"For all the air that's in your lungs
For all the joy that is to come
For all the things that you're alive to feel
Just let the pain remind you hearts can heal." -Hate To See Your Heart Break

"No, I'm not saying I'm sorry. One day, maybe we'll meet again." I sang in my low, soprano voice, as the acoustics echoed along the walls of the spacious practice room. The sound of my voice stopped as Jared Leto's carried on, filling my ears as the soundtrack continued playing. With my eyes closed, I focused on his voice as I interjected my own versions of harmonies in order to coincide with Gabriel's vocals later on. In my hands were my drumsticks, tapping out a simple click every measure to keep the tempo in check.

Warmth radiated through my thin, skeleton tank as the heater beside me kept me cozy in the autumn weather. My wool sweater hung over the rim of the piano I was sitting in front of, as the heat currently billowing into my face deemed it unnecessary. The breeze blew strands of my chocolate-brown hair into my mouth, and I would swat them away every so often whenever it would get in the way of my singing.

Currently, I was alone in the music room, but only until the lunch bell chimed and I was swept back into reality. Ever since the rehearsal last week, the rehearsal when we found out that we were moving on in the competition, I've been practicing nonstop - with or without the guys. I just felt like everything was turning out right, and I wanted to keep it that way.

As the song proceeded to loop, I adjusted the silky white earbuds into a more comfortable position as I stretched my cramped arms and legs. Accidentally kicking the piano's side, its keys let out a faint melodious echo from the impact. The instruments in the song began to filter in through the buds, making me freeze and listen to the harmonies and chords intently. I situated myself back into my previous sitting position, lifting a hand to float over the black and white keys of the grand piano in front of me. As the chorus started up, I pressed the keys down accordingly to the harmony I was currently creating and sang once more, "No, I'm not saying I'm sorry. One day, maybe we'll meet again."

A small, satisfied smile crossed my lips as I nodded in time with the song, singing softly and pressing the correct keys on the piano. I didn't know how to play the instrument, but I managed to pick out which pitches were which and based it off that. Sometimes, perfect pitch can come in handy, like in this situation. Other times, like whenever Drake, Xander, or Zac were out of tune, it was a curse. As the thoughts of the boys in Chasing Avenues floated through my imagination, I became distracted and accidentally hit the wrong key, causing the harmony and enchantment of the song to break.

I hit the pause button on my beaten-up iPod, making a mental note that I stopped just before the bridge. The clock above the rack of cellos in the corner told me that I had about seven minutes left until lunch ended. Taking that as a sign that practice was over, I closed the cover over the piano keys and grabbed my backpack, stuffing my iPod, drumsticks, and other materials back into its folds. To think that it had only been a matter of weeks, and we were already on our way to winning the competition.

During the duration of those weeks, I found that I was actually getting along really well with the guys, even closer than when I still hung out with Carter, Amber, and the Twins. Gabriel still seemed to have it in for me, but besides him, the rest of Chasing Avenues seemed to really take me and Xander under their wing. And during those duration of those weeks, I found that there was this... this weird feeling inside my chest whenever I saw them. It was hard to explain, but whenever I was at practice, or hanging out with them, I just felt complete. Happy.

It really was something I didn't understand, but I kind of liked it. I liked feeling content with something, rather than ignoring any sense of feeling altogether. The guys and I also managed to get close with Tilted Reality too, and I still couldn't believe it. Sometimes, they would invite us over to their mansion and we would just chill. As if we were friends since childhood or something.

My life was changing rapidly, and I didn't know what to make of it. I knew that it was changing for the good, but that's what I was worried about. When things are just right, something unfortunate was bound to happen and knock me down.

In all honesty, I'm worried. I'm worried about Carter. I'm worried about being found out. I'm worried about not making it. I'm worried about Marco since I can't avoid him forever. But tomorrow, Chasing Avenues would be entering Round Two. If we move on, it would be a miracle. But it's a miracle I'm wishing for.

Glancing upwards at the clock, it told me that only a minute was left in the period, so I grabbed the apple I packed earlier out of one of the pockets in my bag and took a bite, standing up and heading for the door. As the bell above blared into my ears, I pushed past the door and into reality.

