A/N: Thank you to kinnik, Aimeeok, sugarspinsister, outinritefield1, ashmo2000, ciasteczko, sybilh, E. B. Rhome, 34ken, kate, evasmomforever, gizmokc8, MissRon, Guest, Perfecta999, Estrella75, kelpie169, suzyq59 and LostInSpace33 for reviewing the last chapter. The response to this story has been wonderful and I love you all for reading, reviewing, favouriting and following it.
I found a beta! Her name is kelpie169 and she's awesome. She runs this really cool fan fiction blog that you should all check out called Kelpie's Korner (I'll put a link on my profile).
So I'm going to start alternating between the past and the present, Sookie is the present and Eric is the past and it's all written in italics. I hope this works and I hope you all like it.
Monday, October 7, 2002 - Bon Temps High School - Auditorium
We managed to book the auditorium for three hours on a Monday afternoon. We needed a second guitarist to round out the band; it would give us a better sound or so Bill said. I wasn't against it and having another guitarist would allow us to do more, but finding a fifth member was easier said than done.
"I can't believe we'll need to do this to find a new drummer too." Bill said angrily. We had been watching mediocre guitarists who barely knew their cords all afternoon and we were all annoyed.
"What's wrong with Terry?" Alcide asked shovelling chips into his mouth. He was a huge guy, he always had been, even in elementary school but now that size was being put to good use. He was the Bon Temps Hawks quarterback and all he did was eat, play football, play bass and sleep. If we didn't make it as a band he would make it into the NFL; Alcide's future was bright.
"Terry is a stoner who misses practice more than he attends it." Bill took a long sip of his water. "We are looking for a new drummer." His word was final. "How many more people do we still have to watch today?" He asked me.
Bill and I were friends because I knew how to play four instruments, guitar, bass, piano and violin. He was a year older than me and it was rare anyone older would befriend someone younger, but Bill wanted to be in a band and he wanted to play with the best. Apparently I was it.
I looked at the clipboard. "We have three people left." I said pulling at my red flannel shirt. I was going through a Nirvana phase.
Bill pushed the hair out of his face, we all had the same long shagged haircuts-in our eyes, over our ears, covering our foreheads. He was wearing a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and the same ripped jeans I was. He looked over at the nerdy freshman girl we employed to corral all the 'talent'. "Send the next one in."
I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "I swear if I hear another Jimi Hendrix song I'm going to lose my mind."
"Samesies." Alcide agreed.
We all looked up when the tallest girl I had ever seen walked across the stage. I knew who she was, everyone did. She was Sookie Stackhouse. Her mother abandoned her and her brother once her father died of cancer eight years prior and she was forced to live with her grandmother. Her brother was a dropout and the Stackhouse's were generally looked down upon with the exception of her grandmother Adele.
She was at least 5'11 and thin but not skinny with long wavy blonde hair and awkward features that would become beautiful once she grew into them. She wore a white tank top, tight black jeans and knee high bikers boots. This was her usually style, but I had never noticed the tattoo on the underside of her upper arm and I was too far away to make out what it was. A Fender was strapped around her shoulder.
"What's your name?" Bill asked; he was trying to play this completely aloof, the Simon Cowell of our group, but he knew exactly who she was. She was the girl we all secretly wanted to get with because of her 'I don't give a fuck' attitude. Her mystery made her hot-even if none of us were willing to admit it because she didn't look 'acceptable' high school hot.
"Sookie Stackhouse." She said adjusting the guitar strap. "You put an ad in the school news paper and the Bon Temp Times looking for a guitarist and here I am."
"What are you gonna play for us Sookie?" Alcide asked.
"'A Bullet With Butterfly Wings'." She looked smug like she knew we thought she'd be shit and she couldn't wait to prove us wrong.
"The Smashing Pumpkins song?" I asked shocked by her choice.
"That's the one." She smirked at me as she plugged in her guitar. She strummed it a few times to check the sound and make sure it was in tune. Already I knew she'd be different. "I'm gonna sing too, is that cool?"
"Whatever you'd like." Bill said calmly. "It's your audition."
"Okay, I'm gonna play the whole song so don't try and stop me." Her lips twisted into a skewed smile as she stepped up to the microphone and began to sing.
