Exhilaration (1st Chap)

Exhilaration

         Chapter One

         How long have we been on this damn van? The question entered my mind but I didn’t think to look at the watch I’d had on and instead asked Ronnie, the drummer. Her eyes were a light hazel with green seeping into the iris from the pupil, her hair was a bright red and deeply accentuated her pale skin.
         “How long till we get there?” I asked her laying the notepad I had in hands onto my lap. She turned to Even who’d unsurprisingly had been watching us both, he looked at his watch then back at the map he’d been studying for quite some time now.
         “Um” he paused then looked up at us with those mysterious jade eyes that deeply intrigued some part of me, “umm another twenty minutes from the looks of it”. I nodded and looked at the small words that I’d printed onto the notepad. I could see Even from the corner of my eyes, he stared at me mysteriously; his eyes felt like burning rays of light that targeted my whole body, I looked up at him and smiled then turned my head back down to my writing. He rose from where he was sitting and came to my sad where he sat, I turned and looked up at him; his face was somewhat close to mine and I felt a shower of nerves make my whole body shake internally.
         “Hi” I said nervously, a smile turned up at the corners of his mouth, Oh my gosh he knows I’m nervous. I blushed awkwardly and looked back down at my writing which I feared looked like scribbles to Even.
         “What are you writing?” he asked grabbing the notepad from my shaky hands. My stomach lurched as a feeling of fear settled in. What if he didn’t like it? He studied it carefully, I noted as I wringed my hands nervously, a smile suddenly appeared on his face. “Wow these are amazing did you write this?” he asked then a feeling of embarrassment crossed his face, “Stupid question my bad, uh how come you never showed any of us this. I mean you’re really talented we could’ve used these.”
         “I-uh-I didn’t think about it, I mean it’s just a hobby” I said looking down at my hands as I wringed them nervously. His hand slid under my chin as he picked up my chin slowly to face him. My eyes met his for a moment and my body surged with electricity, I turned away from him and looked up at Ronnie who was sleeping soundly on the cot. I looked over toward the front of the bus where Dustin slept lazily and  Caesar drove indifferent.
         “How much longer?” I asked out of desperation. He smiled and looked down at his watch.
         “Um not to much longer, I’d give it maybe ten minutes maybe less” he said coolly. I nodded and readjusted myself to a more comfortable position on the floor of the van he did the same coming slightly closer again my whole body jolted with electricity. “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked mysteriously a hint of seriousness plunged into his eyes. I nodded and he leaned in toward me and I could feel his hot breath tickle the tiny little hair that embedded my ears. “We’re on Route 666” he said, I turned to face him and I saw a fearlessness in his eyes that made me melt slightly. Desie get a hold of yourself. I smiled slyly pretending to be unafraid of the fact that we were on the most haunted road in America but in fact I was terrified. Nobody knows what this road is really capable and if it were up to me I would never have even took the chance to see it. His gaze was humorous and I smiled at the sight, he looked cute. I felt his a growing warmth in my heart as I stared at him in disbelief at his childish ways, he smiled a crooked grin and looked back at the wall of the bus. I turned and did the same, laying my head back trying to calm the millions of butterflies that gathered in the pit of my stomach from having Even here next to me. “Are you scared?” he asked turning to face me. I turned to him with a look of doubt.
         “Does it look like I’m scared?” I asked a sly smile on my face. He smiled at me and nodded admiringly.
         “Well we got a badass on our hands now don’t we?” he smiled and we laughed together.
         “No I just don’t believe in ghosts or demons or all that other bull that were told to fear” I said simply, shrugging. He took a minute to think it over and decided I was fairly right.
         “Okay that makes sense but I still think you’re a badass” he said raising his eye browns invitingly and slightly overfriendly. The van launched forward trying to avoid the idiot that drove a beat up black Buick, I flew forward head-butting Even as I fell completely on top of him. “Well I knew you liked me but damn this is just to fast” he said rubbing his head and laughing. I laughed and blushed as I sat up rubbing my head also I turned to look at Ronnie who’d hit her head pretty badly.
         “You okay, Ronnie?” I asked, she nodded at me and turned to Caesar and Dustin who from the looks of it were pretty shaken up about the whole incident.
         “What the hell, Caesar” Ronnie asked a subtle shade of anger sprinkled onto the question.
         “What some idiot in black Buick came out of no where and jumped in front of us, I didn’t even have time to think about it, I hit the breaks first chance I got, we would’ve crashed otherwise” he said properly defending it.
