Radiation Canary Bonus Track: "Scene of the Crime," Alia Barringer/Lana Kent (original)
A moment of silence in honor of my brilliant feat... In the middle of the month, I fell ill. Not super-sick, but a kind of logy, weary, not-goodness that prevented me from writing or reading. I didn't write one word for days, and I didn't even pick up my Kindle. The first day of my sickness, I had a terrible waking nightmare that I'd lost my mind and that I'd never write another word, read another word, or understand the plot of another TV show. I blame the medication. I had lost my voice and most of my coherence.
Then I got better, and I looked at the state of my writing and knew - I KNEW - I was facing the barrel of my worst writing month of 2013. I had an excuse, but I didn't want to take it. I had an okay chunk of the month left and I was going to try and make the most of it. One day I wrote seven-thousand words. The next day? Nine-thousand. I got into this weird zone where I would just start pounding the keyboard and words poured out of me. I finished Riley Parra Season Five. I picked up another story idea someone had given me and tore through 27,000 words of that in no time flat. And today, with one day left in the month, I have hit my goal. I've written 101,000 words this month, making it my best writing month of the year.
~arms of yay~
I won't try to write seven-thousand words a day for the rest of the year, but it's nice to know that I can manage it when the need arises. :D Now! On with the story!
This is set sideways to The Rise and Fall of Radiation Canary like most of the Bonus Tracks are. I tried not to explicitly spoil anything, but there are a few major developments that get hinted at. Hopefully they will just whet your appetite for the book if you haven't gotten it yet (and why not? It's very reasonable priced and it's getting phenomenal reviews that make my heart happy). Enjoy!
Summary: Post-breakup, Alia Barringer tries her best to navigate life, love, and the sudden success of her ex-girlfriend's band. (6,037 words)
Bonus Track: Scene of the Crime
by Geonn Cannon
http://www.geonncannon.com
Copyright © 2013 Geonn Cannon
Bands came and bands went and, in their wake, Alia Barringer noticed a disturbing trend in what they played. Thursday through Sunday night they came into Diametric, the club where Alia tended bar, before it opened so they could set up their instruments, they got themselves pumped up for the show, and then they unleashed a genre called More of the Same. It could sound like country or rock, it could be pop or even spoken word. In the end it all amounted to the same songs that had been played by dozens of bands in the past. They weren't all bad, but none of them had anything to distinguish themselves.
Once though, she'd been surprised. She saw the band's name written on the chalkboard outside - Radiation Canary - and her interest was piqued. She was even more intrigued when the four girls took the stage. Lead guitar, check. Drums, of course. Keyboard. And a cello. The cello was what made her sit up and take notice, even after the girl went back and got a violin case out of the van.
Alia remembered that she'd been a terrible bartender that night. She forgot orders, she gave people the wrong drinks, but she didn't care about tips. She was transfixed by the lead singer, a goddess in a sleeveless T-shirt that showed off her toned upper arms. She was fit and lean, and the way she danced with her guitar during the instrumentals proved she had moves. By the end of their set, she decided that she was going to give into one of the benefits of being bartender in a club that had live music.
She waited until she saw the white van pull out of the lot, then used taking out the trash as an excuse to go out through the back. The lead singer was there, still sweaty, and awkwardly went through the motions of flirting before Alia took control. They had sex in the lead singer's car, then took a break long enough to get to her apartment. The singer's name was Lana Kent, and by their third round Alia had decided she wanted it to be more than just a one-night stand.
They dated for a while and, as she suspected, the band quickly started to take off. Alia made an effort to keep her wits about her. She was dating Lana, not hitching her wagon to a rising star. If, at any point, she realized she was only staying with Lana because she was famous, she would end things immediately. They fought, they got on each other's nerves, and they made up. They had only been together for a few months when Lana woke her up, still in her underwear and a tank top but with her guitar hanging around her neck.
"I wanted to play you something."
"Does it have to be right now?"
Lana nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. The angle of her leg and the placement of her guitar obscured her underwear, making it look as if she was completely bottomless. Alia pushed herself up and pushed her hair out of her face, preparing herself to listen appreciatively and then beg for another half hour of sleep. Lana, makeup scrubbed from her face and unwashed hair hanging down over her right eye, began to play.
The song started out with a driving rhythm, and Alia closed her eyes as she imagined Lana playing it onstage. Sweat plastering her hair to her forehead like feathers, eyes bright and wild as she stepped up to the microphone. Still, the underwear and just-woke-up look also worked for her. "Codie's drums will make this a bit stronger..."
Alia nodded. After a moment, Lana began to sing.
"You better watch yourself, you better take care
She's got eyes like chocolate and a sea of dark hair
You'll drown in them both if you don't watch out
She'll teach you new ways to love and new ways to hate
She says she'll see you Sunday, you just can't wait
'Cause her love is like a spring rain after a season of drought."
She changed the beat as she moved into the chorus, lifting her voice into a more plaintive cry. Alia could almost hear Karen singing the harmony, the way her strings would wind around the melody Lana was playing while Codie kept them in time.
"You're her willing accomplice, you go along every time
Then she leaves you standing helpless at the scene of the crime.
If I didn't have her, I'd still have my hand.
Not as much fun, but at least I'd know where I stand.
But her heart's pounding in her breast,
And as I slide my hands under her dress,
I know I'd sin again in exchange for her caress.
Her curves take you by surprise, like a dangerous road
She'll make your heart beat faster, you just gotta grab hold.
Her lips shine like peppers but they burn hotter
She's slippery when wet, she's Aphrodite's daughter
You're her willing accomplice, you go along every time
Then she leaves you standing helpless at the scene of the crime.
Baby, take me down and turn me in
I'll take the fall if you'll take me back again
Make me pay, make me thrill, I'll do the time
You can find me here at the scene of the crime."
She stopped playing and looked up as if rising out of a trance. Alia smiled and applauded softly. "That was amazing. Sexy. I can't wait to see what you look like playing it onstage."
Lana smiled and then looked down at her guitar. "I wrote it about you."
Alia's eyes widened. "You did?"
"Well, Codie and Karen provided the lion's share of the lyrics, but I helped mash them together into a song. But yeah, you were the inspiration."
Alia pushed her hair back behind her ears. "No one's ever written a song about me before. What's it called?"
"'Scene of the Crime.' Uh. We took a bit of artistic license... I don't think you're some user who is going to drive me crazy and then leave me behind." She smiled shyly. "Karen made the song about a wild child who it would be dangerous to be involved with, and we used you as inspiration because... well. You're hot enough to make women ignore common sense."
Alia chuckled and dipped her chin. "Well, thank you. I think. Are you saying you ignored common sense to be with me?"
"No." She put aside her guitar and leaned in to kiss Alia. "Being with you is very, very logical indeed."
"Oh, yeah? Show me how you'll grab hold of these slippery curves."
Lana leaned her guitar against the nightstand before she scrambled under the covers.
