"Are we ready?” Gael asked us. "Should we get started with the auditions?”
Nate and I nodded.
"Let's bring in the first one." Gael opened the door and waved a guy through.
The one who walked in first had a pale, washed-out look and wide eyes. He could have been a fan of ours, or maybe he always got nervous when auditioning. Gael asked the guy to introduce himself. He gave a long rambling speech about how he'd never been in a band before, but he'd been playing guitar forever and he was really grateful for the chance to audition for us and he hoped he impressed us. The guy didn't stop for air the entire time.
I didn't mind the rambling so much. It was the squirrelly way he darted his gaze between us that bugged me. If he looked this nervous performing in front of three people, how would he be able to play a live show?
He was a good guitarist but he didn't blow me away. Maybe that was the most I could ask for. I couldn't expect total genius from every session guitarist out there. Not everyone could be as talented as my own band members.
I wasn't being biased. I'd taken a while to gather the right group. Nathan, our guitarist, Seth, our drummer, and Julian, our keyboardist, were some of the best musicians to come onto the scene in a long time. I still sometimes wondered why they had chosen to join my band over all their other options.
Whenever we got together and talked about our future, about our ambitions, I was reminded. The fire in their eyes was the same as mine. We were all kindred spirits. World domination was in our blood.
The guy auditioning finished his song and lowered his guitar pick.
"Thanks," Gael said. "We'll let you know."
The guy bobbed his head and ducked out quickly, seeming relieved the ordeal was over.
Gael turned to face us. His expression was less than enthused. "Thoughts?"
"Not in a million years," Nathan said.
"I don't think he's the right guy," I said.
"That's it, then," Gael said. "One down, five to go."
"We don't really have to sit through five more of these, do we?" I asked.
"Only until we find one who fits," Gael said.
I was beginning to dread the process. I didn't want to have to sit here listening to mediocre musicians all day.
It turned out that that wasn't going to be a problem. Gael opened the door to usher in the second guitarist.
My heart stopped in my chest.
Liam Knight walked through the door.