         “I didn’t mind it” Evan said looking at me raising his eyebrows again in that flirty way that drove me insane. I rolled my eyes and sat back rubbing my forehead in the spot where it’d collided with Evan’s. The car started rolling again and we sat back waiting for this nightmare or a ride to end.
         “Whoa wait guys we’re here” Caesar said excitement making his voice quiver. I smiled as a feeling of anxiety over took me like a blanket, my body tingled inside but somewhere something inside me stirred uneasily. I turned and looked out the side window where I watched our slightly trashed Exhilaration bus ride down the dirt ride to what seemed like the biggest stadium I’d ever laid my eyes on.
         “We’re here” Evan yelled and they all followed in his footsteps hollering in excitement but something didn’t feel right I noted as we stopped in front of the giant gates that enclosed the stadium. We look around anxiously waiting for a guard or attendant to allow us to pass but no one showed up, I looked around in further hope that this place wasn’t deserted but in all honestly that’s what it seemed like.
         “Why don’t you try honking” Ronnie said, Caesar looked back at us then honked twice. We waited anxiously and we all looked at each other for a minute, to us this was it.
         “Hey we tried ri-” we jumped out of surprise when we heard the nock on the window.
         “When did he show up” I asked Ronnie who by far paid the most attention to everything. I watched the man closely, man was an overstatement he looked to be my age (I am sixteen) maybe a year or two older. His hair was jet black and shined blue in the hazy brown red light of the sun but there was something wrong about him, something just didn’t fit on him. I examined him closely again, wait what was that? There was a reddish tint to the almost black color of his eyes. He looked at me and I blushed and looked down in embarrassment, had he noticed me staring at him?
         “Hi” he said offering his hand to me, his voice was alarmingly sexy I noticed as I shook his hand. “I’m Cal”.
         “Desie” I said slightly awed by him. He held onto my hand for another second then noticed the angry glances from Evan.
         “I hope I see you later Desie” he said walking backward and disappeared into a booth where we could no longer see him. The gate opened eerily and we rolled slowly into the crowded parking lot, we managed to find our way to the back where we stopped.
         “Okay guys we made it” he said laughing from excitement although you could see the anxiety dance along his face, we all laughed and hollered in jubilance as we got out of the van to unload all of the equipment. I smiled as I jumped out of the van, wow it’s like nothing else is out here, I thought to myself as I did a full three-sixty, I turned toward the doors and walked forward my hand outstretched. I stopped dead when the door opened on its own, I peered inside slowly slightly frightened by this peculiar phenomenon. A security guard stood behind the door holding it open as I walked in, I sighed in relief and opened it open further as the band hauled the instruments in, my acoustic guitar was already on my back.
         “Hey guys don’t even worry bout the instruments we’ll get that all taken care of just follow me okay” I looked back at Caesar who nodded and walked into the dimly lighted hallway. We followed the security guard down the twisted maze of hallways that were located almost directly underneath the stage. We walked for what seemed like forever when we reached what seemed like the hotel part of the estate. “Okay guys this is your room” he said handing Caesar the key and leaving us in front of the blood red doors. Caesar opened the door easily and we walked into the room, my breath escaped from my lungs as we walked inside. The walls were black with silver and bands of all types hung over the walls giving us hope that maybe one day we’d appear on these walls. The floor was black as well but it contradicted deeply with the blood red, abstract column that stood behind the couch indicating where the hallway was. I smiled and we scattered in awe at the amazingly structured room, actually room wouldn’t be the right term for this it was more of a complex or apartment. I walked stunned down the hallway where three bedrooms on each side were. I opened the last one on the left side my eyes washed over everything as I entered the room slowly, the room was covered in red paint but it seemed like somebody went in there with black paint and splashed it all over; the bed was a canopy bed with a black veil hanging over the top of it and fell loosely onto the floor giving the room an elegantly creepy vibe to it.
         “So you like your room?” Evan asked from behind me making me jump. He laughed at me and came closer. “Jumpy are we?” he asked grabbing my waist then letting his hand slide off gently, my eyes followed him as he jumped onto my bed. “You wanna join me” he asked teasingly doing that stupid eyebrow thing.
         “Wow as tempting as that sound I’ll pass” I said turning and walking out of my bedroom, I could see him in the mirror he sighed and laughed at himself. I smiled evilly and went to find Ronnie, who just happened to be in the room next to mine.
         “Hey what’s up? Do you like your room?” I asked instinctively.