#
Harsh words came later. Lana picking up her guitar case and storming out of the apartment mid-argument came later. She walked out in the middle of a fight, apparently killed some time in a bar, and then headed off on tour with the rest of Radiation Canary. By that point they were officially done, everything finished except for the separation of belongings, but Alia tried to take care of that while Lana was gone. Then Lana texted her a series of pictures from Vegas, and Alia became vindictive. She broke a few things (nothing that couldn't be easily replaced; she was angry, not a bitch) and took the blanket she'd brought into the relationship even though Lana loved it. She was gone by the time the tour ended.
She did things after the breakup was official that she wasn't proud of. Soon her anger and hurt faded until she felt like a productive member of society again. She eventually apologized to Lana, brought briefly back together after a near-tragedy, and they made peace with each other. A few weeks later she was even able to hear a Radiation Canary song on the radio without cringing and jumping for the pre-set buttons.
Now, though, she had a whole new set of problems. She and Lana had parted on good terms, but they hadn't reconciled. Neither of them really wanted to. They were on two different paths. The awkwardness came with the fact that Lana was now a bona fide celebrity. She was being interviewed everywhere. As beautiful as she was, her sexuality was at the forefront. It was hard to open a magazine or read any music news without being confronted by Lana Kent or her band mate (the girl with the cello) Karen Everett.
Alia didn't know the rules about masturbating to your ex-girlfriend, but she shamefully succumbed to temptation more than once. She blamed the candid shots of Lana in Curve after she came out of the closet. It would have taken superhuman strength to resist those shots, and Alia had never claimed to be anything but a weak-willed mortal.
Five months after they said their apologies and moved on with their lives, Alia decided she'd been single long enough. She met a woman named Grace in the bar and invited her out for drinks from a "proper club." They went dancing, had dinner, and made out in Grace's car before she invited Alia up to her apartment. She was told to make herself comfortable while Grace went to change out of her club clothes.
Alia sat on the couch and bent forward to unzip her boots. She had just pulled off the first one when music began to play from the stereo across the room. A familiar guitar riff, followed by the hum of a violin. A steady beat from the drum and then that voice: "You better watch yourself, you better take care... She's got eyes like chocolate and a sea of dark hair..." Alia straightened and looked at the stereo, then turned toward movement from the hall.
Grace had changed into a red robe. Alia's mouth went dry. "Hey... want to hear something funny?"
"Sure."
She gestured at the stereo. "She wrote that song about me."
Grace lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, really." She sounded skeptical, but she stepped around the coffee table and put her hand on Alia's shoulder to push her back. "Are you dangerous?"
"Uh. No, I mean... but I used to date Lana Kent."
Grace froze mid-straddle, half on and half off of Alia's lap. "Are you serious?"
Alia chuckled nervously. She already wished she hadn't said anything. "Well. Yeah. For a while. Right when they were starting to take off."
"Did you sleep with her?"
"Well--"
Grace suddenly kissed her, twisting to push her down onto the couch cushions. Alia was torn between doing the fun thing for the wrong reasons or doing the right thing and going home to her vibrator. She'd already made peace with the face she was weak-willed, so she grabbed the belt of Grace's robe and pulled it free. When she pushed her hands underneath, Grace dropped her head to Alia's breasts and kissed them with desperate growls. She laughed and lifted her head to look at Alia, then shook her head and laughed with giddy breathlessness.
"I can't believe I'm about to fuck someone who fucked Lana Kent. This is so awesome."
Alia pressed her shoulders against the arm of the chair and focused on the ceiling as Grace undid her belt and pulled her jeans down.
"Yeah," she grunted, closing her eyes. "Awesome..."
Afterward Grace made her promise to call, but Alia deleted the number from her phone before she made it to the street. She had kept her eyes closed for the majority of their lovemaking, and she'd taken the time to grab the remote control and put 'Scene of the Crime' on repeat when the CD moved on to the next track. She said the right name at the right time, but Alia knew that she'd only been a prop. Grace had been fucking the person that had once been in her place, both taking Lana's place and taking a vicarious thrill from experiencing something similar to her favorite singer.
A few weeks later a band playing Diametric did a cover of Radiation Canary's 'All Clear.' They tortured it, of course, and came nowhere near the power of the original. The crowd seemed to like it, though, proving to Alia that they either had no taste or that she'd over-served them.
Alia went out with a girl named Nancy, a girl who seemed to take fashion tips from Pink with her spiked blonde hair and nose ring. When they got into her car, something loud, industrial, and German began to pour out of the speakers like a physical assault. She winced, and Nancy showed mercy by turning it down without being asked. Alia smiled her gratitude as they got onto the main road and headed for the restaurant.
"Have you ever heard of Radiation Canary?"
"Ugh. Can't stand that chipper girlie shit."
Alia relaxed and smoothed her hands over her thighs. This she could work with. The handcuffs attached to a hook in Nancy's bedroom ceiling, and the variety of instruments spread out next to the bed on a tray that looked like something out of a dentist's office was a bit too much. She did have an orgasm that night, but she wasn't sure she would have counted herself as a willing participant in everything that went down. Things got... odd... quickly. Around midnight, with a leather blindfold covering her eyes and a ball gag in her mouth, swaying with only her toes touching the floor, she decided her best course of action would be to do what was asked of her so things would be over with as quickly as possible.
The next morning as she iced certain parts of her anatomy, she decided she had to find a better balance between Canary groupies and scary fans of scary music.
She tried immersion therapy and bought both of the Radiation Canary CDs she'd skipped after their breakup. She was surprised by how much she liked The Intervention. It took her a few listens before she realized that each song was telling part of the same story, and she had to start it over and listen from start to finish so she could follow along with the narrative. The last song on the album was called 'Thank Me Later,' and she understood why Canary fans were suddenly so hard to avoid. They were taking over the music world and getting some well-deserved recognition.
When she swapped Intervention for the album that had preceded it, The Middle Distance, she recognized a few lyrics and melodies from snippets the band had been working on when she and Lana broke up. It was odd to hear them transformed into fully produced songs. She opened the liner notes and flipped through it, ignoring the blocks of typed lyrics and focusing on the pictures.
She found one picture of Lana standing on stage, her left hand resting on the microphone stand while she leaned back to look toward Karen. She had a big smile on her face, like a kid caught in the middle of playtime. Alia knew she didn't want Lana back, but she was very happy to see her doing well.
Alia got up during the instrumental on the album and retrieved Rome Burning from her bedroom. The liner notes of that one had been autographed by the band members, just like her copy of their debut album. She put aside the case and opened the notes, thumbing through until she found the printed lyrics to 'Scene of the Crime.' They shared a page with a picture of Lana in a tank top, sweating from a long set, swinging her head around so that her dark hair completely obscured her face. The last half of the lyrics covered Lana's breast, a placement Alia was sure had been intentional.
At the bottom under the last "(repeat chorus)", in a smaller and lighter-colored font, was the dedication: "for A.B., who is worth the headaches."
She smiled when she first read it, and she smiled again now. She cleared off the sofa and let the CD finish before she replayed it. She knew that she needed to get past her initial exposure to the band, forget how she'd been present and off to one side when they were finding their niche, but in a way that had deprived her from discovering them like the rest of the world had. She needed to forget how well she knew Karen and Codie and Nessa, and she needed to push the thought of Lana, her lover, out of her mind to replace it with Lana, the celebrity.
She could already tell it would be worth the effort.