The world is a vampire, sent to drain/Secret destroyers, hold you up to the flames/And what do I get, for my pain/Betrayed desires, and a piece of the game
Every other person who auditioned played some huge elaborate song, usually Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, trying to pack in as many notes as they could with the hopes of impressing us, but Sookie wasn't doing that. That wasn't what this was; this song was a great song, a song that could fully express her talent without being too obvious. She didn't have to be. I could tell by the way she was playing that she was not going to support me-she was our lead guitarist.
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage/Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage/Someone will say, "What is lost can never be saved"/Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
She started singing the chorus and the guitar tore through the auditorium and knocked the wind out of me. She had no support-no bass line, no percussion-yet the sound was full. I grabbed Bill's knee to let him know I was impressed. I looked over at him to see nothing but a blank expression. Even though he was trying to cover up what he was thinking like he always did, his pupils were dilated, I could see the vein in his neck beating furiously and his hands were balled into tight fists. Alcide had a look of awe on his face.
Now I'm naked, nothing but an animal/But can you fake it, for just one more show/And what do you want, I want to change/And what have you got when you feel the same
This was the girl. No ifs, ands or buts.
Even though I know, I suppose I'll show/All my cool and cold, like old job
The chorus came around again and a powerful voice poured out of her; you could hear her rage, her conviction, the pain and the anger of being fatherless, abandoned, the sister of a fuck up, the school outcast and it was fucking beautiful. As a musician there was nothing better than someone who could play their instrument and play it well.
Tell me I'm the only one/Tell me there's no other one/Jesus was an only son/Tell me I'm the chosen one/Jesus was an only son for you
The awkwardness in her features and her too long limbs was gone. She looked like rockstar-this was easy for her, effortless. She was perfectly at home on the stage, becoming one with the instrument.
Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a/Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a/Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage
I knew there were plenty of other people who could play guitar like this, but there was something about her; a quality you either had or you didn't. A quality that intrigued people, that made them curious. Hers was so strong that it scared people away. I wasn't sure if it was a quality I possessed and while I was in awe of her, I also envied her. I was jealous of her talent, a talent I may never acquire, but I couldn't let my ego get the best of me. If she was great it would force me to be better and the band would be better because of it. We needed her.
She looked right at us for the last lines of the song, a self-satisfied smile on her face knowing she had floored us.
And I still believe that I cannot be saved/And I still believe that I cannot be saved/And I still believe that I cannot be saved/And I still believe that I cannot be saved
She finished and took a step away from the microphone as she pushed her hair back and wiped the sweat off her brow.
Alcide, Bill and myself didn't move while the freshman clapped furiously followed by a quick, "whoo!" We all turned our heads to look at her for a moment and she turned red as she sank back into her seat. We all turned back to look at Sookie.
When none of us did anything she moved back to the microphone. "That was it." She stared at us as we wrapped our head around what we had just witnessed. "Do want me to leave?" She shrugged, her voice laced with irritation at our lack of feedback.
"Yes, can you please step outside for a moment while we discuss?" Bill asked.
She sighed. "Alright." She slung her guitar around her back and exited through the side door, opposite the one she came in.
Alcide and I stood immediately making noises of excitement. "Holy shit!" Alcide exclaimed.
"That was amazing." I beamed.
"It was okay." Bill said quietly.
"How did no one know she could play like this?" I asked baffled. "You think someone in the school would have discovered her talent by now."
"I knew she could play. I just didn't know it would be like that." Bill's face was still steely as he stared at the place she just stood in.
Alcide and I looked at him with confused looks on our faces. "You knew she could play and never suggested her?" I asked running my hand through my hair. "I thought you wanted the best. She's it."
"My dad teaches music; she's in his class and he talks about her a lot. I knew, I just didn't think she was right for the band." He shrugged.
"Why not?" I questioned.
"Do you really want to give up your position as lead guitarist to her?" Bill inquired crossing his arms.
"To her? Yes, it'll free me up to do so much more. I can learn to play new instruments to add to our sound. No not add-it'll give us A sound. It's been two years and we've only written three songs. Maybe she's exactly what we need." I paused looking at him. "Why are you so against her?"
"Why do you care so much? Is it because you have a crush on her?" He cocked an eyebrow.
"Why are you being such a dick?" I asked completely confused. "And for the record everyone in this school wants to fuck her, okay? It's like the unspoken guy code." I looked over at Alcide. "Right?"
He nodded. "She's hot in a way my brain doesn't understand."
"I think you don't want her in the band because she's more talented than you." I put my hands on my hips.
