Before I go on… I would like to thank these people who cared to read my story:
tAnGeRiNe-jUjUbE08 and Mikiramen
I LOVE YOU SO MUCH
You two inspired me to go on :x
CHAPTER 04
"Mikan!"
I heard someone call out my name from my deep slumber. I tried my best to open my eyes but the light radiated everything. I can only see the silhouettes.
"Oh come on Mikan! There's no more time!" A different voice called out. I rubbed my eyes, and I saw my mom, band mates and Otonashi gathered around me.
"KYAAAA!" I said as I jumped, every part of me was awake now.
"Finally!" I heard someone sigh as I rushed to the bathroom. I didn't bother to know who it was, probably my mom or Otonashi.
After 20 minutes, I came out of the bathroom. I chose to wear a yellow graphic shirt, white shorts that reaches up to half of my thighs, and a yellow high cut Chuck Taylor (which I personalized by adding on some doodles using a permanent black marker) and tied it loosely on the top part. Hopefully, this is enough to keep me cool since summer still on its way in America.
Everyone had already brought my things to the car while I was taking a bath. I came to the living room and I found my band mates in their summer casual. Anna was wearing a light blue statement shirt that says "I SOLD MY SOUL FOR ROCK AND ROLL" in big black font; denim shorts and a pink low cut Chuck Taylor. Nonoko was wearing a white spaghetti strapped tank, skinny jeans and black and white checkered Vans. Nobara was wearing a light green shirt with different shapes in different colors printed on it, Bermuda shorts, and black high cut Chucks.
"Well then," Tono said when he saw me. He was wearing denim pants; plain white shirt and black high cut Vans "have you got everything you need?" he said while eyeing my hand carry bag.
"Yeah!" I replied eagerly.
"Then what are we waiting for?!? Lets go!" Tono said as we ran outside to our van.
My family's silver Chevy Express was big enough to carry our luggage and us. I came to see that all my Yamaha FX-310, Epiphone SG, Fender Stratocaster and five other guitars were at the back seat. The three might be Anna's, one must be Nonoko's and the last guitar must be Nobara's bass.
"Wow! We sure do have many luggage!" I commented as I saw the very back of our van crowded with guitars. "I wonder how we're gonna pay for it." Nobara said in a worried tone. "Don't worry! The company will answer all the fees." Tono assured us.
We hopped into the car. I sat on the passenger's seat since my mom will be the driver. Anna, Nonoko, Nobara and Tono were at the back.
On our way to the airport, I can't help but feel scared and nervous. My body was shaking. My breathing was uneven. Too much excitement and nervousness were contained in my body.
"Relax Mikan, you'll be fine." My mother said, assuring me while here eyes were kept on the road. "Just do your best."
"Aw mom, I'll really miss you." I said and tears were threatening to fall from my eyes. There was a huge lump on my throat that I can't speak properly.
"I'll miss you to." My mother said. She wasn't crying, but I can see that she's sad. "I'm sorry I'm going to leave you all alone in our one story house. I'm so sorry mom." I said. By now, my friends at the backseat who seemed to be playing became quiet when they heard my childish wailing.
"Oh Mikan dear, don't worry about me! I'm old! I can take care of myself! It should be yourself you should be worry about. So don't worry about me too much okay?" My mother said laughing.
After 45 minutes, we finally arrived at the airport. Our flight was at 11 AM; we still have three hours to kill before we board the plane. Our luggage fitted a cart and our guitars were on another.
We settled our things near the gate where we will board. All we did was play, chat and nap until Tono told us that it is time to board the plane.
The plane ride was really something. I went to the window and I saw the big fluffy clouds, different shapes and different size, freely floating above or below us. I can see the Pacific Ocean. All throughout our plane ride, the sun accompanied us. Night didn't come. It was as if our plane was traveling with the sun.
The plane had a stop over in California before we finally arrived in New York at 1 pm. Tono led us to a silver Ford E-series, enough to carry us and our luggage. We loaded our luggage at the backmost part of the van with help from Tono. We hopped into the van. Tono sat in the passenger seat as we sat at the back.
