Monstercat University I

Chapter 006

[Dilumi's POV]

     I wake up early. It is just going on 5:30, and everything is silent. The other girls are sound asleep, but I'm wide awake and refreshed. Finally, I can have some time to think about my set. I lay on my back and put my arms behind my head, letting the gears of my brain turn. I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, which also makes me an organizer. Every set I've ever played was the brainchild of many grueling hours of planning and stress, and I've never played a set without planning each transition beforehand and having a complete tracklist right in front of me. I know that's not always the best road to take, but so far it's worked for me. Sure, there have been a few times I've steered slightly off of my tracklist just to fit the vibe, and so far it's worked well, but I've always been too scared to venture further and just wing it. I like to throw everything into a set. Plenty of electro and house, maybe some drum n bass or hardstyle, and occasionally a little glitch hop, along with a good amount of drumstep and lots of dubstep. I'm the opening set of the night, so I might not want to go too heavy the whole time, especially since I'm playing before Soulero. My mind is overflowing with the many tracks I could use. I will definitely include Pegboard Nerds, and lots of Tristam, no matter what anybody says. The hard part will be choosing between all their many amazing tracks. I chuckle softly as I recall way back when the Pegboard Nerds played their remix of Alive right after Coffins just to mess with the crowd. I've wanted to steal that idea from them so badly. I'll probably throw a lot of electro house in this one, and it would be good to end on a lighter note because of Soulero. Oh yeah, I almost forgot...I've been wanting to play Tristam's remix of Levels forever now. I think I'll do that. And maybe some of his old dubstep tracks with his vocals. I wonder what he'll think of that. Well, whatever I do, I'm gonna make it my own, and it's gonna be great. I glance at the clock again. 5:41. Ah, I guess I'll go ahead and get up. I'm leaving at 6:15, and I might as well eat something before I leave. After changing into my clothes for today, I grab an apple out of the fruit bowl, sit down on my bed, and sink my teeth into it, biting off a crunchy piece and chewing it slowly to savor its juices. I love apples. I'm in no rush, so I might as well enjoy this. By 5:50 I am done. I toss the core, brush my teeth, then sit back down on my bed, tapping my foot on the floor and letting out a small sigh. The girls are still asleep. I wonder what I should do with the time I have left. I think I'll run down to the gym first and try to shoot a few baskets, since I feel so energetic. There's probably no one down there anyway. I might not come back up here though, so I'd better write a quick note to Anna and Veela telling them I'm going. I slide off the bed, grab a piece of paper, and scribble down "Left 5:53, love you guys! Call me tonight! ~Dilumi". I tape the note to the framework of the bunk bed and then quietly go out the door into the silent, dim hall. Everyone is probably sleeping in today. I make very little noise as I roll my suitcase down the hall. Picking it up to go down the stairs, I make my way down to the gymnasium and push open the door, the hinges squeaking. Every sound seems ten times louder breaking the early-morning silence than it does when the whole university is awake and buzzing. I reach over to the wall and flip on the lights, just so it won't feel as weird being alone. Throwing off my light jacket, I roll out one of the basketballs from the corner and dribble it for a few seconds before shooting for the basket. The ball barely hits the edge of the net and then rolls off. Ah, well. I'm not even a ball player, but I just like doing this when nobody's around. I try a few more times and finally make a couple baskets, then check my phone. 6:05. Guess I'll go ahead and head out. I grab my jacket and button it up in case it's cool outside, then cut the lights off on my way out of the gym. Heading outside, I find Tristam, Braken, and Noisestorm all standing in a circle. Hmm, wonder what they're doing. "Hey Dilumi!" Noisestorm calls, noticing me. Tristam and Braken turn around.
     "Hey!" I call back, waving. "What are y'all doing up so early?"
     "Nothing," Noisestorm says.
     "Oh yeah, look who's talking!" Tristam says, gesturing to Noisestorm. "He set all the alarms to go off early and he put them on our bunk bed!"
     "On full volume," Noisestorm adds, grinning and giving me two thumbs up.
     "Yep! On full volume!" Tristam pouts, crossing his arms.
     "Noisestorm! That's mean!" I scold him, but I grin because I know he's just playing.
     "And on a Saturday, too!" continues Tristam. Braken rolls his eyes and facepalms.
     "Oh, well," I giggle. "Where's Aero Chord?"
     "He's gone to Walgreens to get a few things. He should be back soon. Where are you going?" Tristam asks, noticing my suitcase.
     "Going to visit my parents," I smile. "My mom's birthday is tomorrow."
     "That sounds fun. You want me to drive you there?" I stop short, my mouth partially open, staring at him in amazement. What?! Is he crazy?
     "Y-You don't want to, Tristam," I laugh, shaking my head. "Trust me. It's a three-hour drive. Thanks though."
     "Sure. Anytime." Dang, that's pretty sweet of him.
     "Well, I'm gonna get out of here. I'll see you guys Monday."
     "Alright!"
     "Bye!"
     "See you Monday!" I find the key to my silver car as I walk the rest of the way to it, then I get in and start the engine, rolling the windows down. For some reason I have Guide Me Home by Hellberg stuck in my head. It's actually pretty rare that I don't have something stuck in my head.
     "Let's see, what shall I listen to today?" I mumble to myself, scrolling through the album list on my phone. Since it's a 3-hour drive, I've kind of made it a tradition to listen to something long each time. Awakening. Perfect. I'm gonna be driving while the sun comes up, so that will be fun to listen to. Instead of listening to the album mixes, which I usually do, I decide this time to listen to the whole album all the way through...except for the mixes. I plug my phone into the speaker and start Halcyon, then set the phone down and pull out of the campus parking lot. The way Halcyon starts this album off is perfect, and I love Au5 and Fractal's style. This music is such fun entertainment for driving. Besides, I'm in the perfect mood for it right now. Since it's morning and my mind is fresh, it's the perfect thing to eject into it first. You probably think I'm crazy, that I should be taking a break from this music on weekends since it's basically my life. You're right, it is my life, and that's exactly why I listen to it 24/7. I'm passionate about it more than anything else in a way I can't explain no matter how hard I try. As I pause at the campus entrance/exit, a black car turns in and slows next to mine.
     "MAKE THE GROUND SHAKE!!!" a voice yells at me. I look over and see that it's Aero. I laugh, turning my music down.
     "You have fun at Walgreens?" I smirk.
     "Uh..." he smiles. "Well...I guess."
     "Great. I'm going to visit my parents. I'll see you Monday."
     "K! Stay safe!"
     "Thanks! Bye!" Aero rolls his window up and drives off as I pull out, not before turning my music back up. In just a minute, Halcyon fades off and the Dabin remix of Truth comes on. I love this remix. The chords are so great. It makes me smile listening to it right now when you can just see the light from the sun starting to break through the trees in the distance. I don't know about you, but I think sunrises are just beautiful. And even better with Awakening. Especially something like this Dabin remix. Dang, every single time Tristam's voice comes in a minute through, it catches me off guard. I don't know what it is about his voice that I love so much. I want to tell him how much I love it. I wish I could. I sigh and let myself sink into the gorgeous, emotional, calming chords as the bright sun begins to throw back the covers of night and stretch its arms upwards in salutation.