The Masquerade (4 page)

"This is ridiculous!" Shiloh shouted over the loud music throbbing in our ears.

The people around us went crazy, their hands in the air, thrusting their heads back and forth to the beat of the drums. There were many teenagers around our age who were mesmerized in the moment, their bodies moving in ways that I would never display in public, completely lost with the sound.

We were about three body lengths away from the stage. Two large guys stood in front of us that prevented any sudden movements to advance forward. Every time Hayley made an attempt to barrel through them they pushed
her back with ease. It was a first for Hayley. We used to call her the bulldozer because she could knock anyone to the ground.

"Fucking brick walls," Hayley grumbled when the
fourth band left the stage. The frenzy died around us, momentarily, while the stage crew came on stage to set up for the final band, the one every single person in the room anticipated. The breath caught in my throat just watching them, knowing we were moments away from seeing our favorite band live for the
first time.

"I gotta' get through." Hayley said, her eyes like daggers on the two 'brick walls' in front of us.

A few of the men who worked with the stage crew began making
sound checks with the instruments. The audience grew impatient and we were shoved forward, our bodies pressing against the brick walls in front of us, feeling the people behind us in our backside. It wasn't a pleasant thing to be
stuck between sweaty people my age and older who smelled like they hadn't bathed in weeks. Half of the sweat on my body wasn't even mine. To add to the smell and the sweat, the air that hovered over the crowd was humid, multiplying the saturation on my body. The musky air was suffocating, it clouded my lungs
with every breath that I took, the strong cent of cigarette smoke wavering into my nostrils in each intake. It was disgusting, as my mom would probably put it, but to me it was part of the thrill. Once I got past the difficulties of a rock
concert and made it to the final performance, it was like I had conquered the world. Each time we left a venue, it was a victory walk to our cars.

The people around us squirmed, trying to catch a glimpse of
the stage that was beginning to fill with smoke that lurked around the equipment finally set for The Masquerade. Shiloh and Hayley's hands found mine. I gripped both tightly in anticipation. An intricate melody began to play softly through the speakers. A grin spread on my face, feeling the excitement
rush through my body.

I looked over to Shiloh who was beaming as she stared at the stage, waiting for the best night of her life. I turned to Hayley whose eyes
were still narrowed on the two large guys in front of us. They stood in the way of our mad dash to the front. We'd spent the entire time, while the last four bands performed, pushing and shoving our way to the front. The bands were okay, but our main focus was to be in the front row. Now, our only goal was to get
past the two Tasmanian Devils. I laughed because I knew Hayley would find a way to get us past them. She noticed my gaze and winked, a dark smile on her face.

The lullaby began to twist into a dark thundering beat that
boomed throughout the large bar. The crowd went wild, chanting the names of the band members. We rocked from side to side as the crowd moved to the new beats. A guy next to Shiloh tried to wrap his arm around her waist in the moment. She
rolled her eyes and shoved him off. She had a kind heart, but she never hesitated to be rough when she needed to be. She shot me a triumphant smile, which I returned.

Suddenly, the crowd erupted into cheers. Everyone thrust his
or her bodies forward. My face smacked into the backside of one of the brick walls. I grunted and pried myself off, without much help from the person behind me who was continuously pushing me back into him. The frantic shrieking was
conquered by the thunderous beats that played throughout the bar.

I leaned into Shiloh so I could have a better view of the stage. My mouth fell open when my eyes shot to the tall shirtless guy who walked on stage with two drumsticks in hand. Shiloh's hand moved up my arm and
squeezed, her eyes glued to the stage. I smiled and shouted his name with the rest of the audience.

He appeared as though he had walked out of the poster on my wall and came to the show just in time to perform. The heat from the atmosphere
radiated off his bare skin. I imagined many girls to be going through 'joygasms,' as Hayley put it, in that moment. He sat down in front of the drums and began to pound his sticks against the set. The fast, riveting beats shook
the floorboards with a kind of power that could cause a natural disaster to shock the Earth.

