"There's a lot of people here," Duncan commented looking at the sea of
teenagers that had gathered on the beach. "How are we supposed to find
Rylan?"
"That's a good question," Tessa agreed scanning the crowd. "What was she wearing when she left?"
Duncan shrugged. "Clothes. I guess if worst comes to worst we can wait until after Richie performs and find her backstage."
"True. Maybe we should just leave her to her friends. She's not going to see them again until after exams."
"Oh, it's starting." Duncan led Tessa by the hand toward the large stage that had been set up on the beach as one of the radio DJs started to talk to the crowd.
"Let me just explain how all this works. This is not your typical Battle of the Bands for money. This is for crucial air time and the shot at the big times," the DJ explained. "We have three solo acts and five garage bands all here for you guys tonight. And you are the judges. So pick your act and show them all your love because it's the only way your group is going to get anywhere. Without further ado, let's bring out the first group!" The audience cheered and clapped as a grunge band took the stage.
Richie was seventh to perform. At the mention of his name a large scream went up from the front of the crowd.
"I think we just found Rylan and her friends," Duncan whispered to Tessa. It was a well know fact that nearly all of Rylan's friends had huge crushes on Richie, and he always seemed to play to them when on stage. And it's a well know scientific fact that teenage hormones are contagious. There had never been an audience that Richie couldn't sway.
Richie grinned as he trotted to center stage with his guitar slug over his shoulder. He scanned the audience, spotted Rylan and her friends and gave them a wink, then continued looking for Duncan and Tessa as he began to sing.
"I believe in self-assertion
Destiny on a slight diversion"
He spotted them and made a face.
"Now it seems I've got my head on straight.
I'm a freak an apparition
Seems I've made the right decision
Try to turn back now it might be too late."
Duncan frowned, 'freak'? 'Apparition'? 'Turn back'? Was it just his imagination or did all of Richie's songs seem to hint about being immortal?
"And it's off to the middle and back again,
Same old day same situation,
My happiness is back as if to say. . .
I wanna stay home today! (don't wanna go out)
If anyone comes my way (gonna get thrown out)
I wanna stay home today!
Don't want no company, no way.
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Simple life's my cup of tea,
I don't need nobody but me.
What I wouldn't give just to be left alone.
I wanna be a millionaire someday,
But know what it feels like to give it away. . . "
That part didn't sound very immortal. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Richie didn't know he was immortal. He just hoped he was. Richie ran through the chorus again then as the band hit the bridge he started playing with the audience. He put his guitar down and ran back and fourth across the stage with energy Duncan wished he would use a work. By the last chorus the entire audience was jumping and clapping in time to the music and singing along.
The music slowed down and faded. An ear splitting scream went up from the crowd. Richie ginned, waved and trotted back off stage. Duncan and Tessa went to meet him.
"That was wonderful!" Tessa exclaimed pulling him into a hug the second his feet hit the sand.
"Good job, Rich," Duncan added with a slap on the back. "How'd you come up with that one?"
Richie shrugged. "It's just about me. You know, thinking I got in over my head with you guys and all, then it all working out. You seen Ry?" he asked suddenly changing the subject. Richie had never really been one for explaining how he came up with song ideas.
"We heard her. Didn't you see her?" Duncan asked.
"Yeah, but by the end of the song she was gone. Thought maybe you guys had nabbed her . . . I'm sure she's fine," he quickly added after catching glimpse of Tessa's face. After Rylan had been kidnapped from school Tessa had become rather paranoid about it happening again. "She's probably just flirting with some guy. Either that or she found Chris and is kicking the crap out of him again." After Rylan had heard that her (now ex) boyfriend Chris had been cheating on her. . . well, let's just say she didn't take the news well and her actions gave Duncan second thoughts about teaching her karate.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. MacLeod," one of Rylan's friends greeted them. "You were great, Richie," she added with a blush.
"Thanks, kid," Richie replied flashing her a grin that made her giggle and blush harder.
"Jana, do you know where Rylan is?" Tessa asked.
"Yeah, she asked me to tell you that she's fine and she'll be home later."
"Do you know where she went?"
Jana shook her head. "Nope, she just left with these two guys."
