Nine in the Afternoon

Chapter 2

“I got you a gig at the Beginners Music Club. It’s a place where people who want to get into the music industry go in dreamland. People go and play there and if they are good they soon become famous. So that is where you need to start to begin your dream.” Tyler tells Alice the second she begins to open her eyes the next morning.

“I…I… I have stage fright.” Alice bursts out suddenly very awake for someone who opened their eyes a minute ago.

“What?”

“I have stage fright!”

“Alright,” Tyler says thinking of what they can do to get her on stage, because one way or another he will get her up there even if it meant bound and gagging her. “What if people don’t know who you are?”

“Then… then it should be easier… Not impossible for me to sing”

“Alright let’s go! I own a mask shop.”

“That is so random.”

“I like to paint masks.”

“That doesn’t make it any less random, but let’s go!”

He dragged her out of his apartment with her laughing behind him. Something about being with him made her feel so carefree, and she loved it.

He showed her a few masks, but she ended up picking a mask that has a gold border around the edges of the mask. The face of the mask was covered with a gold stem and leaf pattern. Then around the top rim there was Gold rope. And finally at the right side there was feathers coming off by the right side covering her eye brow. (picture on the cover)

Later that night to say Alice was afraid would be the understatement of the year, but Tyler kept assuring her everything would be fine, and that if she got nervous to simply look at him. She didn’t even know what to sing. She wanted to sing something that she could just lose herself in. something that would make her forget about the crowd, about everyone looking at her. A song that could make her feel the song, and nothing but it. By the time the two were sitting in the club, she still didn’t know. Her name was up there as Maroon Allstar, as a dedication to her two favorite bands, Maroon 5 and Allstar Weekend. She was shaking, literally. Tyler noticed and decided to grab her hand to stop her shaking, but for some reason, unknown to her his hand around hers calmed her down immensely. There was something about is big gentle hands that simply got her heart to slow down a notch or two, well until the announcer, Adam, called her name up. “Now, let’s give it up for Maroon Allstar!”

He yelled.

Alice stood up, touching her face making sure her mask was in place. Then she looked at Tyler who gave her a smile of encouragement. That smile is what got her up on the stage. That smile was the only reason she was able to do what she was about to do, face her worst fear, stage fright.

She walked up on stage and began her lyrics very quietly at first, "Somewhere there's speaking
It's already coming in
Oh and it's rising at the back of your mind" then something unexplainable took over her. It was something she never knew she had in her. It was the same thing a writer feels the first time they write a story. It's how a surgeon feels after his first operation. It's how a chemist feels after their first titration. It's how a lawyer feels after winning his first case. It's how a musician feels after having learned to play their first instrument. It's how a pilot feels the first time he flys the plane himself. It's that moment where you know everything is right. It's when you know that is all you should be doing your whole life. It's that moment that lasts a life time but is over in a minute. It's that moment where everything makes sense. It's the moment all the college students who don't know what they are doing wish for. It's something that can't be described it's something you can only attempt to explain. It's the moment of euphoria, a moment of perfection, simple and pure.

That was the moment she knew. She knew why she was brought to dreamland. It was the moment that would forever change her life. After those few lines she began to belt out the words how any professional singer does. It was as if she became a new person. At first she had no stage presence, how could she when she is mumble singing but the second she actually sung all eyes turned to her. It's when she filled the stage, the room. Walking into that room you knew she was there, it was at that moment the crowd learned that she was doing what she was simply born to do, sing.

The applause she received when she was done was so loud she wasn’t sure if she would be able to hear after they were done, if they were ever done.

"You were amazing! Did you see the crowd? Yourself? It was amazing!"

"I can't believe I just did that! It was amazing, perfect!"

"It was what you were meant to do, and you know it. It was why you were brought here. It's
why you're on earth. It is everything!"

"Only one problem, I don’t think I sing without the mask..."

"So you're identity will be a mystery, like batman and superman, except no one will know in either world."

"Do you think I can still become famous with the mask?"

"With that voice, hell yeah!"

After enjoying the rest of the people singing for a few hours they headed back to their places only to be stopped by the king of record labels in dreamworld, Archer. Archer was tall, not any older than Alice or Tyler. He had messy brown hair and striking green eyes. It was known that he was from the real world whose dream was the sign the most famous singer or band in both worlds, or one who would be. He came to talk to Alice because he knew that girl was her.

“Hello there, Maroon Allstar. I would like to offer you a record deal if you don’t mind.”

At the word record deal Tyler’s jaw dropped so fast it seemed physically impossible, but they were in dreamland, you never know what can happen there.

“Um… I’ll have to think about it. Also if I did say yes could I keep my mask at all times. That means not even you would know who I am.”

“That’s fine. I understand. Well here is my card for when you make a decision.” Archer said while handing her a card before disappearing into the night.

Alice turns to Tyler confused out of her wits as what is wrong with him. He was gawking at Archer’s retreating figure with a jaw dropped.

“Are you gay or something and have the hots for him?” Alice joked trying to get Tyler out of his gawking state.

“Funny Alice, funny. You have no idea what just happened do you?”

“I got offered a record deal from some dude.”

“That is not just some dude!” Tyler says while beginning to explain to Alice all about Archer on the way back to their apartments. He explained how he only offers deals to the best of the best of the best. If you got signed by him you were guaranteed to be immensely famous. It all started with Rhianna when she was in dreamland a while ago. He was destined for amazing things the second he left dreamland. It was known. It was also known whomever he signs in that world who was going to be the most famous person in both worlds he would sign to a record deal in the other world as well. In the other world he came from a very wealthy family, so he has already began to start his own record label; however, it was doing poorly, and would continue to do so until he found the next Beatle. Although he had money everyone also knew Archer was not stuck up and believe in earning everything so to him the money he used of his family’s to start the label was merely a loan. He would succeed at his dream, and he knew it.

When they arrived at the apartment he walked her to her door and said goodnight with the promise to see each other tomorrow and discuss what to do about her career.

For some reason he wanted to kiss her on the cheek before he left, but he knew he shouldn’t so he waved with a look of pure longing on his face before walking next door and going in.

Alice wanted that kiss he wanted to give her. She watched him walk in before walking into her own apartment. When she walked in she banged her head on the door before falling to the floor thinking, ‘what is that boy doing to me and making me feel?’