#
Alia started to seek out Radiation Canary in the world, an odd sensation given how long she had gone out of her way to avoid them. She found an article comparing the band to Brandi Carlile, a comparison that Lana and Karen both found completely inaccurate and wholly humbling. She found a set of photos with Lana dressed in clothes at least four sizes too big for her, sitting against the wall with her giant clodhopper shoes framing the camera as she pulled the brim of a hat down over her face.
She also found candid paparazzi shots of Lana walking hand-in-hand with her various love interests. She was currently with an extremely leggy blonde, a vaguely-familiar Amazon who stood a few inches taller than Lana in most of the shots Alia found, depending on whether or not one of them was wearing heels.
YouTube had plenty of concert videos. She found one of them performing Diving for Pearls at some Seattle dive bar. Lana was wearing a yellow tartan skirt that stopped just above the knee matched with brown suede boots that ended just below the knee. Her gray shirt was sleeveless, of course, and she curled her tongue against her top lip for the guitar riff that carried through the middle of the song while Karen sawed at her violin with furrowed-brow concentration.
Near the end of Lana's solo, something briefly obscured the camera and landed on one of the speakers before dropping to the stage. Lana approached the object, hooked it with the toe of her boot, and twisted to lift it high enough for her to grab. It was a red-and-black knit scarf, a double-helix of open weave.
"This is amazing!" She looked into the audience where the scarf seemed to originate. "Who was this for? Which of us did you want to have it?"
A strong-voiced group of girls howled, "Codie!"
Codie lifted both arms into the air in victory, and Lana trotted to the back of the stage. She mounted the platform and wrapped the scarf around the drummer's neck. Codie tossed the long end over her shoulder and stood up slightly, blowing a kiss to her fans as she sat down and continued the drum beat.
When Lana got back to the microphone, she said, "Next time I better get some mittens, that's all I can say."
The crowd cheered, and Lana gave that impish smile that had graced so many magazine covers and internet stories. She turned to look at Karen as the clip ended, and Alia went searching for the next song from that concert. Sometimes if she was clever enough and searched long enough, she could recreate an entire concert experience on YouTube. It was a bit jarring to seemingly bounce around the venue between songs, sometimes being front-row center and then immediately being in the nosebleed section, but it was worth the effort. She scanned the thumbnails for Lana in the tartan skirt, clicking on each one she found and watching it to the end. Lana went from glowing with sweat to fresh-faced and energetic in the blink of an eye.
"Can we bring the lights down?" she said at the beginning of the video for Say a Prayer (If You've Got One). "We need some quiet, please..."
The lights went down until only Lana's spotlight was at full-strength, while the other Canaries were illuminated by small blue lamps so they could see what they were playing. Lana closed her eyes and rocked her shoulders slightly to Lana and Nessa's intro, the strings and keys blending seamlessly into a haunting melody.
"I need your help tonight," Lana whispered. "Alone, I can't win this fight. I tried to call, but I couldn't find the right words. I'm going to fall, and I'm so sick of being tired."
Alia watched transfixed, forgetting she was in her apartment staring at a laptop. Whoever was filming did an excellent job keeping the camera steady. She felt transported, as if she was standing directly in front of the stage with her head tilted back to watch as Lana worked her way through the song. She kept her eyes open, skimming them across the audience and occasionally pausing here or there with a smile playing on her lips. During the chorus, she looked directly into the camera and Alia leaned back, startled, and Lana gave a wink before she moved on to the next verse. The song ended to thunderous applause, and Alia brushed the moisture from her cheeks without worrying about where it had come from.
From the beginning of their career, Radiation Canary had kept a strict schedule of releasing an album every year. Sometimes it was fourteen months between releases, and once it was only nine months, but pretty much every calendar year. Alia felt like her new appreciation of their music had jinxed the band when 2010 ended without a new release. She knew they were going through some hard times, what with Lana's situation and the band's sudden disappearance from the public stage, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible.
Finally, in 2011, a new album was announced. The Amnesia Between Sleeping and Waking, with preliminary artwork of two women - Alia was ninety-five percent sure it was Karen Everett and rock legend Dash Warren - on the deck of a boat, backs to the camera as they looked out over the water. Oh, the rumors swirling about Radiation Canary and Dash Warren... the trip to Greece had happened two years ago, but internet gossips were still hinting about all sorts of shenanigans happening backstage. She'd even found fan fiction that postulated what may have happened in graphic detail.
Alia had read some of it and had to admit, given what she knew of Lana, it was plausible that at least some of it was accurate.
They released a song from the album as a tease, a piano-heavy ballad called "No Limits but the Sky." Alia downloaded a copy from their website and found herself humming it the next day at work. Meghan, her boss and owner of Diametric, happened to be walking by and stopped in her tracks, humming along for a moment before she smiled and pointed at her as if she'd been caught.
"Radiation Canary, right? The new one?"
"Yeah. I downloaded it last night."
"New album is going to be worth the wait," Meghan said.
Alia nodded. "Sounds like it. Hard to believe they started out here."
Meghan stared for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"They played here one night, back before they hit it big."
"No... you must be thinking of someone else."
Alia thought about letting it drop, but she shook her head. "No, I... uh, I kind of hooked up with Lana Kent afterward. We dated for a while."
"Get out of here!"
Alia suddenly realized that she was proud of the fact she'd inspired one of the band's most-loved songs, and she shrugged nonchalantly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I... kind of inspired one of their songs, too."
"No way. Which one?" She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Diving for Pearls?"
Alia laughed. "No! I mean, I don't think so. Scene of the Crime."
Meghan's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Hair and lips and eyes... wow. Wow. That is you! Oh, wow. I can't believe all this time I've had Aphrodite's daughter right here in my bar and I didn't know. You've been holding out on me."
"I just... I don't know. It didn't seem relevant at the time."
Meghan gave up whatever she had been on her way to do and sat across the bar from her. "So you were there right at the start? The first album, all of that?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I was there when they got the contract and started to take off."
"So what happened?"
"Lana and I tried to keep things... you know... regular relationship, not in-public relationship. And, I don't know, we just weren't a good fit. We were both too stubborn, for one thing. Eventually we just kind of imploded. We both did things we regretted, things there was no coming back from, and that was it. But we did make amends. We apologized, we paid penance, we moved on."
"Well, cool. Wow. I can't believe I was one-degree of separation away from Radiation Canary all this-- you dated her while you were working here! Shit! I could have gotten all kinds of endorsements out of that. You owe me, Barringer."
Alia chuckled. "I'll try to make it up to you, boss."
"You'd better." She climbed off the stool and started to walk away, but she turned and said, "But if I find out you ever slept with Sheryl Crow, we're going to have words."
Alia crossed her heart by drawing an X over her breast, still chuckling as she moved to intercept a new customer.
When Radiation Canary announced a tour to promote the new album, including the requisite stops in Seattle, Meghan showed up for work with an envelope that she presented proudly to Alia. "I wanted you to see these before I put them in the safe."
"What are they?"
"Radiation Canary tickets for the Seattle stop of their Top of the World Tour. We're going to have a contest tonight to give them away. Sadly, employees of Diametric are not qualified to win. I wanted you to run the contest since you have a connection. You don't have to tell people that you inspired the song, but I thought it might be fun for you. Unless there are bad feelings, in which case--"
"No bad feelings. I'd be happy to do it."
