Surrender -Tom kaulitz-

1.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going directly the other way.

In short, That year completely changed my life.

***

I stared at the ceiling for a few more minutes before finally getting up. It was a chilly end-of-august morning. It was pretty cloudy outside but the weather was okay. Just how I liked it.

I got up and walked to my clothing rack, shuffling through the clothes in search of an adequate outfit. I went for a basic top-and-jeans fit (☆). I was gathering my things and was starting to prepare my usual backpack when muffled yelling resounded from downstairs.

I rolled my eyes, grabbing my bag in a swift and leaving my bedroom. Bobbing down the staircase, I bolted into the kitchen where my brother and my father were arguing loudly.

"WHAT THE FUCK ?!" I screamed, putting an end to their incomprehensible argument.

My father stepped forward. "Mars, we-"

"I don't want to hear it. Just shut the fuck up, it's nine in the morning." I clenched my teeth.

My dad looked down in a nod while my brother inhaled his vape nervously.

I eyed them one by one. "I'm leaving for a couple of hours. Does anyone need anything ?"

"Beer." My dad scratched the back of his neck.
I looked at my brother to get a response but he ignored me and stared at the wall, blowing out the smoke.

"Whatever." I chewed the inside of my cheek in frustration. "You have five minutes left before the bus, Arlo. Hurry up."

I left the dirty house and got on my bike, rolling around the neighbourhood to the music studio.

The building wasn't that far from home. It was a horizontal rectangular building with artsy graffiti all over its walls. I parked my bike in my usual spot and made my way to the studio.

"Garyyyyyyyy..." I grinned at the receptionist.

"Hi, Mars." The black man mumbled, his eyes not leaving his computer's screen.

"Where's your boss ?"

"He's in the A43." He breathed out, already annoyed by my presence.

I bent down on the counter and pressed a light kiss on his cheek. "Thanks, Gary !" I laughed as I watched him dramatically wipe my kiss off.

Gary has been working in the Beryl Studio for the last five years and I enjoyed getting on his nerves since he was an introverted nerd. He may look exasperated by my actions but I knew deep down he liked our love/hate relationship.

I jogged to the designated studio, running up the stairs and dodging the busy workers and musicians. As I almost reached the "A43" pod, I stopped in my tracks as I perceived a familiar face.

A short dude with baggy black jeans, a large jacket and a matching cap was busy conversing with some guys. I walked surely in his direction, his gaze meeting mine before I reached him.

"Mars ?" His eyes widened happily.

"Gustav !" I hugged him tightly. "What are you doing here ? Weren't you in Paris with your giiirlfrieeend ?" I sang the last part teasingly and he laughed.

"Yeah, I came back for the competition." He nodded.

My smile faded a little bit but I didn't let it show. "Oh, I'm happy. How long are you going to be staying here ? I need to see how you play, your progress, your moves !"

"Yeah... I'm still here for a pretty long time, maybe a year maximum. But I'm pretty busy with the competition and my band. I really wish you could come over and see my work."

"Oh, your band, I remember. You guys are still going at it ? That's great." I tapped his shoulder. "I'm really glad I bumped into you, I've missed you, you fucker." I slapped his cap down on his face and he laughed.

"Me too, I hope I'll see you soon, I'd really love it if you came watching band practice." He suggested.

"Thank you, Gustav. But I'm pretty occupied these days. We'll soon talk, okay ?" I walked away waving and he nodded, a big smile plastered on his face.

I turned to the studio. Barging into the small room, I was greeted by Kev and his assistant.

"My love ! This, Marcus, is the only girl that understands me in the whole fucking building." Kev hugged me tightly and I laughed awkwardly. His smell hit my face like a brick, a mixture of weed and out-of-date coffee.

Kevin was one of the biggest producers in the Beryl Studio and he was my sponsor when I first started playing for bigger artists. He always supported me and he treated me like I was a daughter of his own, despite some flirting that I always respectfully made a stop to.

"Hi, Marcus." I nodded to the skinny tall guy who held a mini-computer. I fell back on the red couch, lighting up a cigarette.

"Who's this ?" I pointed at the boy behind the glass wall. He had straight blond hair and looked like he wanted to be the new Justin Bieber.

"His name is Andrew. His family is too fucking rich for me to cancel him. He wants a career, he'll get a fucking career. As long as my pockets are full." Kevin fooled around with the control desk. "Alright, Andrew. Give me some tunes, my boy !" He spoke into the small microphone.

The blond boy cleared his voice and started singing. I furrowed my eyebrows. His voice wasn't bad but he sounded way too nervous. He probably needed singing lessons before immediately going to the recording studio, but it wasn't my business.

I had to wait for the kid to finish his parts, then it was my turn to get into the recording area.

I sat down behind the drums. "Alrighty, Mars. We'll start with 'Two princes' and 'Green Day'. Then we'll record both and we'll see. Got it ?"

"Loud and clear." I responded and he stretched his arm out for me to start. As soon as I heard the opening of "Two Princes", My arms intuitively dropped on the drums, the sound of the contact between wood and shell engulfing the small space.

The recordings lasted about four hours and we were finally done. Marcus was asleep on the couch, his computer still resting on his lap. Kev looked at his assistant and rolled his eyes. "Pfft. I'm always assigned incompetent pieces of shit."

"Let him rest, Kev. He had a long day." I defended the young man, amused.

"Whatever, princess. I'll see you tomorrow at 10. Keep working on those tunes and you'll make it first place." He winked and I gave him a thumbs up.

"Bye, Kev-Kev !" I left the studio then the building before riding my bike to the shop next door.

After I bought beers and two tequila shots, I hanged the shopping bag on the bike and rode my way back home.