A Veiled Journey (ON HOLD)

Beating Heart

I'm completely changing this chapter-title and everything. I realized how short it was and I tried to lengthen it, though I'm not too sure how I did. It'll at least be better written.

(song: Beating Heart - Ellie Goulding)

Ashley was in the studio recording some bass lines while Andy was going over some vocals. I had been listening to Andy for a few minutes-he had this deep, gravelly tone; you could tell he smoked. The mixture of his voice with Ashley's bass was sort of beautiful. I had been so lost in thought that I barely noticed when someone started talking to me.

"So, Axelle," Jake-their lead guitarist, I learned-said from across the room on one of the leather couches. "Why did you blackout that day?"

"And why did you have those suitcases? They were pretty heavy..." CC added, if you couldn't tell-he was their drummer. He was sitting next to Jake and Jeremy was sitting next to me on the other sofa.

"Well, Jake, I don't really know why I blacked out...I wasn't really going anywhere right at that moment." I looked over at CC. "I got in a fight with my parents, resulting in me getting kicked out, so I packed everything I needed and disappeared." I shrugged. "I was getting ready to move out anyways."

Jeremy put his hand on my shoulder. "Did you know where you were going to move?" He was the quietest out of the five of the boys, though his words and music were always full of emotion.

"I was going to move in with one of my friends, but we didn't have everything set in stone." I glanced over at him, seeing his light eyes full of concern.

"Wouldn't she be worried?" He asked.

"Well, she hasn't texted me, so she probably thinks I'm still at home."

Andy had finished for the day, coming out of the booth. "Great job, Andy. We'll start tracking the guitars tomorrow, so you can give your voice a rest." One of the guys at the controls said to the blue-eyed man as he came out to sit with us. He walked with a kind of confidence you'd think I rock star would have.

"Hey, we were just talking about-" CC started, drumming on Jake's leg, making the man grumble.

"No need to explain; I heard." Andy waved him off and got comfortable next to Jeremy. He turned his eyes on me. "We were thinking of going out to a club after we're done here. You wanna come?" He asked me. "It's totally up to you."

"Um...sure." I looked over at the booth Ash was sitting in. When our eyes met, gave me a shy smile, his eyes dropping to the floor. I could've sworn his cheeks turned pink. I turned back to Andy, nodding. "Sounds like fun."

"We're just waiting on Ashley." Jake got up and stretched. CC frowned, losing his improvised drum. He tucked the sticks away in a backpack that rested against the table between us. "He should be finished in a bit."

I nodded, my gaze wandering over to Ashley again. The only difference was that when I looked at him now, he was completely lost in the music he created. His eyes were closed in concentration, fingers gliding easily along the fret board. It was interesting to watch; I wonder if I ever look something like that when I'm singing or writing. Ashley looked up suddenly, his stare fixated on one of the men at the soundboard on the other side of the glass. I took this opportunity to pull a book out of my bag, opening it to the page I left off on.

I had never heard of the book until a friend recommended it to me. The government basically controlled everything you did-you had to choose where you would ultimately live for the rest of your life-it you didn't fail the tests that you were given. If you failed those tests, you would be forced to live on the outskirts of the city with the other men and women that couldn't complete the same challenged you faced. The heroine of the story had chosen her place bravely, as it wasn't very common that someone left where they were born. She made it through the tests, getting beat up in the process. She had refused to let the others around her push her out of her choice.

I wished my life could've been more like the book, but at the same time I'm glad it wasn't. If I had to choose one place to live for the rest of my life, never getting to see my family and friends that had either stayed or left, all because of government rules, I think I'd go insane-though I was okay with the fact my parents didn't want to see me again, I had accepted it.

I'm thankful for Ashley and his band mates; if it weren't for them, something horrible definitely would've happened to me. I could've been taken advantage of by some pervert or dragged away and killed. Maybe even both.

My mind always seemed to think of all the bad things before the good.

"I'm all done in there." Ashley interrupted my thoughts by cracking his knuckles. I stuffed my book back into my bag, looking up as he sauntered over to me. "So Axelle," He gently took my hand from where it sat on my lap, pulling me to my feet. "What did you think?"

I smiled, feeling my cheeks pull tight, like they always did when I gave someone a genuine smile. "You sounded great!" I twisted my class ring around on my finger absentmindedly. "You can really play."

"Thank you." He laughed. We looked around to see the guys had already gone outside. Besides two of the men from their team who were currently working on different tracks for their album, we were the only ones still here. "Well, what're we waiting for?" Ash nudged me with his elbow and led me out to his car.

The brisk evening air hit me as soon as we stepped out of the studio. The small parking lot was almost empty, the guys having gone ahead without us. The sun was beginning to set, the sky's colors turning my surroundings shades of pink, blue, and orange. I glanced at the man walking beside me, my breath hitching in my throat as I saw how the light turned his features into those of a Greek god. I quickly brought my attention to my shoes, not wanting to get caught gawking at him.

"Your chariot awaits, milady." Ashley grinned playfully as he opened the door for me.