Status: Complete
Perfect Denial
Heal The World
Dana’s legs shook as nerves overtook her at the side of the large stage in which she was waiting. The speakers vibrated beside her with a mixture of the musical instruments of Tokio Hotel as they played out to the screaming crowd. Dana sang under her breath in time with Bill, as he screamed the opening lyrics of “Noise” to the front lines of ecstatic teenage girls.
Dana smiled, rocking back and forth on her incredibly high heels. Her bright blue eyes followed the thin figure, topped with a magnificent Mohawk on stage. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he performed. It was like the first time, that faithful night those years ago, when she had felt the breath whoosh out of her seeing him pour his heart and soul into every song. He was a different when he was on stage. He transformed into something magnificent and often Dana found herself looking for wings, as he reached supernatural heights of amazing. Bill wasn’t made for the stage; the stage was made for Bill. His voice mixed with the raw energy of the other boy’s music and as he began the chorus, more butterflies joined those already fluttering Dana’s stomach. And she was quite sure those weren’t there because of nervous, but because of a certain figure, singing on stage.
She looked around at her boys, who were clustered around her. Gil was muttering to himself, looking rather flustered in comparison to his normal cool appearance. Ace had his glasses on, and his fingers were twirling his drumsticks nervously as he tried to remember all the beats that had suddenly rushed out of his head. Dana looked to her right, where Cody was standing close to her. He was pale and sweating, looking like he was about to be sick. Dana reached out her hand, catching Cody’s clammy one in her grip. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and smiled at him, he smiled back though his face was slowly starting to turn green.
Dana chuckled “It’s okay Cody, it’s just another gig...”
Cody swallowed “It’s not just another gig D, it’s...the stage, it’s fucking huge!”
Dana shook her head, looking away “You’ll be fine babe...once we get on there, we’ll be fine” she reassured her boys.
It was their first big performance. Their album was done, several duets had been written between her and Bill, their video for “Dreamchaser” had been shot and for the first time in a long time, Dana felt successful. And now, they had been invited along with Tokio Hotel to perform in the charity concert “Heal the World” to raise money for global awareness and environmental rights. This was what they had been aiming for the past years, they could finally show the world “The Static Undertones” in all their glory.
Dana watched Tokio Hotel perform the rest of their set, her eyes examining every bit of Bill, how he moved on stage, the way he connected with the audience, the way he still kept the connection with each of his band mates, unspoken messages floating in the air between them all. They were that good.
Finally, the last band was to be called. It was their turn and Dana’s legs suddenly turned to jelly. She couldn’t move, as Cody, Gil and Ace ran onto the stage, waving out to fans that screamed their names. Her breath started to arrive in gasps and she wished her father could have stayed a few more days to be with her. She had said goodbye to him yesterday, and he had promised to tune into her performance on television.
A soft hand enclosed her waist suddenly as Bill appeared behind her. She looked at him, his hair still standing upright so he looked like a magnificent bird of paradise, his eyeliner was only slightly smudged and small drops of sweat stood out on his forehead. He still looked perfect. Beautiful.
He smiled at her, making her heart race even more and leaned in closer to her, his mouth brushed her neck in the sweetest of secret kisses, but she could feel it and almost melted into him. He raised his mouth to her ear, and whispered “good luck beautiful girl...you can do it, I know you can”.
His belief gave her strength, and she found the courage to brush his cheek with a finger before grabbing her microphone and running out onto the stage that had previously belonged to Bill. Now, it called her name.
She closed her eyes as she shouted hello to the crowd that screamed back at her. They knew who she was; they knew the songs of the band. She had fans, they had fans...it felt wonderful and Dana suddenly knew that standing here on this stage, Cody, Gil and Ace flanking her, all bathing in their success, this was where she belonged.
With a small figure flicker at Cody, they quickly proceeded into “Dreamchaser”, continuing to “Unprotected”, the audience singing along to the words she had put on paper and then into their mouths. Dana smiled as she sang, reaching out and taking the hands of several girls as they jumped up and down, singing along to their idol.
The second song ended and Dana looked across backstage to where Bill was waiting, his signature humanoid microphone clutched in his hand and she grinned, raising her own microphone to her lips and sitting down at the edge of the stage.
“Hey guys,” she called out to the audience, who cheered, waving their hands and jumping up and down, “I have a friend, and we wrote this song...and I don’t know if you know him...he’s name is Bill...”
Dana laughed as the screaming intensified by a tenfold, she looked across at Bill again who was grinning back at her.
She turned back to the audience “Should I call him out here and get him to sing our song with me?” She took the even louder cheering as a yes “Come out Bill” she called as he ran onto the stage, waving his hands to the audience.
