Out of Tune

Chapter Twenty-Two

Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours – Elton John

There was a line outside of The Vault when they arrived. It was a dark, cloudless night and the moon was shining brightly on the would-be clubbers.

Lennon wasn't surprised at the crowd that had gathered. Not after she'd heard that Silver Signs was performing. It was their first gig after being signed to a prestigious record label – Monolith Entertainment. She knew the band well and had even performed with them once long ago when they had been rookies to the New York City scene and started hitting the dive bars.

The Vault had been one of the bars they'd frequented and Phil had eventually offered them a permanent spot on his rotation when it became clear that a steady stream of fans entered his bar with the sole intention of seeing them play.

Silver Signs were primarily an alternative rock group defined by their use of edgy lyrics and distorted melodies. They had the potential to be big – evidenced by their recent signing.

Phil had been the one to call Lennon and let her know that they were playing. Their phone call had been short and sweet, filled with nostalgia, and come the afternoon after Imagine Reality's interview on The Diane Furley show.

She'd been walking down Fifth Avenue with the rest of her friends. Lynn and Anna were leading the group, smiling broadly. The women hadn't interacted much before this short trip but they had hit it off well, becoming fast friends.

Miles and Taylor were holding hands, pausing to peer in windows and storefronts as they went. Zeke and Spencer were in the middle of debating a superhero fight club and who would win in different scenarios – most of which were ravaging New York. Lennon had been chatting with Charlie when her phone rang so she nodded him ahead and fell back to take the call.

"Hey, kid," Phil had said as Lennon answered the phone.

"Hi, Phil."

"You know, you could've called to tell me that you were coming to town. Too fancy for me now that you're appearing on talk shows?" he'd teased.

Phil had a gruff voice, gravelly almost. It was the only evidence that he'd once smoked a pack a day. Smoking had been his vice for about fifteen years but he'd quit after his sister and her husband had been killed in the car crash that had granted him custody over Isaiah. He'd claimed that he didn't ever want Isaiah to lose him like he'd lost his parents so the filthy habit had gone out the window.

Lennon had laughed at Phil's comment and the sound had prompted Spencer to glance back at her, eyes bright behind his glasses. "Nothing personal, I promise. Just short timing."

"Still, I haven't heard from you much since you left California. Are you doing okay out there? Mom treating you right?"

"Well...That's a bit of a complicated question."

And perhaps there was something in her tone that said all of the things she didn't want to say over the phone, or maybe Phil just knew.

In any case, he'd harrumphed and said, "Knew that witch was going to be a disaster to live with. I want you to come to The Vault tomorrow to tell me all about it. No excuses. Isaiah told me that you're not leaving until Sunday morning so you don't have a reason not to come. Besides, Silver Signs are playing and I know you love them."

She did. Silver Signs was an alternative band that Lennon adored. Every time they'd performed at The Vault, she'd forced her father to let her go.