Outtake of chapter 15 of Clouded Sunshine(Will & Adam) (I promised at the end I'd write this)
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Lucas – Karaoke birthday party
She wanted no presents, couldn't think of anything. She just wanted our company and have a blast. And we would be going out to do it, to Port Angeles. A treat for a lot of us, we never left home much. We walked down the street looking around, taking it all in.
People near us were checking us out, that odd bunch that didn't fit together. Half of us pale with light eyes, the other half with copper skin and dark brown eyes. Brady winked at a group of girls and made them giggle. He was so full of himself sometimes. But we tolerated it, especially tonight. I took a huge breath of air and felt energized.
Where would we be going? Curiosity was killing me. I hoped there'd be lots of food, my stomach already called me to be filled. Werewolf metabolism, a never ending story. Oh pardon, spirit wolf. And then we'd have to sing, perform, I dreaded that. A week ago we all got to choose from May's selection. Each song could only be chosen once. The whole pack rushed to be first in line to the computer.
I picked 'It's not over' from Daughtry. A rock ballad which is not that old. Lot's of songs on the list were way older, from even before our birthday-girl was born. Like from the 1960's or that about. I bet some of the Cullens will choose those. No one knew though, which song the other had. Except maybe the mind-reader, Edward. The pixie seer was forbidden to look.
We arrived at a club called 'The Buzz', where we were quickly lead down the back and down some stairs. The smells coming up to meet us promised a big buffet. Mouths began to water. Some of the vamps chuckled. Walking along a balcony we had a good look at our destination, a huge basement. Who would've imagined this from the outside? This was perfect for a private party.
Different coloured lights invited guests to dance and look to the stage. A big screen at the back could show any picture or clip you wanted. Awesome! Now I was even more nervous. Luckily my nose distracted me fast and I moved towards to food. But before we dug in, someone cleared her throat from the stage.
"Before you lot go and clear those tables, Alice said, I want you all to know I'll be presenting the singers." Like a host." There was a pause. "Don't eat too much at once, she warned, because we'll expect you to perform soon." Her head turned to the two people in front of the line to the buffet.
"First up are two boys who made a bet, she announced, it's thought to be embarrassing, so they wanted it over with as soon as possible." Jacob & Quil." The latter was just about to take a bite and dropped his fork on his plate. "That's all, Alice cheered, go and eat." Well, she didn't have say that twice. The wolves attacked as if it was the last they'd ever eat. Even Sam had a hard time restraining himself.
In an hour we all had our fill, even the girls, who had shook their heads at us. The older folks had stayed home to babysit. Charlie, Sue and Billy watched over Nessie. Emily had decided to come, even with her pregnancy. She rested up well in preparation. Many were ready to help her whenever necessary. Our mom to be batted them away; "I don't need to be smothered." A proud grin had graced our alpha's face.
We took the seats in front of the stage, set up just for us. They were soft and comfortable. Suddenly several heads flashed to the left as the twins burped simultaneously. Yuck! They whispered apologies as they got some reprimanding looks. Attention went back to the stage as Alice appeared in a sparkling black cocktail dress.
"Well, she said in the microphone, let's get started." We're here to have fun, she continued, so if you feel like singing along or dancing or cheering, go right ahead." After a nod at May she stepped to the side and stretched out her right arm.
"Welcome our first performers, Jacob and Quil, who will be singing; 'Dude looks like a lady' by Aerosmith." Her big grin promised a funny show. A spotlight revealed Jake in plain black jeans and a white shirt. As the music started, the screen showed very feminine images. His voice was heavy compared to Steven Tyler, but not to bad. Another light showed someone in women's clothing coming on. It had to be Quil, we recognized his scent and posture.
He wore a big, flappy sunhat that covered his eyes. His strut on those high heels was comical. Trying to walk like a model on a runway wasn't easy for a guy. While he moved, he slowly started to undress, throwing first the hat to Jake and next the wrap-around skirt. They were easily caught and … put on?! Huh? Luckily he did wear pants underneath. His face was heavily plastered with make-up. It looked like Claire had done it.
Emmet let out dog-whistles and Embry shouted 'hey sexy'. Half way through they had switched roles. Quil was singing now, worse than Jake that is. The latter was now trying to move in a sexy way, towards the exit. He got more people to whoop and whistle. Chuckles erupted too of course. My grin was hurting my face. After they got cleaned up and came to sit with us, the next one was up already.
Edward surprised us with 'Stuck on you' by Elvis Presley. His hair was styled like it should for that era. (grease-head) He did well, imitating the voice of the original a bit. Even the moves were there as he pointed at Bella. I'm sure if she could, she'd blush. He got a light applause when he finished. His wife blew him a kiss.