We drove around New York. It was really different from Japan. I can only admire its very busy roads, neon lights, and modernisms with a hint of how the old New York looked like. After much more turns, we finally arrived at a twin tower connected by a bridge. "Okay guys, this is where you'll stay. Everyone, welcome to Alice Wonderland Entertainment Building!" Tono said in a business-like tone.
"WOW!!!" we all cried in unison.
Tono lead us to the right wing building.
"And this is the building where we house our talents like you guys! This building is a condominium actually. For now, I will be guiding you to your condos, yes each one of you has their own unit." He said with a smile when he saw our dumbstruck expressions.
He led us to the condo lobby. Its marble flooring and high ceiling really made us small. Its pristine white walls and Roman pillars gave us the impression of elegance. We were looking around, left and right, up and down, all around. We were to amaze to even greet back the staff and crew of the hotel as they see us with Tono.
Tono led us to the elevator. Its walls and ceiling were all glass and we can completely see each other's reflection. The flooring was a dark wood panel. Tono pressed the "54" button.
I quickly scanned the buttons to see how many floors this building has and I saw that it reaches up to 85 floors excluding the rooftop and penthouse. There were no other people in the elevator so we reached our destination in around 4 minutes.
We stepped out in to a hallway which is walls were covered with dark wood paneling, green carpet and heavily burnished doors.
"So this is going to be your home for one week, if you guys wont meet their expectations. So you guys better do your best!" he said, raising his fist to show us his support.
"YEAH! We didn't come all the way here to just go home!" Anna said with a determined tone.
"Anyway, you guys should rest first! Lets meet at the lobby at 7 am tomorrow. I'll give you a schedule by then." Tono said while we were walking along the long hallway. We then stopped in the middle of rooms 5410, 5411, 5412 and 5413.
"So it's up to you guys to choose which room number you want! They're all the same anyway." Tono said while he offered us our keys. Nonoko hurriedly chose 5410. Anna chose unit 5411 that is located in front of Nonoko's. Nobara choose 5412. And I, being left with no other choice, got unit 5413. Just great. 13, my unlucky number. I just can't live in the 13th room of this floor!
I just stared at my key. It was silver and heavy. It was not really big, just enough no to get lost. At the handle part a "5413" was engraved in a very stiff font.
"Uh guys?" I finally managed to say after 5 minutes. I looked around and they weren't around anymore. It was just Tono and I left in the hallway.
"THEY GONE IN ALREADY?!?!" I sreamed at him. "Well yeah. Is there anything wrong?" he said in a concerned tone. "YES!" I said loudly. "I'm going to live under my unlucky number's room! That's definitely a bad omen!" I complained.
"Mikan!" Tono said while laughing.
"Hey! Don't laugh at me! It's not funny! This is my dream!" I said with a threat.
Tono stopped laughing out loud but I can see his struggle to stop laughing. "Don't think of it that way. It is all about your talent. Not luck. They are going to base their judgment on how good you are, your charisma and stage appeal! Not by your room number or by any other superstitious stuff." He said with assurance.
I just let out a sigh. "Okay." I said. Oh well, atleast I get to live in this wonderful condominium for free! I should be thankful.
With that thought in my mind, I can't help but smile.
"Thank you Tono!" I said happily. I gave him a smile.
"So is there anything else you wanted to know? Questions? Whatsoever?" He said in his business manner.
"Actually yeah… Is this where you live too?"
"Uhuh. I'm in room 8420." He said with a smug tone.
"Wow! You must be very important, living almost at the top floor!" I exclaimed in awe. "No. Not really." He said shrugging. "Anyway, anything else?" he asked with a smile.
"Well, I'm tired. I guess I might as well check my new home." I joked.
"Yeah, you go do that." He said as he watched me enter my new home.
As I closed the door behind me, shock greeted me with a slap.
I entered a cream room with a dark wood lining running in the middle part of the four walls. The floor was covered with the same shade of dark wood paneling.
A plasma TV hung on the left side corner of the room. Underneath it is a fireplace made of bricks painted a chestnut color of brown. And on its ledge was a theatre component. Across the fireplace was a love seat. Its cushions were cream but its frame was a wood of dark brown color. To its left was an armchair, made of the same materials.
