Author's Note: And here I thought school was over and done for now that I'm done with AP testing. Alas, 'tis not so. I have an MUN conference next weekend, which means that I'll spend this week preparing instead of writing this, and I've also got a project for AP Euro. So it looks like next week will go without an update. However, as a bit of a compensation, this chapter is by far the longest one I've written yet, and I'm posting it a day early. I hope that makes up for some of it!

Thank you to all of my reviewers. I'm glad you like Damien, and thank you to everyone who commended me for not following the stereotypical plot. Believe me, that's what I've been trying to stay away from! Without further ado, I give you the next chapter, so that you may read and (hopefully) enjoy.

Chapter 5: Suddenly There Is Music

Monday again, Ashley thought dejectedly. Oh, how I hate Mondays. It didn't help that it was raining. The weekend had been coated by a consistent drizzle. It hadn't been so bad, since Ash had been able to stay inside, but the rain had continued on to this day and Ashley found going to school in the rain to be miserable—not just because her school didn't have covered hallways, meaning her backpack and books always got soaked, but also because she never paid attention in class when it was raining; she was too busy wanting to be outside.

It was dark outside the school now, barely light enough for Ashley to see and turn the dial on her locker, but that was understandable—it wasn't Daylight Savings Time yet, and it was early. The luminescent dial on her watch read 6:45. She opened her locker and pulled out the textbooks for Physics and AP US History, putting them in her backpack along with her Precalculus text which she'd needed over the weekend. All the while she tried to stay as close to the building as possible, barely remaining under the meager protection provided by the eaves.

Well, she reflected, at least there were auditions for the musical today. She wasn't required to be there—she was already guaranteed a spot as the lone pianist—but she'd promised Kate she'd be there after school for moral support. She'd been planning on going to watch even before her friend had asked her, continuing a tradition she'd started last year when she'd watched out of curiosity. She was always surprised by the number of talented actors, singers, and dancers who were students at Silver Hills.

And you want to hear Damien, a voice in the back of her head reminded her. Ashley blushed slightly and slammed her locker shut a bit harder than necessary. It was true; it had been almost a week since she'd last heard him sing, but still she remembered and marveled at his perfect pitch, the way his voice had melded with her accompaniment on the piano.

She shook her head and looked out at the rain, which had only gotten harder, if that were possible. Barely under the eaves as she was, she was saved from most of the downpour, but it was coming down too fast for her to risk leaving the shelter of the awning just yet.

Ashley sighed, looking out at the puddles that speckled the campus pavement. Sure, she'd always been a bit of a daydreamer, the quiet type, but suddenly the music of one boy had caught her by surprise and taken her by a violent hold. It seemed that she spent at least half of her spare time thinking about the few moments she'd spent with Damien, the short conversations they'd had seeming so much longer in retrospect.

Let's face it, girl, Ashley said to herself, you've got it bad for him. But somehow the idea just didn't stick. It wasn't that she was denying her attraction to him; it was more like she hadn't quite accepted its existence yet.

With a self-disparaging laugh, Ashley left the shelter of the eaves and made a mad dash through the rain to the science building, using her umbrella to fend off what water she could. Even as she ran, her thoughts centered around her emotions. She admitted to herself that Damien had an amazing voice, and that he possessed a quiet sort of…charm? Charisma? She didn't know what to call it. But that alone was not reason enough for her. She wasn't the sort to have silly crushes based on simple things like that.

She made it to her Physics classroom without getting too wet, and walked inside. What was it she felt for Damien? An infatuation, she decided sensibly. Nothing more.

Ashley pulled further and further away from her self-contemplative mood as the day progressed. Her classes were not as taxing as she'd dreaded, and by midday the rain had abated. Now, with just minutes left of her last class, she saw through the window a few rays of sun poking through the heavy cloud cover.

Everyone in her orchestra class was just as eager for Monday to be over as she was. The last performance of the song they were practicing was nowhere near as good as their previous renditions, but since Mr. Erickson didn't threaten them with staying after school to practice, Ashley didn't care. She knew that she could do better; she just wasn't motivated to do better at this moment.

After what seemed like an eternity the final bell rang, and the students pushed and shoved to file out of the room. Ash stood to the side, letting others pass before exiting herself.