After failing a test in US History and avoiding another confrontation with Carter, the day finally came to an end. As usual, I grabbed the necessary items out of my locker and stuffed them into my backpack before yanking out Rev and heading towards the parking lot. It became habitual meet up at the old Chevy car parked in slot #148 after Zac explained how he always gave Drake and Gabe rides, so why not Xander and I too. But I always made him drop me off at least a block away from where I actually lived.

"Hey, Lacey!" Xander grinned, giving me a wave as I approached the car. Already there were Xander, Zac, and Gabriel. Drake still seemed to be no where in sight. I gave them a half-wave back, lugging myself over before popping the trunk and throwing my backpack carelessly into the vehicle, piling it on top of the others.

"Where's Drake?" I asked, crossing my arms and leaning casually against the side of his car.

"Flirting it up with a freshie." Zac wrinkled his nose, laughing. "Anyway, Vanessa just called and asked if we wanted to grab some coffee with them. You guys in?"

"Sure." Gabriel agreed with a nod, as Xander and I gave our silent affirmations too.

"Check it, guys." Drake's voice entered the conversation as the dark-haired boy stalked towards our direction with a triumphant grin on his face. In his raised fist was a piece of paper with scrawled numbers written upon it. "I got her number."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go." Gabriel rolled his eyes with an amused smirk before claiming shotgun and taking his seat. Xander opened the door for me, giving me a playful wink. "Ladies first."

Snorting, I gave a small twitch of my lips and shoved him into the seat. "My pleasure, miss." I slid into the spot beside him as he whacked the side of my head teasingly. Barely flinching, I pretended as if the movement was nothing and flicked him inbetween the eyes. Lately, I've been practicing not flinching or having a mental breakdown whenever someone made physical contact with me. It came in handy since the guys were a physical bunch. But even though, each touch feels like a burning sensation that no matter how much I stray away from the thoughts, it always seems to hit me like a bullet. Self-consciously, I pulled the sleeves down on my black sweater.

"Make way." Drake made a shooing motion in our direction. I pushed Xander over and scooted down to make room for Drake, realizing my mistake all too soon. Now I was sandwiched in the middle of four, obnoxious boys. "Turn up the radio." Drake added, reaching over my lap and pushing Gabriel to the side in order to reach the knobs in the front. Zac was already seated in the driver's seat as he swatted at Drake's hand.

"Yo, my car, my music." He declared, frowning at Drake through the rear-view mirror. Childishly, Drake pouted and and retracted himself, leaning against the window sullenly.

Zac pressed a button, and suddenly the car was alive with the sound of Arctic Monkeys. Turning down the volume a little, he smirked and said, "That's better." Turning on the ignition, Zac veered out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"I'm a puppet on a string. Tracy Island, time-traveling diamond, coulda shaped heartaches. Come to find ya fall in some velvet morning years too late. She's a silver lining lone ranger riding through an open space.

In my mind when she's not right there beside me I go crazy 'cause here isn't where I wanna be. And satisfaction feels like a distant memory. And I can't help myself, all I wanna hear her say is "Are you mine?"

As Alex Turner's deep baritone voice drifted through the vehicle, we all started to feel some of his magic as Drake began to bob his head to the sound. Xander grinned and adjusted his hands to look like he was holding a guitar, mimicking the chords to the song. Catching on quickly, Drake did the same as the two played air guitar along to the music.

As the second verse started, we heard Gabriel sing along- quietly at first until he gained confidence. We saw his grin through the rear-view mirror as he sang along and bobbed his head. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I need the deep end. Keep imagining meeting, wished away entire lifetimes. Unfair we're not somewhere misbehaving for days, great escape lost track of time and space. She's a silver lining climbing on my desire."

Biting my lip, I turned around and leaned over the seats, digging around the trunk area for my backpack. When I found it, I took out my drumsticks from the first pocket and quickly sat back down, listening to the song intently. As the refrain began to loop, I joined in with Rev, tapping away on the coffee placer by Zac and Gabriel's hands. All five of us began to sing, grinning at each other and pretending as if we were playing in front of an audience. At times, Drake would make these obscure noises as he mimicked the sound of the guitar and I tried not to smile at his antics. As Gabriel sang the main lyrics, the four of us sang back-up.

