Gorgeous Creatures

My bed gave a soft creaking noise as Carmine turned to face me, his dark hair getting in his eyes slightly, but not hiding their gleeful expression.

“Lola and Andy will be here soon!” Carmine yelped ending with a girlish squeal his eyes closing and his handsome face contorting into pure happiness.

“I’m so excited Carmine, I can’t wait to meet our manager!” I gushed grabbing his forearms and hugging him tightly. It was true I was so excited to meet him, because this was our first time we were on tour, hell we’d just gotten signed. Who wouldn’t be? Carmine returned the hug excitedly placing a soft kiss on my temple before letting go.

As if on que sound of my mother calling a quick greeting to my friends and the thud of feet entered the house and two panting figures entered the room.

Lola’s slender tan arms wrapped around me from under my arm pits and a face buried in my shoulder. Awkwardly I patted her back and wiggled out of her vice like grip. It’s not that I don’t like Lola, but when she gets too friendly it bothers me. You see Lola’s asked me out before because she’s bisexual, and I’m not so I politely declined. But that didn’t stop her from flirting with me or putting her hands on my any chance she could get. It both bothered me and creped me out to the farthest extent.

“Hey kiddo” Andy yelled with excitement picking me up around my waist and twirling me around like a bride would to a groom. I didn’t care when Andy did this to me because he was a boy. No I wasn’t homophobic, but it unnerved me at the thought of a girl lusting after me.

“So you know when Randy –our manager- will be here?” Lola mused looking at all of us.
“Sometime around nine thirty tomorrow I believe.” muttered, Carmine getting slightly shyer, even with only two more additions to the room.

“Yeah and he’s driving us to the bus so did you guys bring your stuff packed and all?” I let it slip out of my mouth just to be safe.

“Yeah” they both answered at the same time. And we all broke out in smiles and nervous giggles again.

We’d made it.

***

It was seven thirty in the morning and none of us were tired, all too excited to be sleepy. We all stood outside of my house, gear packed into our trailer and bags next to us.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Andy throw his arm around Lola’s shoulders and pull her close. Stepping closer to Carmine I whispered, “You think there’s somethin’ going on between Lola and Andy?”

“Ha I don’t doubt it; hopefully if something between them happens Lola will stop hitting on you all the time. I hate seeing my best friend uncomfortable.” He ended softly with a chuckle bumping my shoulder playfully.

Giving him a cheeky smile I grabbed his hand with one hand and grabbed by suit case in the other. You see I had a big suitcase and my computer bag had been slung over my shoulder while a smallish back pack hung off both of my shoulders. Carmine’s situation was quite similar to mine.

We walked loftily to the just black van that had rolled up because we knew it was Randy, for he had informed us earlier that he would show up in a black van.

Randy stepped out with a jolly look upon his slightly aged face. Randy had short cropped auburn colored hair, stubble that was looking like that start of a beard, gray eyes and some wrinkles.

Quickly he helped us load out stuff into the back of the van and all of us got into the mini van, then he went around out back to hock the trailer up to the van.

Carmine, Andy and I sat in the back, me in the middle because Andy made Marcos slightly nervous. And Lola was in the passenger seat while Randy was driving.

“Okay you guys” Randy let out a sigh, as if he had done something wrong. Wait, had he? “You see some how some papers got mixed up and you guys were placed on different buses.”

Confusion and anger filled the bus along with a chorus of “what’s!?” and “You’ve got to be kidding me’s!” Well no I lied I was the only one who said the last one.

“What do you mean different buses?” Marcos spoke unexpectedly; he was never one to speak out.

“What I mean is that, Andy got put with Get Scared, Lola too. While Carmine and Olivia got put on both Motionless in Whites bus and Escape the Fates bus. Now before you ask what the hell it means, it means you got put on both buses and can pick which one you want.”

I turned to Carmine, “Which bus?” I asked him softly. He hummed softly before looking at me murmuring “Motionless in White if you don’t mind?” He asked, part of me was disappointed because Escape the Fate were my idols, but I could hardly ever say no to anyone. So I agreed wordlessly and leaned on his shoulder plugging my ear buds in and closing my eyes. Escape the Fates demo version of ‘When I Go Out, I Want to Go Out On a Chariot of Fire’ ironically begun playing for me.