Tessa's face paled and Duncan's guard went up. "Do you know who they were?" he asked.
"Never seen them before, they looked pretty old though. Older than Richie."
"Do you know where they went?"
Jana shook her head again. "No, all I know is that she's fine and she'll be home later and she wanted me to tell you."
"Thanks, Jana," Richie said.
"Can you have Rylan call me when she gets home?"
"Sure thing," Richie answered distractedly as Jana turned to rejoin her friends.
"Duncan, I don't like this," Tessa announced.
"I'm sure she's fine," Richie assured her. "I mean, if she had been kidnapped she wouldn't have sent Jana over here."
"That's true," Duncan agreed. "But usually she would just leave without a word and come up with an excuse when she got home."
"Maybe she just got tired of being yelled at for not telling you where she was going," Richie suggested.
"Just the same, Rich, Tessa and I are going to go home and check. Do you mind?"
"Go ahead, but I'm sure it's nothing."
Two hours later Richie returned home to a pacing competition that Duncan and Tessa seemed to have gotten rather deep into. He didn't even have to ask; Rylan wasn't home yet. Richie sat on the couch and watched them pace and held the phone in his hands. He hadn't been worried, but seeing Duncan and Tessa so worried was starting to sway him. Maybe something was wrong. After Richie had been home twenty minutes the front door opened. Tessa, Duncan and Richie all rushed to the foyer.
Rylan froze in the doorway. "Didn't Jana find you guys?" she asked hopefully.
"Next time offer up some more info," Richie told her.
"With everything that happens around here a vague 'I'm fine, be back later' doesn't cut it," Tessa added.
"You had us thinking it was some immor-"
"I have a good reason," Rylan interrupted Duncan quickly. She stepped further into the house and gestured to two young men who stepped in behind her. "These are my brothers, Brendan and Whitney. They surprised me at the beach and took me out for ice cream. Guess I could have told Jana that."
"Oh," Tessa said, not quite sure if she was still mad. "Brendan and Whitney, nice to meet you."
"Oh, uh, Brendan, Whitney this is Duncan and Tessa, you already know Richie," Rylan introduced awkwardly.
"That's a good question," Tessa agreed scanning the crowd. "What was she wearing when she left?"
Duncan shrugged. "Clothes. I guess if worst comes to worst we can wait until after Richie performs and find her backstage."
"True. Maybe we should just leave her to her friends. She's not going to see them again until after exams."
"Oh, it's starting." Duncan led Tessa by the hand toward the large stage that had been set up on the beach as one of the radio DJs started to talk to the crowd.
"Let me just explain how all this works. This is not your typical Battle of the Bands for money. This is for crucial air time and the shot at the big times," the DJ explained. "We have three solo acts and five garage bands all here for you guys tonight. And you are the judges. So pick your act and show them all your love because it's the only way your group is going to get anywhere. Without further ado, let's bring out the first group!" The audience cheered and clapped as a grunge band took the stage.
Richie was seventh to perform. At the mention of his name a large scream went up from the front of the crowd.
"I think we just found Rylan and her friends," Duncan whispered to Tessa. It was a well know fact that nearly all of Rylan's friends had huge crushes on Richie, and he always seemed to play to them when on stage. And it's a well know scientific fact that teenage hormones are contagious. There had never been an audience that Richie couldn't sway.
Richie grinned as he trotted to center stage with his guitar slug over his shoulder. He scanned the audience, spotted Rylan and her friends and gave them a wink, then continued looking for Duncan and Tessa as he began to sing.
"I believe in self-assertion
Destiny on a slight diversion"
He spotted them and made a face.
"Now it seems I've got my head on straight.
I'm a freak an apparition
Seems I've made the right decision
Try to turn back now it might be too late."
Duncan frowned, 'freak'? 'Apparition'? 'Turn back'? Was it just his imagination or did all of Richie's songs seem to hint about being immortal?
"And it's off to the middle and back again,
Same old day same situation,
My happiness is back as if to say. . .
I wanna stay home today! (don't wanna go out)
If anyone comes my way (gonna get thrown out)
I wanna stay home today!
Don't want no company, no way.