Dana hopped back up as Cody began to strum quietly on the guitar. The crowd became quiet, allowing the melody to rush over them peacefully, basking in a song that had yet been unheard and revelling in the glory of being one of the first to hear it.
Dana joined Bill, looking at him and raised the microphone to her mouth and began to sing, her perfect voice echoing
“Do you remember when we didn’t care?”
Bill raised his microphone
We were just two kids that took the moment when it was there”
Dana’s turn “Do you remember you at all?”
Bill joined in the last line, his voice mixing pleasantly with hers “Another Heart Calls”
“Yeah I remember when we stole the night
We’d lie awake but dreaming till the sun would wash the sky”
“Just as soon as I see you
I did lie but didn’t I tell you
As deep as I need you,
You wanna leave it all”
“What can I do?
Say it’s true
Oh everything that matters breaks in two
Say it’s true
I’ll never ask for anyone but you”
They turned to Gil and Ace as they played and then Dana took Bill’s hand in hers, linking him to her as she turned to him, and singing to him, forgetting about everyone outside that stage. Everything melted away because there was Bill, there would only ever be Bill.
“Talk to me
I’m throwing myself in front of you
Yeah all I ever do is give, it’s time you see my point of view”
They sang like that, both immersed in each other and only as the last words left their mouths did they blink, slowly coming back to the world they had left behind, where the crowd were cheering their appreciation and Gil and Cody were shouting out. Ace ran to the front of the stage, passing Bill and Dana who were still holding hands to throw out his drumsticks.
Dana looked down at their intertwined hands and felt a blush rise to her cheeks, she dropped his hand, feeling the cold as it dropped out of hers, mirroring how her heart had felt without him. Empty.
He was still looking at her but she turned away, taking a breath and fixing a smile to her face as she said goodbye to her fans, and despite security warnings jumped off the stage to the gates holding the audience back to sign autographs and take pictures. Bill smiled, watching her, and with a last wave to the crowd who, for the moment, only had eyes for Dana, left the stage.
Later that night, when the venue was empty, a lone man sweeping the vast floor of litter, Dana stood on the stage, in darkness. She wrapped her hands around her waist, casting her mind back to that afternoon, with Bill, imagining the feel of his lips, his hand with hers, his presence, there with her, for her, on her...
A tear tracked down her face at the memory of all she had lost, and how she might never get it back and her mouth opened, forming silent words to the air
“I’ll never ask for anyone but you...”
Dana smiled, rocking back and forth on her incredibly high heels. Her bright blue eyes followed the thin figure, topped with a magnificent Mohawk on stage. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he performed. It was like the first time, that faithful night those years ago, when she had felt the breath whoosh out of her seeing him pour his heart and soul into every song. He was a different when he was on stage. He transformed into something magnificent and often Dana found herself looking for wings, as he reached supernatural heights of amazing. Bill wasn’t made for the stage; the stage was made for Bill. His voice mixed with the raw energy of the other boy’s music and as he began the chorus, more butterflies joined those already fluttering Dana’s stomach. And she was quite sure those weren’t there because of nervous, but because of a certain figure, singing on stage.
She looked around at her boys, who were clustered around her. Gil was muttering to himself, looking rather flustered in comparison to his normal cool appearance. Ace had his glasses on, and his fingers were twirling his drumsticks nervously as he tried to remember all the beats that had suddenly rushed out of his head. Dana looked to her right, where Cody was standing close to her. He was pale and sweating, looking like he was about to be sick. Dana reached out her hand, catching Cody’s clammy one in her grip. She squeezed his hand in reassurance and smiled at him, he smiled back though his face was slowly starting to turn green.
Dana chuckled “It’s okay Cody, it’s just another gig...”
Cody swallowed “It’s not just another gig D, it’s...the stage, it’s fucking huge!”
Dana shook her head, looking away “You’ll be fine babe...once we get on there, we’ll be fine” she reassured her boys.
It was their first big performance. Their album was done, several duets had been written between her and Bill, their video for “Dreamchaser” had been shot and for the first time in a long time, Dana felt successful. And now, they had been invited along with Tokio Hotel to perform in the charity concert “Heal the World” to raise money for global awareness and environmental rights. This was what they had been aiming for the past years, they could finally show the world “The Static Undertones” in all their glory.
Dana watched Tokio Hotel perform the rest of their set, her eyes examining every bit of Bill, how he moved on stage, the way he connected with the audience, the way he still kept the connection with each of his band mates, unspoken messages floating in the air between them all. They were that good.
