All the Faint Lights
001:
Chapter One
“No Caroline! That’s not how you’re supposed to sing it!” my father yelled and I threw my head back and groaned.
“I just don’t feel this song, dad,” I said into the microphone and took my headphones off.
“Don’t care! Sing it! You need to have this demo finished my tomorrow!” he yelled and I winced at his intensity.
“It’s all right Lin, we’ll get it finished,” my friend, Jake said and I sighed and nodded my head.
My name was Caroline Donnelly, originally from Tennessee, but moved up to Pennsylvania a few years ago when my father’s mother grew sick. I thought that once she died we would be right back down in Tennessee, a place I loved, that didn’t happen.
My father is a music producer, he specializes in pop music, I don’t like pop music, I’ve been in love with country music since the first time I heard my mother voice. She died when I was twelve in a car accident; she was coming home late from being at the studio all day and fell asleep at the wheel. It wasn’t a phone call that my brothers, sister and I were expecting.
I’m the baby of the family, but my brothers and sister are all a year apart. I graduated high school and wanted to focus on music, my father’s wants me in the pop music business, I want to be in the country music business. He and his buddy, O’Ryan own a studio in the basement of O’Ryan’s house, his son being Jake.
My dad kept my mom’s promise to make sure that I got some sort of education, so I went to the local community college and got my associates in general studies. Now at twenty one, I have a job in a local music store and as soon as my shift’s over, I head to the studio and disappoint my father with my lack of pop voice material.
“All right Caroline, give me the cover of ‘Girl on Fire’,” O’Ryan said and I sighed and nodded my head.
Jake stepped out of the room and I watched as my dad walked away, letting Jake man the controls. He smirked towards me and then pressed play, “All right girl, hit it!”
“She’s just a girl and she’s on fire…” I sang as I held my hands on the headphones and tried to sing my heart out to impress my father, nothing ever works.
“All right, Linny! That was awesome-“
“What music were you listening to?!” my dad yelled and then pushed Jake out of the way and looked at me, “You sing that song like we-“
“Mr. Donnelly, she nailed that song! The point of a cover is so that she doesn’t sound like the artist, she has her own voice!” Jake defended and I rubbed my forehead and shook my head.
“How long have you been in this business kid?”
“Hey now Jack, leave the kid alone, Caroline sounded great, the demo’s finished, let it go,” O’Ryan said and then nodded his head towards me, “Head home kid.”
“Thanks,” I said and then took the headphones off of my head and placed them on the mic.
“Caroline!”
“Bye dad!” I yelled as I grabbed my jacket and purse. I ran up the stairs and appeared in the kitchen of the O’Ryan household.
“Lin!” I heard and turned around to see Jake following me. I smiled towards him and he closed the door, “You headin’ over there now-“
“Shhhh! Do you want him to find out?!” I whispered and then punched his arm.
“Ow, girl, I’m sensitive,” he said and I scoffed and rolled my eyes, “You see me rollin’, you hatin’…”
“Will you shut up?!” I laughed as I left the house with him behind me, “You comin’ too?”
“Someone needs to give you moral support, I don’t know why you deal with him,” Jake said as he hopped into the passenger seat of my Jeep.
“I feel sorry for him, everyone’s all moved out and he has no one but that damn dog,” I said and Jake sighed.
“Still doesn’t give him a reason to be so cruel to you,” he said and I nodded my head and looked back towards the house to see that the coast was clear.
I hurled out of the driveway and made my down the street, after I turned the corner, my radio was on, the country station was blasting and I was rocking out.
Being in love with country music was one thing, but having a secret life for the love of country music was another. If my father ever found out that after I finished at the studios with him, that I went into the city to another studio to meet up with my brothers and sing country music, he’d kill me, he’d kill all of us. My mother use to sing country, my father’s originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but after he got married, he wanted his wife to have a chance at her dream and moved to Nashville with her.
“Your bro’s calling,” Jake said as he turned the music down, “You me to answer?”
“Yeah, he’s probably pissed that I’m late,” I said and Jake answered the phone.
