Chapter 13

Anxious Steps Through the First Set

Mae closes the trunk to Bea's car, but pauses as she stares at the hatch releases a shaky breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. For just a moment, she swears she sees shapes at the edge of her vision, but she shakes it off and makes her way to the passenger's seat. "This is really it… make or break."

Bea shakes her head. "Not quite that extreme, but… it's a big leap for us." She climbs behind the wheel and grips the wheel just a bit tightly. "If this show goes well, it could be a huge change for the better. If not… well, we keep trying. Not like every band gets big or ruined by a single show."

"Y-yeah, but uh…" Mea squirms a bit as she shifts beneath her buckle. "… Jackie did say around two hundred and fifty people were coming to this one… and that college news crew with a paper and a radio show…"

"And a few journalism students looking to do full video interviews, yeah. B-But I think we can handle it. Angus and I can keep out cool just fine, Angus eats up the camera, Law being so nervous but frankly adorable will go over well… you just be your chaotic self and be sure to step away if you start derealizing."

Mae nods and tries to shake it all off. "R-Right… I'll probably be a lot calmer by the time we get there. Once I'm that deep into it, there's no point panicking. Doing it anyway, ya know?"

Bea huffs and starts the car, pulling away from the Borowski residence and out towards the highway. "I feel that. It's like hating fixing that damn furnace, but I just get there and put up with it, and fall into the rhythm of fixing it over and over again. This'll basically be the same as our practice and job interviews, just on a bigger scale, and more casual with the interviews."

"Right…" Mae's face slowly lifts. "And hey… we look good going into this." She pulls the left visor down to check herself in the mirror. Her outfit hasn't changed much, mostly the zero on her shirt replaced with a cocky, angry, grinning outline of an emoji face. The biggest change is her fur being grows out just a tad, with streaks of the same turquoise as her bass over her tips. Bea meanwhile is going in just a bit brighter, her ankh dress now given a bright silver trim to match the ankh itself, and her leggings smoothly transitioning from a deep blue-green to the same silver around her ankles, under a slightly taller pair of boots. Her dress is also a higher cut, showing off more of the legs Mae can't help but be very fond of, and sleeveless with a long-sleeved shirt in the same deep blue-green fading to silver as her leggings. A few months ago, Mae couldn't have imagined Bea wearing something so bright. Now, she's almost expecting Bea to break out glowsticks and neon facepaint at Jackie's next party. Actually, that sounds really fun to wear for the next concert…

Of course, Bea is reveling in her new look and new outlook as well, bearing confident grin as she merges onto the highway. "Oh, we're gonna slay tonight."

With one press of a button and hands together, their favorite station and each other's presence soothes their nerves and brings little more than excitement with every passing minute. Just a couple hours later, that all-too-familiar college town and the shores of the Red Winder that brought them together are in sight. The time's finally come.

Night in the Woods' first show is in just a couple more hours, and soon, the dull days of their dead-end town will be far behind them.

They arrive to find Jackie waiting out front, lowering her shades to look them both over. "… Not bad. The boys have done about as much, too. You're the last ones here, by the way."

"Ugh." Mae slumps. "Knew that would happen. Sorry, my dad made breakfast for lunch and we stuck around for seconds."

"Actually, that's fair." Jackie chuckles. "You'll need that meal for tonight. I also made sure to secure some hoagies from the best place in town for yas to have backstage before it all kicks off."

Bea peeks up from the trunk as she pulls out her instrument case. "Wait, that place that does the curly wedge fries as crisp as chips?

"Yes, and I made sure to get a huge order of those for everyone too."

Mae almost starts to salivate. "Ok, if we can't all get straight to Bright Harbor, we move here and order from that place every week."

"Way ahead of ya on that, Mayday."

"Oh, there you are!" Law almost bounces up the stairs. "I've been setting up cameras and testing acoustics for an hour already. This place is perfect! The stage is just the right size, we can easily do the tunnel edit if we record it before everyone arrives, and the stone walls and curved ceilings give the place and almost church-like echo! It's we couldn't have gotten a better venue for this video!" He starts his way back down, proving as acrobatic as Mae when he leaps down half the stairs and lands with a roll into a sprint back towards the stage.