"Excellent." She took the tickets out and showed them to her. "Tickets are, um, fairly good. Not front row, but I always hate being right up there in front of the speakers. Still pretty good seats." She handed them over and smiled. "We're going to be handing out tickets at the door. Then at nine-thirty you just have to go on stage and draw the winner. Easy as pie."
Alia handed the tickets back, and Meghan put them into the envelope. "This is going to be fun."
Meghan nodded excitedly. "Can't wait! Thanks for letting me know we had the connection."
"Sure thing. And you know that Lady Gaga performed here all the time before she started wearing the costumes." Meghan's eyes slowly widened and Alia took pity. "I'm pulling your leg."
"I oughta smack you for that. Geez." She shook her head with a weary sigh and retreated into her office. Alia chuckled and finished preparing the bar for that night's rush.
The crowd began showing up a little after five, quitting time for the nearby businesses, and she saw people calling their friends to let them know about the concert giveaway. By seven o'clock the place was crowded with fans eager for a chance to win. Meghan came out of her office to look at the people and moved behind the bar with a worried glance at Alia.
"We're under the max capacity," Alia assured her.
"Yeah, but I just wish I'd gotten more than two tickets."
"We could split them up."
Meghan shook her head. "We advertised two tickets to one winner. Besides, they're together. Can you imagine being forced to sit next to some stranger for an entire concert?"
"Maybe it could be a love connection."
Meghan shook her head. "I'll check online, see if I can get a few more tickets." She knocked on the bar for good luck and went back into the office. Alia apologized to the customers crowding around the bar and took the next round of drink orders.
By nine o'clock, Meghan had gotten six more tickets. She took over at the bar while Alia carried a Tupperware box of ticket stubs through the crowd, weaving and dancing around people dancing the music coming through speakers in the ceiling. As she placed one boot on the stage, the music switched off suddenly and changed to the opening chords to Scene of the Crime. Alia glared across the crowd at Meghan, who shrugged apologetically as if it had been a completely random occurance.
Alia walked to the microphone and leaned to one side so that her whistle wouldn't be transmitted through the sound system. The crowd quieted, and Meghan turned down the song so that Alia could be heard. She paused before she spoke, eyeing all the strange faces peering up at her. This is what Lana experienced at every concert? No... she got it worse. Epic crowds full of people waiting to hear what she had to say. Alia was very aware of her short skirt and tight Diametric T-shirt, tugging the hem of her skirt lower so it covered more of the fleur-de-lis design on her pantyhose.
"You guys know who that is, huh? The reason you're all here tonight, Radiation Canary is going on tour, and we wanted to give two lucky people a chance to go see them live. But then you guys showed up in force and, well..." She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "We just had to buy some more tickets. So now there are going to be four sets of two tickets given away tonight. That's right, four people and their lovely companion are going to get to see Radiation Canary live, courtesy of your lovely friends here at Diametric."
The crowd applauded and Alia, starting to enjoy the attention, curtsied.
"Now a lot of you may not know this, but Radiation Canary once played here. Right here on this stage." She thumped the heel of her boot against it. "I heard them with my own ears, and I knew they were going places. So now it's come full circle, I guess. Okay, have your tickets ready! When I call your number, come on up to the stage and line up to the left." She dug through the box of tickets, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she closed one eye and plucked out a ticket at random.
"And the first pair of tickets goes to the lovely, beautiful person holding the other half of ticket T-6100. Sounds like a Terminator." Someone cheered, and Alia pumped her fist in shared enthusiasm. "We have a winner! All right, come on up, sweetie." The girl made her way through the crowd as Alia dug for the next winner.
By the end of the drawing, Alia felt utterly in control of the crowd. She felt a little sorry that the last ticket had been given away and she had to give up the spotlight. But she held out a hand to indicate the winners, two of whom had come onto stage with the person they would presumably take to the concert, and smiled like Vanna White.
"The winners, ladies and gentlemen! Try not to ostracize them too much. And to the winners, enjoy the show!"
The crowd applauded, and Alia hopped off the stage. Meghan applauded her quietly as she resumed her place behind the bar.
"You're a natural. I guess Lana taught you a few tricks."
"One or two," Alia admitted. "Just don't ask me to sing."
She got back into the groove of serving drinks, relaxing into her familiar role. It was nearly ten o'clock when she noticed a cute brunette hanging out near the far side of the bar. She made her way over and smiled. "Hi! Can I get you something?" The words had just left her lips when she recognized the girl. "Oh, hey. You were one of the ticket winners. Congratulations."
"Thanks. But I felt bad about winning two. My girlfriend just broke up with me, so I'm going to be flying solo. I thought, if you wanted to give the other one away, I'd be totally fine with that."
"Ah, that sucks!" She glanced around the crowd, well aware that most people had already thrown away their ticket stubs when the drawing ended. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and tried to think of a solution. "I don't know if there are enough people with tickets to make another drawing work out."
"Would..." Alia raised her eyebrows for her to continue, but the girl shook her head and smiled. "Nah, never mind."
"What? I'll take any suggestions."
"Would you want to go with me? I mean, not a date or anything. But if the ticket would just be going to waste otherwise, and I'd rather have someone who looks like you sitting beside me than some random person off the internet."
Alia rested her elbows on the bar, well aware of how it made her T-shirt tight across her breasts. "Someone who looks like me? And how exactly do I look?"
The girl blushed deep red, freckles becoming highlighted across the bridge of her nose. "You know. Hot. Sexy. Someone I couldn't get without the enticement of a free Radiation Canary concert ticket."
Alia didn't know if that was against the rules of the contest or not, didn't know if Meghan would tell her it wasn't allowed, but at the moment she didn't care. "Yeah. I was kind of annoyed I couldn't win. I've really gotten into the band lately. So yeah. What's your name?"
"Monica."
"I'd love to go to the concert with you, Monica. And for the record? If you'd asked me out for dinner, I'd still have said yes. The ticket is just a bonus."
Monica's smile widened. "Really?"
Alia winked. "Take it as a hint for something to do after the concert."
Monica laughed. "I'll take it to heart."
Alia wrote her number down on a coaster, and Monica dialed it immediately to send her information to Alia's phone. She laughed under her breath as she did it, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was doing, then tucked the phone into her pocket. She held up the ticket and said, "See you next week."
"Can't wait."
On her next break, Alia went to the office and knocked before sticking her head in. "I know you said employees couldn't win the tickets, but what if one of the winners asks me out?"
"Which one?"
"Brunette, freckles, wearing the black jeans with the chain..."
Meghan shook her head. "Fucking bartender gets all the--" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Far be it for me to ruin your fun. Go, go. Enjoy the spoils. But are you sure you'll be okay? It won't be weird taking a date to see your ex-girlfriend?"
Alia smiled and knew the truth before she said it out loud. "No. It'll be absolutely fine."
She shut the office door and headed down the hall to the bathroom. She took out her phone and programmed the new number so she wouldn't be confused when it popped up later. She labeled it as "Monica - RC date" and smiled as she returned the phone to her pocket. A year ago, she never would have considered going to a Radiation Canary concert, let alone going with a date. Now her only concern was what to wear, and just how far she should plan for the post-concert date to last.
