𝘞𝘦'𝘙𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘛 𝘴𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘕𝘨𝘦𝘙𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘠𝘮𝘰𝘙𝘦

𝔴𝔢 𝔫𝔢𝔢𝔡 𝔞 𝔫𝔢𝔴 𝔫𝔞𝔪𝔢 '𝔠𝔞𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔨𝔢 𝔡𝔬𝔢𝔰𝔫'𝔱 𝔣𝔦𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔥𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔷𝔬𝔫

Key: FOR THIS CHAPTER ONLY, in the fourth wall break, I, the author, am represented in bold, Alice is represented in underlining, Jade is represented in italics, and Holly is represented in both italics and underlining. This key might be used again in future, but assume that normally the fourth wall break will be in the perspective of whoever it was before :)

♪♫♭♬♩♪♫♭♬♩♪♫♭♬♩

I frowned up at my sister and my cousin, who had explained what they wanted from me nearly five minutes ago. I was still frowning at them. They were starting to get a little confused as to why I was still frowning after all this time. They didn't know I'd been thinking about cake this entire time rather than what they asked of me. Well, that could wait, because I needed to think about cake first.

Alice waved in front of my face tentatively. "Earth to the Hol? Are you still with us?"

I scowled at her. How dare she interrupt my thinking? "What?! I'm thinking about cake." Afterwards, I muttered, "What a bird," which she could probably hear, but that was the point.

Alice and Jade exchanged a glance and shrugged at each other. Maybe they thought I'd forgot what they asked. How rude, my memory lasted longer than five minutes, honestly. "OK," Jade said, and I paid attention since it wasn't my big sister talking, "we'll let you think about cake for two more minutes, but we need to know if you are taking this seriously because we only have forty five minutes left and we haven't set anything up yet."

"OK Jade, I will think seriously about this," I said, innocently smiling. Alice just threw her arms up in exasperation, before they both jumped down from the stage and went to go plug in their ampy thing and the microphone thing that they stole from dad. Or borrowed, but I wasn't sure what the difference was. After all, my sister gave my her Kindle to borrow but I'm pretty sure I lost it a year and a half ago. (Coughs in fourth wall break.)

I looked down at the drumkit I was sitting behind, humming to myself. "Hm. Hm hm. Hmmm." Then I took a look and look a took at the sheet they gave me with instructions on how to play one of those songs they loved so much. The words were super depressing. Why couldn't they write about birds?

My Uncle Chris let us borrow his drumkit, which was always stored behind the curtain in the stage in the practice room. That was very nice of him, but the drumsticks were so boring, honestly. I should get some pink ones! But I picked them up anyway and whacked the drums because it was really fun. Especially the cymbals. Clang, smash, boom, they went. "This is fun!" I shouted, smiling at Alice and Jade, who exchanged a glance.

Then I went crazy and launched into a crazy drum solo which probably sounded nothing like the song because I didn't know what any of the sheet music was, but it was fun. When I finished, I decided drumming was fun, and an activity to Bird God would approve of. And even the Deputy Cake God. So long as I changed the drumsticks.

"I have reached a decision, birds," I said, and laughed at how excited Alice and Jade looked as they ran over. It was almost like this had been bugging them for ages... oh wait. Then I didn't say anything because they didn't ask me to.

"And this is?" Jade prompted.

"Seriously, please," Alice added.

I paused for dramatic effect, to leave them in suspense. "I have decided," then I did another dramatic pause, because it was very necessary. "That I am going to be your drummer." I held up a drumstick to stop them interrupting me. "I have, however, discussed this at length with the Cake God, and while it and the Bird God have approved of my activities, they have suggested that I form a negotiation with you. I have one condition."