Finally, the last band was to be called. It was their turn and Dana’s legs suddenly turned to jelly. She couldn’t move, as Cody, Gil and Ace ran onto the stage, waving out to fans that screamed their names. Her breath started to arrive in gasps and she wished her father could have stayed a few more days to be with her. She had said goodbye to him yesterday, and he had promised to tune into her performance on television.
A soft hand enclosed her waist suddenly as Bill appeared behind her. She looked at him, his hair still standing upright so he looked like a magnificent bird of paradise, his eyeliner was only slightly smudged and small drops of sweat stood out on his forehead. He still looked perfect. Beautiful.
He smiled at her, making her heart race even more and leaned in closer to her, his mouth brushed her neck in the sweetest of secret kisses, but she could feel it and almost melted into him. He raised his mouth to her ear, and whispered “good luck beautiful girl...you can do it, I know you can”.
His belief gave her strength, and she found the courage to brush his cheek with a finger before grabbing her microphone and running out onto the stage that had previously belonged to Bill. Now, it called her name.
She closed her eyes as she shouted hello to the crowd that screamed back at her. They knew who she was; they knew the songs of the band. She had fans, they had fans...it felt wonderful and Dana suddenly knew that standing here on this stage, Cody, Gil and Ace flanking her, all bathing in their success, this was where she belonged.
With a small figure flicker at Cody, they quickly proceeded into “Dreamchaser”, continuing to “Unprotected”, the audience singing along to the words she had put on paper and then into their mouths. Dana smiled as she sang, reaching out and taking the hands of several girls as they jumped up and down, singing along to their idol.
The second song ended and Dana looked across backstage to where Bill was waiting, his signature humanoid microphone clutched in his hand and she grinned, raising her own microphone to her lips and sitting down at the edge of the stage.
“Hey guys,” she called out to the audience, who cheered, waving their hands and jumping up and down, “I have a friend, and we wrote this song...and I don’t know if you know him...he’s name is Bill...”
Dana laughed as the screaming intensified by a tenfold, she looked across at Bill again who was grinning back at her.
She turned back to the audience “Should I call him out here and get him to sing our song with me?” She took the even louder cheering as a yes “Come out Bill” she called as he ran onto the stage, waving his hands to the audience.
Dana hopped back up as Cody began to strum quietly on the guitar. The crowd became quiet, allowing the melody to rush over them peacefully, basking in a song that had yet been unheard and revelling in the glory of being one of the first to hear it.
Dana joined Bill, looking at him and raised the microphone to her mouth and began to sing, her perfect voice echoing
“Do you remember when we didn’t care?”
Bill raised his microphone
We were just two kids that took the moment when it was there”
Dana’s turn “Do you remember you at all?”
Bill joined in the last line, his voice mixing pleasantly with hers “Another Heart Calls”
“Yeah I remember when we stole the night
We’d lie awake but dreaming till the sun would wash the sky”
“Just as soon as I see you
I did lie but didn’t I tell you
As deep as I need you,
You wanna leave it all”
“What can I do?
Say it’s true
Oh everything that matters breaks in two
Say it’s true
I’ll never ask for anyone but you”
They turned to Gil and Ace as they played and then Dana took Bill’s hand in hers, linking him to her as she turned to him, and singing to him, forgetting about everyone outside that stage. Everything melted away because there was Bill, there would only ever be Bill.
“Talk to me
I’m throwing myself in front of you
Yeah all I ever do is give, it’s time you see my point of view”
They sang like that, both immersed in each other and only as the last words left their mouths did they blink, slowly coming back to the world they had left behind, where the crowd were cheering their appreciation and Gil and Cody were shouting out. Ace ran to the front of the stage, passing Bill and Dana who were still holding hands to throw out his drumsticks.
Dana looked down at their intertwined hands and felt a blush rise to her cheeks, she dropped his hand, feeling the cold as it dropped out of hers, mirroring how her heart had felt without him. Empty.
He was still looking at her but she turned away, taking a breath and fixing a smile to her face as she said goodbye to her fans, and despite security warnings jumped off the stage to the gates holding the audience back to sign autographs and take pictures. Bill smiled, watching her, and with a last wave to the crowd who, for the moment, only had eyes for Dana, left the stage.
Later that night, when the venue was empty, a lone man sweeping the vast floor of litter, Dana stood on the stage, in darkness. She wrapped her hands around her waist, casting her mind back to that afternoon, with Bill, imagining the feel of his lips, his hand with hers, his presence, there with her, for her, on her...
A tear tracked down her face at the memory of all she had lost, and how she might never get it back and her mouth opened, forming silent words to the air
“I’ll never ask for anyone but you...”