"And I go crazy 'cause here isn't where I wanna be. And satisfaction feels like a distant memory. And I can't help myself, all I wanna hear her say is 'Are you mine?' Well, are you mine? Are you mine tomorrow? Are you mine? Are you mine?
And the thrill of the chase moves in mysterious ways. So in case I'm mistaken, I just wanna hear you say you got me baby. Are you mine?

She's a silver lining lone ranger riding through an open space. In my mind when she's not right there beside me, and I go crazy cause here isn't where I wanna be. And satisfaction feels like a distant memory. And I can't help myself, all I wanna hear her say is 'Are you mine?'

Well, are you mine? Are you mine? Are you mine?"

The deep bass of the soundtrack made the vehicle vibrate slightly as we made our way to the local Dunkin Donuts a few blocks away from Weston High. With perfect timing, the song faded out to an end as Zac pulled into a vacant parking spot. He clicked off the radio before opening his door and climbing out, stretching. The others followed suit and I was the last to exit. I placed a hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun's rays overhead, scanning the parking lot for a sign of Tilted Reality's inconspicuous, ancient Volkswagon. Blake had told me that they used that car to avoid paparazzi, crazed fans, and to remain quote and quote "ninjas." Spotting it in a shaded corner underneath a tree, I nudged Xander and pointed to it.

The five of us headed towards the entrance of the cafe, entering and immediately being hit with the smell of coffee beans and frying dough. There was a minor amount of people in the cafe, some were situated at small tables with newspapers in their hands, while others were simply chatting over a good 'ol cup of Joe. I recognized a few of the people from school, only from occasionally glimpsing passing faces in the hall.

"Psst, guys. Over here!" I heard a fierce whisper that I mentally deemed too loud for a regular whisper, and I turned to see who had made the exclamation. In the corner of the room were two blonde girls and two boys with baseball hats upon their heads. Xander had to bite down on his knuckle to keep from laughing at the famous rock band's disguises. They were always changing whenever we met up with them, and sometimes their aliases were just too damn hilarious.

"Keeping it simple today?" Drake smirked at Kat, who had been the one to whisper to us. We just reached the booth, and slid into our usual seats. I took my spot next to Blake, offering a small half-smile- it seemed like I was doing that even more than usual. He grinned back in response, wiggling his eyebrows. Xander took the seat to the left of me as always. Gabriel sat beside Vanessa and Zeke, and Zac and Drake filtered in beside Kat.

Kat giggled and patted her blonde wig, twirling a piece of artificial hair. "It's strawbery blonde. You like?"

As their conversations drifted past my ears, I felt a gentle poke in my cheek and turned to face the culprit. "Yeah, Harnage?"

"I'm the designated orderer," He made an adorable face as his nose scrunched up. "Caramel latte with extra sugar and whipped cream, right?" I smiled at the fact that he remembered my usual order and nodded. It touched me a little that he even remembered the miniscule details that even Xander didn't know. "Be right back then." Blake announced, getting the remaining orders from the rest of Chasing Avenues and climbing over Zeke and Vee to get out of the booth.

I watched as his muscles rippled through the black Killers shirt he wore, and the way his jeans hugged his lower body as he made his way over to the counter- Oh, God. I'm turning into Amber. Shaking my head and looking away from him, I felt my cheeks start to warm and scowled.

"Thinking about me?" Xander joked, raising an eyebrow at my actions. Though his joke was light, I could sense his actual curiosity about the inner mechanisms of my mind.

"No." I muttered, shooting him a look. It wasn't you I was thinking about. I could practically feel Xander's ego deflate.

After some more good-hearted conversations (and Kat beating Drake in an arm wrestling match), Blake returned with his arms full of beverages. "Jesus, my body temperature is bipolar." He grunted, as he placed down the mixture of cold and hot drinks on the table. Grabbing my latte, he slid it towards me with a smile and then grabbed his own order- which I remembered as a french vanilla expresso with no milk, and scrambled over his bandmates once more.

