themed decorations and set-up. Multi-colored, glowing, star-shaped lights streamed from every direction as blown-up UFOs floated above the crowd, appearing as if they were abducting the guests with their beams of light. The attendees were jamming to electronic music blaring into the night sky. Everyone was dressed to impress, each equipped with a unique interstellar costume for the night. Tonight’s costume contest came with a large prize to be won, and from what I could tell, the competition would be stiff.

  A quick check of my smartwatch told me that Kaylie hadn’t arrived yet. I sighed. My best friend was always late for these things. She spent too much of her time trying to make sure that she looked perfect, so much so that she lost track of time or who she was meeting up with. I wasn't going to let her ruin my night. Besides, if she turned up after the contest was over, she was one less person for me to compete against. I may have had some money, but I was poor compared to her fortune. I wouldn't be surprised if she hired a designer to customize her outfit for tonight.

  There was no use in wasting time waiting for her, especially when there was no guarantee she’d show up. I typed a quick message, asking her where she was. There. I was the responsible one. She couldn’t say that I didn’t try.

  Exotic scents assaulted my nose as I pressed into the dense crowd, trying to get away from the smokers enjoying themselves along the fenced border. Covering my nose with my arm, I tried to filter out the thick smog billowing from them as the wind blew it into the dancing mass of people.

  I couldn’t complain, though; I knew that smoking was allowed in designated locations at outdoor events like this. Any type of musical festival was a hub for booze, drugs, and smoking. It gave attendees an excuse to get wild and lose themselves to the music. Some guests took it too far by having sex in the public areas. That was why I now only attend government-sanctioned events. Still fun, but more relaxed.

  As I made my way through the crowd, I spotted many women wearing their versions of a sexy Star Trek uniform, only in colors that weren’t normally available. Neon, tye-dye, ombré colors, and even some dresses had mesh on the sides where the black stripe should be. Instead of the mini skants the women in the Star Trek franchise wore, these skirts barely covered anything. Which was fine—this was a beach after all, and their costumes covering more than what bikinis would—but I didn’t find their outfits at all original. These definitely wouldn’t place in the contest tonight.

  Amazingly, many folks had coordinated their costumes as a group. Sailor Moon was a popular theme, along with many attempts at sexy silver space suits partnered with aliens of all shapes and forms.

  Someone bumped into me and grabbed my arm before I had a chance to trip and fall.

  I turned around to confront the person. “Hey . . .” Words failed me as I stared at the culprit.

  “Hey, baby,” the shirtless, brunette man purred, licking his lips as his eyes trailed along my body. “When did you crash land on this planet? Because you are definitely out of this world.”

  “Just a few minutes ago.” I glanced at his grip on my arm and gave it a quick tug. He instantly released me, throwing his hands up in the universal gesture for surrender. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.”

  He shot me a quick smirk. “Clayton, but my friends call me Clay.” He lowered his hands as his eyes lingered on my chest for a moment. “But you can call me anything you want, babe.”

  Internally, I rolled my eyes at his arrogant flirting. Any other night, I might dump his ass and keep walking. A quick look at my smart watch told me Kaylie hadn’t responded—as usual—leaving me to fend for myself. I didn’t mind meeting new people, chilling with them, and exchanging numbers if we clicked. Hell, that was how I met Kaylie and my ex.

  I wouldn’t be doing that again.

  Nope.

  I was happy to be friends with male ravers and hook up with them when the time was right, but I would never date a raver again. The whole point of a music festival was to enjoy yourself with acquaintances, no strings attached. Every raver I’d ever dated hadn’t wanted to stick by my side at events, to dance, make out, and have fun as a couple. Instead, they’d acted as if they were single, making out with girls and grinding on them without a care. And yet, whenever I’d danced with my girls or gay guy friends, jealousy had reared its ugly head, and each one had caused a scene.

  If Clay was willing to hang out with me for the night, we could have a good time. As soon as he showed any signs of being a jerk, however, I planned to ditch him. After all, we hadn’t come here together as a pair. I was under no obligation to go home with him if I didn’t want to.

  “Clay sounds fine to me.” I gave his costume a once-over. He was wearing a shirtless NASA uniform with blue shorts that had a big NASA Rocket Launch Pad patch right above his crotch. And I could tell by the smoldering look he was giving me and his choice of attire, he clearly believed he’d nabbed a one-night stand, or at least someone he could have fun with for the night.

