MERCS
When I’d gotten the phone call from Luke Bellamy, the manager of the hottest all-girl rock group of the moment, Luminous, needless to say, I was buzzed. I’ve made a name for myself in this business because I’m a qualified Electrical Lighting Technician or ELT, but my position will be the Lighting Director for Luminous. I know my way around the stage, and I pride myself on flawless lighting and techniques. I’m up to date with the latest and greatest trends and equipment.
But, going on the American leg of their tour with them? Well fuck, I can’t say no to that.
Not just because of the experience I’ll gain, but also, I need the money—desperately.
My eighteen year old sister, Kiera, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia a while ago and everything in my life has revolved around finding a way to a cure. She’s so sick most of the time, and I’ve had to take leave from work to care for her. But being the main breadwinner, I’ve had to go back to touring to ensure both Kiera and Gran—who’s Kiera’s primary carer when I’m away—are taken care of financially. Every cent I earn and all my savings to this point have been spent on Kiera’s treatments, because with no health plan in place the drain has been huge on our financial resources. So earning what I can on tour with some rockin’ chicks from Australia, sounds fucking good to an all-American, twenty-five-year-old guy like me.
I grew up in Ligonier, a really small town in Pennsylvania. With a population of just over fifteen hundred, it’s quaint, it’s cute, but I needed more. I wanted to see the world. Music’s in my blood, but my voice, well, it sucks and I don’t have the patience for learning an instrument. So I did the next best thing. I took to the stage. Well, above it. I went to college and became proficient in setting up the stage. Lighting draws you in close while building an intimate connection between the audience and the singers. But above all, it can blow you away with huge and crazy movements to match the power and strength of the band on stage. Lighting for me is vibrant, dynamic, and showy, and I love nothing more than creating unusual graphic patterns while I paint the air with color to match the band’s passion and vivacity.
I began my journey as a stagehand and worked my way up to lighting and production, where I managed to get an apprenticeship under one of the best Lighting Director’s around, John ‘The Illuminator’ Parker. He taught me everything from stage design, lighting techniques, and many other tricks of the trade including how to synchronize lighting to sound. You name it. I learned it all. And that’s why I’m so damned good at what I do. That’s why I’m sought after by the music industry in the United States.
I’ve just finalized a tour with The Living Dead, so technically I was meant to be heading back home to spend a little time with Kiera and my gran before signing up for another long haul.
But, when opportunity knocks and all that.
I know Kiera will understand. At least I hope she does. My stomach tightens thinking of leaving her again, back in Ligonier, suffering while I’m not there. I want so much more for her… so much.
I swing my backpack over my shoulder and walk down the hall. It smells of stale weed, junk food, and some other funky shit. Something most backstage areas smell like. I let out a long sigh as my heavy boots thump the concrete halls looking for the room.
Crappy background music fills the dimly lit hall as I try to figure out where the hell I’m going. I know I’ve been here before but it was a while ago, and when you’ve been in so many massive stadiums all the corridors seem to fade into one, and you can never remember where to go.
Glancing up, I notice a door marked stage crew. I raise my brow finally finding where I need to be. This will be my home for the next two nights. I won’t bother getting a hotel room. I’ll be here before the show early and then way late after the show ends anyway, so I may as well find a couch and just surf on it. No point wasting money on a hotel.
Opening the door, I walk in. The room is small, but there’s at least a working refrigerator and a microwave.
Shrugging, I throw my backpack over by the sofa and move to the fridge, the door squeaks as I open it, and I smirk as I look in to see an array of flavored waters, natural and spring.
I sigh as I shake my head. “Do these women think we’re hippies or something? We’re men, and men want beer and real alcohol, not fucking flavored water for fuck’s sake,” I murmur to myself. I grab a berry flavored water in annoyance that there’s nothing else and take a long gulp. There’s a hint of bitterness along with sweetness which is a stark contrast, and I must admit quite refreshing. As the cooling liquid slides down my throat, I raise my brows in surprise, and my lips turn up with a slight smile.
Don’t judge a book, Kaden. The words of Kiera spring into mind as I swallow the fruity beverage. Pulling my cell from my pocket at the reminder of Kiera, I dial home.
“Hey Kades, what’s up. How are you settling in?” Kiera asks.
“Just arrived, about to go suss out what I need to do. Just thought I’d check in to see how you and Gran are coping without me.”
She snorts. “We’re always better without you…” She giggles.
“Yeah, yeah… I don’t believe that for a second.”
“You’re right. Do you know how excited I’d be if I could be there with you? You know how much I love Luminous, those girls kick some serious ass.”
