SOUL DORM

18

I hear trouble coming

Over and over again

***

CHAPTER 18:

LAKE MONSTER

One tends to believe they have control over their own body. For instance, I prided myself on being quite self-controlled. Yet, at certain moments—moments like now—that control was utterly elusive. Minutes had passed, and every attempt I made to turn around and leave was fruitless. I tried turning my head, closing my eyes, even covering my ears. Nothing worked. It was as if I were hypnotized by the energy of the souls around me or the pink haze in the air.

"Isn't it the most amazing thing you've ever seen?" Diego sighed beside me.

I didn't have much concert experience to compare but judging by the people around us losing themselves in the music, Diego was probably right. All his attention was on Blue at the drums. I could see him melting a little more with each strike of her drumsticks. He was right—Blue on stage was entirely different from the cheerful girl I'd seen around. She bent, rose, her blue hair whipping back and forth, playing the drums as if she was dancing with it.

But... the majority of the crowd's attention—and unfortunately mine—was on Mars, singing and playing his guitar. I couldn't understand which divine justice had granted such a talent to such an unpleasant guy. He already looked perfect. He had his dark purple leather jacket collars popped, his hair a mess from headbanging, and even those damn sunglasses, which was completely unnecessarily, looked flawless. But more frighteningly, he was an incredible musician on top of it all. His guitar show, his voice, his ability to claim the entire stage on his own...

I must have been staring at him in such a way that Lark misunderstood and nudged me playfully. "I warned you, sweet girl," she said, winking. "Now you know what you're up against."

Though I pouted, I couldn't ignore the truth in Lark's words. The shows we had seen so far were nice, but they felt like school plays. This one though... felt professional. Mars and Blue, with their current performance, could fill a concert hall. As I gathered from the girls fainting in excitement three rows ahead, they even wrote their own songs. I guess this explained where Mr. Mars spent his whole day and why Tarben was hanging out alone.

I couldn't contain the rising anger in my throat. No matter how perfect what they were doing was, it was selfish, unacceptable, and unforgivable to discard us soulmates. Though, it didn't seem like Tarben had much of a problem with this situation... Thanks to his height and his beanie, I quickly spotted him in the crowd. He was in the front rows, arms crossed, smoking his joint, watching the stage with a smile. When Blue dedicated the third song they played to him, he saluted her with two fingers to his forehead.

I felt lonelier and more helpless than ever. Why hadn't I returned to my room at the start of the night? There was no one here who could understand me. No one who could help me. If I turned and left now, not a soul would notice my absence. Even my few friends had forgotten about me, each wrapped up in their own worlds. Diego was drooling over Blue, Ursa was wildly singing along, and Helene and Lark were discussing the influence of astrological events on the quality of the songs.

"I'm leaving," I said, more to myself than anyone else.

No one responded. Perfect! I turned and began pushing my way through the wall of souls. In the middle of the fourth row, an unusual tremor took over my body. I attributed the shaking to the souls I was bumping into. But no, the vibrations were coming from me, from my back pocket. When I stood still, the souls grumbled and shoved me around. With my hand in my pocket, I desperately returned to where my friends were standing. When I stood by Helene, I had reached the source of the tremor.