Faery Worlds - Six Complete Novels (72 page)

“Are you okay?” Jason asked when he put the phone back to his ear.

“Ooh, yah,” she said. “Everything's great. You?”

“I was just letting you know we're playing a show tonight, if you want to come—”

She let out another excited squeal, and Jason pulled the phone away faster this time.

“Oh, this is awesome!” she was saying. “I can't wait! Where?”

Jason gave her Mitch's address.

“This is so perfect! I can't wait to tell everybody on Facebook!”

“It's not going to be huge or anything—”

“It'll be
so
huge!” she shouted. “Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“Okay,” Jason said. “So, you're coming?”

“I have to go tell everyone!”

“You don't have to tell everyone—” Jason said, but she'd already hung up.

He got a similar response from the second number, and the third.

Late in the afternoon, Jason stuffed his McSlawburger's uniform into his backpack, and told his dad he was going to work. His dad was sitting in his recliner in the living room.

“I thought you were off tonight,” his dad said, looking away from the Golf Channel.

“Yeah, they changed my schedule.”

“A little bit of short notice, isn't it?”

“Mona hates me. That's the assistant manager. I guess somebody must have called in sick, or quit.” Jason shrugged.

“You know you're still grounded,” his dad said. “You'd better not be sneaking off with your friends.”

“I'm not.”

“Stay out of trouble.” His dad turned his attention back to the golf game.

Jason stopped by the garage, where he'd stashed his guitar so his parents wouldn't see him leaving with it, then rode his bike across town to Buddy McSlawburger's. He changed into his uniform and stood at the drive-through, letting a sophomore named Lizzy Mueller take a long break. Jason wasn't scheduled tonight, but Lizzy had been more than happy to let Jason work part of her shift for her.

Jason took and filled the drive-through orders until a familiar voice came over the headset: “One cheeseburger, hold the slaw, one Slawchicken Combo, hold the slaw, and an extra-large fry, hold the chili-cheese. One Kiddo McSlawburger Meal...hold the slaw.”

“Pull around to the window,” Jason said with a grin.

His dad pulled up, and looked both surprised and pleased to see Jason actually at work.

“Hiya, Dad,” Jason said. “I thought you hated the burgers here.”

“Only when they glop all that disgusting slaw on them,” his dad replied. “How's work tonight?”

“Pretty busy.” Jason handed over the greasy paper bag of food. “Don't forget to stop for heartburn medicine.”

His dad laughed. “How late are you working?”

“Till closing.”

A car horn beeped somewhere in the drive-through line.

“Okay, Jayce. Have a good night.”

Jason waved as his dad pulled away.

As soon as there was a break in the drive-through customers, Jason found Lizzy reading a bright tabloid at one table in the dining room.
CLAUDIA LAFAYETTE: Who is She REALLY Dating Now?
asked the headline.

“Your turn,” he said.

“Aw, you sure you don't want to work all night?” Lizzy asked.

“I'd love to, but I'm busy.” Jason took off his tall, floppy hat and rubbed his sweaty scalp underneath. “Thanks, Lizzy!”

“You can work for me anytime, eh?” Lizzy said with a smile. She walked behind the counter, and Jason went to the bathroom. He changed back into his jeans and black T-shirt, shoved his uniform in his backpack, then went outside and unchained his bike from the rack.

He hurried to Mitch's neighborhood.

Chapter Seventeen

Jason was running late, but not by much. He was glad his dad had actually come to check on him, or he would have been stuck at the drive-through until nine or ten, when his parents usually went to bed.

Mitch's mom's car was gone from the driveway. The garage door was closed, but the front door stood wide open. Jason opened the glass storm door and walked inside.

“Doorbell!” Jason announced as he stepped into the house. “Where are you, Mitch?”

“It's
Mick
. Back here in the living room.”

Jason was surprised to walk into the small living room and find Mitch's silvery keyboards and computer set up near the stairs to the second floor. Portions of Dred's drum kit had been moved inside, too. Mitch was wiring in amplifiers while Tadd taped microphones to the walls.

“Jayce!” Tadd said, a nickname that annoyed Jason. “Welcome to the soundstage, baby!”

“Hi, Tadd.” Jason looked at Mitch. “Is Erin here?”

