*Nicky*
"Hey Jason … Good to see ya man." I said answering my front door to see the producer of our tour on my doorstep.
"Hi, Nick… Can I come in and chat with you?" Jason asked with the slimy producer smile on his face. I`ve known Jason for almost ten years now, working with him is never easy but it's all worth it in the end.
"Sure, Come in…" I held the door open wide to allow him to pass by me into the house. I could not help but be cautious I did not know what he could want but I knew whatever it was it was gonna get me into trouble.
We went into my office and I collapsed into my comfy leather chair behind my desk "What's up?" I asked getting down to business.
"Okay look… I have this amazing little Goth singer songwriter on my shelf that I`m trying to get set up in time to stick on your guys` tour."
"Really?"
"Yes… The songs are written under the name Lovely Suicide," Jason continued.
"Sounds like my kind of girl… what does all this have to do with me?" I laughed.
"Well see I`ve been having a hard time finding her a bass player…" Jason says looking sly.
"Ah!" I laughed leaning back in my chair "And you want me to be her bass player."
"The new Draven album is finished; we were hoping to finish her album next week so that we could have it printed before the tour starts." Jason begged now.
"Jas …" I was exasperated, "Who is she?"
"She is a sweet and extremely talented girl."
"Why won`t you tell me who she is?" I asked confused.
"Here …" He slid an usb jump drive across the desk and I popped it into my laptop and opened the files to find the album complete with an album cover. On that cover was a woman`s back bare with jewel bright red hair braided hanging past her hips and a beautifully composed gothic flowers tattoo on her milky flawless skin. "Listen to the tracks… let me know we will be at the studio till 8:30 tonight." Jason got to his feet and left the room.
I was more than alittle baffled but finally I hit play on the tracks. There were three tracks, one ballad and two upbeat tracks. I listened at full volume and studied the picture. Quickly I was enraptured by the haunting vocals and the beautiful trilling violin mixed in with the drums, guitar and pounding bass. The ballad was just her enchanting voice and piano I had made my mind up before the track was finished playing. I took the laptop up stairs with me and I listened to the ballad on repeat as I took a shower and dressed. I had the song memorized before I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.
*Mercy*
I sat at the piano my fingers sliding against the keys, my eyes were closed and I could feel the notes in my soul as I played alone in the studio. I was killing time waiting for my producer to get here and hopefully he will bring me a bass player with him. I`ve worked really hard to get to this point, created a new persona so as to not trade on my big brother`s name or let on that I was trying this at all to anyone I loved. I haven`t seen my brother in almost a year because of these aspirations. Now I`m sitting in his home city in the same studio he uses and he has no clue about any of it. My name is Mercedes but my friends call me Mercy and I`m terrified that this moment I`m making a huge mistake but I could never regret it because at least I tried my dream, how many people can say that?
As of today I am seventeen years old and trying to follow in my big brother`s footsteps, I am Lovely Suicide a gothic artist. My brother Donny is a drummer in a Goth metal band called Draven with his best friends Nicky, singer / bass player and Dave the guitar player. Don`t get me wrong I also have an older sister, seven years older in fact and Donny is two years older than her. Her name is Annalisa, we have nothing in common, she is a conservative house wife who married a preacher and they have a little girl now. I never see them she doesn't like me or Donny much we are too dark for her to understand.
Jason walked into the mixing room and met my eyes but I could not tell what the news would be so I got up and went to find out. Jason is an older man about 45 years old if I had to guess with salt and pepper short hair and kind blue eyes. I`ve known him for almost eight years, he also is the producer or Draven hence I had to get him my songs on the sly so he would help because it was good and not because he knows my brother. "Well?" I asked walking into the mixing room.
"Honestly… I`m not sure if he will show or not. Regardless we need to get some tracks done today; I was thinking violin and piano." Jason answered as the sound tech walked in. "Charles this is Mercy." Jason introduced us and we set to work Jason and Charles in the mixing room, myself in the studio.
