Heyy!
Yeah I know I kinda left this book aside those last months. The thing is that writing in my mother language has been kinda of mission impossible for itself, I just couldn't bring myself to do the translation part.
But I'm a bit better now and with loooots of chapters that I need to translate so I'll be doing it this week. I'll try to finish everything by friday so enjoy.
Good reading!
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"She's perfect, wonderful, incomparable. I'm not kidding, she's like... the woman of my life. I wouldn't be who I am without her. There's no one better than her. I don't even have enough words to describe my love for this woman", Marceline was already in the process of pouring out praise for a long time, her hazel eyes shining as she looked at the target of her speech from afar.
"Marceline, I'm hearing this."
"Sorry, Bonnie, but Hayley Williams already was the love of my life long before I met you", she replied, with a shrug and an expression of 'I can't do anything'.
There was a moment of laughter between the group as Marceline hugged her girlfriend and kissed her cheek, reinforcing once again that she was just kidding.
Well, it had a some sort of true on it, but she didn't need to reinforce that now.
Marceline, her band, Bonnie, Kevin, Finn, Jake and Hayley were all close to the dressing area of the smaller bands, all excited after discovering that the higher location allowed a privileged view of the area where the dressing rooms of the main bands were, and now they were busy observing Paramore's vocalist talking with the organization of the event.
"Will we have a chance to really talk to them at some point?", asked Guy, trying to get Bongo's hand out of his face, since the boy was sitting on his back, trying to get a better view of the dressing rooms.
"Well, the least I would expect is that the event would introduce us to the band at some point", replied Marceline, trying to see from that distance if Hayley's hair was still platinum, if the ends were colored or if she finally had it dyed orange. But the woman had her hair up and a cap on. "Anyway, my mom bought the most VIP meet & greet for us just in case. At least five minutes of chat and a photo after the show, we already guaranteed it."
"Damnit, where's Taylor?" - asked Keila, also looking into the distance. They had already seen Hayley wandering around, and previously the drummer, Zac Farro, but none of the guitarist.
"In the news tomorrow, everyone will be shocked by the fiasco of Paramore's participation in the festival after Hayley realizes, too late, that she forgot Taylor York in the basement" - joked Priscilla, making the rest of the band laugh.
They continued for a while longer, watching the movement in the main dressing rooms and identifying other famous artists who were there. They hardly noticed the arrival of one of the event's employees approaching.
"You guys are Marceline and The Scream Queens, right?"
"Yes, right" - said Marceline, turning towards the man and giving out a hand for a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, I'm John" - said the man, shaking her hand, and then the rest of the group's. "I see y'all have some groupies", he added, in a joking tone.
"Well, she's one" - said Marceline, pointing to her girlfriend, promptly being answered with an elbow in her waist. Not satisfied, she added, pointing to Kevin: "And he over there too."
"Alright" - John laughed at the group of teenagers, appearing to have experience with that age group. "Please follow me. I will show you the easiest way to the place where you are going to watch the shows. We’ve set aside a really cool space for the opening bands that won the contest. So I'll take you guys to a lil sound check and get the instruments in order, so y'all are be able to enjoy the shows that will happen before yours. You guys will have about two hours of shows to see before going on stage."
"Okay. How long to get our sound check?", asked Marshall, who was walking more or less side by side with the man as they walked to the stage area.
"Well, about thirty to forty minutes. But you're going to have to wait a little bit over there, 'cause Paramore must be going up to do the sound check now", he replied, with a little smile. He already knew what the group's reaction would be.
And he was right - the group went from "professional" mode to "little group of teenage fangirls and fanboys" mood in a matter of seconds.
"Hm, groupie. Okay" - grumbled Kevin, still a little embarrassed by Marceline's joke. He hadn't realized that Marshall Lee had stayed a few steps back while the group was stirring, with the certainty that they would check along with their favorite band, and was right beside him.
"Exactly. My groupie. C'mon, it's not that bad, is it?" - replied Marshall, at his ear.
"Fuck off, Lee" as Kevin's cheeks burned and he picked up his pace, too many memories flashed in his mind just by the other boy's tone of voice. When he listened Marsh's deep laugh behind him, Kevin couldn't help but smile too.
