Monica's P.O.V.
"My group in Classroom C, please!" Avalon shouts throughout the giant practice room. We just finished up training for the day but apparently Avalon wants to talk with us. This happens often when the trainers are informed of serious news from Calypso that needs to be discussed with us. When we were younger, we used these classrooms like regular school rooms to learn about the history, science, and other subjects of Galaxies, but now we're mostly studying spells and practicing them since there's not much more to gain in the other subjects.
I should also mention to you about the whole group thing before it becomes confusing. When you first begin training at nine or ten years old, you are put into your age group, which basically means that you are with all of the other nine and ten year old Galaxies also starting training. Since there are a lot of us in one age group, they split us up into two or three different clusters, depending on how big the entire age group is and how many trainers they have available. Once you are assigned a group and a trainer, you stay with that group and trainer throughout your whole Galaxy coaching, which ends when you're eighteen, meaning you're with the same people for eight years. It's almost the same as a year/class in school, but we also have the same teacher. It does get a little boring hanging with the same Galaxies and trainer year after year, but it's nice because we all understand each other's strengths and weaknesses and help one another become better Galaxies.
My group gathers their things and we follow Avalon to the classroom, settling in on the comfy spin chairs lined neatly by each table. Once we're all inside, Avalon stands at the front of the room and begins his speech.
"All of you know about the Acerbus Procella and we have some interesting news about that," he starts. "Our scientists have been predicting it over the years and now they've come to a conclusion that it will hit the east coast soon. They didn't give an exact date or what they mean by 'soon,' but it's coming."
Okay, before I continue, I need to explain this to you. Remember that scientist I told you about that created Galaxies? Yeah, well he's the same one who created the Acerbus Procella, although he wasn't expecting it to become a big issue like it is now. All he wanted to do was make a cloud, like a legit, puffy cloud you could hold in your hand. He succeeded but as time went on, it grew. That's the part he didn't intend on doing. It continued to increase in size and soon, it covered his entire house and wiped out the island he lived on after he achieved making Galaxies. The Acerbus Procella, Latin for "dark storm," interfered with the weather patterns and now it's a powerful storm, and Acerbus Procella is the name the scientists came up with when they discovered it. Unfortunately, the original scientist died when it destroyed his island and it's still out there today, growing into a larger problem for the world. In reality, people just think it's a huge storm, like a hurricane, but we know it's something more than that. If it's not treated soon, it can demolish the Earth, but the only way it can be treated is by magic, which is where we come in.
"Now, as you all know, it has to be killed by magic. The only problem is is that the Galaxies who are going to take on this mission have to be strong, skilled wizards, otherwise it won't work. And the strongest wizards are between the ages of sixteen and twenty," Avalon progresses.
"Why are those the ages?" one of the guys questions.
"Because as you get older, you lose strength in your wizardry if you don't continue practicing magic. You perform magic every day, excluding weekends, unless you do practice over the weekends. It's just like if you were working out or playing a sport. If you suddenly stopped playing your sport or you work out less than you have been, you begin to lose a lot of the strength you've built up. It's the same here. Now, you've had six years of training and that is a great amount. That is the minimal amount you need for this mission because we feel that you've had plenty of training to understand how Galaxies all work, which means all of you are qualified for it," Avalon explains. "And there's more. Only ten people are going to be chosen for this mission. The scientists have figured out how the Acerbus Procella can be stopped and they only need ten Galaxies between the ages of sixteen and twenty. Now, in order to be picked, you need to have performed outstanding work in the past couple of months and we will be keeping an eye out in the next week or so. After we have chosen the ten people, they will be training together and working with the scientists on this mission. If one of you are selected, you will be departing from us until the mission is over, which means you will not be training with our group until the Acerbus Procella is destroyed. All I ask of you is to not make yourself look dumb and try to impress us with anything. We've had you for six years and we know how well of a performer you are. Are there any questions?"
No one says anything and Avalon releases us. The sound of chairs being rolled back echoes throughout the room as we collect our bags and head out. As usual, I'm walking with Michael back to our houses.
"So do you think you'll be chosen?" Michael asks me.
"Hell no," I answer. "I'm pretty sure Calypso hates me now for using the Execution Spell. Why would he pick me if I stepped out of line like that?"
"Yeah," Michael agrees. "I don't think I'm getting picked, either. Not that I mind it, though. It's a dangerous storm and I'd hate to be the one who has to stop it."
"Me, too. I kind of feel bad for the people who will be chosen. Like, you can die doing this! Who would want that?" I respond.
"Exactly! And I don't want to die!" Michael declares. "I've got a great life ahead of me with the band and everything. Speaking of that, we're having a rehearsal on Saturday before the gig on Sunday. You wanna come?"
"I don't know, Mikey," I groan.
"Please? You haven't even come to one yet and plus, we're rehearsing with our new drummer and we'd all like a little feedback," he begs. "Please?" He gives me his best puppy dog face and he knows I can't resist the puppy dog face.
"Okay, okay, fine, I'll come," I give in.
"Finally!" he smiles.
"But if your band sucks, I'm walking right out of there and never coming back," I remark.
"You wouldn't," Michael warns.
"Okay, maybe I wouldn't do that, but I will say that you guys suck," I reply.
"Trust me, you won't be disappointed," he says.
And that was true, for a few days later, I find myself in Michael's garage waiting for his bandmates to show up. Michael really went out of his way to create a band setup in his parents' garage, complete with microphones and amps. This stuff must have cost a fortune.
"Hey, Luke's here," Michael greets as the two of them walk into the garage. Luke nods at me sitting on a stool in front of the equipment and I return the gesture, him slinging his acoustic guitar around his shoulder and playing a few chords.