The initial rush I felt from before never had the chance to leave my system. The crowd screamed louder and it built back up again. I looked
to the side to see Max and Cam step forward. Cam moved to the center of the stage while Max stood on the far left, furthest away from us. It still, however, was close enough for Hayley to make eye contact. My attention turned to Hayley to find she was, already, all over it as she winked at the lead
guitarist. I doubt he noticed, but there was always a possibility.

The sharp chords of the electric guitar cut into the beat of the drums and created its own thrilling sound that overlapped the drums. I
began to jump up and down. Both of my hands in the air, listening to the three gods on stage create a beautiful sound. I hardly noticed Hayley's hand tapping my shoulder incessantly.

When I finally turned my attention to her, she grabbed my
arm, and pulled me forward. I barely had enough time to snag Shiloh's hand and drag her with us. I looked over my shoulder and realized the two brick walls fled to brawl with two other guys on the side of the crowd, leaving an opening
for us. A sense of relief washed over me. Now that we were in second row, we were much closer to the stage with a better view of our role models.

My heart skipped a beat when I noticed the bass player
entered the stage. He strode across the floor with such power and grace, my breath caught in my throat at the sight. Jesse stopped directly in front of the microphone stand, which was placed before the area we faced. Hayley cheered like a silly fan girl sharing similar thoughts. The bass player of The
Masquerade was less than a few feet away from us.

Jesse's eyes wandered over the crowd for a split second before his attention dropped to his guitar. He struck his hand across the strings again, darkening the melody that the other three members carried out.
The crowd around us roared and waved their hands forward to the beat that was mind blowing...and panty dropping.

Suddenly, the music stopped all together. The lights went
out and the four guys on stage stood motionless with their heads drawn down. The darkness almost consumed them, but dim lights shone above each player, pulling the outlines of their shadows out of the dark. A few obscene shouts bounced around the bar in anticipation for the lead singer to appear on stage.

A short moment passed before the stage was lit again. The strobe lights caught each of the player's movements in one still, followed by the next. It was like we were stuck in the middle of the fun house at a
carnival. The stunning light show matched each new, sinister beat perfectly.

Suddenly, he was on stage. He simply appeared. The crowd nearly went into shock. Girls screamed and guys hollered obnoxiously. His tall
figure bent backwards while he pulled the microphone to his mouth. He emitted a dark, raspy scream that came from the depths of his throat. He paused for only a moment, but it seemed to last a lifetime. His eyes sank into the crowd, watching us like a sickness he couldn't wait to embrace. His violent blue eyes
hooked everyone's attention immediately.

He stepped forward, standing in the center of the stage. He threw his hair back before singing the lyrics to the first song, a song I could
recite by heart. I watched him lean over the edge of the platform, smiling darkly.

"In darkness, they had taught us, to be one with the crowd."
Ben leaned his head to the side and mocked a smile for a few
girls in front of him. I could have sworn I saw one faint.
"Obey our sacred orders, you will leave us now."
I wiped a few beads of sweat away from my forehead and continued to jump up and down watching Ben move to the left side of the stage.
"We fought to live in silence, but then our
world fell down. We held the greatest glory in our growing sound."
He threw his head back and forth twice before finishing the verse. "
We were young, but we wanted the world. Now they wait for us to slip in silence as
we build our names and wear their bleeding crowns."

With my best friends by my side, we danced and sang along to the lyrics as if it was our last night alive on Earth. Ben finished the first
song and the band played another, pulling him into the new verse. While waiting for his cue to begin the chorus, Ben did a provocative dance on stage, moving his hips back and forth. I laughed along with the rest of the crowd and adjusted my stare to the bass player in front of me. I loved to watch guitar
players work their magic. Jesse was the first to catch my eye. The way his fingers flew over the frets while he bobbed his head to the tune. He was in his own little world, deep concentration set in his features.

