"You don't know?" Exclaimed Amy, obviously surprised at Jeremy's statement. Usually students had their solos picked out three months in advanced. But she smiled, and gave his hand a little squeeze. "Well, if you want, there's an hour and a half before auditions start after school, maybe I can help you pick yours out. And you can help me with mine..." A blush sprinkled across her cheeks. Amy was usually so together with preparing for auditions, it was surprising.

The warmth that the the girl's hand provided quickly left when the presence came behind her. Great Goddess, why couldn't he just leave her and Chris alone? He was so rude, just baring in without a warning. Amy's outward manner grew cold as she finished her lunch and cleaned it up, taking off from the table in time to not see him kiss her best friend.

"Vlad! It's so good to see you." The deep blush on Chris' face and the dreamy look in his eyes proved that he was crazy for the newcomer to the group. He started babbling to Vlad a mile a minute about anything and everything, but more on just how good it was too see him.

Vlad smiled at Chris, his features taking on an amused expression. Jeremy tried his best not to growl. He already didn't like the guy. Jeremy stood up and collected everything onto his tray, wishing Chris a good rest of his day without interrupting the conversation.

Jeremy quickly disposed of his tray, then flagged Amy down. As soon as he caught up, he grasped her arm gently, pulling her to a halt. "I can see why you don't like him..." Jeremy glanced back. "Even I don't like him..." Jeremy grimaced, his features twisting into both sadness and disgust. He wasn't sure why he was disgusted though... The guy hadn't even done anything. ...yet...

Jeremy's expression shifted back into a smile. "So... About that offer..." He looked at her. "Is it still open?"

Vlad gave Chris a serious look, and as soon as he stopped to take a breath Vlad cut in and asked the question, "Why is it then whenever I appear all your friends leave?"

She was walking down one of the hallways towards an abandoned music room, any one would do as long as it had a door and a piano. It was times like these when her fingers yearned to beat out her bottled emotions. All her hurt, her confusion, her longing could flow out onto the keys and for a few moments, Amy could be a mindless vessel for the beloved music.

But it seems that wasn't what the fates had in mind for her at this moment, because a certain someone grasped lightly onto her arm, and she jumped slightly, sending all her books to the ground. "Oh great, there's papers everywhere.."

"I know what you mean about him. He gives me the creeps, like he's pretty but oh so plastic." Amy was on the floor picking up her books. She smiled when Jeremy reopened the topic of the offer. "It's always open for you Jeremy. Maybe we have time to start working now!"

"Absolutely!" He exclaimed, kneeling down to help her with her books. "That is, if you don't mind." Jeremy lifted up a sheet of music and handed it to her. "Sorry about scaring you, by the way." He apologized, giving a nervous and slightly amused chuckle. "But you know... If you didn't get so focused on one thing, it wouldn't happen so much." If this had been grade school, he would have stuck his tongue out. However this was high school, and he was mature. So instead he just smirked in a teasing way and handed her another sheet of music.

"Well, maybe the item of my attention was to ideal to not focus on." Amy said flirting lightly. With all her books back in her arms, she grabbed Jeremy's hand, pulling him towards the nearest music room. "Let's go."

Within the room that was more like a broom closet, Amy lifted the keyboard cover of the piano and sat down. A few scales to get her fingers moving, and she was ready to go. "Ok, so what were you thinking of doing for your solo piece? Do you have sheet music?" She looked at the boy and mentally sighed, knowing that he was only a friend, and nothing more than that.

Jeremy looked at her. Too ideal to... What? She can't possibly mean me... An expression of confusion flashed across his face, but it was gone in a moment.

"Do you know the musical 'Next to Normal'? Because I was thinking of some songs from there..." Jeremy told her, waiting to see if she knew the songs. He didn't hear her ask if he had sheet music, so he didn't answer that question.

Amy laughed at Jeremy's question, rolling her eyes in an amused way. "Do you ever pay attention to what I say? Yes, I know the musical very well. I got to see 'Next to Normal' when I was in New York over the summer, one of the four I got to see." She blushed at her boasting. "Do you have the vocal piano book? I don't know the music by heart, which is rather embarrassing, but oh well." The last bit of the sentence was muttered, but none the less she smiled back up at Jeremy.


"What were you planning on performing? I think either 'I'm Alive' or 'Come With Me' would be good for your vocal range and your acting skills." Amy remember the performance from July, it was energetic and enthralling. Jeremy would be able to pull it off well.

