He sat in the shower stall of his mind

Watching his life spiral down the drain

All he wanted was to pick himself up

But it all came out so lame

Watching these neon lights

Where are we going?

No one really knows

He ran as frantically as he could

The manic pink lights fading far away

He slipped through the cracks

No looking back

He doesn't want to be forgotten

Though everything is stale and rotten

The sunset bile, orange and purple

What is he fighting for?

These neon lights?

--unpublished lyrics by Orion Bauwens

The album is almost done. I'm looking down at a sheet of music. There's a part I don't understand. I'm not sure if it's a typo, or if something's been changed, but I don't get it.

I walk out of the recording booth, headphones still around my neck. Orion is in the next booth over. He's done with all his recordings for the album and I know he's just in there practicing while Ben and I finish up our parts. When I open the door, my neck is still craned down. I shut the door behind me since he's singing. I open my mouth to speak but stop.

I have never, ever, heard him sing how he's singing now. He's doing this weird, breathy, half-whisper, half-whine, half-growl. (It would become a signature sound for him, but no one knew that now obviously). And yeah, sure, I had heard other artists sing likewise. Plenty of front men did a half-whine, half-singing voice...

But fuck, other singers had never done it in such a sexy manner. If I could have sex with his voice I would. I was immediately turned on (which was, admittedly, embarrassing).

I listened for a while, stunned. Stunned and incredibly horny. Finally I can't take it anymore--I need to either get him to stop making the noises he's making or I need to go spend some time in the bathroom.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm myself, I speak. "Er, Ori?"

He evidently had no idea I was there because he literally falls off the stool he had been sitting on. As I laugh I'm grateful; goodbye, erection!

"Holy fuck dude," he says, standing, adjusting his cock-eyed headphones.

I continue to laugh. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he says, blushing slightly. "Uh, what's up?"

"There's a note I don't understand."

He comes over and we go over it.

"Yeah, that's a typo. They must've fucked it up when they printed this out."

"Amatures," I laugh.

Orion laughs. "I know, right?"

"Thanks."

For a second we just stare at one another. It's...a little weird. It's like he wants to say something but doesn't. Or maybe that's just in my head.

"I think you need to re-record some of the songs," I blurt out.

He looks concerned. "Why? What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing," I tell him. "I really, really liked what you were doing with your voice just now."

He blushes.

"What was that?"

"I was just messing around...trying different things and techniques..."

I point at him. "Incorporate that into some of the songs and re-do them. Seriously. That's gonna make soooo many women drop their panties."

Orion gives me a perplexed look but laughs. He shakes his head. "If you say so, Jake..."

"I'm serious. Re-record a couple songs and sing like that."

As I leave, I see he's contemplating it. Also as I leave I see I need to go spend some time in the bathroom, anyway.

~

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Orion gives his nervous laugh.

Gloria had asked him that. We're at our first interview. Our album hit last week and, to our shock, it was an immediate success. It's playing all over the radio. I went to the fucking grocery store the other day and it was piping in over the store's intercom. Talk about feeling like being in The Twilight Zone...

We're at a news station. It's one of those news shows that's on the ground floor of a large corporate building. We flew out first thing to New York city--which is wild. I've never been to New York. And now here we were, at a major news station that's watched nationwide, with screaming fans outside the window. They're not planted fans, either. They showed up, hoping to get a glimpse of us.

Gloria gives Orion a quick hug. It surprises all of us. Orion looks grateful though. She smiles at him. "You'll do great, kiddo. Don't worry about it. It's just talking."

"Right," he says, his voice not it's normal pitch, "it's just talking."

"You'll be okay," the interviewer tells him with a smile.

Orion rubs his hands against his pants and nods.

"We're going live in three-two-one-"

"Welcome back!" the host of the show, who will be giving the interview, says. "We have here with us in the studio an up and coming band. You might've heard of them already. Their freshman album, Say It Like You Might Actually Mean It, is playing all over the radio. And I mean all over the radio." The host turns to us then. "I'd like to introduce the world to Saturn Mutants. How's it feel, gentlemen?"

For a second the three of us just look at one another. Orion is wearing eyeliner. His sexy eyes look at me petrified.

"It's okay guys, don't be shy."

We all burst out laughing. And just like that, the apprehension dissolves. It's surprising. Even Orion loosens up.

"It's weird?" Orion says into his microphone.

The host laughs. "Weird? Why weird?"

"Well, I've always--" Orion stops and looks at Ben and I, giggling. "I'm sorry, I don't want to steal the spotlight--"

"No, steal away!" I say with a laugh into my microphone.

Ben motions for him to keep going.

Orion brings the mic to his lips again. "It's weird because I've always dreamed of this, and I didn't expect it to come so easily."

"It's been easy, huh? That just means you're naturally talented!"

Orion turns bright red. "T-thanks..."

The host laughs. "Shy?"

Orion blushes further and laughs, holding his forehead between thumb and index finger, ducking his head. "A bit, yeah."

"I'm sure the ladies will love that."

Orion lifts his head and laughs. "Probably some guys, too."

The host laughs. "Yeah, I'm sure. So, introduce yourself, for those watching that don't know you."

We all start talking over each other all at once and then crack up. Ben gives Orion a shove, and he gives one right back. So I stand up, dramatically breaking them up. After messing around a bit I sit back down.

"Go ahead," Orion says to Ben.

"No, you go ahead," Ben says.

"No seriously."

