Wednesday, May 14, 2008

THE CATALYST, CHAPTER 23
Glimmer. Glimmer. Glimmer.

The silver shine of the encased disk was interrupted only by the lines of the black marker ink identifying it as “SIN(G.)” Sean, the radio station DJ who was currently holding it, stared at it in amused curiosity. “The song title’s a bit short for a Human Shields song, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” replied Bob Sparroth. “We were originally going to call it ‘You Can’t Spell Sing Without Sin,’ but we figured we’d try something new and make it a bit less of a mouthful. So, how soon do you think you can play it?”
Sean snorted. “What, the latest from one of the most popular, in-demand rock bands of all time? Are you kidding me? I could probably get this on the airwaves within a matter of minutes. But just to be safe, I better let the boss check it out. Not to mention, there’s probably a bunch of legal crap to go over. And we already had a play-list prepared for this weekend. But we can probably get it played sometime next Sunday.”
Bob nodded appreciatively. That was understandable. “Okay, cool. Thanks.” Most other managers in Bob’s position probably would’ve thrown a fit at having to wait a week for their bands song to get played. But, as Sean had mentioned, there was indeed copious amounts of contracts and other legal paraphernalia to go over. After all, this was the first time the song would be released to the public, so there was a great deal of licensing to do. Besides, it wasn’t as if they were in any hurry to get the song played. It would be in the very least another year before the album was actually complete. Not to mention, the time frame would obviously be a lot more convenient than that very instant anyway: it was after all another 30 minutes to midnight on Saturday. Hardly any of the Human Shields demographic would’ve been awake to hear it if they played it right now.
Sean smiled in return. “Anytime, man. Anytime.”

ONE WEEK LATER, AT 3:30 PM ON SUNDAY…

“Yeah, that’s right, kids,” the stations’ radio host announced into the microphone, in his usual attempt to ensnare his listeners‘ attention. “We just got the very first single from Mobile Fallout Shelter’s album an entire God-knows-how-many-years before it’s released! So, before y’all start rioting, here’s ‘SIN(G)’!” Gesture. Sean was given the cue to play the song. Click. The focus of the broadcast was switched to the stations music-player system. And, finally: Play. The next sound-waves to be transferred through the live-broadcast were those of a song that could not have been sung without sin.

{TO ALL THE KIDS…} If Belinda Sacko had been fully awake, she wouldn’t have believed her luck… {WHO DO IT RIGHT…} It was Sunday, yet she had gotten to sleep in, go to a later mass with her mother, avoid the usual, weekly, maddening car ride to and from mass with her rowdy siblings… {TO ALL THE KIDS…} and now her mother was cooperatively allowing her to listen to her favorite hard, thrasher rock radio station without a single complaint. {WHO RELY ON MORE THAN SIGHT…} Oh, yeah. It was a good day. {WILL I EVER GET TO HEAR MORE THAN “WELL, AT LEAST YOU TRIED”…?} Or, at least, for her it was.

Cassie Smith, on the other hand… {AND, OH, THERE IS NO ROMEO…} had been sobbing uncontrollably all week, ever since she had checked her e-mail last Saturday to find a message from Belinda telling of her Danny Rossurie‘s death. {AND THERE IS NO JULIET.} So, to that moment, there she lay, completely dishelmed and disconsolate, with nothing but the evidently very recent Mobile Fallout Shelter song playing on the radio to comfort her. {SO I GUESS…} It wasn’t like the Human Shields’ usual Pop-Rock musical romps. {WE’LL NEVER KNOW…} It was more of a lullaby, really. But when the world of the conscious weighed her down with this much misery… {IF…}… she really couldn’t think of anything better to resort to than the world of the dreaming. {IT…} Who knows. {WAS WORTH…} If she was lucky, she might even be lucky enough to visit Danny in her dreams. {THE UNTIMELY DEATH.}

But Cassie was not alone in her misery. {WELL…} Jenny Poeta was in hell that weekend too. She couldn’t stop reminiscing about her lost love, Richard. {THEY SAY…} He had been the first boy she ever loved. Due to the fact that Jenny was bisexual, all her prior relationships had been with girls. {LOVE CONQUERS ALL, BUT…} For some reason, her affection for Richard had been especially powerful. Too powerful, in fact. { OUR PRYING EYES…} After all, as any married or engaged person will tell you, there is no such thing as love without pain or sacrifice. Especially… {ON EACH OTHERS INSIDES…} when the out-some of the love is just more wretched, wretched proof… {CONQUEARED LOVE.}… of the validity of that old Shakespearean cliché: “They that stumble run fast.”

