~~~Chapter 1~~~
Opportunity
He tapped his pencil on the glass coffee table rapidly. His patience thinning, he closed his eyes trying to concentrate. A rhythm, a lyric, something, anything that sounded good.
His eyes shot open with an idea. He positioned his pencil to his open, blank song book. When he was about to write, he lost it. Groaning in irritation, Arthur leaned back into the black leather chair. His head facing toward the ceiling, he used his free hand to rub the sleep away from his eyes with his thumb and index finger.
Arthur was once again in one of his famous "art blocks". Quitting, he tossed his pencil toward the coffee table and decided to get some rest. Walking toward the stairs, he noticed how quiet it was. Glancing at the clock that was in his kitchen, it read 3:07.
Wonderful, Arthur thought, I can get a full three hours of sleep before my recording session. Hell. . .
Sighing, he continued to climb the stairs. He moved quietly trying his best not to wake their parents or siblings, if he did then there really would be hell. He opened the door to his room and collapsed onto his bed, not bothering to change cloths. Closing his eyes and falling asleep right on impact, Arthur had the same dream he had for the past few weeks now.
He was in high school again, but the layout was different than he remembered, and was wearing his normal ripped jeans and graphic T-shirt. Also, there wasn't a single face he knew. He continued to walk around the unknown school, trying to find someone he knew. Everyone kept walking up to him asking him questions he didn't know, he responded as if he knew what he was saying and kept walking.
He made it to the gym when the scene melted into his old house. He was suddenly sitting on the old carpet in front of his old, wood coffee table. Spread out on the table was that damn project that was at the end of the school year. He rolled his eyes, for he remembered that bloody thing. Sitting beside him was another person he didn't recognize, he seemed so familiar though. Because Arthur was leaning back and the stranger before him was leaned toward the table, working, it was impossible to see the boy's face. Arthur tried to move and see his face, but couldn't. Arthur could see no features on the other boy, not even his hair even though he was so close to him.
Suddenly, the other boy's head started to turn to face Arthur. Arthur's eyes widened more and more as the boy's features were being reviled, slowly. But the dream was cut short by a loud annoying beep beep beep.
Still face down, Arthur lifted his head slowly and glared at his alarm. Raising his right arm, he slammed his fist down onto the clock with no mercy, shutting it up.
Arthur groaned and slowly turned himself over rubbing his eyes. He rose slowly and made his way toward the shower.
What was with that dream? Arthur thought to himself irritatedly, it makes bloody no sense at all!
Arthur then took a quick shower and changed into a different pair of ripped jeans, and a different graphic T-shirt. He made his way down the stairs to find himself to be the only one away, yet again.
The young Englishman grabbed an English muffin and his pack as his slipped out of the door, not bothering to say good-bye. The quickly shoved his breakfast into his mouth as he climbed into his car. Turning on the ignition, he rolled out of the drive-way, and headed toward the recording studio.
When Arthur finally arrived, he did a quick session with his band mates, recorded a song, and then left. The routine on always recording and rehearsing was starting to become tire some. He's been doing this for a year now. Freshman year in college, a producer noticed Arthur's clear talent, and signed him up for a record label. Arthur was ecstatic, at the time. Now it all seemed like routine.
Arthur then headed toward his friends favorite hang out place. There he met up with Gilbert, Antonio, and Francis. The three had hung out together ever since they were kids. Arthur recently became friends with them when he attended college, or when he did.
Arthur pulled his car into the parking lot, when he was parked he got out and made his way into the café. The reason why this café was their favorite place to hang out was because Antonio worked there. That meant free food and drinks. Gilbert and Francis always pried food from the Spaniard. They did it so often, in fact, that Antonio just grew use to giving them free food.
When Arthur pushed open the door, it ding-ed to his arrival. Because no one usually went to the café, it was empty except for the three men.
One of the guys in the café had white hair and red eyes. Yeah, he was albino. He felt the need to always brag about anything and everything about himself that made him "awesome" just because he was Prussian. Another guy there was Francis. Francis was a Frenchman with blond wavy hair that barely reached his shoulders. He had a slight beard coming in from under his chin. His thick French accent seemed to always get on Arthur's nerves, but Francis was one of his closest friends. The last was Antonio. Antonio was a Spanish boy with brown chopped hair. He was always more kind then the others and more care free. But the reason why the three of them seemed to get along so well was that they were all perverts.
Truthfully, Arthur didn't have the slightest idea why he always ended up coming back to the café. Anytime he went he always ended up giving free tickets to his gigs, getting really irritated, or both.
When Arthur walked in, all heads were on him. Their previous conversation sent out the window, the three greeted Arthur with open arms. Francis pulled out a chair for Arthur with a, "Why hello eyebrows!" Arthur glared at the name Francis seemed to pick out for him. Just because his eyebrows were a tad thicker than the normal persons, doesn't give Francis the right to constantly tease him about it.
"Shut up git," Arthur muttered under his breath as he took a seat next to Francis.
"Oh, someone is in a foul mood today. Today, it only took three words to piss you off," Francis bragged smiling like an idiot toward Arthur.
Arthur sighed, "I'm just not in the mood."
"Is there something bothering you?" Antonio asked from behind the counter.
Arthur gave a heavy sigh as he ran his fingers through his choppy hair, "I suppose," Arthur confessed.
"Do share," Francis pried leaning toward him.
With a more irritated sigh, Arthur obliged wanting to get some stress off his chest. He folded his arms and leaned back in his chair lifting it from the ground. "Well, it's just that, with everything going on now, I feel like everything is becoming-"
"Arg!" Gilbert moaned interrupting Arthur, "Alright that's enough touchy-feely crap! So you ya got any tickets to your next gig?!"
Arthur glared at Gilbert, but the Prussian wasn't fazed by it. Rolling his eyes, Arthur pulled from his pocket three tickets to his next gig. Holding the three slits of paper, the trio gasped and each took a ticket without hesitation. They cheered for joy and conversed within each other on how awesome it would be.
Suddenly, Arthur's cell phone played a quick tune within his pocket signaling he got a text. Pulling it out quickly, he read the caller ID: "Manager". Arthur pursed his lips. Kaoru, his manager, was probably texting about some signing session, or to schedule some other concert he would hold in the near future. Kaoru has been his manager from the start of his career. His manager was a short Asian man, with brown short hair. He had big bushy eyebrows just like himself, which was kind of why Arthur liked him so much. He didn't speak a lot, but he had his moments.
Arthur flipped open his phone and read, come down to the studio. duet opportunity. you have to do it. ~Koaru
'Duet opportunity'? That couldn't be good.
Sighing, Arthur closed his phone and turned to the three whom were still gawking at the tickets he gave them earlier. "Sorry guys I got to go back to the studio," Arthur grunted as he stood from his chair. The three didn't seem too happy about it, but they waved Arthur good-bye as he walked out of the café and into his car.
As Arthur made his way to the studio, he wondered what idiot Koaru had paired him up with.