         “Whoa, Desie, calm down stop interrogating me” she said jokingly, “nah umm my rooms great and as for your other question I could ask you the same thing. What’s up with you and lover boy Evan?” her eyes were questioning but in an excited girly way that’d I’d never seen before.
         “Nothing” I said lying through my teeth. She looked at me doubtfully and I sighed then turned and closed the door behind me. She looked at me and I laughed, “I don’t even know I mean I like him and I know he does too but we’re stuck in like this witty repartee.” I explained this to her and her expression remained indifferent then after a moment she looked up at me and laughed.
         “You know he’s like you ever since you replaced Dave” she said smiling. This apparently pleased her and somehow that didn’t surprise me at all, she was a very complex person. “It honestly doesn’t surprise me you’re his type” she said getting up and walking toward the door.
         “What do you mea?” I asked confused all of the sudden.
         “Well you’re gorgeous, funny, quiet, and you’re easily influenced, the only difference is if he pisses you off you’ll cut his heart out in a minute not only that you know how play and that’ll get you far trust me” she said opening the door and exiting out into the hallway. I sat there a minute taking this all in then rose to my feet and walked over to her mirror and looked at my reflection. My blonde hair hand black, red highlights in it; I tussled my hair slightly, it fell gently atop of my Disturbed shirt that hung off one shoulder and clung to my waist cozily, I turned looking as my ripped flare jeans clung to my body type only accentuating the many curves I have. I took my focus off my body and checked my make-up nothing was smeared and the midnight black eye liner I had on only lightened the gray color of my eyes to a near white. I took my gaze off my face when I noticed something eerie in the reflection of the room, I turned frightened of what it might be but when I turned there was nothing but an empty room. I sighed with relief but my heart sank with fear, something wasn’t right and I’m afraid I may be the only one to fear it. I opened the door and walked out we’d all gathered around the table where there was a bottle of champagne and exactly five champagne cups. That’s strange but if I’d told them I’d thought so they’d just tell me I’m stressing about being away from my family or something.
         “Wow was that there the whole time?” I asked innocently. Everyone looked at me then at each other. Everyone assumed that it was and overlooked it completely I however felt my heart sink deeper and that slight sprinkle of fear grow immensely, something was definitely wrong. Caesar popped open the champagne cheerily and poured it into all five cups, Evan handed me mine and we raised our glasses for a toast. We all looked at Caesar as he thought of what to say, his jaw was strong and stuck out against his tough rugged features, he flexed it several times obviously a little frustrated.
         “To the band I have no doubt in my mind that this will be our big break. To the band” he said moving his glass toward the center of us.
         “To the band” we all repeated as we clanked glasses and drank in the velvety smooth champagne that had mysteriously appeared in our room. I drank slowly although the others did not they basked in the ambiance of what seemed like wealth and glory. The champagne went quickly as did the fear I’d once had, I drank along with the others, bottle after bottle appeared yet no one not even myself bothered to fear this involuntary repetition of magic, I guess you could call it. Evan and Caesar walked toward the incredible sound system and pushed play, Skillets song “Monster” begun to play as they stumbled over to the couch where we had moved quite some time ago.  Our laughter coincided as we sat reminiscing on our best shows.
         “Okay what about the time that we played in Kansas” I asked laughing randomly.
         “Oh I remember that, wasn’t that the time that you had those one stand with those chicks” Dustin said pointing at Evan. He turned to look at me; his face was red I noticed as a stinging anger enthralled me viciously, I smiled falsely and looked away toward Ronnie who smiled mockingly my way. I sighed and stood up wavering slightly.
         “Okay well I’m gonna call it a night guys, so…” I stumbled around the couch and shook the feeling of anger from my body as I walked down the hallway toward my room. I reached for the door knob but flinched when I realized how cold it was,
         “Holy…” I said eyeing the door knob cautiously, my mind raced focusing plainly on the glossy handle.
         “You okay?” Evan asked walking up behind me intending to scare me, I didn’t turn igniting his interest somehow. “Are you okay” he asked again obviously trying to get my attention. I finally turned giving my attention to him, his gaze was somehow strange to me,
         “Yeah I’m fine” I said turning toward the door again. He followed my gaze and reached for the door knob, I opened my mouth to speak but before I knew it he had swung the door open. He looked at me for a second trying to decipher my strange behavior, I smiled at him then walked toward my bed where my acoustic guitar lay. I sat down and picked it up slowly turning it in my hands. I strummed it feeling a sense of electricity course through my veins, my fingers begun plucking at the strings gingerly creating a melody that relaxed me, I couldn’t explain this feeling that echoed through my body like a bell in a long, hollow room. My fingers slowed to a stop and I looked up at
Evan, he stared in awe with his head tilted to the side slightly.