He scoffed. "Now who's being a dick?" He rubbed his face and sighed. "Fine, okay, she's amazing and we need to have her in the band."
Alcide smiled. "Yes!" He reached over to give me a high five.
"The female dynamic is always a recipe for disaster though. Just sayin'." Bill said grabbing the clipboard and circling her name.
"What does that mean?" I questioned.
"I mean three guys in a band with a girl we all want to fuck...that's gonna cause problems." He looked over at the freshman. "Amanda, tell the other two to go home." She sprang up and quickly left the auditorium.
"I'm sure once we get to know her the allure will go away. She'll become more of a sister than a person of interest." I reasoned.
"Fine, but one day I know I'll get to say I told you so." He sighed again as Alcide sat back down. "Bring her back in." Bill motioned towards the door.
I ran over to the side door and stuck my head out. She was sitting on the floor playing the guitar. The song didn't sound familiar-it could have possibly been something of her own composition. "You can come in now." I smiled at her.
She stood and sauntered casually through the door I was holding open for her. She smelled fruity, probably whatever spray she could find at the local drug store like most girls our age. She headed for the stage, guitar in hand. "Hey!" I shouted at her, "you can come sit here with us. The audition is over."
She nodded and followed me back to where Bill and Alcide were sitting. I was excited, partly because I was intrigued by her, but mostly because with her in the band we had an actual chance of making it.
I took my original seat and she sat in the row in front of us, turning her body to look at the three of us. "So am I in or what?" She asked bluntly.
"That was really good Sookie." Bill praised her with a cool voice.
"I know." She agreed.
"You're a junior, right?" He questioned.
She nodded. "Yep and you two are seniors," she said pointing at me and Alcide, "and you're victory lapping." She grinned pointing at Bill. A victory lap was when a senior took an extra year of high school to gain courses they may have missed or needed for college. In Bill's case a victory lap was just a time suck so he didn't have to make any real decisions about his life.
"That's right." He laughed and flashed that charming Compton smile. "Where did you learn to play like that?"
She shrugged and pulled her hair back as she tied it into a ponytail. "My dad used to play and when he died I inherited the guitar. I wanted to know how to play, but no one could teach me. So I went to the library and checked out a book on guitar cords."
"You learned how to play like that from a book?" I asked stunned.
"Well not just from a book. I mean, I taught myself the cords and I listened to all kinds of music, learning how each cord sounded in different ways. Then I just kept playing until I could compose. Joining band in freshman year was incredibly helpful." She looked at Bill. "Your father is a good teacher."
We all nodded. "Well, we want you to be in the band!" Alcide said excitedly.
"Alcide," Bill chided and looked back at Sookie. "Yes, we'd like you to join the band."
"Cool." She smiled, her first real smile since she had stepped out in front of us. She had a prominent gap in her teeth that made her look sweet and not as intimidating or mean. The mystery was already lifting, she'd be a friend in no time and I would get to tell Bill 'I told you so'.
"Tomorrow we are doing this again to find a drummer and then Thursday is practice. Can you be there for both?" Bill asked.
"I'll have to switch my shift around but I should be able to make the Thursday practice." Sookie worked at Bellefleur's, the best pub in town. Bill had been trying to get us a gig there since the band had been formed, but he was always unsuccessful.
She stood and grabbed her guitar. "If it helps, I know a girl in band who's a pretty sweet drummer. She can sing too and has expressed interest in joining a new band. I mean, I can invite her to the practice and if it doesn't work then we'll do auditions." She stared at Bill already realizing he was the ring leader. "Sound good?" She asked, already half way out the door.
Bill rolled his eyes. "Just make sure she brings her own equipment."
She gave a throaty laugh. "Will do," she said as she left the auditorium.
Bill stared at where she disappeared through the door and sighed. "I really fucking hope this works. I'll text Terry and tell him he's out." He stood and left through the back door.
"We're gonna be rockstars, man!" Alcide smiled widely and leaned back in his seat as he munched on his chips again.
While we didn't have a name yet-that would come later-that was the day Perihelion was born.
It was also the day I started believing in fate.
What did you all think?
I love the flashbacks, I really love writing from Eric's point of view.
I have put a link to the song Sookie sings on my profile, A Bullet with Butterfly Wings by The Smashing Pumpkins. It's a pretty amazing song if you've never heard it.
Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review if you can!