This chapter might be a bitboring and messy, but it's where things are starting to happen. The other ones will be different and much fun, yey, can't wait :P

Chapter 4

"That's great, Nathan! But you need to work more on your solo! Wow! Did you guys came up with those notes all by yourself!"

Mary Applebarrie was thrilled, checking out the band's new tracks and all. Everything was going just neat. Almost ready for their next big performance. She couldn't be more excited.

"Rick, I think that beat should go a little bit slower!" she smiled proudly. She seemed so exhausted, her eyes were a little swollen and a few strands of her hair were crumpled, but she was in her highest spirits. She stood watching with her hands resting sluggishly on her hips, one with a phone.

"Brilliant!" she smiled, yet again. "That's one rehearsal I can be pleased about!" she told them, staring with great awe. "Now let's… wait a second! Where are my three other crackpots?"

The band manager started to breathe hard, looking around the room anxiously. The three other band members exchanged 'looks'. Then Mary's eyes sharply fell on one of them.

"Brad! Do you know where they are?"

The guy looked up at her astonished, and nervously shock his head.

"I know!" Nathan spoke up. "I heard… they told me… uh, I think they were on a morning walk!"

"MORNING WALK?" Mary, who apparently couldn't control herself for long, burst out. "How can this be? What joke is this! They're never around that early for a morning walk! I can't believe this! Who knows what drag they'll run into this time! And it's not still morning, they should've come back here by now!"

"Come, Lilly! Time to go!"

Kay held Lilly's shoulders and slightly dragged her away from the chocolate factory. She wouldn't go and clung her fists on the gates.

"NO! I like it here, it's so… soothing…"

Kay glanced back at Andie and sighed, still keeping his hands on her shoulders.

"Lilly! We have to go!" he spoke sternly under his breath. "I feel like something really bad is happening right now!"
"Well, what you feel doesn't matter to me! Listen, why don't you two resume your fight back there, and leave me bask in this glorious atmosphere?" she retorted, then glanced up beyond the gates dreamily. "It never occurred to me that this place could be such a beauty…"

The two others who were behind here, looked at each other with slight concern. Kay tugged at her shoulders again.

"Come on, sweetie!" he lightly said. "I think you've been standing there in the wind for too long!"

"The wind flows like a sweetened waterfall when it brushes down the factory…"

Lilly mumbled sappily. Kay dropped his jaw open and turned, yet again, to Andie. She started communicating him through funny gestures, hinting it was the smell of chocolate that was doing this to her.

"Alright now, enough with games!" Kay muttered a bit freaked out, as soon as he turned back from Andie. He yanked an engrossed Lilly away from the factory gates, and went on quickly to the other direction.

"Let's take her out of here!" he said as they ran along the road, and then in a lower anxious tone to Andie, "Before anything happens!"

He wasn't up for another commotion.

"You're late!" Mrs. Applebarrie spat, pointing an index finger threateningly at the trios. They were giving her innocent looks and nervous smiles at the door, obviously out of breath.

"Now where were you? Oh, no, that obviously doesn't matter! I would've strangled the three of you before I toss you off to the wolves, but since I need you, you're going to stay here and rehearse and rehearse, and practice and rehearse, you see?"

"Yes, Mrs. Applebarrie!"

She ran her hand wearily through her unkempt brown hair, and sighed. "I think I truly need some rest! You guys, take it from here. We need to be done with all the songs tonight! You stay there and fix them with your lyricist, and the hell whatever you do, don't let her come near any chocolates! Clear?"

Kay gulped, and Adie wrinkled her nose. Lilly was standing between the two of them, staring into space, but Mrs. Applebarrie was thankfully too tired to notice she was actually being supported. Mary walked passed them with a huff. They heard her sighing as her (unsteady) footsteps disappeared into the hall.

"Now, what are we going to do?" Kay burst out.

Andie waved a soothing hand.

"Nothing… nothing… just put her on a chair! She'll be aware in a few seconds!"

"But we haven't even come up with any notes yet!"

"Don't worry! We'll finish composing them tonight! It won't take long! I've already got a few tunes on my mind!"

Kay lay her on a chair as he calmed down and sighed. "Gosh, I never supposed the smell of chocolate could have an effect on her!"

Andie watched Lilly with a rather displeased smile. It was obvious that she herself was even more worried than Kay.

"Hey, what's going on?" the other band members approached them. Kay ran over to them immediately after adjusting Lilly on the seat.

"Not much! Come, let's first work on the beat, and then we can deal with the lyrics later…" he lead them to the other end of the room, with Andie following last, looking back and shaking her head repeatedly.

