Twisted Heartstrings

  Twisted Heartstrings

  Twisted Tragic #1

  A. Kelly Sweeney

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Toni

  2. Toni

  3. Lucius

  4. Toni

  5. Toni

  6. Toni

  7. Toni

  8. Toni

  9. Toni

  10. Lucius

  11. Toni

  12. Toni

  13. Toni

  14. Toni

  15. Toni

  16. Toni

  17. Toni

  18. Toni

  19. Toni

  20. Toni

  21. Toni

  22. Lucius

  23. Toni

  24. Lucius

  25. Toni

  26. Toni

  27. Toni

  28. Toni

  29. Toni

  30. Toni

  31. Lucius

  32. Toni

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2020 by A. Kelly Sweeney

  All rights reserved. No Part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  This novel is a work of fiction. While reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination. Any similarities to a real person, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  This book contains mature content.

  Cover & Formatting by: Raven Designs

  Editing by: Ink Machine Editing

  Dedication

  To my family, who have suffered through hours of me being tied to my computer while making my dreams come true. Without your support I would never have taken the chance to make this happen.

  Prologue

  Lucius

  6 years earlier

  Our summer is booked with back-to-back gigs every weekend. Sure, it’s only playing in bars, but you have to start somewhere. Yeah, we’re stuck doing covers at the moment while we finish working on our first album--we still have a few more songs to finish writing. Our goal is to make enough money this summer to buy some studio time so we can record an album and get our own work out there. We have some amazing songs written already; songs we've spent the last few years working on. It's been a huge learning curve taking what we hear in our heads and transferring it to paper. But we’re rising to the challenge, and I'm sure we'll just get better with time.

  Tonight we have a show that we’re excited about. We have a few gigs lined up for us at the venue over the course of the next few weeks. This venue is one that a lot of people frequent, so we will be getting a lot more exposure than we have at the bars where we've been playing. I can only hope that the girl I’ve been watching all summer is here; she's been to every show we have played so far.

  The DJ is playing music while we start setting our things up. We're early and just want to make sure things are ready for when we go on. Being early also means we can have a drink or two beforehand. One thing we’re all aware of is the perks of performing. It wouldn't be hard to pick up chicks. But then again, I'm not looking to score. I just got out of a relationship. We were semi-serious, but she wanted more than what I did at the time. She wanted a bigger commitment. I'm twenty-one, I’m not ready for that right now, and a woman deserves to have someone who can commit to her.

  As we play, I can't help but notice my mystery girl in the crowd and I smile to myself, glad that she showed up. She's absolutely gorgeous. I've never been attracted to blondes before, but I find myself attracted to her. The way she moves her body only shows off her figure more. The jeans and tank top she has on form to her body, but I prefer the summer dresses and skirts she's worn in the past. I've been attracted to other girls before, of course, but there's something about her that is different, and I can't figure it out. All summer I've been plagued by wanting to talk to her, but haven't worked up the courage to do it.

  When we finish our first set, we head over to the bar to get a drink. I can't help that I keep searching her out in the crowd.

  "Luc, you looking for that chick?" Alucard, my brother, asks.

  "Yeah," I answer, when my gaze finally finds her.

  "Then go talk to her and quit being a pussy. It looks like you might have some competition with the guys buzzing around her and her friend."

  I order my drink, hoping to work up the courage to talk to her tonight. I'm not normally the shy one of the group, but for some reason I haven't figured out how to approach her. The guys have spent the summer trying to get me to talk to her, and it's amused them that I haven't. Al has offered to talk to her for me, but I don't want him near her. I want her for myself. I almost fear that if he talks to her first, she'll want him rather than me.

  When we take the stage for our next set I look around for her and smirk when I find her on the dance floor again with her friend. As we play, I let myself get lost in the music, figuring I'll talk to her when the set is done. As always when she’s near, I can feel her eyes on me and I can't help but smile. I need to talk to her, soon.

  As we load the last of our equipment into the utility trailer that Nic's parents got for us, we can't help but feel excited. Tonight the bar is packed and everyone's having a good time. The guys are wanting to get back in to drink, and I'd like another drink to try to work up the courage to talk to the mystery girl who's been on my mind the whole summer.

  Walking toward the bar to order another beer, I can't help but search the crowd for her. I grab the beer my brother has waiting for me and scan the faces again; I don't see her. I feel a little disappointed, she's never left the bar early any time I've seen her.

  We enjoy a couple more drinks. Jasper, being our resident DD, will drive us and the gear home. Jasper doesn't drink much, which is how he ends up being our sober driver all the time. He's ok with it, and he doesn't really talk much about why he doesn't drink often. Don't get me wrong, he does enjoy the occasional drink with us, but he doesn't drink a lot.