“I know, and I wish it was different for you, but you need to concentrate on keeping as well as you can and resting for now.”
“Screw that… I want to party like a rock star.” I laugh while shaking my head. “Do you wanna speak with Gran?”
“Nah… this is just a quick call to see how you are, and to let you know I’m here. Will call again later today or tomorrow depending on my schedule, but say hi to her for me.”
“Okay, love you, talk later. Have fun, but not too much.”
“Love you, too.” Hanging up with a sigh I really wish Kiera could be here with me, but I know that’s impossible. I know she adores Luminous, and I’d really love for her to be able to go to one of their concerts, but it’s just not possible right now. I turn, and make my way out of my home for the next few days then down the hall toward the stage area.
There isn’t anyone here that I can see, or if there is they’re keeping a low profile. I know I’m here massively early, but it’s my first day on the job, and I want to scope everything out and get a feel for how they set things up before I come in and tear it all down.
I like things run a certain way. I know from the disaster that was The Staples Center in LA that I need to make my mark. Man, that was chaos, and it left the band with a giant PR mess to fix. I guess that’s why I’m here now.
I know I can be grumpy when I don’t get my way, but that’s why my shows are the best. I’m not cocky or arrogant, just truthful. I’m great at my job, and it’s taken me a long time to get to this point. This is why Luke and Luminous hired me—to make their shows absolutely perfect. Their sound is already spectacular. I’ve heard them. Hell, I’m kinda impressed. For tiny little things, they can belt out a tune, but with my help their on-stage presence will be one their fans will never forget.
Walking along, I find the end of the hall where it opens into an open expanse which is the backstage area. It’s vast, it’s wide, and it’s a fucking mess. I grit my teeth as I look at all the lighting equipment placed randomly with no order to it at all. The speakers and the girls’ instruments are also in some sort of random chaos.
Fucking hell that shit irritates me.
There’s no organization.
No wonder there’s fucking fires at their shows. This place is a hazard. They definitely need someone to keep them in line.
Shaking my head, I move in to inspect, trying to assess everything in the area. At least there’s some semblance of order, I guess. The lighting equipment is all together, and the instruments are all in one spot. But the issues are that it’s spread out, and there are electrical cords and other shit scattered all over the floor making it one gigantic mess and an OSHA nightmare.
Bringing my hands together and cracking my knuckles, I step into the mess and begin.
Lighting first.
I look over what they have, and it all appears to be good quality, which excites me. It’s all top of the range, very new and hi-tech, and if asked it’s what I would personally recommend. That’s a good start. They just need to fucking look after it. So I get to work. Packing it up into their rightful containers, and stacking it up like it should be done in order to make it easier to assemble. The last thing we need is for the globes to be broken or equipment to be faulty due to misuse.
I shake my head. This shit costs a fortune.
Sweat beads on my brow as I pant and huff from the heavy lifting and packing. But eventually, the space is cleared, and now the room that looked like chaos has an open floor. There’s currently two stacks, one for lighting and equipment, and the other for their costly instruments and amps.
This is how it must be done. This is the breakdown that will happen at the end of every show, and this is how things will be run with me in charge. I hope the Luminous crew is ready for me.
I’m fucking hot. All this exertion has me working up one hell of a sweat. My white shirt is sticking to me uncomfortably, so I figure I’ll just take the fucker off. I pull it up over my head and flop it onto my shoulder. Wiping my brow with my hand, I let out a puff of air as I hear a round of applause from behind me.
I jump, spinning so fast I almost slip over, as I turn toward the back of the stage. There I see a tiny framed woman sitting on the end of the stairs staring at me. If that wasn’t strange enough that she’s appeared out of nowhere, she’s wearing a giraffe onesie—in Phoenix, Arizona, in the middle of a scorching hot July. She continues clapping like she’s excited, and I turn around wondering what she’s clapping at. As I look around us, I don’t see anything particularly exciting. So I stare back in her direction as she smiles at me brightly.
“You did amazing,” she calls out.
“Umm… what?”
She looks over at the equipment I’ve been working hard on, for the last probably three hours, and she smiles again. Her smile is unnerving me. She’s far too pretty and far too old to be wearing a giraffe onesie.
What’s with that?
“All that heavy lifting, and not to mention the sorting… I never would have thought to do that. It’s so… organized. It’s much better than how we were doing it.”