Irritated, Vee slapped his butt and Blake's eyes widened as he lost his balance and crashed onto me. His face inches from mine, I found that I could hardly breathe as my eyes widened in surprise, mimicking his expression. My heart began to race as I realized he was so close that his forehead was nearly touching mine. For what seemed like an eternity, we froze in that position until I did the only thing I could think of.

I panicked.

His closeness brought on a barrage of unwanted memories that left me blanching and shoving him away forcefully. I could almost imagine the exact same scenario, but with another face. One whose expression wasn't twisted in surprise but malice.

Blake landed back on Vanessa and Zeke, who looked too shocked at my agressiveness to fully react to his impact. Breathing heavily, my panicked expression was being taken in by everyone at the table. Some looked at me in concern, while Xander looked like he was on the verge of laughter as he looked at Blake.

The boy in question lifted his head to glance at me, not budging from his current position. "Sturm, are you-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." I choked out, forcing down the need to cover my ears like a child just so I wouldn't have to hear his question. I'm not okay, I never was and never will be. There was no need to rub it in my face. Aware that everyone was still sating at me, I added firmly, "I was just surprised, that's all. Guys, I'm fine."

As the tension became choking, I found myself starting to panic again until Drake spoke up, "Damn, I imagine your folks didn't like playing Peek-a-Boo when you were little?" And just like that, the ice broke and everyone began to relax again.

Still feeling a bit out of sorts I excuse myself from the table and started off towards the women's restroom. I needed to get control of myself before tomorrow and to figure out why I was so wired up in the first place.

"Hey," Blake's voice sounded beside me as he caught up and met my pace. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now, partially because of what just happened.

"Not now." I hissed through gritted teeth, eyeing the corridor in which the bathrooms were located.

"I just wanted to make sure-"

"I'm fine." Having enough, I whirled around to face him, having an exasperated expression on my face. "You just took me by surprise, okay?" Blake bit his lip, unconvinced.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, not meeting my gaze. The drummer looked like a lost puppy and all I felt liked doing was patting his head.

"It wasn't your fault." I sighed, willing my hand not to run through his messy, dark locks. "You weren't the one who slapped your own ass anyway." That earned a chuckle from him as he finally glanced up to look at me. We were in another staring match, much like before. I don't know why I find his blue eyes so mesmerizing, or why I was so reluctant to pull away.

I found that as our bands began to get closer that he and I began to get closer as well. I always told myself that it was only my mind playing games on me because it was my obligation to get Blake to fall for me. But sometimes I find that I actually like being around him, and not just dealing with it.

"I should probably let you... pee now." Blake murmured in low tones, his cheeks lighting up. I smirked, patting his cheek lightly. "Meet you back at the table." He said quickly before skirting around me and heading back to the booth.

Watching him leave, I gave myself a mental slap and entered the bathroom. From there, I dove into the first stall, locking it and proceeding to band my hand against the door. It rattled lightly against the pressure, making my teeth chatter involuntarily. That boy was something I wasn't used to, most definitely. In a way, he reminded me of Drake and Xander but...

As I recollected my thoughts on what just happened back at the table, I realized what a mistake I made. I seemed vulnerable and exposed, something I hated, and something they didn't know about. I still hadn't confided in anyone about the abuse or Mike or my plans to leave, and I wasn't going to start now. Sometimes I think that my deal with Mike was starting to get the best of me, especially whenever Blake was around in close promiximity.

I would find myself staring into his eyes and getting lost, or feeling the need to see him or hear his voice. It was all just an illusion that my brain was creating in order to deal with Mike's orders. I wasn't actually going to fall for him, right? It was supposed to be the other way around.

For Christ's sake, I was just using Blake.

That fact made me wince as I rubbed my hands up and down my arms. I couldn't fall for him, nope. I wouldn't take it. He deserved someone better; someone not broken. I probably scared him with my reaction. But I couldn't help myself; memories are a curse to me not a blessing.