  One week later

  We have another gig tonight. We took last night off, mostly because our parents wanted to do their annual end of summer get together. It has become a tradition. At the beginning of the summer we have one to welcome my older brothers home from school, and another at the end of the summer to send them off again. It’s a tradition we’ve kept up even after they finished school. Our dad wasn't pleased that Alucard and I chose not to go to college or university, but our mom supported our choice to go after our dream.

  Tonight, I didn't give a shit. Tonight was going to be the night I finally talked to her. As my brother said, I need to stop being a pussy and just do it. What's the worst she could do? Walk away from me? I doubt it, not after watching her check me and my brother out all summer. I just hoped it was me who she was interested in and not him.

  If there’s one thing I hate, it’s coming in second to my twin brother. For years, Al was always the first to do things. Marius, my oldest brother, was always there to help me get caught up to Al. But when I found out I was better academically than my brother, I was happy. I had finally found something I was better at than him. Then I found the guitar and I was hooked. Al picked up on it too, but I've always been the better of the two and he knew it. It's why when we formed Twisted Tragic, it was decided I'd be lead guitarist and he'd be rhythm. I'll admit that he can be an asshole at times, but he'd freely admit that I’m a better player than he is.

  After tonight, we’re finally hitting a recording s
tudio in Calgary to start working on our album, so we’re a little stoked about that. That's part of what is spurring me on to talk to her; I want to know if I can see her again when I get back from recording.

  After we set up for the gig and enjoy a pre-show beer, I keep an eye out for her. My plan is to speak with her while we’re on a break between sets. But as we progress into the first set, I’m slightly disappointed that I don't see her. Even during our set break and into the next set I didn't see her. I’m left wondering if I missed my opportunity of getting to know her; if maybe I only had a short window of opportunity. It made me start to question things, like if all things had a shelf life before your chances are gone. Maybe next time I see something I want, I should grab the opportunity while I have the chance.

  Chapter One

  Toni

  Keri and I are pumped with the music flowing around us. She had scored us tickets to see Twisted Tragic. They are one of the hottest up-and-coming rock bands. Their first album was self-published and had gotten them a contract with a major label. Keri and I first heard them years ago in a bar we had frequented when they played covers, and I was so excited to see their success. I knew they had talent and had hoped they would make it one day.

  Keri is my best friend; we've known each other since we were kids. She has been the only constant in my life. I grew up in foster care, bouncing from one house to another. My schools were the only thing that stayed the same. Keri knew me from before I entered foster care. I was the daughter of a drug addicted prostitute, and rumor had it my dad was either a dealer or a rock star. Either way, I've never learned who he was.

  I entered the system at the age of ten when my mother overdosed. Her pimp showed up and made a call for help, then he disappeared. That was the last time I saw her. I didn't know if she lived or died, and I didn't really care. My life in foster homes was just as bad as living with my mother. There was always abuse of one sort or another being inflicted upon me. My case worker claimed to have tried to track down my family to see if they would take me, but they made claims that they couldn't find any. They didn't even bother to try to take my DNA to run a search for my father.

  The last family I lived with, the Kindal’s, were the nicest of all the foster families. They have a teenage son my age and a daughter who is two years younger. They did more for me than any of the other families I was placed with. I went to live with them at the beginning of high school. They offered for me to stay and were willing to adopt me into their family. They treated me like their own, something I was so unaccustomed to before then.

  With them, I flourished. I made great grades, played sports, and was even on a few committees at the high school. It was thanks to my hard work and their encouragement that I landed myself a full scholarship that allowed me to attend university. When it came to our sporting events, they took turns coming to see our games. When mine conflicted with their own children's, they chose to come to mine. Their kids understood and accepted it, treating me as if I were their own sibling, rather than just some sorry kid stuck living with them. When I kept telling my foster family not to come to my games when their kids had games, they always said, “We've seen them play for years, and as a family we want you to know that we support you, no matter what.”

  Keri loved my last foster family. They allowed me to be me, rather than a dirty secret, like the other families had. Keri's parents were not around much, so she grew up with someone else always caring for her. She came from a fairly well-off family in which both parents travelled for work and were rarely home. I still visit my foster family on occasion, usually for certain holidays, and Keri is always welcomed since her family is never around.

  Keri and I are out letting loose, trying to have a fun night out after a stressful week. We wanted to enjoy ourselves, which is why she scored the tickets for us. Apparently, some of her coworkers had bought the tickets but couldn't go and sold them to her for cheap. I didn't care how we got the tickets, only that we are going to enjoy a band we both like. With my job, I don't get to spend as much time with Keri hanging out to blow off steam, so this is a treat for us.

