The kick drum bumps beneath my feet, and the bass guitar rattles my arms. I slightly shake in anticipation, the microphone clutched in my right hand. I stand among my new bandmates in a semicircle around the drum kit where Michael sits, twirling his sticks. We wrote our first song together, and the boys let me have lyrical freedom, telling me they wanted to hear my style and see what I'm all about. This was a test I was not about to fail. After a week of sitting with the instrumental song on a cassette tape, mulling over the options in my room, I gave the guys a call and said I was ready.
The Metallica guys and I sat around the living room earlier this morning, I showed them the cassette with the instrumental track and let them read my lyrics while listening to the song. They were floored, to say the least.
"I want you guys to open for us at the next show we play at Ruthie's, Dee," James broke the deafening silence after the song ended.
"But you haven't heard me sing yet, we're so new-" I started, nervously shaking my head.
"No, he's right. I'm on board," Dave interrupted me, his eyes were ablaze. The rest of the boys nodded in unison, and I looked around at all of them, biting my lip to hide my smile. I finally brought my gaze back to James and Dave, and tackled them in a hug.
"Thank you, guys. Really, thank you," my voice only slightly muffled from my face being buried between their shoulders. This is turning into a dream come true. They both laugh endearingly as I feel a pat on my back from Cliff.
"How about we tag along to this jam session? I know I wanna hear what you've done melodically, and I wanna hear your band play in real life before you guys really open for us. Sound like a deal?" Lars asked.
So here I am, standing in Michael's living room, clutching my microphone for dear life. Four of my best friends sitting scattered around the room, nodding along as Mikey began to wail his first lead. Dave's head snapped over, watching his fingers fly, making a face that I can only guess meant 'impressed'. My stomach was doing somersaults as I scanned the room, looking at my feet at my scratch lyrics. Take a deep breath, Dee. Show them all what you're really made of.
I watch as Mikey and Rudy play harmonious, dueling leads, while Michael and Frank hold down the rhythm, bumping and crashing in time. Michael builds on the snare, and with one hit, I'm sent to start singing.
"Just beyond the neon lights," I growl out. I start to bob my head and close my eyes, afraid of what everyone thinks. Don't think now, just sing. Remember how hard you've worked. Remember why you started.
The drums continue with a steady, 4/4 beat, and I sway my hips in time, letting it take me adrift, finishing the first verse with the line, 'you must be strong or you will die.' I crack open my eyes to see all the guys' heads turned at me, Mikey and Rudy grinning triumphantly like idiots. Okay, Dee, pre chorus time, don't fuck up this high note.
"This is your story, it's all about you..." I take a deep breath and flex my fingers before I climb to the high note for the first chorus, "It's all abooout you..." Mikey rips another lead after and I hear whoops from the boys, I look over and Lars is fist bumping, James and Cliff are shouting, and then Dave- sitting in the corner with his famous crooked smile, shaking his head at me.
The song carries on this way, and I feel myself become more liberated the more I sing. I never knew I'd feel so confident- I never knew people would like my voice, my message. I grin the duration of the song, and when Michael builds up and kicks it into double time, we're all banging our heads, getting into the song.
"You ain't gonna lose!" I scream out the last note and Mikey effortlessly employs a tapping lead, while the rest of the guys do three last hits, signifying the song's end. Not a moment passes before my four best friends jump off the ground and start screaming at me simultaneously.
"Dee, I'm making our flyer TODAY!" James starts, followed by a quick 'what the fuck, Dee, where did this come from?!' from Lars, Cliff squeezing me in a suffocating hug, and Dave rushing in to ruffle my hair and steal me from Cliff, holding my biceps and whispering, "you've done it, Diana. You've got it."
Eventually, we all sit around on the floor and start to figure out a date where we can all play together, my first band's debut. There's a buzz in the air, we're all talking about time for door, then when music will start, how long our setlist should be, if the guys wanted to backline gear, who'll be running sound, and I pause.
"Wait guys, wait, wait!" the chatter dies down and I sit there, stupefied, "do we... even have a name yet?" Silence, then laughter.
"Well damn, Dee! You've gotta figure that shit out now cause I'm trying to get your ass onstage, girl!" Cliff yells. We all slump over ourselves, thinking about names, throwing out any and everything that would come to mind. Good and bad, stupid and put-together, we spend nearly an hour thinking of something that would stick.
Michael offers Stallion, saying he was in a previous band under the same name. Lars says Madforce, to which Dave blew a raspberry, and I laugh. James throws out one or two that I kinda crinkle my nose at. Frank says Beast, Rudy says Snakebite. I get lost in my own thoughts, thinking of something to suit the style of music we've begun writing. It feels mystical to me, otherworldly...
"What about something with fantasy?" Frank chirps, "I really like Dungeons and Dragons, I feel like that sort of theme could be easy to play into."
"Well then you risk being super cheesy and nerdy," James scoffs. I roll my eyes, "Nah, Rudy, I was kind of thinking the same thing," to which James shuts up.
"Something like a mage, or a wizard? I don't know much about DnD..." I trail. Rudy and Mikey nod, Mikey tapping a pencil on his lip, "What about something elven, like from The Hobbit? That book is amazing."
"Like a witch?" Cliff asks. I look at Rudy and Frank, they seem to know the most. I know some of the guys have friends that are into the whole fantasy deal, but I found myself leaning more toward fantasy lyrical themes like from Heart or Zeppelin- I suppose that's where my lyrics come from.
"Warlock..." Rudy interjects after a moment of silence. I glance toward Mikey, Michael and Frank with a smile. Frank nods, Michael smiles and Mikey claps Rudy's back with a hearty laugh, "I think we've got it!"
"I'm on board- it's easy to remember, it's simple. And I feel like it suits the style that you write in, Rudy," I say at last "and with my lyrics, I feel like it could work,"
"Could? It does, Diana, easy," Mikey interrupts, followed by mhmm's and yeah's from the rest of the band. They fucking believe in me from the start, and I want to go the distance.
We all nod together and exchange fist bumps, high fives, and we continue on planning, James popping up out of his seat, asking for papers and pens, shouting that he's got to make the flyer this very instant.
Well, Warlock it is, and Warlock we will be.
YOU ARE READING
By the Light of the Moon
Fanfiction𝖇𝖞 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓, 𝖎 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖑 𝖆 𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖌𝖊 𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖎𝖗𝖊 𝔟𝔶 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔪𝔬𝔬𝔫, 𝔦 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔳𝔦𝔩'𝔰 𝔠𝔥𝔬𝔦𝔯 // (disclaimer: while the characters of this story are real, the content...