GENERAL POV
Zoey peeked out from behind the curtain at the groups of people milling about the festival grounds. The day was overcast but that didn't seem to bother the people. Some were at the food stalls or the rides nearby, but most were scattered about before the stage on picnic blankets or in chairs.
"Looks like a pretty good crowd" she turned, letting the curtain fall back in place, to face Mathew, the band manager. Having a friend of her parents as their manager had seemed odd to Zoey but over the years it bled into normalcy. He patted her shoulder, "You guys are gonna be great, its not like you haven't preformed before."
Zoey shrugged, crossing her arms over her purple t-shirt, the band name 'Multihued' in bright bold letters across it. "Sure, but that was small gigs at birthday parties or the like. This is a few hundred people at this festival."
"Awe don't tell me Miss Zoey is afraid of a crowd." Zoey scowled at the young man who came strolling up, his blue acoustic bass guitar hanging from a strap across his shoulders, his red shirt matching the dyed streaks in his brown hair.
"Blow it out your ear Alex." She said with no real heat behind her words.
"Now, now children we have to go on in a few minutes can we save this witty commentary till after?" Seth scolded gently coming to stand beside Alex. They were twins in every sense of the word. Other than Seth had his hair with green streaks to match his shirt, and he played their lead guitar. Zoey also thought he was far less annoying than his brash sibling.
"Who are you calling a child? Your only like, all of, two minutes older than me." Alex grumbled.
"Those must have been a very peaceful two minutes for the universe." Mumbled short blond who came shuffling up in a yellow t-shirt holding a set of drumsticks.
Alex hissed, "Shut up Leo"
A muscular man, a good head taller came up and smacked Alex upside the head, a saxophone held in his other hand.
"Ouch! What the hell Jack!"
"Be nice to my little brother." Was all Jack said before walking over to his place behind the curtain.
Zoey smiled and held up her hands, "Alright guys come on let's get our game face on, this is probably the biggest crowd we've gotten to play for so let's blow them away!"
Alex continued to grumble but none the less walked to his position and the others followed suit. Mathew nodded, wishing them luck, before heading out of the curtain to introduce them. Zoey took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Steading herself on the mic stand in front of her. Mathew's voice floated back to them.
"Good afternoon everyone! Are you all having a good time?" An enthusiastic cheer from lots of young voices resounded. "That's great! We are so excited to be performing at the Jefferson Summer Festival today. I've been with this group from their creation six years ago, and I have never had the privilege to work with amore talented group of young people."
Seth leaned over to Zoey, "Are we still young people if we are all in our twenties?" but Zoey quickly shushed him.
Mathew's intro continued on, talking about their touring and the songs they loved to do. "But you're not here to listen to me drone on. You're here for them! So, with that, I want you all to sit back and enjoy: Multihued!"
The curtain opened and the everyone set into the opening for their first song. Seth and Alex's instruments setting the pace. Zoey hummed along with the melody, her silver eyes sparkling as she opened them her smooth Alto ringing out clear and sharp, in time with the cords.
So you found a place where the grass is greener
And you jumped the fence to the other side
Is it good?
Are they giving you a world I could never provide?
Flicking her long curly black hair out of her face, Zoey walked to the edge of the stage and crouched to be eye level with the crowd of kids who'd gathered there. They were practically jumping with giddiness, and several others bobbing their heads to the beat.
Well I hope you're proud of your big decision
Yeah I hope it's all that you want and more
Now you're free
Well I hope you're proud of your big decision
Yeah, I hope it's all that you want and more
Now you're free
From the agonizing life you were living before
Standing and spinning, in a practiced movement, she practically floated back to her place by the mic stand. Her boys keeping the rhythm, Mathew off in the wings stood by a mic, gently tapping a tambourine.
