I never should've done this. The boy thought, now hidden behind the backstage curtains. He set down his prized guitar. I'll probably forget the words, anyways. He took a few deep breaths—well, tried to—before getting ready to go out onto the shoddy wooden boards that made up the stage.
The announcer called out, impatient. "Elijah Law! It's your goddamn turn! Hurry up and get out here!"
Oh God... What is the stage breaks while I'm out there? Wait, no. The audience will boo me off even before the stage breaks. Little, semi-invisible beads of sweat rolled down his face, not only from being so nervous, but from the hot sun beating down from above, lighting up the plaza. The stage had been set up the vacant part of the plaza. Why did they even make this stupid thing up, anyways? The 'stupid thing' he was referring to was actually the newest attraction in Perdido Beach's line of distractions. Sam had recently set up a stage, for everyone's use. Powers or not, anybody could reserve a slot, and then do whatever they liked for the appointed time. Comedians, dancers, and singers, like Elijah, had shown up. The crowd had even seen a contortionist. Perdido Idol, as some called it, despite the fact that it wasn't judged.
The reason for it was simple. The stage's main use was to distract the littles from missing Mother Mary, but not soon after the release, more than half of the town had shown up to witness the acts. It had been two weeks since the grand opening—three weeks since the clifftop battle—and the flame of talent was still on the rise.
The announcer, once again, snapped Elijah back to reality. "ELIJAH LAW! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE!" This might have been the FAYZ's most coordinated event, but it was still an event run by teenagers.
Tentatively, Elijah put one lead foot in front of the other. He had almost forgotten to pick up his guitar. He could barely walk, let alone breathe. Slowly, so slowly, Elijah walked forward and sat down on the single chair placed in the center of the stage. He got into position, fingers poised for playing.
He didn't want to talk, but it had become customary to introduce what you're doing to the crowd. He didn't need to say his name; the announcer had already yelled it out enough. "I'm going to be singing a song I wrote, about the FAYZ." He had tried to project his voice out as far as he could, but it had still seemed slightly quiet. Having no microphones was a trouble, but it was still possible to hear someone if the audience stayed absolutely silent.
The crowd stared at Elijah, and he stared back. Brother John's prees were in the front, so that they could see. The older kids either stood or sat down. No one really cared, so long as they could hear and see, and right now, no one could hear. Because Elijah wasn't singing. He was barely moving. He just sat there, staring back awkwardly into the crowd.
"Start already!" yelled one of the kids in front. I can't do it... What if they mock my song? Elijah thought, on the verge of tears. No... I should at least try. Elijah took the child's advice. His fingers moved rhythmically on the guitar, and then he sang. Almost a country beat, but with more a beat to it, and none of that southern drawl.
How do I go to sleep at night, not knowing if I'll see sunrise.
And when did sixteen, become the new old and wise?
We're runnin' out of our supplies, and all we got left are goodbyes.
A shark's smile, with iced blue eyes;
in my dreams, he does terrorize.
The reference to Drake brought an uneasy feel to the crowd, but Elijah ignored it. He kicked into the second verse.
So please don't lie to me, tellin' me that it's alright.
'Cause I'll fight.
The sky wasn't black or blue or white;
it went a bloody shade at night.
All the tears were shed,
on Mary's cliff ahead,
against a sky of red.
The song had a quick tempo, with a happy note to Elijah's voice. Happy, despite what the lyrics actually meant. But no one really cared about the lyrics; all that mattered was the beat. Besides, this song had a happy ending.
Now the monster's in a cage,
and there's no more Gaiaphage.
And we're all at different ages,
but we're working for our wages.
We were all at world hunger,
wishin' to be the younger.
And when the walls break down,
Will it just be our town?
Are the adults on the other side?
What about the kids who died?
Is our situation known worldwide?
Another bad reference, to the now deceased Orsay. Elijah had always wondered if what she said was true, but now he had no way of knowing. He felt like crying.
Oh, I may be young, and I may be naive,
but I know that now, I have to believe.
Don't lay back, sit around or mope.
If there's one thing you need, its hope.
We're living in a dome, a fishbowl sphere,
but we're all here together, so persevere.
We all need a career: so try working at the pier.
It's almost been a year; but we're not stuck here.
It'll let up sometime, we just have to wait.
I know it'll be soon, but I don't know the date.
On the other side, our parents await.
Just remember this: We decide our own fate.
A/N: First song that I've ever written dedicated to a book. Well, it's not really a song. It's more of just verses. Oh well! :)