* * *
There was a quiet laugh from behind them, and they turned to see Mickala leaning against the doorway for support, her face still pale. “I know that feeling too well,” she said. “It took a little while before I told Aiden the truth about myself, and it almost cost me the best thing to ever happen to me.” Aiden helped her sit down, and Nehela brought her the tea. She shook her head at the brothers. “Chad, Philip, sit down. You three,” she looked hard at Aiden, Ian, and EJ, “stop with the bloody interrogation. I’ve been alone with one or both of them more times than I can count. If they wanted to hurt me, I think they would’ve done so by now. Hell, they could’ve just popped off the plane if they’d wanted and let it go down. Of course, I wish they could’ve told us before now, but it really isn’t that big of a deal. I mean, it’s not as if we go up to every demon and tell them who we are.”
They had to admit the truth of the last one, and Mickala looked at all of them. “This shouldn’t change anything” she said. “We’ve been a family, and we’re still going to be a family. The only change is that we don’t have to hide anything, keep any more secrets from each other.” They all nodded, knowing she was right, but also knowing it was going to take some getting used to.
It was a couple of days later when their video debut on TV, and it seemed as if they were having to be everywhere at the same time. It didn’t take long for EJ, Aiden, and even Ian to see the wisdom of Mickala’s words, and before long, they were as close as ever. They had a huge album release party, and many of their label-mates were there to show their support. Mickala couldn’t help but laugh as dream after dream of Chad and Philip’s came true.
Ari was there, of course, and standing with him was David Draiman. Mickala’s uncle introduced them, and they all shook hands, David congratulating them on ‘Fallen’s success. Ari grinned, knowing he was about to make their year, more so than it already had been. “David and Disturbed are heading out on tour soon to promote Evolution, and they’ve specifically asked for The Demons as their opening act.”
Chad’s mouth fell open. “What?”
David laughed, his shaven head gleaming in the lights. “You’ve impressed me and the guys, and we’d love to take you on your first tour.”
“That’s incredible,” Mickala said. “Thank you so much. We’re honored.”
He grinned suddenly. “I have to admit, I’ve actually been following you guys for a while. I saw your Halloween performance last year on your YouTube channel, and I really dug what you did with ‘Down with the Sickness’. It’s one reason I’m glad you’re going with us. You can show us how you did that.”
Aiden shoved EJ forwards. “That was his genius, actually.”
The two ended up in a deep discussion over their music before they went up on stage to perform a few songs from the album. They had long since brought their instruments from Georgia, and they had felt like they’d been reunited with old friends. Before it was over, it had turned into a kind of jam session with the other artists getting up to sing or play with them.
Over the next couple of days, their album dropped, and they saw the sales and download numbers going up and up and up. ‘The Demons’ album began a steady rise through the charts, and they released their second single on the same day Ari called to tell them the album had just hit #1 on both the Rock and Mainstream charts. Everything just felt like it was a dream come true.
* * *
Within two months, they were on tour with Disturbed, and the experience was everything they could imagine and more. They learned so much from the veteran group, and Mickala felt as if she’d died and gone to heaven, being able to play and sing every night. By the end of the tour, eight months later, they felt and sounded as if they’d been doing it for years. The crowds were just as excited to see them play as they were the headliners, and after the show was over, the two bands would get together and have some highly creative and interesting playing sessions.
On the very last night of the tour, The Demons did their usual set, then Disturbed went out and killed it, just like they’d been doing every other night. At the very end, though, David called Mickala back out for a song they’d been working on the entire tour, a cover of ‘Sound of Silence’. It had always been one of Mickala’s favorite songs, and she had jumped at the chance to collaborate with David on it. Her own group watched just off stage, amazed. After the song, David gave her a little bow, and she responded with a fluid curtsy to a roar that threatened to bring the house down.
After the tour, they thought things would calm down, but when they released their third single, they realized they were already ready to get back to the studio. This album took them a little longer since they were working almost from scratch, but they showed nothing less than total dedication, and within six months, they released ‘Releasing the Demons’. Their fears of a ‘sophomore curse’ proved to be completely unfounded as it found its way to number one as well.
Their first video for the first single of the new album was a montage of them working in the studio and performing on tour with Disturbed. Disturbed had released a single for ‘Sound of Silence’ with Mickala, and it went viral in just days. Their own single had taken off, and within two years, they had two number one albums and four number one singles under their belts. They ended up buying a huge penthouse in the city, and they would bring the wolves and the Dellings up whenever they would be in New York for an extended period.
For the first time in a long time, everything finally seemed to go right for them. They were doing what they loved, and it was peaceful. Ian and Ari had grown extremely close, and something inside him finally broke, and he lost the last of his icy demeanor. Even his relationship with Mickala had changed. It had been one thing for them to think of each other as family, which they always had, but when they’d discovered they were really related, they’d gotten even closer. They were all surprised at how much research Ian was doing on his own about Elagonian history, spending hours talking to Ari and Michelle, who, given her father, was just as much an expert as the King himself. They told him about their old band instructor, Mr. Thomas, being an Original, and he called him to pick his brain about their planet.
