It was an exciting night for the Rat Cellar, a popular rock club in Boston. A large crowd gathered there, and for a good reason. Phoenix Fire, a well respected indie band, was playing there that Friday night. While they played mostly cover songs, they were known to pull it off very well, especially one person is particular.
That person was a young man named Joey.
He was the lead singer of Phoenix Fire. Despite the fact that he was only twenty two years old, he had a lot of talent in using his voice. He was infamous for his ability to match the voices of whatever cover song his band played. But it wasn't such an easy task at first. All his life Joey attempted almost every instrument under the sun, but could never grasp the concept of music very well.
That was until he used his last resort, singing. He took lessons, and gradually grew to like it. Over the years, his passion for singing grew, but he struggled academically and sadly dropped out of college freshman year due to poor grades. Afterwards, Joey went on to sing for different indie bands until he formed his own at the age of nineteen.
Now the young singer watched from backstage as his fellow band members performed. They were playing the song "Jessica", a song without vocals, so he wasn't needed till later. He was a fairly tall person, with shoulder length brunette hair that many people considered to be a "mullet". He wore a black tank top, ripped up blue jeans flowed over his sneakers, and a pair of sliver studded gantlets covered his arms from his wrists to his elbows.
He observed his friends as they played the song. The first person Joey always noticed was the bassist known as Ted. He was the oldest member of the band at age thirty four. He was also the most eccentric, enigmatic man Joey ever knew. Ted's long blonde hair covered his entire face alongside his facial hair. He often wore torn up jeans and a black shirt with a Zildjian logo. Joey never really understood why, as it was a company involved in cymbals for drums.
The singer always wondered how he could see under all that mess of a mane. Ted was quite the comedian of the group, cracking jokes at the strangest of times. He was also very perverted, twisting every little thing into a sexual reference. Nothing was sacred with Ted. He used to have a passion for marijuana, but was forced to slow down after Joey made a rule prohibiting him from lighting up in his presence.
Next to Ted was the guitarist Judy Nails, who was often dubbed "Rock Goddess" and was twenty three years old. She was Joey's childhood friend, he knew her since they were very young. They grew up together until she moved away from Boston to New York at the age of thirteen. It was a very heartbreaking departure. Joey lost touch with her until one day he saw an advertisement in the newspaper of the guitarist looking for a band. It was a wonderful reunion the day he saw her. She managed to get an apartment near his house so that she would not have to go back to New York.
She was also rather strange at times, with her punk like fashion. Her hair was black with pink streaks, tied back with a hair tie. She wore a black tank top with a skull picture on it, covered up with a pink jacket. She wore a fingerless red glove on her arm, completing the alternative rocker look.
Next up was the drummer of Joey's band, named Mark. He was the youngest member of the band at eighteen. He was the quietest, shyest, and probably the most sane out of everyone. He did not talk often, but was always there for people when they had problems. Ted would often attempt to get the drummer out of his shell, but every attempt to do so failed horribly. Mark's quiet nature was a great addition to an otherwise loud group of band members.
He had brown hair similar to that of Joey's but shorter. Usually he wore a headband to tie it back or a baseball cap worn backwards. He also wore a tank top and shorts that showed his muscular body off. This made many female fans of the band go after him the most out of everyone, which usually made Ted jealous. Despite his tough, muscular appearance, Mark was the sweetest band member.
The rest of the group finally finished the song, and Joey smiled as everyone in the crowd cheered at full volume. Thankfully it was the band's final song for the night, as he was tired out from the few hours he spent performing. The singer took his cue to come out on the stage.
"Thank you all for coming! We had a wonderful time putting on the show, especially in our own home town." Joey said, causing the fans to cheer.
With everyone's support we could even make it all the way to Stonehenge!" he shouted, causing the fans to cheer even louder.
When the show ended, the band members spent the rest of their time cleaning the venue.
Joey attempted to concentrate on the job. However, something bothered him, he was so happy to be part of Phoenix Fire, but something was missing. He could not put a finger on it, but tried to stop thinking about it. He figured he was just tired from the show.
"I guess we should get going." the singer muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Mark ran past him in a state of panic.
"Guys you gotta hide me! I can't take the fan girls anymore!" he shouted.
"I see some of them are lingering here still. I know Ted was taking autographs before, just hope he isn't handing out weed." Judy said.
"No but please! I need to hide somewhere where the girls would never find me!" the drummer cried out.
"How about in there?" Joey said, pointing to the men's restroom.
"Oh yeah how could I have forgotten that? They're coming for me, gotta run!" Mark panicked as he ran into the bathroom.
"Damn, even I didn't get that much attention at that age." Ted said as he suddenly appeared.
"Good you're here, chase the fan girls away and we can get going." Joey told the bassist.
"They're gone now, so we can go." Ted replied.
The band left to go home an hour later after a long, exhausting day. Joey unlocked the front door and entered the house with Judy. His mother Victoria sitting on the couch watching television. The minute they walked in, she noticed them and grabbed Joey, hugging him tightly.
"Joey you were amazing! I saw you on TV" she cried.
