Page 82 of Disharmony

Buggy’s door slams closed behind Zed, leaving us alone. It’s a cloudy night, and the stars are surrounded by a misty fog.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Ash?” Ripper says. “I’m sorry if I put you on the spot. I shouldn’t have done that. I just thought you—”

“Don’t apologize,” I interrupt, staring into his yellow, glowing eyes. He doesn’t look human. “This was the best fucking night of my life.”

“You’re incredibly talented. You know that, don’t you?” He strokes my hair with a gentle tenderness, then stops to take off his necklace and put it around my neck. “Think of this as a gift to remember the first time you sang with us.”

“I won’t need a necklace to remember it,” I say. My fingers jump to stroke the smooth skulls. “It’s a night I’ll never forget.”

He steps closer. “Neither will I.”

I look up to face him, and my heart pounds as he leans down. I close my eyes and his lips graze mine so softly, I’m not sure it’s even happened. When my eyes open again, he’s standing on the bus steps. I trace my fingers over my lips and wipe away a tiny fleck of white face paint.

“Are you ready for the after-party?” Ripper offers me his gloved hand. I take it and follow him inside. He locks the door behind us and says quickly, “We can’t take any chances with security.”

Zed lounges across the sofa while Venom pours drinks at the minibar. Metallica blasts in the background. A classic.

“Nice necklace,” Zed remarks. I think I detect a hint of resentment in his tone, but it’s hard to tell as he’s so hot and cold around me. “How did you enjoy tonight, Ash?”

“It was…” I take a deep breath and sit on the farthest end of the sofa to him, “amazing. I still can’t believe you let me sing… with you…”

Ripper shrugs like it’s nothing, but Zed shoots a targeted glare in Ripper’s direction and says, “Yeah, me neither.”

“You were great,” Venom calls over, helping to lighten the mood. “Your voice is…”

“You don’t have to be nice,” I add quickly, saving him from trying to be polite out of obligation. “You’ve already done enough by letting me sing with you.”

twenty-eight

Ripper

Ash wrings her hands in her lap, unsure of what to do with herself. How doesn’t she know how amazing she is? Her voice brought the house down tonight! The applause wasn’t for us but for her. Whenever she sings with us, magic happens… and look at Venom. She helped him fucking sing! Whether Zed wants to admit it or not, this girl is good for us… and she doesn’t realize how perfect she is.

“You’ve helped us with our music,” I say. “Why not let us help you with yours?”

Her pretty lips curve into a perfect O-shape in surprise. Pretty lips that I kissed and desperately want to explore. “You really want to help with my music?”

“It’s only fair,” I say, ignoring the stirring in my pants. “What’re you working on?”

She bites her inner cheeks, wrestling with her thoughts, then goes to grab her backpack. She opens it and pulls out a notebook. It’s scuffed at the edges and ink-stains spill over the cover. A perfectly imperfect notebook. Just like her. I’ve seen her with the notebook around camp before. She clutches it to her chest and guards it with her life, yet she’s willing to share it with us.

Would she be doing this if she knew who we are underneath the masks?

Our hidden alter-egos may be who we really are, but would she see it that way?

She flicks through the pages. I spot a lot of scribbles and blacked out sentences, reminding me of Venom’s lyrics book. When he writes, no one can disturb him. Some bands work collaboratively on lyrics, but Venom works best on his own. He won’t let anyone help with them.

She holds the book out to me. “Do you want to read it?”

“Sing it,” I demand, knowing I’m not the only one listening. “Let all of us hear it.”

“I’m not sure it’s ready yet.” She shakes her head, shrinking back into herself again. “It’s not good enough.”

How can she sing with us like a motherfucking metal queen, then lose all confidence a second later? She’s holding back, and I want to set her free.

“What’s the worst that can happen?” I ask.

She’s hesitant, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I’m about to tell her to forget about it when Venom passes her his guitar. Her demeanor changes as soon as it’s in her hands, and I kick myself for not thinking of it sooner.

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