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It’s a cold early October night, the night to be exact, the night of the Crowstorm concert. The concert is in a small newly opened theater that doubles as a concert hall. The queue in front of the still closed building, is massive as every teenager and young adult is waiting to enter the warm building. Inside is a small group of people working hard to get everything in order for the concert. Sound, lights, podium set up all gets one last check. Among those hard working people are the band the night is about and their opening act.
Two bands are backstage waiting. The boys of the main act are looking weirdly at the unknown act that’s going before them. Two boys wearing masquerade masks. The blond guy is holding a black LA electric guitar and has a bass guitar hanging on his back, while the black haired guy is spinning drumsticks around. The lead singer of the main act is looking warry, he knows he started as a two man band too, but something looks off about these guys. The only reason Castiel let an unknown band in front of his is the venue. The owner, a weird lady in a fairy costume, only let them play if her cousins band could open for them. So he agreed because he really wanted to play this gig in his hometown. But seeing the two guys and three instruments is just weird. “Aren’t you missing someone?”: asks Yordy, Crowstorms drummer. The blond guy looks up, green eyes hidden behind the red mask he’s wearing, a smirk on his lips, “She will be here”.
Outside next to her black clothed friend is said orange haired lead singer trying to come up with an excuse to slip away from her friends side. A friend she only has known for a month. Not even her high school friends know what she is about to do. But then again they didn’t know what she has been doing the past four years. After high school her dad got a new job in a new town. And the family moved away, leaving hurt, staying in contact was only a painful reminder to her and then when her long distance relationship proved impossible, he gave up. She was angry, hurt, sad and alone. She found the least expected way to deal with it, music. She started to study music and art history. She became quiet good at it and two of her study mates asked her to start a band. For her it wasn’t about the fame but the emotional outlet and so Masquerade was born.
“Five minutes for Masquerade”: tells the stage manager the two masked boys. They exchange looks and one pulls out his phone. It’s ringing echo’s. A blonde with a black lace mask rushes in. “I’m here”: she smirks, purple eyes sparkling, her ringing phone in hand. The blond guy hands her the guitar, she hangs it on her back, fishing a plectrum out of the leather shorts she is wearing. “Let’s get this show on the road”: she winks to the stunned guys of the main act and walks off. The four guys exchange looks and follow their opening act to the stage.
“Hai everybody, I know nobody knows us or is waiting for us, but let us warm you up, before we all rock out to Crowstorm”. The crowd roars loud and the lead singer giggles. “So let me prepare you all, we are Masquerade and we mostly play music as an emotional outlet. So we’re going to enjoy playing our music, we only hope you will like it too”. The crowd screamed and the drummer started to count down, the bass player started and the blonde took off with her guitar. Sounds nobody expected were coming from the pop looking band as the girl starts to sing with the raw sound of punk rock.
“Take it off baby for me”: the girl shouts the last sentence in her microphone, catching the eye of Crowstorms lead singer. She winks at him as the music dies and the crowd cheers loudly. “Thank you”: the three band members exclaim.
“So since we are really new at this performing outside of class thing, I still feel I should explain the songs we sing. So sorry if I bore you, but not really”, the boys behind her stifle some laughs. Here and there snickering comes from the crowd.
“So the next song was written by our lovely drummer when he figured out that there some people you shouldn’t mess with”: she smiles secretive and she starts off the song with her guitar. The first word leave her mouth and the girls in the crowd cheer hard for the singing blonde. “The chorus will be easy, listen and sing along”: she smiles during the music break. “Girls can be pretty, girls can be cute. But don’t fuck with them, cause they will”. “Here we go”: she shouts. People start actually singing along, the band exchanges happy looks while continuing the chorus “Girls can be pretty, girls can be cute. But don’t fuck with them cause they will. They’ll fuck with you!”. The bass player and the lead singer finish the song back to back instruments dying out slowly. The drummer thumps an extra note to get the attention from the whistling crowd. “Just so you guys know I wrote that song about a certain blonde singer”. The blonde sticks out her tongue to the drummer and spins back to her mic.
“The next song I wrote about the wonderful city my dad dragged me off to right after high school”: sarcasm is dripping in her voice. The drummer takes off and immediately both bass player and guitarist take off at an impressive pace. It doesn’t take long for the crowd to figure out that the singer sings of the city of angels, Los Angeles. The venom in the girls voice matches the song perfect. To everybody’s surprise the two boys join in with her for the chorus, something they haven’t done so far. This earns the band even more of a cheer.
