"Um...nice house." I said as I surveyed my surroundings nervously, my bands sheet music cradled under my arm.
Directly in front of me was an elegant, yet small, English oak curved staircase that seemed to widen as it got closer to the main floor. An open space was left behind and revealed a narrow hallway that seemed to tunnel underneath it, leading to what appeared to be a kitchen. The walls were painted carrot orange and were covered with framed posters and old albums from bands such as The Beatles, The Monkeys, The Rolling Stones, and Heart.
To my right was an alcove that appeared to contain the family room. A 72-inch plasma TV dominated the cranberry-colored room. Across from it was a large black leather couch with a matching recliner beside it. Three different Rock Band guitar controllers littered the plush blue carpet and a drum set stood not far from them.
"Your family must really like Rock Band..." I observed as I followed Cassie into the entrance way.
Cassie peered over at the room and shrugged. "My family likes music. It's mostly my brother that plays."
"I see."
Cassie entered the small hallway and stopped in front of a door. She opened it, revealing another set of stairs that seemed to lead to the basement. When Cassie descended down the stairway, I followed.
"So, hey, Cassie? Um, what are we doing?" I asked, hoping to be enlightened as to why I was in her house in the first place.
Cassie stopped in the middle of the stairs and turned to look at me. The suddenness of her action caused me to stumble forward slightly. I regained my balance instantly and stood up straight, looking down to see Cassie.
"We're going to play your music." She stated simply. "If I'm going to sing for a band I might as well make sure I like their songs, right? The best way to do that is to play a few songs and get a feel for the sound and then afterwords decide if I want to join."
I raised an eyebrow. "Well, sure. In theory, that makes sense. But what about the instruments? I don't have my guitar with me."
For a brief moment I thought I saw Cassie's eyes light up. Before I could be sure I was seeing correctly, Cassie turned back around and walked down the last few stairs.
The room suddenly was filled with light, momentarily blinding me. When the dark spots in my vision finally cleared, I found myself staring into a musician's paradise.
Simple walls and a hard floor designed to amplify sound waves greeted me. Mic stands, amplifiers, cords, instruments, everything needed to make music was housed in this room. Two keyboards were set up in a corner with various other equipment. In the center was a large Tama drum set, and from what I could see, one much more expensive than the Tama model Adam used for WashOut. On the farthest wall from the stairs was a line of guitars, all neatly displayed on mounts. I almost stopped breathing.
Immediately I made a beeline for the guitars, crouching down to look at each one in detail. My eyes gleamed with excitement, and like a kid in a candy store, I had trouble deciding which of the five impressive models I wanted to play. Maybe the Gibson ES-137 with its unique mahogany center block, or possibly the Ibanez GRG170DX and its shark tooth inlays in the fingerboard? There was also a Washburn and two Fender guitars next to the other two that seemed equally as playable.
"When you said your family liked music, you weren't kidding," I breathed.
I stood up, turning my body to face Cassie. "Whose are all these?"
Cassie stared at me for a moment before walking towards me. She leaned down and grabbed the blue Fender Stratocaster from its mount, cradling it lovingly in her arms. Then she looked up at me.
"Most of the guitars are my dads, though this ones mine. The drum set used to be my dads also but he gave it to Simon a couple years back. Simon's my brother, by the way." Cassie paused for a moment to situate the guitar back on its mount before walking over to where the keyboards were kept.
"These are my moms." She gestured with a wave of her hand at the keyboards. "So is the violin."
"You have a violin?"
"My mom does." Cassie replied before heading over to a box filled with microphones. She studied each one individually before grabbing one that looked presentable. On her way to the center of the room, she grabbed a microphone stand with her free hand. I stood completely still watching her set up two amplifiers and the microphone stand near the drum set. When she finished, she walked back over to me. From behind me, she once again picked up the blue Stratocaster and situated the strap around her neck.
"You can pick a guitar to play. I'm sure my dad won't mind. And I'll take those," Cassie said as she reached for the sheet music I still had in my hand. When her hand brushed against my arm, I jumped slightly in surprise.
