Alice was waiting outside the school so she could walk home with her little sister.
She had a lot more time for things at home since she no longer had to go in to work at the restaurant, so she could spend more time with her sister too.
Lucy finally appeared at the gate and walked over to her sister with a few classmates.
The kids greeted Alice enthusiastically. She smiled and greeted them back, then she and Lucy started heading home.
— In music class we were allowed to turn on the radio. Your song was on, and they really liked it.
— Ah, so that's why they were happier than usual when they saw me.
— One or two boys are in love with you. They want to ask you out.
Alice laughed.
— I'd turn them down gently, but it's flattering. So how was school?
— Good! Not to brag, but I got an A+ on my math test, so pay up—ice cream, now.
— Again? You're going to bankrupt me, you little nerd.
— That's what you get. You promised ice cream for every A+.
Lucy was right, so they didn't head home first—they turned toward the pastry shop at the end of the street.
After they sat down, they ordered their ice creams and a cup of coffee too.
The order arrived quickly, and Lucy dug into her three-scoop dessert with whipped cream and banana.
— I've got really good news. — Alice said. — Looks like we're playing in the next city over.
— In Darkfall?
— Yeah, the day after tomorrow. And then we're playing at the Crow's Nest again next week too.
— That's really good, but never forget who your number one fan is! That'll always be me.
— Oh, princess, nobody can take that title from you.
— Good. Can I come with you to Darkfall too?
— Of course—if you do your homework and study, I think you'll fit with us in the minibus.
— Of course I'll fit! The number one fan deserves a private seat.
— Oh, really?
— Yes. — Lucy said, grinning with whipped cream on her mouth.
— We'll see what I can arrange. Listen, Lucy… — Alice's face turned serious. — There's one more thing. Once we get paid, I might have enough money to move out. And I want you to come with me.
— With you? What about Dad?
— We've never needed our father anyway. He's… beyond saving.
Lucy clearly didn't like that. She scooped her ice cream much more sadly.
— Listen, he could still visit… Of course only if he gets himself together. If he cares about us even a little, then he can handle a few hours sober, or he's not setting foot in our place.
Little Lucy understood and nodded, but it was harder for her than it was for Alice, who had given up on their father a long time ago.
***
After Alice walked her little sister home, she headed to their rehearsal room, because she'd arranged a small meet-up with Pinky—some practice, just the two of them.
Their rehearsal space was in a two-story building behind a bus stop. They weren't the only band there—lots of people rented rooms around there. Since it was on the edge of the city, they didn't bother anyone even if a window stayed open during practice.
Alice got off the bus and could already hear someone playing guitar from one of the second-floor rooms—someone was practicing a solo.
She spotted Pinky by the building's door too, but she wasn't alone. She was talking to someone, and from closer up Alice could see it was Rex standing next to her.
Naturally, she hurried over to protect Pinky.
— What the fuck are you doing here?! — she snapped at Rex.
— I'm not here to start shit. I just wanted to talk, to apologize. — Rex defended himself. — And I liked your song, by the way. It hit hard.
— Apologize? Okay, I'm sure you did. Now get the hell out of here!
— Come on, Alice, give me a chance. You guys aren't looking for a bass player, are you? I'd still love to join.
— I can't believe this… Do you seriously have no shame?
— I'm not here to fight, I swear!
Behind Rex, Ervin appeared, a black umbrella in his hand, watching Rex and the others with interest.
— Greetings. — he bowed. — And who might this gentleman be?
— This is Rex, a local asshole who's about to get lost and never come near us again. — Alice answered.
— Oh. Are you in danger? Are you a dangerous man, sir?
— Who the hell is this pale little prick? — Rex spoke in his usual style. — I'm not leaving. If I have to, I'll stay here all day.
— Unfortunately, I cannot allow that, sir. The ladies must practice, and for that they require peace and quiet. A creative mind cannot be stressed while working—balance would be disturbed. Also, my name is Ervin Blue. I am the band's manager.
— Manager? This little shit? You serious?
— Go… — Pinky started timidly, quietly. — Go, Rex.
— Well, look at that—finally you opened your mouth? You were real quiet when your friends weren't here.
— She said go. What part don't you understand, you moron? — Alice asked.
Suddenly Ervin stepped in front of the girls to shield them.
Rex didn't think much of Ervin. He was short, about Pinky's height, pale and skinny, so Rex figured he could just land a right straight and be done with it.
Ervin caught Rex's thick arm and redirected it with an easy motion, using some kind of special technique.
Rex tried to throw another punch, but Ervin snapped his umbrella shut and cracked him hard on the head with it, then kicked him in the stomach and chest with unbelievable speed.
Rex hit the ground. Ervin extended a hand to help him up, but Rex shoved it away and walked off instead—he knew when to quit.
Ervin's hand had visibly started to burn a little in the sunlight. Pinky quickly stepped into the sun's path to cast shade over him.