No, it was not bad at all.
[...]
The band was now getting ready to get into stage. Adjusting the sound return, going over the setlist with the mixing team, the usual rush of the pre-show. They were all still in an uproar over the interaction with their favorite band.
Keila and Marshall couldn't stop talking about making the guitar solo from That's What You Get with Taylor, with the honer of having Williams shouting "ladies and gentlemen: Marshall Lee and Keila Mills!", instead of the usual "ladies and gentlemen: Taylor York!", that she always used to say at concerts before that solo.
Priscilla still couldn't shut up about having received a lot of advice from Zac, who was just her favorite drummer. Oh, we can not forget the talk about dyeing hair with the vocalist, right? Had it been too fangirl of her part to make it very clear that she wore Hayley's hair dye brand on her hair? Well, it certainly was when she was practically jumping for joy when she confirmed that yes, the singer had dyed her hair orange.
Bongo and Guy simply didn't know what to do with themselves, nor did they know which part of the interaction had impacted them the most.
Every five seconds, Marceline repeated, "No way. Fuck. No way I fucking headbanged with fucking Hayley Williams. You can kill me now and I'll die happy."
Well, euphoria was welcome, because with it came a good handful of confidence. And it would be extremely necessary in the first presentation of the group to an audience that reached not hundreds, but thousands. And that could be worth a contract with a record.
After a while they were called to the stage. It was with some surprise that they were received with the shouting of the audience. Well, the event had done a good job divulging the opening bands, and apparently the audience had looked for something more about their band. And there was a considerable amount of content about Marceline and The Scream Queens to find: covers, demos of original songs, chill rehearsal videos, complete recordings of small shows done at events or inside the Nightosphere.
And, well, they had their little fanbase too. They were practically an indie band, working independently, and there is always an audience for that niche. And that fanbase was well represented in the bustling audience.
A respectable number of people were able to sing along with the original songs. And with the covers of more popular songs, the floor vibrated with the crowd's uproar, screaming and jumping as if it were already the main band. But the best of all, they saved for last.
Marceline included that song on the setlist, rehearsed it with the same intensity that she rehearsed all the others, but wasn't sure if they were really going to play it. She had another one on the trigger to close the show, because it's presence on that show depended on another factor.
That song would be her rallying cry, her way back to the top. It would be her signing that she had resurfaced from the rock bottom where Ash had left her. But for that, she would have to really come back to the top.
And well, she did. When they finished their penultimate song, and the audience started to scream, a voice stood out from the rest in Marceline's ears. Glued to the railing, strong black makeup (because she didn't want to feel out of place among crazy rock fans) contrasting with the pink of her hair, the only one with an 'official' t-shirt from the band and screaming more than anyone else: Bonnibel could declare to be the group's number one fan, no one would disagree. When she saw Marceline looking at her, she opened that sweet smile that only she knew how to give.
Marceline remembered the night before and was invaded by a whirlwind of sensations, mixed in themselves. She had adrenaline, disbelief, an indecent shiver, a heart-warming feeling. And pure happiness. All mixed up in that ball of emotions that grew in her chest and pumped straight through her veins.
One last confirmation with the band, and she was ready for her grand finale.
"Well, to close this show, we reserved a special song", she said, and waited for people to stop cheering before proceeding. She still felt butterflies in her stomach as she realized the gigantic number of people down there. "Well, first of all, it's a little tribute to Paramore and our little thanks to the group that inspired us the most. So I leave here our eternal 'thank you'."
People got into an uproar, as they were there mainly for the main band, so it was normal for them to share that same feeling. Marceline had to wait a little longer to continue.
"Well, but it's also... something else. I think what's always captivated me about this band, besides the incredible talent of each member, is the way each lyrics hits me like a punch. Almost as if it was written for me", she paused for a moment, swallowed hard. This time the audience was somewhat silent, as if there was a general consensus that there was something important to be said by Marceline. "Some time ago, our band almost died. Because I almost gave up", she paused before continuing, her voice wanting to choke. "There was someone who crossed every possible limit, and it almost cost us our dream. Well, but we didn't give up. I didn't give up. I spent a lot of time fighting with myself, with the whole world, keeping myself standing the way I could. But..."