“Okay normally this would be the point where you, the audience, gets introduced to the band. But we are going to skip that, don’t wear masks for nothing”: she winks, “So instead the next song is about some of the people I met in said city of angels”. This song was sung with the same anger and disgust as the last one. Crowd cheered and people were clapping and whistling.
The girl turned to her band members, “Let’s turn the last two around, I feel like that would work better”. Both guys nodded, “You do you captain”. She rolled her eyes, but there was no trace of annoyance. “The next two songs we’re going to play are both close to goldilocks heart”: says the bassist into his mic. “Zip it blondie”: the singer throws an empty treat. “Next song is quiet new. Fun fact I’ve history in this town”, the crowd howls, “And I’m really happy to be back and see some old friends. They inspired this song”. The lead singer scans the crowd. Picking out her blue haired bestie and his date, with next to them the white haired goddess that is her best friend.
They play the softest song in their set, but it receives just as much of a response, “Loosely inspired I must add”: she laughs after the song. She looks at her friends who are cheering and clapping along with the crowd. She smiles and looks back at the people crowding around backstage. The stage manager holds up ten fingers as a ten minute warning. She nods shortly and goes back to addressing the crowd. “Like the lovely bassist already said, this song is close to my heart. You see I had a boyfriend when I lived here. Only when my family and I moved away, he didn’t believe in a long distance relationship”, the crowd boo’s making the blonde lead singer smile. “And to get over the hearth break I wrote this song. It’s called behind these purple eyes”.
Backstage the main act is surprised by the masked band. “Damn that girl has a voice”: mutters the bass player. “They are good”: says their drummer. Their red headed front man, has his eyes locked on the blonde on stage. Something seems eerie familiar about her and he wants to find out why. “But you won’t see the tears I cry, behind these purple eyes”, the blonde singer catches the eyes of the red head again. And it’s like she is singing to him for some reason, he feels connected. “Seeing you it kills me now. No I don’t cry on the outside. Anymore”. The girl holds the note longer than Castiel thought was possible and then she continues singing. Her emotion is raw and real and it is what makes the song, especially seeing what it does to the girl. She sings the chorus twice and ends with behind these purple eyes. Then the music dies and she whispers into the mic, “Here I am”. “Thank you everyone, it’s good to be home”: she shouts into the mic and the masked band makes their way off the stage. The masked band passes them, the band takes off immediately to the dress room.
The stage manager calls again this time for the Crowstorm boys to go get their earpieces. So the boys get back and their ear pieces. That’s when Castiel takes his change to sneak around the corner and take one last smoke before the concert starts. “I have to get back”, a voice, the blonde masked lead singer. Instead of walking along he leans against the wall listening in on the conversation. “How do you even explain this?”: asks the bassist. “I’ll figure something out. That’s the whole point of the masks right”. Castiel sneaks a peak around the corner, seeing the blonde rush into a dressing room, strings of orange hair peaking out of the blonde. She looks back over her shoulder, “Later guys”: she winks and then closes the door. She was still wearing her mask, but the more Castiel looks into those purple eyes the more he feels he knows them. “The masks won’t stay long”: says the bassist drawing Castiels attention. “You think?”. “Nah she’ll break once she sees him, one way or another”. “We will know soon enough”. Castiel doesn’t go out for his smoke but walks back to his band mates. “It’s show time”.
The blonde lead singer throws off her wig and mask. “Had fun dearie?”: asks her aunt. “The best auntie, thank you so much”: she thanks her. “I really should get back to my friend in the crowd”. Her aunt the theater owner sighs, wishing her little niece would come out for her music, as it is really good. Back in her casual outfit, red plaid skirt, black sleeveless col-top, leather all stars and a army jacket with leather sleeves, she slips out. She finds her black clad friend quickly as she had seen where she was from the stage. The girl was surprised to see her orange haired friend again. “Where were you, you missed the whole opening act”. “My parents called couldn’t get rid of them sooner”: she lies smoothly. The blonde with faded pink dip dye buys the excuse.
Then Crowstorm takes the stage, the orange haired absents is forgotten along with her strange excuse. While Chani sings along to the songs the orange haired singer next to her just listens to the words. Words she now can listen to, words she feels. Since she studied music she can understand them better, knows how they’ve come to be, the work, the pain, the emotion behind them. And she feels it all. The red heads sorrow, anger, but also his softer emotions, the love behind the anger, the doubt behind the sorrow. And suddenly she isn’t mad at the guy anymore, no she wants to see him, speak to him, spill her singer secret to him. Maybe even go back to how they were in high school.