I raise my brow, looking around to see if I’m being Punked or something, but again, no one else is here. So I look back to her. “When you say how we were doing it, you mean…”
She jumps from the stage and walks toward me, the giraffe onesie seems almost too big for her as she saunters forward, her cute button nose wrinkling as she continues to smile that dazzling smile at me. It’s so confusing, she looks like a kid, but the face beneath that childish outfit is all woman. She’s so strange. This woman is peculiar, whoever she is.
“Us… the band.” She waves her hands around. “We’re not a very organized bunch. But you seem to know what you’re doing, and that’s great. You can keep us in line, right?”
“You’re with the band?”
She giggles, the sound husky yet delicate at the same time. My cock twitches and I tense my muscles not liking the strange effect this woman is having on me.
“Sure am. I’m Effa, that’s short for Effervescent… you know like the bubbles that make people happy. I like to be the bright light in people’s lives and lift people up when they’re feeling down. I’m the sparkle, the pizazz if you will,” she chatters on while bringing her hands up to her face and twinkles her fingers like she’s doing those stupid spirit fingers from that movie.
A lump forms in my throat as I look at her not knowing if she’s being serious or not. I’m not sure how to take this little interaction we’re having. But the smile on her face and the calmness in her eyes tells me she’s dead serious.
“Wow! That’s ahh… great?” I reply more like a question, kind of unsure what else to say.
She nods, putting out her hand for me to shake. “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard great things. I’m assuming you’re Kaden? Our new lighting tech?”
I place my hand out to shake. My fingers overlap hers. Taking in her tiny hand, I almost envelop it entirely while warmth shoots up my arm when I take hold of her. Then I shake it, once. My reaction shocks me slightly making my answer to her question delayed, so I look back up at her with a half-smile. “Mercs. Everyone calls me, Mercs.”
She giggles that fucking adorable giggle again, and I take a deep breath as she assesses me, looking at my obvious bare chest. “Mercs.” My name rolls off her tongue as she raises her brow. “Sounds expensive… like a fast car.”
I grin and tilt my head. “Na, nothing like that. My last name’s Mercury… nothing fancy.”
Her eyes light up, and she bounces on her toes. “Oh, my, are you related to Freddy? Please tell me you are. He’s a lyrical genius. A melodic mastermind. A gifted God. Oh praise Gaia, please tell me it’s true?” she asks, grabbing my other hand and gazing desperately into my eyes looking so full of hope.
I almost feel sorry that I’m going to have to disappoint her. Wincing, I shake my head with a grimace. “Sorry, no relation. But I do love Bohemian Rhapsody.”
She gasps. “Oh man, me too. That and A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton. Oh, Gaia, that song gets me every time.”
I let out a bemused laugh. Those songs couldn’t be more polar opposite if they tried. Shaking my head, I look down to see our hands are still joined, and she looks down too and chuckles rubbing her thumbs over my skin. It sends a tingle up my arms.
“Your skin is really smooth for a roadie. Do you moisturize?”
I laugh again. What the hell is with this chick? She’s something else. “Umm… no. Just my natural umm… softness?” The last word comes out in a higher tone, and I’m not even sure it’s what I meant to say.
She tilts her stature and brings my hand up to her cheek, placing my open palm on her face. Her cheek is warm and velvety soft to the touch. Her cheeks are flushed slightly pink against her pale face, which I’m pretty sure has little to no makeup on. Even though, she still looks stunning. I tense up wondering what the hell she’s doing. I look around to see if anyone’s watching, but there’s definitely no one around. I look back and notice her eyes are closed, but she’s smiling wide while holding my hand with hers.
“Umm…” I murmur as she sways from side to side like she’s in some kind of trance.
“Shhh… I’m feeling your energy.”
My muscles tense completely and I swallow hard wondering what the hell kind of world I’ve stepped into.
I’m pretty sure I am being Punked.
Ashton, you can come out now.
“My energy…” I ask and trail off in a hushed tone like somehow I’m going to interrupt her flow.
What the fuck?
“Yes, you have a calm energy. But for some reason, you’re very tense right now. You also have a nervousness about you, like you have a big problem weighing you down.”
I furrow my brows at her detailed, and somehow completely accurate reading of me, and I pull back in shock. My hand dropping from her face as our fingers finally disconnect.
She opens her eyes and looks at me with a weak smile. “It’s okay, I know I’m eerily accurate at these things.”
I step back and take a deep breath. “How can you tell all that from me touching your face?”
She half-smiles, her bright, happy demeanor changing slightly. “I can sense things. I’m in tune with the world and its energy. Some say it’s hippy shit. Some say I have psychic abilities. I don’t really know. I call it my gift. Gaia gave it to me. It helps me sing. Helps me give my gift to the world so I can connect with people… you know?”
