Going Back

Chapter Eleven - Understatement of the Century.

"You must be Ela?" the woman exclaimed as she stepped away from Evan and toward me. She held out her hand as she smiled warmly at me.

I nodded and placed my hand in hers. "Ela." I repeated, attempting to align the name with myself.

"I'm Kat. I'm the bosses daughter and a close family friend of Evan's. He's told me you're the next big thing, and given that Evan usually has an eye for picking talent, I'm inclined to believe him."

"I'll try not to disappoint." I mewed.

"Not possible." Evan piped up.

Kat clapped her hands together and then pointed to the doors.

"We've got three hours today and then four tomorrow." She exclaimed as she turned and walked to the door. Evan followed behind her, and I behind him.

The label had been around for years, and their success was evident on the walls as soon as you walked in. Photos and records adorned every wall.

Kat led us into a studio and closed the door behind us. Once we were inside she handed me a bag

"Clothes." She exclaimed. "Jeans and a t-shirt, keep em."

"Huh?" I choked.

"Loose clothes for singing in, Evan asked I had anything.

"These won't fit." I choked. Kat was far taller and thinner than me. There was no way I was about to fit into her clothes.

"You're kidding right? They'll fit fine. Bathroom three doors down on the left."

I glanced between Kat and Evan, clutching the bag in my hands. Full of nerves I left the room and trudged down the hall to the bathroom. Surprisingly the clothes did fit so I walked back down the hall, more comfortable, but no less nervous.

I smiled as I closed the door behind me, there was going to be no pretending I was alone in a room, not when I could see straight into the room where inevitably I was going to have to stand and sing.

"See." Kat grinned.

"Thanks." I smiled.

"So, today we'll lay down the lead vocal." Kat exclaimed walking to the mixing table. "Tomorrow the backing vocals, and then I think we'll see what we've got before we bring in a band to relay the music."

"We need this released as a full single by the end of the week." Evan exclaimed.

"So this isn't a demo... and you're doing this without a label?" Kat frowned. "You trying to bypass us Evan?"

"Not at all. This is a unique situation. We need the flexibility of no label. Once contracts get involved, Ali- Ela, has obligations that neither one of us want her to have right now."

"Fair enough. Well, if we lay down a good vocal today and get the backing vocal aced by Monday, It's entirely possible. I could pull a few strings with marketing too, but only because it's you."

Evan grinned at Kat and nodded as he folded his arms across his chest. "Glad to know my boyish charm isn't completely defunct."

"Not at all." Kat drawled with heavy eyes.

Suddenly feeling like maybe I was excess baggage to the situation, a fifth wheel waiting to roll away I walked to the studio door and opened it. I walked inside, effectively removing myself from their universe. I couldn't watch them flirt, I wasn't exactly sure why but it filled me with a feeling I just did not like.

I walked to the mic and lifted the headset up, placing it over my ears. I closed my eyes and tried to relax in the foreign, yet still familiar atmosphere. Evan and Kat must have left their flirtatious conversation long enough to notice me, because the music to Evan's song began to play. I'd sung it in my head over and over since I'd learned it the previous weekend, so I knew my cues like clockwork. With my eyes still closed I began to sing the words. Evan had been right, in here I felt like I was on my own. I let myself feel the words as I sang them and it felt good, like it had that night at the party... before I'd let everything overwhelm me.