Chapter 2

Daniel chewed on his fingernail as he waited for his turn in Trevalow's office. The waiting area was filled with people also auditioning. There were girls and guys of every type. That had been a surprise to Daniel. He hadn't realized this was a general audition for more than just him. He felt stupid for thinking it was just going to be him - of course he wasn't that important. Trevalow was probably calling in everyone he'd seen in the last couple of months. He was nervous, very nervous, what with the extra people in the waiting room. He was putting the pressure on himself and wasn't sure he could really go through with it. He was sure he'd have felt much more confident if it was only him trying out but now he felt stupid for even thinking that's how it would be arranged. Instead he was here, eyeing up the competition and second guessing his decision to try this. Maybe he should have let one of his brothers come along. Someone by his side would've felt good right about now.

"Daniel McFadden."

It was the secretary calling his name. His turn. Daniel stood, trying to shake off the nervousness, and headed into the office.

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Daniel left the studio in a daze. He wandered up and down the streets, duffle bag slung over one shoulder and his guitar case in the other hand, not even noticing where he was going or which part of town he'd wandered into.

It was over, just like that. Done. His big chance and he'd blown it. Thank you Mr. McFadden, they'd said, you did a nice job, you just weren't' quite what we were looking for. Maybe next time. Next time? There wouldn't be a next time. He wasn't cut out for this obviously. Two chances at this and he'd blown it each time. Daniel mind felt muddled, numb. He wasn't sure what to do next or where to go. He had his bus ticket in his wallet, should he head on home? Daniel wasn't sure he could do that just yet. To go back and face his brothers as a failure, how could he bring himself to do that? After all they'd said to him about not getting his hopes up too high and how he'd argued with them, he couldn't go home a failure. He couldn't bear to look at the disappointment in Adam's eyes or the pity in Crane or Hannah's. Guthrie would be extra sweet, and Evan and Ford would try to joke around with him. He wasn't sure he could handle any of that right now. Only Brian might know how he felt and how to deal with Daniel's disappointment. Maybe he should call and talk to him? But what if one of the others answered instead? He couldn't deal with them now, especially Adam.

He slowly drifted around and through the crowds, never meeting anyone's gaze. His eyes stared straight ahead, unfocused, not noticing people, buildings or anything. It was a miracle he didn't step out into traffic. How long he walked or in what direction he couldn't have told anyone.

Finally, Daniel stopped and leaned on a window ledge, covered with graffiti. He ought to at least call them and let them know he was okay and what had happened. He knew they'd be worried about him and wondering how the audition had gone. Looking up, he spied a pay phone on the corner. He stared at it, trying to will himself to go over and use it. An internal argument waged inside him and the phone booth beamed out at him like a ray of light.

"Screw it," he finally decided, "I'm getting a beer." Pushing himself off the ledge, he walked past the phone booth and into the bar next to it. It looked seedy and dilapidated and would probably serve a minor. Glancing around, he briefly noticed the part of town he was in. All the buildings were neglected, with broken windows and had spray paint decorations rampant. I really wandered far from Trevalow's office, didn't I? He thought to himself. He wasn't even sure where he was, but he wasn't really concerned about it. He'd figured it out later, now was the time to drown some sorrows. The phone call could wait till later.

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Daniel came out of the bar, feeling wobbly and slightly befuddled; but better, numb. He hefted the duffle bag over his shoulder and adjusted his grip on the guitar case. He stumbled a bit as he got his sea legs. Looking around the street in front of him, he wondered which way to go. Left or right? He supposed he could just go back into the bar and ask for directions, but he didn't want to invite trouble by broadcasting the fact that he didn't know where he was. Daniel decided to head to the right, guessing that it was the way he'd come from. He needed to find a room for the night and then he could head home in the morning. He passed the pay phone and it entered his mind to try and call home, but he was sure his voice would be slurred and they'd know he was three sheets to the wind. He'd call tomorrow morning, first thing, he decided. Heading off down the street, he concentrated on walking a straight line and not weaving.

Daniel never even noticed the two dark clothed figures easing out from the shadows in the alley he'd just passed. The two men followed behind their target, noting the condition Daniel was in. To anyone looking out a window, it would have been very hard to identify the features of the men. It was dark, and they kept to the shadows. Daniel looked like a perfect target, drunk, lost, dressed in country clothes and carrying the guitar case. They assumed something valuable must be in there. Daniel was too far gone to even notice them coming. The first clue he had that there was a problem, was when he felt an arm circle around his neck. He dropped his things and grabbed at the arm, trying to free himself by clawing at the attacker's hand. It was amazing how quickly awareness returned to Daniel. The man's arm pulled tighter, cutting off his air as the other fellow moved around in front of him. Daniel took note of the black leather jacket the attacker wore and the face obscured by shadow. Leather jacket man reared back his fist and pounded it into Daniel's stomach. Daniel fell forward, coming free from the arm around his neck as he fell to the ground on his knees, cradling his abdomen. Another punch came from somewhere to connect solidly to his face. After that he lost track of how many blows landed or where they came from. He blindly swung at his attackers, sobered up now, and trying to fight back. He'd always been a scrapper and would not easily give up, but he was outnumbered and already hurting by the time his reflexes kicked in. They fought for several minutes and Daniel managed to give his aggressors some solid hits, too, but in the end he was simply no match for the two of them. Tired of the fight and wanting it to end quickly before it drew unwanted attention, the bigger of the two finished Daniel off by slamming his head into the nearby concrete wall.

All the fight went out of him as his body sunk to the sidewalk. Daniel looked at the attacker in front of him through a haze. What had happened? He wondered. Suddenly nothing made sense and the colors and shapes of the city swirled all around him. He was aware of a blinding pain in his head, and then the blackness threatened to engulf him. Daniel's body went limp as he succumbed to oblivion.

The two thugs picked themselves up. The leather clad one was wiping the blood off his mouth where Daniel had gotten in a good shot, and the other cradling an injured arm.

"Get the stuff. Let's get out of here." One grabbed Daniel's bag and the other his beloved guitar's case. The first guy reached into his back pocket and snagged his wallet. Then they limped off the way they had come, down the alley.

Daniel lay against the wall, slumped over like a drunkard, typical of this area of town. No one would probably even take notice of him, thinking him just another homeless drunk, unless they bothered to check him out closer and saw the blood. But no one did.