Outside, the grass and trees of the quad were still wet, and shimmered slightly in the newly bright light. Ashley hurried to get to her locker and pick up the books she needed. Her father was working late again tonight, so depending on how long auditions ran, she would probably be home at around the same time as him. Today was voice auditions only, but that was precisely what Ashley was interested in, so she was glad when she entered the theater to see that they had not started yet.

She set her backpack down on a seat in the back row, then scanned the people who were in the auditorium. She spotted Kate, and went over to encourage her friend.

Kate needed encouraging. "I'm not gonna do this, I can't!" she said as Ashley approached. "Why did I let you talk me into this again?"

"Because you know you're good, and you're capable of getting a part," Ashley replied. "Don't worry—you'll do fine!"

"You always say that," Kate grumbled.

"And have I ever been wrong?" Ashley questioned, attempting to appear innocent.

"Well, yes," said Kate. "But I guess I shouldn't dwell."

"Exactly! So why didn't you listen when I said it the first time?"

Kate smiled. "That would've been too easy. I figure, if you're here as moral support, you should have a chance to feel morally supportive."

It was Ashley's turn to smile. "That's the way to think about it," she said. "Do you know the order of auditions yet?" she began, but was cut off by Mrs. Grimm's appearance from backstage.

"Alright," Mrs. Grimm said, the occupants of the theater immediately quieting down, "we've got a lot of people to get through, and I'd like to get all of the singing auditions done today so that we can get on to other things.

"I hope you're all here, because you're going to audition in alphabetical order by last name." She paused. "So if you have any friends with 'A' or 'B' names, and they aren't here, you might want to go find them."

Ash saw two people swiftly exit through the back doors of the theater. Beside her Kate said, "Phew, that was close." With a last name of Ackerman, she would probably be one of the first to audition.

"You gonna be okay?" Ashley asked her friend.

"Yeah…" Kate said weakly, smiling. "Guess I have to be." She looked around. "Do you see Chrissy? She'd be right after me, probably."

Ashley didn't see the literal drama queen as she scanned the theater.

"Maybe she won't show up," Kate said hopefully. She was stopped from further speculating by Mrs. Grimm calling her name. "Well, wish me luck," Kate said. Ashley could almost hear the butterflies flapping in her friend's stomach as she walked over to the stage.

Ashley had just taken her seat in the back of the auditorium when her friend began to sing. Trying to listen with a critical ear for pitch, tone, and other things, Ashley thought that Kate was doing fairly well. She sang the notes sweetly and with expression, something that many other high school singers lacked, according to Kate. Though Ashley did not know Mrs. Grimm very well, by the time Kate finished her song Ashley thought the teacher looked pleased with the performance.

As soon as she was off the stage, Kate ran back to Ashley. "Was I horrible? I didn't quite hit that note right in the last measure—I think I might have been a little off—"

She likely would have continued in this vein had Ashley not hugged her friend and said, "Shut up. You did great. I didn't notice anything wrong with the last measure. You are worrying too much!"

Kate pulled away and smiled. "You think?" she asked.

"Always," Ashley replied. "Are you staying for the rest of the auditions?"

"Of course, I have to see—or rather, hear—who I'm up against. And besides," she said as she took a seat in the back, Ashley following suit, "I've at least gotta stay to hear Damien sing, even if it's just so I can know how good he really is."

Mrs. Grimm's voice rang out through the theater. "Is Christine Adams here?"

"Hah! She's not going to make it!" Kate said, sounding excited.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Ashley said, looking to the back door of the auditorium, which had just opened.

The lights inside the theater were dim enough that the sunlight behind the figure standing in the doorway appeared as a glowing silhouette. The girl walked slowly down the aisle to the stage, taking her time and appearing as regal as a model parading down the runway. She casually flipped her long, curly blonde hair over one shoulder, removed her designer sunglasses, and hooked them over the already low neckline of the V-neck shirt she wore. Ashley could swear she heard a few of the boys start to drool. Beside her, Kate shuddered.

