CPOV

During the half hour ride to town square, I decided to jam a little bit. I sang quietly to myself, despite the radio being on. I wanted to be centered for the show, with zero chance of nerves. I was laying down on the couch in the bus, crooning out a tune while David joined in. At the last minute, Robert decided it was best if he drove. He saw no point in giving David directions if he could just drive us himself.

We were right in the middle of one of David's favorites. He was getting super crazy with it, strumming as hard as he could on his acoustic and head banging.

He thought singing another Amy Lee song would make me feel more confident. I snickered at the thought, but had to admit that he was only making me laugh more than anything else. I was singing and laughing at the same time at him, practically falling off the couch.

It had all been fine and dandy, until the chorus broke out. That's when the spluttering laughs began.

David and Travis basically screamed the back up vocals while I tried to keep my voice together on Amy's part.

(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can't wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me!)
Call my name, and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
Bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up)
Before I come undone
(Save me!)
Save me from the nothing I've become

We were all on the floor, unable to breathe from laughing so much. Robert's voice popped our little bubble after a minute.

"Save it for the warm ups, kid!" Robert yelled seriously. "We're five minutes away."

"Come on, man!" David yelled back, trying to catch his breath. He was staring up at the ceiling. "Cut us some slack for once! Just trying to loosen up beforehand!"

Robert didn't respond as he parked the bus.

We filed out, going straight to the stage. Travis and David tuned the guitars with each other, while Robert spoke to security guards to make sure the stage was at a respectable distance from the huge water fountain.

The staff with the gray shirts were at the sound board testing the lights on the stage. I stared out into the empty space where everybody would be standing in an hour. The space was quite huge, minus the space the fountain took up. It was so much larger than the club.

I'd never played for a crowd this big, and I tried so very hard not to let the anxiety of that take over me.

"All right, kids, ready? Let's do it one more time before the show," Robert called, rubbing his hands together. He took a seat in the audience.

I closed my eyes, and told myself to breathe through it.

Demetri POV (I'm trying this one out too. Sorry if it's bad!)

Jane had sent me on another trip to check on the human, whose name was rumored to be Cheyenne.

A rare name for a seemingly rare human.

Aro was over the moon to have her.

Why Alec was so pissy about her, I had no idea why.

Actually, I did know; I just thought he was being a sissy about it. He didn't want anyone mentioning her, and when someone did, he unleashed his gift on them. Jane hated the human for being Alec's singer, and his mate. Caius was none too happy about this either, and Marcus...he had no opinion. He never did, until he observed the bond between two people.

I zoomed through the forest, pinpointing her location. I breathed in, calculating her scent, how long she'd been there.

She'd never left the city.

As I came into city limits, I could hear her voice, but it was not alone this time. There was another voice blending with hers, making it even more powerful. There was no need for tracking anymore, because her gift was luring me in.

I followed the sound involuntarily. It was all that occupied my senses. I could not hear animals, heartbeats, nature...

It was only her voice, calling to me with the sweetest, most irresistible song.

I hid in the shadows behind a building in town square, trying not to get any closer.

Oh, Jane wouldn't like this at all.

The voice. Her voice.

Don't move your feet, Demetri. Come on, damn it.

My feet did not comply. They moved on their own accord toward the setting sun.

Not good, not good.

My skin was near the edge of exposure, under two seconds away.

"Perfect, perfect," A male voice called, shattering the spell. I regained my focus, seeing the object of my salvation.

He was clapping his hands. I hadn't gotten around to learning the other names.

I turned, making my departure into the woods. I had all the evidence I needed, and Jane wasn't going to like it, but I knew Aro would.

CPOV

It was almost show time. Fifteen minutes until we went on. All four of us were back stage having a talk, but the increasing clamor of the audience distracted me.

"All right, Cassie's out there with the agents," he said gruffly, pointing at us. "And I think-no-I know they're gonna like you three. Just be yourselves and show 'em what you got. 'Kay?"

"Dude, we got it, chill. You're gonna make Cheyenne nervous," David snapped, swinging an arm around my shoulders.

"We got it," Travis said, covering for him. He glanced at David as a warning.

"All right," he mumbled with his hands on his hips. He stared at David before exiting through the back of the stage.

"All right, so!" David began. "We got this. We're gonna blow those agents off their asses and send 'em straight back to...where are they from again?" he inquired at the end, looking between us.

