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Looking Through the Lens

Chapter One

Anna

Anna double-checks her photography gear. Camera? Check. Extra memory cards? Check. Lens? Check. She sighs, bracing herself for what is to come. She silently curses Bruce, her boss, for assigning her to something so opposite to what she had in mind for a photography project. She imagined she’d most likely need the bottle of Advil sitting at the bottom of her camera bag later on.

Here goes nothin’, she thinks to herself, stepping up into her truck to make the drive to the concert venue.

The noise from where Anna stands outside of her truck—she’s got to be at least two football field-lengths away—is already headache-inducing. The sound of heavy drum beats, screeching electric guitars and—is that, screaming?— pierces the air, and Anna finds herself clutching the bottle of Advil, debating on whether or not to just down the entire bottle now. Heaving another sigh, she makes her way to where the band she is assigned to photograph for the next three months will be. Bruce mentioned something about Of Mice and Men, but why he would bring up an old classic book in regular conversation like that mystified her. Flashing her media pass to the ticket-takers up front, Anna makes her way to the stage.

Clutching her camera bag for dear life in the crowd of what she judges to be rebellious, angsty teenagers, Anna finally makes her way to the stage. She flashes her media pass again to the security guards, and she is let in to the small space between the pit and the stage. Now all there is to do is wait.

Austin

“Two minutes, guys! Are you ready?” Roy, the band manager, shouts over the chanting crowd.
“FUCK YEAH!” Austin shouts, the rest of the band smiling and high fiving in anticipation. One minute to go. Oh, fuck it, Austin mutters, and bolts out on stage, motioning for Alan, Tino, Phil and Aaron to follow. They are all greeted by an uproar of screaming from the fans. Austin takes a moment to let the sight sink in, grinning from ear to ear. There have got to be thousands here. And they’re all here for us, he thinks to himself in amazement. He looks back at the band, who all have matching looks of awe and pride. Turning back to the crowd, Austin grabs the mic.

“WE ARE OF MICE AND MEN!” He screams, halfway interrupted by an eruption of cheers. Tino starts the drum beat for “YDG,” and all hell breaks loose in the crowd, moshpits appearing in seconds. Austin grins.

Anna

Anna is literally blown back by the wall of sound that explodes from the five-piece band. She knew the band she had been assigned to was so-called “heavy,” but not this heavy. It’s actually a bit frightening. And she can’t even understand what the lead singer is screaming. The volume is too much for her, and she finds herself tugging out her earplugs and stuffing them into her ears.
She gazes around in amazement at the excitement filling the air. Everyone in the crowd has rushed forward, pinning the people in the front to the railing. Upon closer observation, Anna spots a young girl much shorter than herself being shoved so hard into the railing, her mouth is open and her eyes are bugging out. Her neck is being forced into the railing, and Anna realizes that she is choking. Dropping her camera bag, she runs over to the girl, attempting to push her back into the crowd a bit, away from the railing. The girl doesn’t budge, as the opposing force of hundreds of other people is far too strong. Anna whips her head around, looking for a security guard. She spots one and motions to him desperately, but as he makes his way to her, the music is interrupted.

“Woah, woah, woah, wait a second! Hold up!” The lead singer yells, cutting off the band. A screech from the microphones fills the air. “We’ve got a girl up here who is literally choking on the railing,” he continues, eying the crowd, “so I need everyone to take five steps backwards. Now.” Anna is shocked by how quickly the crowd complies. The girl finally takes a step back, gasping for air. The security guard reaches over the railing and plucks her from the crowd, carrying her to the nearby first-aid tent.

“Thank you,” the lead singer purrs into the mic. “Now listen,” he continues, “we are a family here. We take care of each other. So when you see someone struggling in the pit, you crowd-surf them the fuck out of there. Okay?” The crowd cheers in reply. “ALRIGHT. NOW LET’S KICK SOME ASS!” He counts off the band, and the music ensues. Anna stares in amazement at the chivalry of the frontman. He gazes down at her, and realizing the potential for a great shot, she snatches up her camera and snaps a photo. In the preview of the photo on her camera’s screen, she notices something: he’s winking.

Austin

“Dude, good call on making the crowd move back,” Alan says to Austin, slapping him on the back. Austin smiles, putting an arm around his buddy. The show was brutal, to say the least. And that’s exactly how he likes it. Sweat is still pouring from his skin, and he uses his shirt as a makeshift handkerchief. He hears a soft clicking sound from behind him, and turns around to see a young woman in her twenties with a camera pressed to her face.

“Hello,” he says to her, moving closer and extending a hand. Taking it, she smiles shyly and says, “Hi, I’m Anna.”

“Anna.” The name suits her freckled face and long blonde hair. “I’m Austin.”

“Nice to meet you. I’ll be your tour photographer for the next three months.” Austin notes her soft southern drawl. They smile at each other, and Austin turns back to the guys, who are also trying to cool off from the show.

“This is Anna. She’s our tour photographer, so she’ll be traveling with us for the next three months.” Alan leans over to Tino, making a comment and nudging his side. They both giggle. Anna shifts her gaze to her feet self-consciously. Austin guides Anna to where the band is standing, and they all take turns shaking her hand and introducing themselves. The impact of a cute girl on the band is comical to Austin, and he finds himself smiling, excited to see how things will turn out with Anna around.

Notes

Hey there! So this is a story my friend and I are team writing on our tumblr.
It would be awesome if you guys could give us a follow, and let us know what you think!

Comments

Are you still working on it...? ;-;
Luna Moon Luna Moon
11/21/13
@GABBYC
I'm so sorry we haven't been able to write at all in the past two months practically! Between jobs and classes full time, there's not much time leftover. But we'll definitely be finishing the next chapter soon!
outside-reality outside-reality
9/28/13
really hope you update soon ):
GABBYC GABBYC
9/27/13
i love the writing style!
@Beautifulimperfections
Nice! I have a friend who lives in Charlotte. :)
outside-reality outside-reality
8/31/13