Witness: See Series (Volume 1)(85)
Evan went on to introduce the night’s line up: four bands in all, with Draven’s band headlining.
The auditorium was blacked out as the first band took their place. The beat of the drums and the screaming guitars seemed to calm my nerves, which were on edge. I found myself moving along with the crowd to the music that was playing. The lights and the sound equipment could easily erase the mark of ‘indie’ from any of the bands that played that night; it was the beginning of an amazing concert.
As the next bands came to the stage, I found myself looking at the people below, to all the dark corners of the auditorium – looking for Bianca. The idea of her being there was enough to fill me with rage. I could only hope that Madison was mistaken – that she’d moved on. Even though I felt for whoever’s life she’d destroy next, I wanted her out of mine.
As the third band finished their set, I found myself growing more anxious – Draven was next. Evan came to the stage to introduce them, just as he’d done with the other bands. The lights flashed behind him, and the crowed roared.
Evan walked back and forth on the stage with his mic, trying to pump up the crowd even more than they already were. “Alright!” he yelled into the mic. “This next band – I love this next band!” he yelled into the mic again, drawing more and more energy out of the crowd. “I know I’m biased – but do you agree?!” he asked the crowd. They roared again, holding up the classic bull horn sign with their hands.
I couldn’t help grinning with pride.
“Everyone! Show them that you’re here! Anonymous is now on stage!!!”
I found myself jumping in place and smiling; that was the name I had told them to call themselves. The irony was that at that time, they needed to remain anonymous; tonight, they needed to use their gift to call back the shadows.
Aden’s drums began before Evan even left the stage. The lights threatened to light the stage, but instead they highlighted their silhouettes. When the crowd saw Draven reach for his mic, the screams became insane. At that moment, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Grayson’s lead guitar came next, followed by the base and the rhythm. Draven gripped the mic and screamed the classic metal roar – it was so loud and deep, I felt it vibrate in my soul. The crowd began to jump to the rhythm of Aden’s drums.
As the sound of the band and the beautiful sound of Draven’s hypnotic voice echoed through the auditorium, I found myself mesmerized by the raw talent before me. It was one thing to see these songs come to life, to watch them play in our own private studio – but to see them live, to feel the energy the crowd was giving back to them was electrifying.
Around the end of seventh song, I felt Madison pull my shoulder back. As I stepped away, I looked at her like she was crazy. She pulled me into the hall, trying to muffle the overpowering sound in the auditorium.
“I missed this text when I was on the phone with Britain!” she yelled in my ear.
I looked down at her phone and read a text from Aden: ‘the bridge – when the lights go out and you can’t see us – both of you need to see that is when he always leaves.’
My eyes grew wide with fear, then I pushed by her to my spot on the balcony. I knew that the song was after this one; somehow, until this point, his voice – the way they were playing – had made me almost forget why we were there.
Beyond a simple thank you, Draven hadn’t spoken to the crowd between songs. When the eighth song finished, they all stood still, trying to catch their breath from the last intense song. I could tell that they were all hot and tired. The crowd screamed and began to chant ‘One more!’ over and over again. The grin that spread across Draven’s face was breathtaking.
“One more?” he said into the mic.
They all screamed to say yes. Draven looked over his shoulders to the rest of the band. “Do we have one more?”
All of them threw up their hands, trying to get an even bigger stir out of the crowd. Draven walked back and forth on the stage with his head down, holding his mic; in a way, he looked shy at that moment, which just made the crowd love him even more.
“You know,” he said, keeping his head down and walking back to the stand for his mic, “writing music – playing music – is awesome.” He locked his mic into the stand and ran his fingers across the strings of his guitar, sending a vibration of sound through all of us. “But…” he said when the sound had ended, “to write music with your soul-mate is EPIC.” The crowed screamed, and Draven’s eyes rose to where I was. “I love you, Charlie Myers. Happy Birthday, Baby.”
I felt my insides fall and every part of me hum. It didn’t matter that there were thousands of people in the room – he made me feel like I was the only one.
“This is her song,” Draven said as he stepped back from the spotlight.
The lead guitar began, and I felt my heart leaping from chest. When the drums came to life, my soul vibrated. By the time Draven began to play, to sing - every emotion humanly possible was soaring through my body.
When I heard the chorus for the first time, I went numb: “A devil risen – an angel fallen – this world will not be our prison – fate is calling.”
I wasn’t the only one that felt the power behind those words; the crowd went wild. The stage lights were out of control, in perfect rhythm with the music.