After a brief session in the art of wallowing in self-pity, I finally decided to exit the bathroom and go back to the table. Upon my arrival, I was greeted with smiles and fortunately, no one seemed to want to bring up anything.

"So, what do you guys think Round Two will be like?" Zac asked, sipping his ordered lemonade. The question seemed to be aimed at Tilted's direction, since they were signed under the record company hosting the contest.

"Well, they didn't tell us much. Only that it was going to be filmed live in a stadium and broadcasted across the nation. It'll be like you guys are legit rockstars playing for an audience." Vanessa replied.

"Holy shit." Drake's eyes widened, scratching the back of his head. "And then what? Like, people will vote online?"

"Bingo." said Zeke. He used his hands as gestures as he explained. "About a hundred bands were picked to enter, so the voting process in Round Two will eliminate about half of them. They're hoping for at least thirty bands to continue into Round Three."

"Holy shit." Drake repeated, his face losing color. I felt like blanching too. It was a lot of pressure to make it.

"Think of it this way. This round's a cleaning session. They get rid of unwanted messes and leave behind a sparkling room." Zeke nodded, taking a bite of the croissant he ordered. "You guys will be fine though."

"Look who's talking, you guys are professional." Gabriel snorted, frowning at this new information.

"As long as you guys practiced your asses off, I'm sure you'll make it in. Like we've said before, Chasing Avenues has raw talent that's hard to find now-a-days."

Remember our deal.

"I don't want to be rude, but why are you guys even in this competition?" I asked, taking this new direction of our conversation as an advantage. "Like Gabe said, you're professionals. And this is your label. You have an unfair advantage."

Vanessa squirmed in her seat, rotating her coffee cup as she tried to come up with an answer. Kat and Zeke didn't respond either, which made me even curiouser.

"Blake?" I turned to him, attempting a pouting face but my monotonous façade overpowered it.

"Honestly..." He bit his lip, frowning at me. "We don't know. We didn't even want to be in the competition." Zeke punched him in the arm, as if telling him not to say anything else. I raised one eyebrow.

"Then why are you guys in it?" Zac asked in confusion, leaning forwards in his seat.

Vee sighed and twirled her cup again. "Our manager told us to."

"Tom?" asked Gabriel, to which Vanessa nodded grimly. "But why couldn't you guys just say no?" I vouched not to say anything, since only I knew of their secret. But even if Tom was their father, they still had the right to decline, right?

"He insisted, saying how it was a great way to promote ourselves and that he had a plan of some sorts." Kat murmured, twirling another lock of her blonde wig.

A plan?

"A plan?" I echoed my thoughts, giving Katerina my full attention.

Instantly, she stiffened and stopped motioning her finger. I saw her eyes flicker quickly to Vee and the other girl's discreet shake of the head. Only I had noticed their exchange, while the rest of my band remained oblivious. Kat shrugged nonchalantly, twirling her hair again. "It's nothing, really. It's kind of like Tom's agenda book, not really a plan."

"Ah." Zac nodded, taking her answer in stride. I, for one, wasn't fulfilled.

"What's his agenda for you guys?" I continued questioning curiously.

Zeke glared at me and said, "None of your business. We don't even know." If the band didn't even know what Tom's plans were, then there was no point in interrogating them. But what exactly was that man hiding? Planning?

I took my first sip of my now-cooled latte, thinking things through in my head. The first thing I had to do after round two's performance was report back to Mike.

And tell him that we weren't the only ones hatching a plan.

--
Wow, this was a huge chapter. Haha, you guys are lucky. I hope this explains some more about the secrets floating around about Tilted Reality, and that they aren't as perfect as they seem. Stay tuned to find out if Chasing Avenues, Within These Cages, and Tilted Reality make it into Round Three.

This chapter is dedicated to my good friend closet_anarchist, because today was just such a kick-ass day. We got to talk to our role model, chooseitwisely, and she even fanned Nell! Today was such a good day. ;D

Song on the side is R U Mine? by Arctic Monkeys. I fucking love them so much.

Comment. Vote. Promote.

-Isa