Witness: See Series (Volume 1)(83)

Monroe leaned forward, and Madison leaned out her window. “Oh my God - this is traffic for the concert!” Madison said with wide eyes.

“No way,” I said as we inched forward with the other cars.

“The school is like a mile ahead. There are signs directing people. These people are all trying to get in,” Madison said as her voice echoed an unusual excitement.

“This is insane,” I said, instantly feeling nervous for Draven. There was no way I could perform in front of all these people.

I couldn’t sit still in my seat; it felt like the fifteen minutes it took us to reach the parking lot lasted an eternity.

“Evan said pull around to the back,” Madison said, trying to get me to go the opposite way of the cars.

“Yeah, well this cop is saying no,” I said as I stopped and let him direct cars from another lane to turn.

The cop walked to my car and tipped his hat. “Charlie – Happy Birthday,” he said as he smiled and stopped traffic for us to go around the back of the school.

“Do you see how many people are here?” Madison said. “Look at all those radio satiation vans - are those news crews?” she asked, leaning across me.

I ignored her and sped around to the side of the building, where I parked near the wide doors that looked like they led to a gym or something. Kara pulled up beside me.

I shook my head as I got out of my car. “This is insane,” I said to them.

“A lot of energy here,” my mom said as she put her arm around me and led me in. Unconsciously, I reached for my wrist to the charms on my bracelet, wondering if the little rock on my bracelet had the same kind of calm energy escaping from it as the lamp in my room.

“Let me see how that turned out,” my mom said, dropping her arm and taking my wrist. “Beautiful, and it healed fast, too.”

“Mom, are you OK?”

“Yeah, why?” she asked in a confused tone.

“You just told me a tattoo is beautiful, and you’re talking about energy and stuff.”

“Charlie, that’s not the first tattoo I’ve seen, and I’m very aware of energy.”

“Right, I keep forgetting this side of you.”

She laughed as she walked ahead with Kara. I reached in my bag, pulled my phone out, and texted: ‘I’m here – where are you’ to Draven.

By the time I reached the doors, he texted back: ‘back stage a lot of nerves back here – I’ll send Grayson to make sure you get to your seat.’

I gritted my teeth and texted” ‘I don’t want a seat I want to be back stage’. I wanted to be as close to him as possible in case that world decided to erupt around him.

His response was instant: ‘baby help me balance I need you to stand in front of me.’

‘K’ was my response. I figured the front row was close enough. Mom and Kara had walked ahead, and I saw Evan waiting for them at the end of the hall.

Madison was crouched down in the corner, talking on her phone.

“Your brother is coming to show us where to sit,” I said to Monroe.

She didn’t really reply as she started to walk up the narrow staircase that was to our left. I followed her, wanting to get out of the path of the door. She stopped a few steps up, and in the shadows of the stairwell pulled a bracelet out of her pocket and handed it to me. “Happy Birthday,” she said quietly.

I smiled curiously as I reached for it. It was much like the one she’d already made me, expect all the charms were stones; not orange like the one I was wearing, but white and black. The colors were in perfect order as they circled the leather cord, six stones in all.

“It’s beautiful,” I said as I put it on. “I would have settled for borrowing your purple lipstick from you – you know, just to make Madison jealous,” I teased.

She didn’t smile as she reached to help me with my bracelet. “Purple is my favorite color tonight. I see the ones I love surrounded by it.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, finding her words odd. At that moment, Grayson and Winston appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “There you are,” he said with a relieved grin. “Monroe, go with Winston, love. He’ll take you to your seat.”

Monroe looked at me and pressed her lips together, causing the purple on her lips to brighten, then she held her head down as she went to Winston. Madison kept her eyes down, speaking in a whisper as she talked on her phone and came over to Grayson and me.

“It’s this way,” Grayson said, pointing up the steps.

“Wait,” I said, stopping him from climbing past me. “He said in front of him.”

“Right,” Grayson said as he grinned and climbed the stairs. Confused, I followed him to a third story balcony, one that in the old days would have controlled the lights. It was my own private seat. From the doorway, I could see the stage clearly – like I was right in front of it. Long strands of silver confetti were hanging from the ceiling, and flickering lights made them look like stars glimmering in mid-air. Madison walked to the edge, but I stayed back, listening to the noise of the crowd below.

“Are you OK?” Grayson asked.

I nodded, even though it was a lie – I was terrified.

“Listen,” Grayson said as he leaned in the doorway. “I’m not gonna lie: tonight may be wicked.”