That Voice

Chapter 37

Luke’s P.O.V.

“Luke.  It’s been three weeks.  We can’t stay here anymore.  We have to finish up the last part of the tour.”  Ash said to me as he sat down next to where I was curled up in my bunk.  I had been like that since she had left.  Only leaving to shower, find food, and play shows.  Nothing was the same anymore.  My whole life seemed washed out and duller. 

Playing shows were terrible.  I kept forgetting the lyrics and my voice would crack at random times.  The worst part was looking over to my right and seeing just Mike.  The space that she used to occupy was empty.  

We were all depressed since she left.  The bus rides were filled with more silence than laughter and our phones chimed every second with tweets telling us to stay strong and that she would come back soon.  I believed them for a while.  After week two rolled by, my hope vanished.  She wasn’t coming back.

I felt empty inside.  “I know.  I just thought she would c-come back for…” I stuttered and Ash breathed out a forlorn sigh.  “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

He suddenly jumped up.  This was as excited as any of us had been for a while, so I was intrigued to say the least.  “Wait.  I have something that can help you.” he plopped down to his bunk and reached under it.  Finding his suitcase, he zipped it open and pulled out a shoe box.  He handed it to me and my eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Uhm…thanks?” 

Ash rolled his eyes. “Just open it.  Trust me.”  I did and what I saw absolutely took my breath away.

In the box, there were stacks upon stacks of the Polaroid pictures that Ash had been taking throughout the tour.  I pulled one out.  It was a picture of Sage sitting behind a drum kit.  She had pulled her best rocker face and held the drum sticks over her head.  

“Dee what are you doing?” I laughed at her because she looked so tiny sitting behind the kit. 

“Drumming obviously.” she replied and hit the riff that was used when someone made a joke.  I laughed again and sat back on the couch secretly watching her.

She actually could play the drums.  Fairly well.  I had an idea.

Ash, Cal, and Mike walked into the room.  They all looked taken aback when they saw her behind the drum hitting out a beat that I recognized as “Lost Boy”. 

“I didn’t know you could play the drums!!!” Ash exclaimed when she was finished and she giggled.  “Neither did I…”

The three guys and I looked at each other.  We all had the same idea.  We simultaneously looked back at Sage and her eyes widened in confusion.

For the show that night, Ash got to get out from behind those drums and got to sing and play guitar like the rest of us.  

That was one of the best shows we had ever played.