"L.A.?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, L.A.!" He replied. "We're gonna send 'em straight back to L.A.!"

Fifteen minutes later, the host was at the microphone speaking in Italian to the crowd. He translated to English for any tourists.

"Ready?" David said, already jumping with excitement. I just nodded.

"Let's do it!" Travis replied.

"I'd like to welcome tonight, returning to the stage from Oklahoma, United States..." the host's voice echoed across the audience. Some people started clapping and cheering.

"Cheyenne, David, Travis!" he finished with his thick Italian accent, clapping above his head. We took our cue, running out onto the stage.

"What's up, Italy!" David screamed into his mic, earning louder screams back. Travis clacked his drum sticks together in his own greeting.

"Thank you for having us again tonight," I added. "We hope you enjoy."

The crowd cheered and clapped and the lights focused on us. I looked to my left at David for reassurance. He'd be standing close to me for this song, and then taking his normal spot after. I could feel my pulse start to quicken. He nodded at me and mouthed, "It's okay," following it with a thumbs up. I nodded back, and exhaled, turning my head back towards our huge audience.

David began the opening interlude, and I heard females scream when he opened his mouth.

I wanted you to know that I love the way you laugh
I want to hold you high and steal your pain away
I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well
I want to hold you high and steal your pain

I allowed the familiarity of his voice to soothe me, and I easily followed him into the chorus and into my verse.

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome

And I don't feel right when you're gone away

[David]:

You've gone away
You don't feel me here anymore

Why did I let this get to me? This was easy. So easy. I was in my element. All of my nerves were gone, and I continued strong with my partners in crime.

The worst is over now, and we can breathe again

I want to hold you high and steal my pain away

There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight

I want to hold you high and steal your pain

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open

And I don't feel like I am strong enough

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome

And I don't feel right when you're gone away

I could see the swaying arms of the audience, and the flash from their cell phones. I turned my head toward David and watched him strum in concentration while nodding my head to the melody. I saw him lift his eyes to mine, cracking a grin as if to say, 'I knew you could do it'. I returned it with my own grin, and we held eye contact as we finished the song, strongly together.

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open

And I don't feel like I am strong enough

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome

And I don't feel right when you're gone away

'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome

And I don't feel right when you're gone (away)

You've gone away

You don't feel me here anymore

As if the screams and cheers couldn't get any louder, they did. I did a little victory jump in my spot while David's grin stretched wider at me. His smile was so contagious, I could feel my cheeks begin to ache. I grabbed my microphone and gestured widely to him.

"How about a big round of applause for those vocals, huh?" I asked the audience, clapping along with them. David laughed loudly, and gave an exaggerated bow. I couldn't keep the smile off my face, even as I grabbed my guitar and looped it over my shoulder for the next song. I spoke over the screaming females who I knew were David's biggest fans now. He waved to them with a charming grin, enjoying the attention.

"All right, this next one's for the eighties lovers," I said, turning to Travis with a nod. He nodded back, spinning a drum stick, and David got in position as well. We both nodded to each other, and counted the clacks of Travis' sticks for a cue. I played the beginning guitar licks, David following right behind me. The lights slowly moved down onto us, giving the stage a low-lit, eighties vibe. I looked out into the audience this time, the buzzing excitement pulsing through me as I sang.

Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach

I feel it in the air

Summer's out of reach

Empty lake, empty streets

The sun goes down alone

I'm driving by your house

Though I know you're not home

David harmonized with me in each chorus, flipping his hair out of his face from exertion.

But I can see you

Your brown skin shining in the sun

You got your hair combed back

And your sunglasses on, baby

I can tell you my love for you will still be strong

After the boys of summer are gone

As I looked down at my guitar to play the interlude between, I heard some older adults cheering and clapping. I smiled, feeling goosebumps rise on my skin. I glanced at David, and he grinned at me as if he knew. I grinned back.

I never will forget those nights

I wonder if it was a dream

Remember how you made me crazy?

Remember how I made you scream?

But I don't understand what happened to our love

But babe, I'm gonna get you back

I'm gonna show you what I'm made of

And I can see you

Your brown skin shining in the sun

I can see you walking real slow

And you're smiling at everyone

I can tell you my love for you will still be strong

After the boys of summer are gone

While we played the bridge, the lights interchanged with the electronic beats. David and I went into Guitar Hero mode, moving toward each other, walking around each other in a slow circle. We sunk to our knees, one answering the others' questioning riff, overlapping each other. Whooping and whistling ripped through the crowd, enjoying our little game. As we slowly began to stand again, I got close enough to yell into his ear.

