Page 96 of Ravaged From Fate

So just stand there and tell me

Tell me that you love me

Even if you find it hard, yeah

I want to hear those words

I need to hear those words

EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER

CASPIAN

Madison Square Garden. The massive arena where we, the members of Ravaged, have only dreamed about. We have always wanted to play on this hallowed ground since we were little boys watching TVs with our idols in this arena, but thus far we never have been given the chance to.

Well, that changes tonight.

This is the biggest night of our career. The night we announce publicly my long-awaited return to the band after nearly a year away from the spotlight, and it’s the night we get to perform at our dream venue. What an opportunity. It’s everything we’ve ever hoped for. Imagine if we got in a time machine and told those acne-ridden teenagers playing in a living room back in Crystal River that something like this would happen to them one day? I think they would have a heart attack.

But all day, despite our excitement at fulfilling childhood dreams, something is wrong in the band.

It all comes back to Drake. Our lead singer is not in the right headspace today. He’s severely in a bad mood as we rehearse all morning for the night’s show. Barely saying a word to us, he’s not commanding on stage. Putting in minimal effort into everything. The rest of the band is over the fucking moon to be at Madison Square Garden, but Drake looks like someone’s stuck a ten-yard pole up his ass.

In a break from rehearsing, Elsa arrives at the arena to see me. She’s watching the show tonight. Her first Ravaged show. Despite not knowing a single word of any of our songs, she’s bought our entire album collection just so she can learn. She listens to us every night before she goes to sleep. It’s sweet, despite how cringey it is to hear myself back.

We now split our time between East Springs and LA. Hey, I’m a rich rockstar, I can afford a house in the small town and a house in the city. Elsa’s still a nurse, helping out her dad who’s become a lot less grouchy with me ever since I took a bullet for his daughter, but now she doesn’t feel like she has to be on twenty-four-seven-every-day-of-the-week. Her dad and her have even started the process of hiring someone, Piper’s nineteen year old cousin who lives a few towns over, to come in and train as a new nurse to take some of the burden off Elsa’s shoulders.

It’s good she’s no longer straining herself all the time. She can take some evenings off now.

And be with me.

I’m at least thankful for that.

We’ve been inseparable ever since I’ve been able to walk again after the incident. Shade, the gang leader, is still on the run. I’m always wary of him and his possible attempts to get his revenge, but I feel safe knowing Elsa’s by my side. We’re a little team, her and me.

I love her with everything I’ve got.

I meet up with her in the green room during a break from rehearsal at Madison Square Garden.

“How’s this morning been?” she asks me, drinking a coffee.

“Drake’s been off.”

“Why?”

“I don’t exactly know.”

“Has something happened to him?” she asks me. “The way you’ve spoken about him recently… it’s like he’s been off since you’ve rejoined the band.”

I stroke my chin. What’s she saying is true. “What could be upsetting him?” I ponder. “I mean, the biggest change has been the fact that all of us now have steady girls…”

“Yeah, all the members of Ravaged, except for Drake.”

Truth be told, that has been something that’s clearly gotten to our lead singer. He’s told me before that this isn’t the rock n roll band he thought he’d joined. What was the word he used for us? Going soft?

As Elsa and I speak, the rest of the band enter the green room. Drake shuffles in and immediately gets himself a beer from the fridge. He falls onto the couch and lazily opens the bottle, taking a long drag of the beer. He’s clearly got an attitude.