I hadn't heard from Tommy in weeks. Something told me that he was going through some things that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. And, even though I had started to wear his viper key on a chain around my neck hidden beneath my shirt, I found that the small steel object couldn't completely get rid of the sting I felt knowing that he couldn't share half his pain with me. But, on the other hand, while I spent whole nights laying awake wondering about Tommy and his predicaments, I spent my days and evenings ensconced in interviews, photo shoots, and concerts. And things couldn't have been going better. The fans really seemed to relate to the music, and the crowds just kept growing at each place we played. We were in the Netherlands now for the next week, the final leg right before we hit Sweden and then Paris. It was almost sad getting this close to the end, but I won't lie and say I wasn't also looking forward to being back in Toronto. And, besides, I wasn't the only one enjoying our stint in Europe. SME had done their name proud—exploding into the papers and onto female posters almost as fast as I did. The amount of female fans that came out to see them was amazing, and they all just took it in with boisterous stride. Ok, yeah right! If, in stride, you mean by being photographed by the tabloids necking as many female fans as they could, then I would be just a tid bit closer to the truth, but, hey, I truly won't go there. Patsy was opening up a whole new genre of music with her screaming ballads and her and Jamie really seemed to be very happy together. Now, if only I could get my mind off Tom. As of right now, I was still thinking about him as I walked down the hallway of the latest makeshift studio we were using to rehearse for the upcoming concert. Passing Patsy, I winked at her as she fell into step beside me.
"Yo June Bug!" She rallied as I felt her hand fall gently onto my shoulder. Geez, what was it about people and the misuse of my name lately? "Have you seen Spied and the guys recently? I have a score to settle with that little group of bastards." She asked mildly as I raised a brow in her general direction. Bastards?
"Do I want to know?" I asked with a shrug as she grinned sheepishly at me.
"I may have tweaked a little with their instruments a few days back." She said slowly as I just stared at her as we walked. Tweaked a little. Yeah, right. I had a feeling that was putting it mildly. I looked at her with a 'come on' expression as she relented.
"Okay, maybe more than just a little, but the bastards are so paying for the stack of my favorite leather arm bands I found clogging my toilet drain this morning." She related as I covered my mouth and snickered in amusement. Oh, the joys of touring! Sometimes I wondered if Patsy was really some screwed up reincarnation of a female mix of Spiederman and Marilyn Manson. Aw, my peeps. What would I do without them? The two of us were just passing an open studio door when I suddenly came to a halt, only to back up again before rubbing my eyes just to make sure I wasn't having some strange out of body experience. Patsy did the same before chuckling beside me as we both leaned around the corner of the dark room, gaping at candles strewn haphazardly in a circle around the center of the interior with the members of SME seated around them in meditating positions—legs crossed, eyes closed, and fingers laid out gently on each knee
"What the hell are you guys doing?" I asked curiously as Patsy and I entered the room warily. Spied never even opened his eyes as he lifted a finger slowly and placed it gently against his lips.
"Shhhhh, we're channeling the dead." He said in a whisper as I choked on a piece of gum I had just unwrapped and put into my mouth. Coughing spasmodically, Patsy patted me a little too roughly on the back to get the gum that had lodged in my windpipe back into my throat as my eyes watered slightly.
"You're what?" I asked again as Spied cracked one eye open irritably.
"Jude, have some respect. We're zoning in on the passed spirit of a singing legend." He remarked wryly as I raised a brow cynically. The dead? Uh huh.
"Who, Elvis? Hate to tell ya, Spied, but that one's been done way too many times before." I said with a slight laugh as SME all looked over at me crossly.
"It's not good Karma to speak ill of the dead, Jude. You're messing with our aura." Kyle said in what I assumed was supposed to be a harsh tone but I could see the faint flicker of his lower lip as he tried not to smile. Spied scowled at him.
"RESPECT, people!" Spied reiterated again as Wally shrugged his shoulders at me. I gave him my best 'you better tell me what's going on' expression, and he folded under the pressure.
"If you must know, we're calling forth our main man Jimi Hendrix." Wally replied as the guys threw him a look while he shrugged at them apologetically and I smiled.
"Why? Are you trying to get reefer off a dead man?" I asked humorously as Spied shook his head sadly.
"No respect for the dead whatsoever, Harrison." He said almost forlornly as I glanced at Patsy who was smirking at us all in silence. Looking at each other a moment, She and I both shrugged at the same time. Why the hell not? I marched over to Spied and took a seat in their circle. Might as well make some use of the day. Besides, if the guys really could call forth the dead guy, maybe I could get him to help me with some song chords (laugh out loud). Settling down next to Spied, I listened as they hummed softly, trying desperately not to laugh as I started to do the same. I felt air brush against my side as Patsy sat on the other side of me while Spied began to speak in a low haunting tone.
"If you are with us in this sanctified circle, oh god of rock legend, please come forth and speak with us now. Give us some sign of your mighty and benevolent presence." Spied moaned as I rolled my eyes heavenward. Oh please! Spied cracked an eyelid open and stared at me disapprovingly as I snickered helplessly. A loud 'bang' caused us all to look up in astonishment as Spied shook himself visibly before giving me an 'I told you so' smirk. Glancing uncertainly at Patsy, I closed my eyes again as Spied repeated his montage several, irritating times. When a chair fell over near the door, we all jumped a half-mile into the air before I started backing out of the group with a lump in my throat. There was no way Spied had done that! Okay, this was getting just way too bizarre for me! A hand suddenly grasped my shoulders in the dark, and I screamed as a voice whispered 'booooo' in my ear. The lights suddenly came glaring on as Spied jumped up and hit the switch, and I heard a cackling laugh behind me as I turned to find myself staring into Liam's very amused countenance.
"If you guys are done fooling around in here, now would be a good time to get back to work." He remarked while still snickering before marching over to the door and pointing to the fallen chair before walking out the entrance.
"Nice touch, don't you think?" He threw over his shoulder as I clutched at my heart before pointing at the members of SME accusingly.
"Remind me never to let you guys watch 'Haunted Travels' ever again, and if I ever find a Ouji board anywhere near your twisted fingers, I'm cutting off your supply of candy." I said maternally as all the guys grinned before groaning playfully. I smiled widely as Patsy and I exited the room. Lord knows, life would be so much duller if the guys of SME weren't around. I was just about to pick up my guitar when something vibrated in my pocket. Almost dropping a pen I had been holding, I grabbed for the object just in time to see a name flash across the display screen of my cell phone. I flipped it open hurriedly.
"Well, if isn't Houdini returning from the dead." I said sardonically as my heart sped up in tempo.
Author's note: Once again, this was one of those chapters I absolutely adored writing. Keep reading. Will post more soon. Love to ya. Please R&R.