"You can take the last chorus," I informed him. He met my eyes questioningly for a split second, but nodded anyway. We sauntered back to our mics, and David licked out the hard, electric riff at the end of the instrumental.

Out on the road today

I saw a DEADHEAD sticker on a Cadillac

A little voice inside my head said,

"Don't look back, you can never look back"

I thought I knew what love was, what did I know?

Those days are gone forever

I should just let them go, but

I can see you

Your brown skin shining in the sun

You got that top pulled down

And the radio on, baby

I can tell you my love for you will still be strong

After the boys of summer are gone

I can see you

Your brown skin shining in the sun

You got that hair slicked back

And those Wayfarers on, baby

I can tell you my love for you will still be strong

After the boys of summer are gone

The females squealed once again for him, and I knew they would. I wanted him to be able to show his talent as much as possible, which was why I gave it to him. He deserved to be noticed more than I did. I wanted this for him, for him to be happy, to get what he dreamed of.

He enjoyed it, too; pushing his hair out of his eyes, pointing at the girls, jerking his body around in rock fashion. It's what he was made for. It was obvious.

Once again, David and I went into Guitar Hero mode, edging toward each other. Not as intensely, but we danced around each other, goofing off until the end of the song.

The crowd burst into applause and whistles. David high fived me, sliding his guitar behind his back, and pulled me into one of his bone-crushing hugs. I could feel the sweat on his T-shirt and his neck as I looped my arms underneath his.

"You rocked, dudette," he panted proudly in my ear over the roar of the crowd. "I knew you could do it. Awesome job."

He planted a chaste kiss on the side of my head, and I squeezed him, feeling emotional.

"You too. You were right," I sighed as we released each other. There was no more time to talk, and I knew David would be asking about the change-up. He gave a small smile knowingly as we returned to our mics.

"Thank you," I said, and gestured to Travis behind us. He needed some love, too. "How about those drums, huh?"

I clapped my hands above my head as they cheered, and I heard my brother clack his sticks together in thanks.

"Hey, how ya feelin', Italy?" David yelled enthusiastically into the mic, gripping it in both hands. They responded to him with louder cheers and whistles. I could see the sweat on his face from the lights, as well as the sheen of it on his arms.

I grabbed the bottle of water sitting next to the mic pole and took a few gulps, trying to catch my breath. As I looked out into the crowd, I saw more flashes, cheering, and clapping above people's heads. Then, my eyes fell upon a girl with pale blond hair and blue eyes, and I wasn't certain of how they were able to single her out.

And her pale skin.

Unnaturally pale.

She was a spot of white in a sea of tan people. I did a double take, but when my eyes tried to seek her out again, she was gone. I blinked and quickly snapped out of it. I screwed the cap on my water bottle, took off the acoustic and gave it to David. He took off the electric and put it on the stand, while taking the acoustic with his other hand. My keyboard had been moved to the front by a staff member, and I nodded to him in thanks, while trying to shake off the image of the girl.

The girl I knew I had seen last night with him.

No time to think about it now.

"Before we take a little break, we would like to play a song for all the couples here tonight. If you don't have a partner, grab someone close to you. This is a love song," I informed them, my fingers already gliding across the keys. "We want to thank you again for having us. We're extremely grateful to be here. Thanks for coming out."

"To all my ladies in the audience," David crooned after his own gulp of water, deepening his voice with his eyes closed. I snickered; he was hamming it up way too much, but it was funny.

I think that was the loudest the girls screamed all night. I saw them jumping up and down and waving to him.

"This one's for you," he finished as he set his water down and strummed along to the melody. He joined me for the choruses and took a solo on the second verse and final chorus.

(Inspired by Kina Grannis' cover of Iris)

And I'd give up forever to touch you

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

And I don't wanna go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

And soon or later, it's over

I just don't wanna miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive

I was watching the audience; nearly everyone was slow dancing with a partner. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I found myself longing for it for a split second. I'd never given much thought to a relationship or love. Hearing David's rough, crooning voice didn't help; he sounded so emotional, so raw. It was beautiful, and it only made the song more real.

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

And I don't want the world to see me

'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

When everything's made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

The audience cheered one last time before the host came from backstage and spoke into the mic in Italian first, then English.

