Okay, so this was the song that birthed Melodi, Grayson, and Riley. I heard this song on an episode of American Dad over 2 years ago and the idea for The Ballad of Blue, Aqua and Black have grown since then. Obviously, I can't use it in the novel, but I wanted to get the rough version of this scene with the original song out here--when I publish the novel the lyrics will be replaced with original ones.
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Melodi walked across the stage, pulling the faux fur shawl around her more closely. It was summer outside, but one would swear it to be the middle of winter inside the club. The doors had yet to be opened, but the time was soon approaching, the final walkthroughs being taken to make sure everything was in place, so the show could get underway and food could be served without delay.
Melodi stood in front of the microphone and squinted into the lights that blinded her, holding a hand in front of her to guard her eyes as she waited for them to be dimmed to an appropriate level. As the lights dimmed and became bearable, she noticed someone standing with their back to the stage. Her first assumption was that it was Grayson, but a quick glance at the short black dreadlocks pulled into a high ponytail was enough to tell her it wasn't her bodyguard.
"Who-who-who are you?" Melodi stammered, stepping back away from the edge of the stage.
"I'm Skylar," The young man explained, giving her a bright smile and waving. "I'm filling in for Grayson!"
"Where is he?" Melodi demanded, looking around the club as the overhead lights turned on, "Why does he need someone to fill in?"
"Calm down diva," Grayson stepped out from the curtain behind Melodi, a saxophone in his hand, "I'm still here. One of the band members got sick and called in. Boss said he needed a sax replacement." Melodi scoffed, turning to stare at Grayson with an open mouth.
"Since when do you play an instrument?" She accused, crossing her arms and tapping one foot against the ground.
"Since middle school," Grayson rolled his eyes and played with a few of the keys, "I got Skylar to stand guard in my usual spot. Trust me, he's legit. Might look like a goof ball but he's tough as nails. No one will mess with you, and it's only for a few songs—Giovanni said he's got a backup player on the way but they won't make it in time for the opening so I'm holding down the fort till he gets here. You cool with that?" He watched as she toyed with her index finger, looking down in thought. After a few seconds she nodded her head and adjusted the shawl around her shoulders before turning and smiling at Skylar.
"It is a pleasure to meet you Skylar," She walked to the edge of the stage and held out her hand to shake gently. The young man took it and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her hand, as Grayson groaned and returned backstage to prepare.
The lights dimmed and the audience's applause while polite and modest seemed to roar to meet Melodi as she strode across the stage confidently. She glanced down where Grayson would typically stand and saw Skylar standing with his hands in his pockets, scanning the crowd as the noise died down to silence. She stepped up to the old-fashioned mic and smiled into the crowd as the piano off to the left of the stage began playing loudly with a romantic flourish. When the segment was done, the piano played more softly so Melodi could sing.
"There's a saying old, says that love is blind...still we're often told, seek and ye shall find," Melodi put her hands under the mic, holding on to the stand as she thought of Riley. His raven black hair and his sapphire eyes. The thought of him made her heart squeeze and rise in her chest, "So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind." She turned slightly to the left, closing her eyes as she tried to remember how long it had been since she had last seen Riley.
"Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet...He's the big affair I cannot forget...Only man I ever think of with regret." She looked over the crowd, noticing the couples snuggled close in booths or holding hands from across the roundtables as they watched her intently. "I'd like to add his initial to my monogram...Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?" She realized it had been over a year since she had laid eyes on Riley, and it had been almost two months since his last letter. "There's a somebody I'm longin' to see, I hope that he turns out to be...Someone who'll watch over me."
She shifted on her feet, turning to the right this time, making sure to pay attention to the entire room as she searched the room for the one person she wanted to see. Her voice light and airy, but clear and sure—a woman who knew the touch of love and could sing of its beauty and promise.
"I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood, I know I could, always be good...To one who'll watch over me." As she took her breath to prepare for the next line she was thrown off by the sound of a saxophone, she looked over her shoulder where the band was positioned and saw Grayson standing while the other players sat in their chairs. "Although he may not be the man," With each note Grayson played, Melodi felt her heart twitch throwing off her breathing slightly, "Some girls think of as handsome..." She noticed that he had discarded the jacket of his suit and rolled the white sleeves of his button up to his elbows—or rather someone had for him—as they were neatly folded above the bend of his arm. His fingers seemed to move naturally along the keys, she couldn't honestly tell if he was even reading the sheet music. "To my heart, he carries the key..."
Melodi turned her back to him and tried to re-center her mind. She had let herself get distracted, "Won't you tell him please to put on some speed? Follow my lead, oh, how I need...Someone to watch over me." The piano played softly as Melodi turned and picked up the glass of water behind her on a stool. She took a quick sip before replacing the glass and turned back to the crowd, hands gently holding the mic stand as she tried to think of Riley's face, but the sound of the saxophone pulled her thoughts and eyes toward Grayson. The dim lights and stray smoke from the patrons had softened his harder features and given him an alluring look. His tailored suit and pants showed off his strong shoulders and the length of his long legs, where his past outfits had disguised them.
"Won't you tell him please to put on some speed?" Melodi slowed her singing, "Follow my lead, oh, how I need..." She closed her eyes, "Someone to watch over me..." The sounds of the saxophone were still begging for her attention, she couldn't stop herself from glancing over in his direction once more as she sang the last line slowly, as if asking the god of love for aid. "Someone to watch over me." As Grayson played the last few notes for the song, she noticed he turned and watched her back, winking as the fading note was drowned out with applause and whistles from the audience.
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Snippets and Scenelets
General Fiction"We've seen things people only see in movies, or in their nightmares..." "And slaughtered more than in both..." ~The Crypt Callers~ "All this happened because you taunted a terminally ill man afraid of death with immortality!" ~The Monster You Did...