She chuckled at the irony. She had spent a very long time trying to get over Lana and, in the end, she owed the resuscitation of her love-life to Radiation Canary.
Then I got better, and I looked at the state of my writing and knew - I KNEW - I was facing the barrel of my worst writing month of 2013. I had an excuse, but I didn't want to take it. I had an okay chunk of the month left and I was going to try and make the most of it. One day I wrote seven-thousand words. The next day? Nine-thousand. I got into this weird zone where I would just start pounding the keyboard and words poured out of me. I finished Riley Parra Season Five. I picked up another story idea someone had given me and tore through 27,000 words of that in no time flat. And today, with one day left in the month, I have hit my goal. I've written 101,000 words this month, making it my best writing month of the year.
~arms of yay~
I won't try to write seven-thousand words a day for the rest of the year, but it's nice to know that I can manage it when the need arises. :D Now! On with the story!
This is set sideways to The Rise and Fall of Radiation Canary like most of the Bonus Tracks are. I tried not to explicitly spoil anything, but there are a few major developments that get hinted at. Hopefully they will just whet your appetite for the book if you haven't gotten it yet (and why not? It's very reasonable priced and it's getting phenomenal reviews that make my heart happy). Enjoy!
Summary: Post-breakup, Alia Barringer tries her best to navigate life, love, and the sudden success of her ex-girlfriend's band. (6,037 words)
Bonus Track: Scene of the Crime
by Geonn Cannon
http://www.geonncannon.com
Copyright © 2013 Geonn Cannon
Bands came and bands went and, in their wake, Alia Barringer noticed a disturbing trend in what they played. Thursday through Sunday night they came into Diametric, the club where Alia tended bar, before it opened so they could set up their instruments, they got themselves pumped up for the show, and then they unleashed a genre called More of the Same. It could sound like country or rock, it could be pop or even spoken word. In the end it all amounted to the same songs that had been played by dozens of bands in the past. They weren't all bad, but none of them had anything to distinguish themselves.
Once though, she'd been surprised. She saw the band's name written on the chalkboard outside - Radiation Canary - and her interest was piqued. She was even more intrigued when the four girls took the stage. Lead guitar, check. Drums, of course. Keyboard. And a cello. The cello was what made her sit up and take notice, even after the girl went back and got a violin case out of the van.
Alia remembered that she'd been a terrible bartender that night. She forgot orders, she gave people the wrong drinks, but she didn't care about tips. She was transfixed by the lead singer, a goddess in a sleeveless T-shirt that showed off her toned upper arms. She was fit and lean, and the way she danced with her guitar during the instrumentals proved she had moves. By the end of their set, she decided that she was going to give into one of the benefits of being bartender in a club that had live music.
She waited until she saw the white van pull out of the lot, then used taking out the trash as an excuse to go out through the back. The lead singer was there, still sweaty, and awkwardly went through the motions of flirting before Alia took control. They had sex in the lead singer's car, then took a break long enough to get to her apartment. The singer's name was Lana Kent, and by their third round Alia had decided she wanted it to be more than just a one-night stand.
They dated for a while and, as she suspected, the band quickly started to take off. Alia made an effort to keep her wits about her. She was dating Lana, not hitching her wagon to a rising star. If, at any point, she realized she was only staying with Lana because she was famous, she would end things immediately. They fought, they got on each other's nerves, and they made up. They had only been together for a few months when Lana woke her up, still in her underwear and a tank top but with her guitar hanging around her neck.
"I wanted to play you something."
"Does it have to be right now?"
Lana nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. The angle of her leg and the placement of her guitar obscured her underwear, making it look as if she was completely bottomless. Alia pushed herself up and pushed her hair out of her face, preparing herself to listen appreciatively and then beg for another half hour of sleep. Lana, makeup scrubbed from her face and unwashed hair hanging down over her right eye, began to play.
The song started out with a driving rhythm, and Alia closed her eyes as she imagined Lana playing it onstage. Sweat plastering her hair to her forehead like feathers, eyes bright and wild as she stepped up to the microphone. Still, the underwear and just-woke-up look also worked for her. "Codie's drums will make this a bit stronger..."
Alia nodded. After a moment, Lana began to sing.
"You better watch yourself, you better take care
She's got eyes like chocolate and a sea of dark hair
You'll drown in them both if you don't watch out
She'll teach you new ways to love and new ways to hate
She says she'll see you Sunday, you just can't wait
'Cause her love is like a spring rain after a season of drought."
She changed the beat as she moved into the chorus, lifting her voice into a more plaintive cry. Alia could almost hear Karen singing the harmony, the way her strings would wind around the melody Lana was playing while Codie kept them in time.
"You're her willing accomplice, you go along every time
Then she leaves you standing helpless at the scene of the crime.
If I didn't have her, I'd still have my hand.
Not as much fun, but at least I'd know where I stand.
But her heart's pounding in her breast,
And as I slide my hands under her dress,
I know I'd sin again in exchange for her caress.
Her curves take you by surprise, like a dangerous road
She'll make your heart beat faster, you just gotta grab hold.
Her lips shine like peppers but they burn hotter
She's slippery when wet, she's Aphrodite's daughter
You're her willing accomplice, you go along every time
Then she leaves you standing helpless at the scene of the crime.
Baby, take me down and turn me in
I'll take the fall if you'll take me back again
Make me pay, make me thrill, I'll do the time
You can find me here at the scene of the crime."
She stopped playing and looked up as if rising out of a trance. Alia smiled and applauded softly. "That was amazing. Sexy. I can't wait to see what you look like playing it onstage."
Lana smiled and then looked down at her guitar. "I wrote it about you."
Alia's eyes widened. "You did?"
"Well, Codie and Karen provided the lion's share of the lyrics, but I helped mash them together into a song. But yeah, you were the inspiration."
Alia pushed her hair back behind her ears. "No one's ever written a song about me before. What's it called?"
"'Scene of the Crime.' Uh. We took a bit of artistic license... I don't think you're some user who is going to drive me crazy and then leave me behind." She smiled shyly. "Karen made the song about a wild child who it would be dangerous to be involved with, and we used you as inspiration because... well. You're hot enough to make women ignore common sense."
Alia chuckled and dipped her chin. "Well, thank you. I think. Are you saying you ignored common sense to be with me?"
"No." She put aside her guitar and leaned in to kiss Alia. "Being with you is very, very logical indeed."
"Oh, yeah? Show me how you'll grab hold of these slippery curves."
Lana leaned her guitar against the nightstand before she scrambled under the covers.
#
Harsh words came later. Lana picking up her guitar case and storming out of the apartment mid-argument came later. She walked out in the middle of a fight, apparently killed some time in a bar, and then headed off on tour with the rest of Radiation Canary. By that point they were officially done, everything finished except for the separation of belongings, but Alia tried to take care of that while Lana was gone. Then Lana texted her a series of pictures from Vegas, and Alia became vindictive. She broke a few things (nothing that couldn't be easily replaced; she was angry, not a bitch) and took the blanket she'd brought into the relationship even though Lana loved it. She was gone by the time the tour ended.
