The Masquerade by Alexa Rae Read Free Book Online

provocative dance on stage, moving his hips back and forth. I laughed along with the rest of the crowd and adjusted my stare to the bass player in front of me. I loved to watch guitar
    players work their magic. Jesse was the first to catch my eye. The way his fingers flew over the frets while he bobbed his head to the tune. He was in his own little world, deep concentration set in his features.
    When I was younger, I dreamt of becoming the best guitarist the world had ever seen. Growing up, I learned quickly that the music industry was burning badly, and a savior was in need. I daydreamed constantly of being
    that super hero in a kick ass band, bringing back the meaning of Rock and Roll. Standing in the bar, I knew someone had already beaten me to it. The Masquerade had an eighties rock in their sound, mixed with the modern screaming, hardcore persuasion. The quality of their sound was pure. Now that I had seen them
    perform live, I knew they were that band. Each player owned the crowd, including myself. They introduced us to the dark world that inspired their songs and dragged us into that darkness with them.
    I was entranced by Jesse's playing. I hardly noticed his stare. I turned my head slightly, with the feeling that someone was watching me, and met a pair of dark, boundless eyes. The power that held our gaze knocked the
    wind out of me. Ben continued to pour his heart into the song, but our eyes locked in an intensity that threatened my knees to buckle.
    I felt someone punch my shoulder. I knew it was Hayley, but I didn't dare look at her. Ben's head tilted slightly to the side, as his eyes
    grazed over my face. Something changed in his cryptic expression, but I couldn't identify what it was. His presence was more that just a little captivating. I found it difficult to remember to exhale. His eyes lit, as
    though he enjoyed my inability to breathe. The corner of his lips rose slightly; he watched me with interest. He now stood at the edge of the stage, directly in front of me, his eyes still locked with mine. He screamed into the microphone when the song called for it, but his eyes returned to mine.
    After a few stolen moments of eye contact, Jesse, who played inches away, moved beside the lead singer, slamming his hands a little harder against the strings to get his attention. Ben blinked and broke the moment we
    shared. He returned his eyes to the rest of the crowd. He quickly worked his feet backwards and ran over to the other side of the stage in order to sing for rest of the audience, who wasn't pleased with the deprivation of Ben's
    attention. My eyebrows creased and my mouth hung open slightly, as my mind ran over what had just happened. Shiloh and Hayley finally snapped me out of my trance.
    "He was seriously staring at you," Hayley managed
    to shout in my ear.
    A noise came from Shiloh that sounded like a giggle. "It was really sweet," she paused, "In a dark and dangerous sort of way." I didn't respond. I was too shocked to formulate a response to
    their comments. I stared into the stage as if it owned my soul. I smiled a little to myself while trying not to read too much into what just occurred.
    Hayley pointed to my face. "See," she leaned forward to look at Shiloh, still pointing to my expression, "Mind
    fucked."
    Shiloh nodded in agreement. I ignored them both and continued to grovel in my bliss, the tiniest smile toying with my lips. Slyly, I looked over to see Ben in the middle of the stage. He shook his head
    violently and jumped repeatedly, before he bent his legs, the microphone at his mouth, and screamed into the chorus.
    " I sing as these lyrics burn inside of me. Another body down just like the rest. They're history. This sickness consumed our
    souls. We came back just like the others. This world is ours. " On the last word, he let out another scream that began deep within.
    His eyes narrowed when they settled on the microphone stand
    in front of him. A mischievous smile appeared on his face, before