"All right, guys, we're gonna take a break," he said. "And then they'll finish up with a couple more songs, eh?"

The crowd's applause lessened, but I think they understood. The staff in gray shirts leaped onto the stage, moving things around for the next couple of songs. I made my way backstage, grabbing an extra water bottle. When the boys walked in shortly after, Travis was the first to hug me with a big smile.

"You did awesome," he told me as I hugged him back tightly. "I'm proud of you."

Hearing those words warmed me all over, and not just because I was sweating.

"Thanks," I replied. "You were too. And you're all sweaty." I stepped back and pretended to wipe it off with fake disgust.

"That was legit, man! We killed it!" David exclaimed, shaking my brother's shoulders. Their shirts had sweat stains on them, and their hair was matted with it. Frankly, they looked like they just ran a marathon. Pretty sure I looked the same.

"Good job, man," Travis said as they gave each other a man hug. David came after me next, lifting me up and spinning me around before setting me down.

"You destroyed that song, dudette!" he praised me, his light brown eyes shining with excitement. "I'm beyond proud of you. I told you you could do it, didn't I? Huh?" He squeezed my shoulders. I nodded at him sheepishly, wondering why I underestimated myself in the first place.

"Hey, why'd you change the arrangement? That was your ending," he added. His eyes searched mine, full of concern.

"You deserve this just as much as we do. I know you want to be big, so I thought that the agents should hear your voice, too," I told him truthfully.

"Yeah, I said someday, though, dudette," he explained, his face softening. "You didn't have to do that. I'm happy with where I am right now. Doing shows with you guys is better than doing anything solo. Okay?"

I glanced away, not knowing what to say. He seemed to understand now.

"You thought I was lying, didn't you?" he asked softly, but without anger. I rubbed the back of my neck, guilt washing over me.

"David wouldn't go anywhere without telling us first," Travis assured me, patting my back. "We've known him for a long time, remember?"

David nodded at Travis.

"Of course, man. I'd never just ditch you guys like that. I love you guys. And just because I want to be big, doesn't mean you have to go jeopardizing your own dreams for me, okay?" He tapped me under the chin. "And what's more important to me is that you know that I'd never lie to you. I'd never do that to you, dudette. Travis would kill me!"

"Uh, yeah. You know I would," Travis confirmed, giving him a hard look, then turned back to me. "Look, we're here to have a good time, okay? We're here, and we're a team. It's gonna stay that way. Don't worry about him. We're in this together."

I just nodded, embarrassed at my actions. I felt my face heat up, and I wanted to go hide in a hole deep in the ground and never come out. David leaned down slightly from his six foot two frame to be eye level with me.

"Dudette, I'm already living my dream right now. I'm here, in freaking Italy of all places, playing for a huge ass crowd, with the two best people the world could ask for. That's the best dream I could ever have, whether I'm famous or not. Do you believe me now?" He asked, pleading with his eyes. I read them easily; he meant it, every word he said. I nodded, relief flooding through me.

"Yeah," I answered. "I'm sorry, I just thought-"

"I know what you thought," he cut me off, smirking. "And you're too sweet. But you don't gotta worry about me, dudette. Okay? No more buts. You, and your brother, are my best friends. And I'd never trade that for anything."

I nodded again as he pulled Travis and I in for a group hug. I felt happiness rush through me, knowing that David was happy here, with us.

But that girl didn't look so happy, right?

And that's all it took to shatter the moment. The girl. I shook my head, refusing to let it take over.

We were leaving tomorrow. Soon, I would forget all about it.

Except that I couldn't.

I needed to shake it off, but something in my gut was telling me something was wrong. Very wrong.

I didn't even notice that Robert had walked in until I saw him with a proud grin, clapping his big hands. We broke apart, and I broke out of my reverie, his words floating into my ears.

"...You were marvelous, fantastic. Ya blew 'em away," he said, reaching us. He put his hands on his round hips, revealing an aqua colored polo shirt. I saw the flash on his iPhone go off, but he didn't seem to notice. "They're out there fighting over ya! They said you were the most talented performer since Shakira! Minus the hips, of course. No offense." He said, holding up his hand quickly. I shook my head.

"None taken. I can't dance," I said, trying to laugh, but it came out wrong.

"Right, well, I guess this is where we part ways," he said awkwardly, glancing at the ground.

