No Strings Attached

Chapter 4: Pro

Freen sat on one of the chairs at the back of the cafeteria as she practised her finger work, warming up for her turn to audition. She watched the rest as they approached the front one by one. Some of them were pretty good, though most were average at best and she was sure she could beat most of them. The prospect kind of excited her. She needed a bit of a spark to her boring existence and this might just be the opportunity she had been looking for.

When her name was finally called she took her guitar to the front and plugged it into the waiting amp, then pulled a few strings to make sure it was perfectly in tune. She pulled the mike closer and stood comfortably behind it, since the guys auditioning wanted to hear of they could do backup vocals as well. She breathed in and out a few times, readying herself, before she started with the first requested song, which was Disturbed's version of 'Sound of Silence'.

The piano had to be replaced by her picking her strings instead, which she did expertly though she didn't find it difficult at all. She had to raise the register of her voice however, unable to hit the low notes, but the harmony was perfect. Once she hit the second stanza she could slowly start strumming carefully while maintaining the correct tune.

"And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence"

Freen nailed the versatile sound proudly and knew that the guys were impressed. She didn't have the strongest singing voice, but it was more than enough to establish the haunting beauty of the song along with her expert guitar playing. She eventually finished the song to an uproarious applause and nodded her head in a shy reaction.

The next song was 'Wayward Son' by Kansas and it would really show her finger skills for playing fast rock. Luckily the register matched her vocal range, but the guitar work was difficult for even the most seasoned musicians. Notes quickly followed one another and then she basically had to solo the pre-stanza, which was fun as hell as she managed it without even breaking a sweat. In fact, the song had many opportunities for solos and it definitely put her apart from the rest when it came to skill.

She could see Richie and Heng, the guys who introduced themselves as part of the band, were beyond impressed as they grinned like idiots when she finally unplugged her guitar and moved to the back once more. In the end she managed to be one of three finalists that would go through to the final round, the other two both guys. Freen was even wondering whether they needed or wanted a female member perhaps to bolster their appeal, but she had no problem being that female. After spending many boring years stuck in orchestral settings, the idea of playing in a real band again was very enticing.

The band she played with at school was half decent and she enjoyed the freedom of playing true rock and punk songs. It was a sad affair when they all went their separate ways for studies after school and she had always dreamed of playing battles and bandslams again. Hopefully this was her chance.

When the final three were announced she wasn't surprised to find herself amongst them. The final round was to be held at the band's practise space the next day and she was determined to get the last bit of practice in before then. She would score her place, no doubt.

"You know she's the one, right?" Heng casually whispered to Richie once Freen had exited the small stage. Richie only grinned and nodded.