Saturday was the day of the Battle of the Bands finals, and Vinnie was still missing. But the show must go on. A bunch of us were making posters for the event. Selena, Harmony, Andy, Raven, and I were all at Selena’s house with markers and poster board galore.
Selena’s room was immaculate, all white. It looked like an upscale hotel room. Even the carpet was white, so we’d taken off our shoes before we entered. The morning was chilly, so she had a toasty fire roaring in her fireplace.
“Where is everyone else?” Raven asked. “It’s so quiet here.”
Selena looked amused. “Sleeping,” she said. “My aunt is married to a vampire, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” Raven said sheepishly.
“We can work on the floor,” Selena suggested. “We’ll have more room that way.”
I was horrified. “What if we get marker on the carpet?”
She laughed. “Don’t worry,” she said. “If I can get bloodstains out, I can get a few marker stains out.”
I didn’t ask what that meant.
Andy handed out markers and poster board. Harmony hummed as she worked, but when I looked over at her poster, she’d written HELP ME in big block letters.
“You guys,” I whispered. “Something’s wrong with Harmony.”
Harmony pitched forward and collapsed.
“She fainted!” Andy said.
“Get a washcloth and wet it with cold water,” I said. “And let’s move her to the bed.”
Harmony was unconscious, but breathing. We put her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
“She’s been singing in German again,” Selena said.
“What? But I threw the sheet music away,” I told them.
“She got it back somehow,” Selena said. “I saw her with it yesterday.”
“We need to find that music and get rid of it once and for all,” Andy said. She rummaged through Harmony’s bag. “It’s not in here.”
“Where would she keep it?” Raven asked.
“Somewhere close to her,” I said. “Check her pockets.”
After a moment, Raven held up the sheet music. “What should I do with it?”
Either Harmony found the sheet music or the sheet music was finding Harmony. I wasn’t sure which it was, but there was only one thing to do.
“Burn it,” I said. I gave Selena a questioning look and she nodded.
Raven threw it into the fireplace and a sickly green glow emanated from it. We watched as the edges caught and then burned. Finally, there was nothing left but ashes.
Harmony sat up and put a hand to her head. “What happened?”
“I’ve seen spells like this,” Selena said. “That sheet music must have been feeding off of you somehow.” Harmony had been wasting away, losing so much weight.
“Try to sing, Harmony,” I told her.
A few sickly notes came out of her mouth. I’d never been so happy to hear out-of-tune singing.
“You’re back!” Selena cried happily. “I don’t care if you can’t sing a note.” She gave Harmony a hug. It was the most emotion I’d ever seen Selena display.
“How are you feeling?” Andy asked.
“Like I’ve missed out on something,” Harmony said.
“Don’t you remember?” Selena asked.
“The last thing I remember was the estate sale,” Harmony replied. “I have a gigantic headache. Anyone have any aspirin?”
Raven handed over some Tylenol and an unopened bottle of water. Harmony took it and a few minutes later, the color slowly returned to her cheeks.
“What are we going to do about the competition?” Harmony asked. “There’s no way we’ll win when I sound like my normal self.”
We’d been so worried about her, we hadn’t thought what it would mean for their band, Magic and Moonlight.
“Connor has a great voice,” I said. “Maybe he could sing?”
Selena narrowed her eyes at me. I hoped she wasn’t going to be snarky just because I’d mentioned Connor’s name. She surprised me when she gave me a small smile. “Great idea, Jessica. And Harmony, do you feel up to playing guitar instead?”
“I know all the songs,” Harmony admitted.
“Harmony plays something like twenty instruments,” Selena bragged. “She’s almost as good of a drummer as I am.”
“That gives me an idea,” I said. “Harmony, I have a big favor to ask you.”
After the posters were finished, Eva and I stopped by Slim’s to ask Natalie if there had been any word about Flo and Vinnie. To my horror, the diner was closed. The big bay window was boarded up and there were shards of glass on the sidewalk. I picked them up and put them in the trash.
Officer Denton pulled up in his squad car as I was leaving.
“What happened here?” I asked.
“A bunch of Hamlin fans went berserk and trashed the place,” he said. “It’s a wreck inside. They won’t be able to open up again for at least a week.”
“Are Slim and Natalie okay?” Eva asked.
“Shaken up a bit,” he said. “But they’re more worried about Flo.”
“We should help clean up,” Eva said.
“We will,” I assured her. “But first, we have to get to the park.” This round of the Battle of the Bands was held outdoors at the city park.
When we arrived, they announced that Hunter Verrat was no longer able to participate as a judge. He would be replaced by Professor Carmine, a semi-retired music professor at UC Nightshade.
The judges were sitting at a table front and center to the stage.
It was exciting. They’d narrowed it down to ten bands, and the finalists had been assigned slots at random, so Hamlin was performing first. Side Effects May Vary, which I guess meant us now, would be performing at seven on Saturday night.
Dominic peered over my shoulder at the list. “That’s the best performance slot,” he said with satisfaction.
“Do you really think we stand a chance?” I asked. “Jeff is a much more experienced performer than I am.”
“I don’t think Jeff loves music anymore,” Dominic said. “He just loves the attention. That wouldn’t get us any points from the judges. We’re better off with you, so don’t be nervous. Okay?”
He gave me a little sideways hug. I hugged him back. “Okay.”
While we talked, Brett Piper rushed by. “Has anyone seen my guitar?”
