The Light Breaks Through: The Conclusion to Light In a Crowd of Shadows

“Looks like its gonna storm like a mother fucker, welcome to Iowa.” Once again my band mate being a band mate. On the road again “the deal’s on the horizon” my other mate says for the 30th time. Look at me, 5 years later and still being rude. We are “Children of the Burning Nations”. Consists of the drummer, bassist, two guitarist, and yours truly, the keyboarder. For over two years we’ve been trying to land a record deal. But I’m different from them. SHE is my goal. Her hair, her smile, and her eyes are all I want. But she probably doesn’t even remember me, maybe found a new guy. Five years is a long time.

Compared to who you met five years ago, I’ve completely changed. Short white hair, still wear all black and nail polish but you wouldn’t recognize me on stage because I wear a white dust mask. This way no one I've met in the past can find me, especially HER. So meet the new me: Light 1408. A twenty-two year music college grad who has felt love and probably never will again.

7/06/13, Des Moines, Iowa at 8:30 we take the stage. Doubt anyone will show though. Until then I'm left sitting in a dark gray van watching the passing land. “Light what’s up? You seem more depressed than usual.” Says my drummer who seems to be my only real friend. “It’s nothing” I lied.
“Do you need to be hit in the balls?”
“What!?!” The memories rush back
It’s an inside joke. My sister made a friend at work and she always says to the manager ‘when a man needs to relax, you should kick him in the balls.” If it weren’t for my self-control I would have choked the information out of him, jumped out of the car, and ran.
“What’s her name?” one of my guitarists asked. “I dunno. It starts with R…Road, Reyt, something weird like that.”

We pulled up to the theater just in time as it started to drizzle. We got out and started unpacking. “Rein” I whispered.
“Yea, rain, we’ve seen it before and we’ll see it again,” replied my drummer.
“No, that’s her name”
“Huh?”
“That’s your sister’s friend’s name.”
----------------------------------------------------

“Road Trip!”
Rein, working on some paper work looked up as if expecting this. “What’s so important about Iowa?” she asked
“Humph, idiot. My brother’s band is playing and I haven’t seen him in a while.”
“Well have fun.”
“Not so fast Rei-Rei” She was afraid this would happen. “We still have one open seat and your coming.’ Yes she had those days off, but the point of those days where to relax and go nowhere. “C’mon. I hear the bassist is really kawaii.”
“Remind me gain why you randomly break into Japanese?”
“Rei-Rei baka.”

The Next morning Rein woke up to the sound of the running of an old jeep instead of her alarm clock. “Wake up Rei-Rei!” Rein found a bag next to her bed with a note reading “I took the liberty of packing for you. PS: you sleep like a rock.”
“How The Hell Did She Get In My House?!?” Rein said to her self. “Pfft, guess there’s no getting out now.” She got dressed and went out to the broken down jeep.
“ONWARD TO IOWA!”
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7:20 pm and we’ve been ready for an hour. I put on my mask and started to get mentally prepared. Just before I turned on my Zune, the bar tender opened the door and said, “There’s someone here that claims they know you.” Down the hall a shrill voice yelled “NI-SAN!”
“Sis, what the hell are you doing here?”
“Watch your language Ni-san.” said my drummer’s sister while pushing him.
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d be here?”
“I wanted to surprise you, and I brought some hookers for you and the band.” The common thought through out the room was “Yep, they’re bro & sis.” At that moment her friends came into the room. “You lied!” one said, “The bassist isn’t cute.”
But I didn’t hear that, all my focus went on to her, Rein. Five years of waiting and acing and she hasn’t changed a bit. The memories felt like a sword drilling a hole through me. I had to leave the room.

After 10 minutes of tears, vomit, and asking God “Why now?” I put my mask back on and entered the room to find a new face. “Light this is an agent from Road Runner Records.” my guitarist said. In respect I nodded to him “He said that depending on tonight performance he might give us a deal.” To be bluntly honest I really didn’t care. “So you’re the infamous Light 1408, it’s a pleasure.” Said the tall, bald man. We shook hands and I nodded again. “Well, hopefully I’ll see you after the show.”

