Drowning

Chapter 5:

"Everyone's in the basement." Aiden said, leading me towards the kitchen.

The only door in and out of the basement was through there. As we got closer to the room, I could hear the muffled sounds of guitars and drums floating up through the cracked door. No one was singing, but that was what Aiden did in the band, so I wasn't surprised when no one else wanted to step in to take over.

I'm not sure if you could classify what Aiden did as actual singing. It was more of a mixture of singing, screaming, and rapping. He actually had a haunting singing voice. I had heard him singing songs with softer melodies and was floored by the control he had. He sounded like sugar with a tiny bit of gravel running through it. That was what started my elementary school crush in the first place. He didn't use any of that talent in the band. He just made sounds and grunts to the noise they called music.

As if he could sense me thinking about him, Aiden looked over at me and gave me one of his perfect grins. He pulled the door open and held it for me. His hand moved to the small of my back to shift me as I walked past him. His fingers lingered a little on my hips before I moved out of his reach.

We started to walk down the old concrete steps. You couldn't really see into the basement from the stairs. They were built in a slight spiral pattern. I think this was how these houses were built back in the day to maximize space.  I'm not sure why anyone in their right mind enjoyed feeling this claustrophobic heading down into a dark, creepy basement. I was waiting for an ax murderer to pop out around every turn.

Aiden placed his hands on my shoulders and he squeezed them as we walked down. He stayed close behind me, sensing my nervousness. He admitted to me once when he was drunk that he hated the basement here too. He swore up and down the basement was haunted and he had seen a ghost. I told him he had seen too many scary movies. He suggested that we perform a séance to cleanse the house of all the negative energy. I countered that he should lay off the booze.

The basement was dark and cool, and the sound grew louder as we went down. I could hear the whine of a guitar and the intricate rhythm swirling around me, inviting me down further. Whoever this new guitarist was, he had talent. The music actually sounded pretty good for a change.

We finally reached the bottom landing without getting murdered and I turned to see a crudely constructed "stage". The guys must have built it since I was here last. They probably were drinking late one night and decided every famous band needed a good rehearsal space. I hated to tell them they were not famous. I couldn't slash at their dreams like that. Someone had decided to create a logo for "Pantea's Garden" and drew it on a canvas, which they hung behind them as they played. I bet it was JD's idea. He thought he was going to be famous.

Speaking of my annoying older brother, I looked over and saw JD in the corner, jumping and spinning with his bass. Mark, the drummer, was in the back wailing away on the snare and cymbals. His long hair moved in every direction, all at once. I rounded the last corner and stopped in my tracks.

Standing on the opposite side of the stage was a guy I had never seen here before. He was tall, maybe 6'3' if I had to guess. He had a lean torso that led up to broad shoulders. His dark hair was tangled and messy and hung over his face while he played. I could see the sweat glistening on his skin. The hard muscles of his arms stiffened and relaxed as his hand slid up and down the neck of the guitar. The other hand picked out a sinful riff that drowned out the harsh beats of the bass drum. I couldn't see his face in the dim light, but I felt the urge to move closer to get a good look at him. So, this was the new guy.

Aiden brushed up behind me and pinched my side before heading to the stage. I smacked his hand away and pushed him. He waved down JD and pointed in my direction. JD looked up at me and smiled. He threw up a hand to signal for the band to wrap it up. When the music came to a dramatic halt, JD set his bass down and climbed down the makeshift stairs. He walked over to where I was standing with my arms crossed insecurely over my chest.