And you say what you need to say
So that you get to walk away
It would kill you to have to stay trapped
When you've got somethin' new
Well I'm sorry you had it rough
And I'm sorry I'm not enough
Thank God they rescued you
The music from the speakers was barely covering up the distant sound of rolling thunder, and everyone was enjoying the performance very few noticed the wind shifting, stronger. Zoey continued to dance around the stage, her hand clasped around a simple heart shaped pendant, which held the picture of her and her parents. It was the last photo they had taken as a family before they had died in a car crash, four years ago, just after her 18th birthday. She'd gotten her love of Disney from them. And while she was in high school they had introduced her to Mathew, a long-time friend of theirs, who'd helped her find a group of kids around her age who had music in their hearts and fingers just as she did. And the band was the only thing that helped her pick up the pieces after the accident that had stolen her parents away.
Zoey stalked over to stand with the twins on either side of her, they leaned into their microphones adding their deeper vocals to the next verse.
So you got what you always wanted
So you got your dream-come-true
Good for you
Good for you, you, you
Got a taste of a life so perfect
So you did what you had to do
Good for you
Good for you
They were the closest thing she had to a family now. And she loved them, even the obnoxious bass player. Her heart still ached with her loss but losing herself in the magic that was Multihued's music. Her boys had helped dull the pain over the years. The stage lights appeared to glow brighter as the sky slowly darkened as thick clouds rolled in.
Does it cross your mind to be slightly sorry?
Do you even care that you might be wrong?
Was it fun?
Well I hope you had a blast
While you dragged me along
Mathew looked on from the side of the stage, beaming proudly. Zoey had come out of her shell over the last few years. he glanced skyward eyes softening with a familiar pain. "Wish you could see her Anthony." He whispered, eyes going misty as he brought his eyes back to the young woman who looked so much like her father. His wife, however, still swore Zoey was a perfect blend of her parents. Her mother's middle eastern ancestry as well as her father's Italian blending together seamlessly.
And you say what you need to say
And you play who you need to play
And if somebody's in your way
Crush them and leave them behind
By this point the crowd, were all on their feet, practically screaming the lyrics along with the band. As lightning cracked ominously overhead the twins glanced up nervously but managed to stay on key.
Well, I guess if I'm not of use
Go ahead, you can cut me loose
Go ahead now, I won't mind
I'll shut my mouth and I'll let you go
Is that good for you?
Would that be good for you, you, you?
I'll just sit back while you run the show
Is that good for you?
Would that be good for you, you, you?
All I need is some time to think
But the boat is about to sink
Can't erase what I wrote in ink
Tell me how could you change the story?
All the words that I can't take back
Like a train coming off the track
'Cause the rails and my bones all crack
I've got to find a way to
Stop it stop it
Just let me out
A crack of lightning jerked Zoey's attention to the sky, she glanced to Mathew for direction, but he was squinting up at the sky suspiciously, his hand coming up to tap the Bluetooth headset in his ear. Glancing over her shoulder to her band mates, who only shrugged and continued playing, figuring they'd finish at least one song at the very least.
So you got what you always wanted
So you got your dream come true
Good for you
Good for you, you, you
Got a taste of a life so perfect
Now you say that you're someone new
Good for you
Good for you
Good for you
Good for you
So you got what you always wanted
They ended on the final blaring note, and were soon echoed by a crash of thunder, followed by a siren blaring out just as the wind picked up and the rain started to fall. The band shared a quick glance and nodded scattering to help direct the people to the nearest shelter, or pack away the instruments. Everything seemed to happen so fast. It took several minutes for everyone to get to the nearby restrooms. Thunder cracked overhead as they herded everyone into the structure. It was a tight fit, but the band members stayed near the doorways. As the storm raged several of the children covered their ears, and a few started to cry.
Zoey knelt down and began humming a song her parents had taught her as a child in an attempt to sooth the children. And it appeared to be working, until a shrill scream was herd from outside. Zoey sprang to her feet and carefully pulled the door slightly open. Not far, a young boy was curled under the structure of one of the food stalls, a tree hanging precariously against the flimsy beams. Zoey pulled open the door and bolted for the boy.
