Ying Yang

Ying-Yang
Yet again I'm going to say that the characters belong to us, the authors. And the story is based in the UK

Chapter 1- The charm

The little banged up Nissan pulled to an awkward halt outside the grimy building, Faith and Kanaye quickly scrambled out the back seats and rushed through the back entry of the club, where as Annie followed at her own pace after them, carefully locking ‘Sparky’ up before entering the building. The intro to their starting song was already in full swing as they headed down the corridor, screams of overly excited fans could be heard above the fast drumbeats and piercing electric guitar solo.
“Big crowd tonight…” Annie mumbled to herself reaching for the stage door.
Faith drew a deep breath and fell onto the stage; much to the delight of the naive fans who were under the impression that their late entry had all been staged. Annie strolled purposely up to the microphone; clenching her fists she released a blood-curdling scream down the microphone. The audience returned her abnormal greeting punching the air with knuckle-dusters e.c.t. The only two original band members on stage scowled at Annie and company as they began to play together at long last.
Down in the audience Tabby, one of Annie’s upper-class friends, from a successful rock band of his own, shook his head in dismay.
“Is there any hope for them?” He asked himself, however he could not disguise a liking for the dysfunctional lead singers!
The bands mounting success was mostly due to the differing in each of the artist’s talents and how fresh the result was… Faith haunted the stage with her strange, operatic voice. It was like the band froze each time the harmonious, sinister notes pushed past her lips, sending thrills throughout the audience. She spent her performances gliding seductively over the stage in her revealing but floaty costumes, like some surreal spirit, the audience could only wail along with her in vain.
Annie stood boldly centre stage, her emo-punk voice shrieking humorous lyrics; she was truly the entertainer of the group. Deviously she would pull random objects from behind props, her favourite being a water pistol, which she shot aimlessly into the crowd, who in return lapped up her performance. She imprinted her presence with lustful movements in her often-tight costumes of white, flirting with the audience.
Kanaye, casually lent against a wall tenderly playing, ‘Tar,’ occasionally breaking out into an erratic solo. Where upon he’d fall to the floor and bite down on his lip to signify concentration- Annie would humour him by mimicking his over enthusiastic movements with her own electric guitar. Thus creating a mind blowing duet of equalling talent. For the rest of the performance he sent kisses out to the audience of gigerly girls who adored him, and had yet to learn of his sexuality. After all he didn’t want dishearten them, and raise unnecessary attention for the band!
Opposite, stood Morgan, Faith elder boyfriend on bass. Tallest in the band it was only right that he was the one who spent performances leaping around like a maniac and throwing about his lustful long hair. Faith could only admire his energy, their chemistry on stage well known for being electric. In particular songs, Annie would take up the position of Base whilst Faith and Morgan sang together. Faiths sweet notes and his hoarse death shrieks, as they embraced or intertwined with each other. This in particular got the crowd going, these more heavy songs of death metal duet. Morgan also had the job of adding to the bands already weird image, on stage with his long velvet suits of crimson or purple, a top hat placed at a tilt on his head and a masquerade mask covering his eyes.
Finally on a stage of her own sat behind a trembling drum kit sat Tani, a crop of shortish bubble gum pink hair just visible above the drums. Tani was the smallest and youngest in the band and by no means unpopular. In the extended solos where she was not necessary she would burst onto stage alongside Annie and Morgan, to run about madly and usually start a violent mosh pit in which she’d contribute too. In dresses that resembled fancy dress, of shocking pink or luminous green, her make-up always over the top and incredibly dark only to be reinforced with piercing of varying degree’s, Tani was the one that stood out from the rest.
Finally the concert finished with a noisy on core track, well named, “Please don’t call us back on stage… we want to get pissed!” Fireworks erupted inside the hall and the stage fell dark, finally after an hour and a bit of non-stop performing the band pulled themselves of the stage.
Tabby was waiting off stage to congratulate the band. “Hey dudes that was fantastic, and I don’t think anybody noticed the bad start!” He grinned.
Annie grimaced and her brother glared at Faith who shrank slightly.
“The chairman of Rock Arts was in the audience I think he’s impressed,” Tabby announced.
“That’s great!” Annie squealed leaping into his arms, his dark lank hair brushed her face slightly and tattooed arms enveloped her, causing her to blush and move back. “Did you hear that Faith we may get signed!”
Annie turned to look back at Faith, for her lack of response. However Faith and Morgan were missing. Rolling her eyes she moved on to reproducing the package she had received earlier.
“Presents for me?” Tani asked in her off stage annoying voice.
Annie scowled down at the freaky imp girl, and she too shrank. As usual she lead the way to the bar tearing strips of brown paper of the package. Taking a seat by a window, Tabby proceeded in getting drinks.
Inside the pack lay a small pendant of clear, polished onyx, set into a frame of elaborately decorated silver and on a long chain of tarnished gold. The surface of the stone glistened as if it were a pool of swirling water.
“Pretty.”
Annie looked up to see Faith stood above her with Morgan in toe.
“Where’ve you been?” She asked accusingly, “You missed the news!”
Faith grinned mischievously, “We went to sign photo’s out front!”
“That what they call it now?” Tabby asked re-emerging with a tray of assorted drinks, “One coke an JD’s, Two bottles of reef, a hippy hippy shake, a beer and an apple juice,” he spread the drinks round the table, (Tani reaching for the hippy hippy shake!)
“News?” Faith asked taking the pendant from Annie’s fingers. “Ow!” She yelled dropping the pendant, “Static electricity,” She explained as Annie picked it back up and continued.
“The Chairman of Rock Art came to watch us he thinks maybe we may get signed soon!” Annie stated increasing the excitement in her voice.
“Cool,” Morgan mumbled through his Coke, few of the band shared Annie’s enthusiasm, they unlike her thought of the band as a hobbies not a career.
“Wow, don’t all celebrate at once!” Annie growled.
“I think it’s great!” Tani squealed.
“Pipe down you!” Annie yelled, once more Tani disappeared to eye level with the table.
“Who d’you think got ya that?” Tabby asked swiftly changing the subject.
“Dunno, my mum maybe, she’s forever buying useless junk from that bloody shopping channel then gets rid of it onto other people!” Annie pulled the chain round her neck.
“Looks nice on you…” Tabby said gently, glad of the change in her tone.
Annie blushed following his gaze to her cleavage where the pendant hung. Kanaye coughed dryly to show his objection to Tabby’s advances. Faith also couldn’t keep her eyes of the jewel.
“I’ve seen something like that before…hmmm…”She said tapping her finger nails on the table, as if worried.
Morgan placed a hand on her waist and listened to her attentively, watching her curiously.
“Surely if it was mom she’d send a letter?” Kanaye grunted searching the package.
Annie nodded realising this was true, “Maybe it’s a crazy stalker fan?” She laughed.
“Don’t joke about that, I had one for six months every week she sent me jelly beans until one day I went to get in the shower and found her sat in my bath, I let the police deal with her after that…” Tabby shuddered as if recalling the whole event.
Little clusters of laughter broke out around the table.
“Well it’s a mystery to me,” Annie sighed moving on to her drink.
“Spooky!” Tani shrieked pulling ghostly faces and moving her finger around mysteriously.
Annie allowed the comment to pass over her. “Any one need a lift to school tomorrow? I’ve got an exam!” She sipped sadly at her Reef.
“Oh thanks, I’ve got science tomorrow, what you got?” Faith asked chirpily, she liked school, even if it was a horrid chore each day.
“I’m retaking my science so I can get into that university… you know…” Annie explained, smiling at the prospect of finally leaving college.
Faith pulled a disapproving smile, if Annie got into university that would be the end of Ying Yang for a whole three years, also she’d have to move back in with her parents. It also reminded her of the fact Morgan was also leaving soon. She sighed stirring her juice.