As the encore reaches it’s end Chani grabs hold of her friend once again, “I can’t believe you went to school with him. You really think we could meet him?”. “For you my wiccan friend I make it happen in a heart beat”: she answers back, wanting to see him again just as bad. This time without a mask and hurried along. But what the girls didn’t know was that someone else was already on their way backstage waiting for the band to come of stage. Someone neither of them had good interactions with, a certain curly dark haired colored girl, Yeleen.
Before the two girls make it to the backstage entrance, they are met by friendly familiar faces. “I heard there is an after party”: sings Rosalya, the white haired goddess. “It’s in the snake room”: adds Alexy, blue haired bestie. “We’ll see you there. I have to do something first”: smiles the orange haired girl. Her friends nod understanding, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do”: jokes Rosalya. The purple eyed beauty rolls her eyes amused and drags her black clad friend away.
The one thing they forgot about was the guards, two giant men blocking their path to Crowstorm, who they could already see on a couch. But the orange haired girl wasn’t going to give up that fast. She makes her way through all the screaming fans to the front of the bouncers.
As Crowstorm descents from the stage two guys are clapping for them. Before Castiel can comment, their blond bassist, Kelvin does with a simple how are you. The two guys one blond and one blacked haired look at each other amused. “She was right the masks work”: says the blond. “To bad you guys don’t recognize your own opening act”: says the other. “Wait our opening act?”: questions Yordy, Crowstorms drummer. “You guys don’t wear the mask for anonymity?”: questions Castiel. Both boys shrug, “Nah that’s more Angel her thing”. They get interrupted by someone yelling Yordy’s name. Behind a velvet rope being hold back by two bouncers is a brightly dressed girl with brown curly hair. The drummer smiles and goes to get his girlfriend while the rest of them settle on a couch.
Castiel is temped to ask the Masquerade guys about their lead singer but that would look weird, right. Crowstorms drummer and girlfriend ad to the group on the couch and lounge chairs. They talk about the set when Castiel gets distracted by the bouncers booming voice. Two girls, one blonde with faded pink and one orange haired with purple eyes. The bouncer is pushing them back but the girls won’t budge. The purple eyed girl crosses her arms over her chest and looks up to the bouncer looking all kinds of defiant. The girl has a staring contest with both bouncers until they move away and let her through. Her blonde friend who is dressed in six different blacks looks way to excited for her appearance. Smirking victorious the purple eyed girl locks eyes with Castiel. Familiarity hits Castiel once again, he starts to wonder what it is with him and purple eyed girls.
While Chani is over the moon to meet her favorite band, her classmate next to her is conflicted. Hearing him sing had made her anger ebb away but seeing him now staring at her made all that come back. And she starts to doubt if this was a good idea. Her eyes on him and he stares back that’s what keeps her moving. Her jaw locked in place and mind swirling with things to say and ask. “What are you doing here?”: the voice of her annoying roommate stops her dead in her tracks. Chani next to her tenses up, she takes her eyes of Castiel and looks at the girl on the lap of the drummer.
“Enjoying the show”. “It could have been a better show without that mediocre opening act”: comments Yeleen. The two band members both inhale sharp while Castiel notices something snaps behind those purple eyes. “Really?”: she wheezes out voice on the verges of loosing her calm. “Well those boys we’re good. I feel sorry for them having to deal with such a horrible singer”. “And what makes you the expert except for being a band slut”: the orange fury hisses. “I would back off now”: hisses Yeleen back. “Then take it back”: says the blond bassist of Masquerade. His comment drawing the attention of everybody in the room, defusing the tension ever so slightly. “Writing songs is hard and mostly come from that persons own emotional hardships. You insulted that art”: add Masquerade’s drummer. “Fine I guess I crossed a line, but what do you care?”. She looks at the orange haired girl who is smiling fondly at the Masquerade members. “Are you a fan or something?”: she continues as she doesn’t get an answer. “The biggest”. The blonde next to her opens her mouth to say something but gets nudged by the orange haired next to her.
The girl her eyes leave Yeleen and turn to Castiel, eyes curious like she is looking for something on his face. He doesn't know why but he feels like he should know this woman and otherwise really wants to know her. She looks him up and down and smirks like she found something.
