Flirting With Magick Read Online Free PDF Page B

guitar.
    “Hey.” Luke jumped off the stage and captured Kate and I in a hug. “Great that you could make it. Did you tell them you were with us? We put your names on the door.”
    I shrugged. “We didn’t know.”
    “Bugger. You could have gotten in for free.” The already muted overhead lights dimmed a little more, indicating the performance wa sn’t far away. “I’ve got to go. Come backstage afterwards.” He briskly headed for a door to the side of the stage, slapping a heavy set man guarding the entrance on the shoulder as he went through.
    The crowd waited expectantly for a few minutes as the lights darken ed even further and the loud techno, along with the low murmur of voices , faded out to silence. Nathan’s drumsticks counted in the beat, and Reckless Choice launched into their first song of the night. The dark stage sudde nly lit up with an assortment of coloured flashing lights that synchronised perfectly with the intricate riffs and beats.
    I was more impressed by their performance tonight than I had been at their last gig. I supposed much of it was due to actually knowing them in person this time around. Daniel expertly excited the crowd with his banter in between songs so that by the time the final song started, the whole nightclub was a sea of people dancing, screaming, and generally having a good time. Luke, ever the show-off, took full advantage of a lengthy guitar solo while Scott, with his dark coolness, and Nathan, protected behind the drums, proficiently did their thing behind the two extroverts. It was clearly quite hot under the bright lights of the stage ; Scott’s hair stuck to the side of his head, Nathan had taken his shirt off, and I could see patches of dampness under Daniel and Luke’s arms.
    Two encores later, the DJ put on the doof-doof music again, and the coloured lights flashed across the crowded dance floor, making th e whole club look like the inside of a fast moving kaleidoscope. Kate and I made our way through the throng to the backstage door, my excitement mirrored in her eyes, only to have it quashed by the sturdy security guard eyeing us suspiciously.
    “We’re friends of the band,” Kate announced. He gave us a look that said, 'yeah right, I hear that all the time,' which made me have to stifle a giggle. They weren’t that famous!
    “This is Luke’s cousin,” she continued hopefully, batting her eyelashes at him, which I was sure only made the situation worse. Just then, through the slightly open door, we saw Silas walk past.
    “Silas!” We both yelled to the band’s manager. He turned and, not yet recognising us, also gave us a questioning look.
    “We’re Abby and Kate,” I declared quickly before he could turn away again. “I’m Luke’s cousin. We met at Springers.”
    His face slowly but surely morphed into recognition. “It’s okay, Andre.” He patted the bouncer's arm. “They can come in.”
    We thanked them both profusely and stepped through the entrance to the backstage rooms. Reckless Choice wasn’t a huge band yet, but it was still exciting to be invited to a more rarely seen part of their pub lic world. Silas led us down a short hall, past some toilet and shower doors , to a small dressing room. A slim and pretty blonde was standing inside the entrance to the room talking to a stylish, petite woman with a dark , chin-length bob. I recognised the blonde from a soap-opera on TV– Daniel’s girlfriend. He was nowhere to be seen as people squeezed past. Neither was the rest of the group.
    “Hi, ladies,” Silas greeted them as he jostled through. He turned around to us. “This is Daniel’s girlfriend, Stacy, and Linda, our PR consultant.” Then he introduced us as “Abby, Luke’s cousin, and Kate.”
    “Hi,” we all said in unison.
    “They were great, weren’t they?” I craned my neck to see over the crowd of about fifteen people packed into the small room. I could swear it wasn't much bigger than my bedroom. “Where are the