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Simple life's my cup of tea,
I don't need nobody but me.
What I wouldn't give just to be left alone.
I wanna be a millionaire someday,
But know what it feels like to give it away. . . "
That part didn't sound very immortal. Maybe he was just being paranoid. Richie didn't know he was immortal. He just hoped he was. Richie ran through the chorus again then as the band hit the bridge he started playing with the audience. He put his guitar down and ran back and fourth across the stage with energy Duncan wished he would use a work. By the last chorus the entire audience was jumping and clapping in time to the music and singing along.
The music slowed down and faded. An ear splitting scream went up from the crowd. Richie ginned, waved and trotted back off stage. Duncan and Tessa went to meet him.
"That was wonderful!" Tessa exclaimed pulling him into a hug the second his feet hit the sand.
"Good job, Rich," Duncan added with a slap on the back. "How'd you come up with that one?"
Richie shrugged. "It's just about me. You know, thinking I got in over my head with you guys and all, then it all working out. You seen Ry?" he asked suddenly changing the subject. Richie had never really been one for explaining how he came up with song ideas.
"We heard her. Didn't you see her?" Duncan asked.
"Yeah, but by the end of the song she was gone. Thought maybe you guys had nabbed her . . . I'm sure she's fine," he quickly added after catching glimpse of Tessa's face. After Rylan had been kidnapped from school Tessa had become rather paranoid about it happening again. "She's probably just flirting with some guy. Either that or she found Chris and is kicking the crap out of him again." After Rylan had heard that her (now ex) boyfriend Chris had been cheating on her. . . well, let's just say she didn't take the news well and her actions gave Duncan second thoughts about teaching her karate.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. MacLeod," one of Rylan's friends greeted them. "You were great, Richie," she added with a blush.
"Thanks, kid," Richie replied flashing her a grin that made her giggle and blush harder.
"Jana, do you know where Rylan is?" Tessa asked.
"Yeah, she asked me to tell you that she's fine and she'll be home later."
"Do you know where she went?"
Jana shook her head. "Nope, she just left with these two guys."
Tessa's face paled and Duncan's guard went up. "Do you know who they were?" he asked.
"Never seen them before, they looked pretty old though. Older than Richie."
"Do you know where they went?"
Jana shook her head again. "No, all I know is that she's fine and she'll be home later and she wanted me to tell you."
"Thanks, Jana," Richie said.
"Can you have Rylan call me when she gets home?"
"Sure thing," Richie answered distractedly as Jana turned to rejoin her friends.
"Duncan, I don't like this," Tessa announced.
"I'm sure she's fine," Richie assured her. "I mean, if she had been kidnapped she wouldn't have sent Jana over here."
"That's true," Duncan agreed. "But usually she would just leave without a word and come up with an excuse when she got home."
"Maybe she just got tired of being yelled at for not telling you where she was going," Richie suggested.
"Just the same, Rich, Tessa and I are going to go home and check. Do you mind?"
"Go ahead, but I'm sure it's nothing."
Two hours later Richie returned home to a pacing competition that Duncan and Tessa seemed to have gotten rather deep into. He didn't even have to ask; Rylan wasn't home yet. Richie sat on the couch and watched them pace and held the phone in his hands. He hadn't been worried, but seeing Duncan and Tessa so worried was starting to sway him. Maybe something was wrong. After Richie had been home twenty minutes the front door opened. Tessa, Duncan and Richie all rushed to the foyer.
Rylan froze in the doorway. "Didn't Jana find you guys?" she asked hopefully.
"Next time offer up some more info," Richie told her.
"With everything that happens around here a vague 'I'm fine, be back later' doesn't cut it," Tessa added.
"You had us thinking it was some immor-"
"I have a good reason," Rylan interrupted Duncan quickly. She stepped further into the house and gestured to two young men who stepped in behind her. "These are my brothers, Brendan and Whitney. They surprised me at the beach and took me out for ice cream. Guess I could have told Jana that."
"Oh," Tessa said, not quite sure if she was still mad. "Brendan and Whitney, nice to meet you."
"Oh, uh, Brendan, Whitney this is Duncan and Tessa, you already know Richie," Rylan introduced awkwardly.