When I was younger, I dreamt of becoming the best guitarist the world had ever seen. Growing up, I learned quickly that the music industry was burning badly, and a savior was in need. I daydreamed constantly of being
that super hero in a kick ass band, bringing back the meaning of Rock and Roll. Standing in the bar, I knew someone had already beaten me to it. The Masquerade had an eighties rock in their sound, mixed with the modern screaming, hardcore persuasion. The quality of their sound was pure. Now that I had seen them
perform live, I knew they were
that
band. Each player owned the crowd, including myself. They introduced us to the dark world that inspired their songs and dragged us into that darkness with them.

I was entranced by Jesse's playing. I hardly noticed
his
stare. I turned my head slightly, with the feeling that someone was watching me, and met a pair of dark, boundless eyes. The power that held our gaze knocked the
wind out of me. Ben continued to pour his heart into the song, but our eyes locked in an intensity that threatened my knees to buckle.

I felt someone punch my shoulder. I knew it was Hayley, but I didn't dare look at her. Ben's head tilted slightly to the side, as his eyes
grazed over my face. Something changed in his cryptic expression, but I couldn't identify what it was. His presence was more that just a little captivating. I found it difficult to remember to exhale. His eyes lit, as
though he enjoyed my inability to breathe. The corner of his lips rose slightly; he watched me with interest. He now stood at the edge of the stage, directly in front of me, his eyes still locked with mine. He screamed into the microphone when the song called for it, but his eyes returned to mine.

After a few stolen moments of eye contact, Jesse, who played inches away, moved beside the lead singer, slamming his hands a little harder against the strings to get his attention. Ben blinked and broke the moment we
shared. He returned his eyes to the rest of the crowd. He quickly worked his feet backwards and ran over to the other side of the stage in order to sing for rest of the audience, who wasn't pleased with the deprivation of Ben's
attention. My eyebrows creased and my mouth hung open slightly, as my mind ran over what had just happened. Shiloh and Hayley finally snapped me out of my trance.

"He was seriously staring at you," Hayley managed
to shout in my ear.

A noise came from Shiloh that sounded like a giggle. "It was really sweet," she paused, "In a dark and dangerous sort of way." I didn't respond. I was too shocked to formulate a response to
their comments. I stared into the stage as if it owned my soul. I smiled a little to myself while trying not to read too much into what just occurred.

Hayley pointed to my face. "See," she leaned forward to look at Shiloh, still pointing to my expression, "Mind
fucked."

Shiloh nodded in agreement. I ignored them both and continued to grovel in my bliss, the tiniest smile toying with my lips. Slyly, I looked over to see Ben in the middle of the stage. He shook his head
violently and jumped repeatedly, before he bent his legs, the microphone at his mouth, and screamed into the chorus.

"
I sing as these lyrics burn inside of me. Another body down just like the rest. They're history. This sickness consumed our
souls. We came back just like the others. This world is ours.
" On the last word, he let out another scream that began deep within.

His eyes narrowed when they settled on the microphone stand
in front of him. A mischievous smile appeared on his face, before he gripped it with one hand, and held it up. He turned around and threw the stand over the drum set. The stand just barely missed PJ's head before it fell somewhere in the darkness backstage. PJ's head shot up. His eyebrows knit together as he
glared at Ben. Ben shrugged in response. PJ shot him a dirty look, before he turned his attention back to his instrument and continued to own the thunderous beats he created.

Ben jumped around the stage, moving from one end to the
other as he sang; his deep voice raspy from the screaming. I examined his appearance while he moved. The trademark black leather jacket was purposely left open to expose his bare chest. I bit down on my lip when I noticed his
toned muscles. He also wore black skinny jeans and combat boots. It was difficult to contain the grin pinching my cheeks as I watched him. He was definitely a rock star worth tossing a bra on stage for.