"I know mom, please don't suffocate me." the singer gasped for air.
Victoria turned around to Judy and hugged her as well.
"I am so glad to see you reunited with Joey. I remember when you two were kids, you always played together and shared a close friendship. It's wonderful to have you back." Joey's mother told the guitarist.
"Thank you. My parents were really against me going at first. But they realized that it was a passion of mine to be a guitarist, and that I wanted to be back with Joey more than anything." Judy said cheerfully.
"That's wonderful to hear. You two must be tired, so get some rest for tomorrow's show." Victoria told them.
"Yeah I forgot we are going to the Red Octane Bar in Brooklyn." Joey said.
"I know. My parents are going to the show too. They want to see us perform. My mom also wants to see you again Joey, she hasn't seen you in years." Judy told him.
"Yeah, I can't wait to see her again either." the singer said excited.
"I'll get going then, my apartment is only a block away." Judy said.
"Good night, see you tomorrow morning!" Victoria giggled gleefully.
She hugged the guitarist tightly, who waved to Joey as she let go and walked out.
"Thanks mom." Joey said as he went off to his room.
The singer suddenly realized how happy he was with his life and his friends. He went to sleep that night thinking of his future.
Meanwhile, later on in the night, Judy was sitting on the bed in her room. She could not sleep as she thought of how she reunited with Joey. The two were always together as children. Everyone around the town, including the adults, joked that they would both be lovers someday. Judy hoped that someday it would be true as she was already feeling an sense of affection towards the singer. She blushed as childhood memories flooded into her mind. The guitarist finally fell asleep in a peaceful mood.
The next morning, Joey slept late. He was incredibly tired from the night before, which was uncommon of him. Suddenly, he heard a splash, and felt something cold and wet. The cold feeling shocked him and he screeched as he shot out of bed. He turned around, dripping wet, and saw Ted with a bucket of water in his hand.
"What the hell was that for!?" Joey screamed.
"Time to wake up sleepy head." the bassist said jokingly.
"My mom let you in?" the singer asked crankily.
"Yes, she wanted me to get you." the bassist grinned.
"Damn you." Joey growled.
"Well, we're leaving Boston and going to no other than….Brooklyn!" Ted said happily.
"Yeah I know."
"I heard the Red Octane Bar there is amazing." Ted laughed amused.
"Yes I know."
"And they've got the best dru- I mean….drinks there!" the bassist said, hoping to cover up his mistake.
"Ted….you know my stance on drugs." Joey said sternly.
"Aww you're no fun."
"Fine, let me get ready." the singer said wearily.
"Be quick, everyone is waiting in the van." the blonde bassist said.
The band soon left on their long journey to Brooklyn. They arrived earlier than they expected. Joey was glad as he was on the verge of hitting Ted, who sang songs about weed while driving. The rest of the band was amazed at how he could see where he was driving underneath his long veil of hair.
Phoenix Fire finally arrived at the bar. The van pulled into a small parking lot next to the venue. Everyone happily got out after what seemed to be forever on the road.
"I'm so glad we're here! I'm really hungry." Judy sighed in relief.
"You're always hungry. It seems you haven't changed at all, you always had a bottomless pit for a stomach!" Joey teased her.
The guitarist turned her head away as she blushed and softly laughed. Joey noticed her recent unusual behavior. However, he figured it was from getting back into touring.
"Is there something wrong Judy?" he asked.
"Huh? No not at all! Just light headed from being hungry." she replied startled.
"It's ok don't worry about it. Now we just have to set up for the show tonight." Joey said.
Mark stumbled out shortly afterwards, seemingly exhausted.
"Wow you look dead tired." Joey said.
"I know…." Mark replied groggily.
"Yeah you were passed out the entire time." Judy said smirking.
Ted suddenly came out as well after he fell asleep for a few minutes.
"Damn I really gotta piss." he said tiredly.
"For fuck's sake Ted, I'm seriously starting to think you're turning into Murderface with having to piss all the time." Joey chuckled.
"Hey give him a break! He's getting older, that tends to happen with age." Judy laughed hysterically.
"Aww come on! Thirty-four is not old! If I was sixty then yeah but still…." the bassist whined loudly.
The other band members laughed as he went into the venue. As they waited a large, muscular bouncer came up to them.
"Hey what do you think you're doing?" he asked.
"Why we're going to set up for our show tonight." Judy replied.
"Oh so you're the band Phoenix Fire?"
"Yes we are." Joey said.
"But didn't you get the news? Your show's cancelled for tonight." the bouncer replied sternly.
"What!?" the band shouted in unison.
"Yeah didn't you people get the message? We had a…schedule conflict with another band, so we put up a poll on the internet on which band should play and well, they won."
"But why? That's not right!" Mark said shocked.
"Sorry it's what the fans want."
"So which band is responsible for this shit?" Judy said growling.
"Well, they are known as The Dimension of Pure Darkness." the bouncer answered.
"Dimension of-"
Suddenly, Judy snapped and screamed loud enough to wake the dead. Everyone, including the bouncer, was thrown back in fright.