  He leaned forward, his lips next to my ear. “And what might your name be?”

  Deciding to entertain him and play along, I traced one of his pectorals. “What do you think it should be?”

  “I can call you Nova, for now,” he replied, pulling away. “But I hope to catch your
real name before the end of the night.”

  “Perhaps,” I chuckled and pressed my hands to his chest, giving him a playful shove. “If you can keep up.”

  “That sounds like a challenge,” he purred with heated eyes. “Good thing I always win.”

  “Now’s the time you’ve all been waiting for!” The energetic host announced at full volume into the sound system. “All beauties who believe they have what it takes to win, come to the stage.”

  Clay’s hands tightened on my hips before he released me. “I guess this means that I have to let you go.”

  “You make it sound like I won’t be returning.”

  “Not after you win.” He frowned. “Everyone will want to dance with the hottest chick here.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’ll have to win first.” I tugged on my space fairy top, exposing more of the top of my breasts, before doing a quick twirl. “How do I look?” I asked over my shoulder, shaking my ass toward him as my hair smacked my rainbow LED wings, the lights shimmering on their surface.

  His gaze traced my body and paused on my ass. “Like I said: out of this world.”

  Giving him a short, teasing twerk, I blew him a kiss. “Thanks, Rocketman.”

  He was too stunned to reply as I turned and made my way to the stage. His reaction gave me the confidence boost I needed, especially since Kaylie hadn’t shown her face yet. I checked my smartwatch one more time to find no reply from her. Whatever. If she didn’t want to come tonight, then she shouldn’t have told me she’d be here. I joined her at all of her events, even the ones I didn’t care for. She could at least attend the one that I was most excited about.

  I wasn’t going to allow her absence to ruin my night. Besides, even if she were here, there was no way she would stand in the crowd while I was on stage. I loved the chick, but she hated missing a chance to be in the spotlight.

  None of that mattered. The night was young, the event was terrific, and I could leave with Rocketman when the night was over. If he played his cards right, I might assist him with his blast off.

  I chuckled to myself at my joke. While I didn’t originally plan on leaving this rave with a guy, after being stood up by my bestie, the idea sounded more and more enticing. It had been a while since I’d been with someone, and the thought of riding Clay was starting to appeal.

  The stage’s security guard asked for my pre-registered event number, and I flashed him my lanyard before ascending to the raised platform. The whole stage was packed with a line of contestants from one edge to the other. For a moment, I feared I was the last one to enter the contest, until a blonde girl with a handlebar ponytail, dressed in a hot pink Princess Leia slave bikini, quickly filed in beside me. I sighed as my worries fled me.

  I hated being last—or late, for that matter. A late arrival always drew unneeded negative attention.

  “Cute costume,” the hot pink Leia whispered. “What are you? A space elf?”

  “Thanks.” I shot a glance at her. “Space fairy, but close enough. I wish I could rock your costume.”

  “Yeah, I never was a fan of Star Trek.” She shrugged. “But I figured the costume was too perfect not to wear to an event like this.”

  “You mean Star Wars,” I deadpanned as I tried not to cringe at her mistake.

  “Yeah, whatever,” she scoffed, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. “It’s basically the same thing.”

  I decided to drop the subject. It was apparent she didn’t care. The most important thing to her was looking hot and winning this contest.

  I tried not to let myself get annoyed with her comment. My costume was clearly superior. Anyone could find a golden bikini, strap a few window curtains to it, and call that original.

  Usually, I wasn’t this bitchy, but something about her attitude rubbed me the wrong way. Top that off with my night not going as planned. Maybe I was transferring my irritation with Kaylie onto the girl beside me. Whatever the reason, I needed this win to cheer me up, and to show Kaylie what exactly she was missing. Plus, the prize money was a nice bonus.

  The music dimmed, fading until it just carried above the crowd’s chatter. I barely even noticed the change; after spending a while surrounded by loud noises, I’d grown used to the volume. The only indicator that the music quieted was the absence of heart-thumping bass that still reverberated through my bones.

  “It’s time for the grand event!” The flamboyant presenter was dressed in an outfit that looked like a mixture between the host from Fifth Element and a resident in the Hunger Games capitol. Big, loud, and in your face—definitely the main attraction.

