Life Is A Risk

Sunrise Bend and the Club of the Dead

From the outside, the Club of the Dead looked a lot bigger than it was. This was due mostly to the fact that the club was located in the basement of a large hotel. Jada realised that she'd neglected to mention this to Isabella when they pulled up and the first words out of Isabella's mouth were:

"I thought you said it was a 'small' club."

Jada chuckled lightly. "It's under the hotel, don't worry." Jada started to make to get out of her car before hesitating and sitting back down.

She turned to Isabella.

"Are you ready?"

Isabella took a deep breath. "Not at all." She smiled. "Let's do this?"

Jada smiled back at her friend. "Isabella, you are the strongest person I know. If anyone can do this, it's you. Let's do this."

----------

When they finally get down to the club, (the receptionist of the hotel was a big fan of Isabella's) Isabella is the one to spot the boys of Sunset Curve. Jada is slightly embarrassed that she missed them, considering that they were stood in a tight circle in the centre of the stage, talking to William and another man, who Jada assumed was Carter Collins, the owner of the COTD.

It was obvious, even from the back of the club, where Isabella and Jada were standing, that William was flirting with the blond - probably Jamie, Jada guessed by the drumsticks he was twirling. Jada thought that the gay panic coming from both of them was so obvious it was almost palpable.

She cups her hands around her mouth and calls out to the band. "Yo! Sunset Curve!"

The boys glance at the girls, then each other, before jumping off the stage one at a time. They jogged towards the back of the club. Isabella and Jada walked forward to move them.

"Hey," the first boy, who had short brown hair, brown eyes and no sleeves, said. He waved. "I'm Charlie. I play lead guitar and I'm lead singer"

The rest of the band introduced themselves.

Leather Jacket was, "Asher, bassist."

The blond was, "Jamie, drummer and manager."

Red Suspenders was, "Taylor. Rhythm guitar."

"I'm Isabella." Isabella smiled at the boys. "This is Jada-" she motioned with her head next to her, where Jada stood, with her head- "my manager."

Jada waved. "I've talked to you already," she said, pointing to Jamie, "but it's nice to meet the rest of you."

"We listened to your album last night," Charlie said suddenly, as if he'd had to spend time working up the courage to get the words out. "You're really talented."

Jada narrowed her eyes at him. She knew that tone. And, if she said so herself, Jada had always been good at spotting crushes.

She resisted the urge to mouth the word 'simp' at Charlie.

"Oh, thanks." Jada knew that Isabella was blushing, because Isabella always blushed when people complimented her music. Even if she was already hugely successful and hadn't played in a year.

"Yeah," Asher jumped in. "Hospital Dahlias gave me ghost-bumps."

(Jada remembered that song. Isabella wrote it the day Rose got her initial diagnosis. It almost hadn't made the album, because Isabella almost couldn't stop crying while singing it.)

Jamie and Taylor looked at Asher like he was speaking another language.

"Ghost-bumps?" Taylor asked.

"Like goosebumps," Asher explained, "Except so powerful that dead people get them too."

Taylor just shakes his head. "Okay, buddy."

"I can't wait to hear you play," Jamie says. "I'm sure you'll be amazing to watch live."

There was a sudden shift in the air - or maybe it was just in Isabella, Jada wasn't sure.

"I - uh -" Isabella cleared her throat, swallowed and then tried again. "I haven't actually played in a while. Not since my mom died."

"I'm so sorry," Charlie whispers. There's something in his eyes that tells Jada that he means it. Charlie has lost people too, she can tell.

"Thank you," Isabella says.

When Jada looks over at Isabella, her friend has collapsed in on herself. It's the same look Isabella had the day Rose died, and weeks after. It's the same look that Isabella had when Jada found her in the studio, and it's the look that reminds Jada of how goddamn young the two of them are. She and Isabella aren't kids anymore, but they're barely adults.

Sometimes, Jada feels like the two of them are invincible. Then this look brings her back to reality, and reminds her of how fragile they really are.

There's a sort of mournful silence for a few seconds. Nobody seems to know what to say, least of all Isabella.

The silence is broken by the club owner and manager.

"Welcome," he says, appearing behind the boys from seemingly nowhere. He sounds altogether too cheerful for the sombre atmosphere. "Welcome to the Club of the Dead. I'm Carter Collins."

Carter's eyes skim across Jada before landing on Isabella. Jada decides right then and there that she doesn't like Carter Collins.

"You must be the talented Isabella Martinez," Carter says, spreading his arms wide. He sounded friendly enough. But people weren't always their first impression, or even their second. In fact, you could know someone for years before you saw the real them.

Jada learned that years ago, the hard way.

Isabella swallowed. "That's me!" She said, far too brightly for her happiness to be genuine.

"Why is it called the Club of the Dead?" Jada blurted out, desperate to take the attention away from her friend.

"Many Hollywood stars dined here, once upon a time," Carter said, smoothly. "Now they are all ghosts." Something in his tone sends a shiver down Jada's spine.

The mood is ruined by William, who pops up from behind Carter to add his two cents to the conversation.

"Also, it's haunted," he says, obviously suppressing laughter and a grin on his face.

"Oh, Isabella," Jamie says, moving to one side so William could come forward, "This is Willie. He's going to be doing lights for us."

Willie holds his hand out (it isn't lost on Jada that he's the first person to do that) and Isabella shakes it.

"Nice to meet you," she says.

"Back at you. Hey, do you want me to show you around the club, and then we can get started on ideas for the gig?" Willie looks around at the group expectantly.

The question is directed at everybody, but it's Jada who answers.

"Sure, that sounds great."