She did things after the breakup was official that she wasn't proud of. Soon her anger and hurt faded until she felt like a productive member of society again. She eventually apologized to Lana, brought briefly back together after a near-tragedy, and they made peace with each other. A few weeks later she was even able to hear a Radiation Canary song on the radio without cringing and jumping for the pre-set buttons.
Now, though, she had a whole new set of problems. She and Lana had parted on good terms, but they hadn't reconciled. Neither of them really wanted to. They were on two different paths. The awkwardness came with the fact that Lana was now a bona fide celebrity. She was being interviewed everywhere. As beautiful as she was, her sexuality was at the forefront. It was hard to open a magazine or read any music news without being confronted by Lana Kent or her band mate (the girl with the cello) Karen Everett.
Alia didn't know the rules about masturbating to your ex-girlfriend, but she shamefully succumbed to temptation more than once. She blamed the candid shots of Lana in Curve after she came out of the closet. It would have taken superhuman strength to resist those shots, and Alia had never claimed to be anything but a weak-willed mortal.
Five months after they said their apologies and moved on with their lives, Alia decided she'd been single long enough. She met a woman named Grace in the bar and invited her out for drinks from a "proper club." They went dancing, had dinner, and made out in Grace's car before she invited Alia up to her apartment. She was told to make herself comfortable while Grace went to change out of her club clothes.
Alia sat on the couch and bent forward to unzip her boots. She had just pulled off the first one when music began to play from the stereo across the room. A familiar guitar riff, followed by the hum of a violin. A steady beat from the drum and then that voice: "You better watch yourself, you better take care... She's got eyes like chocolate and a sea of dark hair..." Alia straightened and looked at the stereo, then turned toward movement from the hall.
Grace had changed into a red robe. Alia's mouth went dry. "Hey... want to hear something funny?"
"Sure."
She gestured at the stereo. "She wrote that song about me."
Grace lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, really." She sounded skeptical, but she stepped around the coffee table and put her hand on Alia's shoulder to push her back. "Are you dangerous?"
"Uh. No, I mean... but I used to date Lana Kent."
Grace froze mid-straddle, half on and half off of Alia's lap. "Are you serious?"
Alia chuckled nervously. She already wished she hadn't said anything. "Well. Yeah. For a while. Right when they were starting to take off."
"Did you sleep with her?"
"Well--"
Grace suddenly kissed her, twisting to push her down onto the couch cushions. Alia was torn between doing the fun thing for the wrong reasons or doing the right thing and going home to her vibrator. She'd already made peace with the face she was weak-willed, so she grabbed the belt of Grace's robe and pulled it free. When she pushed her hands underneath, Grace dropped her head to Alia's breasts and kissed them with desperate growls. She laughed and lifted her head to look at Alia, then shook her head and laughed with giddy breathlessness.
"I can't believe I'm about to fuck someone who fucked Lana Kent. This is so awesome."
Alia pressed her shoulders against the arm of the chair and focused on the ceiling as Grace undid her belt and pulled her jeans down.
"Yeah," she grunted, closing her eyes. "Awesome..."
Afterward Grace made her promise to call, but Alia deleted the number from her phone before she made it to the street. She had kept her eyes closed for the majority of their lovemaking, and she'd taken the time to grab the remote control and put 'Scene of the Crime' on repeat when the CD moved on to the next track. She said the right name at the right time, but Alia knew that she'd only been a prop. Grace had been fucking the person that had once been in her place, both taking Lana's place and taking a vicarious thrill from experiencing something similar to her favorite singer.
A few weeks later a band playing Diametric did a cover of Radiation Canary's 'All Clear.' They tortured it, of course, and came nowhere near the power of the original. The crowd seemed to like it, though, proving to Alia that they either had no taste or that she'd over-served them.
Alia went out with a girl named Nancy, a girl who seemed to take fashion tips from Pink with her spiked blonde hair and nose ring. When they got into her car, something loud, industrial, and German began to pour out of the speakers like a physical assault. She winced, and Nancy showed mercy by turning it down without being asked. Alia smiled her gratitude as they got onto the main road and headed for the restaurant.
"Have you ever heard of Radiation Canary?"
"Ugh. Can't stand that chipper girlie shit."
Alia relaxed and smoothed her hands over her thighs. This she could work with. The handcuffs attached to a hook in Nancy's bedroom ceiling, and the variety of instruments spread out next to the bed on a tray that looked like something out of a dentist's office was a bit too much. She did have an orgasm that night, but she wasn't sure she would have counted herself as a willing participant in everything that went down. Things got... odd... quickly. Around midnight, with a leather blindfold covering her eyes and a ball gag in her mouth, swaying with only her toes touching the floor, she decided her best course of action would be to do what was asked of her so things would be over with as quickly as possible.
The next morning as she iced certain parts of her anatomy, she decided she had to find a better balance between Canary groupies and scary fans of scary music.
She tried immersion therapy and bought both of the Radiation Canary CDs she'd skipped after their breakup. She was surprised by how much she liked The Intervention. It took her a few listens before she realized that each song was telling part of the same story, and she had to start it over and listen from start to finish so she could follow along with the narrative. The last song on the album was called 'Thank Me Later,' and she understood why Canary fans were suddenly so hard to avoid. They were taking over the music world and getting some well-deserved recognition.
When she swapped Intervention for the album that had preceded it, The Middle Distance, she recognized a few lyrics and melodies from snippets the band had been working on when she and Lana broke up. It was odd to hear them transformed into fully produced songs. She opened the liner notes and flipped through it, ignoring the blocks of typed lyrics and focusing on the pictures.
She found one picture of Lana standing on stage, her left hand resting on the microphone stand while she leaned back to look toward Karen. She had a big smile on her face, like a kid caught in the middle of playtime. Alia knew she didn't want Lana back, but she was very happy to see her doing well.
Alia got up during the instrumental on the album and retrieved Rome Burning from her bedroom. The liner notes of that one had been autographed by the band members, just like her copy of their debut album. She put aside the case and opened the notes, thumbing through until she found the printed lyrics to 'Scene of the Crime.' They shared a page with a picture of Lana in a tank top, sweating from a long set, swinging her head around so that her dark hair completely obscured her face. The last half of the lyrics covered Lana's breast, a placement Alia was sure had been intentional.
At the bottom under the last "(repeat chorus)", in a smaller and lighter-colored font, was the dedication: "for A.B., who is worth the headaches."
She smiled when she first read it, and she smiled again now. She cleared off the sofa and let the CD finish before she replayed it. She knew that she needed to get past her initial exposure to the band, forget how she'd been present and off to one side when they were finding their niche, but in a way that had deprived her from discovering them like the rest of the world had. She needed to forget how well she knew Karen and Codie and Nessa, and she needed to push the thought of Lana, her lover, out of her mind to replace it with Lana, the celebrity.
She could already tell it would be worth the effort.
#
Alia started to seek out Radiation Canary in the world, an odd sensation given how long she had gone out of her way to avoid them. She found an article comparing the band to Brandi Carlile, a comparison that Lana and Karen both found completely inaccurate and wholly humbling. She found a set of photos with Lana dressed in clothes at least four sizes too big for her, sitting against the wall with her giant clodhopper shoes framing the camera as she pulled the brim of a hat down over her face.