"So what song are we going to do first?" Luke asks.
"I think we should practice the songs that we're going to do with Ashton first," Michael answers. Luke puts down his acoustic and switches guitars, strapping on the electric.
"Awesome, I could use a little rock and roll right now," he comments and I laugh. He turns to me. "Why are you laughing?"
"Sorry, it's just the way you said it," I giggle.
"Oh, thanks, Monica," Luke replies. "I can always count on you giving us support."
"Hey, Michael told me I'm here for feedback, not support," I point out.
"You will be a supporter after we play," Luke states.
"Who's gonna be a supporter?" Calum inquires, stepping into the garage.
"Oh, hey, Cal," Michael greets.
"Monica will," Luke responds to Calum's question, looking directly at me. Calum follows his gaze and also glances at me.
"Yeah, you will," he says with certainty.
"So you think you're that good?" I ask.
"Well, we're not amazing, but we're not bad," Michael replies.
"That's the gig's job," Calum says.
"What?" I express, confused.
"The gig is going to tell us if we're on the right track. Like, are we good enough to make it? Do we need a little more practice before we book other gigs? Do we suck that much that nobody would hire us and we won't make it? That's what we want to know," Calum explains, logging on to Michael's laptop.
"That's also why tomorrow's gig is very important. It's our first one and we want to impress people, you know, get ourselves talked about," Michael adds.
"And talked about for being an alright band. You don't want to be recognized for being horrible," Luke joins in.
"Speaking of the gig, we have over three hundred people who are going to attend, according to Facebook," Calum announces, staring at the laptop screen.
"What?!" Michael and Luke exclaim together and they race over to Calum.
"It was only at about two hundred and thirty yesterday!" Michael declares.
"Holy shit," Luke whispers.
"What? What's going on?" another guy questions, advancing into the garage. I look over at him and he views the other lads huddled around the computer before noticing me. He doesn't acknowledge them right away but seems to stand still for a millisecond while our eyes are locked together. I'm stunned for what feels like forever, just staring into him as he's doing the same. I've never experienced love at first sight, but I think this just might be what it is.
"Hey, Ashton," Luke welcomes, snapping us out of it. I glance to the floor as my cheeks heat up, hoping no one noticed the little connection.
"Over three hundred people are going to be at the gig tomorrow night," Calum repeats, looking at him.
"Are you serious?" Ashton proclaims, continuing to the boys.
"Yeah, insane, right?" Michael replies.
"Well, then we'd better get rehearsing," Ashton pushes, walking around and getting set up on the drum set. The other boys follow and grab their guitars, organizing and preparing themselves. After a small discussion on what songs to practice, they finally begin playing.
I'm blown away. They are good. No, not just good. Great. Fabulous. Amazing. Talented. Excellent. Awesome. Any word you can find that matches that describes them. There is room for improvement, but I would have never expected this coming from three lads I've been going to school with for years. Their personalities don't reflect what kind of music they're able to play and I love that difference. It just proves that even though you think you may know a person, you might not and the things you don't know may just surprise you and in this case, it's a great surprise.
I will admit that my eyes are attracted to the percussionist. There's just a certain aspect about him that I can't describe that intrigues me, but his natural concentration and the way he moves as he's playing are a few of the characteristics I'm captivated by; not to mention the subtle hair flips and lip biting that occur every so often. He seems so interesting, but mysterious at the same time. It's like you want to get to know him, but you're hesitant on it.
"How was that, Monica?" Michael asks, stopping the vibrating chords on his guitar.
"Um, really good," I reply, hoping no one observed the fact that I wasn't really listening. I was distracted by Ashton, okay?
"Awesome," Luke grins, setting down his guitar.
"Do you think people will like us?" Calum questions.
"Yeah! Definitely!" I answer. That just put smiles on all of their faces, including Ashton's.
I stay at Michael's house until their rehearsal is completely finished. Ashton left halfway through because he had to get home, but that was okay since he was only going to be joining them for a few songs and then letting them do their own thing, which included a few original songs written by Calum. Of all people, the songwriter is Calum and I am shocked to find out how amazing the songs are.
After Luke and Calum leave, Michael and I relax in his house for a while, chilling on the couch and watching TV.
"So how are we? Be honest," he voices during a commercial.
"I was not expecting any of that to come from all of you," I start. "That's a good compliment, by the way. It means that there's another side to you that people will enjoy, instead of just your usual, crazy selves. Yes, the band isn't perfect and you'll grow as you continue, but for now, you guys are great. I really think everybody tomorrow is going to be talking about you in a good light."
"Really?" Michael conveys, looking at me with wide eyes.
"Yeah," I answer with a smile.
"Now I'm really getting nervous," he replies, glancing back at the TV.
"Why?" I question.
"I just hope everyone there will have the same attitude as you," he responds. "And I'm hoping we won't mess up or anything."
"You'll do fine," I reassure him.
"Thanks," Michael grins. "Hey, what do you think of Ashton? We were thinking that if we're going to continue being a band, we need a permanent drummer. Do you think he would work?"
Oh, my God. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! He's amazing! He's perfect! Keep him, please!
"Y-yeah," I stutter, trying not to think of the eye contact we had shared earlier. "He's really good and I think he would be a great addition."
"Okay, good, that's what I was thinking," Michael agrees.
And that's all I need to hear before the butterflies begin fluttering around in my stomach.
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Okay so I've never taken Latin so I'm not quite sure how to pronounce Acerbus Procella (and I don't even know if it's grammatically correct in the Latin language. I just saw that Acerbus means dark and Procella means storm so I combined them) but how I say it is Ah-chair-boos Pro-chel-ah (if you want to know how it's pronounced, otherwise you can say it however you want to).
Rachel :)