Jackie chuckles. "Little man's really in his element here. Whether this works out for your band or not, he's goin' places."

Bea smirks. "Didn't need to tell me that."

Stepping down into the abandoned station, the girls find the stage opposite them now occupied by Gregg, Angus, and Selma testing the equipment, particularly the speakers Jackie rented for the occasion. Angus hums as he listens to a few chords over them. "Pretty strong… no additional noise, bass is solid, but not overwhelming." He hums and strokes his chin a bit, almost obscuring his new black and red striped tie, matching his guitar. "Jackie really knows how to pick 'em."

Gregg nods eagerly and shreds out a quick solo. "Oooohoho that sounds good!" Gregg drops to his knees as he finishes the solo, arching his back and thrusting out his chest, now clad in a bright cyan shirt to match his own guitar. "This is gonna be awesome!"

The biggest change among the crew though, is Selma. She really let her fur grow out, and now has messy strands with blue tips scattered in every possible direction, bouncing with every strike of her drums. "I thought that was obvious when we scheduled this!" She rolls through a few more beats before setting her sticks down. "We gotta celebrate before this kicks off. One last thing to hype ourselves up."

"I think I've got that covered." Everyone turns to see Jason Myers stepping up with a cooler. "All of you are old enough, so I made sure to get something good for yas." He hold a hand out to Mae to cut her off before she can speak. "I know you can't with your meds, so I got ya something non-alcoholic, but it's made by the same brand. Real nice imported wine in individual bottles, very sweet desert wine. Same flavor for the non-alcoholic." He passes those two bottles to Mea and Law as he cracks each of them open. "You're all taking a huge leap today, and can't be happier that you're getting my son in on it…" He chuckles. "and helped me to meet him in the first place. So.." He raises his bottle. "To Night in the Woods!"

Gregg raises his. "To the best damn band to ever come from out backwoods shithole of a town!"

Angus next. "To new beginnings and a brighter future."

Be hums and nods as she raises her own. "To our fucked-up found family finally achieving our dreams."

Law nearly jumps as he thrusts his drink up and almost spills some. "To proving them all wrong. We're not outcasts and losers, we're the coolest people to ever ditch Possum Springs!"

Mae stares at her own for a few moments before raising her bottle. "… To Casey. For setting us all on this path, starting this band to begin with and bringing us together… so we can achieve his dream of finally getting anywhere." Gregg tears up slightly and nods, his grin widening. Mae returns it with a few tears of her own, somehow paired with the most determined and confident smile of her life. "TO NIGHT IN THE WOODS!"

"TO NIGHT IN THE WOODS!"

And with that, everyone downs their first swigs and cheers.

The night has only just begun, but it's already something they'll never forget.

.


.

The crowd that starts piling in an hour before the show rivals the last of Jackie's parties held here, and more are sure to show yet. Mae is starting to pace in the back, only halted by Bea taking her hand. "Mayday, come on. We'll be fine. We've been practicing, a hell of a lot. We're ready for this."

Mae bites her lip. "I-I know, Beabea, but… w-what if I start to derealize? T-The last time I had this many eyes on me…"

Bea swiftly pulls her into a hug, and tops it off with a quick, but tender kiss. "Forget the crowd. Focus on what each song makes you feel. Focus on the people you're doing this for."

Mae's eyes slowly focus, through the few tears that have failed to fall. With a quick nod and a smile, she wipes them away on her sleeve. "Right. We've gotta be ready for our future together. This is the next big step."

Bea nods. "And if you ever feel is coming, make your way to me, and I'll level you out. Ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I can do that."

"Look alive, people!" Everyone turns to Jackie as she approaches with a small camera crew behind her. "Guys, this is a crew for the Winder Inquirer. Local news source that wanted the first scoop on you. They were hoping to spice the night up and give people an inside look with an interview between each set."

Angus hums. "Could be interesting. Don't think we've got much of anything to hide, and the publicity's sure to be good."

Gregg claps and wrings his hands together. "Oh yeah, I'm in. This should be a blast! So, Right after the first set, still up on stage with some background music?"