Lilly stirred half-unconsciously in her chair when she started to wake up to the sound of soft music playing from the far end of the room. It didn't smell like chocolate around here, she could no longer feel the terrific sentiment she was in an hour ago. It almost felt as if she's walked into an amazingly different world, yet so close, and so known in her heart. Now she found herself here, which was also cozy and nice, and caused her to come round. She mumbled something then let her head fall to the other side.

Andie, behind the drum set, noticed a slight movement over by the corner.

"Lilly!" she exclaimed, throwing the drumstick into the air and cause everyone to stop and stare at her. She ignored them and jumped to a perplexed frowning Kay, who let out a sudden groan, the guitar shifting on his arm. "She's around!"

"Finally!" he cried equally as thrilled, automatically sliding his tool in one of his band mate's arms. They watched the tow idiotic gangly figured running over to Lilly with their jaws dropping in disbelief, blinking hard.

"Thank God! I was so scared our manager might notice, you have no idea…" Kay started muttering, and Andie hushed him, lying her hand on his lips lightly.

"Don't bother about that, right now! We'll never take her to that manic chocolate house again! It's a good thing she wasn't that much affected by the chocolate, or else that place would've turned upside down by now…"

"We just took her away in time before the madness possess her, I guess!"

"Hmm… Chocolate madness. I never reckoned I could see that!" Andie whimsically said to herself.

"Could you help me here?" Kay irritatingly turned up to her from Lilly, with a look indicating her to stop mumbling.

"Oh, sure!" she said stupidly in a merry tone and joined him in shaking Lilly up.

"Hello, guys, what do you want from me?" Lilly faintly said.

"We need your lyrics so we could spare our lives tonight!"

"Lyrics?" Lilly slightly opened her eyes. Andie, seeing that this is taking long, spoke to Kay anxiously, "Did Mrs. Applebarrie mentioned a time she'll be back at?"

"Hang on! Hang on! I got them here!" Lilly suddenly sat up, fully awake and slightly annoyed. Kay and Andie lit up, waiting for her anxiously. She frowned as she rummaged in her pocket, then the other one, then a look on her face sucked all the colours from her face. Her friends realized it and the same thing happened to them. Andie was about to gasp.

"Wait! I know clearly that I've put them in here! Don't worry… hehe! They're right here in my jacket!"

But that caused Kay Andie to go paler.

"L-Lil…?" Kay quivered. "You're not wearing your jacket!"

Lilly's eyes widened in shock, then immediately she giggled nervously. The rest of the band began to gather around.

"Then it's hanging on the door's handle on the other side!" she grinned sheepishly and reeled to the door. Lilly opened it and stuck her head outside to look at the knob. She went back in. "Nope, not there!"

Andie was raging in her place, and Kay looked as if he was going to collapse.

"Would you now kindly tell us what is going on?" Brad broke in amusingly, knowing since it's concerning those particular three, then there wouldn't be anything serious.

"Darn, Brad! Not now!" Kay screeched.

"Maybe it's in the closet!" Lilly went on.

"What closet? Are you serious!" Kay turned to her. "We're going to die if our song list is not complete by midnight!"

"Well, you should've composed them long before now!" Lilly retorted.

The ignorant band mates began to panic. "What Kay? You haven't composed them yet!"

"Y-yes I will!" he stammered. "It's just that you see-"

"THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY!" Andie screamed all of a sudden, her voice booming through the theatre, making everyone tremble along with everything else.

Kay's breath stuck in his chest. "no, don't tell me it's…" he chocked.

"Hm? What chocolate factory?" Brad asked confused.

Lilly opened her mouth, and spoke dazedly. "You mean my jacket is at the chocolate factory?"

Andie nodded.

"But I don't remember taking it off and leaving it there!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WERE DRun-n… I mean uh…under the influence of chocolate!" Kay said, grinding his teeth, as if he was unable to believe he's actually said something that absurd.

"Chocolate factory… … but there's only one chocolate factory…" Brad mused.

"Oh, well," Lilly lethargically shrugged. "If my jacket is there, then my lyrics is there, too… you're not going to make me go home, you know. I've got no copies, and I can never write it again!"

"We'll go back there and get it!" Andie snapped and pushed Lilly towards the door, with Kay following behind.

"Oh, Hamlet! Wonka's Chocolate Factory!" exclaimed Brad.

"You know, Andie, you always speak too soon…" Kay muttered as they walked out of the room.

There, now I need to get really inspired, because I know what's coming, and I think you do, too. You guys! Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Please, go on, they're great!