CHAPTER 8

For the next two weeks, our lunches were spent in the school's music room. We've decided to play Five Finger Death Punch and Avenged Sevenfold songs at this coming fair. It would last for six hours and we would take a 15 minute break every hour. We could take as many breaks as we wanted, but we didn't want to go see the rest of the fair, so we didn't mind doing it this way.

The day of the fair came, and the massive schoolyard was transformed. There were food vendors, people selling drinks, game stalls, and a decent sized stage. We had brought our equipment from the castle since this was our first concert as a band. Our attire was black skinny jeans, white shirts, and black sneakers.

Principal Gray walked up to the microphone and spoke to the gathered crowd. "Thank you all for coming to our annual fair. This is our fifth fair and we wanted to make it special, so we have a band formed from our very own students. Please give a welcoming cheer for Dragon's Blood!" As she finished her speech, the crowd cheered as we walked up to our instruments.

Giving the principal a nod, we started playing Welcome To The Family by Avenged Sevenfold. It was a fun song that set everyone in a good mood. As we played, people wandered around the booths and some stayed to listen to the music. This was fun and I was getting into the music by the end of the second song, Afterlife, which was also by Avenged Sevenfold. By the end of the first hour, we took our first break and got something to eat and drink.

While we ate, someone came up to us. We didn't know them, but they seemed determined to talk to us. "My name is Helena, and you guys are Dragon's Blood, correct?" The mystery lady, Henna, asked us. We nodded and I was wondering what she wanted. "I want to ask you a question. Do you want a manager? One would be able to help you set up concerts, sponsors, and help spread news about your band. It's hard to find a promising band like yours, that's not already claimed by a company."

We hesitated at this unexpected turn of events. The idea of a contract was daunting, and she seemed to sense that. "Don't think that this is like a contract. It's not, I promise. You can decide when you want to cancel at any time and you won't be bound by anything." As she spoke, we could see honesty in her eyes. She gave us a card with her contact information before slowly walking away. The last thing she said was for us to think about it and to call her if we decided to proceed.

Getting back onstage, we continued playing. Everyone had fun and pretty soon, the six hours had passed. As we were packing our equipment, Principal Gray and our parents walked up to us. The principal thanked us for playing and said that she would give us all extra credit for doing this. Our parents congratulated us on a wonderful concert and were surprised by the manager showing an interest in us.

"That's amazing, honey! We're so proud of you! If you want, we can call her tomorrow and set up a meeting, that way, we can be there as well." My mother was excited for us, and that made my brothers and I excited as well. As we left the school, there were a lot of students telling us how great of a job we did. It made me feel proud that they were slowly changing their view of me, but I didn't get my hopes up too high. They could always go back to their normal behaviors tomorrow. With today being Thursday, as well as the fair, that meant that tomorrow was going to be a half day.

The trailer that had our equipment was being driven back to the castle by a servant, so we didn't have to worry about them. With that taken care of, my family and I walked back home. Walking home was pleasant, with the wind blowing and the smell of freshly cut grass in the air. We talked about how cool it would be to have a manager and do concerts for bigger crowds. The idea was exciting and we couldn't wait for our parents to talk to Helena.

At school the next day, we were apparently the topic everyone was talking about. I was a bit embarrassed, but at least they weren't saying anything negative. True to the principal's words, we got the extra credit, and it came in the form of free periods today.

After school, we headed home to meet our parents. They had already called Helena and set up a meeting for tomorrow at Granny Ann's Diner for lunch. The next day, I got ready for the lunch meeting. I got dressed in my baggy black cargo pants with a studded belt and chains, a Five Finger Death Punch muscle t-shirt, and black combat boots. To finish my look, I spiked my hair, wore my necklaces and earrings, and a mask that covered the lower half of my face. It had chains hanging from the top part and, because of school policy, this was the only time I could wear it.

I usually wear one when I go out in public since I was extremely self-conscious about my fangs. When I walked downstairs, the rest of my family was already ready and waiting for me. We walked to our vehicles and drove to Granny Ann's Diner. It was a twenty minute drive from our home, and soon we were being led to a table. The wait wasn't long, and soon Helena was led to our table.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I am willing to answer any questions you might have." Helena spoke when she had sat down. The waitress arrived and gave us menus, then took our drink orders. Granny Ann's Diner had amazing food, and we all placed our orders when the waitress returned. I ordered a double order of liver and onions with broccoli and a biscuit. We decided to eat our food and make small talk before getting down to business.