Wait, what?

"What do you mean?" I asked confusedly. "Aren't you going to Rome with us?"

"Look, kid," he said, shaking his head. "Once you get to Rome...I won't be accompanying you. I got other people to find too. Now, as I said, they really like you. Love ya. But you said you wanted to sing live. You didn't want any studio recordings or anything." He didn't sound so happy anymore. He was happy that they loved us, but he...wasn't?

"Right," I said slowly.

What was Robert talking about? They liked us, and that was good. That's what he wanted, wasn't it? I was confused.

"What do you mean, bro?" David said, confused also. Robert glanced at David, probably for calling him "bro", before continuing.

"You all agreed not to be signed," he said with a sigh. "Not yet, anyway. I told them that, but they flew in anyway. They like you, they really like you." He kept mumbling to himself.

"What's the problem, then?" I pressed. Robert put one hand in his pocket with the other rubbing the goatee. My butt was starting to tingle.

"Can we get to the point, please?" David groaned. He was always wanting to get right to the point. Robert glanced at him before answering me.

"I gotta go to the States," he said. "And when I do, I might not be responsible for what happens after that. My flight leaves at midnight tonight."

What? Was he saying what I think he was saying?

No.

"So you mean that we have no say in regards to our career?" I said.

"No. You do. You can choose to turn them down and go home, like Cassie and I said before. But, those agents are above me, kid," he said apologetically, shrugging his shoulders. "My job is to find the talent, not manage it. But Cass is the boss, so she knows what you want." He said, trying to comfort us, but more so seemed like he was trying to convince himself. I looked to my brother and then David.

"That's...not right," Travis said, seemingly at a loss for words.

"The fuck, man?!" David said, his desperate mood now an enraged one. "You ripped us off!" He started towards Robert, but I pulled him back by the wrist, shaking my head at him. I looked at Robert.

"It's okay, Robert," I said shortly. "I'm sure Cassie will help. Thank you for telling us."

He only nodded his head and looked at his watch.

"You better get back out there," he said. I could hear the regret in his voice. "Time's almost up."

"You're all great. You're gonna be great," He told us, but the enthusiasm just didn't reach his voice. He held out his hand to shake, but I could hear it.

This was goodbye. Robert wasn't coming back.

I reached forward and shook his hand, looking into his brown eyes.

"Thank you for bringing us here," I said sincerely, smiling despite the news. "You got us further to where we wanted to go."

"It's what I do, kid," He smiled proudly before shaking the boys' hands. I could tell David squeezed his hand a little too hard. Robert then waved awkwardly before departing, leaving us standing there. As he was leaving, he took out his phone from the flash notification. I could feel the heaviness in the air.

"Time to go, miss," the security guard said with authority. "Intermission's over. The host is about to announce you."

"Okay," I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"I'm not goin' back out there after he just fucked us over!" David spat, planting himself in a chair with his arms folded. Travis just stood there, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Maybe we shouldn't have jumped on the offer so fast," he mumbled. "Maybe we should just tell them no. This isn't turning out like we hoped."

I looked at them, and they looked at me. David's expression was hard, and I could tell he was trying to contain himself. Travis just looked disappointed. I sucked in a breath.

This was us. Just a small town trio of kids who loved to sing and loved to perform. We hadn't asked for any of this; it jumped in our lap, and we jumped the gun. But, now was all we had. We could either be really bad, or really good. We could either give this our all, or throw in the towel.

So that's who we would be. We would show the agents what we wanted, and who we were.

"Let's kick them all the way back to L.A.," I declared, repeating David's words. "What's the worst they could do if we say no? We can't not go back out there; the audience loved us. It would just look bad on us if we quit. Right?"

"Oh, hell yeah!" David said, before crushing me with another hug. "I like the way you think, dudette. Let's show 'em what we're made of! Nobody fucks with us!"

Travis glanced at us, uncertain, while I cringed at David's language.

"Should we really be doing-ah, forget it, let's do it," he said, dismissing himself with a wave of his arm. David gave a victory cry and pumped his fist in the air.

"Wait, what are we playing? We gotta play something badass if we're gonna give 'em the big 'fuck you'!" David said, tossing his head to flip his damp hair out of the way.

"Oh, I know exactly what we're going to play," I said slowly. "R.W.T.W.T."

"Good choice," Travis commented. "Normally I wouldn't condone this, but since we're in Italy..." he shrugged.

