Lightening beckoned to me from the sky. Thunder came crashing violently from heaven. One time, Isaac told me that thunder was God going bowling, and when the loudest crashes came, it meant he got a strike. Me being my young, naive self, I believed him. Now, I know better-- I think. It's fun to think how you believed such stupid stories when you were younger. Who knows, someday I may be looking back at my fourteen, almost fifteen year old self and laughing at the things I believed in. Then again, the things I believe in these days are true.
"Hey Zac. Watching the storm again?" Taylor asked me, heading up the steps.
"Yeah. It's pretty exciting," I said. "You should watch."
"Nah, that's okay. Maybe next time. Do you want to do some work on a few new songs?" he asked me.
"Sure, okay."
"Great. You gotta hear this new one that I wrote. It's really awesome," he said. I climbed down from my perch at the seat next to the window. I took one last look at the sky and followed my older brother down the stairs and into the basement. Ike was looking over some lyrics he had recently wrote and looked up when we came down.
"Great, Zac's here. Lets look over the new song, Taylor," he said. "From what I've been hearing about, it should be an award winning song."
Taylor handed out lyrics and some music he had already written.
"With that look in your eyes,
I see that fire burning bright.
I know that look,
I've seen it one too many times.
But don't shut out the few
Who will still love and care for you.
I know things will
Finish their course soon."
I flipped through the rest of the lyrics. "Taylor, I think it's excellent!" I said.
"Yeah, you did an awesome job. We just gotta work out some more music for it," Isaac said. Taylor looked like a little kid on Christmas morning.
"Seriously? You guys aren't pulling my leg?"
"Nope, aren't you shocked?" Isaac asked.
"Shut up. Lets work on it!" Taylor said. I was surprised at how overly excited he was with this song. I sat behind my drums, ready to put in some hard, long hours with this piece.
* * * * * * * * * * *
After a few long hours (and the break of the storm outside), we had a few ideas down. Apparently, the song was going to have a rock beat similar to "Ever Lonely", and I would get to try some harder things on the drums. Because of this, Ike and Taylor would carry most of the vocals, but I was too jazzed about the drum part to think about singing.
The phone suddenly rang. Isaac picked up the extension downstairs and began to talk.
"Hello?" he asked. He walked a little bit away from Taylor and I. Taylor and I talked about different things to do in the song.
"I'd like to try using a tambourine as a high hat, and you playing that as you would the closed high hat," he suggested.
"Okay, snares on or off?"
"On. Think you're up for a lot of bass?"
"Yeah, I can handle it," I said, boastfully. "Tom tom's too?"
"Possibly. You'll be in charge of most of the drum stuff, but I do want a beat that'll challenge 'Ever Lonely', so you might want to work on that soon."
"That can be done!" I exclaimed. Ike looked over at us and hushed us. A worried look was on his face. Taylor and I stopped our conversation to try to pick up what Ike was talking about.
"Yes..........yes...........I'll be there shortly........thank you for letting us know. Good bye." Ike hung up the phone. He had a horrible look on his face, the look that there's something he doesn't want to tell us, but he has to anyways.
"Guys, sit down. Especially you, Zac," he said. I plunked down on the ratty old couch. Taylor sat next to me. We looked up at Isaac. I suddenly felt much younger than my actual age.
"Guys, there's been an accident," he started.
"Who? Anyone in the family?" Taylor asked.
"Not quite," Ike answered. He looked at me. "Danielle's back in the hospital."
Clunk. That was the feeling of my stomach falling way below my feet to the center of the earth and then being launched back up again.
"No..." I whispered. "It can't be."
"Oh my God...." Taylor started.
"Apparently, she got a really high temperature again and they had to take her back in for some tests," Ike told us, but looking at me.
"Just a high temperature?" I persisted.
"Well...not exactly," Ike said. "Danielle also fainted."
Down went the stomach again. "I....I....I have to see her! Where is she?" I asked.
"Cardinal Glennon. I'll take you there," Ike offered.
"I'm coming too.....Danielle......how could this have happened?" Taylor asked. I couldn't see the expression on his face, because my eyes were too blurry with tears.
"Lets go," was all I said. Ike and Taylor nodded. We all went upstairs.
"Where are you all going?" Mom asked. She took a look at my face-- my red eyes, my already splotchy cheeks. "Oh no......is it...."
"Yeah. It is," Taylor said quietly.
"Oh my.....don't worry, I'm sure she'll be okay," Mom said.
I didn't say anything. I just grabbed a coat out of the closet. Isaac told Mom some other stuff. I headed out to the car. I couldn't believe this was happening again.
Chapter 2
Watching Me Now
Kelly's Hanson Stories