Another missing instrument? It could be a coincidence, but my curiosity was piqued.
“Let’s help Brett find his guitar,” I said. I grabbed Dominic’s arm and dragged him along with me.
Brett shouted at the poor guy who was their roadie. “What do you mean, you haven’t seen it? It’s your job to look after the equipment.”
“Brett, it was here a minute ago,” the guy replied.
“It’s not here now!” Brett screamed. “Hal, I can’t go on without my guitar. Now find it!”
“On second thought,” I said, “Brett can find his own guitar.”
I wondered if Brett’s guitar was magic too. Come to think of it, I’d never seen him playing that magic flute that the Piper used.
The public library was adjacent to the park, so they’d temporarily converted offices into dressing rooms for the bands. Musicians were crammed into every available space.
“Do you want to hang out and catch some of the other bands?” Dominic asked.
“Are you asking me as a band mate or as a date?” I replied.
“Both, I guess,” he said. “I want to spend time with you and I want to hear what you think of the other bands.”
“Then lead on,” I said.
Dominic took a quick look at the schedule. “Drew Barrymore’s Boyfriends are up next,” he said.
“Even without Scotty?” I said. “That seems harsh.”
“I know,” Dominic agreed. “But the rest of the band is convinced that Scotty would have wanted them to play.”
“It’s so sad, though.”
He nodded. “It is. Want to get something to eat and then check them out? I think they’re our biggest competition.”
We walked to a food kiosk for a quick snack, then headed back to the stage to watch the performance.
Drew Barrymore’s Boyfriends had just started their set. Trevor announced that the first song was a tribute to Scotty Turntable, who’d tragically drowned. It was called “Couldn’t Even Swim” and was a lament about how confusing Scotty’s death was, considering he usually went to great lengths to avoid water.
Brett Piper from Hamlin was sitting on a blanket on the lawn, surrounded by a bunch of college girls.
DBBF did two original songs and then a cover of a Go-Go’s song, which was an interesting choice for them. The crowd’s applause was loud and long.
When it finally died down, Dominic said, “That’s what I thought. They’re the band to beat.”
A song began to play in the distance. One of the other bands was probably warming up, but there was something about the melody that sent a chill through me.
Trevor, the lead singer of Drew Barrymore’s Boyfriends, was surrounded by fans, but the mob was no longer friendly. There were screams and shouts and then Trevor disappeared from view.
Two girls tugged on his arms like he was a wishbone while another one grabbed his shirt and ripped it off him.
“I think Trevor needs help,” I said. Then I was up and in the middle of the group of girls. “Break it up!” I said. “What is wrong with you people?”
They wouldn’t listen to me. A tall brunette reached over and pulled out a chunk of his hair, which had to hurt.
Dominic had joined me. “Jessica, we need to get him out of here!” he yelled. “They’re out of control.”
I stood in front of Trevor while Dominic hauled him to his feet. The fans rushed us again, but I managed to block them.
“I think it’s the music,” I said. “They won’t stop as long as that music is playing.”
“Where’s it coming from?” Dominic asked.
Trevor climbed on top of a picnic table and stood there. We climbed up after him. His lip was bleeding and he looked somewhat dazed. A few of the fans still tried to reach him.
“Where’s security?” Dominic asked. “There’s got to be some bouncers here, with a crowd this size.”
I pointed to a big guy who had one of Trevor’s feet and was tugging off his shoe. “He is security. We’ve got to get Trevor out of here,” I said. “Or stop the music.”
“You take him to my car,” Dominic said. He tossed me his car keys. “I’ll find out where the music is coming from and meet you there.” He jumped off the picnic table and shouldered his way through the crowd.
People were swarming us as the music continued to grow more ominous by the second. I was afraid we wouldn’t make it to the car if we left the relative safety of the picnic table.
A girl with pink streaks in her hair and long fake fingernails jumped up on the table. She clawed at Trevor’s face, but I blocked her and then shoved her to the ground.
A tall guy in a beanie and ripped jeans reached for Trevor’s leg and tried to drag him off the table. I kicked him until he lost his grip, but he and the rest of the fans kept coming. I couldn’t figure it out. It was a seemingly random outbreak of violence. These people were determined to hurt Trevor and I was determined to stop them.
The crowd started throwing anything they could get their hands on—food, full soda cans, and even a beach chair, which I managed to grab and use as a defensive weapon.
I thought about making a break for the nearest tree, but I wasn’t sure Trevor was up for climbing.
Without warning, the music finally stopped and so did the attack. The mob lost interest in Trevor immediately. It was like a switch had been turned off. Within minutes, the concert-goers were back to sitting on the grass, hanging out, and tossing Frisbees.
I helped Trevor down. He was limping, and a large bruise had formed under his eye from where a soda can had hit him.
“What was that all about?” he said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I’m going to find out. Can you walk?”
He nodded and we headed to the car. Dominic caught up to us a few minutes later as I was unlocking the car door.
“Jessica, you’re bleeding,” he said. “I shouldn’t have left you.”
I looked down. There was a long scratch on my left arm. “I’m fine.”
“Did you see where the music came from?” I asked him.
“No,” he said. I followed the sound, but it stopped before I could get to the source. “But I found this.” He held out a satin jacket that had HAMLIN embroidered on the back. I turned it over and saw the name on the front.
“I think the Pied Piper is Brett,” I said.
Dominic didn’t even ask any questions. “We’re going to have to prove it. Let’s get out of here.”