She also found candid paparazzi shots of Lana walking hand-in-hand with her various love interests. She was currently with an extremely leggy blonde, a vaguely-familiar Amazon who stood a few inches taller than Lana in most of the shots Alia found, depending on whether or not one of them was wearing heels.
YouTube had plenty of concert videos. She found one of them performing Diving for Pearls at some Seattle dive bar. Lana was wearing a yellow tartan skirt that stopped just above the knee matched with brown suede boots that ended just below the knee. Her gray shirt was sleeveless, of course, and she curled her tongue against her top lip for the guitar riff that carried through the middle of the song while Karen sawed at her violin with furrowed-brow concentration.
Near the end of Lana's solo, something briefly obscured the camera and landed on one of the speakers before dropping to the stage. Lana approached the object, hooked it with the toe of her boot, and twisted to lift it high enough for her to grab. It was a red-and-black knit scarf, a double-helix of open weave.
"This is amazing!" She looked into the audience where the scarf seemed to originate. "Who was this for? Which of us did you want to have it?"
A strong-voiced group of girls howled, "Codie!"
Codie lifted both arms into the air in victory, and Lana trotted to the back of the stage. She mounted the platform and wrapped the scarf around the drummer's neck. Codie tossed the long end over her shoulder and stood up slightly, blowing a kiss to her fans as she sat down and continued the drum beat.
When Lana got back to the microphone, she said, "Next time I better get some mittens, that's all I can say."
The crowd cheered, and Lana gave that impish smile that had graced so many magazine covers and internet stories. She turned to look at Karen as the clip ended, and Alia went searching for the next song from that concert. Sometimes if she was clever enough and searched long enough, she could recreate an entire concert experience on YouTube. It was a bit jarring to seemingly bounce around the venue between songs, sometimes being front-row center and then immediately being in the nosebleed section, but it was worth the effort. She scanned the thumbnails for Lana in the tartan skirt, clicking on each one she found and watching it to the end. Lana went from glowing with sweat to fresh-faced and energetic in the blink of an eye.
"Can we bring the lights down?" she said at the beginning of the video for Say a Prayer (If You've Got One). "We need some quiet, please..."
The lights went down until only Lana's spotlight was at full-strength, while the other Canaries were illuminated by small blue lamps so they could see what they were playing. Lana closed her eyes and rocked her shoulders slightly to Lana and Nessa's intro, the strings and keys blending seamlessly into a haunting melody.
"I need your help tonight," Lana whispered. "Alone, I can't win this fight. I tried to call, but I couldn't find the right words. I'm going to fall, and I'm so sick of being tired."
Alia watched transfixed, forgetting she was in her apartment staring at a laptop. Whoever was filming did an excellent job keeping the camera steady. She felt transported, as if she was standing directly in front of the stage with her head tilted back to watch as Lana worked her way through the song. She kept her eyes open, skimming them across the audience and occasionally pausing here or there with a smile playing on her lips. During the chorus, she looked directly into the camera and Alia leaned back, startled, and Lana gave a wink before she moved on to the next verse. The song ended to thunderous applause, and Alia brushed the moisture from her cheeks without worrying about where it had come from.
From the beginning of their career, Radiation Canary had kept a strict schedule of releasing an album every year. Sometimes it was fourteen months between releases, and once it was only nine months, but pretty much every calendar year. Alia felt like her new appreciation of their music had jinxed the band when 2010 ended without a new release. She knew they were going through some hard times, what with Lana's situation and the band's sudden disappearance from the public stage, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible.
Finally, in 2011, a new album was announced. The Amnesia Between Sleeping and Waking, with preliminary artwork of two women - Alia was ninety-five percent sure it was Karen Everett and rock legend Dash Warren - on the deck of a boat, backs to the camera as they looked out over the water. Oh, the rumors swirling about Radiation Canary and Dash Warren... the trip to Greece had happened two years ago, but internet gossips were still hinting about all sorts of shenanigans happening backstage. She'd even found fan fiction that postulated what may have happened in graphic detail.
Alia had read some of it and had to admit, given what she knew of Lana, it was plausible that at least some of it was accurate.
They released a song from the album as a tease, a piano-heavy ballad called "No Limits but the Sky." Alia downloaded a copy from their website and found herself humming it the next day at work. Meghan, her boss and owner of Diametric, happened to be walking by and stopped in her tracks, humming along for a moment before she smiled and pointed at her as if she'd been caught.
"Radiation Canary, right? The new one?"
"Yeah. I downloaded it last night."
"New album is going to be worth the wait," Meghan said.
Alia nodded. "Sounds like it. Hard to believe they started out here."
Meghan stared for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"They played here one night, back before they hit it big."
"No... you must be thinking of someone else."
Alia thought about letting it drop, but she shook her head. "No, I... uh, I kind of hooked up with Lana Kent afterward. We dated for a while."
"Get out of here!"
Alia suddenly realized that she was proud of the fact she'd inspired one of the band's most-loved songs, and she shrugged nonchalantly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I... kind of inspired one of their songs, too."
"No way. Which one?" She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Diving for Pearls?"
Alia laughed. "No! I mean, I don't think so. Scene of the Crime."
Meghan's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Hair and lips and eyes... wow. Wow. That is you! Oh, wow. I can't believe all this time I've had Aphrodite's daughter right here in my bar and I didn't know. You've been holding out on me."
"I just... I don't know. It didn't seem relevant at the time."
Meghan gave up whatever she had been on her way to do and sat across the bar from her. "So you were there right at the start? The first album, all of that?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I was there when they got the contract and started to take off."
"So what happened?"
"Lana and I tried to keep things... you know... regular relationship, not in-public relationship. And, I don't know, we just weren't a good fit. We were both too stubborn, for one thing. Eventually we just kind of imploded. We both did things we regretted, things there was no coming back from, and that was it. But we did make amends. We apologized, we paid penance, we moved on."
"Well, cool. Wow. I can't believe I was one-degree of separation away from Radiation Canary all this-- you dated her while you were working here! Shit! I could have gotten all kinds of endorsements out of that. You owe me, Barringer."
Alia chuckled. "I'll try to make it up to you, boss."
"You'd better." She climbed off the stool and started to walk away, but she turned and said, "But if I find out you ever slept with Sheryl Crow, we're going to have words."
Alia crossed her heart by drawing an X over her breast, still chuckling as she moved to intercept a new customer.
When Radiation Canary announced a tour to promote the new album, including the requisite stops in Seattle, Meghan showed up for work with an envelope that she presented proudly to Alia. "I wanted you to see these before I put them in the safe."
"What are they?"
"Radiation Canary tickets for the Seattle stop of their Top of the World Tour. We're going to have a contest tonight to give them away. Sadly, employees of Diametric are not qualified to win. I wanted you to run the contest since you have a connection. You don't have to tell people that you inspired the song, but I thought it might be fun for you. Unless there are bad feelings, in which case--"
"No bad feelings. I'd be happy to do it."
