The week had come, and passed, and Jude still had no clue as to who the Phantom was. She would have tried to look for clues, but Darius had a high demand for a hit, and her final exams for school were approaching.
"Jude!" a male voice called.
Jude turned her head.
"What Tommy?" Jude asked with annoyed tone in her voice. She again was thinking about the Phantom, and as much as she tried, she just couldn't get it out of her head.
"Darius wants the bootleg copy of your new song on his desk by 9AM tomorrow,"
"Screw Darius," Jude mumbled.
"There's more to this world than you Jude," Tommy said coldly.
"And what would that be?"
"Some of us have a thing called a life,"
"What? Another date, so you can go screw another girl?"
"There's more to--------" Tommy started to say, but was cut off.
"Jude!" Mason cried in happiness.
"Hey Mase!" Jude said hugging her friend. "How was the visit with your family?"
"I think I gained ten pounds with all the food I ate on Thanksgiving," Mason said putting his hand on his stomach.
Jude smiled at what Mason had told her, remembering her slightly…. less eventful holiday weekend.
"How was your Thanksgiving?"
Damn! Jude though, hoping to avoid the question. "Sadie, and an order of Chinese food, just the way to spend the three days Darius gave me off!" Jude exclaimed with fake excitement.
"Aww Jude," Mason said giving his friend a hug, "I didn't mean to…"
It's fine Mase," Jude said giving her friend an encouraging smile.
"Promise?" Mason asked.
"Promise," Jude confirmed.
"Ms. Harrison!" Liam Fenway called out from the doorway.
"You want something Liam?" Jude asked, "'Cuz Tommy and I were just about to go finish recording,"
"I hate to rain on your parade, but that will have to be delayed. Mr. Mills wants you ASAP,"
Jude gave Tommy an apologetic glance, and she thought that she saw Tommy let out a big sigh, before entering Darius' office.
"Jude!" Darius said with more enthusiasm that was comforting too see him have, "Just who I was looking for!"
"What do you want Darius? Jude questioned.
"You know how I said that I was going to have you sing someone else's songs?"
"How could I forget?" Jude grumbled.
"Well, the person who is donating their songs has been writing them, and will be continuing to up until the middle of the month. So. I will be giving them to you as I get them,"
"Sure," Jude sighed. "Can I get to recording now?"
"Sure," Darius replied, his enthusiasm finally fading. "And before I forget," he said handing Jude another manila folder, "Here's the next song that you should get to working on when your finished recording today,"
Jude gave another huff, before grabbing the folder from the record company owner's hands.
She started heading towards the door, and decided to take a look at the song that Darius had for her to sing, out of curiosity.
"Better Days," she whispered the song's title, and let it burn in her head.
Jude finally headed towards the studio, and recorded her latest song.
"I gotta date," Tommy said quickly, rushing around, and grabbing his coat.
Jude rolled her eyes at Tommy, as he sped out the door.
"Who's he sleeping with now? Jude asked. "Paris Hilton?" Jude asked Kwest, as she set her guitar down.
"I don't think that I should…" Kwest began to say, hitting a few switches consecutively on the soundboard.
"What the hell Kwest?" Jude asked.
"Tom and I don't talk about our sex lives, Jude," Kwest said calmly. "Girls yeah, but not out girlfriends,"
"Fine," Jude mumbled, opening up her guitar case.
Kwest finally shutting off the soundboard, and taking the disk containing Jude's newly recorded song out.
"Night Jude," Kwest said, leaving Jude alone in the studio, as she continued to pack up her things.
In the quiet of the studio, Jude could vaguely hear Shay rapping in the studio next door. Enjoying the raspy beat that she heard, Jude decided to go listen to Shay finish recording a song.
Jude exited the studio, and closed the door behind her, and just as she did so she saw Jamie speed past her.
"Hi Jude! By Jude!" Jamie shouted, waving several papers rolled up scroll style in his hand behind him, and continued running.
Jude's eyes followed Jude, until her was around the corner, and stood confused.
Finally entering Shay's studio, she walked quietly into the sound booth, and watched as his engineer and producer worked enthusiastically on the rap that Shay was currently doing.
Shay's engineer and producer finally decided to take what Jude presumed was a coffee break, and left Jude alone with Shay.
"Hey Jude," Shay said, coolly as ever.
"Hey Shay," Jude said coolly back.
There was an awkward beat of silence.
"Hey Shay?" Jude asked concisely. "Last Sunday I was here late, and I heard someone playing a song. Your Uncle didn't happen to mention anything about an artist of anything, did he?"
"No," Shay responded.
"It's cool," Jude said, shaking her thoughts of the Phantom off.
"Well I gotta go. Later!" Shay called as he went off.
And again, Jude was alone in a studio. When she heard it. The piano.
Jude followed the music again, and let it captivate her again. This time, she was carefully to walk silently, in fear of frightening off the Phantom.
She followed what could only be described as a magical song, when she again arrived in the back of the G-Major building.
She leaned her back against the wall, not daring too look inside the room where the Phantom play.
This time, she heard his voice. It was breathtaking; it had the depth that gave you the chills, yet soothed your entire body like a drug would at the same time.
And she soon heard the man begin to sing.
And you ask me what I want this year
And I try to make this kind and clear
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Cuz I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
And desire and love and empty things
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
Jude stood like a rock. This song understood her perfectly!
Flashback: Christmas 1992:
"Calm down! You're scaring the girls!" Jude's Mother shouted.
"Scare the girls?" Jude's Father asked.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Four-year old Jude watched, unable to move.
"Jude," Sadie, at six, said calmly, grabbing hold of her little sister's wrist.
Jude paid no attention to Sadie's words.
"Come on Jude," Sadie, pulling her sister towards the living room.
Jude slowly began to follow her sister to the Harrison's living room, and Sadie handed Jude her new China doll.
Jude took hold of the fragile doll, and held it closely, and Sadie protected both, wrapping her arms around them.
"I told you that you'd scare the girls!" came a scream, startling Jude.
Unbelievably startled, Jude jumped out of her sister's grasp, and into the air, allowing the China doll to fly across the room, and shatter into pieces. Just as the rest of her life soon would.
End of Flashback:
And Jude's mind came back into the present, and continued to be captivated by the song.
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
And it's someplace simple where we could live
And something only you can give
And thats faith and trust and peace while we're alive
And the one poor child that saved this world
And there's 10 million more who probably could
If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
I wish everyone was loved tonight
And somehow stop this endless fight
Just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
So take these words
And sing out loud
Cuz everyone is forgiven now
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
Cuz tonight's the night the world begins again
And when the music subsided, Jude could feel her entire body shaking, and she began to feel that dizziness that you feel when you have just experience that song- adrenalin, and she tipped over.
Catching her balance, Jude slammed her foot down.
Jude looked in to make sure that she didn't disturb the Phantom, but she was too late. The Phantom was already up, and dashing out of the room. Jude barely made out the outline of a man, maybe a little over 6 feet.
Jude sighed, and headed back towards the lobby to get her guitar, so that she could go home for the night, and get a good nights rest; if she could sleep at all, that is.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, including the song "Better Days" by the Goo Goo Dolls
A/N: So… what do you think? Sorry about the infrequency of updates, but with school and everything else, updates sometimes take longer to get written and up. Thanks for the feedback! I hope that this chapter didn't disappoint you! Any feedback is appreciated:-)