“She'll be here, man,” Mitch said. “It's Dred we have to worry about.”

“Dred?”

“Yeah, you call her,” Mitch said. “She says she doesn't want to come. I'm moving her drums in here, anyway.”

“Why are we in the living room?”

“Better atmosphere,” Tadd said. “Ambient lighting, more windows...it looks like a real house.”

“It is a real house,” Jason said.

“I think it's going to really symbolize breaking out of the boring routine of suburban life and really going wild,” Tadd said. “It's a perfect environment for that visual message. I mean, look at the tchotchke shelf. The perfect representation of the dull and mundane.”

“When did you become Steven Spielberg?” Jason asked.

“Spielberg?” Tadd snorted. “The true art of film died with Federico Fellini.”

“Are you calling Dred or not?” Mitch asked Jason.

“Why doesn't she want to come?” Jason took out his phone.

“She'll have to explain it to you. I sure don't understand.”

Jason dialed Dred's number.

“Yeah,” Dred answered.

“How's it going?” Jason asked.

“Did Mitch put you up to calling me?” she asked.

“Oh, no. I'm just wondering when you're coming. Everyone's supposed to be here by nine, so we should be ready to play by then.”

“I'm not coming,” Dred said.

“You're not?”

“Like Mitch didn't already tell you.”

“Why wouldn't you come?” Jason asked. “That crummy video Mitch's neighbor shot is already super-popular. There's a bunch of people who want to hear more of our music. This is our chance.”

“It's not our music,” Dred said.

“What do you mean?”

“You were too busy playing to notice,” Dred said. “It didn't sound like our normal music at all. They aren't coming to hear us, Jason. They're coming to hear those creepy instruments.”

“Who cares? They want to see our band.”

“I care. There's something supernatural about those things.”

“Yeah, I told you, I got them from fairies,” Jason said. “And everybody loves them.”

“Don't you know any stories about fairies?” Dred asked.

“Um...Peter Pan?”

“I mean real stories,” Dred said. “I've been reading about them all night. You can't trust them. They're dangerous and tricky, according to all the old stories. If that's where the instruments came from—and after Thursday, I kind of believe you—then we could be in a lot of danger.”

Her words reminded him of Grizlemor's warning. Jason shook his head to clear the thought.

“It's just one show, Dred,” Jason said. “Just a small party. You can come for one night. Just play your regular drums, if you don't want to use the one I gave you. But we really need you.”

“I'm busy.”

“With what?”

“I'm
packing
. I'm moving to St. Paul in a few days. Already have a roommate and everything.”

“Really?”

“Did you think I was kidding about moving away?” Dred asked.

“Then just play this one show with us,” Jason said. “Please? I've got so many people coming. It's going to be humiliating if the band's not here. Please, Dred? As a favor?”

Dred was quiet for a minute, then she sighed.

“Just this one time,” Dred said. “And I'm playing my own drums, not that haunted one.”

“Great! Thanks!”

“Don't let Mitch touch my drum kit.”

“Right...” Jason watched Mitch carry one of Dred's toms into the room and set it into place. “So when will you get here?”

“Give me half an hour. I can't believe I'm doing this.” Dred hung up.

The doorbell rang, and Mitch told Jason to get it.

Three girls at the front door shrieked when they saw him. Jason recognized one as Wendy, the first girl who'd given Jason her number the previous night.

“Hi,” Jason said, opening the storm door. “The party doesn't start for like an hour...”

“Then why are all these people here?” Wendy asked.

“What people?”

Wendy pointed, and Jason leaned out to look. Cars were parking all along Mitch's street, with excited kids climbing out of them. A gang of ten or twelve freshman were walking up the street, arriving on foot. It might have been thirty people in all.

“Oh, wow,” Jason said. “Come on in.”

He led the three girls into the living room, and they shrieked again when they saw Mitch.

“We have guests coming,” Jason said. “A ton of people are here already.”

“How many did you invite?” Mitch asked.

“Maybe ten. But I told them to bring friends. And it looks like they all brought three or four.”

“What?” Mitch stood up behind his keyboard. “That's too many. We only need fifteen or twenty.”

“Hi!” Wendy and her friends approached Mitch. “You're Mitch, right?”