8:30 came and we took the stage. Things didn’t go to well. I was too shaky. I skipped beats, missed cues, even started playing the wrong songs. The crowd was into the band, but not me. They said I was a poser and had no talent. Finally my drummer came up to me and asked if the agent was making me nervous. I shook my head. “It’s Rein isn’t it?” I couldn’t reply. The name rang in my head like a bad dream, like the very devil himself was saying it. He went to my guitarist and said something to him, then went to the mic and asked, “Who wants to do a song with 1408 back there?” The fan girls instantly cheered and raised their hands, the rest were skeptic. “How about… You!” A spot light shone on Rein and made everyone else look like a shadow. “C’mon up.” I was ready to shoot him into a bloody pile of flesh.

Rein walked up to the stage and I brought my keyboard forward. “ If you don’t know the song just say so and leave the stage.” My drummer said as he backed away out of the spotlight and into the darkness. “Please don’t know the song,” I thought, “Rein, please, just leave and go home.” The first song that came to my head was “Gravity”, an old song that people didn’t know so it was perfect. I began playing and she began to sing. “Something always brings me back to you. It never, takes too long.” I was just going to give up and lock myself away for years and years, but the sound of the song was too great, so I kept playing. Her words and my music mingled and created something no less than amazing. The crowd could only stare in awe at what was happening. When the song ended every person there took back what they said and they cheered like nothing I’ve ever heard before. I could no longer hold back my tears.

“Rein,” I said. She turned her head in shock that I knew her name. “You don’t remember me do you?” No reply, “Five years ago you helped me have a better view on things. Thanks to you, I cheered the fuck up, remember?” The mask couldn’t hide my smile and the fact that that my tears were of joy. Her shocked expression faded and turned into a warm happiness. “Noah,” she finally said, “What the fuck did you do to your hair?” We bolted forward and embraced each other in our arms. A confused murmur passed though the crowd. One clear thing we could hear was “No, you were supposed to get the bassist so I could have him!” To this day I have no idea who said that. But I didn’t care. I only cared about who was finally in my arms. All the pain and suffering over the last five years was up lifted. Faces had names, words had meaning, things had purpose. Light 1408 died that night and from the ashes Noah was reborn, so I got rid of my mask. “No seriously, what the fuck did you do to your hair.”

We went back stage and discussed what had happened to us over the last five years. “I should move in with you.” I said. Rein’s face turned beet red. “B-but don’t you have places to be?”
“We’re not a licensed band so no. And judging by tonight’s performance I doubt we will be.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure of that.” We turned to face the man from Road Runner Records. “Yes you were horrible tonight,” You know those cartoon shows where the character gets a big sweat drop on the back of their head? Yea, this was that kind of moment. “But when she got up there, it was like the stars aligned into a beautiful constellation.” Rein looked a little embarrassed. “I’m sure my higher ups will be interested in you. Until then!” he said as he left the room. Suddenly my eavesdropping friends burst into the room, screaming excitingly. “Dude, we finally made it!” my drummer said.
“Matt chill out, nothing is certain yet.” I said in response.
“Whoa, Light you never say my name.”
“My name’s not Light, it’s Noah.”
“Aww, Light was so much cooler.” Complained his sister
“Sarah stop complaining!”
“But…”
“I knew my lucky bass would work” said Mike
“What are our names Noah?” my guitarist said in unison. “Uh… Craig and Jack, and you two need to stop that twin ESP shit.” I answered
“Skrew you!” they said in their heavy English accents. Suddenly Rein’s arms laced around my neck. “Noah hasn’t changed a bit has he?”
I kissed her cheek and said “I guess not.”

I wake up to the smell of eggs and pancakes. I check the date. 7/06/15. Has it really been two years? I come down the stairs to the sight of Rein’s crystal blue eyes and the sun gleaming on her wedding ring. “Good morning” she says as her usual greeting. “Morning”
“So Matt and the guys are recording in your studio?”
“Yep, they’ve been asking me to come back to the band but I keep saying no.”
“Aww, I always dreamed of being married to a rock star.”
“And being in those gossip magazines?”
“Well I guess there’s that…”
“Damn, I’m gonna be late. I’ll see you around four, ok?”
“Ok, bye.”
I started towards the door until, “Noah, wait!”
I turn around and fall into her kiss.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”