Lainey and the Magicians (First Draft)

Chapter 39

 People stop dancing on the dance floor. Everyone's focus seemed to be on her. The lights shone on Lainey's face, the blueish green glow illuminating her hair and making her body look neon. Nearby, she saw a table of people holding up Lainey NPC signs and political memes about her. They must have thought her first performance in Nevada in a while would be fun to witness and to bring in their memes about her. She hadn't been seen in any other performance besides Arizona in a while. Fifty people left the club when she had entered to perform. Some people were serious about the boycott. Didn't they know that she was coming on the schedule or had they chosen to leave at that specific moment when she came onstage?

 She noticed people had glasses at their tables. Swarms on the dance floor that had already assembled had stayed in their places, but some people broke up in groups. Bouncers had to deal with some people far out in the back. Some people on the tables dispersed since they didn't like her music all that much. Someone pulled out a knife, and a bouncer dealt with them quickly. Lainey felt the guitar strings in her hands.

 "Come on, play some music!" someone yelled.

 "Hello, everyone. This is Lainey Paris, and I have some never before heard music that I have written after a long time. I became an emancipated minor at sixteen in Salt, Arizona, and my bank account was pretty much gone. I'm getting back to the top, but it's not all about the money. It's about the fans and the people who care about me. Recently, I've met a lot of people who care about me, but they mostly seem to care about me being a part of group. This planet is getting messed up and I want to leave to somewhere else, but I want to have hopefully a few more performances before I go to another part of the Earth. After my breakup with Christopher Tom, I didn't believe in love and I wanted to trap myself in bed of roses so nobody could ever hand me a rose again. I met somebody who made me believe in friendly love again and my first new song is about him," Lainey said. She was pressed for time. She didn't mention Mars just in case any Magician spies were in this club at this time. She also didn't know if she was in love with Nathan or not.

 People clapped at her speech, and she saw Marco lift his mask up a little to show her his smile in the blink of an eye. It wasn't really about the fans or the people she cared about. It was about her cowardly getting to Mars and staying there forever with no company and no one to call her own. No marriage or children. Nothing. Marco told her to go for Nathan. She wanted more of Nathan and more of his friendship. She thought back to her interactions with Chard and Codebreaker. She couldn't believe she was leaving some of the new people she cared about. She caught a glimpse of a masked young man with a black hoodie with yellow stripes going down it and a blackish yellow mask in the crowd she hadn't seen since yesterday. If she had fallen in love, why would she be in love with a Magician? He was a reformer, but he was still a reminder to everything wrong in her entire world. Magicians were part of Earth's destruction under the guise of light and order.

 Lainey began her song and placed her fingers on the first guitar strings. This song was indie punk rock. There was no rapping in this song. Did she want to play in this style? "This song is called 'What have you done to me and why have you done this to me?' I think you like it," Lainey said, looking toward the masked young man in the crowd. She recognized his body build. It looked similar to Nathan. What if he was Nathan? She pressed harder on the guitar!

 People came closer to the stage. Some people entered the slam dancing ring.

 "When I first met you, I wouldn't even trust you enough to let you give me a water bottle

 When I first met you, I wouldn't even let you have your hands on the throttle

 When I first met you, I didn't even want you behind me!

 When I first met you, I didn't even want you to watch my six!

 Something's changing in all the adventures we'd had

 I've had problems with boys in the past and you are making me mad

 But I want more of your friendship

 I don't believe in love, but you're making me believe!

 I need to feel your strong arms around me!

 I'm heaving against your powers, but I sink into your mind control again!

 What have you done to me and why have you done this to me?

 I have different opinions and tastes in life

 I want to get away in strife

 But you are an anchor

 Who seeks to keep me here!

 When I saw you last night, you lit up my world!

 I wanted to hurl at what you were doing to me, but part of me wishes to see you more!

 Despite everything that's ever happened to me and all that I believe in!

 I don't believe in love, but you're making me believe!

 I need to feel your strong arms around me!

 I'm heaving against your powers, but I sink into your mind control again!

 What have you done to me and why have you done this to me?"  Lainey finished her first song. People clapped, but some people stood in a corner because they didn't like it much!

 "Lainey, are you a part of a secret society?" someone in the crowd asked.

 "No," Lainey answered. Did her time with the Anti-Magicians count as a secret society?

 She had noticed Marco, his group, and the boy in the hoodie & mask clapping. Did Nathan like her song? Was he clapping because of her? His friendship almost made her consider not going to Mars. She didn't know if it was love or not, hence the what have you done to me part of the song. People threw money at the stage and Lainey picked up some of the money. She threw some into her bag off stage. Marco had brought money up to the stage. What if he wanted her to use the money for something else? What if he didn't want her to go to Mars with it?