One Day out of the Blue
Chapter 1
*Note:* This takes place 2 or 3 years after the epilogue of Strangers in the Snow. I'm saying the guys are in their late 20s. The time is late summer.
"Hey, guys! Come check this out! A new club is comin'!"
"Look, they're having an open house! "Come in and listen to the band practice before we open." Cool!"
"Hmmmmm.. The Phoenix? I'm not so sure.."
"Come on, Sage!"
"You just want to go in because it has an association with fire, don't you?"
"Hey!"
"Quit yer bickerin' and com' on!"
They filed in through a double set of doors, a note on the second set said it was to prevent the people milling about on the sidewalk from having their ear drums being blown. Once inside the club opened up to a spacious dance floor and a stage at the back. To their left there was space set aside for the bar and a small sitting area. Next to the stage there was a set of stairs going up to what looked like offices that overlooked the dance floor.
People were walking about, but they were the only tourists. The workers waved to them and said if they had any questions just ask and that they were free to move around, except upstairs of course.
On the stage the band was indeed practicing. It was in full gear in fact. It was some rock song never hear before this date by outsiders. The voice of the singer was strong, changing with the moods of the lyrics and of the music. Ryo turned to watch them and his whole world stopped in the split second of a heartbeat.
It was Casey....
...but it was not Casey. Couldn't be. Ryo realized this after a few seconds and the world came back into normal speed. The person on the stage was a woman, but the likeness was striking. They would of passed as twins. My god, Ryo thought. Could they been twins? I mean, what do I really know of Casey's life? His family?
The woman on stage caught him staring and gave him a flirty little wink. Ryo gave her a half-hearted grin back. He felt Sage come up beside him. Ryo knew he was thinking the same thing. Ryo looked up and Sage gave him a silly grin and went off to look over at the bar, where the rest of the gang had gathered.
Ryo laughed to himself. Silly, he thought, thinking it was Casey of all people. The song had finished and he heard the voices of the band rise up, talking excitingly amongst each other on how well that song had sounded.
"Yeah, yeah. It was good," the lead singer said. "I did it some justice. If Mister I'm-too good-for-you-I'm-too busy-to-sing-with-you would get off his arse and SING, it just might sound better." She raised her voice and turned to a table stacked with papers, books, laptop, printer, and fax, that Ryo hadn't seen before. "What do YOU think?" she shouted at the makeshift desk. Ryo could just see a patch of red hair over the computer screen.
And a voice Ryo had not heard in over two years came forth, "Look, I've said it a hundred times! This place won't make itself! I have to order silverware and drinks..!" The figure stood up quickly, almost knocking back the chair. "Ok?"
"Ok, sure. You have a guest, Case." She jerked her head towards Ryo and turned back to the band.
Casey turned and Ryo felt his heart stop for the second time that day. Once again the world seemed to freeze around them. "Oh. God." The papers clutched in Casey's hand fell to the floor with a swoosh.
Ryo couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He wanted to run. At the same time he couldn't move and he didn't want to. His name tumbled over his lips like a forbidden wish. "Casey."
Chapter 1
*Note:* This takes place 2 or 3 years after the epilogue of Strangers in the Snow. I'm saying the guys are in their late 20s. The time is late summer.
"Hey, guys! Come check this out! A new club is comin'!"
"Look, they're having an open house! "Come in and listen to the band practice before we open." Cool!"
"Hmmmmm.. The Phoenix? I'm not so sure.."
"Come on, Sage!"
"You just want to go in because it has an association with fire, don't you?"
"Hey!"
"Quit yer bickerin' and com' on!"
They filed in through a double set of doors, a note on the second set said it was to prevent the people milling about on the sidewalk from having their ear drums being blown. Once inside the club opened up to a spacious dance floor and a stage at the back. To their left there was space set aside for the bar and a small sitting area. Next to the stage there was a set of stairs going up to what looked like offices that overlooked the dance floor.
People were walking about, but they were the only tourists. The workers waved to them and said if they had any questions just ask and that they were free to move around, except upstairs of course.
On the stage the band was indeed practicing. It was in full gear in fact. It was some rock song never hear before this date by outsiders. The voice of the singer was strong, changing with the moods of the lyrics and of the music. Ryo turned to watch them and his whole world stopped in the split second of a heartbeat.
It was Casey....
...but it was not Casey. Couldn't be. Ryo realized this after a few seconds and the world came back into normal speed. The person on the stage was a woman, but the likeness was striking. They would of passed as twins. My god, Ryo thought. Could they been twins? I mean, what do I really know of Casey's life? His family?
The woman on stage caught him staring and gave him a flirty little wink. Ryo gave her a half-hearted grin back. He felt Sage come up beside him. Ryo knew he was thinking the same thing. Ryo looked up and Sage gave him a silly grin and went off to look over at the bar, where the rest of the gang had gathered.
Ryo laughed to himself. Silly, he thought, thinking it was Casey of all people. The song had finished and he heard the voices of the band rise up, talking excitingly amongst each other on how well that song had sounded.
"Yeah, yeah. It was good," the lead singer said. "I did it some justice. If Mister I'm-too good-for-you-I'm-too busy-to-sing-with-you would get off his arse and SING, it just might sound better." She raised her voice and turned to a table stacked with papers, books, laptop, printer, and fax, that Ryo hadn't seen before. "What do YOU think?" she shouted at the makeshift desk. Ryo could just see a patch of red hair over the computer screen.
And a voice Ryo had not heard in over two years came forth, "Look, I've said it a hundred times! This place won't make itself! I have to order silverware and drinks..!" The figure stood up quickly, almost knocking back the chair. "Ok?"
"Ok, sure. You have a guest, Case." She jerked her head towards Ryo and turned back to the band.
Casey turned and Ryo felt his heart stop for the second time that day. Once again the world seemed to freeze around them. "Oh. God." The papers clutched in Casey's hand fell to the floor with a swoosh.
Ryo couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He wanted to run. At the same time he couldn't move and he didn't want to. His name tumbled over his lips like a forbidden wish. "Casey."