"Uh, okay! Sure! Here. Take 'em." I said, flustered. What was wrong with me? I couldn't help wondering just how long I had been staring at Cassie, or why I had reacted so violently to her touch.
I shrugged the subject away and turned to the guitars, zeroing in on the Gibson. The body was similar to my ESP EC-1000 and looked to be in the same weight range. Gently lifting the heavy guitar from its mount, I found it to be much denser than what I was used to. Balancing the instrument on my knee, I tested out a few strings. When I was sure I could handle the heavier guitar, I flung the guitar strap over my head and sauntered over to where Cassie was.
"Okay. I'm ready."
Cassie nodded and set the papers down on the floor. She stood back up and placed her fingers on the neck of the guitar.
"So am I." She said to me. Her eyes glowed with excitement, something I found strange seeing on Cassie's face. For some reason, I felt myself getting fired up with her.
Then, everything made sense the second we started playing.
The room filled with sound, dancing off the walls and into our ears. We played in perfect harmony. My mind blanked and I found myself swimming in the warmth created from our song. Cassie's clear voice blended perfectly with the sound, giving the song an intensity I'd never known it could have. Her singing made me want to shout at the top of my lungs and play until I could no longer feel my fingers. This was what music was all about.
Eventually, I couldn't fight the urge anymore and started to sing with her. Instantly, my throat was on fire, but I ignored it. I kept singing, pushing my vocal chords closer and closer to its limit.
And then I finally got there.
I suddenly dropped to my knees and doubled over, clutching my throat while I hacked my insides out. When the coughing fit was over, I gently lifted the Gibson over my head and laid it on the ground next to me. Sinking to the ground, I laid flat on my belly, taking deep breaths through my nose and mouth. I then rolled over unto my back, and closed my eyes.
"Here. Drink this."
I quickly opened my eyes to see Cassie holding out a large glass of water to me. A worried look painted her face and I couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt.
I struggled to sit up. Once I was sure I had the strength to keep me up, I extracted the glass from Cassie's hand and sipped it slowly a few times. After two or three large gulps, the generous cup was emptied and I gave it back to her.
"Thanks." I forced out of my raw throat. "I needed that."
Cassie stared at me. I started squirming under her intense gaze, dreading the question I knew she was going to ask.
"What just happened to you?"
I opened my mouth to speak, though nothing came out. I cleared my throat before attempting a second try.
"I, uh...swallowed my own spit..." I attempted feebly. The look on her face told me she hadn't bought it. I never had been very good at lying. Steve was, though. Maybe I should ask him to teach me.
After a painfully long minute of silence, Cassie shook her head. She then looked deep into my eyes and I jumped, shocked by the concern that showed so clearly in her eyes.
"If you don't want to tell me, then that's fine. However, since I'm going to be your new lead singer, you'll have to tell me eventually. Deal?"
My eyes widened. "Wait a minute... You're joining?"
For the first time since I met her, Cassie smiled. It was small, but still undoubtedly a smile. Instantly, I decided she had potential to be cute, as long as she continued to keep that expression on her face. I smiled back at her, an involuntary response to her own.
Suddenly, Cassie stood up. "Well, you should probably go now. My parents should be home soon." She held out a hand to help me up.
I took it graciously, knowing it wouldn't help much. Cassie had to weigh at least 120 pounds, if not less, and was only of medium build for a girl. Despite being lean, my height made me weigh easily over 160 pounds. But I appreciated the gesture nonetheless.
Once I was on my own two feet, Cassie and I headed back up the stairs. At the entranceway, I slipped on my shoes and made to head out the door. A thought suddenly occured to me and I turned around. Cassie looked up at me, startled.
I smiled broadly at her before saying, "You should smile more. It looks good on you."
Cassie's eyes widdened and I saw her cheeks turn a soft pink before the door was swung shut. My smile broadened as I headed over to my van.
WashOut finally was going to play again.