Chapter 677: Club TRIC - Introduction
Monday, March 13th, Afternoon
Club TRIC rarely closed for private events, but today was an exception. On the large-screen TV, the desktop of a laptop was displayed. It looked like the image of the Canals of Rotterdam. That seemed to fit, but the room had an underlying tension.
Felicia Van Ankeren watched as the woman called Chase, who ran the club, moved to ensure everything was set. Felicia heard Chase say that the regulars wouldn't be happy, but this was important. Felicia wasn't sure, but Chase looked familiar; there was something about her, the last few weeks had been crazy, and Felicia could've interviewed Chase but couldn't remember.
Standing over the side, Felicia took a sip of her club soda. The various guests of honor were coming in and finding their seats. Felicia was surprised that some of the people were quite notable. Among them were many of the people she interviewed. Others seemed to have some ties to the subject of today's film.
Haley James-Scott and Nathan Scott entered the club and were generally unnoticed. The husband and wife circulated the room, greeting people and having small, short conversations. Nathan walked over to the bar and ordered drinks, which he brought to Haley.
Brooke Davis, the fashion mogul, was standing to one side, talking with a woman. The woman was the same height as Brooke and had the same brunette hair but was worn shorter. Felicia remembered that woman, who dressed well, was introduced to Felicia as Representative Isabella Scott, and she told Felicia to call her Izzy. She was one of the several members of the Scott Clan who were here. Felicia, during the making of the film, learned there were several branches to the Scotts of Tree Hill.
James Scott didn't attend; he was returning from Indiana for a game on Wednesday in Miami. His wife, Ashlyn Pierce-Scott, was in attendance. The blonde Ashlyn was talking with the woman's professional basketball player Angela Scott, a cousin. Felicia remembered watching her when Angela played in Europe. Felicia was impressed with Angela Scott; she seemed to have everything figured out.
Felicia took another sip of her drink. She placed her glass down and looked up at the large-screen TV. Her desktop image showed on the screen; she took a picture from her grandma's lounge, looking down the canal. The image comforted her and reminded her of home when she was traveling. Felicia sighed and turned back to the crowd.
Several of the people had taken their seats. Most people were still up and talking; some even drank. Some of the guests were getting anxious. Felicia looked at her smartphone and saw they had a few minutes.
Felicia looked at her hand as her hand was shaking from nerves. Her film was about a person who was related to most people in this room. Felicia thought it was honest; it told his story honestly, and with all real stories, not everyone was an angel, a saint, or a devil. People had an interesting way of forgiving, whitewashing, or filling in all the persona's cracks. They don't always like to be reminded of these faults and flaws.
The music of Mental Lapse touched Felicia when she first heard their music when she was a teenager. Felicia never knew Mental Lapse with Kat Hartmann in the group, but other fans always commented that Mental Lapse was great when Kat Hartmann was in the group. It was the first album, so different from the rest of the discography. That CD she found in a second-hand store changed her view of Mental Lapse.
When she first interviews Kat for this movie, Felicia finds Kat quiet and standoffish. Over the course of the interview, Kat warmed up to Felicia, and she got to know how warm and friendly Kat Hartmann is. Felicia's only question was why Kat left Mental Lapse, her group, and she found out.
Chase walked up to where Felicia stood. The Dutch filmmaker looked at the club manager. Felicia looked into Chase's eyes.
"Are you ready?" Chase asked.
Felicia took another sip of her drink and put it down. She looked at Chase. "Yes, I'm ready," Felicia said.
"Okay, we're going to do what we discussed, I'm going to introduce you, and you take it from there," Chase said.
"That works," Felicia said.
Chase nodded, walked over to the microphone stand, and tapped on the microphone. "Everyone, please find your seats," Chase said, "We're about to start. I want to thank you for coming today to this event. We plan to start with an opening statement, watch the film, and do some Q and A. So, without further delay, here is our filmmaker Felicia Van Ankeren."
Chase stepped away from the microphone. Felicia walked over to the microphone and looked over the crowd as they sat looking back at her.
"Thank you for coming today, and thank you to those who are here and not here that I interviewed for this film. I couldn't have done this project without their participation, which is a labor of love for me," Felicia said.
She sighed and rubbed her hand together. Felicia looked over the crowd and settled on Haley. The two women made eye contact, and Felicia watched as Haley nodded a slight nod of approval.
"I was young when I first heard the music of Mental Lapse; they were in The Netherlands playing a festival. My parents were involved with the festival, and that's how I got in, a small teenager lost in a sea of people," Felicia said.
She paused and tried to compose herself as her nerves were building up. Felicia took a deep breath and counted to ten. She gave herself a quick nod and returned to the microphone.
"The music of Mental Lapse and Brian Scott inspired me. With Brian's popularity returning stronger than before, I felt like a true fan; I needed to tell his story. To tell the truth from the people that knew him best, his friends, family, and fellow musicians. What you are going to see is a rough cut, a first draft. I think that this is a good film; with your help and input, we'll make this a great film," Felicia said.
Felicia took the microphone stand and put it out of the way of the big screen. She walked over to the laptop and noticed the house lights were dimmed. Felicia waited; it was dark, and she brought up the media player she used. Looking over her shoulder to the big screen TV and made sure the TV displayed the player. Once satisfied, Felicia maximized the player. She took a deep breath, sighed, counted to ten, and pressed the play button.
The video started to play, there was a swell of the placeholder music, and the title card popped on the screen.
It read:
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
The Brian Scott Story.