*Nicky*
I had dressed in torn jeans and boots with a t-shirt and jumped on my Harley and roared out of my drive and headed for the studio on sunset drive. The whole ride I could not get that tat out of my mind. I could swear I`ve seen it before, lilies, roses and orchids with dark ivy around it maybe butterflies or maybe it was fairies hiding amongst the blooms. I puzzled over it but got no closer to an answer. I walked straight into the building and headed back to the sound booth without stopping to acknowledge anyone on my way. I walked in silently and closed the door behind me to see Jason and Chuck with their backs to me nodding their heads to the screaming violin synced to a pulsing drum beat. I looked thru the plate glass window beyond the mixing board to see a stunning woman with a cherry colored violin tucked under her chin. Her long hairs was loose around her in blood colored fat curls hanging past her hips, and skin the color of fine porcelain. With a mouthwatering body; tall, long legged, perfect hourglass shape dressed in a black mini dress decorated with spider webs in metallic silver, with silver jewelry glinting to contrast with her black knee high combat boots. I felt an evil smile spread across my face as I decided that a drop dead sexy Goth chick on tour with me could be fun, really fun. No sooner did this thought fully develop and I could see it. I could picture her beneath me then on top of me, and then as the fantasy played out in my mind she looked up and met my eyes and my heart sank to my toes.
*Mercy*
I glanced up from the junction of strings and bow on my violin to see the last thing I expected to see in the sound booth, Nicky. He stood beside Jason and Charles with an evil smile spread across his face wearing torn up dark washed blue jeans with a belt and nickel handgun styled belt buckle and a muscle hugging dark gray t-shirt. He must have ridden his bike; his black hair was flat to his shoulders under a black baseball cap and black ray bands hiding his jade colored eyes. He was so gorgeous, piercings, tattoos, goatee the total bad boy package. "Nicky! Hi!" I squeaked and burst into a run into the mixing booth. I ran into his arms wrapping mine around his neck.
"Mercy…" He sounded strange as he hugged me against his body.
"I can`t believe you came." I was so excited.
"Mercy… how long has all this been going on? Dose Donny know about this?" Nicky was alittle panicked for some reason.
"Well… I`ve been working on this for alittle over a year… and no Donny doesn't know yet." I answered with a beaming smile.
"I know … ugh … um … okay. I need you to tell him before I can help you." Nicky said taking a step back.
"No problem… I planned on telling him tonight at my birthday dinner." I laughed.
"Did you really?" Nicky asked.
"Yeah… I`m meeting Donny and Peggy tonight for dinner. So are you gonna help me out?" I asked.
"If Donny is okay with all this, yes I will help you out." He smiled down at me and I could not help the squeak and the dive back into his arms.
"Thanks… thank you … thank you Nicky!" I continue to squeak happily.
"Alright alright…" He chuckled deep in his chest. "Let`s postpone this recording session so we can go grab some lunch and go talk to Don. Dinner would not be the best time to have this kind of conversation.
"Okay … Jason? Is that okay?" I asked.
"Sure…" Jason answered who was already shutting things down.
*Jason*
Dear lord forgive me for this I kept repeating in my head as I watched his face in the reflection in the glass. He watched her like a cat watches a mouse, instinct and hunger plain in his eyes. I knew how this would end the instant I decided to ask him to play bass on this project. Nick has many strengths but his true weakness is beautiful girls. I was torn in all this, I knew Donny would hate me for all this but this album could be huge with Mercy and Nick working together regardless of the fact that anytime Nick plays music with a girl eventually they end up in bed together. My guilt filled the pit of my stomach as she looked up to see him behind me and the squealing and squeaking started. 'I`m going to hell for this I know it.' I berated myself as they chattered back and forth and like a true asshole when Nick suggested they bail on the rest of the day and leave together. I offered only a quick agreement before fleeing the scene.
*Nicky*
What the hell am I doing? I chastised myself over and over with her wrapped around my waist as we sped down the streets just a man and a woman on a bike, two wheels and steel. Where was I going? Where was I taking her? My normal routine with girls was to head home turn on some dark hypnotic music, dance slowly with her, smooth romance. Then I would lean in for the sweet brush of lips, that first kiss and then game over. It never fails and it always ends in the same conversation, thanks that was fun maybe we will see each other again one day yadda yadda yadda. All bullshit, wait why am I even thinking about all this? This Donny`s baby sister besides the fact that she is jailbait.
Before I was aware of where we were going we were pulling thru the gates of my estate. It's too late to leave now might as well go inside, "Wow… Nick it's been too long since I`ve been here, I do love this house." Mercy smiled pulling off her helmet.
"Common lets go talk." I said leading her thru the front door.
"It's been too long since we hung out." She said happily as we headed back to the living room.
"Yeah alittle over a year and a half ago…"I said taking a seat on the couch "So… you're a song writer now?"
"Well… I` m trying to be a song writer…" She hedged pacing the room looking at everything.
"I thought you were a photographer or a painter, what is with the shift to music?" I asked.