"I do have one question for you." My mother spoke after wiping her mouth. "Are you sure they won't be under any contracts?"

"Yes. The process is contract free, and my company will pay for the managers on the band's behalf. We will also set up a bank account for the band that will be used for sponsors to put money into. My company, Helena's Voice, is dedicated to helping new bands flourish as much as possible." As Helena explained everything, I was impressed. She wasn't after our money, like most companies, and was willing to spend money on the band in order to make money.

After a very good conversation with her, we agreed to get a manager through her. She was happy and, after we gave her our contact information, she said that she would send our new manager to our house soon. We left the Diner and walked around the town instead of going home. The town was busy today, and we eventually decided to go to the mall instead. It was the biggest one in this area, and even had a full-sized movie theater inside.

Walking inside, we aimlessly walked around until we got to Hot Topic. I told my family that I would find them later, and went into the store. This was one of my favorite stores to go to, and it was where I got most of my accessories. Looking around, I picked up a pack of studded lip piercings, more chains for my pants, and black nail polish. After I paid for my items, I left to go find the rest of my family. They were at a shoe store that wasn't far away, and I even found a new pair of combat boots.

The boots were knee high, with a zipper on the inside, and buckles going from the top all the way down to the ankle. My parents said that they would buy them for me, as a gift for getting a manager and the band being recognized by others. I didn't care if the band got recognized or not, as long as my family supported the idea, that would have been enough for me.

Leaving the mall, we went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner before heading home. Tomorrow was going to be a long day since the training with my godfathers was starting again. They gave me time off because of the issues I had after the fight with the Hunters Association members. I appreciated the break, but I couldn't wait until I could train again.

The next day, I got dressed in shorts and sneakers with no shirt on, and headed to the backyard. My godfathers were already waiting for me, and the training session finally started. Nixis and Umbra were the first ones to come at me. The pinning and throwing techniques of Nixis's aikido and Umbra's krav maga techniques worked very well together. It was a challenge to defend against both of them but after thirty minutes, Nigel called them to switch. He chose a side sword made of wood, while I chose a wooden Thracian Sica sword.

As we started fighting, I knew he wasn't holding back. Nigel was a master with any kind of blade. I mean, 2,000 years of living would make anyone a master at something. Fighting against Nigel wasn't just testing my skills with blades, but also my footwork and how I carried myself throughout the fight. If I lost focus, even by a little bit, he would take advantage of it.

"Andrew! The manager is here!" My mother's call drew my eyes to her direction, and that was all Nigel needed. Before I knew what was happening, he hooked one of his ankles around one of mine. The world spun before the ground reached up and smacked me in the face. Sitting up, I spat out dirt and swore while Nixis and Umbra laughed.

Nigel chuckled while he helped me up, and then he spoke. "You did well, Andrew. Need to work on not getting distracted, but not bad overall." His smirk made me grumble a 'yeah, right.' Nigel laughed again before continuing. "I mean it, kid. You weren't bad, especially after not sparing for a while. Now, go take a shower before seeing what your mom wants."

Turning away from him, I walked back to the house. Mom was standing on the back porch with a lady I haven't seen before, and my guess was that she's our new manager. "Hey, mom." I greeted her as I gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Let me take a quick shower, then I'll meet you guys in the living room." My mom said okay, and I ran upstairs to wash the sweat off my body.

After the shower, I got dressed and put another mask on. This one said 'I Bite' sewn in red thread on the black fabric. Walking downstairs, everyone was in the living room. I sat down on the couch with my brothers, my parents were on the loveseat, and our manager was sitting in the armchair. When everyone was seated, the lady spoke.

"Before we get down to business, I would like to introduce myself first." She paused, and we all nodded for her to continue. "My name is Hena and I am currently 26 years old and a graduate from the local college. I have been working for Miss Helena for six years now, and I really do believe that we can help your band gain recognition and prosper well." As she spoke my brothers and I couldn't help but smile, at least until I heard the next thing she said. "I believe the first step should be an interview with the boys. That way, people would be able to learn more about them outside of the band."

My parents thought it was a good idea, but I didn't like talking about myself much. Though, they did give me permission to mention that I was a Dragon shifter. That would make it a bit easier, that way I didn't have to think of lies regarding my features. I still didn't like the idea of an interview, but it was for the band, so I would do it.

Hena set up the equipment and started with Josh, then Adam, Damian, Dominic, and finally it was my turn. I moved to the chair beside her, so that I was in front of the camera pointed at her. When I sat down, she started talking.