— Thank you, my dear. — Ervin smiled at her. — The Sun and I are not on very good terms. Fortunately, an angel can stand in the way of its power.
Pinky blushed deeply at the compliment.
— Uh… it's nothing. Thanks for protecting us…
Alice really liked that little moment between Pinky and Ervin. She felt the spark between them—and hoped it would turn into flame in time.
***
A day later, while the band was practicing to make sure everything would go well in Darkfall, the phone rang and Justin answered it.
It turned out it was Alice's little sister on the other end, so Alice hurried to the receiver in case it was an emergency.
Lucy had called because she wasn't feeling well. She sounded tired, so Alice promised she would come home immediately.
— What's going on with Lucy? — Justin asked. — Her voice sounded a little weird.
— She's not okay. She might be sick. I have to go home.
— Can't your dad take care of her?
— He can't even take care of himself. I'm calling a taxi. Sorry, guys.
— It's fine. We all love your sister—go home to her. We'll finish without you.
Everyone agreed Alice should go home. Pinky even offered to come with her, but Alice told her it wasn't necessary—she'd call with an update.
Alice stepped out of the building. The taxi was already waiting outside.
She quickly got into the back seat. A middle-aged woman sat behind the wheel, smoking.
— Need to hurry? I can tell it's urgent.
— Yes, if that's not a problem.
— Then we're taking a back way so we don't run into cops. — she said with a grin and stomped the gas.
She wasn't joking. She sped up and really did take a route Alice didn't recognize.
They chatted a little. Alice told the woman she was rushing home because of her little sister.
The woman had four siblings and she was the oldest, so she understood Alice's situation. She pushed even harder after that—and started driving pretty dangerously.
By the end, the thirty-minute ride had become ten minutes, and Alice had no idea how the woman did it—or how they survived.
When Alice got out, she tipped generously. The woman was grateful, waved goodbye with a grin, and hit the gas so hard the tires almost smoked. Alice was lucky she'd gotten exactly that kind of adrenaline-junkie driver tonight.
Alice ran up the stairs and unlocked the apartment door.
Their father's door was open. He wasn't home, only the stench poured out. Alice slammed it shut, then rushed to her sister's room.
Lucy was lying in bed, covered up to her neck, coughing.
Alice ran to the bed. The first thing she did was touch Lucy's forehead—she was burning up.
— Oh, princess, this is really not good. How do you feel?
— I'm a little dizzy.
— It might be the fever. We have fever medicine at home—I'll give you some, okay?
Lucy nodded.
— We'll take your temperature too, and in the morning I'll take you to the doctor, alright? Unless you feel really awful, and then we go to urgent care right now.
— Morning is fine. I'm sorry.
— Why would I be mad?
— You should be rehearsing… Tomorrow's the big day… I won't be able to go.
— Yeah, it won't be the same without our number one fan, but don't worry—we'll have plenty more concerts. You just rest, okay?
Lucy nodded.
***
The next day Alice was extremely nervous as she climbed into the minibus with the others.
The doctor said her sister had simply caught some minor bug and her fever had come down quickly, but Alice still hated leaving her at home with their father—someone she knew she couldn't rely on.
The others were in a great mood. They were really looking forward to the concert in Darkfall, where they would be playing on an outdoor stage.
This show promised them decent money too, and thanks to Star Radio a lot of people already knew them, so it was time to give their new fans what they wanted.
Justin noticed how down Alice looked. He handed her a cigarette, and they lit up together.
— You're worried about Lucy, right? Is she still really sick?
— The doc says it's nothing serious, her fever's down. She's just nauseous and sleeping a lot.
— The little brat's tough, she'll be fine. After the concert we'll head back, and you'll see for yourself—she'll just be asleep in her bed.
— Poor thing really wanted to come with us.
— She'll be there at the next concert. I know it won't feel the same without Lucy, but let's give it everything, alright?
— Alright. — Alice nodded.
— Let's show Darkfall what Rust City can do. Let's save the fucking stage with our music—bring on the sea of flames, right?
— The sea of flames! — Cornel shouted enthusiastically.
— The fucking sea of flames!
***
Darkfall wasn't that different from Rust City. It was in the southern part of the country too, except it was closer to the mountains.
When they stepped out of the minibus, they could see white-capped mountain peaks rising even higher behind the city's tall buildings. It was a pretty good view.
They were playing at a small festival where mostly local amateur bands showed up—plus one headliner: Darkfall's biggest band, Bloody Red Eyes.
Because of Bloody Red Eyes, a lot of people came out to the edge of the city where the concerts were held. There had to be at least twice as many people as at the Crow's Nest last time.
As they walked into the festival grounds, some people recognized them—people who'd come from Rust City—and greeted them. Some even asked for autographs.
— I think I could get used to being treated like this. — Justin said.
