Crow of Flame

Chapter 3

Once we were in the studio I realized how long of a shift this was going to turn out to be. Cadmus, though brilliant looking, seemed to be a little dim in the head when recording music.

We'd been trying to record for nearly three hours and working through the same riff for an entire hour now. My headache was beginning to become more persistent, black spots clouded my vision. Cadmus was in the booth, with a mic in front of him and soundproofing all around. The yellow and blue walls in this studio were starting to close in on us, Steve was sitting on the couch by the door with his head in his hands, Travis was slumped down in his seat to my right at the huge sound board. I was in the center seat doing main controls, on my left was Hades, who insisted on sitting right next to me. He couldn't seem to hide his amusement in the fact that our time was being wasted.

He leaned closer to me, "he's not normally like this." I turned to meet his gaze, it pulled some of the pain away from my head, "This is a very productive session for him." He laughed.

I huffed out a laugh and widened my gaze, "I find it hard to believe any session could go worse than this." My stomach growled and we had a moments conversation with our eyes deciding to ignore it. I glanced at Cadmus. He was singing a riff while doing little dances with his fingers. "I don't even know what he's doing right now."

"Trust me..." he whispered, "it gets worse." He ran a hand over my thigh sending sparks up my nerves, "you're very patient with him." His gaze was latched to me. He was watching me... and touching me... and it felt nice.

No. I just met this man. It shouldn't feel nice. There should be a boundary somewhere... I just don't know where to put it or how to build it. Jesus Christ... what was wrong with me?

"My patience is growing thinner by the minute," I whispered. He squeezed my thigh and let out a laugh and warmth crept into me.

"Thank you for letting me sit in on this."

"I don't think this is anything worth thanking me over. We're going on four hours with the same line." I said as I broke his gaze. I leaned forward to press the intercom button, making eye contact with Cadmus through the glass, "What do you need from us?" I was ready to beg him at this point, "Do you want to take a break? Do you need food or water, or like... lessons?" I earned myself a chuckle from Steve and Travis, and a bellowing laugh from Hades as he rubbed his thumb on my thigh. A very good distraction from the time being wasted, but not distracting enough to make me let my time be wasted like this. Cadmus looked slightly amused at my comment.

He let out a big sigh, "I guess I could use a break."

"Great, let's take 15" I waved my hand for Cadmus to come out and we headed to the kitchen. Travis and Steve bowed out gracefully saying that they needed the kind of drink Steve keeps in his desk. I was seriously considering joining them. Sometimes Steve gave me some of the liquor from his bottom drawer when my migraines got too bad. I had to drive home though, and try to convince Cadmus to finish the god damned song. I needed to be in my right mind.

I was sitting on a counter drinking a soda, vaguely listening to Cadmus tell a story. I wasn't sure what it was about but he seemed to be enjoying himself. Hades came and leaned on the counter next to me eating from a bag of cookies. These boys were strange. They seem both very comfortable and extremely awkward around me at the same time. They acclimated to instantly around Steve and Travis, and they played off each other like a sitcom. If they both come to school tomorrow, and both hang around me, we're in for a world of trouble.

Emmy and her pack won't be as forgiving as when it was just Cadmus with me. She would have a field day asking them why they're messing with a trollop like me. Or making sure they know how freakish I am. I didn't mind their company, but they might mind mine when they find out who I am. I'm not some cool loner indie chick who chose to sit alone because the world is too basic. No, that's definitely not me. I have always been drawn to fire, and music like they're a part of my very essence. When I was little, I used to stare at fires for hours on end, watching the orange and yellow heat dance in the air.