“I said thank you. I feel better now. I’m ready.”
Well, that was something. But would it be enough?
Cam lifted his guitar off its stand. “Let’s go.”
The four members of Revenge gathered in a corner of the wings, instruments tucked under their arms. They were all supposed to enter from stage left, and there were no curtains separating the various acts, so the performers just huddled in little cliques. There was a certain electricity backstage, made of nerves and anticipation and hair spray. Everyone could feel it.
From behind the curtain, Cam peeked out at the crowd on the dance floor. With the stage lights off, he could see them clearly. They were restless but excited, jostling each other, flirting, giggling over nothing, one boy bodysurfing through the mass of kids. Even the faculty hovering at the edges of the crowd seemed cheerful. Cam knew a band was lucky to have an audience in this mood. They wanted something from the show, something that matched their own energy that night, which was supercharged.
At the judges’ table to the right of the stage, Tarkenton was trying to converse with four punk-rock boys. Cam had almost forgotten that Ike Ligon was judging this thing, and he was amused to see what passed for a “rock star” in Lilith’s Hell. The lead singer of the band was pouty enough, with spiky blond hair and long, lean limbs, but the other three looked like they had about two brain cells between them. Cam reminded himself that this was Lilith’s favorite band and told himself that maybe they looked better onstage.
A flash of movement behind the judges’ table caught Cam’s attention. Arriane and Roland were there, setting up folding chairs for Lilith’s mother and brother. Arriane caught Cam’s eye and pointed: Look up. He glanced overhead and was cheered to see that she had somehow hung the disco ball from the rafters above the stage.
He looked back to Arriane and gestured his applause. Nice, he mouthed. Cam thought of all that his friends had done for him last night at Rattlesnake Creek, and wondered if he could have gotten this far with Lilith without them.
Roland looked up at the stars, worry straining his smooth brow. Cam’s gaze followed his friend’s. The starlight, which seemed strangely bright tonight, wasn’t starlight at all. Instead, Lucifer’s demons had gathered high in the firmament above. It was their eyes that shone like stars through the wildfire smoke. Cam bristled, knowing they were here to see what would become of him. The Trumbull kids weren’t the only ones eager for a big performance tonight.
The houselights went out.
The crowd fell silent as a spotlight found Luc. He had changed into a blue pin-striped suit, wing-tip shoes, and a fuchsia pocket square. He held a gold-plated microphone and smiled at a teleprompter.
“Welcome to the Trumbull prom,” his voice boomed. Whoops rose from the audience until Luc waved one hand and silenced the crowd. “I am honored to play a role in this momentous occasion. I know you’re all eager to know who will be crowned prom king and queen. Coach Burroughs is backstage now, tallying your votes. First, we will commence with the much-anticipated Battle of the Bands.”
“We love you, Chloe!” a few kids screamed from the front row.
“Some of the bands you’ll hear are fan favorites,” Luc said. “Some are relative unknowns, even to their relatives…” He waited for laughter, but instead, a half-full can of soda landed at his feet.
“Some,” Luc continued, his voice darkening, “have never stood a chance.” He turned and winked at Cam. “Here to fire the first shot, Love and Idleness!”
The audience sounded its approval as two sophomore girls dragged stools onto the stage. They looked like sisters, with dark skin, freckles, and pale blue eyes. One had white-blond curls and the other had a dyed black bob. They raised their ukuleles.
Cam was impressed to recognize the opening chords of an obscure folk song that had been passed down through time in dark speakeasies. It was called “Silver Dagger,” and the first time he’d heard it had been a couple of hundred years ago, aboard a boat being tossed around a high sea in heavy blackness.
“She’s badass,” Jean said.
“Which one?” Luis said.
“Both of ’em,” Jean said.
“You have a girlfriend,” Luis said.
“Shhh,” Jean said.
Cam tried to catch Lilith’s eye, but she was locked in on the performance.
Love and Idleness was good and seemed to know it. But they would never know how well they had chosen their song, or that they were singing to ten thousand pairs of immortal ears that had been present when the song was first performed off the Barbary Coast. Cam knew some of the demons would be chanting along from above.
He stood behind Lilith, wrapped his arms around her waist, and swayed, singing softly in her ear.
“My daddy is a handsome devil…”