I furrow my brows. “Can you read minds and shit?”
She bursts out laughing, so hard she bends over grabbing at her stomach, her giraffe hoodie falling forward over her face, looking actually a little bit cute as she rambles on in a fit of hysteria.
I tilt my stature in annoyance, and as if to sense my annoyance she stands up straight and looks at me, still giggling, but shaking her head and sighing with a long puff of air.
“Oh Mercs, you kill me. No. No one can read minds. That’s parlor tricks. I don’t have ESPN or whatever it’s called.” I bite my lips and try to hide my smile. “I’m just me. Effa. Lead singer of Luminous, and you are our savior. Thank you for fixing us. I can’t wait for you to make our stage shows far more like betterer or… something like that.”
I laugh and nod my head. “Betterer… that I can do.”
“Great. So Luke has sent through all the details of our show to you I’m assuming?”
I nod. “Sure has. Including the set list. I downloaded all the songs and choreographed a lighting show for it based on the live stream of the Cali performance. So it’s similar, just with a few improvements and tweaks. You’ll still have all your lighting cues, they’ll just be better… and, more importantly, on time.”
She smiles wide then lets out a heavy sigh. “I think I’m going to like having you around, Mercs. I like people who are organized, seeing as the roadies are so unorganized. We need people on our team to keep us in line. You might be just the man we need.”
“I’ll do my best, Effa,” I reply and she nods.
Her face takes on a more serious tone than before. “That’s all I ask.”
Glancing around, I see there’s still no one else here but us, and it has me wondering where the rest of Luminous are. And why Effa’s here eight hours before a show is about to start.
“Hey, Effa…”
“Mmm…”
“Why are you here so early? Are the rest of the girls here, too?”
She grins, shaking her head. “Nah. They’re still at the hotel… sleeping probably. Tonight’s our first show here, so when we start at a new venue I like to come in and check it out… just to get a feel for the place. I don’t know why, it’s just something I always do. I guess I like to see the stadium before it fills with the crowd and the atmosphere. I like to see it raw and untamed. I dunno why.”
Nodding, I half-smile thinking she’s more than just a singer. She’s about stage presence, too. She likes to see the before and the after like I do. I get what she’s saying. This is why I’m here early too. Not just to set up and scope everything out, but to fully take in everything around me, and get a real feel for the environment and the ambiance of the place.
“You and me, Effa, we might be more alike than I first thought. Yeah, I get it. Sometimes there’s more life in the peace and quiet than in the mad rush of the hurricane of the music…” I pause and take a deep breath. “Sounds weird, but true.”
She tilts her head and her eyes glimmer, almost sparkling like she’s taking in everything I’m saying with such awe that she might be a little inspired by my words. Effa leans forward, pressing her open palm to my still slightly sweaty chest. The warmth of her hand ignites something inside of me, and my breath catches in my throat as I stare down into her eyes. She looks at me and swallows hard then she steps closer, an intensity building as her touch continues to pulse between us.
“That’s why I’m here… the peace and quiet. The calm before the storm. You’re right. It’s here I truly live, this is where I can be… me. Once the crew comes, the crowds invade, and the music overruns, everything changes and I have to be one hundred percent on all the time. Here, in the quiet, I can just be… me. I like the peace…” she says drifting off as her eyes fall from mine like she’s deep in thought, and it makes me think that she’s opening up to me about something that maybe she hasn’t said to too many other people, especially not her crew or bandmates.
I’m not sure why she’s telling me though, we’ve only known each other for five minutes. But, maybe it’s because we like the peace equally, and we seem to be the only ones who do. I get it. I understand why she’s here. Maybe that’s why. I feel for her. Perhaps this hippy vibe she has going on is not necessarily an act, but more like an embellishment of her personality… I don’t know.
“Are you okay?” I ask, and she looks back up at me, and her frown turns into the brightest of fake smiles. She nods her head. Her hand is still pressed on my chest and begins to run up along my pec. I tense as it glides up around my neck pulling me to her. I think for a brief moment she’s drawing me in to kiss her, but she merely touches my forehead to hers, in some kind of weird embrace thing. My eyes look down, but her eyes are closed like she’s reveling in being close to me, and then suddenly she pulls back and smiles wide.
“Thanks for the chat, Mercs. I look forward to the show tonight. You’re coming to the after party, right?” she asks while taking off quickly away from me as she runs faster than I thought possible for someone so tiny.
Shaking my head at her strange behavior, I swallow hard and shrug. “Ahh… I guess?” I call back, and she waves as she fades out of sight down the hall.
What. The. Eff?