Midnight Music

Chapter 2

"DJ Moon is waiting for you." The bouncer at the front of the club said when we gave him our names then let us through the door. I took off my black coat as soon as we were out of the cold winter air, and in the warm building.

The Masked Muse seemed like a combination of small theatre, bar, and restaurant. I entered the club's large doors, and along one wall was a long bar for people to order drinks, and another on the opposite wall for ordering light food. Walking still, I approached what reminded me of the stairs that veined through the seats of a basketball spectrum. Rather than rows of seats, there were wide platforms, like gigantic tiers, with tables and chairs set out on every level that descended towards the wall opposite of the doors. At the bottom was a small stage, boxed in by the wall and "bleachers". Judging by the red curtain that covered the wall behind it, I figured the stage expanded, and maybe also led to everything else that's expected in a theatre; dressing rooms, sound and light controls, etc.

Aspen, I mean Daisy, led me towards a table on the top east-side of the stage. A young man dressed in black baggy sweatpants, light gray t-shirt, gray hooded jacket, and black convers sat there, waiting. His wavy, chestnut brown hair was just visible under his hood, and black paint was smeared across his face as a makeshift mask. Glad I'm not the only one lazily dressed tonight.

"Hey, DJ Moon." My friend smiled flirtatiously as we sat with him.

"Good evening, Daisy. I'm glad you could come," he wrapped his arm around the back of her chair and looked at me. "Who's your friend?"

I held my hand out to him, smiling as nicely as I could. Why did I agree to come? "This is my first time here, so just call me Anna. It's short for 'Anonymous'." I said sarcastically, laughing at my own joke.

DJ Moon laughed with me. "She's funny. Nice. Well, anyone is welcome at the Masked Muse. And you're in for a treat; in less than half an hour, I'm going to be in control of the music you hear for the rest of the night."

"Do you think you can tell me a bit about this place? Daisy didn't tell me much."

"Well, we do a lot of musical numbers here. Karaoke night is on Mondays, and anyone can participate. If you don't know any musical songs, Disney songs are good too. Every other Wednesday is duet-night, so the only performances allowed are duets and couples-kind of like a little date-night thing, I think. And on Fridays, we have Sing Off, where all of the club's performers, even some guests compete against each other and try to become the club's Star."

I looked around and noticed a significant number of people wearing a variety of masks, even some costumes. "Does everyone wear masks here?"

"The performers and employees of the club do, but everyone is welcome to if they want. And a lot of us have certain-styled lives outside of Masked Muse, so we do fake names and create personas for identity protection as well as fun. Actually, this whole thing is for fun, but some of us make it our lives."

"How interesting."

The young man checked his watch. "I have to go set up. I'll catch you later, beautiful." He winked at Daisy and left. I gave my friend a knowing look as she blushed under her mask. Several minutes later, our casual conversation was suddenly interrupted as we heard his cool voice on the speakers.

"Alright, ladies and gentleman. This is DJ Moon, and we're going to see some awesome performances. First, let's give it up for Anya and Dimitri."

Everyone applauded as the curtains rose, revealing the two main characters of Anastasia. A young woman, wearing a sparkling yellow dress with a light blue sash and silver tiara with a matching mask, stood with a man in a white button-up shirt, brown trousers and vest with a simple white mask. They gave a quick bow to the audience, then started dancing as "At The Beginning" played. The red-haired woman was significantly shorter than her partner, but they were able to dance like they were a match made in heaven. She turned into him, he caught her easily, and they stared into each other's eyes like they were a real couple. I could almost feel the love between them, and clapped enthusiastically at the end of their number as the curtains fell.

I hated to admit it, but my roommate was right when she said I would enjoy being at this club. All of the performers seemed to pour their soul into the pieces they did. One of my favorites was a beautiful woman wearing a black and white gown, a white mask, and had her long, flowing dark hair in a high ponytail, playing a piano version of "In Dreams" from The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Glancing at the time on my phone, I realized it was nearly midnight. I turned to yellow-decked friend and tapped her arm. "I hate to be like Cinderella, but we should get home soon."

"DJ Moon gets done at midnight. We'll say goodbye to him afterwards, then we can leave. Deal?"

I rolled my eyes and slumped back into my chair. I guess I can watch one more performance, then I will have had my fill on musical theatre. It's been a long time. Why don't you do it again? Because I don't do that anymore. Simple as that. Why not start again? You used to love it, and you were very good at it. That was then. Things have changed. Now stop bothering me, already!

I shook my head to get the thoughts out as the next performer was announced. "You've all been waiting, and now the wait is over. Here he is, the Masked Muse favorite and our Star-Platinum!"

The lights dimmed while the audience clapped encouragingly, then a single spotlight hit center stage. Standing with his feet spread apart and head looking down was a man in a black suit with a gray button-up shirt. His black fedora kept us from seeing his face and hair. As the song started, he did a spin then looked up. The top half of his face had a metallic, dark gray mask hiding it from us. He held a cordless mic to his lips, and began to sing "Singing in the Rain".

My heart was tugged by the sound of his voice. Amazing! No, incredible! I have heard a considerable number of talented singers, especially male singers, but his voice was like a rainbow or a sunset. I could tell that he had a wide range, and every note came easily to him. During the instrumental parts of the song, he danced as if he was the happiest man ever. Like he didn't care who was watching and just felt like dancing. He let the music take him away into another world, and for a moment, I wanted to go there with him.

"You're better than him." Daisy said out of nowhere when the song ended. I pulled my coat back on as she grabbed hers.

"What are you talking about? That guy was great."

"Yeah, but I've heard you sing. I bet if you challenge him, you'll come out on top. That, or you might freak out and run off the stage." I elbowed her in the side as we walked up the stairs. She knows better. "Sorry, I'll never talk about It again. But you should still try."

"Who should try what?" DJ Moon appeared at Daisy's side and joined in on the conversation.

Daisy quickly filled him in. "My friend here is amazingly talented, but it's been a while for her. I think she should perform here sometime, reconnect with her passion. However, she's being hesitant."

"Oh, you should totally go for it. And if you're really good, you could end up working here. And let me tell you, I can't think of a better job."

"Whoa, when did this turn into a considerable job application? We were just talking about getting me to even try singing again." I shoved my hands into my pockets, biting my lip.

"Alright. Baby steps. Still think you should give it a shot." The young man gave my shoulder an encouraging pat. I looked from him to my friend.

"I'll think about it," Why should I? I haven't been on a stage, let alone performed for a large audience in years. Although, it's healthy to break out of your shell, push past your fears. . . "However, if I decide to do it, I'm going to need a mask."

"I've got you covered."

Of course she does. . .