"Excellent." She took the tickets out and showed them to her. "Tickets are, um, fairly good. Not front row, but I always hate being right up there in front of the speakers. Still pretty good seats." She handed them over and smiled. "We're going to be handing out tickets at the door. Then at nine-thirty you just have to go on stage and draw the winner. Easy as pie."
Alia handed the tickets back, and Meghan put them into the envelope. "This is going to be fun."
Meghan nodded excitedly. "Can't wait! Thanks for letting me know we had the connection."
"Sure thing. And you know that Lady Gaga performed here all the time before she started wearing the costumes." Meghan's eyes slowly widened and Alia took pity. "I'm pulling your leg."
"I oughta smack you for that. Geez." She shook her head with a weary sigh and retreated into her office. Alia chuckled and finished preparing the bar for that night's rush.
The crowd began showing up a little after five, quitting time for the nearby businesses, and she saw people calling their friends to let them know about the concert giveaway. By seven o'clock the place was crowded with fans eager for a chance to win. Meghan came out of her office to look at the people and moved behind the bar with a worried glance at Alia.
"We're under the max capacity," Alia assured her.
"Yeah, but I just wish I'd gotten more than two tickets."
"We could split them up."
Meghan shook her head. "We advertised two tickets to one winner. Besides, they're together. Can you imagine being forced to sit next to some stranger for an entire concert?"
"Maybe it could be a love connection."
Meghan shook her head. "I'll check online, see if I can get a few more tickets." She knocked on the bar for good luck and went back into the office. Alia apologized to the customers crowding around the bar and took the next round of drink orders.
By nine o'clock, Meghan had gotten six more tickets. She took over at the bar while Alia carried a Tupperware box of ticket stubs through the crowd, weaving and dancing around people dancing the music coming through speakers in the ceiling. As she placed one boot on the stage, the music switched off suddenly and changed to the opening chords to Scene of the Crime. Alia glared across the crowd at Meghan, who shrugged apologetically as if it had been a completely random occurance.
Alia walked to the microphone and leaned to one side so that her whistle wouldn't be transmitted through the sound system. The crowd quieted, and Meghan turned down the song so that Alia could be heard. She paused before she spoke, eyeing all the strange faces peering up at her. This is what Lana experienced at every concert? No... she got it worse. Epic crowds full of people waiting to hear what she had to say. Alia was very aware of her short skirt and tight Diametric T-shirt, tugging the hem of her skirt lower so it covered more of the fleur-de-lis design on her pantyhose.
"You guys know who that is, huh? The reason you're all here tonight, Radiation Canary is going on tour, and we wanted to give two lucky people a chance to go see them live. But then you guys showed up in force and, well..." She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "We just had to buy some more tickets. So now there are going to be four sets of two tickets given away tonight. That's right, four people and their lovely companion are going to get to see Radiation Canary live, courtesy of your lovely friends here at Diametric."
The crowd applauded and Alia, starting to enjoy the attention, curtsied.
"Now a lot of you may not know this, but Radiation Canary once played here. Right here on this stage." She thumped the heel of her boot against it. "I heard them with my own ears, and I knew they were going places. So now it's come full circle, I guess. Okay, have your tickets ready! When I call your number, come on up to the stage and line up to the left." She dug through the box of tickets, tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as she closed one eye and plucked out a ticket at random.
"And the first pair of tickets goes to the lovely, beautiful person holding the other half of ticket T-6100. Sounds like a Terminator." Someone cheered, and Alia pumped her fist in shared enthusiasm. "We have a winner! All right, come on up, sweetie." The girl made her way through the crowd as Alia dug for the next winner.
By the end of the drawing, Alia felt utterly in control of the crowd. She felt a little sorry that the last ticket had been given away and she had to give up the spotlight. But she held out a hand to indicate the winners, two of whom had come onto stage with the person they would presumably take to the concert, and smiled like Vanna White.
"The winners, ladies and gentlemen! Try not to ostracize them too much. And to the winners, enjoy the show!"
The crowd applauded, and Alia hopped off the stage. Meghan applauded her quietly as she resumed her place behind the bar.
"You're a natural. I guess Lana taught you a few tricks."
"One or two," Alia admitted. "Just don't ask me to sing."
She got back into the groove of serving drinks, relaxing into her familiar role. It was nearly ten o'clock when she noticed a cute brunette hanging out near the far side of the bar. She made her way over and smiled. "Hi! Can I get you something?" The words had just left her lips when she recognized the girl. "Oh, hey. You were one of the ticket winners. Congratulations."
"Thanks. But I felt bad about winning two. My girlfriend just broke up with me, so I'm going to be flying solo. I thought, if you wanted to give the other one away, I'd be totally fine with that."
"Ah, that sucks!" She glanced around the crowd, well aware that most people had already thrown away their ticket stubs when the drawing ended. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and tried to think of a solution. "I don't know if there are enough people with tickets to make another drawing work out."
"Would..." Alia raised her eyebrows for her to continue, but the girl shook her head and smiled. "Nah, never mind."
"What? I'll take any suggestions."
"Would you want to go with me? I mean, not a date or anything. But if the ticket would just be going to waste otherwise, and I'd rather have someone who looks like you sitting beside me than some random person off the internet."
Alia rested her elbows on the bar, well aware of how it made her T-shirt tight across her breasts. "Someone who looks like me? And how exactly do I look?"
The girl blushed deep red, freckles becoming highlighted across the bridge of her nose. "You know. Hot. Sexy. Someone I couldn't get without the enticement of a free Radiation Canary concert ticket."
Alia didn't know if that was against the rules of the contest or not, didn't know if Meghan would tell her it wasn't allowed, but at the moment she didn't care. "Yeah. I was kind of annoyed I couldn't win. I've really gotten into the band lately. So yeah. What's your name?"
"Monica."
"I'd love to go to the concert with you, Monica. And for the record? If you'd asked me out for dinner, I'd still have said yes. The ticket is just a bonus."
Monica's smile widened. "Really?"
Alia winked. "Take it as a hint for something to do after the concert."
Monica laughed. "I'll take it to heart."
Alia wrote her number down on a coaster, and Monica dialed it immediately to send her information to Alia's phone. She laughed under her breath as she did it, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe what she was doing, then tucked the phone into her pocket. She held up the ticket and said, "See you next week."
"Can't wait."
On her next break, Alia went to the office and knocked before sticking her head in. "I know you said employees couldn't win the tickets, but what if one of the winners asks me out?"
"Which one?"
"Brunette, freckles, wearing the black jeans with the chain..."
Meghan shook her head. "Fucking bartender gets all the--" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Far be it for me to ruin your fun. Go, go. Enjoy the spoils. But are you sure you'll be okay? It won't be weird taking a date to see your ex-girlfriend?"
Alia smiled and knew the truth before she said it out loud. "No. It'll be absolutely fine."
She shut the office door and headed down the hall to the bathroom. She took out her phone and programmed the new number so she wouldn't be confused when it popped up later. She labeled it as "Monica - RC date" and smiled as she returned the phone to her pocket. A year ago, she never would have considered going to a Radiation Canary concert, let alone going with a date. Now her only concern was what to wear, and just how far she should plan for the post-concert date to last.
She chuckled at the irony. She had spent a very long time trying to get over Lana and, in the end, she owed the resuscitation of her love-life to Radiation Canary.