DREAMER: A Noah Sebastian Story

Chapter One

You've been standing against this wall for an hour, taking pictures of overstimulated men grouped together with their adoring fans. It's not new to you, but occasionally, you get a tinge of anxiety because you must work so hard to get the right shots. A fucked-up picture could cause a whole mess of disappointment with the fans they get delivered to. As you're shuffling around taking shots of the last few groups of VIPs for this first stop of the tour, you feel a few sweat drops fall below your ears. The words "Ready, 1,2,3" feel automatic and almost mechanical at this point. When the last fan snakes away beyond the backdrop to the venue floor, you hear the touring manager yell to everyone to meet back in the green rooms.

Your career title is "Event Photographer." Your plan while in college was to be a traveling photographer for big news sources. You wanted to see the world and follow human rights groups throughout the world to bump awareness in the US. What you do now isn't exactly what you had in mind for your life; nonetheless, it pays the bills, you get to travel, and your work is appreciated. The whole reason you got here is because of your love of music. You signed up as a volunteer to take pictures at a music festival a few years back. It would have been an awesome opportunity to add to your portfolio. By some crazy chance, someone in the music world noticed your talent and wanted to have you on their team.

And would you look at that? Now you've been on tour with a nationally known band called "Revivify" for 3 rotations. Today marks the first date for the fourth rotation. You know the entire production team and band like they're your own blood at this point, and it makes work seem like leisure. The lead singer, Myles, is your best friend. He's truly like a brother to you. His wife, Damie, is like a sister. When the three of you get together, there's always so much laughter and light in the room.

Your documented government name is (y/n), but a lot of people call you Cassie. One of the more famous photos you took at the festival that year was of Foo Fighters, but the angle was just right for you to get the Cassiopeia constellation in the frame incredibly clearly. It was a huge hit and a favorite among Revivify. They gave you that nickname, and you have started using it so regularly that you introduce yourself as such.

You let out a puff of air after taking the first deep breath in an hour. You turn to the artsy mirror behind you and notice you still look pretty good even though you're sweating and the stimulation in the room has exhausted you. You notice Myles walking up to you, so you look at him and smile. He puts a hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, I know the first night sucks for all of us, but you did awesome. I bet all those pictures are phenomenal. You couldn't fuck them up if you tried." He states, followed by a hum.

"You're just partial... but thank you. I tried really hard, Myles." You respond.

He pats you one last time on the shoulder before turning around and heading to the green room with his security guy, Blaze, who waves you on to start take-down of the VIP setup. You nod and begin messing with the backdrop. All you can think about is how grateful you are for these people and this career.

"Wait, Cassie!" You hear the band manager, Alice, in urgency coming from the floor of the venue. You peer around the backdrop with a concerned smile on your face. She's the mom of this group and always makes sure everyone is comfortable and happy.
"What is it, Alice? Everything okay?" you ask as she approaches. When she gets to you, she is somewhat out of breath from running her way to you.
"No, ma'am. You'll need to set up Bad Omens' VIP experience photos. Their photographer is running late." Her face is covered in worry. You feel confused as you were not told Bad Omens was part of the tour.

"Wait, what? I thought you said we were on tour with Motionless." You start, there is clear anxiety in your voice. "I'm like, an actual fan of Bad Omens, I can't meet them at all while I'm working. I will definitely pass out and scare them. Professionalism will be out the fucking window."