He had a plan
To kill you all along
The evidence was hidden in this song
I was a ghost
I was there at the scene
As the embers rise, my hands
Smelled like gasoline

So
The headlights murdered my thoughts
I curse this taste that's on my tongue
This taste will last until I rip it out
No
I won't need these gloves
Her bones are withered away
but your ghost will remain

You're the only one that wore your seatbelt
We're the only ones that cried
Catastrophic accidents
You're the only one that died

So
Keep my casket closed
Your heart beats under the floor
It haunts me in my dreams
But nothing's as it seems

Hallelujah
So just believe in me
Never let you down
Drive all the way

You're the only one that wore your seatbelt
We're the only ones that cried
Catastrophic accidents
You're the only one that died

So keep my casket closed
Your heart beats under the floor
It haunts me in my dreams
But nothing's as it seems

Tried so hard
To heal the scars and touch her heart
I was to blame
For the reasons and the absence of my faith

Tried so hard
To heal the scars and touch her heart
I was to blame
For the reasons and the absence of my faith

You say that there's no
(I never thought, I would never expect for this to turn out this way.)
Answers and I,
(Down below, lies your bones, they're cold and withered away)
You say that there's no answers and I,
(I never thought, I would never expect for this to turn out this way, down below)

I was a ghost.

What did you expect?
(It was never enough, it was never enough, it was never enough, now was it?)
What did you expect?
(It was never enough, it was never enough, it was never enough, now was it?)

What did you expect?
(It was never enough, it was never enough, it was never enough, now was it?)

Down below
Lies your bones
I'm dancing with your ghost
I hope and pray that someday

Keep my casket closed
Your heart beats under the floor
It haunts me in my dreams
But nothing's as it seems

So keep my casket closed
Your heart beats under the floor
It haunts me in my dreams
But nothing's as it seems

I was a ghost
(But nothing's as it seems)

“Olivia” Carmine whispered softly into my ear, “We’re here.” Letting out a muffled groan I yawned and stretched my arms out, enjoying the disgusted look on Andy’s face because I was double jointed so instead of bending inward slightly my arms bent outward like a ‘Y’ at my elbows and when ever I stretched was able to make them crack with a loud popping noise.

Getting out of the van we all went out and Randy gave us instructions.
Turning to Andy “Your bass is in the back right?” “Affirmative sir” he mocked back, Randy took no notice. “Go get it out and go up this man, after you’ve done that come back for your bags” Randy said and he called a man over and directed Andy to him. “Lola you don’t need anything but you bags right? So just go get them and head over to that bus” He pointed to a large red bus parked next to two others. And seeing to as the trailer had already been unhooked from the van, all was good.

“You, Carmine your drums are in their separate cases right?” Carmine nodded. “Well get them out here and go with him, same with your guitar Olivia.” Another man was pulled up. “Then both of you come back and get your bags.” He panted a-bit from the long sentences he’d just had to perform.

The man introduced himself as Motionless in Whites manager named Tom and successfully got our stuff into their trailer hooked to the back of the back of their large midnight blue bus. Then after we came back for our luggage Randy told us he was taking the trailer back to my house and for us to get settled on our bus, meet the men we would be living with for the next six months.

Tentatively Carmine and I walked onto the bus only to meet the curios eyes of five unfamiliar men.

“Um, hi” I said waving awkwardly, a few of them waved back with confused looks. “Well erm, I’m Olivia Booth, and this is my friend Carmine Alvarenga and we’re part of the band Opium Cyanide.”

“Oh” The man who I knew was Chris said dragging it out. I knew it was him because I was a huge fan of the band.

“Well we thought you guys would have gotten here earlier but anyway, my name’s Chris Cerulli, nice to meet you guys” he said standing up, -he was considerably taller then my 5’3”- and shaking out hands with a pleasant smile adorning his pale face. As he fell back in his seat the rest of them got up.

“I’m Josh Balz, but everyone calls me Balz.” The next one said with a smirk quickly grasping both our hands. He was shorter then Chris and about as tall as Carmine.

“Ricky Olson” the next one said. I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t cute, with his pretty pale green eyes and the fact that he was the shortest in the group helped –still taller then me-. His hand was nice warm too.

“Ryan Sitkowski, it’s a pleasure to meet you” number four said warmly grasping our hands.
And lastly number five announced his name was “Angelo Parente” and of course shook our hands.

They begun showing us were we would sleep and helped us pack our stuff up.

With a smile I walked out into the back room and sat on the floor with Carmine and we watched them play their video games. Well Ricky was reading the book “Carrie” by Stephen King, which was a personal favorite of mine, ‘Maybe I should go get a book’ I thought to myself while popping in my ear buds and turning on any random song. Glad there was a person on this bus that liked those kinds of books.