Randomness Book 2

Chapter 2: Preparations

It had been a few days since Dusk proposed the concert idea. And it became the latest hot topic among her circle of friends. Nobody else besides them knew about it, and they intended to keep it that way until they were able to convince other musical talents to join. Around the late afternoon, Dusk walked over to Aidan and Serena's cabin, the rest of the crew following right behind her, and in her hand was a freshly baked loaf of vegan banana bread.

She knocked on the door, hearing muffled squeals and babbles from their baby daughter. "Oh, hey guys! I didn't know we were expecting company," Aidan looked surprised as he opened the door. "Sorry we dropped by so suddenly, but we were hoping to talk to you and Serena about something. Something we think you might like," Dusk apologized. Aidan looked back inside to his fiancée as she asked who was at the door. "It's Maisie and her crew," He answered. "Okay, come on in! And... is that Banana bread I smell?"

Dusk handed him the tightly wrapped aluminum glass, telling him they could keep it after they finished and that she had plenty of bread glasses back home. The crew sat on one of the empty sofas across from Serena, tickling Eliana while she squirmed in her lap. "So, how's the baby doing, Sere?" the raven questioned. "Still active as ever, and she's just started to play with her piano and guitar," Serena responded, kissing Eliana's head.

Aidan returned to the living room with a few small plates with banana bread slices for each of them before taking his seat. "So, what did you guys want to talk about?" He questioned, breaking the awkward silence. "Well, it's been over a year since we last performed in front of Glorious and Imaginative, and I was thinking we could do it again! But with a bit of twist," Dusk explained. "Ooo, what kind of twist are we talking about?" Serena inquired.

"Well, my sister wants to bring a new artist to the Isle. But unfortunately, she's on tour right now and won't be able to join us, so she was thinking maybe we could bring her music to the Isle and perform it for everyone!" Five added. "That depends, who were thinking?" Aidan asked, having a hunch about who it could be. "Maybe you've heard of her, Taylor Swift?" Dusk responded. Serena gasped at the mention of her name. Before her arrival on Glorious, she was also a Swiftie. She was even lucky enough to attend one of her 1989 concerts years ago.

"You've heard of her, Serena?" Mckenna asked. "I only know bits and pieces off some of her albums, but Sere was quite obsessed with her while she was pregnant," The Potter boy replied. "It's true. I'll admit I cried a few times listening to her songs. Hormones, you know?" Serena slightly cringed. "I'll bet. Some of her songs are so relatable they can get the tears flowing," Dusk nodded. The two women had another minute or two of Taylor Swift gushing before the girls decided to step in and get back to the topic at hand.

"I know it's been hard for the both of you to get back into performing since having a baby. But without you guys, the concerts wouldn't feel the same. We're not asking for a lot, but it would mean the world if you could please be a part of the show?" Maisie smiled. Aidan and Serena looked at each other, silently asking if they were willing to be a part of it. "Come on, Aidy. I think it'd be pretty fun! And besides, I think it's time she got to experience her first concert," Aidan looked to his two girls, who had the brightest smiles. And it was rare he could ever say no to them or his sister and her friends.

"Alright, we're in!" Aidan nodded. The crew cheered before hugging the family, Maisie taking her niece into her arms and kissing her cheeks. "You ready for a concert, Eli?" Maisie cooed. "Yah!" Eliana grinned. Now that Glorious's prince and princess of music were on their team, they still needed a few more members. And Dusk knew just the right girl who could be a part of it.

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"Y-you want me to p-perform in front of a-all of Glorious and Ima-Imaginative?" Luna stuttered, tightly grabbing Dusk's hands. "Ow ow ow! Luna, you're gonna break my fingers!" Dusk grimaced, and after that realization, Luna let go. "I'm sorry, I just... didn't expect you to offer me a place in one of your shows." the Lovegood wiped her brow. "You have a beautiful singing voice, Luna. When I heard you sing Music of the Night back in the auditorium, I could've mistaken you for a siren!" Dusk took her hand.

Luna's cheeks turned bright pink with flattery. "I've never performed in front of anyone before, let alone in front of hundreds of people. How am I supposed to go from singing by myself to in public in two weeks?" She questioned. "It'll be okay. I'll be right there with you and so will the boys," The rest of that afternoon was filled with asking Islanders if they wanted to perform in the tribute concert. After rounding up Aidan and Serena, the new members of the show included: Eddie Munson, who insisted on having an electric guitar solo during one of the segments. Serena's reformed cousin, Isabelle, The School of Rock, Nicky, and one of Maisie's good friends, Jade West.

"I heard the show's gonna have 10 Acts. Which one am I?" Luna asked. "I'm glad you asked that! Because..." Dusk picked up the piece of paper resting on the coffee table. All of the segments were lined out based on how Taylor introduced each of her albums. "I think your voice would be perfect for the Evermore Era," Dusk answered. Luna looked rather curious to know the type of music she would be playing. "It's one of her two gentle song albums. And the best part is, you can choose the songs you want to sing from her album,"

Luna stared at the song titles along with the Evermore Album. "Let me have a listen to this, okay? And I'll get back to you on songs," Luna smiled. "Of course, my Nargle queen," Dusk kissed her cheek before she went into the office to listen. Just then, the front door of her cabin opened. Quigley had just returned from keeping watch and updating maps in the observation tower while Klaus had been helping plant new seeds in the Glorious Garden. In a way, it was therapeutic, it gave him an escape from the constant craving for drugs.

"Hey sweetie," Klaus and Quigley extended their arms out, and the three embraced in a warm hug. "Busy with the tower and garden again?" She inquired, noticing the dirt still on Klaus's hands. "Yeah, we've been busy planting a bunch of Marigolds and we just finished planting another rose bush, so I pricked my fingers a few times," Klaus gestured to the red marks on the tips of his fingers. "Aww, you poor thing," Dusk kissed the tip of her fingers and placed them on top of his.

"And I've been adding the ice and fire regions to the Glorious maps. Let me tell you, adding precise detail to maps is not the easiest thing in the world," Quigley showed her the progress he had made so far, maybe only about thirty to forty percent done. As the cartographer continued explaining, Klaus caught a glimpse of the bright piece of paper containing information about the concert. Curiously, he picked it up and was shocked to see Dusk's name on the paper. "Hang on, Quigs. Dusky, why didn't you tell us you were throwing another concert?" Klaus asked.

"That's what I was going to tell you! We haven't done a concert in such a long time, and since everyone's been so busy, I thought we could throw one that could bring new music to the Isle!" Dusk squealed. "New music? Isn't it about that girl you blast her music to whenever you're alone? Taylor something?" Quigley squinted, trying to remember the name. "Taylor Swift! Yes, that's her! You guys are more than welcome to be a part of the show if you want! Luna's joining in too!" She offered.

Klaus and Quigley were never the easiest to convince when it came to performing live. They usually tended to stay in the background and watch their phoenix's light shine. "Eh, I'm not big on singing, but I will watch you and Luna, though!" Quigley answered. "Well, count me in! I ain't missing out on singing! I haven't done it since Luther's bachelor party way back when," Klaus grinned.

"You sure you don't want to join in, Quigs? It could be a lot of fun!" Dusk double-checked his answer. "I'm okay, hon. I'll be watching you guys from the front rows shouting all the lyrics," Quigley gave a reassuring smile before they embraced in a warm group hug. Until they heard a loud blast of music come from the office. "What was that?" Klaus looked confused. "It's just me, boys!" Luna called out before going back to singing one of the tracks.