Can I get an Amen?
Title: Amen
Characters: Elena Munez, AJ Wilson. Brief appearance by her parents.
Universe(s): Falling Starlight
Timeline: Solar Flares
Rating: General
Note: For hathor_rising because Amen is just that powerful.
The lights dimmed and Elena stepped on stage, sweating and shaking. She was sure her fingers were going to slide right off the strings. There was a spot next to Tim, just out of the reach of the spotlights, and she took a breath, trying to calm her nerves. He winked at her and she almost relaxed. But it wasn't until AJ and papi started and she took the heartbeat pulse of the first bass chord of the song that her body became the music she was playing. Tim crashed down onto the chords, amplifying her, and together they stepped from the shadows into the power of the song. Elena fell into the riptide of the waves of energy and emotion. And as her tia charged forward with the song, she stepped to the mic to take the backing vocal usually taken by her father, knowing instinctively that it was there for her to grab. That this was her moment. And her blood pulsed in her ears and she was sure her voice wasn't going to work but there it was, every bit of power and passion exploding as she raised her fist in the air.
The first time she gone to a show had been her 5th birthday. Papi was going on tour and the first show was in LA and Mami said they could go. Dressed in her favorite jeans - with the sparkles on the cuffs - and her black and pink Hello Kitty shirt, she’d felt totally badass. Just like her tia AJ. Just like her. Mami had put her hair up in a ponytail and curled it and then streaked it with pink and blue and even given her a leather bracelet with studs on it and she got to wear her black canvas high tops with the stars on the side.
Elena remembered pressing her nose against the window, but looking back, she'd probably just been craning her neck against the stupid booster seat she'd been strapped in to. She'd been so small that she'd needed that stupid thing until she was almost seven. But Mami had pulled the car into the special parking lot and Elena had been out of her seatbelt before the engine was off. She tumbled out of the car and ran ahead of her mother, knowing which bus was her papi's because he was in front of it and she ran and ran and ran until he picked her up and spun her through the air and she'd been so excited to see him that she was sure she'd flown.
"CAN I GET AN AMEN!" She and AJ hollered to the crowd. She spun away from the mic, her own crazy, schizophrenic style taking over. (Fuck you Rolling Stone, it worked just fine for her.) AJ found her at center stage and they competed for dominance until the lyrics picked back up and Elena found herself standing next to her father. They looked at each other and for the first time in their careers, shared a mic as they both hollered the next chorus to the crowd "CAN I GET AN AMEN!"
Balanced on papi's hip, she'd giggled when mami came up to him and wrapped her arms around him too and he'd kissed her which was gross but it felt so good to be in that world with them. She'd felt so safe. And Jonah and Izzy had been there too and they'd gone off to play. It was Izzy's first show too.
Before they went backstage, mami had knelt down and put ear plugs into her ears. Elena had hated them; they felt weird and she pressed on them and pulled on them, because she didn't feel like she had as much control over herself with the plugs in. But they were black and matched her shoes and when her mother let her sit up on one of the rigs backstage, she stopped complaining. The music was still loud.
The beat lasted forever but was over too soon he song continued forever but was over too soon and as they finished, the lighting guys swept the audience and then came back to AJ. Elena was still trying to catch her breath. She could feel her father standing on one side of her and looked over. There were tears in his eyes.
"THANK YOU, DENVER!" Her tia hollered. "Amen!"
The crowd screamed.
"And that song was backed up by Falling Starlight's very own Elena Grace!"
The crowd went nuts.
Halfway through the show, she wiggled down and moved closer. Too close probably because the security guard stopped her and shook his head and she'd sat in the shadows as close as he’d let her be, watching her tia and papi fly across the stage.
She wanted to do that. She wanted to do what they did. And she kept reaching out, trying to touch the music. Trying to feel it. Trying ... to be it. When it was over, she cried and everyone thought she was tired because it was past her bedtime, but she cried because it was over. And she had to say goodbye to her papi because he was leaving her again, but now she understood why. He was leaving to be music and she wanted to leave and be music and why couldn't she? So she clung to him until mami took her and held her close and she cried on the way to the car and she heard mami saying she knew, she missed papi to, but no. She missed her papi but she missed the music more and needed to be there with it and why didn't they understand?
AJ grinned. "Buy their shit. They gotta pay the bills."
Elena knew that was her cue and stepped off the stage, giddy. Because she'd been treated as a musician, not a daughter, not a niece. She was her own musician in her own right. (Fuck you, Rolling Stone.) But as she moved away, she felt a touch on her arm and turned back to see her father. He wrapped her in his arms as tightly as she'd ever felt and kissed the side of her head.
"It's your turn," he whispered to her. "I'm so proud of you."
She changed into her Hello Kitty pjs and went into her mami's room because she always slept in there when papi was gone and climbed up on their big bed. Her Hello Kitty pillow was there and she curled up with it, between the dogs. Mami was brushing her hair. Elena liked watching her do that. She was so pretty. Finally she came over and curled up next to her, on the other side of the dogs. The door to the balcony was open and Elena swore she could still hear the sounds of the bass coming in from the wind outside. She fell asleep and dreamed of light and shadow and heartbeats on strings.
Hathor Rising needed their guitar player and Elena needed had to get back to her band. She packed up her bass and made her way to the merch table, feeling for the first time like an equal instead of a kitten mewling for attention. She bent over the table, autographing someone's hoodie, handling cash for a vinyl purchase, and felt like she really was her own person.
While catching a breath and listening to her tia break souls left and right with one of their most heartwrenching ballads, Elena realized something.
