Paradise City Chapter The Seventh! Part The Third
“Guys, this is Axcelise, Axcelise this is Guns N Roses. Guns...do your thing, they’re starting to get restless out there.” Izzy panted. Nobody moved. “Get out!” he yelled making several of them jump, it still took longer than usually to get the Gunners to move out of the dressing room. Izzy turned on Axcelise; “And you, I want you to sit now.” Izzy gestured to the chair at the dressing table.
The mirror was lit with light bulbs that made his eyes water before Izzy span him round. Axcelise had no time to think or feel about anything, time seemed to whirr around him. “Close your eyes.” Izzy instructed before applying ample foundation. Axcelise felt the wet cold and tried to jump out of the way.
“What is that? What are you doing?”
“Axcelise I need you trust me with this one.”
Finally Axcelise was staring at an unfamiliar face in the mirror. It was so like his own but it was more porcelain perfect, more china doll. The cheeks roughed and lips glossed to shine. Eyelashes fluttered, black and clumping heavy with unfamiliar weight. Blue shadow ghosted the eyelids.
Izzy gave a final swipe of hairspray and a touch with the brush. Axcelise tied a bandanna round his head. Izzy pulled the tee-shirt off one shoulder the way it was supposed to be a fastened a heavy belt round the slim hips. Axcelise grinned widely at his appearance in the mirror looking the epitome of a Rock n Roll Whore.
“Okay now you.” Axcelise held up a glossy brush. Not for the first time Izzy was transported back to the early 1980’s when Axl and himself had flirted briefly with the Glam Rock scene before moulding themselves into something more feral. He could see Axcelises skin peaking at him from under the hem on the tee-shirt. That familiar milky hue of perfection.
Izzy felt a stirring in his loins when he remembered the smell of that skin, running his hands over it in the moonlight. Axcelise whispering from this memory, don’t call me Axl.
But that was the Axcelise from then. Now he limped and was scared of the dark. He’s smile was lopsided and his hair was shorter. But his still had that biscuit smell and laughed the same sincere laugh. Could he still sing?
X X X
Izzy pushed Axcelise toward the stage, where they now hovered. Axcelise was pushing back against Izzy. He could feel Izzy standing behind him, holding his shoulders.
“Celise, Lessy...look at me.” Axcelise turned to Izzy, he could see his eyes sparkle in the lights from the stage. They were intent and Axcelise began to feel afraid. “You can do this, you are Rock Royalty, and it’s in your blood.” Izzy saw Axcelises lip tremble and mistook it, “Don’t be frightened you won’t be able to see the audience because of the lights.”
“It's not that...” Axcelise murmured before vomiting on the floor.
X X X
Izzy wiped Axcelises mouth with a tissue and opened a bottle of water for him, one of the many that sat in the wings waiting for thirsty rock stars to quench themselves.
“There is no shame in that...your dad was sick lots before going onstage.”
“But I can’t go out there!” Axcelises voice took on a trembling whine in a terrified half whisper.
“You don’t have to, nobody is making you here. But if you don’t these people will have to be turned away, which is fine. But some of these people have saved to be here, they have begged and bullied their parents into this just for one chance...one,” he emphasised with one finger, “To see Guns play.” He turned Axcelise round so he could see the stage and a small portion of the audience.
Axcelise felt his heart speed up and he thought he was going to be sick again. He swallowed some water and took a deep breath.
“This microphone with the red muffler.” Izzy continued pointing at it, “That was for you father, make him proud.”
With an encouraging push in his sweating back Axcelise Rose Valentine walked out on to the stage, to the centre. There lay on the floor a set list with his dads scribble all over it.
The audience was silently restless as a vision of Axl Rose appeared in front of them. Was it Axl, no it can’t be, what the hell’s going on...murmur murmur murmur they continued. Axcelise looked to Izzy who gave him a double thumbs up.
With a deep breath he screamed, “DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE!"