"I`m a gothic artist… So I can do whatever muse strikes me." She smiled over at me picking up a picture frame with a picture of the two of us in it.
"Mercy! What are you doing?" I said forcefully.
"I`m sorry… You know you don`t have to help me… If you think Donny will freak…" She spun to face me.
"Is Don`s reaction the only thing that has you so nervous?" I asked as she sat across from me.
"Yes… I maneuvered this whole thing very carefully so no one involved would have a clue who I was till after they heard the demo and made their own decision… So I wouldn`t be trading on his name and all."
"Mercy… I doubt he would care about that… What is going to bother him is his baby sister working with the slimly pigs of the industry myself included." I laughed, "Being on tour with us so he can keep an eye on you will help but anytime some guys makes a pass or just imagine the first internet gossip scandal."
"Oh… I guess I didn`t think of it that way… But yes my brother is the only thing I fear in all this." She blushed.
"Hmmm…"I sat back trying to think of a solution to this issue. "Okay we`ll do this… The demo is too good to waste… So I`ll send the tracks to him and call him to make sure he listens to it now."
"Really?" Her face lit up.
"Yeah hang here… I`ll be right back."
*Donny*
"God damnit!" I shouted at the TV as my pacman died again when my phone ringing distracted me. "Peg! Answer that please!" I yelled hoping she would hear me in the kitchen, but alas no response so I paused the game and found the cellphone in time for it to start ringing again, It was Nicky.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"Don… I just sent you three tracks of this project I just joined."
"Side project?"
"Nah… strictly support just playing bass live… let me know what you think." Nick responded and the line went dead.
"Alright…" I said to myself and headed into my office to jump onto the Pc and give it a listen.
I was not thru the first song before Peggy was in the office nodding to the beat clearly has chick appeal, besides that it was really good… alittle too Goth or artsy for me but Mercedes, my sister would love it. After listening to all three tracks a few times I turned off the speakers and Peg spoke immediately. "Who is that?"
"I`m not sure… Nick sent it to me."
"I love it!" She beamed.
"Yeah it's good…" I answered grabbing my cell.
*Mercy*
Was I nervous? Yes, extremely so but not just about the demo and Donny`s reaction but also well I was so embarrassed. It had been a long time since I talked to them, any of the people here but the one I missed as much as my own brother was Nick. He was my first crush and sadly I was still more than alittle attracted to him, Okay I'll admit it I was head over heels for him I`ve been friends with him for over seven years and my biggest fantasy is for us to be more than friends and honestly I do not ever think it will happen but it would be a dream come true. "You want a drink?" Nick called down the hall.
"Bottled water if you have it." I called back.
"Sure do…" He answered walking back into the living room two bottles of water in hand and he handed me one then walked over to the stereo turning on some heavy music, mixture of heavy metal and gothic darkness started to play.
"So what else have you been up to?" Nicky asked.
"Well I graduated from high school about two months ago…" I started.
"You big nerd graduating early."
"Well other than that not much really just hanging out with Amber."
"Oh yeah Amber how`s she doing?" He smiled clearly remembering my best friend who had an even bigger crush on him and not shy about it.
"She`s fine, As soon as all is settled she`s going to spend the summer with me. I`m trying to help her with her clothing line."
"Clothing line?"
"Yeah… she made the dress I`m wearing …. If I go on tour for sure she is making all my stage clothes." I bragged.
"Then she is good… alright so here is my plan, We will wait till Donny calls and offer to bring the artist Lovely Suicide over and that Jason has you set up to be on tour with us. We will head over to Donny`s."
"You don`t think he will freak out?" I asked.
"Nah, He`ll be surprised but he shouldn`t be angry." Nicky answered.
"If you think it will work," I laughed nervously, "What have you been up to?"
"You're looking at it." He smiled.
"What no special girls?" I joked.
"No one I remember like her name or anything like that. What about you? How long is the list of heart broken boys you`ve left in San Fran?" He chuckled.
"Oh God, None are you kidding I don`t have time for that crap." I answered.
"Yeah sure…" He was sarcastically rolling his eyes. We talked like no time was really lost between us we were very close before and talked or played music or videogames all the time he was my best friend for a long time till my parents stopped allowing me to go on tour with my brother. 'Ugh! My parents are my next hurdle after Donny.' I thought to myself.
"So how many songs do you have?" He asked.
"Eleven, But I think I need to rework at least four of them." I answered.
"Well let's go into the studio. Let's hear them." He smiled and led me down the hall.