         “Wow I…” he said quietly, he sounded as if he were out of breath; I blushed and set my guitar down beside my bed and scooted over to make room for Evan, who had already gotten up. He ignored my gesture and stood in front of me looking down, “wow, where’d you learn that”?
         “I don’t know its just something I picked up” I said shrugging off the intended compliment.
         “It was amazing” he said exaggerating in my opinion. I smiled and looked at him cutely, he smiled back sitting next to me; his eyes gleamed with an evergreen shine that I’d never seen before.
         “Wow” I said aloud, my eyes went wide when I realized I’d said that out loud, hee laughed then lowered his eyes from my gaze.
         “Wow what?” he asked looking up from under his eyelashes, I could feel my whole body tremble with enticement.
         “Uh I…” I stuttered quietly as he leaned in and kissed me, his lips were soft and heavenly against me. He backed away slowly let the feeling settle then smile crookedly; I smiled back at him and looked down at my hands where I wringed them awkwardly.
         “Just like the first time I time I met you” he said with a soft whimsical voice that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

         I smiled remember the moment I’d first laid eyes on Evan, it was nearly a year ago, Ronnie had told me she would talk to the band about letting me in. I remember being more nervous than I could explain but Ronnie told me to relax, go in there, sit down, and let her do the talking, I nodded and did what I was told. I sat there watching my hands slide under one another when Evan walked in; he looked at me and stopped dead in his tracks. I heard his halting stop and looked up to see him, his amazingly green eyes stood out against his pale white skin and contrasted deeply with his jet black hair. I felt a wave of temptation sweep over me then pass  swiftly as he walked over to Dustin they seemed to be talking about me but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Ronnie and Caesar walked back in silent, I can still remember how Caesar looked at me, he was studying me.
         “Okay well before I make my decision I wanna hear you play” Caesar said solemnly. He gestured to pick up the electric guitar that was hooked up to the amp next to the couch where Evan sat next to Dustin. I nodded and picked up the guitar; a thousand butterflies engulfed my body, I looked up at Ronnie who was gazing at me encouragingly. “It’s already tuned” he said reading my thoughts miraculously. I looked down and strummed quickly with precision playing the lead guitar of “Animal I Have Become” by Three Days Grace, I watched as all of there faces turn from doubt to sheer admiration. I finished up the song and waited as Caesar looked at me with interest.
         “Good job, kid, welcome to the band” he said shaking my hand, I smiled at him with relief and excitement. Dustin and Evan got up still slightly dazed at the fact that I had done that well,
         “Uh great job my names Evan” he said extending his hand toward me, I took it kindly feeling his hand shock mine as I took it.
         “Desie” I said slightly breathless.

There was a twinkle in his eye that I’d never noticed before now and it reminded me of stars shining through an evergreen forest.
         “Yeah I remember” I said a smile forming at the ends of my mouth. He smiled warmly and I felt my body shake as he leaned in slowly aiming for a kiss. “Uh how bout some champagne” I said getting up and walking toward the door. I exited quickly closing the door soundly behind me, I sighed deeply and walked over to the counter top finding a bottle of chilled champagne; I grabbed it along with two fancy champagne cups.
         “Damnit” I said as I dropped a cup, surprisingly it didn’t break. I set the champagne bottle and the cup down on the counter top as I bent down to pick up the cup. I watched as the oven mimicked my reflection then strangely fog up. I breathed in startled and watched as words formed onto the fogged oven. I fell backward in fear at what I’d just witnessed. Are you afraid of ghost now?, it read, I stared blankly at the oven waiting for it to disappear but it didn’t. Evan walked around the counter top and looked down at me strangely,
         “What are you doing down there” he asked, I looked up at him blankly then back down staring bleakly at the oven. Nothing.
         “I- uh nothing, I just dropped a cup and I was picking it up” I said picking up the cup then returning to my feet, he looked at me sternly, telling me to tell him what happened, but instead I turned with the champagne bottle and walked into my room. I sat down on the bed again and poured the champagne into my glass as I waited for Evan to come in but it never happened. I drank what was left in my cup and stood up sternly, a shock of fear shimmied down my body slowly as I walked toward the open, empty hallway.