  Our seats are actually pretty good, ten rows from the stage. The venue is an old theatre that houses a few hundred people, and it’s a full house. Of course, we chose to wear our vintage shirts from their days of working the bars. We knew we would stand out in the crowd with them on since most of the fans were sporting various shirts from their new lines.

  The opener, Death Mask, is not a band we've heard of before. They aren’t bad, but they are nowhere close to the talent of Twisted Tragic. We've never heard of a band that came close to the sound of Twisted Tragic, and there were plenty of goth bands out there.

  All I knew was the first time I heard their music I could relate. “Last Chance”, one of their first singles, reminded me of getting my last chance with the Kindal's, but it was a dark song about loving someone who was bad for you. But in my case, they weren’t bad for me, but good for me.

  Twisted Tragic was founded by the Black brothers, Lucius and Alucard, and Nicholai Rayne. Together, they brought in Christoph Stone and Jasper Greyson, childhood friends. Lucius and Alucard are both guitarists, Nicholai their lead singer, Christoph their bassist, and Jasper their drummer. Each member brought something unique to the band, which is why they work so well together. The talent they have is off the charts.

  The brothers are six foot three identical twins with ice blue eyes, raven hair, and a tanned complexion. The only way to tell them apart is by their tattoos. Alucard has a tattoo on the right side of his neck meant to look like a vampire bite with blood dripping down, however, it looks much gorier. Articles have stated that their mother named him that after Dracula (Alucard is Dracula spelled backward). Lucius, younger by three minutes, was named after light to counter the dark name of his brother, hence the light rays coming from his favorite instrument on his upper left arm. Aside from them being the guitarists, they also write their own riffs to complement one another. I don't know what it is, but the brothers captivated me from the first moment I saw them.

  Nicholai primarily writes the lyrics, occasionally with the help of Lucius. His ash blond hair and gray eyes make him stand out from the others. He is the palest of them all and stands five foot eleven. He was known to be the fun guy, always having different colors streaked into his pale hair. Rumor has it, he also had a different girl each night of the week, but I don't always believe the rumors I hear.

  Christoph and Jasper write the bass riffs together while Jasper writes his own beats needed to play the drums. You rarely see these two during the shows, both of them choosing to be hidden in the background. One would say that they are shy, but it was said that they are anything but. Jasper, almost as tall as the twins, stands at six foot one, has dark blond hair, green eyes, and could have been a model rather than a rock star. Christoph is five foot ten, with dark chestnut hair, light brown eyes, and looks almost scrawny, but is known to be a good fighter.

  Keri would laugh if she knew my fascination with them. All she knows is that I love their music. I want to get to know the real them, not the image they portray as entertainers. I know almost everything made available to the public about the Black brothers there is, including their recent break-ups. Rumor was that Lucius's girlfriend was cheating on him, while Alucard's girlfriend was stealing from him. Another rumor was that the girlfriends gave ultimatums of marriage and the twenty-seven-year-olds didn't want that. I was dying to know what the truth was.

  Currently, the sound engineers are playing recorded music while the roadies remove Death Mask's gear from the stage. The anticipation from the crowd is at a deafening level for the band taking the stage, waiting for the same thing I am; to lose myself in music that I love. To be taken to a place where nothing matters but the music flowing through our bodies. And, of course, to drool over the insanely hot brothers.

  Finally, we hear the drum beat, the one Jasper uses to warm up before their first song, “Devil of Paradise”, the same one
each person joins in on until Nicholai takes the mic. The vibrations from the crowd cheering penetrates the theatre, and Keri and I are no exception, both of us on our feet joining the rest of the fans. One by one the spotlights hit each of the guys. As it illuminates the brother who fascinates me the most, I scream with everything I have.

  Chapter Two

  Toni

  At the end of the show, Keri and I wait for most of the crowd to clear out before we leave. We don't want to have to fight with everyone making a dash to the exit. Keri understands my hatred of being confined into small spaces, which is why she’s willing to wait out the crowd. Our plan once we get out of the venue is to hit a bar not far from here to grab a drink.

  “That was awesome!” Keri’s excitement is the same as mine.

  “Yeah, they've only gotten better over the last few years,” I reply. “I remember the bar shows we caught. I can't believe we haven't caught more of their shows since.”

  “You just want a chance to drool over the Blacks,” she teases as she bumps my shoulder with hers playfully.

  “They’re hot, what do you expect?” I laugh. “It's not like you didn't drool over your fair share of rock stars.”