“Yo! Asher, waz up my homie!” Jake yelled into the phone and I rolled my eyes and shook my head, “Oh come on now, you know us blank men need to stick together!”
“Oh my god, will you stop with that!” I laughed.
“Well you’re black at heart!” Jake laughed and I spotted the studio and pulled into a parking spot.
“Give me!” I growled and grabbed the phone from Jake’s ear and hung up on my brother, “Really?!”
“What? You know I like to mess with him!” he laughed and I shook my head and looked at my side mirror to see if any cars were coming.
When the coast was clear, I hurried out of my jeep and Jake and I ran across the street and into the studio.
“You’re late!” Asher said sternly as he pouted towards me.
“I’m sorry, dad was being impossibly,” I hurried as I took my jacket and threw it at Jake.
“You kept the band waiting,” Gordon said as he appeared out of the sound box.
“I’m sorry!” I said, “Can we go?”
“Yeah, start with Whiskey!” RJ, the studio manager said as he Gordon and Asher, my brothers, moved out of the way as I ran into the box and smiled towards the band.
“Sorry guys.”
“It’s cool,” they said and I stood in front of the microphone and threw the headphones on.
The music started and I smiled and pressed my face close to the microphone, “Everybody down in Houston calls him ‘Texas’. Everybody way up North calls him ‘Cornbread’. You shoulda heard the way that his momma called him ‘baby’, daddy called him ‘boy, his friends call him ‘crazy’…”
It was a slow pace country song, my sister, Trisha wrote it, out of everyone in the family, she’s the only one that can’t sing, but she can write a hell of a song. I was actually surprised that she wasn’t here; usually she liked to make sure that her songs were being sung correctly.
“…I shoulda just called him ‘Whiskey’,” I finished and then looked out the window to see my brothers, Jake and RJ smiling brightly, “Was that good?”
“Damn girl, you killed it!” Jake cheered and I laughed and saw my brothers look at him, smirk and shake their heads.
After I sang a few more songs, two being a cover of Carrie Underwood, my throat was killing me and it was dark out. I said bye to everyone and then Jake and I left. I dropped Jake off and then headed back to the edge of the city towards the apartment that I shared with my sister.
“I’m home!” I called as I walked into the apartment and threw my keys into the bowl next to the door. I heard a bark and turned my head and smiled, “Roxy! How’s my girl?!” I cooed as the two year old pittbull trotted over towards me.
“Oh, you’re finally home,” I heard and looked up to see Trisha walking into the hallway wearing a bathrobe and drying her hair, “How’d it go?”
“Which one?”
“Both,” she smirked and then nudged her head to follow her.
“Dad eh, brothers yay!” I said and Trisha laughed as we walked into the kitchen, “Although throat hurts so I desperately need something to drink.”
“Water.”
“Already heading there,” I said and then opened the fridge and sighed at the emptiness, “We need to go shopping.”
“I’ll go tomorrow, I had a rough day, didn’t want to go after work,” she said and I nodded my head and then gave her a side hug.
“I get my paycheck tomorrow, so I’ll go to the bank and drop some money off,” I said and Trisha shook her head, “No Trish, let me!”
“Fine, but just avoid going through the left door, the guys are crazy,” Trisha laughed and I rolled my eyes.
“What is your job exactly?”
“I’m a PR manager, very stressful,” she said and I rolled my eyes, “Hey! I saw that!”
“Yeah whatever! Oh hey, I read the new song,” I said and Trisha turned and looked at me.
“Somethin’ ‘bout a truck?” she asked, saying the title of the song.
“Yeah, it sounds awesome! You should sing with the boys! It’s for them, right?”
“Linny, you know I can’t sing,” she said and I shook my head.
“No you can-“
“No, come on, the agreement was for you and the boys to sing the songs, I write them,” she said and I sighed and nodded my head.
“I know, it’s just, it just doesn’t feel right,” I said and Trisha scoffed.
“Well then you can sing your own songs! I know you write them!”
“Shut up, they’re horrible.”
“No, that ‘Done’, it sounds really good!”
“Yeah whatever.”
“I’m serious!”