Jackie nods. "Straight off your youtube channel, actually. And we'll be getting copies of the interviews to put up there ourselves."

He lead reporter, a gazelle in a powder blue jacket, steps up with a grin. "Wonderful to meet you all! I'm Dahlia Jefferson, feel free to call me DJ."

Mae points. "Hey, wait, I've seen some of your interviews before!" She nearly jumps away from Bea. "Didn't you punch that one guy harassing you a few months ago when he grabbed the camera?"

DJ grins. "Oh, yes I did. And I was within my rights to do so, seeing as he was stealing private property and attempting to use that camera to get some frankly illegal footage of me. Apparently, I almost broke his jaw, too."

Mea looks to Bea as she gestures with both arms to the reporter. "Absolute badass."

"Yeah, I'd say so." Bea chuckles. "Should make for a fun interview."

"Oh, I know it will be." DJ's smile widens. "I've been looking forward to this opportunity for weeks. I put a lot of effort into researching you all and your town, and found some rather interesting things."

Mae's face falls. "O-Oh no…"

DJ raises her hands. "Don't worry, Jackie already told me about the derealization, and seeing the town's only known doctor on the list of confirmed cultists painted a pretty clear picture. I see this as a great opportunity to bring light to a condition that doesn't get any public attention."

Mae falls silent for a few moments. "… O… Ok. That could work. I think I can do that."

"If it's too much, don't hesitate to tell me, and I'll hold back. It's ruin a perfectly good interview if I overwhelmed the stars."

Selma spins a stick in her left hand. "Let's go over my addiction problems too then, no point keeping anything in the dark, especially if we're gonna be discussing the cult."

"Yyyyep." Gregg ends that affirmation with a notable pop. "Ya know, it'll be kinda nice to not be so quiet about that, actually. Cops never gave us any gag orders, so…"

Jackie nods in agreement as she adjusts her glasses. "Which means discussing it here is sure to draw some attention, especially seeing as it's still such a hot topic. We've got a plan, now to execute it. You're on in five minutes, and the crowd out there is looking hungry." She chuckles. "Also, Mae, your parents are in the front row, your dad thankfully convinced your mom not to be cringe and brag about you too much before this even starts. She also looks surprisingly good?" She tilts her head. "Like… ditching the sweaters and going for that ruffled green blouse made her look pretty awesome for her age, she's fitting in pretty well out there."

Bea facepalms. "You and your thing for MILFs. Ok, get a move on, we need to clear our heads a bit before we take the stage."

"Got it." Jackie waves from over her shoulder as she walks off with the news crew.

Gregg slowly looks to Mae with a wild grin. "MILF, huh?"

"SHUT."

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Soon enough, a massive crowd has gathered, filling the vast majority of the abandoned station and pressed up to the stage. Mae takes a deep breath as she tests her fingers against her strings, reaffirming her skills. This is the moment that could decide her whole future. All her closest friends' futures, too.

She's terrified. For a moment, her vision starts to swim, and she sees that gaping hole opening up before her, with fractals of breaking shapes in her peripherals. She can almost hear it singing.

Until a familiar saxophone begins to creep into her ears, the Hollerers backing her up from afar. For just a moment, she swears she can feel a familiar hand gliding across her own and guiding her across the strings as the hole fills in.

She takes a deep breath and straightens her back. "Ok… ready, guys?"

Gregg nods as he turns his gaze to the curtain. "Born ready."

Bea smirks. "We've got this Mayday."

Angus adjusts his glasses as they reflect the changing color lights. "We're prepared, and then some."

Selma slowly raises her sticks above her head and crosses them. "Let's bring this whole place down in one go."

Mae slowly smirks and nods, looking to the curtain, feeling the eyes of the crowd beyond it. "Alright. Weird Autumn to kick it off, then."

Before the curtains even open, Selma starts knocking her sticks together for the count, and Mae begins her bassline. The crowd starts to cheer as the curtains are drawn, and the lights bear down on the band. It's jarring at first, but seeing her parents eager grins in the front row, and even her therapist, Mr. Chazakov, and Mr. Myers with them, grounds her in seconds. Mae's grin widens as the rest of the band joins her, and she loses herself in the music all over again.