  “Each contestant will introduce themselves before crossing the catwalk to show us what they got.” He paused as the crowd cheered. “Once they’re done, our three fabulous judges will give them their scores. The contestant with the highest average rating wins the grand prize!”

  While the host continued his excited babbling, I surveyed the party’s crowd, trying to spot my Rocketman. Right when I was about to abandon my search, I found Clay near the far fence border, making out with one of many Star Fleet copycats.

  It took all of my might to control myself not to react to the display.

  First, I’d been stood up by my best friend, only to be dismissed as soon as I left by a guy who I thought was interested in me—even if it was just for a one-night stand.

  Screw them. Tonight was supposed to kick off the beginning of my summer. Instead of getting upset at this rejection, I would channel my anger into my performance.

  When my turn came to introduce myself, I did so proudly, with my chin up and a wide smile. I made sure to sway my hips with each step on the catwalk, finishing with a sexy bend and snap to make the crowd go wild.

  Eat your hearts out!

  When I glanced at the three judges, each one of them held up a sign with the number ten written enthusiastically on the whiteboard.

  “It looks like we have a new leader, with a perfect score of thirty out of thirty,” the host announced. “Can our last contestant tie her, and send them both to the lightning round? Or will she come up short and make Tori tonight’s winner? Only one can win. Let’s see if she has what it takes.”

  I blew everyone a kiss as I returned to my spot, confident in my current position in the contest. My runway walk was perfected over many years attending these events, entering every costume competition I came across. No one else on this stage had a better costume than me, and that included the fake Leia who was going last.

  She gave me a sly smirk as she walked past me, obviously believing that she was going to be the victor. For a split second, I had the urge to trip her but quickly dismissed the idea. I was going to win fair and square, not because I cheated my way to the top.

  She was gorgeous; I had to grant her that. She was a blonde with a rockin’ body, dressed up as almost every man's fantasy. But then, who wasn’t some sort of attractive here? SoCal music festivals were better than any other; the most beautiful people in the country came to party here.

  What irritated me was her unwarranted confidence. This was a costume contest, where originality was the most significant factor in the score. Where I hadn’t seen another space fairy tonight, I had come across multiple other bikini Leias in the crowd, some even equipped in chains and pulled around by their masters. Sure, there were a ton of aliens in the crowd, but no one wore anything remotely close to what I had on, and at least I knew what the heck I was wearing.

  She shot me a quick smile as she ended her performance, trying to bait me to react. Instead of playing into her hands, I focused on the judges. She knew that I cared about the competition, so she was intent on beating me.

  “Here is the moment of truth,” the host announced. “Will Britni tie our leader, or will Tori be our Star Queen?”

  The three judges shot glances at each other before they raised their signs one by one.

  Ten . . .

  Ten . . .

  The last judge shook her head before revealing her scor
e.

  Five.

  “It looks like Tori is our champion!”

  The crowd went wild as the other contestants left the stage, one by one, leaving me standing alone beside the energetic host.

  I couldn’t believe it. I won. Me.

  I shot a glance at my watch. It was almost 1 AM. What a great way to start a new day.

  The three judges surrounded me; each one congratulating me as they handed me my prize, a large silver crown. The crystal stars and planets surrounding the rim twinkled under the rave’s party lights. I bent down as the one female judge placed it on my head, feeling a rush of excitement pass through me as my victory became a reality.

  One of the male judges placed matching silver space-themed bracelets around my wrists as the other gave me a credit card loaded with the grand prize money.

  Nodding my head, I thanked them all as I gripped my card tightly.

  The host calmed down the crowd once more before turning toward me with the microphone.

  “Tori. How does it feel to win tonight’s costume contest?”

  “Honestly?” I glanced at the crowd, shooting them a huge smile. “I can’t believe it. There were a lot of amazing outfits tonight. Right now, I feel like I’m dreaming.”

  “I can promise you that you aren’t,” he chuckled. “What are your plans for the rest of the night?”

  “Get a drink and then party! What else?”

  The host pulled the mic away and turned toward the crowd. “You heard our Star Queen! Let’s get back to the reason we’re all here!”

  Instantly, the music restarted as the crowd began dancing and enjoying themselves once more. The host left my side to head to the DJ booth, leaving me wondering what I should do.