Page 73 of Disharmony

Ripper changes up the rhythm, speeding it up, and adapting to the changing sound of us merging together. It reminds me of how we used to play in the early days when keeping our secret was novel and didn’t grind us down. We used to count down the seconds until we could hide away from the world and work on the music that really meant something.

Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I felt something like this. When the song ends, Ash wipes away a bead of sweat dripping down her face.

“Well?” She turns breathlessly to face us. Her body is trembling as she lets go of the mic and her eyes are wide, like she can’t believe she let herself go. Her face falls, misreading our silence. “Was it that bad?”

None of us speak, but I know we’re thinking the same thing.

How can one girl come in and change everything with a single song?

twenty-four

Ash

I back away from the microphone as the noisy studio room descends into deadly silence.

Fuck.

They hated it.

They really fucking hated it!

I go into my own world when I sing and let go of my inhibitions, but singing with the Basilisks took it to another level. Singing with them is a sensation unlike anything I’ve experienced before, like shedding my skin and exposing my vulnerability.

Ripper claps and breaks the silence.

“Well?” I ask, scared of what they’re going to say. “What did you think? Better?”

“Ash…” Ripper’s breathless and turns to the others. “That was… amazing, right guys?”

I can’t hold back the giant smile stretching over my face. A compliment from him is like being compared to an icon like Slayer. Venom stays quiet, his expression unreadable, and Zed nods reluctantly.

“It was good,” Zed admits. “I see what you mean about the chorus now.”

“Told you,” I chirp smugly. If the song makes it onto their next album, I’ll get a kick outta knowing I helped. “But it’ll be better when you sing it.”

Venom jumps up. “I need some air.”

The door slams behind him as he storms out of the studio.

“Was it something I did?” I ask the others.

“He’ll be fine,” Ripper says. “Don’t worry about him.”

I bite my lip. There was something in the way Venom sang that made my heart constrict. His voice was filled with the heaviness of someone who’d been caged for years and an unbridled passion of a person wanting to be free.

“I think I need some air too,” I say.

“I can come with you?” Ripper offers, standing up.

His show of chivalry is flattering, but a nagging feeling tells me I need to have a conversation with Venom alone. Besides, I really could do with stepping out into the breeze to help calm my rushing adrenaline.

“I’ll be fine,” I insist, feeling more relaxed in their company now. My nerves are still lingering, but they’ve lessened. I’ve shown them the real me. “Venom doesn’t bite, right?”

Zed snickers. “That’s debatable.”

I head into the street. It’s empty, apart from Venom. He faces the wall, pressing his hands against it like he’s using the brick to steady himself.

“Venom?” I don’t want him to think I’m sneaking up on him. “Are you okay?”

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