{I DON‘T KNOW HOW TO LOOK…} But, as Jonah Knolles proved, the only thing worse then crashing from running too fast…{AND YOU DON‘T KNOW WHERE.}… was never getting to move at all. He couldn’t stop beating himself up over what he’d said to her last week. {THE ONLY DIFFERENCE…} He’d probably sounded like some sort of serial rapist. No wonder she hated him so much. {BETWEEN A LOVER…} But he cared too much to care that she didn’t. {AND A DREAMER…} So he had sent one of his family‘s henchmen…. {IS…}… to leave an apology note… {THE DREAMER ALWAYS WANTS…} in her diary, like a book-mark, last Saturday. {OH, YES, THE DREAMER ALWAYS, ALWAYS WANTS…} Writing the note, he had had only one definite thing to say…{BUT ONLY THE LOVER IS WANTED.}… no matter how pathetic it made him sound. {THE DREAMER IS THE HUNTER…} So that was the only thing he had written: “Look, I’m sorry…” {AND THE LOVER IS THE HUNTED.} “I really am. I know you never wanted me…” {BUT…} “..and I know you sure as hell don‘t want me now.” {IN THE END…} “But I’m afraid no matter how much you hate me and no matter how much you don’t want me…” {THEY’RE BOTH STAR-CROSSED…} “…you’ve got me.” {…AND…} “You always did.” {DOOMED TO BE LOST.} Of course, Jonah knew it was way too over-romantic and obsessive-sounding and it probably would just repulse her even more… {SO, HONESTLY…}… but he had spent his entire high school career pretending he couldn‘t stand her. {WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?} So it was about time she knew the truth.

{YEAH, I DON’T KNOW…} Shanty glanced at his cell-phones screen and sighed. {HOW TO LOOK AND…} He didn’t like the command he had just received: “Sealing yuki monday nite. Brng her 2 locke cem & I’ll handle the rest.-Jay.” {…YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE…} He was especially annoyed by the little detail that Jay actually expected him to drive all the way up to Locke Memorial Gardens. {AND, OH, BELOVEDS AND LOVERS, BELOVED AND LOVER…} After all, that was so far north, it was mere yards away from the Cleveland-Maryland border. {…THE ONLY DIFFERANCE….} Seriously. It was about a 2 hour drive! {BETWEEN ME BEING EITHER ONE….} But, then, again, Jason had promised to pay him thousands of dollars, so… {IS…} at least there was the possibility that gas money wouldn’t be a problem. {…JUST HOW DEEPLY…} Still, his stomach couldn’t help but churn with guilt at the idea of ripping the girl apart from everything she knew and loved. {THAT LOOK…} Too bad he didn’t know at that moment… {IN YOUR EYES…}… that there wasn’t much she knew that she loved, anymore. {…PIERCES ME.}

Vashoutoh couldn’t help but enjoy the warmth of Cori spiraled around him. {AND, DO YOU STILL FEEL…} But, honestly, it wasn‘t really the fact that it was her. {LIKE YOU’RE SUFFERING ALONE…?} When you were as cold as Vash was, any warmth would do. It didn’t matter who it was coming from. {PUT THE POUNDING IN YOUR HEAD…} It never did. {TO THE ACHING IN MY STOMACH.} Besides, Vash always secretly knew that when all he had…{2 WRONGS DON’T MAKE A RIGHT….} to offer the world was looks, charisma, and an infamy-generating reputation, he couldn’t afford to be picky. {… BUT 2 LEFTS DO.} But he tried his best not to think about that. {SO LAUGH LIKE THAT LAST “I LOVE YOU”…} So, for the moment, he just snuggled closer to Cori on the couch and tried to melt a few more brain cells with the current broad-cast about the best cosmetic surgeries. {…WAS JUST A JOKE.} It was very coincidental to him that in a moment of such blissful denial…. {BECAUSE, TO HIM…}…they were watching a show about originally ugly people who pretended they were always that beautiful. {IT WAS ALWAYS NOTHING MORE…} Especially since Vash was the biggest pretender of all. {THAN A HOAX.}

Jason had sworn he’d never be this obviously in love with anyone again. {SO POUR THAT GOBLET…} But as he watched Nicole next to him pensively digest every element of “SIN(G)” playing on the radio… {OF MISPLACED….} he just couldn’t help it. She was just so beautiful. {FLAMES…}So observant. {DOWN…}So attentive. {YOUR…} So different from anyone he had ever known. {…THROAT…} It was times like this when Jason nearly dropped dead of elated disbelief {…AND…} at going this long without screwing up something this perfect. (…ASK YOURSELF…} A serene smile was now shining on Nicoles face, as she swayed sensually back and forth to the soul in the melody. {IF THERE’S MORE TO THIS THAN FALSE HOPE.} “So, I’m assuming ya like it?” Jay asked, half-jokingly. {BECAUSE…} Nicole smiled adoringly at him for a moment…{YOU CAN…} before taking him in her arms. {TELL ME IT‘LL BE OKAY…} Her adorably fragile, perfectly feminine arms. {… ALL YOU WANT.} “Jay…” She murmured. “You’re a genius. An absolute genius. I LOVE it!” {BUT…} At this, he could do nothing but smile and hug her back. {IF LOVE CONQUERS ALL…} Moments like these were the only reason… {THEN HOW COME…} he still believed in God. (OH, BABY, HOW COME…} Because it was nothing short of a miracle that he had managed to be lucky enough to end up with Nicole. {THESE MISPLACED FLAMES CONQUERED LOVE?} But, as Mikey’s soft, sweet voice sung these words to him and Nicole through the speakers, Jason knew those misplaced flames, those little fits of lust and fatally taken-too-seriously emotion, wouldn‘t win this time. Because this time, unlike all the other times, Nicole and him were the kids who did it right. They weren’t just joined at the hip, they were joined at the soul. It was as simple as that.
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