“Ok!”
“No Caroline! That’s not how you’re supposed to sing it!” my father yelled and I threw my head back and groaned.
“I just don’t feel this song, dad,” I said into the microphone and took my headphones off.
“Don’t care! Sing it! You need to have this demo finished my tomorrow!” he yelled and I winced at his intensity.
“It’s all right Lin, we’ll get it finished,” my friend, Jake said and I sighed and nodded my head.
My name was Caroline Donnelly, originally from Tennessee, but moved up to Pennsylvania a few years ago when my father’s mother grew sick. I thought that once she died we would be right back down in Tennessee, a place I loved, that didn’t happen.
My father is a music producer, he specializes in pop music, I don’t like pop music, I’ve been in love with country music since the first time I heard my mother voice. She died when I was twelve in a car accident; she was coming home late from being at the studio all day and fell asleep at the wheel. It wasn’t a phone call that my brothers, sister and I were expecting.
I’m the baby of the family, but my brothers and sister are all a year apart. I graduated high school and wanted to focus on music, my father’s wants me in the pop music business, I want to be in the country music business. He and his buddy, O’Ryan own a studio in the basement of O’Ryan’s house, his son being Jake.
My dad kept my mom’s promise to make sure that I got some sort of education, so I went to the local community college and got my associates in general studies. Now at twenty one, I have a job in a local music store and as soon as my shift’s over, I head to the studio and disappoint my father with my lack of pop voice material.
“All right Caroline, give me the cover of ‘Girl on Fire’,” O’Ryan said and I sighed and nodded my head.
Jake stepped out of the room and I watched as my dad walked away, letting Jake man the controls. He smirked towards me and then pressed play, “All right girl, hit it!”
“She’s just a girl and she’s on fire…” I sang as I held my hands on the headphones and tried to sing my heart out to impress my father, nothing ever works.
“All right, Linny! That was awesome-“
“What music were you listening to?!” my dad yelled and then pushed Jake out of the way and looked at me, “You sing that song like we-“
“Mr. Donnelly, she nailed that song! The point of a cover is so that she doesn’t sound like the artist, she has her own voice!” Jake defended and I rubbed my forehead and shook my head.
“How long have you been in this business kid?”
“Hey now Jack, leave the kid alone, Caroline sounded great, the demo’s finished, let it go,” O’Ryan said and then nodded his head towards me, “Head home kid.”
“Thanks,” I said and then took the headphones off of my head and placed them on the mic.
“Caroline!”
“Bye dad!” I yelled as I grabbed my jacket and purse. I ran up the stairs and appeared in the kitchen of the O’Ryan household.
“Lin!” I heard and turned around to see Jake following me. I smiled towards him and he closed the door, “You headin’ over there now-“
“Shhhh! Do you want him to find out?!” I whispered and then punched his arm.
“Ow, girl, I’m sensitive,” he said and I scoffed and rolled my eyes, “You see me rollin’, you hatin’…”
“Will you shut up?!” I laughed as I left the house with him behind me, “You comin’ too?”
“Someone needs to give you moral support, I don’t know why you deal with him,” Jake said as he hopped into the passenger seat of my Jeep.
“I feel sorry for him, everyone’s all moved out and he has no one but that damn dog,” I said and Jake sighed.
“Still doesn’t give him a reason to be so cruel to you,” he said and I nodded my head and looked back towards the house to see that the coast was clear.
I hurled out of the driveway and made my down the street, after I turned the corner, my radio was on, the country station was blasting and I was rocking out.
Being in love with country music was one thing, but having a secret life for the love of country music was another. If my father ever found out that after I finished at the studios with him, that I went into the city to another studio to meet up with my brothers and sing country music, he’d kill me, he’d kill all of us. My mother use to sing country, my father’s originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but after he got married, he wanted his wife to have a chance at her dream and moved to Nashville with her.
“Your bro’s calling,” Jake said as he turned the music down, “You me to answer?”
“Yeah, he’s probably pissed that I’m late,” I said and Jake answered the phone.