She stops, takes a deep breath. Bonnibel is looking at her, her gaze a little strained, because no one in that audience knows the weight of what Marceline is saying more than she does. But she's also proud, smiling as if Marceline's success is hers too. Marceline smiles, continues talking, still looking at her.
"But between the end of last year and the beginning of this one, I managed to break down almost all the barriers that were still holding me back. And last night... last night I knocked down the biggest one", the last sentence came out lower, like if only now the reality of it was opening up to her. As if only now she understood that, yes, she had really done that. "Well, I'm not even going to try to thank the person responsible for this now, because I'll never find words good enough."
There was a small commotion in the audience, cheers of support spreading through the place. Bonnibel tried in vain to stop stubborn tears from running down her face.
"Anyway, that's not what I want to celebrate this afternoon. I want to celebrate this amazing group that I have with me," she said, gesturing with her hands towards the rest of the band, "who never gave up on me, who stayed by my side in the worst moments, waited until I was ready for today. Especially that little guy over there," she pointed to Marshall, who responded by bowing in reverence at his sister's feet, making the audience vibrate again and Marceline laugh. "Okay, okay, get up! Well, this song I dedicate to ourselves. And in a way, to the little shit who thought he'd bring us down. If he's somehow seeing this, I hope he'll revel in his defeat."
The public went into an uproar. Ecstasy came strong as the song's initial guitar stub began. When Marceline began to sing, the audience fervently followed.
You were my conscience
So solid, now you're like water
And we started drowning
Not like we'd sink any further
But I let my heart go
It's somewhere down at the bottom
But I'll get a new one
And come back for the hope that you've stolen
This was the only song that Marceline didn't played her bass. From above one of the sound return boxes, she sang right in front of the audience. As the chorus kicked in, she started hairbanging in the best punk style, without losing her intonation, making the audience scream and sing along even louder.
I'll stop the whole world
I'll stop the whole world
From turning into a monster, eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survived?
Well, now that you're gone
The world is ours
She got out of the box and started to
walk past the audience with her hand outstretched, pausing only to kiss Bonnibel's hand as he passed her. She and the audience exchanged energy in a surreal way. Her stage presence was enviable, fueled by the insane feeling of freedom, that her place was and always would be there, on top of a stage, emanating energy and welcoming it back from thousands of people who, somehow, shared those same feelings.
I'm only human
I've got a skeleton in me
But I'm not the villain
Despite what you're always preaching
Call me a traitor
I'm just collecting your victims
And they're getting stronger
I hear them calling (calling), they're calling
In the end, every member of that band had been affected in some way by Ash's actions. It's not easy to accept that you've been friends with a monster. That you rooted for this monster to stay with your best friend. That you saw, with your own eyes, your sister left on the ground in blood and tears, at the work of a monster you called your best friend.
All of them, somehow, almost fell. Some more than others. No one more than her. But they all left with a scar.
But scars are no longer open wounds. With them, you can still get up, dust yourself off, and throw yourself back into battle. And that's exactly what they were doing.
I'll stop the whole world
I'll stop the whole world
From turning into a monster, eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survived?
Well, now that you're gone
The world is ours
Marshall and Keila were more alive than ever. Even Guy, who was used to being a little more methodical, and Bongo, who was always on keyboards, except for the rare times he had to replace Marceline on lead bass, moved around the stage energetically. Priscilla timed the music perfectly, in that way characteristic of her, that it seemed like she was possessed by the rapidity of her movements.
Perfect sync. Perfect harmony. Marceline couldn't remember the last time they all seemed to be so perfectly united in the same energy. Smiles plastered on each of their faces.
She was good on her own, but only with them could she be perfect at what she did. That stage would be infinitely lonely without them. She would have already given up without them.
She filled her chest before singing the bridge of the song, but this time it wasn't from anger, accumulated sadness or any of those negative feelings that had fueled her songs for so long. It was pure joy. After a long time, finally joy.
Well, you find your strength in
solutions
But I like the tension
And not always knowing the answers
Well, you're gonna lose it, you're gonna lose it
She was way too focused on not crying. It wasn't pride or anything, she just didn't want to be out of tune.
