The Fire Triangle -- Part II, Oxidizer

The Fire Triangle: Book II - Chapter 15

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The Fire Triangle

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Part Two:

Oxidizer

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Now I see I'm all alone

That's the only way to be You'll have your chance again Then you can do the work for me

Richard Thompson

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Chapter 5—Meet on the Ledge
(Part 1)

"And I'm breaking out,
Escaping now,
Feeling my faith explo-hode!"

Erin hit the last riff of Hysteria like a battering ram smashing down a castle gate, finishing up with a slap against the strings. The Mews tune had been a tempting choice to play for her audition—it had an absolutely killer bassline—but again, it was a piece that wouldn't allow her to show off the full range of her vocal skills.

Contrary to her sister Judy's impression, the young, white-furred bunny hadn't quit rehearsing for good after playing just one song. She'd gone back several times to her karaoke machine, playing for just as long as she felt like it, and then switching off again. It was a variation of the method she'd used to get ready for her performance later today. She would rehearse for as long as things were going smoothly and then, if she began to feel frustrated, she'd stop, go do something else for a while, and then come back to it later. After one particularly long and intense practice session, she hadn't returned to her bass for three whole days...but when she did, she found that her performance had improved almost exponentially. Pacing yourself; that was the ticket, learning to pace yourself. She wondered if that was what...?

"Nooo, don't think about HIM."

"Erin?"

Oops, was someone calling her? She plucked out her earbuds and yep, it was her big sister, Violet

"Erin...Errrrinnn!"

Hmmm, that sounded kind of shrill. Dangit, was her practice session bothering somebody? She'd had no such problems earlier—but then the last time she'd rehearsed it had been just after 9:00 last night—and this was 7:00 AM, the next morning.

"Aw the heck with it," the young bunny decided, "everybody ought to be up by now."

She set down her bass and called through the door. "Yeah Vi; what up?"

"Mom wants to know if you feel like eating some breakfast."

Erin's stomach responded before she could, offering up a low grumble.

"Oh yeah, I'll be right there, thanks." She turned and switched off the Karaoke machine, smiling self-assuredly. "See, I told you they'd all be up; we're a farm family...DUH!"