After a few moments of a slightly baffled expression, Jeremy smiled back. "I do have the book, as it turns out. And, as always, you are amazing. 'I'm Alive' was exactly the song I was thinking of." He took the book out of the stack of papers on top of the piano, which seemed to have magically appeared even though he brought them with him from the lunch table.

Pages flipped as he carefully opened the book to the song 'I'm Alive', from the musical "Next to Normal". After smoothing out the paper, he stepped back and stood behind her, ready to sing. "Thanks for this, by the way. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Good, I don't have to go to the office to get the book then. Makes my job a lot easier." She flipped through the pages, writing little things in here and there with her pencil. "Hope you don't mind if I mark up your book, I just don't want to screw up while you are singing. That would totally suck for both of us, won't it?"

Amy placed her hands on the keys after she turned back to the beginning of the song. "And, you might be able to do a lot of things without me. With me, well that's a different story." And with that, she started to play.

"They have music books in the office??" The confusion and amazement flashed across his face again.
Then he frowned in thought. "No, I don't mind if you mark up my book. Although I doubt you would mess up, since you're so good at playing, whatever helps helps."

"No. I'm sure I would perform much better with you there." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Especially, with you there." He smiled, finally, and added, "Who else would be so brutally honest?" He was, of course, referring to her badgering him every time he made a mistake.

"Yeah, of course they have music books in the office. Haven't you ever seen that big shelf of books on the right wall? They're all music books you can buy. I think they're bought wholesale, or something like that. I think you can also borrow them and copy the music for voice lessons and things like that." Amy rolled her eyes, and nodded to the music. She had repeated the intro five times already, waiting for Jeremy to start singing.

Her body tensed at his touch, but she said nothing as she concentrated on her music. Amy couldn't believe that her best friend was flirting with her, even though they did it so often. She smiled at his comment on her honesty. She was a pretty blunt person when it came to the performing arts, you were good, or you were awful. But even then, she had tips on how to be better.

Jeremy chuckled and waiting for the end of the intro, this time coming in at the right time.

I am what you want me to be
And I'm your worst fear, you'll find it in me
Come closer
Come closer

I am more than memory, I am what might be
I am mystery
You know me
So show me
When I appear it's not so clear if I'm a simple spirit or I'm flesh and blood

But I'm alive, I'm alive, I am so alive
And I feed on the fear that's behind your eyes
And I need you to need me, it's no surpise
I'm alive, so alive
I'm alive.

I am flame and I am fire
I am destruction, decay, and desire
I'll hurt you
I'll heal you
I'm your wish, your dream come true
And I am your darkest nightmare too
I've shown you
I own you

And though you made me, you can't change me
I'm the perfect stranger who knows you too well

But I'm alive, I'm alive I am so alive
And I'll tell you the truth if you let me try.
You're alive, I'm alive, and I'll show you why
I'm alive, so live

I'm alive
I'm right behind you.
You say forget but I'll remind you.
You can try to hide but you know that I will find you.
'Cause if you won't grieve me, you won't leave me behind.
Oh, how, oh
Woah
Woah

No, no, no
I'm alive, I'm alive, I am so alive.
If you climb on my back then we both can fly
If you try to deny me, I'll never die
I'm alive, so alive
I'm alive
Yeah yeah
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive
I'm alive

As Jeremy sang, his voice filled the room. If he had been on stage, you would have been able to hear his clear voice in the back row. And yet he still managed not to drown out the piano, or be loud enough to hurt your ears. With every wrong note he stumbled for just a second before recovering and moving on as if it had never happened. When it was over, he smiled. "Yeah. I think I can do this one." He said confidently. "Except..." Jeremy leaned over her shoulder and peered at the music. Their faces were close, almost touching. He looked deep in thought, apparently not even noticing their close vicinity. "Right... here." He lifted a hand and pointed at a part in the music where he had messed up multiple times. "I think I need to work on this." Jeremy's face turned towards Amy's. "Cane we play this part over..." His voice trailed off and his words were lost as he finally realised just how close they were.