About six months after ‘Releasing the Demons’ came out, they went out on tour again, but this time, they were the ones headlining, and Mickala was spending what little free time she had writing new material. The awards season began, and the invitations and nominations began coming in. Their first album was up for ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Rock Album’, but they also had nominations for their singles, along with ‘Artist of the Year’, ‘Best Rock Artist’, ‘Best Group’, and ‘Best New Artist’.
Their first awards show was also one of music’s biggest, The Grammys. With Mickala and Nehela’s looks and figures, the top designers were all begging for them to wear their creations. She chose a sapphire gown that was form-fitting, backless and strapless, and her hair was similar to what she’d worn at prom. Nehela was stunning in pale green, her hair and jewelry simple, and the guys were all in tuxedos. They stopped for just about every major news outlet for a quick interview, and all they could say was this night was a dream come true. Celebrities they’d only ever dreamed of meeting were coming up to them and congratulating them on their nominations and for their successes so far.
They finally got to their seats, which were only three rows back, and halfway through the night, they won their very first Grammy for ‘Rock Album of the Year’ for their debut. Mickala, Aiden, Ian, Chad and Philip all went up in disbelief. They tried to keep their thank-you’s short, but it was just a little while later before they went back for ‘New Artist’, then again for ‘Single of the Year’ with ‘Fallen’. As they went back up for a fourth time for ‘Record of the Year’, Mickala was in tears.
“To think, two years ago, we were just playing a handful of small gigs in Atlanta, and now, tonight, we’re standing up on a stage accepting an award we’re only ever imagined in our dreams, in front of so many amazing artists fro
m all genres who have inspired us, and who we’ve sung along with in the shower or in the car on the way to school, and for a genre that’s more difficult than most of to find true success in. This is truly a dream come true in so many ways. Thank you.”
They not only made a clean sweep, but they even performed a medley of ‘Fallen’ and ‘Into the Darkness’, their newest single, and the crowd was on their feet. They also cleaned up at the Billboard Music Awards, the VMAs, and American Music Awards, and perhaps even more special than the Grammys, but the People’s Choice Awards, fans themselves voted. The Demons performed on the VMAs and the People’s Choice Awards, then finally, they could continue their tour.
* * *
Six months later, they were in their hometown of Atlanta, and the crowd was completely electric, and sold out. Something about how the crowd was reacting made them step up their game up even more. After the last song, Mickala had already gotten off stage to get a bottle of water, but Aiden was still out there with the others, and he called her back out. “I’ve got something I want to ask you, Mika,” he said.
Mickala came back out, confused, but she waved at the crowd with a grin and shrug. Ian and the others were just grinning. “Okay, what in the world are you talking about?”
Aiden had his guitar slung around his back, and he took Mickala’s from her and set it on a stand beside them. “I was just thinking, and do you realize, it’s already been three years since we met? Whoever would have thought, on a hot, humid day in Miami, I would have found my soulmate, the one person I knew I could spend the rest of my life with. I can’t imagine my life without you, Mickala, and before you came along, it was something I don’t really care to remember, either. I know life is too short to do anything but what we truly want, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Her hand went to her mouth as he dropped to one knee, and Ian tossed him a ring box he’d been hiding behind his drum set all night. Aiden easily caught it with one hand, then he opened it. “Mickala Nicola Clarkson, will you marry me?”
The roar from the crowd seemed to swallow them completely, and he couldn’t hear her answer. He held his hand up to his ear, and she just nodded, tears in her eyes. The roar somehow increased as he slid the finger on her finger, and Chad, Philip, and Ian played various riffs on their instruments as he picked her up in his arms and spun her around before kissing her hard. They were both laughing when they broke apart, but they could barely hear themselves over the thirty thousand screaming people.
Chad clapped him hard on the back when they got off stage. “See? I told you, you had nothing to worry about. Look, I already know Ian’s going to be your best man, but you know you’ve already got your groomsmen, right?”
“Good grief,” Aiden said with a laugh. “I just asked her, and you guys are already trying to plan the wedding?”
Ian grinned, glancing at Mickala, who had her head together with Nehela. “And what exactly do you think they’re doing?”
Aiden laughed again, feeling as if someone had lifted an immense weight off his chest. “Good point.”
* * *
They tried to take a break for a few months, but the siren call of the studio and stage were just too much for them to ignore. When they released their third album, ‘Angels and Demons’, it fulfilled their contract obligation to Warner, and the other big name companies began blowing up Nehela’s phone, trying to entice them to sing with them. It all fell on deaf ears, however, and The Demons immediately re-signed for a long term contract. Mickala raised her eyebrows at her uncle over dinner one night. “Did you really think we’d go anywhere else?”
“Not really,” he said with a laugh, taking a sip from the glass of wine. “So, have you and Aiden figured out a date yet for the wedding?”