The scars on her wrists didn't itch.
Characters: Elena Munez, AJ Wilson. Brief appearance by her parents.
Universe(s): Falling Starlight
Timeline: Solar Flares
Rating: General
Note: For hathor_rising because Amen is just that powerful.
The lights dimmed and Elena stepped on stage, sweating and shaking. She was sure her fingers were going to slide right off the strings. There was a spot next to Tim, just out of the reach of the spotlights, and she took a breath, trying to calm her nerves. He winked at her and she almost relaxed. But it wasn't until AJ and papi started and she took the heartbeat pulse of the first bass chord of the song that her body became the music she was playing. Tim crashed down onto the chords, amplifying her, and together they stepped from the shadows into the power of the song. Elena fell into the riptide of the waves of energy and emotion. And as her tia charged forward with the song, she stepped to the mic to take the backing vocal usually taken by her father, knowing instinctively that it was there for her to grab. That this was her moment. And her blood pulsed in her ears and she was sure her voice wasn't going to work but there it was, every bit of power and passion exploding as she raised her fist in the air.
The first time she gone to a show had been her 5th birthday. Papi was going on tour and the first show was in LA and Mami said they could go. Dressed in her favorite jeans - with the sparkles on the cuffs - and her black and pink Hello Kitty shirt, she’d felt totally badass. Just like her tia AJ. Just like her. Mami had put her hair up in a ponytail and curled it and then streaked it with pink and blue and even given her a leather bracelet with studs on it and she got to wear her black canvas high tops with the stars on the side.
Elena remembered pressing her nose against the window, but looking back, she'd probably just been craning her neck against the stupid booster seat she'd been strapped in to. She'd been so small that she'd needed that stupid thing until she was almost seven. But Mami had pulled the car into the special parking lot and Elena had been out of her seatbelt before the engine was off. She tumbled out of the car and ran ahead of her mother, knowing which bus was her papi's because he was in front of it and she ran and ran and ran until he picked her up and spun her through the air and she'd been so excited to see him that she was sure she'd flown.
"CAN I GET AN AMEN!" She and AJ hollered to the crowd. She spun away from the mic, her own crazy, schizophrenic style taking over. (Fuck you Rolling Stone, it worked just fine for her.) AJ found her at center stage and they competed for dominance until the lyrics picked back up and Elena found herself standing next to her father. They looked at each other and for the first time in their careers, shared a mic as they both hollered the next chorus to the crowd "CAN I GET AN AMEN!"
Balanced on papi's hip, she'd giggled when mami came up to him and wrapped her arms around him too and he'd kissed her which was gross but it felt so good to be in that world with them. She'd felt so safe. And Jonah and Izzy had been there too and they'd gone off to play. It was Izzy's first show too.
Before they went backstage, mami had knelt down and put ear plugs into her ears. Elena had hated them; they felt weird and she pressed on them and pulled on them, because she didn't feel like she had as much control over herself with the plugs in. But they were black and matched her shoes and when her mother let her sit up on one of the rigs backstage, she stopped complaining. The music was still loud.
The beat lasted forever but was over too soon he song continued forever but was over too soon and as they finished, the lighting guys swept the audience and then came back to AJ. Elena was still trying to catch her breath. She could feel her father standing on one side of her and looked over. There were tears in his eyes.
"THANK YOU, DENVER!" Her tia hollered. "Amen!"
The crowd screamed.
"And that song was backed up by Falling Starlight's very own Elena Grace!"
The crowd went nuts.
Halfway through the show, she wiggled down and moved closer. Too close probably because the security guard stopped her and shook his head and she'd sat in the shadows as close as he’d let her be, watching her tia and papi fly across the stage.
She wanted to do that. She wanted to do what they did. And she kept reaching out, trying to touch the music. Trying to feel it. Trying ... to be it. When it was over, she cried and everyone thought she was tired because it was past her bedtime, but she cried because it was over. And she had to say goodbye to her papi because he was leaving her again, but now she understood why. He was leaving to be music and she wanted to leave and be music and why couldn't she? So she clung to him until mami took her and held her close and she cried on the way to the car and she heard mami saying she knew, she missed papi to, but no. She missed her papi but she missed the music more and needed to be there with it and why didn't they understand?
AJ grinned. "Buy their shit. They gotta pay the bills."
Elena knew that was her cue and stepped off the stage, giddy. Because she'd been treated as a musician, not a daughter, not a niece. She was her own musician in her own right. (Fuck you, Rolling Stone.) But as she moved away, she felt a touch on her arm and turned back to see her father. He wrapped her in his arms as tightly as she'd ever felt and kissed the side of her head.
"It's your turn," he whispered to her. "I'm so proud of you."
She changed into her Hello Kitty pjs and went into her mami's room because she always slept in there when papi was gone and climbed up on their big bed. Her Hello Kitty pillow was there and she curled up with it, between the dogs. Mami was brushing her hair. Elena liked watching her do that. She was so pretty. Finally she came over and curled up next to her, on the other side of the dogs. The door to the balcony was open and Elena swore she could still hear the sounds of the bass coming in from the wind outside. She fell asleep and dreamed of light and shadow and heartbeats on strings.
Hathor Rising needed their guitar player and Elena needed had to get back to her band. She packed up her bass and made her way to the merch table, feeling for the first time like an equal instead of a kitten mewling for attention. She bent over the table, autographing someone's hoodie, handling cash for a vinyl purchase, and felt like she really was her own person.
While catching a breath and listening to her tia break souls left and right with one of their most heartwrenching ballads, Elena realized something.
The scars on her wrists didn't itch.