“
Mick
.”

“Mick!” the three girls exclaimed.

“Can we get a pic with you?” Wendy asked.

“I guess.” Mitch looked confused.

The girls gathered in around him, putting their arms around them, then took pictures with their phones, acting excited, as if they'd met an actual rock star.

People started flooding in through the front door. They swarmed Mitch and Jason, demanding to hear music.

“Wait, wait,” Mitch said. “Everybody, we're still getting set up here.”

The crowd grumbled.

“We came to hear the band!” one guy shouted.

“Just wait!” Mitch said.

“Come on, play!” a girl yelled, and the crowd voiced their agreement with her.

“Half the band isn't even here yet!” Mitch said. He was looking agitated at the swelling crowd that filled his house.

“Play something!” another guy yelled.

“Jason,” Mitch said, “Can you give them a guitar solo or something?”

“Do it!” Wendy yelled. She was grasping Mitch's hand tight, while Mitch tried to pull away.

“Okay, whatever.” Jason opened his guitar case, and he jumped when a number of people cheered and clapped. It seemed ridiculous that they could be reacting so strongly to a band nobody had heard of even two days earlier. Especially when the band was just a group of kids from their own town. It was unreal, and a little scary.

Jason sat down on the couch, and girls pushed their way in all around him, sitting beside him, behind him on the couch back, and all around his feet. They stared at him expectantly.

“So, here's something I like to warm up with,” Jason said.

“Yeah, warm up!” one girl shouted.

“Warm up!” another added.

“Hurry!”

“You have to give me a little space,” Jason said, but nobody backed up. He drew his pick across all six strings, filling the air with sound, and the whole crowd seemed to sigh and relax.

He played “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty, one of the first songs he'd learned on guitar. The people around him cheered at a volume that made Jason's ears ring.

“Sing!” a girl yelled from the back of the crowd.

“I don't really sing,” Jason said. “Our singer's on the way here.”

“Sing anyway!” a guy shouted.

“Um, I'll try...” Jason sang the first line haltingly, but then the words starting pouring out of his mouth with no effort. The guitar vibrations seemed to strengthen his singing voice, making it sound almost decent. The crowd joined in and sang along with him, and the girls around him leaned in closer, as if they were going to gang up and smother him. Tadd was circling around, getting footage of Jason and the crowd.

The guitar grew warm in his hands, and the air grew thick and hot, like there wasn't enough oxygen for all the people packed into the room. Still, he kept singing with no trouble.

Then Erin walked into the room. Unfortunately, she was with her boyfriend Zach.

Jason stopped playing and stood up, struggling to find some fresh air to breathe.

“There's our singer!” Jason said. “So she'll be singing from now on. This is the end of the part where I sing.”

The crowd turned and gasped, then closed in around Erin. The guys seemed particularly interested in getting close to her.

“Sing!” somebody yelled.

“Yeah, sing a song for us!”

“You're so pretty!”

“You really are!”

“I love you!”

Zach gaped at all the dopey-eyed fanboys congregated around his girlfriend. Jason took more than a little pleasure in his discomfort.

Erin approached Mitch. Zach followed, trying to elbow guys out of his way while maintaining his photo-perfect smile.

“This is a huge crowd!” Erin said to Mitch, speaking loudly over the chattering, excited mob. “Where did they all come from?”

Mitch pointed to Jason. “He invited them.”

“Very impressive, Jason!” Erin called, while Jason tried to ease his way past adoring fans to reach the other band members.

“I only called a few people.”

“What about all the people outside?” Erin asked. “Where are they going to listen?”

“There's
more
outside?” Mitch looked horrified.

“Like a hundred people,” Erin said.

“My mom's going to kill me.” Mitch looked like he wanted to bang his head against something.

“We should open the windows and turn on the ceiling fans,” Jason said. “It's going to get really hot in here.”

The crowd cheered at his words, which he hardly expected. Guests hurried to open up the windows, as if Jason had given an order and they were obedient servants. The breeze from outside cooled things down a little. People were already crowded outside the windows, and they applauded when then windows opened.

“This is crazy,” Erin said.

“Did all these people really come to see you?” Zach said. “Maybe we should get out of here. This is weird.”