“Yo! Asher, waz up my homie!” Jake yelled into the phone and I rolled my eyes and shook my head, “Oh come on now, you know us blank men need to stick together!”
“Oh my god, will you stop with that!” I laughed.
“Well you’re black at heart!” Jake laughed and I spotted the studio and pulled into a parking spot.
“Give me!” I growled and grabbed the phone from Jake’s ear and hung up on my brother, “Really?!”
“What? You know I like to mess with him!” he laughed and I shook my head and looked at my side mirror to see if any cars were coming.
When the coast was clear, I hurried out of my jeep and Jake and I ran across the street and into the studio.
“You’re late!” Asher said sternly as he pouted towards me.
“I’m sorry, dad was being impossibly,” I hurried as I took my jacket and threw it at Jake.
“You kept the band waiting,” Gordon said as he appeared out of the sound box.
“I’m sorry!” I said, “Can we go?”
“Yeah, start with Whiskey!” RJ, the studio manager said as he Gordon and Asher, my brothers, moved out of the way as I ran into the box and smiled towards the band.
“Sorry guys.”
“It’s cool,” they said and I stood in front of the microphone and threw the headphones on.
The music started and I smiled and pressed my face close to the microphone, “Everybody down in Houston calls him ‘Texas’. Everybody way up North calls him ‘Cornbread’. You shoulda heard the way that his momma called him ‘baby’, daddy called him ‘boy, his friends call him ‘crazy’…”
It was a slow pace country song, my sister, Trisha wrote it, out of everyone in the family, she’s the only one that can’t sing, but she can write a hell of a song. I was actually surprised that she wasn’t here; usually she liked to make sure that her songs were being sung correctly.
“…I shoulda just called him ‘Whiskey’,” I finished and then looked out the window to see my brothers, Jake and RJ smiling brightly, “Was that good?”
“Damn girl, you killed it!” Jake cheered and I laughed and saw my brothers look at him, smirk and shake their heads.
After I sang a few more songs, two being a cover of Carrie Underwood, my throat was killing me and it was dark out. I said bye to everyone and then Jake and I left. I dropped Jake off and then headed back to the edge of the city towards the apartment that I shared with my sister.
“I’m home!” I called as I walked into the apartment and threw my keys into the bowl next to the door. I heard a bark and turned my head and smiled, “Roxy! How’s my girl?!” I cooed as the two year old pittbull trotted over towards me.
“Oh, you’re finally home,” I heard and looked up to see Trisha walking into the hallway wearing a bathrobe and drying her hair, “How’d it go?”
“Which one?”
“Both,” she smirked and then nudged her head to follow her.
“Dad eh, brothers yay!” I said and Trisha laughed as we walked into the kitchen, “Although throat hurts so I desperately need something to drink.”
“Water.”
“Already heading there,” I said and then opened the fridge and sighed at the emptiness, “We need to go shopping.”
“I’ll go tomorrow, I had a rough day, didn’t want to go after work,” she said and I nodded my head and then gave her a side hug.
“I get my paycheck tomorrow, so I’ll go to the bank and drop some money off,” I said and Trisha shook her head, “No Trish, let me!”
“Fine, but just avoid going through the left door, the guys are crazy,” Trisha laughed and I rolled my eyes.
“What is your job exactly?”
“I’m a PR manager, very stressful,” she said and I rolled my eyes, “Hey! I saw that!”
“Yeah whatever! Oh hey, I read the new song,” I said and Trisha turned and looked at me.
“Somethin’ ‘bout a truck?” she asked, saying the title of the song.
“Yeah, it sounds awesome! You should sing with the boys! It’s for them, right?”
“Linny, you know I can’t sing,” she said and I shook my head.
“No you can-“
“No, come on, the agreement was for you and the boys to sing the songs, I write them,” she said and I sighed and nodded my head.
“I know, it’s just, it just doesn’t feel right,” I said and Trisha scoffed.
“Well then you can sing your own songs! I know you write them!”
“Shut up, they’re horrible.”
“No, that ‘Done’, it sounds really good!”
“Yeah whatever.”
“I’m serious!”
“Ok!”