Shadows Of Eden

Waves

Vespertine- Holy Fawn

Eve pressed the brake and shut her car off. She'd just parked her car in the lot next to the woods and was waiting on Desmond. Her stomach was a flurry.

She'd seen Sleep Token live, yes, but she hadn't ever listened to them before that moment. Over the past month or so she'd been listening to them daily, it was almost impossible to stop. Every time she thought she had a new favorite song, she found yet another favorite that she'd put on repeat for the next few days.

Up until this point, their newest release was This Place will Become Your Tomb. They'd played a few songs off of this, Sundowning, and the Two EP at the show they played at Rick's. Eve didn't know any of those songs at the time, but she almost wished she could go back and relive the experience knowing the music now.

Eve had been studying the lyrics, and she had to admit that Desmond was an amazing lyricist. The fact that he was currently working on new material intrigued her, she wondered what he'd take inspiration from. Especially in this god awful, small Midwest town. Maybe it was just because she grew up here, but it didn't really strike her as inspiring.

All through the night she'd been on social media, looking at photos and videos of the group performing on stage. They'd toured in Europe, Australia, and the US so far. The fanbase wasn't huge, but still large and extremely loyal. These fans seemed just short of cult-like. "Worship" comments flooded each post, and there were many posts of fans showing off handmade DIY merch. They of course tagged the band so it showed up in the tagged photos on Instagram.

It hadn't really struck Eve until now just how BIG this band was. In a silly way it made her feel special, she felt honored to be in the "know" who and to know who they were under the masks. Much less know their darkest secret and be intimate with one of them. It didn't really seem real. It was hard to connect their onstage personas to the lovely group she'd become so close to.

Eve had always been a fan of metal music and was quite the fangirl as a teen. Her bedroom walls were always filled with posters of men in heavy black makeup and tight, ripped clothing. Spikes, leather, and black lipstick were key points of any outfit she'd created, and she felt a soul connection to the music. The amount of times her and Freya got all dressed up and went to concerts, hoping to get a member's attention was comical. They'd just been silly young girls. There were many nights she lay in bed looking at the figures on her wall, jealous of these rockstars' girlfriends and wondering if she'd ever be lucky enough to snag someone who lived that lifestyle.

She laughed to herself.

How ironic. Her and Aron were very, very close. He qualified to check off the "rockstar" box, but not so much the "famous" box. As a teenager, she wouldn't have been able to understand why a rockstar wouldn't want to have his identity known. Now that she was older and had experienced the likes of creepy men, she completely understood. Even the term "rockstar" was weird. She viewed these men as musicians. She giggled knowing that teenaged Eve would be shitting herself if she knew the life she was currently living right now. And teenaged Freya.

A vibration in her pocket brought her back to the present moment. Just an odd alarm she forgot to cancel. A tall figure walked out onto the main entrance path. A large wooden sign with the park name displayed a map ridden with trails, symbols and a map key. Eve paid no attention to it. She hadn't been on these trails in years, but she wasn't worried about getting lost. Her footsteps took her to Desmond, who greeted her politely.

Today he wore a dark brown jacket over dark jeans again. Opposite of Vessel, Desmond didn't wear much jewelry. He didn't have any piercings or tattoos. Not that she could see, anyway. It struck Eve as odd, because the band's image and stage personas were so dark and alternative, but he looked as if he could be just any guy on the street. The thought pulled her in a bit. Knowing that Vessel lived inside this seemingly plain man was a thought that made Eve blush lightly. She almost wanted to find him.