***i don't own the song. Blister exists is property of Slipknot. Just borrowed it for Venom. It's how I imagine they would sound and how she would sing.***
Inside the backstage of the arena was chaos. WWE staff and superstars everywhere. Jeff had found another stack of lock boxes to perch on top of. This time he had his vaio laptop and ipod and was doing some serious downloading of Venom's music. He watched the odd member of Venom wander past every now and then. One particularly large room backstage had been set aside for the musicians and their gear. He had peaked in saw all three bands setting up drum kits and amp rigs and the like. He could hear her talking and laughing but couldn't see her from the angle he was at.
Jeff was poking around on the Venom website when he could feel someone looking over his shoulder. He turned his head to the right slightly to see Matt with a stupid know-it-all grin.
"So I see little brother," Matt said cheekily.
"Yes can I help you Matt?"
"If you wanna know more about her just go in there."
"Yeah like I need advice from you." Jeff paused momentarily. Matt had a point though. He sighed and closed the laptop and jumped down off the stack he'd been sitting on.
"Let's go then." Jeff said and gestured to the room. Matt smirked.
A number of other curious wrestlers had migrated into what was being dubbed "the band room". Phil was already in there conversing with Morgan and Lajon. John Cena had taken up a position near the door with Dave Batista, who was returning to the ring tonight after surgery. Various members of Sevendust and Staind were strewn about the room, except for Venom, who were all engrossed in their preparations. Three drum kits, two guitar rigs, one bass rig and a samples/turntables set up later, and Venom had themselves sorted. The large blonde called Daryl, Jeff had noted from the website, was now in discussion with her. From what Jeff could over hear he was insisting she just sing something, anything, to warm up her voice so she doesn't screw it up again.
The young one with the black red dreds, called Jade, picked up a ibanez bass and plugged it into a rigg, and began tightening and loosening strings to tune it to the sound he wanted. He stood up after a few moments and slung the bass's strap over his shoulder and just sort of wandered around on the spot churning out bass lines. The other young one, revealed to be his brother Ben, had done the same with a ibanez guitar. This seemed to be the preferred type for the two of them. And if their website was correct. They were also the younger brothers of Logan, and the band name came from their last name, Venom.
Jeff watched her play with a cordless mic. It's handle had been covered in stickers and writing. She smiled at her boys and laughed, joked about, but every now and then, he caught a glimpse of something else going on behind her eyes. He wanted to find out what. But for now was content to study her from his position near by. Matt and Phil had rejoined him bringing Greg Helms with them.
Greg studied his younger friend, who had been keenly watching the girl in black. Always drawn to the strange ones, Greg though to himself amused.
"Jeff in love or what?" he whispered in jest to Matt. Matt chortled.
"Practically. Hasn't taken his eyes off her since she got here."
Jeff could hear them, and shook his head deciding to ignore them both. He caught a glimpse of the tattoo across her solar plexus. In like a filigree script it said Lost Heart. He wondered what it meant. Along with the various other tattoos she had. He made a mental note to ask her at some point. The Venom boys seemed to be getting on her case about something and winding her up. She didn't seem to amused by it and walked away from them throwing her hands in the air. She sort of dawdled about with a bottle of water. The ever skin tight pvc she wore didn't seem to restrict her any. It clung to her shapely legs and moved like second skin with her. Although most people in the room were amazed at her balance in those boots. Jeff calculated they were at least six or seven inches high.
She walked about in a circle, just kind of off in her own head it seemed. Jade bounded up to her and aid something. She half cracked a smile and then smacked her younger brother up the back of skull. He scowled and then she found it in her to laugh at him. Jade swore and wandered back towards Ben and Daryl. She clapped her hands and laughed again then turned to her audience of Jeff, Matt, Phil and Greg. She shrugged and smiled, and then strolled over to them.
"Afternoon boys." She stood confidently and with one hand on a hip.
A chorus of hi and how you doing from. She offered her hand out to shake.
"I don't believe I introduced myself. I'm Logan Venom."
Jeff shook her hand first.
"I'm Jeff, my brother Matt" Jeff said and gestured to Matt her shook her hand next.
"I'm Phil."
"Greg."
"Pleased to meet you all."
She pulled herself up onto the lock boxes and wedged herself between Jeff and Phil and crossed one leg over the other. Daryl wandered over. He made her sing scales, then growl, then yell and then melody off some random lines. When satisfied her voice was fine he wandered away again. Jeff and Phil were now busy wringing out their ears.
"Damn you're loud" Jeff quipped. She smiled.
"I am to please."
"How on earth do you sing like that?"
"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "I was the last to join, and I just walked into the rehearsal one day and Jade goaded me into singing with them. And it kinda went from there."
Jeff had a hard time thinking. She smelled really good and looked even better. Slightly raised voices from her group drew her attention.
"Sigh. Time crack skulls." She slid down and strode over to her band mates. Jeff exhaled hard.
Matt watched his brother's reaction to her. This was either going to very good or very bad.
"You alright there lil' brother."
"Yeah man, I think I'm alright."
Greg and Phil laughed.
"You sure?" Phil piped up, "'cause for a minute there we thought you were gonna pass out."
"Me too" Jeff agreed.
They managed a four way glance and laughed. Matt patted his brother on the back. He couldn't remember the last time someone interested him. It'd be good for him to have met someone again. He'd been on his own for long enough, and to be honest, Matt was getting real tired of the moody brooding Jeff that had been present for the last year. He had an idea.
"Oi Logan!" Matt called out. Jeff looked at him with a what-the-hell-are-you-doing type of look.
Logan spun around.
"What's up?"
"Are you single? A few inquiring minds want to know."
Jeff buried his face in his hands. Phil and Matt were laughing and Greg had fallen away in tears. She eye them all suspiciously and then smirked mischievously.
"Yeah I am." she answered finally, and then turned back to the band's discussions.
Matt shoved Jeff playfully.
"There you go, don't say I don't do anything for ya."
Jeff groaned and eyeballed his brother. Remind me never to ask him for help again, thought Jeff. He had to laugh though. Kinda hard not to with these three. Greg was highly entertained at heckling the younger Hardy brother. Jeff shoved him back off the lock box stack. Greg landed on his rear and hard. Peels of laughter all round, even from Greg who rubbed his sore backside.
After a few hours of everyone just mingling and hanging out it was almost show time. A stage hand came in and called out.
"Venom you got ten minutes."
Their gear was on stage and ready to go. The members of Venom headed towards the stage entrance. They all split apart and spread out along the wall about five or so feet apart. Each one seemed to be collecting themselves, pulling their focus. Their intro began. The seven boys bounded on stage and plowed into the opening bars of the song Blister Exists. After a few moments Logan ran out after them and jumped on top of a steel crate she used to stand or balance on. She stood on top of it and yelled the opening. At the words 'drop it', all eight broke into variations of moshing and headbanging a like. It was an electric sight. Logan pulled her left boot up on to the crate and brought the microphone back up to her mouth. Her voice dropped up and down from yelling to deep singing as she pushed through the lyrics. When it came to the bridge she tilted her head to the side so she could see the hidden side of the stage, just as she sang her line 'can you feel this?', she winked at Jeff quickly, who'd been standing there nodding and tapping in time to the song. He didn't expect her to have seen him much less acknowledge his presence there. It stunned him a bit. He smiled secretly that she had noticed.
At the end of the song the crowd was losing it's mind. They were into it. And so was Jeff. Deep into it.