It was hard enough to stand still, looking at her girlfriend and the other friends glued to the railing and yelling the verses with her, but it became impossible when a movement occurred in the area of the sound engineers team, and she realized that her mom was getting along with her friends, starting to yell the verses too.
The tears came, she fell to her knees in the middle of the stage, but she didn't lose her tone. As hard as she could, she sang that chorus.
I'll stop the whole world (whole world)
I'll stop the whole world
From turning into a monster, eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survived?
Well, now that you're gone
The world
In the final stretch, Marshall got her to her feet again, joining her on vocals. They sang facing each other, in that perfect sync they had from day one. Marceline made a mental note to do more duets with him.
The house came down. The audience in one voice, singing and jumping. The drums getting stronger as Priscilla gave it her all, and even though there was no mic pickup to prove it, they were all singing that final chorus.
It didn't matter the final results of that show. The remnants of Ash's ghost had dissipated once and for all. They had won.
(Marceline e Marshall Lee)
I'll stop the whole world (whole world)
I'll stop the whole world
From turning into a monster, eating us alive
Don't you ever wonder how we survived?
Well, now that you're gone
The world is ours
No silences this time. There were screams, requests for more, a tangle of hallucinated sounds, that was what Marceline defined as being alive.
The brother pulled her into a tight hug, trying to control his own crying a little. But it wasn't just emotion because of that insane performance.
"You said that...last night...Marcy, does that mean what I think it means?"
"Yes" - she was clutching his shirt, and had already given up on maintaining her posture. She gave a hiccup and a laugh in the midst of crying.
He broke the embrace only to once again bow in front of his sister. The rest of the band also bowed from where they were. In the midst of her mixture of laughter and crying, Marceline positioned herself right in the center of the stage, with her back to the audience, and also paid obeisance to her eternal scream queens.
Approaching his sister again, Marshall said, in her ear, because the audience was still screaming too loud.
"You're the strongest fucking woman in this world, Marceline. Don't ever let anyone convince you otherwise again. Never."
[...]
Marceline was still in a certain state of shock. That had been surreal. The audience's response, the mere feeling of finally getting rid of it all.
She still couldn't believe it when they left the stage and met the main band, who were getting ready to step on, and the vocalist had pulled her out of the corner briefly.
"First of all, this opening was amazing," she said, and for half a second Marceline thought she was going to faint at the compliment. "Second, I heard what you said before the last song. By the way, I loved the cover. I know what it's like to see your band almost break up because you're falling into yourself. It's happened to me more times than I like to remember. Keep in you're bigger than that, okay? And lean on your friends. There's nothing better than being in a band with your friends. Hold on to it."
Someone from staff called out and she had to go, giving Marcy an encouraging pat on the back. She only had time to blurt out a "thank you Hayley" and watch the woman wave away.
Marceline knew well what the other was talking about. The period of depression, band members leaving on bad terms (sometimes suing the band), the abusive relationship and the messy divorce - the eldest had had her own taste of hell. But she managed to turn it around. She turned pain into two solo albums and then began working on a new album with the band.
Marceline had great sources of inspiration.
She was now in the stateroom area, watching her favorite band perform a bit statically. She still couldn't believe she had just played on that very same stage.
A movement caught his attention. It was her mother, Bonnibel and the rest of the group, being brought into the VIP area by security.
Bonnibel came a little further ahead, her gaze fixed on her girlfriend and a smile on her face. But he couldn't get to her.
She was stopped in the middle way by her future brother-in-law, who took her off the ground in the biggest hug he could. She hugged him back a little confused, not understanding why the hell he was crying.
The rest of the band looked at Marceline. They already had their hunch and needed confirmation. The shy, flushed-cheeked smile she gave answered for her.
And within a second the entire band was crushing Bonnibel in a giant hug, because they knew full well that they might never see the brighter side of Marceline again if it weren't for her.
When she was finally free, she was able to hug Marceline. This one received her in a more subtle hug, but even more charged with emotion.
There were so many things she wanted to say. So much so that she wanted to thank Bonnie for. But she was still Marceline, after all. She hated sounding dramatic. How could she say things would go on like this, at that level of trust, without sounding corny?