"Let's do it! Ya only live once, Trav!" David said before bounding onstage first while we followed behind. He shook his head at his best friend, but laughed in agreement.

"All right, all right, welcome back," the host said. He clapped as we re-entered the stage. "We got a couple more songs for you tonight, are you all ready for that?"

The audience responded with their strong cheers, and the host left us to do our thing. David and I strapped our guitars on, and I looked to him first, then Travis.

"Ready?" I asked. He nodded, his famous grin still in place. Travis nodded and twirled his drum sticks.

"Hello," I spoke into the mic. Everyone cheered briefly in response. "We're not done rocking yet, so I hope you all rested up during the intermission. This next song is about breaking free from control. This one? This one's for the wild ones."

I was buzzing, way in my element now. We practiced this song quite a few times before in the past, but had never gotten a chance to perform it.

And now couldn't have been a more perfect time.

David riffed the beginning, setting the stage for the craziness that was about to ensue. I strummed my own part, bouncing on the balls of my feet in place. I put all of my emotions into the song, allowing my voice to become rough.

Oh, they don't hear us

Feed us bedtime stories from their textbooks

Oh, try to rein us in, blind to our intelligence

Standardization of the masses

Give us a number, fail or pass us

Education, manipulation

Decide our fate, but never ask us

We're about to boil over

You can't keep us down forever

David clapped his hands above his head to the beat, while we both half screamed, half sang the chorus. I even heard my brother join in, though he normally never used the mic that was set up for him. I couldn't see Travis, but I guaranteed he was in his own element too. I could hear his aggressive drumming behind us.

We got too big for the cage you locked us up in

Let's mark this down as the day that we started something

So open the gate, open the gate

'Cause when we finally escape, finally escape

We'll be tearing through the streets

Running with the wild things

"Come on, I wanna hear you!" I hollered, feeling the ache in my fingers from playing so hard, but I didn't care. David and I were throwing our heads around, lost in the electricity of the song.

"Put your hands up, Italy!" David added, raising his own for a split second before continuing his wild strumming. The audience wasted no time in complying, clapping above their hands and jumping wildly. I thrived on it, my excitement through the roof. This is what I loved to do, and having my best friend and brother with me made it that much better.

Hey, why you waiting?

Quit carving notches to count the days (one, two three, four!)

'Cause they're losing power

See 'em growing weaker by the hour

We're about to boil over

You can't keep us down forever

We got too big for the cage you locked us up in

Let's mark this down as the day that we started something

So open the gate, open the gate

'Cause when we finally escape, finally escape

We'll be tearing through the streets

Running with the wild things

I wasn't sure where Cassie was with the other agents, but I scanned my eyes across every inch of the parameter as I emphasized my words during the bridge, sending out a message to said agents. David coaxed the crowd to keep clapping. We shared a look and nodded at each other before he joined me, being my echo. We bounded and jumped around in the final chorus, nearly shouting it rather than singing it.

Standardization of the masses

Give us a number, fail or pass us

(Standardization of the masses,

Give us a number, fail or pass us)
Education, manipulation

Decide our fate, but never ask us

(Education, manipulation
Decide our fate, but never ask us)

Never ask us, never ask us, never ask us!

We got too big for the cage you locked us up in

Let's mark this down as the day that we started something

So open the gate, open the gate

'Cause when we finally escape, finally escape

We'll be tearing through the streets

Running with the wild things

I reveled in the roar of the crowd, panting, sweating, feeling the adrenaline pumping through my system. David was hamming it up, throwing rock star signals with his hands. I took a few more gulps from my bottle of water sitting next to my mic,

"I love you guys!" he yelled over the cheers. I looked back at my brother, and sure enough, he was nodding at me with a thumbs up. I nodded back, feeling powerful for the moment. We had one more song, and then we'd be done for the night.

And then we would have to meet the agents.

"Thank you," I said after the cheers died down enough. "It's been a pleasure to play for you tonight. And we hope to see you again, Italy. You've been amazing."

I know this was like, super long and I'm sorry. I didn't want to write out a whole other performance at the end, so I cut it short. Writing those is exhausting, believe it or not. Check out Against the Current if you haven't! Their song is the last one performed. Also, I posted my new Twilight MMV in my profile, so check it out! 😄 I'm trying to get all the rewriting caught up so I can write the new chapter, so please bear with me!