What He Wouldn't Give (Unedited Version)

Chapter Fifteen: The Middle

Chapter 15...The Middle

Eli wouldn't find out the name of his partner until it was two weeks until they had to have a video ready, he just hoped it was someone that he could work with and that after that would be able to drop without looking back. Since this round was the third and the fourth since both partner got to pick a song to perform Eli also hoped it was someone with a similar musical taste so it would sound good because to win you had to both of the weeks otherwise you were kicked off if you lose your week. Then after that the contest was basically half way done once the fifth round was completed which would leave only twenty people in going into the sixth round from the original 40. Jeremy and Iz had gone back to college leaving Eli alone once again, but since he got a job at the radio station it seemed like things were looking up for him.

Luke had his surgery and was slowly recovering, his body didn't take to the new organ and things seemed to go downhill. Eli acted like a loving son, but once he could get out of Luke's control he would never speak to that man again. Randomly as Eli was making dinner, ramen, he thought about that mysterious man and wondering why he showed up in Eli's life and if he had any connections.

After dinner Eli walked into the basement and looked at his guitar he had left down there to gather dust. Memories threaten to break free from their prison in the back of Eli's mind as if they were a ghost who was left behind due to unfinished business. Picking up the Maplewood neck and the body of the guitar with his other hand he shook the dust of what he used to once call his baby. Before even striking a power chord he knew the strings would be out of tune and only prayed that no strings would break.

Plugging the Line 6 into the wall he turned it on and grabbed the cable on the wall next to it and plugged in into the amp. Heard that electrical buzz he fingered a minor.

"Damn!" Eli said to no one in particular as he reached for the tuner sitting on the book shelf. Surprised the strings held up as he tuned the guitar knowing he should change them, but currently didn't have any new ones that would work. Daring to tune the guitar into drop c tuning Eli played the first song he ever learned to play.

"It's hiding in the dark; it's teeth are razor sharp. There's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart. No one can hear me scream, maybe it's just a dream. Maybe it's inside of me, stop this monster. I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin. I must confess that I feel like a monster. I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun. I must confess that I feel like a monster."

His skin erupted in goosebumps as he shivered with each word he sung, feeling the music speak to him deeply, yet he wasn't a monster. Skillet had such an influence on Eli during those years he also had a spot for them. From being the first song he learned on guitar to the meaningful lyrics he wished one day to make something like they did that would give someone else the same feeling he felt listening to them.

The demons in his head had settled for the day and he was mentally exhausted. Looking back on everything Eli had gone through he realized something that made him get up every morning and continue with his day no matter how rough it got. Music was always there no matter what, lyrics touched the soul, giving him the strength knowing that one day he could change his life and make it through the storm.

Exhausted after playing all the songs he knew in drop c tuning, since the greatest pain was switching your tunings to play different songs, Eli climbed the staircase and then had to climb the second one from the ground floor to the second floor where his room resided. The black sheets and black comforter reflected the wide range of colors in Eli's color spectrum. He ranged from grey, black, white to a few colors mostly dark blue and red.