All through the evening vampires, wolves and humans switched off evenly. Embry chose 'Johnny B. Goode' from Chuck Berry. He rocked while pretending to play the guitar. Several people couldn't help themselves and got up to dance. Carlisle provided a moment of peace with 'My way' – Frank Sinatra. Paul did 'Paradise City' – Guns 'n Roses. It suited him and he made himself sound like Axel, pinching his voice. He only went off key three times, I think.
Emmet followed next and we stared at his outfit. He wore a brown wig that reached his shoulders. A sleeveless shirt showed his arms, painted with tattoos. The first notes of the song left no doubt, 'Enter Sandman' by Metallica. His voice was rough and he grunted like no other. Whomever gave him the wig, attached it well, it didn't fall off as he head-banged vampire-style.
We loved it! May especially, she cheered. But Blondie really surprised us by jumping the stage and her man. It seems she got pretty excited by his exhibit. She smacked a big one on him and literary sucked face with the guy for a minute. Alice broke them up by clearing her throat. "Get a room you two." – They left for a while, who knows where.
Meanwhile Sam and Emily did a duet; 'It takes two' by Tina Turner and Rod Steward. They were sweet, sitting down on barstools, looking in each others eyes. Ahhww. Bella came up with '18 till I die' from Bryan Adams. How fitting. Will & Adam rapped to 'Lose yourself' – Eminem. Jasper had to step in for Rose, who wasn't ready yet. He left us in awe, believing every word from 'Bohemian Rhapsody' – Queen. A sigh escaped our birthday girl.
I was now the one to sing. The nerves were really bad and I tried to concentrate on breathing right. The moment I stepped on into the limelight, I got some help from the previous performer. He sent me waves of calm and I accepted gratefully. After that it got easier and easier. I slipped a few times though and cringed at the thought of how bad it must sound. As I finished I looked at May, who smiled. Comments like 'not bad' and 'atta boy' came from the seats.
I let out a sigh of relief. May came up to the stage. "I think, if I were a judge on one of those talent-shows, I'd let you through to the next round," she whispered. A wink and she was back in her seat. Once I was back in my seat, I saw Blondie and her man were back too. They smelled a little different. Oh my *#*, ewh, I didn't want to think about that! But it would remain stuck in my head now.
Jared and Kim were up together. The girl loved romantic movies (and secretly he did too). 'You're the one that I want' from the movie Grease was their choice. The outfits even resembled those of John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. But their voices…, ouch, no, they really sucked. Not that anyone said that out loud.
But the covering of ears and grimacing faces made them aware of the fact. So fortunately they lowered their volume and concentrated on the dancing. Now that was something they're good at! It looked awesome. And afterwards, that earned them an applause. They took a bow and left the stage highly flushed.
Oliver was nervous like me. He swallowed a lump in his throat. I grinned and mouthed 'relax' to him. He took things way too serious. The start of Beautiful Day – U2 was shaky. Soon though the words came easier, he tried to sing from memory instead of the screen. Also, he focused on breathing right. His eyes lit up because this song made him feel good. The cheers at the end were enough to bring a smile to his face too.
Esme or 'Mother Cullen' as she was often referred to, walked on gracefully. The gentle, loving look she gave us all made everyone silent. The room darkened and a soft light was set on her alone. She sang 'The greatest love of all' by Whitney Houston. On the screen behind her pictures of all of us flashed by in a slideshow. It was heart-warming and I wanted to hug my mother.
Brady was hyped up about his choice; 'Rockstar' – Nickelback. He loved the attention. I was tempted to throw something at him. Finally it seemed Rose was ready to come on. But before that happened there was some commotion backstage. "No!" Alice shrieked, you are not changing your act." "Damn, Blondie exclaimed, I thought I decided late enough for you not to notice."
In a moment of silence everyone looked at each other in confusion. The argument picked up quick though. "And why can't I choose that song, she said, it's from the same artist and on the list." An irritated groan came from the seer. "Because I've seen what effect it'll have, the pixie responded, you're going to ruin the party!" Attention seeker!" Both huffed.
May got up and rushed to them. They spoke amongst one another in low voices. We couldn't hear them. "What did she want to sing?" Bella whispered to Edward. He rolled his eyes; "I'll tell you later." Alice walked back on and presented her sister doing: 'Ain't no other man' by Christina Aguilera. Annoyance was on her face. Blondie wore tight black pants, a white shirt (for a man, unbuttoned to her chest) and a loose red tie.
On her head was a black, round hat. Dancing around in a sexy way got Emmet exited. – Oh no, not again, I thought.- How could that other song be worse? My mind wandered for a second or two. Then it popped up; 'Dirrty'. Ah, yes, definitely worse. What a relief, now the big vamp stayed in his seat. Though it was a strain for him. Jeez! Horny bastard.
How funny was the next one to follow. Collin and Matt surprised us by singing together. Their pick: '(Can't get no) Satisfaction' from The Rolling Stones. Grins spread across every face in the room, except for one. Some even chuckled. Did our host do this on purpose? We got a minute to recover before another couple left us with arching eyebrows. Leah and Rachel sang 'Independent Women' – Destiny's Child. They looked strong. Paul whooped and whistled for his girl.
