A/N: Guess what? I have strep throat! You know what that means, other than the sore misery. I get to stay home from school and write away! So voila, chapter three.
Disclaimer: Still don't own AR. But can I have the sequel if they make one? Pretty please?
Chapter 3: Do Not Occupy
Sunlight arose on the slumbering couple, prying August's eyes open between the shade of his eyelashes. Katrina was curled up next to him, her head on his chest, holding on to him as if for dear life. They'd located the safest, cleanest-looking spot possible in the alleyway, and did their best to stay vigilant before dozing off in spite of themselves.
"Hey, babe." he whispered, lightly poking Katrina's shoulder. "Time to wake up. Come on, let's get our place." Our place. What did he mean by that? The Fillmore East--apart from not being legally occupied in the first place--was run by Wizard, the insane street busker who took musically talented kids in as 'investments.' "Come on," he urged his girlfriend, "wake up, now."
Katrina moaned, found that her neck was sore from sleeping in such an awkward position next to August, and stretched awake. "What?" Her eyelids slowly parted in morning fatigue, revealing the warm brown of her irises.
"Let's go." He pointed to the building, hoping she was still too groggy to notice the Do Not Occupy sign clearly printed on the door.
"Oh, alright." She didn't sound particularly too enthused to wake up and walk into this crumbling old place, and neither was he admittedly, but it had to be done. He didn't know where else to go. Not only was it the best option, it was their only option. Perhaps the safest place, even. They had no other choice. They would have to deal with the negativities and cons and such.
August helped Katrina off the ground, tugging her up carefully by her wrist. "Whatever happens," he advised her, "Don't be afraid. Brace yourself, though: things can get pretty wild in there." She raised her eyebrow and him, as if to say What do you mean by 'pretty wild?' "Like, some of the…um, residents are kind of…um, hyper sometimes. There isn't much control. Kind of crazy. So just hold on tight, and stay close, okay?" She swallowed her fear and nodded, determined to convince August with her faux bravery.
The teenage couple worked their way up an extensively tall metal staircase, winding up the side of the building, intimidating Katrina more and more with every step. "Good grief," she panted, out of breath, "How tall is this thing?" She'd just woken up after a night of little sleep. She didn't have the stamina yet to do this hiking.
August chuckled. "We're almost there."
They approached the door, which Katrina noticed said Do Not Occupy. "Well, this is certainly legal." she muttered under her breath, quiet enough for August not to notice.
August took in a deep, collective breath, and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recall the password. What was it…? Aha! His memory clicked on. "Ready?" he asked the redhead trailing nervously behind him. She nodded skeptically. "Ready or not, here goes." he stated, more to reassure himself that Katrina. He pounded on the door three hand-splitting times; the door was pretty thick.
"What's the password?" someone of the other side hissed. Katrina gasped, and clutched the hem of his shirt, cowering behind him, reciting the Lord's Prayer underneath her breath. Which was a little overboard, but…August couldn't blame her. "Password?" the voice asked again, and August realized he'd been just standing there silent, like a mute retard.
"Open the damn door already!" he shouted back. Katrina hid her snicker behind the palm of her hand; that was totally unexpected!
The door clicked open from its locked status, and behind the door, the one that took August's password, was a surprisingly familiar black boy about August's age, with dreadlocks down to his chin. "Well, who do we have here. A few nonmembers who somehow got the password." He paused, giving August a once-over. His eyes widened in shock. "Oh Lord, if it ain't you, August Rush? I'd recognize them dimples anywhere. What brings you back here, Mr. I-found-my-momma-and-daddy-through-music?"
August, knocked speechless by the recognition, found his tongue finally. "It's kind of a long story, Arthur." His voice came out broken and hoarse. He quickly felt around for Katrina's hand and grasped it upon finding it. Her soft skin calmed him, kept him in the present and from having a flashback. "Do you think Wizard will let me come back?"
"I dunno, kid." Arthur replied sympathetically. But then his eyes squinted accusingly, almost, as he noticed a pale attractive red-head behind his long-lost friend. "Who's that with you?"
"I--I'm Katrina. N-n-nice to meet you." Katrina's words were quick, rushed together in a quivering hurry. How did August know this kid?! "I'm with him, I swear!" she burst out suddenly, protecting herself and with a gesture to August.
"Well, I suppose I should let you in, Mr. I found-my-momma-and-daddy-through-music and Miss Katrina." Arthur stepped aside, and Katrina and August crept in, both uneasy. Some blasting death-metal song hit their ears hard, smacking their eardrums senseless. Katrina, although she was sure August didn't have a clue hence his dislike for pop culture, recognized the song as "Duality" by Slip Knot.