Chrissy Adams approached the stage as though she owned it. Mrs. Grimm eyed her suspiciously, taking in her clothing that was more suited to the beach in the summer than to school in the winter with more than a little disdain. "Are you Christine Adams?" she asked coolly, her voice carrying.

For a second, Chrissy appeared shocked that there was someone on campus who didn't know her. After a moment, she said, "Yes, but most people call me Chrissy."

"Well, Chrissy," Mrs. Grimm said, "you appear to be having a lucky day. You came within a minute of missing your audition time. Please, on stage now, and we'll see if you were worth the wait."

"This is great!" Kate said, nudging Ashley. "Mrs. Grimm is officially my new hero! I can't believe she told Chrissy off like that!"

"I don't think Chrissy can believe it either," Ashley said, indicating a Chrissy who looked slightly bewildered and out of place.

"Serves her for thinking she owns everything," Kate said. "Maybe she won't be able to sing."

Much to Kate's disappointment, Chrissy's confrontation with Mrs. Grimm had not cost her her voice; she sang as well as she ever did. Which isn't all that well, Ashley thought privately. As if that mattered. Though Mrs. Grimm did not appear at all impressed by Chrissy's performance, Mr. Edwards was practically giving her a standing ovation by the time she finished.

"I hate her," Kate said. "She'll get the part, you know. And why? Because she knows the right people."

Ashley stayed silent; she knew her friend well enough to know that it was best not to argue with her when she was indignant already. The girls watched the next few auditions in silence, not paying too much attention. Ashley pulled out her math book and started working on homework; Kate sat and seethed. Half of Ashley's mind was on the auditions going on, but the other half was unfortunately diverted by trigonometric notation of imaginary numbers. She was paying little enough attention that she didn't notice a certain boy dressed in black with hair to match enter through the back side door, near the sound booth. It was Kate who noticed first; she nudged Ashley and whispered, "Look who else is here," pointing in his direction.

The math homework was immediately forgotten. "So he's going to sing!" Ashley said, excitement evident in her voice. She looked up at the stage and the girl currently singing. "What's her last name?" she asked Kate, wanting to know when Damien would be up.

"Um, Friedburg, I think," Kate said. "I don't know her too well, she's a sophomore, but I'm pretty sure."

Then he's up soon, Ashley thought. Aloud she said, "Fulbrook's his surname."

"So I won't be waiting long," Kate said. "I don't know, I'm beginning to have my doubts. I mean, how many high school students can sing as well as you say he can? Maybe you were a little…distracted," she teased. "I didn't know you liked black."

"Shut up, I do not!" Ashley said a little louder than necessary, blushing slightly as she remembered that under her sweatshirt she actually was wearing a black top. Completely a coincidence, she thought, resolving not to take off the sweatshirt, even if a sudden heat wave swept through.

All of that was washed from her mind when she heard Mrs. Grimm say, "Damien Fulbrook?" Ashley looked to the stage and saw Damien step forward, seemingly from the shadows. She did not think he looked nervous. Good, she thought, he has no need to be. If he can just sing like he did last week… That song was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.

And then he began to sing, and Ashley was immediately forced to revise her opinion. This was surely the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. The song he sang was not in English—it sounded like it might have been Italian. But although she did not understand the words being said, the passion of his voice spoke for itself, weaving a tale of light and dark, life and death, love and loss. The music was operatic in style, perfectly showing off Damien's unbelievable range. His presence was commanding, drawing all eyes toward him. Ashley had no choice but to stare as he sang on.

The song ended all too soon, and Ashley came to her senses like one suddenly released from a spell. She turned to Kate, sitting beside her. The look on her friend's face mirrored her own: one of awe at such amazing talent and beauty. Quickly Ashley turned her gaze to Mrs. Grimm and Mr. Edwards, who stood off to the edge of the stage. Mr. Edwards was trying to keep a straight face, but his eyes were open too far for his expression to appear normal. Mrs. Grimm did a better job of keeping her emotions from showing on her face, but somehow she just looked happy, like someone ready to go skipping through fields of daisies. The entire theater was completely silent.

"I take it all back," Kate whispered to Ashley, breaking the stillness. "Your descriptions didn't do him justice!"

"Well," Ashley said, once she was able to speak again, "I did try to warn you…"