Pisanthraphobia (H2OVanoss and Others)

Chapter 23

"Ev? Is that you?"

Evan looked up from his seat in shock, and the others looked as well. The girl had long, magenta-dyed hair, barrettes clipping her bangs back. She was thin, wearing ripped jeans, converse, and a band tee that was cropped above her waistline.

Her phone was buzzing in her hand but her eyes were locked on Evan's, and they both stared at each other in shock. She was incredibly pretty, so the group drew the attention of the other passengers.

Noticing the looks, the girl glanced around and ushered them all toward an empty compartment with bench seats that they all them occupied. Evan was dragged next to the girl, who took his hand in hers and smiled.

"It's been years Ev! What have you been up to?"

He smiled at her, though a bit shyly because of the looks he was getting and looked around at his friends, deflecting her question.

"It's great to see you, Via. These are my friends: Tyler, Craig, Nogla, Lui, Brock, and Brian. Guys, meet Olivia."

They all leaned forward, nodding at each other or shaking hands, and Evan took a look from Tyler as a sign to continue.

"We used to work on music stuff together, and we did a few tracks a while back."

"You bet we did. Ev here may be quiet, but he's a god on the tracks."

She nudged his shoulder and leaned back casually, looking out the window as the train began and the landscape flew by. She glanced back at the group, with a gleam in her eyes.

"Y'all here for the convo? 'Following your Destinies'?"

"Heck yes!"

Lui's High pitch surprised her, but she laughed and listened as the others explained their journey thus far. They asked her if she knew how to find the next clue.

"I'm not quite sure."

She shrugged, but tilted her head thoughtfully.

"I heard that they have people who are in on it, so if we ask around they'll lead us where we need to go."

They kept light conversation as the train chugged on, and eventually their stop was called. As they got of, Evan ran a hand through his hair and turned to his friend.

"Care to team up with us for a bit Olivia?"

She nodded and grinned, and the entourage made their way down the street from the station. They headed to a bustling square that was as populated and beautiful as the rest of the city.

There were a thousand different things catching their eyes as they walked, but the place they were going was off to the side, almost hidden away. The establishment had no sign, unlike its neighbors, and two bronze doors beckoned them inside.

Tyler opened the door, letting the others through, and they made their way in, awed once more by Paris magic.

The inside was huge and open, much larger than the outside made it seem. A crystal chandelier casted rainbows across the painted walls and the carpet was dark and plush. There was another door on the far back wall, off center and out of place in the grand entryway.

After a moment, they heard what verified that they were in the right place. It started with a tinkling sound, like bells or a wind chime, with a low bass beat in the background.

As the walked farther chords joined the fray, a drum tatting as the music swelled. By the time the went into the door at the back, the melody had become music.

They entered what could only be described as a club. A bar was on the side wall, and rainbow lights beamed through the darkness of the rest of the room.

Despite the time of day, the room was filled with all variances of people scattered about. Some were at the bar, others were on the illuminated dance floor, and a group was up on a stage in the middle of the room.

The group was made up of three girls, probably in their early 20s, and they each had a soundboard in front of them, writing the synthesia filling the room.

Just as they had taken everything in, Olivia turned and grabbed Evan's arm.

"We are totally going up there next."

Chest tightening, Evan immediately shook his head. He had never been the best with people, but as much as he loved music crowds just weren't his thing.

Unfortunately for him, his other friends were already invested.

"Evannnnnn."

Looking at the people around him, he reconsidered. Ever since the incident and everything that had happened, he never really let himself go. He was so caught up in himself that he wasn't having as much fun as he could have, and he wanted to.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he reopened them and amber glinted in the club lights.

"Alright, let's do this."

Olivia went to talk to some official-looking people up by the stage, and after some playful conversation she shot the group a thumbs up. When the girls on stage finished, Evan took a breath and climbed up.

Looking at the variety of instruments to choose from, Evan glanced at Olivia.

"How about some self love?"

She grinned, and he grabbed a guitar. Strumming a few notes to tune, the both got soundboards and nodded at each other.

Evan began with a simple riff, echoing in the room. After a few measures, Olivia took a breath and entered.

"Why is so hard to just be myself?
I feel like I'm different from everyone else. Yeah why am I like this? Can somebody please tell me?
I look in the mirror and what do I see?
I don't really know who's looking back at me.
I don't even know who I want to be..."

They both started adding electronic effects, beat coming behind Olivia's voice as she continued to the chorus.

"I need to (I need to) I need to love myself..."

They kept going, picking up rhythm as more dwellers came toward the dance floor or looked appreciatively from the sides. When they got toward the end, Evan couldn't contain himself.

"I need to, and I don't need your help.
I need to (love myself, I need to) I need to just f*ckin' love myself."

His voice started softly, but grew stronger as they created harmony, following each other's pitches. When they finished the final line, Evan was breathless and infinitely happy.

Olivia laughed and slung her arm around his shoulder as the occupants applauded. Even louder than the expanse of the room were he voices of their friends, hooting from the floor as they grinned and clapped.

Then came the chanting.

"Encore!"