The Bloodied Phantom 15

One of the guys, positioned in the rear left of the stage, was a muscular, very muscular, brunette. He had a good-natured face, and short chocolate brown hair that framed his chiseled face. I noticed his piercing; a silver hoop in his left eyebrow and a spike that went through his bottom lip. Compared with his massive size, the piano in which he played, seemed miniscule. Picture a rottweiler sitting next to a Chihuahua. Pretty huge. The muscles in his massive arms flexed and bulged with every movement of his fingers. Hopefully, he wouldn’t end up breaking the keys with his overgrown biceps.

The other guy stood to the right of Ryan, with a guitar hoisted over his shoulder. Now, the muscular guy was kind of scary, but this guy freaked me out. He was tall and lanky, with carrot colored hair that was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His tight black jeans made his legs look like chopsticks-he was just that skinny. He reminded me of Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas. the whites of his eyes were etched with red veins, like he was deprived of sleep. They were rimmed with black. I couldn’t tell if it was from the lack of sleep or eyeliner. There were tattoos of crosses and skeletons on his bony arms, and he had the weirdest piercing I had ever seen before. There was a silver hoop in his bottom lip with a chain that connected it to his ear.

I was still in shock to see my brother on stage. Well, that explained all of his partying; he’d been performing. All those times I thought he was just out partying, being irresponsible, he was out promoting their band. That just goes to show how much I don’t know about my brother.

By now, the crowd had become practically hysterical. They were still screaming out, ‘Clairvoyance’ at the top of their lungs; jostling each other trying to get as close as they could to the front of the stage. It was kind of funny seeing the girls swooning, but weird when the boys did.

“Oh man. I love you guys!!!.” one guys screamed a little too enthusiastically.

It was as if they were celebrities, the way the crowd was reacting. But I guess that was to be expected from a small town such as this. They were all pumping up the crowd, with the fast and raunchy beating of the drums, the screeching and crashing chords of the guitar, and the sweet harmonious tunes of the piano. I had to get closer so that I could see better. Several people were sitting atop the shoulders of others, blocking the view.

“Hey. Let’s try and get closer. I have to see this.”

I grabbed a hold of his hand, dismissing the hot dog and soda- I was no longer hungry, and began making my way toward the stage. They all seemed to be oblivious to our pushing and shoving, seeing as everyone was pushing and shoving. Getting through was a bit of a struggle. If only Moses were here he could part these hyperactive teens like the Red Sea. Their movement was just like the ocean waves; bobbing up and down, jostling us left and right. It nearly gave me seasickness, minus the sea of course.

I breathed in a breath of air as we emerged from the seemingly endless sea of bodies.

“Raiya! Phantom! Over here.” someone yelled. I looked in both directions trying to locate the source of the voice. That’s when I spotted Zia. She was standing next a bespectacled guy with acne. If memory served me well, he worked in the food court at the mall.

The mall…

I shake my head clearing away the memories before they can take over my mind. I wanted that incident to be the farthest thing from my mind. I squeezed Phantom’s hand to reassure myself that everything was alright. He smiled that boyish grin of his that I‘d soon become to know and love, and I smiled back up at him. Just having him near made me feel at ease.

“Can you believe it?” Zia called, as she made her way towards us. “Your brother is so cool.”

“Yeah. Who would’ve have guessed he actually had a talent other than belching and farting?”

She had her hands crossed over her heart, her utmost attention on Ryan. Her eyes followed his every movement. I’ve known Zia ever since junior high. We became friends almost instantly, even though we were so different from each other. She was boy crazy {still is} and I was quiet and shy {still am}. For as long as I can remember I’ve always known she had a crush on Ryan. I never voiced my suspicion. I didn’t want to put her on the spot, or embarrass her; especially since over something as simple crush. As time went by her crush never dwindled, it only flourished. I had thought by now she would be over it, considering how she had a boyfriend every other week.

I wanted to ask her on so many occasions, but held my tongue. I didn’t want to ask her a question that would bring upon an awkward moment. Perhaps later, when the timing was right, but not now. I looked towards Phantom, and realized I was still holding his hand. With any other guy I would have pulled away, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to. His hand was warm and soft; something I didn’t expect from a skater boy type like him, though you could never tell from the way he talked. He was very articulate and poised. I was wondering if perhaps his style was just an outlet for his rebellious side. There was still so much I didn’t know about him; things that I was so patiently waiting to learn.

I held onto Phantom’s hand, and raised it into the air, waving them from side to side to the music. It was a fast-paced song with phenomenal vocals. The girl had a crystal clear voice that blended perfectly with Ryan’s raspy undertone that gave the lyrics an edge. The drums and keyboard came in rhythmic intervals. It was the type of music that made you want to dance; the kind of music that crept into you and controlled your body like a marionette. I instantly found myself falling into its entrancing depths; bobbing my head up and down, and moving my hips from side to side. Phantom was a little stiff at first, but he soon became one with the music as well. Zia, Phantom and I all jammed to the heavy-metal rock. This type of music had never been my favorite, but I was going to have reconsider after tonight. The concert continued with a variation of fast-paced songs, that had everyone moving to the beat. I even crowd surfed. It was the most exhilaratingly scary moment of my life. But now, as the concert was coming to an end, everything seemed to slow down. The stars were now twinkling in the midnight sky, while the moon hid behind the clouds. Fireflies drifted along, calling out for their mates. A cool breeze blew, raising the fine hairs on my arms and neck to rise. I shivered. That’s when two arms enveloped themselves around my waist. It was Phantom. A surge of warmth spread throughout my body. It was as if his touch sent shocks through me; igniting into flames. I looked up at him, and he smiled that boyish grin of his. I didn’t want him to let go. Not now. Not ever.

______

Now that the concert was over, I was exhausted, and my voice had become hoarse from all of my screaming. I congratulated Ryan on his performance; not even staying to be introduced to his friends. Zia was right by his side, so I knew she would be here as long as he was.

Ryan asked if I wanted him to drive me home, but I declined, saying Phantom would walk me. But now, as we started off I was wishing that I had taken that ride. My entire body ached, and I was hungry.

“Are you alright?” came that beautiful voice.

“I could lie and say that I am, but no. I’m exhausted and my feet hurt.” I said pouting.

He chuckled. “Come on, and hop onto my back.”

“Are you serious?” But I could tell from the expression on his face that he was. He crouched over, and hoisted me onto his back with no effort at all. He lifted me like I was nothing more than a feather. I wrapped my legs around him, and held on to his shoulders. I was so tried. I kept slipping in and out of consciousness. He continued walking, his breathing even and steady in my ears. I tried to fight the sleep, but failed.

______

“Sweet dreams, Raiya.” Phantom said, as he laid her across her bed; covering her with the silken bedspread. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. He brushed back a strand of hair from her face. He sighed. He had gotten her home safely. That was easy. But now he faced the hardest part; that was leaving her. The others hadn’t gotten back from the concert yet, and their mother wasn’t home. He could not leave her here alone.

He sat there, on the side of her bed, debating whether he should leave or stay. He leaned towards her sleeping body, and kissed her softly on the lips. He laid his head on her chest to listen to the beating of her heart.

He intertwined his fingers with hers. His eyes began to get heavy and he fought the urge to sleep; but he failed. He too, drifted off to sleep.