Her anger subsided again and a slightly sadistic plan formed into the girls mind. She steps closer eyes shooting quick glances between him and the bouncers. She hovers over him, close to his ear she whispers, "You don't recognize me, do you Cassie". Then she pulls back, everybody in the room is silent and watching. Castiel feels every word die in his throat. This girl knows how his mom calls him. The girl hums, "That's to bad". She turns towards her blonde friend. "Castiel, this is Chani, she is a really big fan of your band. Be nice to her". Chani seems to beam enthusiasm, which looks funny against her dark appearance. "Chani I'm going ahead you have fun". "Will see you there".
The orange haired mystery walks away but unseen to the other she winks at the Masquerade boys. And they know a storm is coming. Half an hour later they walk into the bar that hosts the after party. The Masquerade boys are greeted by their lead singer fully dressed in her concert outfit complete with mask. "Wen, Charlie, drinks?". They both take one. "So what are you up to?": asks Wen the black haired drummer. "Not much, but it's karaoke time". "Oh really now?": questions Charlie the blond bassist. "Rose figured me out somewhere between the third and fourth song. So I fessed up to the rest of friends. This will be my curtain call so to speak": she explains with a wink. "We'll cheer you on". "It's show time". And the masked girl takes off.
At the party the blonde named Chani takes of to find her friend again. Castiel was tempted to go with her, but that would be to weird. Music playing caught his attention, a man standing on a small stage. "Welcome to karaoke night and concert after party. We will start this evening with someone we know for sure can sing. Give her a warm welcome". He hands the mic over to the blonde lead singer from Masquerade. Interested Castiel takes place at the bar eyes on the girl on stage. Right in front of the stage are a few of his old classmates cheering loud. The girl smirks and brings the mic up. "I was cheated by you and I think you know when": she starts. She sing the whole full couplet without music. "There's a fire within my soul": sings the girl music starts. A hand goes up to her hair and she pulls it off, revealing bright orange hair underneath. The blonde wig she hands on the mic stand as she shakes her hair loose. She continues to sing until, the music break. Swinging her hips, dancing to music she rips off her mask and drops it.
Realization washes over Castiel, he is looking at his high school girlfriend. Suddenly everything makes sense, what she had said during her opening act, the familiar feeling, those fierce purple eyes. It’s Kelly, the girl with fire in her purple eyes and long orange hair, his ex. Those fierce eyes mostly pointed towards Amber or him as he annoyed her. He remembers how that fire had died from her eyes when he had told her they should break up. And now she was here, back in town. She has seen his concert had found a way to get backstage and managed to get to the after party. Would she have chosen the song on purpose, he wonders. With the second chores she finds his eyes again. "Yes, I've been brokenhearted", she steps of stage. Leaning dramatically against Alexy while she sing, "Blue since the day we parted". Grabbing Rosalya and spinning her, "Why, why did I ever let you go?". "Mamma mia, now I really know", she dances around the room stopping right in front of him as she sings the last line, "My, my, I should not have let you go". She lowers the mic, "Hi there", she whisper and he gets a wink. Everywhere around them people are clapping and cheering for her. She smiles shyly and returns to the stage, places the mic back in the stand and gets her wig and mask.
"Dude what did you do to that one?": asks Kelvin. "That's my high school ex". His band mates hum and walks off. Leaving him alone while Kelly makes her way back to him. Alexy and Rosa sandwich her in a hug, Priya ruffles her hair and the blonde in black is just in awh. She wiggles out the hold of her friends only to be kissed on either cheek by two boys. Castiel recognizes them as the Masquerade members. A giggle erupts from her and she flings her arms around their necks pulling them down, they laugh too. But then she is free and in front of him. “You sing”: he pushes out. She smiles, “Great observation”. “And have a band?”. “Yea strange things happen when you’re lost”. She nods the bartender and orders two beers, sitting down next to him at the bar. “How did it happen?”: he asks carefully, still unsure if he’s in the clear or if she was still mad. “Apparently a heartbroken and ticked off girl can be very poetic”. “You see”, and so she starts to tell her old flame about her college years in LA. They talk about her art classes, her poetry, how two guys approached her with the band idea. That she switched from poetry minor to music and learned to play guitar. He listens with amazement wondering why he had let her go again. They talk about how his best friend and music partner moved away after high school. How his new band got started, his lyrics and his tours.
And maybe this time they won’t let each other go.