The Metropolis Series #2: Quinn Beyond Bounds
34. Teen Angst and Romance

I ENTERED THE BAND ROOM as the pre-chorus began, the sound of guitars and drums overwhelming me. Even if their song choice had a great beat to it, I couldn’t help but get a heavy feeling in my gut. It was then I realized how Deus Ex Machina’s music had negative emotions attached to them; I had heard them play when I was jealous of Curtis and Rachael’s relationship, and their instruments were one of the last things at earshot when Cassandra had possessed my body to stab Rachael in the girl’s bathroom.

Definitely not happy times.

I tried not to think too much about it, placing the rice bowls they ordered on the nearby armchairs. I saw the doves out the window, scattered on the rooftops and telephone wires. I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the glass window and turned away immediately. All I saw was Cassandra staring right at me, and I couldn’t stand it.

“Hold up!” Rachael called right in the middle of the second verse. “Someone went off-key.”

Curtis and Philip gave each other puzzled looks as they slowly stopped playing their instruments. Bree sighed exasperatedly as she let go of her bass guitar.

“What?” she said. “Did you develop hypersensitive hearing or something?”

Rachael scrunched her eyebrows and rubbed her temple. “Let’s just begin with the chorus again,” she said.

“How about we actually try to finish the song this time without any more interruptions?” Philip suggested with his eyes on Rachael. “Besides, the only reason you became such a perfectionist was to show Bree that the Deus was just as solid without her.”

“That’s not true,” Rachael spat, though she immediately hid her face behind her hand as she nonchalantly tucked some of her curls behind her ear.

At this, Bree forced a chuckle, turning toward Philip. “She was always a perfectionist,” she remarked, beginning to count on her fingers. “And a pushover, and an overachiever…”

“Guys,” I called, putting myself into the conversation.

And all of Deus Ex Machina’s eyes were on me.

“You should really start practicing,” I continued. “Isn’t your gig at like seven?”

Curtis glanced at his watch. “It’s already five-thirty. Quinn’s right; we’d better get a move on.”

I really wished Curtis didn’t have to agree with me in front of Rachael. I thought I could see her roll her eyes at me as she turned her head away, but I could be wrong.

“Fine,” Rachael said.

And once again, their music flooded the room. Perhaps words didn’t do justice to the way they sounded, how each pull of a string resonated within the walls and into my ears. And as much as I didn’t want to admit it, Rachael’s voice was breathtaking—like that of a bird in the night. In a way, I wished others could hear it, too, but the Author’s story was bound to these pages.

I took a seat and listened to them, resting my elbows on my desk. For a while, the negative emotions I initially felt had vanished, and I remembered that Deus Ex Machina was having this gig to divert the students away from Cassandra. This was good, wasn’t it?

However, I began to feel uncomfortable in my seat, and the Deus’ music faded away. My vision became hazy, and the band room around me faded into a mist of pink. A cool breeze scraped my cheek, and an expansive field once again lied before me. I found Cassandra again, reigning over the world she aspired to build, and she smiled devilishly at me.

“It isn’t over…” she said.

▶▶

“Vasquez… hello?”

I blinked, and I was back in the band room. Everyone from Deus Ex Machina was staring at me.

“How were we?” Bree asked.

“How were you… how?” I spluttered.

“You were spacing out,” Curtis said. “Bree was asking if we sounded okay.”

“We can’t just sound okay,” Rachael chided. “We have to sound great.”

Curtis sighed. “Okay fine. So Quinn, do we sound great or what?”

I thought about it for a while. Of course they sounded great; who was I to rebut their talent? However, the fact that it had triggered a vision of Cassandra convinced me to feel uneasy about their performance.

I needed to translate my thoughts in a way they could understand.

I stroked my chin. “How about a happier song choice?”

Bree raised a brow. “Happier song choice?”

“Yeah,” I stood and approached the band. “I mean, it’s the middle of the week, isn’t it? And students are still dragging along the pressure school work is giving them. They don’t need more angst; they need to feel motivated.”

All band members seemed to think about it for a while, much to my relief. I for once thought that I sounded too nitpicky, but if Cassandra fueled herself with so much hatred toward the Author, then wouldn’t it just make sense to counter it with positive emotions through Deus Ex Machina’s song?

“I think Quinn has a point,” Philip said. “At least our audience gets to leave on a happy note.”

Curtis, Bree, and Rachael nodded, exchanging remarks of approval.

“Sounds good to me,” Rachael shrugged.

“So, what happy song could we perform?” Curtis asked.

Bree gave out a smug. “How about a love song?”

I raised a brow. “Does Deus Ex Machina even do love songs?”

“Of course. Besides, what doesn’t motivate a high school student”—Bree’s eyes twinkled as she looked at me—“than a crush.”

I knew what she was going for with that. She had recruited me as Deus Ex Machina’s manager because of the rumors centered on me and Curtis. She had opened up Pandora’s box when she said there was a possibility of Curtis liking me back. She acted like she was doing me a favor by letting me complete my extracurricular requirements while being around him.

I didn’t want to keep that open for any longer. Even though I didn’t get funny looks from Rachael at Bree’s mention of the word crush, I wanted to steer away from the topic before it gets out of hand.

“Alright,” I said, forcing a laugh. “Maybe you guys could practice a love song you’ve performed before.”

“I do remember something,” Philip said. “Rachael worked on a song last year, it’d be great to perform an original. It’s been a while since we’ve done that.”

“Are you talking about—” Rachael’s eyes went wide. “But it’s been ages since we’ve performed that song. The last time was right before Bree left—”

She bit her tongue, avoiding Bree’s eyes.

Bree decided to ignore her. (Well, at least they didn’t fight this time.) “I do remember that song. I think I still memorize the chords for it, but we’ve got to practice right now if we are to perfect it.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Curtis said.

Taking just a few moments to recall the lyrics and to tune their instruments, they proceeded to play their happy little love song. Did they sound great? You bet they did, much to Rachael’s relief. And the best part?

I didn’t get any strange visions…