Amy relished in the sound of Jeremy's voice. It was strong, yet caressing like a lover's whisper. Just thinking that thought made the girl come back to attention with the music. It was so easy to just listen to her friend's wonderful voice. But she made herself pay attention, not wanting to mess up on the music Jeremy worked so hard to perform. After the last bar of music, she clapped her hands, obviously pleased with his performance. "Wonderful job Jeremy! You obviously worked hard on the song, and it shows. That high 'D' was really weak, I would work on that, and you were quite shaky the next four measures or so. I would gladly..." At that point, the Wiccan realized how close she was next to Jeremy.

"You know, Jeremy le'Knight," Amy's voice was airy, breathless, as though she had run a mile or so. "You might want to try and save yourself, because I'm a dangerous witch, and I don't think I will stop 'til I have your whole heart." With that, pure impulse took over as Amy grabbed Jeremy's head, bringing their lips together. Her fingers ran through his blood red hair, sighing softly at the feeling of it between her fingers, like running water.

He was confused at her words about being a witch, but he wasn't confused for long. Surprise took over his face and features as Amy's fingers wrapped around the back of his skull and pulled him towards her. He tried to resist, but then their lips touched...

In that instant Jeremy became lost in the moment. His hands moved down to gently hold her waist, his body twisting to sit on the bench beside her, bringing their bodies closer. His lips moved against hers, until they fell into a perfect, synchronized rhythm, their mouths moving in perfect harmony with each other.

After what must have been a couple minutes, even though each second seemed like an eternity, Jeremy reluctantly pulled away. His breathing was heavy, all lung capacity pulled away in that kiss. He swallowed in an attempt to catch his breath. His eyes were wide as he stared at her in amazement. "What..." He panted for a few seconds, trying to figure out what to say. "What was that?"

Breathless, Jeremy le'Chevalier left Amy Darkmoon absolutely breathless, but wanting more of that euphoria that came with the way their lips molded together. She moved her head sideways, so his eyes didn't catch the blush that her emotions painted onto her cheeks. "That..." She fought to find the perfect words from within. "That was me kissing you. I'm sorry my emotions took a hold of me. I didn't want to lose the moment. You can forget it if you want, it doesn't have to mean anything to you if you don't it too." Amy placed her fingers on the ivory keys once more, finding the place where Jeremy blundered.

"You might want to stand up to get better air support. The directors and authorities judging will ask you to stand." Amy's voice was distant, almost. Like she were still concentrating on the music and not what just happened.

"Yeah... Stand..." Jeremy agreed. His voice gave away the fact that he was still a little spacey. He highly doubted he would ever forget that kiss, and, as to prove it to the world, his hands lingered on her body as her stood. As if he never wanted to let go...

As soon as the notes began to ring through the room, he began to sing again, and when it was over it felt as if nothing had happened. Not to him, however. To him, that kiss would stay in his mind for a long, long time...

Amy and Jeremy worked on his solo for the rest of the period, until he had gotten it to perfection. Just a minute before the bell rang, Amy finished putting the piano back to it's original position, and gave the 'Next to Normal' book back to Jeremy, avoiding all eye contact with him. Her hands being free of all possessions, she took a moment to caress his head once more, bring them kissing. It wasn't as long as the other one, but it was just as meaningful. The bell rang, and Amy Darkmoon was out the door to her next class.

Jeremy was paralyzed. His lips still tingled with her lingering touch. Jeremy's fingers trembled as they slowly made their way to his lips, gently touching them in surprise. The door swung gently with her departure, as if forcing him to imagine her leaving form.