The wall across me contains an arch and a door. I looked at what's inside the arch and it was a kitchen and dining room. It was well illuminated of daytime light by the wooden windows painted with dark colors. A stove with oven is underneath the first window to the left and beside it stood the ref. The rest of the left side of the room was a counter table filled with kitchen electronics such as the microwave, oven toaster, bread toaster, waffle makes, coffee maker, and other materials needed for cooking that even I didn't know exist. Beneath the counters were the ever-so-present dishwasher and trashcan.
Four wooden chairs surrounds a little wooden dining table located at the right side of the light yellow room. A window was located in this side to illuminate the furniture better.
The door to the left of the arch was the bathroom. It was covered with white tiles all over. There was a hanging sink in the right, just below the mirror. The toilet is located at its right and followed by the shower-tub that has a fog glass divider.
I proceeded to explore the doors on the right wall of my unit. The door near the kitchen was a bedroom which walls were colored canary. Its flooring is the same dark wood paneling. (I think the whole flooring unit is covered with that dark wood flooring except the bathroom.) In the middle of the left wall was a twin bed, guarded by two white lampshades at its two sides. Across it was a cabinet. To my right, there is a full-length mirror and beside it was a corner table together with an armchair that seems to match the bed.
Beside the cabinet, there was a small door. I entered it and I found myself in a bathroom similar to the once I was earlier with the difference that this bathroom has another door on its right wall. I also explored it and I found myself in another bathroom. There was no difference except that this bathroom had two doors, one on the left and one in front of me.
I opened the door right in front of me and I saw the living room. I then decided to look at where the door to the left would lead to and I found myself in another canary covered walls. Another bedroom. In front of me lies a king sized bed which has an end table and a white lamp with wooden stands on each side of the bed. There was a huge drawer to my right. An office desk was placed at the left corner of the room and on top of it was an iMac. The desk is too big to contain it. I guess that the spaces left on the desk are for other things. A chair with a gold cushion seat accompanies the desk. On the desk's left was a love seat with the same gold cushion. And across it was a wooden dressing table complete with a huge mirror. All the furniture seems to have the same motif and is made of the same materials.
I hurriedly went to the front door where my luggage lies waiting for me. I grabbed my guitar excitedly and plugged it to the theatre component. There were no amplifiers around so I just decided to use the component, seeing it has a treble and a bass booster, it must be compatible. I started to strum the song that we're planning to perform in front of the management. I decided to just sing from the mid-chorus since I'm a bit tired.
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?
Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing
Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure?
Alright, so you think you're ready?
Ok, then you say this with me
Go!
We were born for this
(We were born for this)
Alright, so you think you're ready?
OK, then you say this with me
Go!
We were born for this
(We were born for this)
We were born for this
(We were born for this)
We were born for
We were born for---
A continuous loud banging on the door disturbed my playing. I dropped my guitar and walked to the door.
BANG BANG BANG. This is getting annoying. What's the hurry anyway? I can't help but roll my eyes. What the hell does this person intend to do? Knock the door of my new unit down? Ugh.
"Geez! There's no need to destroy my door!" I said as I was opening the door.
"Well, you're destroying our ears." Was the reply of a man around my age with a semi baldhead said. His hair was of raven color and he looks like he's very irritated. He was with five other guys around his age. I glared at him. I switched my glare to the other guys.
The one has slanted eyes and a smiling face. He has a shoulder-length dirty blond hair. Another one also posses the same hair but his eyes were open and he was smiling. Must be twins or siblings. Behind them, there was a person with golden hair and blue eyes. I can't help but stare at him. There were snickering sounds and I decided to gaze at the one beside blondie. He was staring hard at me with his piercing red eyes. Scary. He has a messy raven colored hair and an air of arrogance surrounds him.
I returned my glare to the bald boy beside me.
"Who are you?" I asked. I raised my eyebrows at his arrogant stance.
"Who am I?!?" he asked with disbelief. He seems to be slapped by my question.
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xoxo
desperate Venus Syrinx