?I heard they were husband and wife。?
?I heard they?re fraternal twins; separated at birth;? remarked someone else。
Vanessa slipped into the back of the club unnoticed。 ?What kind of name is Mystery Craze?? she
wondered as she put her camera to her eye and zoomed in on the stage。
Dan?s entire body was covered in a cold; freaked…out sweat。 Everything was happening so fast。
He hadn?t even had a chance to contemplate how he?d gone from writing strange; morose poetry
in notebooks no one ever read to performing onstage with an almost…famous girl in a cool club;
wearing a fancy designer suit。 But there was no time to doubt himself。 He?d acted in plays;
performed in Vanessa?s movies。 He was the new Rilke。 He peeled off his jacket; and rolled up his
sleeves。 He could do this。
Mystery was already waiting for him onstage; her bony fingers clenching the microphone in
white…knuckled anticipation。 Dan could see now that there were two mikes; one for him and one
for her。
?What?s your favorite noun?? Mystery asked the audience in her low; husky voice。
?Pie!? an obviously shitfaced ponytailed guy in the front row shouted back。
?You?re the antithesis of pie;? Mystery hissed at Dan as he took the stage。 ?I want to eat you
alive。?
Dan cleared his throat and reached for the microphone stand to steady himself。 ?What?s your
favorite verb?? he asked in response; surprised by how sure of himself he sounded。
?Sex;? Mystery answered coolly。 She dropped to her hands and knees; slithering toward him with
the microphone between her teeth。 ?Sex;? she repeated; crawling between his legs and clawing her
way up his body until their faces were only a centimeter apart。 The yellow dress made her teeth
look even yellower。
The camera wobbled in Vanessa?s hands。 Sothis was why she hadn?t heard a peep out of Dan
lately; not even to work onMaking Poetry 。 Dan had been making poetry with Mystery Craze。 And
as much as it hurt to watch the boy she?d been in love with for almost three years fall under the
spell of a girl whose real name was probably something totally boring and unpoetic like Jane
James; Vanessa couldn?t bring herself to stop filming。 Something was happening to Dan that she
had to get on film。 He seemed to be discovering himself; right before her eyes。
?Feed me;? Dan growled into the mike as Mystery writhed beneath him。 ?Bare your naked body
on my plate。?
The crowded whooped and shrieked in delight。 Dan couldn?t believe what a total blast he was
having。 He was a rock?n?roll poet; a sex god! Forget Rilke; he was Jim Morrison! He dragged
Mystery off the floor and dove at her mouth in a hard and hungry rock…god kiss。
Vanessa kept filming; hot tears streaming down her pale cheeks。 She couldn?t stop; and she
wasn?t doing it to torture herself。 She was doing it for the sake of her art。
Onstage; Dan unbuttoned his shirt and Mystery licked his chest。