Page 99 of Disharmony

“What opportunities are there for singers in Meadow Springs, hm?” She simpers, reminding me of Professor Umbridge from the Harry Potter series. “What will happen if you return?”

My stomach drops at the prospect of working with Brick in the construction yard. Has one night chasing my dream, and three perfect guys, ruined my future?

“But I’m not going to do that, even though I should,” Jacqueline says, making McCallister’s smirk vanish. “I’m going to give you one final chance, Ashley. A chance to prove to me why you deserve to be here. If you break our rules again, you won’t get another one, and you’ll return to a town where you’ll be a nobody forever. Besides, your little… mishap… could be useful to us.”

McCallister’s jaw drops. “Useful?”

“No publicity is bad publicity,” Jacqueline replies. “If people know Ashley will appear in our final show, she will attract an audience.”

She isn’t giving me a final chance for my benefit, I’m nothing more than number to her. Jacqueline sees campers as products, like food on a shelf, ready to be sold, packaged, and marketed.

“You still want her to be in the show?” McCallister forgets I’m still in the room as his round face turns a deep shade of purple. “After that… abomination?”

“When Ashley sings again, she will perform how we tell her to,” Jacqueline shoots me a death stare. “Everyone will forget about her lapse of judgment. When Ashley makes her comeback, that’s when people will really listen.”

I’m a pawn in her game. A piece to move around the board to manipulate the audience.

Jacqueline leans across the table. “You will do that for us, won’t you, Ashley?”

I nod. What else can I do? There’s no question in her sentence.

“We need you to surrender all of your devices,” Jacqueline says. “Your cell, your laptop, anything else with an internet connection.”

“What?” I stammer. “Why?”

“You’ve lost your technology privileges. How can we be sure you’re following our rules? You had to have communicated with that band somehow.” She can’t even bear to say the Basilisks name. “But this isn’t a prison. You can make calls from the camp telephone to people on your pre-approved contact list that you provided before your arrival, and we’ll provide you with a camp-monitored laptop for any research you may need to do.”

I grit my teeth, knowing I’ll probably face a lawsuit for defamation if I retaliate. I fish my cell out of my pocket and lay it on the table.

“Don’t worry,” she croons, snatching it up. “You’ll get it back at the end of summer. Someone is already at your cabin to remove your laptop.”

Fuck. This is some serious1984shit. I’m sure it’s illegal to take my property, but what can I do when she’s covering my expenses?

“Don’t think of this as a punishment, I’m trying to help you. This will be good for you,” she goes on. Yeah, as good for me as losing my voice and never being able to sing again. “You’ll be able to focus on your development without any distractions.”

McCallister scoffs. I can read his sardonic expression.

“You can go now,” Jacqueline dismisses me coldly.

I stand and head for the door, still struggling to process our strange encounter. I’ve not been kicked out of camp, but is losing some of my liberties worse?

“Ashley?” Jacqueline calls to me. I spin to face her again. Her wide smile shows off her perfect dazzling veneers. “If you ever do anything like this again to embarrass me, I’ll bury you. I’ll make sure you will never have a music career. I have that power.”

I nod shakily in understanding and head out.

My head is pounding more than when I stood next to Ripper pounding out a drum solo. The gatekeeper to the music business has threatened me, and my whole career now hangs in the balance. She does have the power to destroy my future, and I’ve got no choice to play by her rules now…. No matter how much I hate it.

Rage at the unfairness makes me wish I were back in the studio with the Basilisks. Making music with them was focused on making a song the best it can be, not managing image or societal expectations.

I pace past the Lionhearts, who are still waiting outside.

“Long night, Video Girl?” Damon calls with a cheeky grin that I want to wipe off.

I scowl, mimefuck youunder my breath, and storm out of the Administration lock.

I want to text Ripper… or Venom… or Zed… they’ll understand what I’m going through. But I can’t. I’m cut off from the outside world. The only two people on my pre-approved list are Brick and Dad. The Basilisks don’t have their own social media accounts—their website and fan accounts make up their online presence—so I can’t reach out to them in another way.

My heart sinks remembering our awkward goodbye this morning. That’s it for us. One night and everything is over. By the time the summer ends and I get my cell back, they’ll have forgotten all about me.

---