*Nick*
We were in the studio for over two hours when my phone finally rang.
"Damnit! Donny what took you so long?" I answered my cell.
"Pam and I decided to give those songs a thorough bump test." Donny laughed.
"What? You and Pam just had sex to the tracks I sent you?" I was astonished.
"Eww…" Mercy whispered laughed.
"Shut the fuck up…" Donny growled.
"How who you like to meet Lovely Suicide?" I offered.
"Really? Sure when?" Donny asked growl gone.
"I`ll bring her to your place in about an hour." I answered.
"Great… By the way my sister is meeting Pam and me for dinner tonight."
"Alright, We`ll be there." Nick laughed and signed off and we burst into fits of laughter.
"Ugh!" Mercy giggled.
"I just can`t wait to see his face when he realizes what he said." I laughed.
*Mercy*
I`m not going to lie that I was happy to see the bright yellow Mercedes Benz convertible. I hate to say it but I wished he would want to take the motorcycle. The ride from the studio would spawn fantasies and hot little dreams for months. I felt my body warm just thinking about it now, cuddled tight against his back, arms locked around his waist. 'Stop thinking about it...' I thought furiously to myself as I glanced over at Nick as we walked up to my brother`s front door. I had an instinct to beg Nick not to ring the doorbell, but how would I stop him. Suddenly I had a perfect image of me grabbing his face and kissing him.
"Oh God…" I gasped freezing in place and Nick spun to face me.
"It's going to be fine. Deep breaths." He smiled and my heart stopped.
"Ok…" I breathed and watched as Nick pushed the doorbell. I forgot the tremors that wanted to shake my body apart and the forty seconds or so that it took for Donny to get to the door felt like decades. I watched frozen as the door swung open to reveal my big brother with a look of utter shock on his face.
"Hey Don…" I squeaked out with nervous smile on my face.
"Mercedes… what…?" Donny was confused.
"Don let me introduce you to Lovely Suicide," Nick said carefully.
"What? When?" Donny seemed to still be I shock as Peg walked up behind him.
"What's going …" She started to ask then she saw me and a squeal escaped her and Donny was shoved aside and she drew me into a hug. "You're here early," She laughed.
"Not really…" I laughed.
"How long has this…" Donny asked his emotions sorted he settled on angry.
"I`ve been working on the songs for about a year. Nick joined today…" I answered and Donny`s anger seemed to melt away.
"Oh." He hesitated then pulled me into a tight hug. "I missed you…"
"Good cause we will get to spend lots of time together." I laughed and we headed inside.
*Donny*
I was in shock if I had to be honest, Mercedes my baby sister showed up on my doorstep with my best friend. More surprising is my quiet shy sister was the same person who wrote and recorded those great tracks Nick sent me. Peg sat everyone in the family room and chatted merrily with my sister while I struggled to meld my Mercy and Lovely Suicide. She looked the same but different, her hair was brown but now it was bright red a deep red and very long, also she wore Goth make up and clothes now amazingly she looked more like me now than the last time I saw her.
"So… You're on our label now?" I asked when the conversation swung that way.
"Yeah, and it will be a blast on tour with you guys again." Mercy laughed happily.
"Wait… tour?" I froze, that's not good I did not think of that. What if she doesn't hit with our crowd? Worse yet what if she becomes the next it girl? And I could not help the shiver that ran down my spine when I thought about the cringe worthy images running thru my head.
"Yeah… I`m opening your western US tour." Mercy answered not noticing my reactions.
"I don`t know if that is a good idea."
"Donald!" Peg interrupted me. "I`m sure it will be fine. You and Nick will be there to keep an eye on her."
"Yes…" Nick smiled.
An even worse thought entered my mind but I dismissed it just as quickly there is no way Nick would betray me like that. "But you understand the pigs you would be… exposed to?" I asked.
"I know fame brings out the crazies but I want to try." Mercy smiled and I realized there was almost nothing I could do, it was done already.
"Dose the family know?" I asked.
"No… not yet I wanted to talk to you first." She ducked her eyes I knew what she did. The instant she tells them they will do what they did to me, kick her out so she kept it all a secret.
"Yes you can stay here as long as you need to." I answered without hesitation.
"Thank you." Mercy smiled shyly.
"So what is the plan?" Peg asked happily.
"Well this weekend I`ll say you should get on relocating from San Fran, How long till the album is finished?"
"I`m not sure…"
"I`ll call Jason set up a lunch tomorrow to get a plan of attack, two months is not very long to record, launch and perfect a stage show. We have better get to work yesterday." Nick answered.
