CHAPTER TWO:
A Fresh Voice
"...and now here's a song that will make you forget about the future, and highschool..."
"Hey guys!"
Lily entered the warehouse, about 15 minutes late for the broadcast. Before any of them could ask where she'd been, Lily forced a smile, making her voice ring with false cheeriness.
"I'd like you to meet my cousin, Cassandra Watson."
Cassandra strolled in behind her blond cousin, taking in the rundown station, looking quite nonplused. Her dark brown hair hung to her shoulders in waves, and her long black skirt and navy blue camisole accentuated her pale skin. She would have been beautiful, if not for the shadow of a scowl on her face, and the vague, holier-than-thou quirk of her glossed lips.
"Uh, hey," Robbie said with a small wave, shooting Lily a panicked look. Lily knew the rules, so why was she bringing an outsider to an RFR broadcast!
Ray saluted. "Yo!"Travis simply nodded from his seat in the booth, and Robbie raised his eyebrows at Ray across the table. "Since when do you say 'yo'?"
Before Ray could dignify Robbie's comment with an answer, Lily introduced them all to her cousin. "Cass, Mr. Yo over there is Ray, across from him is Robbie, and in the booth back there is Travis." Opening her arms to encompass the station, she remarked, "Welcome to Radio Free Roscoe — and if you tell a soul that we're behind this, I'll personally tell everyone at Roscoe High about that incident in 7th grade and ruin your reputation the moment you step through the school doors."
"Isn't that a bit harsh, Lily?" Ray asked. For her to threaten a member of her own family like that, Lily must not hold her in very high regard.
Travis' low voice resonated from the back. "Harsh but necessary, you mean. We can't risk our cover being blown, especially after nearly 2 years of successful anonymity." The song faded out, and the four were soon back into the broadcast, ready to wrap up the show.
Meanwhile, Cassandra was browsing the CDs on the racks between the booth and old red vinyl couch. She saw the Ataris, but where was Don Henley? Why bother airing the remake instead of the original? Cassandra shook her head in disgust, settling down onto the couch, observing her cousin and friends. She vaguely remembered meeting Ray and Robbie long ago, so the one named Travis must've been a relatively new member of their little group.
Finally, the broadcast ended, and the four set down their headphones. Deciding to break the ice, (and maybe stir something up), Cassandra gestured to the CD collection beside her. "So where's the Sex Pistols? Queen? Jimi Hendrix? The Doors, maybe?"
Ray gave her a blank look. "Who're the Doors?"
Leaning forward, Cassandra asked, "You're kidding, right? Jim Morrison was the lead singer — ring any bells?"
She rolled her eyes as Ray continued to shake his head. "Nope, sorry."
"Listen, cuz, we play what we like, and nothing mainstream. And since you're not part of RFR, you have no right —"
Lily was cut short by Robbie. "No, you know what? Cassandra might be right. We barely ever play any classics." He grinned towards the brunette. "Thanks for the idea." Turning to Lily, Robbie continued, "Weren't you saying just the other day that you were sick of being the only female DJ?"
Lily stared at Robbie, willing the idea out of his head. "What? No, I never said that —"
"Sure you did, Lil," Ray said with a grin. He leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head. "And who better than Cassandra over there? She's got a great taste in music —"
"— and she's the only other person that knows about us anyway," Travis finished, shrugging. "Why not?"
"Okay," Robbie exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "All in favor of a new DJ, raise your hand."
Ray's hand shot into the air immediately, followed by Robbie and Travis. They looked pointedly at Lily, who sighed in defeat. Muttering "fine" under her breath, she raised her hand as well.
Cassandra smiled, completely startled. "Are you guys sure? I mean, you've only just met me. I don't want to intrude..."
"Don't worry. We need a fresh voice around here anyway. To keep things interesting," Ray dismissed. Having another girl around could definitely be interesting.
Great, Lily thought. She's only been here for a day and has already managed to worm her way into my life. Putting on a brave face, she asked, "So, Cass, what will your RFR name be? I'm Shady Lane, Ray is Pronto, Travis is Smog, and Robbie is Question Mark."
Cassandra fingered the silver 'C' pendant around her neck. "How about... Chaos?"
They smiled at her, and for once she began to feel like she fit in somewhere. Cassandra was even more surprised to the genuine smile on her cousin' face.
"Welcome to Radio Free Roscoe, Chaos."