Angel of Fire - the Breath of Immortality - Book One #Wattys2014

Emos

Chapter 18 - Emos

I found Carmen hovering beside the SUV, immersed deep in conversation with the guys. She looked stunning, as usual, wearing a red and black argyle sweater, red mini skirt over black leggings, and chunky black combat boots. In typical Carmen fashion, she once again managed to combine two totally different styles. The look was punk, yet preppy, all at the same time.

I don't know how she kept up with all the latest fashion trends and then morphed them together to make a whole new look. I had a hard enough time managing one.

When Carmen saw me, she ran up and grabbed my hand. Her touch reminded me of a ray of golden sunshine, and warm sun-kissed beaches. I even picked up on a whiff of salty sea air.

As she pulled, I went unwillingly toward the group. Five sets of eyeballs, each heavily rimmed in guyliner and thick mascara, stared at me through sloping, black emo hair. The only thing better than one Emo in my book, was a whole band of them.

I felt heat rise up into my face and knew along with my flaming hot cheeks, that my neck was all bright red and splotchy too. Suddenly, I regretted pulling my hair out of my face. A lot.

Smiling ear to ear Carmen gave the introductions. “This is my brother, Nick. He's the lead singer of the band and also plays keyboards.” She stepped aside and said, “This cutie-patootie is my cousin, Skylar. He plays drums and also sings.”

I nodded and, if possible, blushed even more.

“This trouble maker is Mark,” Carmen said, ruffling his hair. “He plays bass guitar. On lead guitar, we have Lake. He's the shy one of the group. Last, but certainly not least, is Alex.” She saved the biggest smile for him. “He plays rhythm guitar.” Then she motioned to me with an arm. “Guys, this is Chaos Killbourne, the coolest chick you will ever meet – besides me, of course.”

I nodded again, too embarrassed to speak and made sure to keep my hands folded up inside my sleeves – carefully hidden behind my back for protection. The perpetual windstorm of emotions I might face if I touched even one of the five emos would be horribly draining. Not to mention the fact that it might cause me to have a serious meltdown.

And I definitely wasn't in the mood to tweak out in front of perfect strangers. Especially really cute perfect strangers.

Nick spoke first. “Hi, Chaos. Thanks for inviting us over. Carmen tells me we’re gonna play here later...” His voice trailed off as his gaze scanned the property. It was obvious he still had no idea where the band was setting up.

Carmen smiled mischievously. “That’s the surprise I was telling you about,” she said, pointing to the corn field. “The band’s gonna play in there.”

The empty look on all their faces was priceless.

Nick smiled hesitantly. He looked at the spooky decorations leading into the maze, including a sign my mom had erected that read, 'Fear the Farm' and said, “Here?”

“Yes. You’re tonight’s surprise entertainment,” Carmen exclaimed, bubbling over with excitement. So far she was the only one. “There’s already a stage set up in the middle of the field and everything!” The guys looked at the corn with blank faces.

I admit. It didn’t look like much on the outside, but looks can be deceiving. I should know.

Carmen tried hard to contain herself. Any moment I thought her head was going to pop off.

“Chaos and I transformed the maze into a haunted attraction. Tonight after everyone arrives, they’ll be treated to a live concert.” The guys still looked confused. “Trust me,” she added. “It’s going to be freakin' epic.”