"I`d like to join that lunch." I said sternly.
"Of course." Nick responded.
"Then for now can we move on from this drama and celebrate this girl`s birthday." Peg said hugging Mercy again.
*Nick*
We hung out at Donny`s for a few hours and in the end Mercy`s whole family was made aware of the decisions of its youngest member and to no one`s surprise her parents told Donny she was his problem and to pick up her things as soon as possible. These strange people that made up the rest of that close knit family have never made a whole lot of sense to me. I could tell Donny was still uncomfortable with the whole idea and made noises of "There will be rules" and the implied "Keep your mitts off her." Also Donny was not pleased when Mercy invited me along for her birthday dinner but what could he say.
The dinner was great fun, Mercy had also invited everyone she could amassing almost thirty people to the great restaurant where once inside there are flame dancers, acrobats, gymnasts, you name it, Great Fun.
I set up lunch at this great burger place on sunset with Jason, Donny, Mercy and I getting there just in time to get over hang overs from the night before. We sat on the patio and waited till our orders were taken before getting to work. Jason had his tablet out and ready to take down the required notes. As soon as the kid with the paper hat was gone Jason spoke.
"Alright… Now that everyone is up to date now for the real work." Jason chuckled.
"I`m claiming today and tomorrow to get her moved and settled." Donny blurted.
"I`m gonna need at least a week to wood shed tracks with the whole band." I said.
"Alright," Jason said and went to his calendar app. "So I`ll book the rehearsal studio for the 16th thru the 22nd and recording will start on the 23rd. That`s a Monday." Jason was franticly notating the information.
"Should I be writing this down?" Mercy said seeming worried for the first time since she told Donny.
"No… I`ll work it all out with times and send it to you." Jason chuckled.
"Oh." She let out a sigh sitting back in her seat.
"I`ll set up for two weeks to record and promo that takes us to the 4th." Jason said.
"So that gives us almost a month to piece the live show together." I groaned not looking forward to the chaos before us.
"I`d say from the 7th till the dress rehearsal on the 1st." Jason looked confidant, "Here are the appointments we still have to fill." He said opening a doc and placing the tablet in the center of the table
Assistant
Light designer
Road manager
Web engineer
Dresser and makeup
Designer (clothes)
Sound tech
Set designer
Shopper
Photographer
choreagrapher
"Did I miss anything?" Jason asked.
"No I thing you got it but you may as well as add some guards I would say at least one." Donny said evenly.
"I didn`t think about that… Sorry not used to doing guards in the US." Jason chuckled and added.
Two body guards
"Wait! I don`t need an assistant, shopper, dresser, makeup artist, choreographer, photographer, I can do all that myself." Mercy argued as I expected she would.
"How about this…" I interrupted her tirade, "Set, lights, sound, and web engineers we can just see if the Draven guys want a bonus to do two sets and cross that pit of vipers if we need to. I`m sure Brandon would be more than happy to be the RM and I do some of the photography and my assistant does the rest, I`ll pull double duty…" I suggested.
"Alright that leaves about half the list." Jason said again fanatically taking notes.
"Hello!" Mercy waved her hand in my face, "Dose my wishes mean nothing?" We all looked at her.
"Of course they do but we know what we are doing." Jason answered and Donny and I both winced she did not like that.
"I got myself this far… I think I`m capable of doing some of this." Mercy barked.
"Merc…" Donny tried and I waved him off knowing she would only be mad at him.
"I`m nobody I can buy my own clothes and Amber is designing things for me! And I can put on my own makeup! And I can dance!" She continued.
Jason looked surprised, But Donny and I both knew that the one thing you don`t do is make Mercedes feel like she incapable of doing something, or anything stubborn girl.
"How about this we will let you try to keep everything together for a while and you let us know if or when you need help. I`ll never doubt your abilities." I smiled at her. Jason looked like he wanted to argue but at a look from me he stopped.
"How many tracks do you think the album should have?" Donny asked changing the subject.
"I was thinking thirteen." Mercy answered and Jason nodded.
"Do you have that many?" Donny asked.
"I have eleven and I was thinking of writing one or two duets now and maybe a cover…" Mercy answered looking over at me.
"That's a lot to iron out in a week." Jason commented.
"I`ll get it done." She growled at him, that argument was gonna cost him for a while.
"What were you thinking for the art?" I asked her.
"The same as the demo," Mercy answered. This would be interesting.