         “Evan” I said quietly my voice echoed through the silent hallway as I walked forward my footsteps slow. “Evan” I spoke, my voice a little louder this time, my heart was racing like one of a roadrunner, my whole body begun to tremble as I turned to Evan’s room and looked inside, Evan lay asleep in his bed, his soft quiet breathing brought a feeling of relief over me. I sighed and turned around, I jumped as I noticed the figure a couple feet behind me.
         “Hey I’m sorry to wake you I just…” I reached for the light switch at the beginning of the hallway and switched it on. My heart begun to pound like a jackhammer as I noticed my sadistic neighbor, who died three years ago, standing there with a malicious smile on his face, I wanted to scream but no sound came out; his footsteps were quiet and almost unreal as he approached me. He smelled like a rotting corpse and his hands felt like sandpaper against the smooth skin of my shoulders; he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out at first except a grotesque smell I could only describe as smelling like a thousand dead skunks.
         “Do you believe in ghosts now?” he said laughing a cynical laugh that I’d heard so many times after he’d finished with me. I screamed and fought away the arms that tried to hold me down.
         “Desie, calm down, calm down, it’s me Evan” he said holding me down, I opened my eyes realizing it had all been a nightmare.
         “Evan” I said almost childlike, I looked over his shoulders where Ronnie,
Dustin, and Caesar all stood staring down at me.
         “God chick, we thought someone was trying to murder you or something” said Dustin surprisingly caring.
         “Yeah we were freaking out when we heard the screaming” said Caesar. Ronnie nodded and sat down on my bed next to me. Hot tears rolled down my cheek and Ronnie grabbed my hand sympathetically.
         “What happened?” she asked. My gaze fell and I sat silently thinking of what to say. I had two options; one: I could tell them the truth or two: I could lie and say nothing I just had a bad dream.
         “Uh nothing I just had a bad dream was all” Caesar and Dustin left the room obviously getting the hint that they weren’t wanted in the room, they closed the door behind them.
         “Chick, I’ve only heard one other scream like that and that was in a horror movie and the chick was being murdered, so what happened?” she asked more sternly. I turned to Evan who had true concern on his face and wringed my hands nervously.
         “Evan did you come in my room and hear me play my guitar?” I asked as he grabbed my hand and squeezed it for support.
         “Uh not that I recall” he said thinking back to earlier, “why?” he asked confusion overtaking that gorgeous face that I could barely make out in the dark.
         “I don’t know how to explain it, uh, well I remember us drinking then Dustin said something about you getting laid by those chicks and I got up and said I was gonna call it a night. Well after that you followed me into my room and I played the guitar for you and you said it was amazing then came to sit next to me. One thing led to another and you kissed me then you were about to kiss me again but I got nervous so I got up to go get us some champagne. Well when I got it I dropped one of the cups so I bent down to pick it up and when I bent down I noticed that there was fog in the oven then all of the sudden words started appearing and I freaked out then you showed up and asked me what I was doing on the floor. I didn’t tell you and came back in here and waited for you but you didn’t show up so I got up and went to look for you, but I found you in your room so  I turned around and then I saw…” I let the sentence trail on for a second. Ronnie looked anxious to hear the rest of what happened and I noticed no doubt in her face.
         “Who’d you see?” she asked me suddenly breaking the eerie silence I’d created.
         “I saw my neighbor that died three years ago” tears started to spill from my eyes again, “he used to molest me and beat me, he’d died three years ago and I saw him, I saw him…” I said breaking down into tears, Ronnie held me tears spilling from her eyes as well. Evan was silent but never let go of my hand, he laid down next too me and looked at Ronnie, she nodded at him then looked back at me.
         “I’m gonna go to bed okay, do you think you’ll be alright if Evan stays here?” she asked.
         “I’ll be fine, Evan you honestly don’t have to stay here” I said lying through my teeth, I wanted him here.
         “I wanna be here” he said smiling in a way that gave me comfort, I relaxed in his arms as Ronnie left the room. “Can I ask you a question?” he asked me out of the blue. I smiled and nodded my head hoping he could feel my movement. He did, “Did you enjoy the kiss?”
         “Yes” I said smiling, of all things he’d asked me only about the kiss.
         “Well maybe we could try it for real this time” he said shrugging his shoulders cutely. I smiled at him and sat up slightly, he felt the shift in my movement and turned his body so he could reach my face a little better.
         “Maybe” I said quietly as he leaned in, I felt that stir of emotion just as I had the first time he kissed me but in the back of my mind I knew that this was real. He backed away slowly and leaned back into my bed, we positioned ourselves comfortably then falling asleep once again, I realized something the bottle of champagne was still in my room.