Her good old smirk cracked open.
"You know, Bonnie, playing bass for most of the show kind of fucked up my arms. You're in control next week," she said, still in the middle of the hug, low enough for only Bonnibel to hear.
"You got hooked on the first try, huh? I didn't expect that from you, Marceline."
"Fuck you, Zanne" - the two burst out laughing, tightening the hug.
However, the band didn't have much time to not get emotional. Megan approached them, as if wanting nothing, her hands behind her body.
"Sorry to interrupt, guys, but I just wanted to let you know that you're going to need to cancel any plans you have for next weekend."
"Why, Megan?" Priscilla asked, her expression worried. It wasn't possible that something bad was going to happen right now.
"Well, you have this meeting scheduled with..." she paused a moment, rereading the name of the contact she had saved on her cellphone. "Henry Rogers. Saturday morning."
"Who the hell is this guy, mom?" asked Marshall, totally confused. The rest of the group was in the same situation.
But Finn, Jake, Hayley, Bonnie, and Kevin exchanged glances with each other, amid conspiratorial chuckles. They were clearly better informed.
"No one important," said the woman, leaning against the railing, shaking her head to the music. She smiled that corner smile so characteristic of the Abadeers. "He's just a producer for a huge New York record label. He seems to like you guys."
"YOU CAN'T GIVE ME NEWS LIKE THAT, WOMAN, I MAY HAVE A HEART ATTACK" - Guy was leaning on the railing, his hand on his chest. Bongo ran to meet him and started fanning his face. From one second to the next, everyone's finally got it, and they snuggled into a group hug, the band, the others, Megan crushed between them.
It was just an amazing day.
[...]
Late at night, after the event was finally over, the group headed to a nice hotel, where they would spend the night. Keila and Priscilla disappeared with two other girls. Well, someone had to actually have groupies, right?
Bongo and Guy were exhausted, so they entered the hotel first, checked into the same room, and disappeared too. Well, at least the reason they gave for the rush was exhaustion. Even if they didn't look that tired.
Anyway, Marceline and Marshall came in to check in too. Marceline asked for a couple room for her and Bonnibel. So she asked for Marshall and Kevin.
"And a room with two single beds, please."
"Two couple rooms, actually." - corrected the boy, standing behind her.
The attendant located the rooms, handed over the keys and led the way to them.
"I knew it," said the girl, nudging her brother's waist.
"It's not like I'm trying to hide it," he replied, rolling his eyes.
"What, then? Friends with benefits or something mo..."
"Friends with benefits. You stop right there," Marshall cut in, his cheeks turning a little red.
"I'll give you a month to be all head over hills for him" - Marceline's voice was a mixture of teasing with a half-serious tone, something like 'I'm speaking from experience'.
"I'm not soft like you, little bat."
"I'd tell you to fuck off, but I think that's about to happen anyway."
"They're talking about us, aren't they?" Kevin asked Bonnibel. The two were on the other side of the hotel lobby, watching the brothers chatting amid little shoves and eye rolls.
"Most likely," she replied. She shook her head as if she was already used to the situation. "They're coming here. Marceline will make fun of you if Marshall asked for a couple room. The onus of dating an Abadeer is that another Abadeer comes as a brother or sister-in-law."
"But I ain't dating no Abadeer" - he whispered, annoyed.
"Yet", she replied, leaving the angry boy behind as the two siblings approached and Marceline took her hand, clearly in a hurry to be in the room soon.
Bonnibel had no worries that night. All she needed to keep in mind was the way her hands and mouth would take Marceline, who only threw her backpacks onto the bed before pulling Bonnibel into the bathroom, immediately undressing her.
She didn't even remember that she had a cell phone, and it was for the best. Because the night would have been ruined if she'd read her messages.
Mom 🙄
I hope you have a good explanation for the fact that I just got a call from one of the school's parent council members asking me how long have you had a girlfriend.
and be home tomorrow by 11 am.
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The fangirl/boy levels in this chapter may or may not have been based on my own fangirl levels by Paramore :D
Don't forget to leave your vote, and a comment if you liked it!
See ya next chapter
- Tersy ♥️