"Zoey wait!" she herd Mathew call but pressed on. The wind was almost at level strong enough to knock her off her feet. She could almost hear the wood creaking against the weight of the tree. She grabbed the boy by the wrist and yanked him backwards, sending them tumbling to the ground, just as the stall gave way. The child clung to her side as she fought to her feet and turned trying to lead him back to the shelter. They were fighting the wind as it tried to knock them from their feet. She squinted past the falling rain and saw Mathew standing in the light doorway of the shelter. His eyes locked on them.
It was a slow trek, but they inched their way forward, debris flying around them. And just as she thought they were home free, she caught movement from the corner of her eye. Glancing right she saw table come flying toward them. On instinct she shoved the boy, sending him stumbling forward, Mathew running the remaining few paces to grab him and pushed him behind him to the safety of the shelter. Mathew turned back to reach for her just as the table came and knocked her off her feet. Allowing the wind to help send her tumbling away.
"ZOEY!"
She clawed at the grass in an attempt to stay grounded, lighting flashed, and the ground she held gave way sending her flying. She tumbled head over foot, disoriented. Until her motion was stopped by the trunk of a very solid oak tree. Her back hit first and then her head with a resounding crack. Slumping, she felt her eyes get heavy, and her vision began to blur. And just before everything went black she could almost swear. That everything around her had a purple glow.
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ZOEY POV
I groaned as consciousness returned and sat up rubbing my head. Opening my eyes only to shut them quickly as I rubbed to dislodge the sand in my eyes. I froze, blinking in confusion, Sand? I jerked my head up only to wince at the pain in my head and stared open mouthed at the miles of sad that surrounded me and gazed up at the star filled sky.
"What happened?" I groaned as I stood and brushed the sand from my outfit. Glancing around I was getting the freakiest sense of DeJa'Vu.
"You...are late" a cold voice hissed from just behind the sand hill to my back, and I froze for a split second before crouching down as flat as I could. Swallowing hard I inched toward the top of the hill on hands and knees.
"A thousand apologies, O patient one."
"You have it, then?"
"I had to slit a few throats to get it."
Peaking up over the rise of the hill I glanced down and saw two people, one astride a black horse with familiar attire and a parrot on his shoulder and a scruffy looking stout man who must have dismounted. I felt what little moisture I had left evaporate in my mouth as I recognized the scene. The stout one jerk something away from Jafar tauntingly.
"Ah, ah, ahhh! The treasure!"
Iago swooped down and snatched the item from him, circling around to deposit it into Jafar's awaiting hand.
"Trust me, my pungent friend. You'll get what's coming to you."
"What's coming to you! Awk!"
A bright light shorn from his hands and shot off in the distance.
"Quickly, follow the trail!"
The small man mounted his horse and shot off after the retreating vizier. As they disappeared into the distance I felt my muscles turn to jelly as I collapsed to the ground. I rolled to my back and stared unblinkingly at the stars.
"Ok," I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That was Jafar…in the opening scene of Aladdin…." It didn't sound any less crazy when spoken aloud. Sitting up I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers. The way I saw it one of two things was happening here. This was either an extremely vivid hallucination/dream, or, and my stomach rolled at the possibility, I had some how ended up in a fiction universe, filled with unknown dangers and spontaneous bursting into song.
"Well mom always said take it like it's the worst-case scenario and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised." And really if it was a dream, it wasn't gonna do any harm to treat it like it was real until I woke up. And if it wasn't…..well I'd have to survive regardless until I found a way back home. Pushing myself to my feet I could have almost cried when I saw Agrabah in the distance. Thank God it wasn't as far as it could have been.
"Well, it's not getting any closer with me standing around, and I'd rather do most the trek before the debilitating sun comes up." With that I stumbled my way down the sand dunes and in the direction of Agrabah.