But the sight inside was more alarming to Katrina, the reflection of complete and utter chaos. Kids everywhere, ages ranging from as little as around six, and as old as about seventeen. Girls and boys, all homely and smelly, each playing or near a musical instrument of some sort. Some practiced their instruments, others clamored about the place, disrupting everything, like little tornadoes. She held a death grip on August's arm, determined not to let him go and get lost in this sea of insanity.
As if things could get more terrifying. She thought they couldn't, until she looked upon the face of said arm's owner. August's facial expression was perfectly subdued, impassively calm, so incredulous to the surrounding madness. Except for his eyes, which were pinkish and filled with tears. He blinked fast, trying to hold them back.
I came here alone the first time, not even having experienced a city before, held in captivity all my life in the country! You can't even imagine! his words echoed in her head, mocking her, torturing her. The world tilted, and her concern for him consumed all her fear and swept it away. Her main goal now was not to escape the surroundings, but to make it better for him.
"Alright! Alright! Kids, shut the hell up and show me your profits!" a male voice with a thin Southern accent bellowed. Katrina's heart did the kangaroo-jump again, and she tried to keep August's high-pitched gasp of horror from affecting her too much. Stay strong, stay strong…
"Don't be scared, Trina." August whispered in her ear, and wiped his tears away before anyone else would notice. "That's Wizard. He's like the ring-leader around here. Don't get on his bad side. 'Kay?"
Katrina was about to respond, when she was cut off by the bellowing voice directed at them. "And who do we have here?" He was crazy. Another kangaroo-jump of her heart. She held on to August again, despite that he was weak too. She could feel him trembling, his skin burning hot. "August!" She felt him nearly leap out of his skin. "August, my boy, it's been what? Five whole years? Damn, you've grown! What, you think you wanna come back now? Did your mommy and daddy not want you anymore?" His tone was cordial at first, but then mocking and malicious.
"N-no, they still want m-m-me." August said, his voice breaking again. "I--I came to--to get away f-for a while. W-with Katrina."
"Did you really?" Wizard retorted. "Can you still play?"
"Oh, of course, and so can she. See, we even brought our own instruments." He was easing up now, like he remembered how to handle this. He held up his cello case, and gestured to Katrina's flute.
"Collection will have to wait, kids. I have business to take care of. August, Courtney, come along." Wizard motioned for them to come with.
"Um, it's Katrina."
"Whatever." And they went to a back room, where Katrina and August were directed to 'audition.' By which Wizard meant for them to play a song, to make sure that they were of musical value to make 'profit.'
"So, play for me, kid." Wizard said to August, who was getting his cello out of its case.
"Like what?" August asked, taking a seat and situating the cello between his knees.
"Like anything to your soul's content, little man."
August smiled at Katrina, who was waiting for her turn with her flute in the distant corner. "Okay." And he touched the bow to the strings, and played out the Prelude to the Bach Cello Suite No. 1. With the fluidity of his notes and the music filling his soul, he closed his eyes and forgot what he was doing and why he was playing. He always did that.
Katrina stood there in the corner, mesmerized. She'd never seen August play before, for the short amount of time that they'd been together. She knew he would be good when she did get to hear him play for the first time, but never had she expected something so astonishingly gifted. It was like Yo-Yo Ma died and his spirit was possessing August in a burst of cello wonder.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Wizard cried out when August had finished. "Welcome back, August. And I won't ask questions as to why you came again. Don't wanna scare you away or anything." August let out a sigh of relief, and put his cello back. Wizard turned to Katrina. "Now you, little lady."
Katrina was no prodigy. Sure, she was talented, and yes, she had some amount of music in her soul, but she compared as nothing to the Mozart-like greatness of August. Pick something easy, she told herself. How about… Clair de Lune? The piece was originally for piano, but Katrina had adapted notes by ear to her flute one snow day off of school. She brought the flute to her lips and blew out the flowing breathy notes. August smirked amidst his discomfort, recognizing the song immediately.
"Marvelous, marvelous. You're in too, Courtney." Wizard applauded in his approval.
"It's Katrina."
"Whatever. Welcome to the family, kids." Wizard placed leather-chain necklaces with star-shaped pendants around their necks. Katrina assumed it was some kind of marking, branding, that separated the kids here from the ones…out there.
"Welcome to the family." August echoed absent-mindedly.
A/N: Again, sorry for the brief lack of detail. Anyway, I want you all to know that reviews make my day and make it so much easier to keep going when I know people like what I do and want me to continue. So review, please!
Next Chapter: August and Arthur catch up on the past five years, and Katrina makes a friend as well.