“As soon as we’re finished with the album and the tour. We’re shooting for the end of the summer,” she replied. “I do know it’s going to be an outside wedding. Neither of us are really religious, so having it in a church seems kind of pointless.”
Ari nodded. “Neither were your parents or grandparents. They all got married outside as well. It might have something to do with the wolf inside you,” he said with a grin. He leaned back. “So, is all of this everything you thought it would be?”
“And so much more. Nothing’s ever the same. Every day, there’s something new. Then, if you do a great job, you get to play dress up a few times a year, and get big shiny trophies for us to find a place for, and these big, pretty plaques with gold and platinum albums we have to find a place for on the walls,” Mickala grinned. They were in the New York apartment, out on one of the two large decks overlooking the skyline. It was a beautiful spring night, the smell of flowers overriding the smog.
Ari grinned. “I imagine you have a room just for the trophies and plaques.”
She shrugged, curling up on the chair she was sitting on after they’d finished eating. “I may or may not have converted my library into a trophy room,” she said. If she was being completely honest, it wasn’t only the library, but part of the living room and den also housed some of their impressive hardware.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I mean, you’ve gotten what? Three rock artists, two singles of the year, two albums of the year, one new artists, and two artists of the year? That’s just in your first three years. Many musicians go their entire careers winning nothing.” He shook his head. “Even without you being my niece and all, I knew just by how you sounded, The Demons would be a force to reckon with. I’m so, so proud of you guys. You’ve exceeded every expectation I’ve had. Rock is one of the hardest genres to really succeed in. I guess because it’s so hard to get mainstream radio play, and that’s what artists need to survive now. You could be the best in the world, but if no one hears about you, then it doesn’t matter how good you are. You guys not only did that, but you’re ruling radio right now. And what’s truly amazing is that it’s allowing the door to open for other groups to come out and slip through the crack you left.”
Mickala laughed. “Thank you, Uncle King. Well, I have to get going,” she said, looking at her phone. “I promised I would meet up with Nehela and go over ideas, which I’m pretty sure is going to include shopping.”
He held up his hands, laughing, and they got to their feet. “By all means, I’m the last one to stand in between women and shopping. I think I’d rather face Ciera again.” He laughed as she stuck her tongue out at him, then he hugged her. “It’s good to see you again, dear. Tell Michelle and my grandson I love them.” She promised she would.
It didn’t take long to finish their fourth album, and they soon started their first ever world tour. China, Japan, Australia, even Russia, and so many other amazing places were on their itineraries, and they were out on the road for almost a year. Even after four albums back to back and almost constant touring, they still weren’t suffering any burnout. Finally, they had to make themselves take a break after the tour so Mickala and Aiden could finish planning their wedding.
Twenty Seven
Night Flight
They decided to have it in the Parisian countryside. She’d fallen in love with it during their stay while on tour. The location she chose was perfect, being out in the countryside, but still close enough to the city so the Eiffel Tower was visible in the background.
It was a simple ceremony, but with an A-list guest list. Travis walked her down the aisle, and she only had three bridesmaids with Nehela being her maid of honor. Aiden had Chad, Philip and EJ as groomsmen, with Ian being his best man. Michelle and Travis had Alex with them, and she was beaming pure joy as she watched her son. Most of the other guests were friends from school they’d kept in contact with, or friends they’d made in the music industry. Of course, Ari was there, Malik only one step behind him, and he was ecstatic to see Michelle again, having been very close to her parents. One of Mickala’s other bridesmaids was Taylor Swift. The two women had met at an awards show and had almost immediately become surprisingly close friends. Just some other people
were Sully Erna of Godsmack, the entire group of Disturbed, and several other leaders from their genre. It was more than just rock legends, however. Lionel Richie, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, and Katy Perry were also there. There were many others who had wanted to be there, but had been attached to some other engagement, so had sent their well wishes instead.
They said their own vows, then lit a unity candle. Afterwards, they went back into the city, and the Paris branch of Clarkson Hotels had offered to hold and cater the reception. Well, demanded and refused to be told no might have been more appropriate. They had taken several pictures at the ceremony, then took some more at the reception, including the cake-cutting. Then, Mickala went into a small changing room and changed into another, shorter dress so she could dance easier. Their first dance was to ‘All of Me’, sung by John Legend himself, and Ed followed him with ‘Perfect’. She hugged them both, thanking them, and they blew it off, kissing her cheek.
After that, the DJ took over, and the party really got started. Ari claimed her for a dance while Aiden laughed, spinning Alex around the floor. “You look so beautiful, little heart,” he said, shaking his head. “You look so much like Angel, it’s amazing.” He looked at the diamond and sapphire necklace she wore, and he smiled fondly. ‘I remember when my brother gave Angel that necklace. It was her eighteenth birthday, and the first time I’d seen her since being brought to Earth from Solaris. I know Angel and Sathe would be so proud of you and Michelle right now.”
“Thank you, Uncle Ari,” she said, stretching up on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek.
Releasing the Demons: Solarian Chronicles II Page 24