Annie sat at a little desk, sunlight blazed at the back of her. In front of her sat a half finished exam paper that refused to go away, so Annie was left to finish it. Question five… she knew she had learnt this stuff but the answer wouldn’t to come to her. An insistent clock ticked, as time spilled away.
A grim faced examination officer patrolled the hall, his lingering stare fixed on Annie who hadn’t written anything for at least ten minutes. “Five minutes left,” He announced with delight, as if feeding of the student’s dismay, whilst looking gleefully at Annie.
“Crap!” Annie hissed under her breath, ‘there’s no time to finish this; I’m going to fail. Lord help!’ She thought to herself. Each strike of the second hand was like the ticking of a bomb. She looked around; Faith was casually closing her paper looking smug. Suddenly the clock missed a strike, Annie looked up and saw that it had stopped, she looked around to see if any one else had noticed. The examination officer stood behind Faith as if frozen, Annie surveyed the room not a single student twitched.
“What the hell?” Annie asked standing up; she walked over to Faith waving her hand in front of her friends face… nothing. She prodded Faiths rib cage guaranteed to get the highly tickerlish girl to laugh out loud…nothing. Straightening her back she was eyelevel with a fly that was caught mid-flight now stuck in the air. With a glint of mischief she picked it out the air and surveyed it. The grim faced old man stood mid yawn, with some guilty conscience but not enough she placed it onto his tongue and picked up Faith’s paper. She skimmed through her friend’s answers, nodding; finally she sat down and continued to fill her empty spaces.
“I don’t know what happened but thanks… all these years spent as an atheist perhaps I should go church more?” Annie muttered, the room remained still, “err…Lord…. can you err…unpause it now?”
A deep sinister laugh rattled round the room, Annie shivered violently feeling a breath on the back of her neck. Turning the room was still and no one moved.
“My pleasure, anything for you…” The deep voice cackled all around and yet from inside her head too.
Annie had no time to puzzle over it, the clock began to tick and the exam room erupted into laughter, as a green-faced examination officer coughed up a fly. Faith was staring down at her paper curiously, which lay open on her desk.
“Put your pens down!” The old man croaked. He passed Annie in disbelief to see her paper completed before her.
“With no time to waste Annie grabbed Faith’s wrist and rushed out the room.