Crashed

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

                Azalee and Luna stepped around the side of a larger than life tour bus that had huge words embroidered onto the side, screaming, “Daughtry.” There wasn’t going to be any doubt in anyone’s mind who was on that particular bus. Lethargic Memories’ bus was jet black with tinted windows. It would be a little harder to find them on the radar. Azalee smiled at Luna.

                “How awesome is this? Two weeks ago, we were freaking out, thinking that we weren’t going to get to tour at all and then this happens,” she said. Luna giggled.

                “Yeah, thank God you wrecked Daughtry’s car.” Azalee rolled her eyes.

                “I’m convinced that it would have happened regardless of it I had gotten into an accident with him.” Luna shrugged.

                “Doesn’t matter now, does it? We’re here.” Azalee grinned.

                “Yes, we are.” She sighed and looked at the bus in front of them again.

                “Well, I think I’m going to go inside and thank him again before we take off.” Luna nodded.

                “All right. Well, I’m going to go find Annie and see if she’s satisfied that her bags are going to be safe in that bay.” Azalee laughed at her.

                “Have fun,” she told her friend. Luna smiled and walked away.  Azalee took a deep breath and stepped up onto the stairs of the Daughtry tour bus, through the open door. She heard the faint sound of music coming from the back of the bus. She wondered if it was just the radio or if it was Chris playing music. She’d seen him climb onto the bus but hadn’t seen him leave. She assumed it had to be he that was in the back of the bus. She stepped up a little farther into the bus and paused for a moment to listen. It was an acoustic guitar she was hearing. She tiptoed closer to the closed door to hear more clearly. She’d never really heard Chris sing. He’d been around since around 2006, but she’d never really taken to listening to his music. She’d been too busy perfecting her own.  She heard the guitar pause for a moment then someone took a breath and started to sing.

                “They’re gonna find you. Just believe. You’re not a person. You’re a disease. All these lives that you’ve been taking. Deep inside my heart is breaking. Broken homes from separation. Don’t you know that it’s violation? It’s so wrong, but you’ll see, never gonna let you take my world from me. The world outside these walls may know you’re breathing, but you ain’t coming in.”

                Azalee stared at the doorway. The voice behind the door was beautiful, not beautiful like a flower, but beautiful like nothing she’d heard before. She continued to listen to his soft singing. He suddenly got loud, but it didn’t take away from the beauty of the song. His voice was cracking slightly, but only in a good way. It didn’t matter, because it didn’t ruin the song. And then the song was over. She couldn’t move. She’d just talked to this man on the phone a few days earlier. Where had this voice come from? Obviously, it had always been there, or he never would have been here for her to tour with; but the sound that had come out of him just now couldn’t have come from the man she’d been talking to. It just couldn’t have been him. Without any sort of warning, the door in front of which she stood was jerked open and she jumped, gasping. A person collided with her and she leapt backward, tripping stupidly over her feet.

                “OH, err, sorry!” Chris stammered trying to catch her by her arms to keep her from falling to the floor.  Azalee squealed like a little girl and grabbed his arm, trying to keep herself upright, and ended up jerking him down with her. She gasped loudly. He elbowed her in the face.