— Yeah, it's pretty nice. — Cornel agreed.
Pinky stayed behind them, using them as cover. She didn't want to talk to people—she was still a little shy.
One guy tried to greet Pinky—maybe he wanted something from her too—but Ervin brushed him off by stepping to her side.
After they walked through the festival area, where people had clearly warmed up with beer and a few other local bands, they reached the backstage area, where security let them in.
They started getting seriously nervous. They'd never had a crowd this big.
Cornel took a sip from a bottle of beer to calm his nerves.
— Dude, are you serious? — Justin asked.
— I'm only having one, don't worry. Even I won't get drunk from one.
— If you screw this up for us, I'm going to kick your ass.
— There are kind of a lot of people, aren't there? — Pinky asked.
— Yeah. At least twice as many as at the Crow's Nest. A lot of people came because of Bloody Red Eyes. They're legendary in Darkfall—they tour too, even in neighboring countries. — Justin said.
— Still, it's time we really show who we are. Thanks to Star Radio a lot of people know one of our songs, but they haven't heard the rest. After this, it wouldn't hurt to release an album, right? — Cornel said.
— I support that. — Ervin replied, suddenly emerging from the shadows. — Hola would happily record a full album with you. I've already spoken to him about it. Are you ready? Five minutes and you'll be on stage—your instruments are being tuned right now.
— I hope they were careful with my drum kit. — Pinky muttered.
— I personally watched while they set it up. Don't worry, everything went smoothly.
Alice turned to Ervin.
— Listen, my sister might call that number you gave her at any time. You're watching for that too, right?
— Of course. Don't worry, Alice. Leave everything else to me. Your only job is to go on stage and shine—spark, throw the audience into a sea of flames, and get closer to the bright stars.
Ervin's words fired them up. Even Pinky got a little braver as they walked out onto the stage.
Once they took their places, Alice greeted the crowd. It wasn't hard to get them going—two bands had already warmed them up.
Pinky counted them in, and they could finally start the show.
***
Everything went well. They loved every single song.
After several songs, the band decided it was time to play their most well-known track.
They nodded to each other. Pinky cracked the snare, and Justin and Cornel attacked the strings.
Alice felt the power inside her—the fire. She knew she would perform "Burn With Me!" the way she had in the studio. She could feel it in her gut.
Everything was going great. The crowd was insanely into it—hands in the air, mosh pits, lots of people screaming the lyrics with them.
The trouble hit when they reached the bridge where Alice had done that raspy scream in the studio. Someone turned on the pyrotechnics and flames burst up from under the stage.
The fear of fire returned instantly when the flames came so close. She saw a burning car in her mind, an arm reaching out. She heard a scream, the horrible crackle of fire, and she felt that she had to run—far away.
The others spotted the fire too and knew what was happening, so they tried to signal someone right away.
Alice couldn't finish the song. The shaking hit, the panic attack—and she had to leave the stage.
Justin spoke into the microphone to calm the disappointed crowd, while Alice ran down the steps and sat on a bench, where someone immediately handed her a bottle of water.
Alice drank from it, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it with trembling hands. She blew out the smoke, but the shaking wouldn't stop.
Ervin hurried over first, worried, and then the others joined—everyone except Justin, who stayed on stage.
— Is everything alright? What's wrong? — Ervin asked.
— I'm sorry… the fire… — Alice said in a broken voice.
— Alice is scared of bigger fires like that. — Cornel said. — It's our fault—we should've warned you. We didn't know there'd be pyrotechnics on stage.
— It was actually set up for Bloody Red Eyes, but I arranged for you to get a little of it too. I'm sorry—I didn't know this would cause trouble.
— It's okay, it's okay… — Alice stood up from the bench; the shaking eased. — I'll pull myself together and we can play the song again. Seriously, it's fine—just no fire. That's all.
Pinky walked up and hugged Alice, hoping it would help. It did—the tremor in her hands almost completely disappeared.
— Thanks, Pinky. — Alice whispered into her ear.
Justin appeared too, relieved that Alice looked better.
— Can we continue? Because if not, I'll tell the crowd…
— You don't have to. — Alice said. — Let's go.
So they went back on stage to start the song again and tried with the same momentum as before.
The second time they played "Burn With Me!" without trouble. Alice maybe didn't feel that exact studio-level power, but the crowd didn't notice anything—they loved it.
When the concert ended and they stepped off the stage, Ervin approached Alice with a very grim expression.
— Alice… I got a call from your father.
That could only mean something bad. Her father would never have called that number Alice had given to her sister. Her excitement from the show evaporated instantly.
— I'm sorry, Alice… Your sister was taken to the hospital.
The words hit Alice like a punch to the heart. It was like a cold knife had been driven into the back of her neck. She started feeling far worse than she had on stage. The others were talking to her, but she couldn't make out a thing—only ringing, only blurred, garbled murmurs.