Apple Hair

Chapter 20 - DAVID☁️

I dream of Seiya holding me, the strength of his arms buoying me up, feeling like he and I could not only debut—but we could conquer the world, showing everyone who sees us the power of love and harmony.

In our sixth month as a group, I sit in the front seat of Shar's van and carefully hold the journal she gave us. "We filled it up. I think we need a new one?"

"I'll get you one soon," Shar says. "Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about a dream I had last night?"

"A dream?" Corrin says. He leans back in his seat, eyes flickering—the meds make him sleepier than usual.

"Yeah." Shar takes one hand off the wheel at a stoplight, rubbing her knuckle against her chin. If I really squinted, I could almost make out a golden aura coming off her, undulating in waves against the rainy February morning. "I was sitting in my childhood home. I think I might've been around eight or nine. Anyway, my parents came home from work. We talked for a while... and then they were excited to turn on the television to watch an award show.

"My mother slapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Look, it's your favorite. Apple Hair!'

"I couldn't believe it when I saw all five of you on screen, dressed in tuxedos. You all transformed costumes into these magnificent red and gold pieces. Almost like fire. And then you performed and crushed the stage."

Silence fills the van for a few seconds, and even though it may be "weird" that Shar had a dream like this, nothing much more can shock us after six months of surprises. I hum and watch the raindrops splatter on the windows, branching out like spiderwebs searching for a home. I guess we are all like those raindrops, trying to find a place that's best for us. Maybe Shar's dream means something more, a good sign that will lead us to where we so desperately want to be.

When we reach the company, I grab an umbrella and wave goodbye to Shar. "Thanks for cheering us up with your dream," I say.

"No problem," Shar says. And then, after making sure we remember our schedule, she drives off and says she'll check back in with us at lunch.

I think of going to a youth group as we navigate through the rain and puddles, as the boys probably ruminate on the evaluation we may not be ready for. It's a simple one—one vocal performance and one dance, nothing weird or Leo-esque about it. But youth group always gave me comfort, knowing that we were all chasing after God in the midst of so much fiery turmoil in our lives. I think of Tony and Blayze, my best friends. They always say how they're praying for me, and I wish for their prayers right now, even as they're only meant for God's ears.

As I enter the building, I pause and shake the rain off my umbrella, watching as the droplets reach with their ghostly hands before falling against the doormat.

The trainees in the lobby immediately recoil as we walk in, as if they shocked themselves with the frigid touch of an icicle, brushing up against their skin. I stare for a second. Apple Hair may be the fire for many weird happenings, but normally the trainees ignore us. Or in the case of Jason and Allen, slowly try to move us toward our downfall.

This... feels more like a big shift.

I fall in line with my teammates, heading toward the elevator like usual. Our evaluation starts in thirty minutes, and we want to warm up our voices and limbs. I dream about hearing the fateful "you passed" from CEO Kim, celebrating with the boys in a late night visit to the convenience store. Although our lives are full to the brim with schedules, we always make time to celebrate in little ways.

I think about Christmas, how we spent the majority of the day in the practice room, going over last-minute changes to choreography and trying to hit notes that floated so high away from my usual vocal range. We pushed ourselves on that day, and although the day escaped us without the usual presents and carols, we did sit in the lobby of AWE for a while, admiring the ten foot Christmas tree that reached up to the ceiling with garlands of gold and silver.