"Judy….please calm down, people are gonna call the cops…" Joey said frightened.
"That bitch! That fucking bitch!" the enraged guitarist screamed.
"Who?" Joey asked.
"…..Pandora…." Judy growled angrily.
"Oh the lead guitarist of the band? I've heard of her. According to many people she's one helluva creepy lady." Ted said as he suddenly appeared after using the bathroom.
"Oh yes she is." Judy said angrily as the bouncer backed away and left.
"However, I heard for a nineteen year old, she has great skills as a guitarist." the bassist added.
"Now how do you know Pandora?" Joey asked Judy.
"Well, it's a long story. When I was a senior in high school, various schools across the country had a nationwide musical talent show. I managed to get into the final round. I was doing great and then….that bitch…she outperformed me and won." she answered enraged.
"Well, you know jealousy isn't a good thing Judy…" Mark said.
"But you don't understand! I lost to a high school freshman back then! Don't you know how embarrassing that was?" Judy cried out.
"Please….perhaps we can negotiate something with her." the drummer said.
Suddenly, the sky grew dark and a bolt of lightning blasted in the sky. A large flock of crows cackled in the distance as they flew over head. Then, a blast of light lit up the street and when the smoke cleared, a dark figure stood in the distance.
It was Pandora.
She carried many aspects of the typical goth. Her hair was a light blue with white streaks. It was short with a long fringe coming down. She also wore a white leather outfit and dark makeup. She turned to Judy Nails and the rest of the group.
"Well…if it isn't Judith Ann Taylor…" she said.
"Pandora….you…dammit!" Judy Nails cried out.
"Disappointed that your show's canned?" Pandora laughed hysterically.
"Disappointed! Hell yes I'm disappointed!" Judy howled.
"Oh well, according to the fans, it's pretty obvious who's the better band." the blue haired guitarist laughed.
"Are you laughing? I'll show you something funny you bitch!" Judy cried out.
She lunged at Pandora with her fist in the air, and made contact with her rival's face. Pandora was thrown back, with blood coming out of her mouth.
"Dumb ass!" Pandora screamed as she grabbed the other guitarist by the neck.
"Enough you two!" Joey screamed out.
He attempted to break up the fight only for Judy to slam him back into a wall. The singer forgot how strong she was. Finally, Ted and Mark managed to restrain the two and end the fight.
"I'll…..fucking…kill….you…" Judy gasped.
Pandora just growled and disappeared in a flash of light.
"Judy, you need to calm down." Joey said as he helped her up.
"That…..snot…" Judy said weakly, wiping the blood from her nose.
"Alright, we should get back to the van. Let's stay tonight a nearby hotel for now. Surely there must be a way we can reschedule the show." Ted said.
"Good idea, we just need to relax now." Joey replied.
The singer held onto Judy as she slowly recovered from the fight. He took some napkins from his pocket and wiped some of the blood off her. The guitarist felt herself calming down as he took care of her. Suddenly she snapped out of her wandering thoughts as Joey let go of her to stand up.
"Ok let's just go." Ted said.
As everyone headed towards the van, Mark noticed something on the ground. He picked it up to reveal a photograph. He smiled warmly and put it in his jeans pocket.
Later on Phoenix Fire managed to find a very nice five star hotel near the venue. When they finally settled in their rooms, Joey went into Judy's room to check up on her. She answered it wearily. The singer saw that she still bruised up and had a bloody nose.
"I'm sorry…" she said ashamed.
"It's alright, just be careful. You could have gotten arrested." Joey replied concerned.
"Fine, though I did get a boast worthy bruise out of this." Judy laughed.
"Well I guess you can put it that way." Joey replied.
"I feel somewhat better." the guitarist said.
"I'm going to call the Red Octane Bar and try to get us back on okay?" Joey asked.
"That's alright." Judy replied.
Mark suddenly came into the room. He saw Judy and gave her a concerned look.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked her.
"Yes I am." the guitarist replied.
Suddenly the photo Mark found earlier accidentally fell out of his pocket.
"Hey what's that?" Judy asked curiously.
"Oh nothing." Mark replied nervously.
He bent down to pick it up only for Judy to swipe it quickly off the ground. She looked at the picture and gasped. She gave the drummer a nasty glare.
"Pandora!? Why do you have a picture of her?" she cried out.
"She's pretty." Mark said smiling.
"Damn you're so naïve."
Mark looked down at the ground ashamed and embarrassed. Ted suddenly barged in as he heard all the noise coming from the room.
"What am I missing?" he asked.
"Mark here is falling for Pandora! Out of all people!" Judy snarled as she showed Ted the photo.
"Aww, leave him alone, he's starting to explore romance." the bassist giggled.
"Okay people get the hell out of my room!" Judy snapped.
Everyone else got the message and left for their own rooms.
Later on Mark was lying in bed staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't help but think about Pandora. He could have sworn he knew her, but couldn't exactly picture where. Until he realized….could she possibly be…that girl? He was confused but put it out of his mind to go to sleep.