“This will be quick,” he said. “I’ll ask you some questions and you’ll look straight at the camera when you answer. Don’t worry if you mess up, we’ll edit it together so you look good. Ready?” He launched right into it without waiting for a response. “I’m here with Villain Complex from Los Angeles, who just joined Angel’s team after a fierce battle between her, Dan, and Lance. Tell me, why did you pick Angel as your mentor?” He shoved the mic in Jared’s face.

“It was a tough decision, but she seemed like she wanted us the most.”

“You’re the singer, yes? Can you each state your name and what you play in the band?”

“Sure. I’m Jared Cross, and I’m the lead singer and bassist.” He flashed his stage smile, and Ray thrust the mic at me next.

“Oh, um.” I yanked at the bottom of my dress, worried the camera was getting a view. “I’m Maddie Taylor, and I play the guitar.”

“And sing backup,” Jared added, much to my dismay.

The other guys said, “Hector Fernandez, drums,” and “Kyle Cross, keyboard.”

“Great,” Ray said and then asked Jared, “So what does Villain Complex mean? Who came up with that?”

“I did,” Jared said. “It’s a play on the phrase ‘hero complex,’ which is when someone always wants to save the day and get recognized for it. I figured someone with a villain complex would crave the opposite—they’d want to be noticed for the bad things they do. Fame through villainy and all that.” He laughed. “Basically, we all love comic books, and villains are cool.”

I studied his face and wondered if there was a personal reason he’d chosen that name or if they really were just comic book geeks. His comment reminded me of the lyrics in “Behind the Mask,” about presenting a certain image to the world but no one seeing the real person underneath.

Before I could ponder it further, Ray continued with his next question. “Can you tell us a little about how long you’ve been together and how you formed?”

“Sure. Kyle and I started playing music together when we were kids. Our mom’s a songwriter and our dad’s an entertainment lawyer, so it must be in our blood. Hector was my best friend in high school, and I convinced him to learn the drums so we could start a band.” He stopped and glanced at me. “And Maddie joined us…recently.”

Ray quickly rattled off a few more questions to Jared about the band and what we hoped to get out of the show while the rest of us just stood there like we didn’t exist. Hector and Kyle kept trying to butt in, but Ray never let them have the mic.

“One last question,” Ray said. “Maddie, are you and Jared together?”