For a moment, the stage is gone. The cheering is in her head, just as it had been for those first few practice sessions when they just started. When Casey was still with them.

And she knows he still is. She can feel him, here and now, in spirit, cheering them on to achieve his dream.

The future is waiting. A better town, a better home, and a better life are waiting. And she's not waiting any longer. None of them are. As Angus begins to sing, it starts to hit her just how weird that autumn really was. It's only been a few months, and until now, it felt like her life barely changed. Looking back, the events of those few months have become a blur. They're the discordant shapes now, while what's ahead is bright and clear.

She knows some dark patches will come along, and her mind will break them down, and she'll break too. But she'll get back up stronger, because if that forsaken demigod and his dickhead worshipers couldn't keep her down, then nothing can!

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.

The first set goes off without a hitch all the way through to the final song. They decide if they're about to go into an interview, they may as well end it on a more emotional note. Everyone looks to Bea, and she nods as she adjusts her keyboard to sound like a normal piano.

She starts with slow, singular notes every second, somber and broken. She slowly builds to sets of three at the same pace, and begins to sing her only personal song on the setlist.

Why

Must

I

Live

In his shadow…

Now

I

Just

Wish

I could let you know..

Her keystrokes grow longer, the notes deeper, and soon forming dramatic chords.

Nothing could ever be the same

It took only one word to start this pain

Then ten months of suffering, and I never saw you again…

I never could find the words to say

Just stared at your casket for half the day

If not for the flowers I might have just run away

She stops playing for just a moment.

Your black rose bouquet

Finally, everyone else joins her, keeping to the somber tune, but adding some rebelliousness in Gregg's short and slightly discordant riffs, a deep-seated pain in Angus's rhythm, and underlying helplessness in Mae's bass.

From there

Life just

Got so

Much worse

In his shadow

Album

Photos

My face

He loathes

As the pain grows

She starts to nearly slam on her keys, tears forming in her eyes, but she continues to play her heart out.

I visit your grave more than I can say

Half the time it's to keep his foul words away

But I wonder if this eternal night will break for day

Yet your headstone sits silent on foggy nights

While I waste away toiling with no rights

Your memory is rotting, it's driving me insane!

Once more, all instruments cut out.

His black rose bouquet

From here, everything builds back up slowly at a marching pace, regaining layers of instruments and growing louder bit by bit.

But now the veil is lifting

My heart no longer drifting

The tyrant has fallen and life's given way!

I could feel you beside me

As he broke and deprived me

Now he's gone and your memory can stay!

She belts that line out with all her heart before playing a heavenly, but jittery scale, backed by slow marching drums, depicting her life and sanity drifting back and forth in an endless, struggling cycle.

You're both gone, now I must move on

There's no changing the lots we've drawn

Just know that your best still remains!

The sins of my father have paid their cost

But nothing will tarnish the love we've lost

The pace of every instrument picks up as Bea shouts out the final lines all in one breath.

It's painful but gorgeous

This void is enormous

It's still in my heart

But it's my turn to start

I'll scatter these petals

And watch this black world turn to gray!

And once more, silence, and one last quiet line.

My black rose bouquet.

Finally, the crowd breaks into cheers, the somber blue and violet lighting brightening to a gentle yellow as the first set comes to a close. Angus nods over to Bea with a gentle, but proud smile before addressing the crowd. "Alright, we'll be taking a short break and getting stage one of that interview in, but in the meantime, enjoy some covers we'll have playing in the background! To start off, a personal favorite I played for our youtube channel: How Far We've Come! Thank you for coming to see Night in the Woods, and we'll be back in twenty for more!"

Their cheering as the lights shift to balance out across the station is all they need to know for certain that this was the right move.

.


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A.N.: The time is drawing near. I nearly have it done. But next week, it arrives! THE FINALE OF GETTING ANYWHERE IS UPON US! And oh- well, here on FFnet you can't see it as such, but I'm making this a full series! I'll take a month hiatus to focus on other things when the finale goes up, and a sequel will be coming after that! But until then, check my other two fics, spread this around, maybe check out my youtube channel! I have a speedpaint video for the cover art for this fic over there!