However this daze did not last forever. After a few moments he shook his head, frowned, and gathered up his books. Papers of education in hand, he exited the room and headed towards his next class.

~~~~~

Auditions. A time of magic and fear. Students line up in the hallway, music in hand, warming up their throats with words and notes and tones. Tongue-twisters filled the air and scales and arpeggios echoed throughout the hallway. Students paced, trembled, and drank water; anything to placate their nervousness.

Jeremy stood in line, music in hand, looking just like any other student. His expression was calm, his demeanor cool and calculating. He was nervous, yes, but only one that knew him, and knew him well, would realise this. To everyone else, he looked confident, as if he was about to get exactly the part he wanted without any difficulty.

Some seniors were lucky enough to have scored a warm-up room, which were basically like the broom closets known as the music rooms, for they contained only a piano to their name and nothing more. The difference was in their size, as the warm-up rooms could be used to fill a small chorus. One of these rooms held two students; Chris and Amy, as they prepared for their auditions. Music filled with notes were scattered onto the floor as Amy paced about, her hands wringing in despair.

"Chris, I can't do this, I won't be able to. I can see their faces burned into my head... I just know I'm going to fail and I'm going to be a stagehand!" Amy's hands snaked her hair, pulling it slightly. Chris, who had been sitting on a desk reading music, jumped off, grabbing Amy's wrists and pulling them from her hair. He whispered calming words, though nothing helped get rid of the fear in the Wiccan's eyes.

And oddly enough, right before auditions, this was the common sight for Amy Darkmoon. Two hours before auditions the anxiety kicked in, and didn't go away until after the cast list was posted. Chris knew it was going to be a very long day.

Jeremy didn't have to wait in line for long. He strolled onto the stage, named his audition piece, sang it, then strolled off again. However once he was out of sight of the judges he practically ran to the warm-up rooms.

As soon as he approached, he began listening to the sounds of nervous ranting. If he knew Amy, she would be in one of these rooms, mentally breaking down under the pressure.

Hearing the panic of becoming a stagehand, he turns and opens a door. Looking inside, he finds Chris and Amy. "Normal nervous Amy?" Jeremy asks Chris, moving towards her side.

Amy whipped her head towards her friend Jeremy, only now noticing he was here. "What do you mean 'normal'? THIS ISN'T NORMAL!! I should be more composed than this... I need to be calm, cool, and collected, and I ca barely breath!" She was close to tears, her hands trembling.

"I can't do this Jeremy... I don't think I can do this." This was of course, a lie, since Amy had the ability. Amy had a wonderful talent for the arts, but she was terrified of auditions in anyway shape or form. Every time she volunteered, she almost backed out at the last second, but managed through at the last minute.

And every time, she got the part. It was wonderful and cruel at the same time.

Jeremy rushed to Amy's side and grasped her hands in his. "Of course you can. You're amazing." He stroked some hair behind her ear, bringing it down to cup her cheek. His eyes never left hers, and his expression was serious. Deep tones from his voice tried to soothe her anxiety. "You'll get the part. You always do. Don't you?" It was a question he already knew the answer to; asked more as an attempt to comfort her than to learn the answer. He knew she'd get the part. She always did.

She felt her head lean into his touch, like always. Always comforting her, easing all the tension and pressure. It was like the boy had a magic touch nestled within his fingertips. "Nno I'm not amazing. I don't have an upper ace, I'm just as special as all the others out there." Amy closed her eyes, murmuring her appreciation for him simply being there. He can't be only human, Amy thought to herself. He can't possibly be human, the way he tranquilized her so. Amy nodded slightly, her eyes still closed. "I do. Every single time." That thought brought a small smile to her face.

Chris could see it, even though they couldn't. Amy was most defiantly mad in love with Jeremy, and the boy felt the same way about her. He smiled, seeing the way the red-head calmed the Prima Donna down simply by holding her. Somehow, he knew it wasn't going to just be a bad high school romance, but a lifelong commitment. Quietly, he slipped out of the room, knowing Amy had forgotten one and would probably need a drink before and after she was done with the audition.

Jeremy's lips curled into a smile. "You are amazing. More amazing than any girl I've ever known. Ever since the first time I saw you, I could tell." The boy struggled to keep himself from kissing her. He wanted so much too...
At the thought of it, his lips began to tingle in memory. He had kissed girls before. Many, in fact, but none of them had ever felt as spectacular.

"See? You have nothing to worry about. You'll do great! The judges will love you. I promise." Jeremy couldn't help himself any longer. Her skin was so soft against his fingertips, and she was standing there, so vulnerable...

He leaned in for a kiss, bringing their lips only centimeters from hers. "You'll get the part." His eyes met hers, and he seemed to dissapear. He could get lost in those eyes, and it seemed that he always did. Unaware of even his own breathing, he leaned forward the last couple centimeters, and kissed her.

At this point, the actress' heart was pounding like a hummingbird's. All she could think about was Jeremy. Jeremy, Jeremy, sweet Jeremy who was kissing her and making her feel like the only girl in the world. Sure, she had dated guys, even kissed them. But this, this felt different, special almost. Like their lips completed each other. But that sort of thing only happened in faerie tales, right?

Her hands were in his silky hair, the feeling of it between her fingers heavenly. Between kisses she questioned "Are you an angel?" That's what he felt like. So pure and sweet, lovely and was Amy starting to fall deep for him?