As Reed jumps to his feet to shake out his long limbs, I make my body move and grab a couple of energy drinks from our cooler. It’s hard to shake the messages from my mind, but I have to do it.
You can’t let her get to you today.
It’s fucking DeathFest.
Even if there’s something about her possibly being here that has my stomach twisting in knots that aren’t out of fear, but rather… God, is that a weirdhappiness?Why do I want to smile right now?
What is wrong with you?
She’s here.
She’s fucking here.
Mystalkeris here.
I swallow and try to dissociate from it. I should have turned my phone on airplane mode earlier. My heart is pounding in my ears already. It’s been years since the last time I saw her sign in the audience—
Get out of your head.
“How’s the crowd?” I force myself to ask Mads. “We can already feel the vibrations back here. Gotta be a madhouse, yeah?”
Reed jumps to his feet and shakes out his limbs.
“Fucking insane,” Mads replies. “Sun is completely down. Big lights up. Last year we weren’t even close to the sunset. This year…” He sighs heavily and grins. “Dream come true.”
“We manifested that shit, man,” I say, shaking Reed and I’s energy drinks. “Next full moon, we’re going to the ocean and dancing around a fire. Celebrating and accepting all the good shit. Banish the bad.”
Mads scoffs. “Andi will approve,” he says about his wife.
“Probably her fucking idea.” Reed jerks his chin my way. “You ready?”
“Let’s do this,” I reply.
Reed and I link arms and pop the tops of our drinks, spraying bubbles and fizz all over us and the rest of the room as we poorly attempt to chug them. Zeb and Mads jump back, laughing, and just as the cool, bubbling liquid ignites my throat, the door opens again.
Stella, our tour manager, smiles at us from the door. We may not be on an official tour, but there was no way we were going anywhere without her guidance both onstage and off.
“I’ve missed this,” she beams.
“Get in here!” Reed nearly spits his drink out as he throws his hands up, crosses the space to her, and then drags Stella insideto our little jumping circle where her laughter rings through the room.
I’m so fucking glad to be back.
We’re all so excited about it that we barely notice when the door opens again, and it takes James’s loud whistle to gain our attention.
“James!” Reed calls out.
James holds up a finger like he knows Reed is about to jump and hug him. “Hold that thought—I have someone I need you to meet.”
“What, do you think we’re going to scare her?” Reed asks, beaming.
“Youfucking might,” Mads tells him. He nods at James. “Did you warn her about the overly excited puppy?”
James chuckles deeply. “I gave her the leash his wife bedazzled for him,” he replies.
Reed laughs and flips him off. “That’s just supposed to be for her,” he says, and James grins wider.
“Alright, guys. Round up,” James says as he steps aside. “I’d like to introduce you to the lead of your new crew.”
