Oblivion | Euronymous

1 - Ada Holt

The sound of thunder cracked through the stillness of Ada Holt's small Norwegian apartment, shaking the thin walls and rattling the window panes. Ada awoke to the dissonant harmony of a storm raging outside, its ferocity mirroring the tumultuous thoughts swirling in her mind.

Her room, dimly lit by the faint glow of a flickering lamp, was filled to the brim with posters of black metal bands, their fierce, haunting imagery a testament to her obsession. Gibsons and Fenders patiently hung from her wall, eagerly waiting to be used. For Ada, music was everything, her favourite band was Bathory, named after Elizabeth Bathory the Blood Countess herself, but she also listened to Venom and Darkthrone.

She even tried to make her own band with her older sister Elin, who shared her passion for all things dark and mysterious. They named their band Carrion and performed covers of their favourite metal bands. They had a total of 5 small shows the year prior, though despite it sounding like a miniscule amount, it was plenty for the two women. They'd practise every weekend when Elin wasn't working her ass off to support the two of them. Their parents divorced when Elin and Ada were young, but that didn't stop them from abusing the girls any chance they got, so when Elin became a legal adult she took Ada with her and they rented a small apartment in the middle of Oslo, a few hours away from their childhood home.

/ / /

Ada shivered under the blankets, the window of her room slightly ajar letting in a freezing wind. Autumn was harsh this year; what with the seemingly never-ending downpour of rain and the thunderstorms. Though despite the horrible weather, Ada adored it. The storms reminded her of herself: rough and unsettling, yet liked by many.

The girl continued to lay in bed, listening to the cacophony of rain rhythmically pounding against the window, the occasional clap of thunder and the pleasant and comforting buzz of the amplifier in the corner of her room. Outside, lightning would strike something every other minute, flashes of white, purple and blue illuminating the early morning sky.

A knock was heard on her door, causing her to jolt and look up to the opposite side of her room. "Come in." Ada rasped and without wasting a second her sister Elin made herself present. Ada's sister was almost a mirror image of her: tall, fair skin and blue eyes. Though Elin was slightly older than Ada, time showed itself on her face in the form of light wrinkles around her eyes, mouth and forehead. Her hair was a dark blonde, compared to Ada's light blonde.

"You're up early," Elin said sarcastically, walking over to Ada's bed and sitting at the foot of it. "Couldn't sleep?" She asked, her tone gentle and caring, almost sounding concerned.

Ada nodded, pursing her lips and rubbing her eyeliner-stained eyes. With a smile tugging on her lips, she swiftly responded, "Hard to sleep when the world sounds like it's on the verge of tearing itself apart." Swinging her legs from the bed and stretching, Ada briefly glanced outside. It was around 10, and the city was buzzing with life. People drove their cars around, pedestrians strolled the streets with their umbrellas... She walked up to the window and closed it, as her thin former was freezing to death. It didn't help she was wearing a crop top and shorts in such cold weather.

"Don't forget, practice is at 5 today." Elin reminded her younger sister. Ada was still looking outside, admiring the chaotic weather, and nodded absentmindedly to her sister's reminder. "I remember," she mumbled, her voice carrying some weight that Elin couldn't quite place.

The older Holt sister stood up from the foot of the bed and looked around the messy room and remnants of their shared life - guitar picks, vinyl records, half-written and scribbled notes on papers all over the floor. Her room felt alive, the place was a testament to their shared love for music, so Elin could immediately tell when something was wrong. Tension was thick in the air, and Elin could tell Ada wasn't sharing something with her, so she asked, "Hey, is everything okay? You seem to be on edge, and I don't think it's the storm. What's going on with you?"

Ada breathed out shakily, walking up to her table where many cassettes were lying. "I- I just feel we're not getting anywhere. Don't get me wrong, I love Carrion and performing with you, but I feel like we're just scratching the surface."

"You mean with the band?" Elin raised a brow, crossing her hands.

"I just think we can be more than a cover band because it feels like we're playing in another person's shadow. I want to create something original, something that's ours." She paced back and forth the room, her hands crossed over her exposed stomach.

Elin watched her pace, shaking her head in disdain."I understand you completely, but making original music...That's a whole new step forward. Are we really ready for that?" She tried to smile.

"We can only go so far with covers. Something original will really place us on the map. We'll actually get crowds instead of a few junkies here and there." Retorted Ada, her voice filled with certainty.

She was about to continue when the house phone rang. "I'll get it." replied the younger sister and began walking out of her room. Elin sighed and followed her out, her hands on her hips.

Walking downstairs, she grabbed the phone and cursed,

"This is Ada. What the fuck do you want?" She didn't particularly care who was on the other end of the line. There weren't many people she knew anyway, so she knew it was one of her friends or one of Elin's coworkers.

"What a lovely way to say hello. Morning to you too prick." Replied the oh-so-familiar voice of Ann-Marit. "Anywho, I wanted to catch you early before you got busy." She spoke in a matter-of-fact way.

"I got an invite to this gathering of sorts - a party you could say - where a bunch of metalhead guys will be. Thought I should let you know since you're into all that." Ann told her with hints of enthusiasm in her voice. "It's invite-only so I'm inviting you"

"Annie, I don't think that's how it works, but thanks anyway. I'll think about it..."Ada glanced at her sister who was standing in the doorway, as if silently asking for permission to go to this 'party'. Elin rolled her eyes and went back upstairs. This was her way of telling Ada that she was free to do whatever the fuck she wished.

Ann's voice responded from the opposite line, "Yeah think about it, if you're up for it I'll pick you up tonight around 9, 'kay?"

"'Kay, catch ya later."

"Later."

Ada hung up the phone and yawned. Her blue eyes glanced upstairs where her sister stood moments prior. She considered actually going to this party, it would be her first. Despite what others thought, Ada wasn't a big partygoer, which was strange considering that life in a band came with parties and frequent gatherings. The young Holt sister was an introvert, preferring to sit inside and play guitar riffs and get dressed up for herself instead of going out and talking to people. But she was 19, almost 20 already, and it was embarrassing to say that she's never been to a party. So she decided to change that.

"El, I'm going out today. Annie's picking me up." She yelled upstairs and headed to the bathroom to start making herself look somewhat presentable.

A/N

Hope you're enjoying the book so far!

Let me know what you think! 

Fyi: English isn't my first language so I apologise in advance for any grammatical mistakes <3