Things sped up after this with Alice singing 'Humble Neighborhoods' – Pink. The words come so fast, I don't know how it's humanly possible to get them out correctly. I would break my tongue.
Danny, well for him there was only one choice, artist wise and that is Michael Jackson. He's a big fan of the little man. He loves everything; the songs, the moves, the outfits. "What he does on stage, he once explained, how he throws himself in it completely, that's what I do with my painting and drawing." So he practised extra to do right by his idol. Yeah, 'Smooth Criminal' was good. From the white clothes and hat to the dance, he nailed it.
Seth did 'Hook me up' – Bon Jovi. He locked eyes with several people during the song. Sometimes pointing at them too. He ended with the birthday-girl right in front of him. Zack was last with 'In the shadows' by The Rasmus. It fitted with him. At times he was down, though not as much as in the early days of being a wolf. The support of the pack helped a lot. He even got some for his parents too. They argued less now they had Old Quil and Billy to mediate. –
Yeah, I felt lucky for having a steady home life. – There was pause until Alice returned to the stage. "Well, she said, this was quite the evening." We've been really entertained, don't you agree May?" She nodded and added a 'yes'. "Now, for the ones who eat, Alice continued, we have dessert and drinks." All the others can dance, we'll be playing more songs from May's list."
So that's what we did of course, eat. Hours had passed, my stomach needed a refill. At least a dozen different cakes, pies and ice cream were spread out on four tables. I took some chocolate cake, peach pie, strawberry and vanilla ice cream. They certainly had enough, even a milkshake bar. I loved banana. Finishing, I burped as discretely as possible, I was so content.
Back home later I'd probably sleep like a log. But when people started to talk to each other there was one last surprise. May stepped on stage and tapped the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, she announced, there's a person here who hasn't sung yet, and that is me." We all got back in our seats. "I've chosen a song from an artist nobody here heard about," she continued. "I'll tell you more later."
"First I want to thank you all for performing tonight." You put a lot of effort into the acts." Also I'm pleased that the vampires in the room didn't just copy the voice of the original." – They can do that? Wow, any voice? I never knew that. – "Do you all agree we had fun?!" she asked. "Yes!" we all screamed. "Good, now back to my choice."
"I heard about this song and artist while chatting on line with some Dutch friends I made." His name is Marco Borsato, he's from Italy, but moved to Holland and became famous there when he started to sing in Dutch." I know most of you won't understand the words, but maybe you'll be able to hear him telling a story." She paused for a second. "The video clip will play on the screen to help." I can really feel what he's trying to say and I love it."
"The song is called; 'Afscheid nemen bestaat niet', which means 'Forever goodbye doesn't exist'." The topic is sad, but comforting." May looked a Jake. "After I'm done, she explained, I'm curious to see if anyone guessed what it was about." Her eyes went to Edward. "Except with you, brother, I know you'll understand." The mind-reader gave her a 'what ever'-look. Then the music started and our birthday-girl sang.
Her voice was soft and gentle, emotions flowing across her face and I felt chocked up. Strange, because I only understood one or two words. The video was key however. A little girl on a swing in an empty playground. It was windy and it rained a bit sometimes. The artist, Marco, was suddenly there with her, but she didn't see him. Like he was a ghost. And of course he was. It ended with a shot of the girl's mother, cleaning up a house to move.
Several hands went up, including mine. May let Oliver speak first. He got the same idea as me. This was about a little girl losing her father, but he wasn't really gone, he'd always be there to watch over her. May nodded; "Yes, that's right, as long as you remember someone, he or she will always be there to talk to." She gave a signal and the video started again, now with the words in Dutch at the top and English subtitles at the bottom. It was wonderful, Rachel shed a tear while it made her think of her mother.
…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…-…
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Forever goodbye doesn't exist
I'm going away, but will never leave you
Love, you have to believe me, even if it hurts
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I want you to let me go now
And go on tomorrow
But if you're lonely or afraid
I'll be there
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Coming like the wind that you feel and the rain
Follow your every move like the light of the moon
Look for me everywhere and you'll find me
Whisper my name,… and I'll come to you
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See… what's invisible
What you believe is true
Just open your eyes
And I'll be there with you
All you have to do, is trust my word
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Forever goodbye doesn't exist
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Coming like the wind that you feel and the rain!
Follow your every move like the light of the moon!
Look for me everywhere and you'll find me!
Whisper my name,… and I'll come to you!
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Look up in the sky! Look to the sea!
Wherever you walk, yes I'll be walking with you!
Every step, every moment…
Wherever you may be
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Whatever you do, wherever you go…
Whenever you need me…
Just whisper my name…
And I'll come to you
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Forever goodbye doesn't exist