MELODY

MELODY 01

┏ 𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚐 ┐

Bryan Ito was going to murder his best friend. The checklist given to him by said person and now president of Events & Festivals Team was a list full of bands that were candidates for the Music Festival 2019. In a moment of weakness when Adam had moaned about his workload for the umpteenth time, he had given in and asked if he needed any help. While he wasn't part of the campus team, he could very well lend a hand. And here he was... 

He sighed, tossing the papers on the desk in a makeshift office that belonged to Adam. Leaning into his chair, its wheels creaked every time he shifted on it. Annoyed, he glared at the two pages full of bands for him to email to ask of their availability for the festival. A headache threatened to bloom in his head.

What was worse was that he wasn't even sure who three-quarter of these musicians were.

And what was with their names?

Blacksmith Rocker? GoldenMom? Really, those were what they decided to call themselves?

Shaking his head, he glanced out of the window located across the small space, showing other buildings of his university campus. The sky was bleeding orange, shedding its blue coat, signalling that if he didn't get a move on, he would be here longer than he cared for. Making a note to make Adam buy him an expensive set meal the next time they met, he pulled up a new tab on the computer browser, typing in a random band name that caught his attention.

MELODY.

He had expected the band to be an Indie one— maybe underground-level and not well known. So, colour him surprised when their Facebook fan page had over 800K likes. Eyebrows raised, his interest piqued as he scrolled through their page. Pictures of the clubs and festivals they had performed at filled the screen, some had purple and pink lights creating filter-like effects on them.

It made them look like they belonged on stage. Like they were born to play the instruments. Born to make music.

And Bryan never felt that way about a musician before. He hummed under his breath.

A short clip of the band playing at a club made him stop short.

Something about it had him reaching for his bag, tossed carelessly on the floor the second he had stomped his way inside, and pulled out his earphones. He plugged the wire into the side of the screen and then shoved the earbuds into his own ears, pressing play on the clip.

Immediately, screams of people echoed into his mind. Loud and full of energy. They were chanting something but the words were so jumbled up together, mixed with the bass and high-pitched guitar stringing, that he couldn't catch them. When the camera shifted to the presence of four boys on stage, his attention ended up rapt on them. Their clothing didn't particularly have a theme, but they matched in a way. Chains on hips, shirts with printed images and wording with necklaces and piercings and rings, they created the stereotypical image of an underground rock band. They even had dyed hair! Yet, all those shades synonymously became one when pink and purple and blue lights shone on them, creating a scene where they were the main stars.

One of the shorter boys took central stage with a microphone on a stand, voice muffled by the continuous stream of shouts from the crowd.

It was only a second later that Bryan registered that he was introducing his band members one by one, before he shifted the spotlight on one of them. A stool was placed in front of the microphone and the taller boy with hair parted heavier to his left, spiky and messy, took stand there. Even under the rapidly dominating pink hues, his eyes were dark as if they belonged in a cup of black coffee. He sat down, a guitar in his hands. With one leg hooked on the bars of the chair, he leaned forward and spoke to his fans.

Bryan was sure it was his fans, especially when with just a quirk of his lips, the high-pitched screams crescendoed, causing his earphones to shake a little. Touching the side of his head, he leaned forward as if that would help him hear the boy amongst the various voices.

"I'm Jackson Star, the lead guitarist of MELODY—" and the people chanted his name a few times, causing Jackson to smile wider — "and tonight's a special night for me and my band members. It's the day we formed into the group you guys know of us now. And because of that, I've decided to a song I've been working on for our new album." Then, he glanced over his shoulders at his band members. After a second, he returned his attention to the crowd. "You guys can tell me if I should add it into the album after tonight."

Earning another ear-piercing scream that soon quietened at the first strum of Jackson's guitar, Bryan's eyes widened the second the melody registered in his head. When the guitarist opened his mouth to sing, everything slowed down around Bryan until all his attention was on the taller boy. His soft, deep voice seared into his brain and settled deep in his mind like it belonged there.

Without wanting to, his heart raced against his chest as Jackson continued to unknowingly serenade him through the screen. The little movements the guitarist did, the slight nod and hum in between the lyrics and expertly tugging on the strings— he created a magnetic image.

And at that brief moment, Bryan could understand why he had people screaming for him with just a look.

There was a moment of silence when the song was over before another wave of screams broke it, louder than before. The clip ended with Jackson smiling, obstructed by the reply-icon in grey. Bryan pulled his earphone away, dropping them onto the table.

Never had a guitarist taken Bryan so off guard with the way he swayed with the music and eyes closed during the chorus as if he really felt the song. Bryan's lips stretched into a smile, one that he covered with a hand.

Jackson played like his whole world was that song.

When he reluctantly returned to check on the other bands, his mind raced back to Jackson Star from MELODY.

He had already carved a shape in his mind without Bryan wanting him to. 

┏ 𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝙴𝙻𝙾𝙳𝚈 𝟶𝟷 ┐