"You're the front man--"

The host laughs. "Someone just go! Oh, and make sure you say your name, what instrument you play, and how old you are." He then points at Ben. "Ready go!"

Ben looks at the camera. "My name is Ben, I play the drums, and I'm seventeen."

The host looks surprised. "Seventeen? Oh wow. Alright, next."

Orion nudges me, so I lift my mic again. "My name is Jake, I play the bass guitar, and I'm seventeen."

"And you?"

"My name is Orion," Orion says, dropping his voice into its deepest ranges. I have no idea why he does that, but everyone laughs as he tries to keep a straight face. He's tilted his head down, looking intensely at the camera. "I'm the singer--but I also play guitar--and I'm eighteen."

"What was that?" the host asks.

Orion laughs and shrugs, speaking normally. "I d'no. I like goofing around."

"You all seem really close--"

"Oh yeah, we are," I reply.

"We've been best friends since Freshman year, when we first met," Orion finishes.

"Is that how the band started?"

"Jake and I had the band for a few years already by that point," Ben says. He looks at me. "We started...what? Seventh grade?"

"Yeah, something like that," I reply.

"And then Orion didn't join until Junior year."

"Wow. That long, huh?"

"Yup."

"And why did it take you so long to join up, Orion?"

Orion pinches the bridge of his nose a second. "Um, I'm not--I'm not trying to be rude, but it's pronounced ori-on."

"Oh! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!"

Orion laughs. "It's all good; it's weird, I know. And as for why I didn't join, well...I d'no. I guess I wasn't ready."

"He was scared," I tease, giving him a playful shove.

"I was not!" Orion rebuttals with a laugh.

"Really?" the host asks.

Orion looks at the ceiling with his eyes, bobbing his head back and forth. He breaks into a grin, and pinches his fingers together. "Maybe a tiny bit."

"Why? You're super talented! Here--take a listen--"

It cuts away to a snippet of Kill The Silence. It plays for about half a minute. I'm happy to say Orion took my advice and re-sang some of the tracks with his drop dead gorgeous whine-growl voice. This was one of them. I break out into a grin.

Orion starts dancing in his seat. When the music stops, he keeps going for a little bit. Then he stops, bringing the mic to his lips and grinning. "Oh. It stopped."

The host laughs. "That was from a track called Kill The Silence."

"Yup," Orion replies.

"It sounds to me like you didn't have anything to worry about! You've got a very unique voice there, Orion."

"Thank you."

"So--what can we expect from you fellas in the future?"

"Lots and lots of new music," Ben says immediately.

"Lots and lots?"

"Oh yeah--Orion writes our music," I jump in. "He has quite a backlog of songs."

"Is this true, Orion?"

He colors a little. "Yeah. We're already planning our second album..."

"Wow! That's ambitious!"

Orion gives a sly grin. "Well, we hope to stick around for awhile, so."

"Alright. Well, it genuinely was a pleasure to meet you all."

The host shakes all of our hands. We all say thank you in return.

"I wish the three of you the very best."

As the host goes into a spiel about how to buy our album, Orion gets up and goes to the window where all the fans are. He puts his hands behind his back, tilts his torso to the side. They all go crazy. He waves both hands at the crowd, and they become even louder. He turns around then laughs, sitting back down.

"--and thank you for tuning in," the host is finishing up.

Ben and I wave at the camera. Orion smiles and blows some kisses.

"And that's a wrap," the cameraman says.

The studio cheers. Gloria comes over and gives us all hugs.

"You were wonderful! Naturals!" she gushes. She gives Orion an extra hug. "You did so good, Orion!"

Orion twists around to look at the fans. He then looks back, jamming his thumb behind him. "Can we go sign autographs?"

Gloria glances at the crowd. "Yeah, I don't see why not. Go ahead. Enjoy yourself."

Grinning, Orion heads towards the exit. Wherever nervous Orion once was had been replaced by exuberant, excited Orion. "C'mon guys! Lets go!"

"Hey," Gloria snaps her fingers at one of the cameramen. "I want a handheld on them. Record them signing and talking to fans. It'll be good publicity--play it at the opening of the next commercial."

I was surprised at her bossiness. But one of the cameramen does as she instructed, grabbing a hand-held recorder and following us out.

As soon as we're outside I'm surprised by the sheer volume of the fans. There's not even that many, maybe twenty, but they're all screaming. Orion is grinning ear to ear and he goes over to them. They all try to talk at once, shoving paper and posters at us to sign.

"Guys," Orion says, chuckling. "Guys. GUYS."

I whistle loudly and the crowd laughs nervously.

Orion smiles, putting his hands to his chest. "Hi. I'm Orion."

The crowd swells into cheers and naturally dies off after a few seconds.

"We'll be signing autographs, and I want to talk a little bit with each and every one of you, so please be patient, okay?"

The crowd cheers again. Orion goes to the person directly in front of him. He flicks his eyes at her, and I nearly faint. He smiles, tilting his head down. "What's your name?"

Ben elbows me, and we start to do the same. We all get compliments, but it's pretty obvious everyone is all about Orion. Which is fine--I never wanted to be in the full limelight, anyway.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I referenced this song in The Orion Star, too, but if anyone is reading this as a stand alone...This song is how Orion sings. Breathy, whiny, passionate, sexy. (IMHO--I love this guys voice, I find it incredibly sexy.)

2nd Note: I would also listen to Chevelle's song, Arise. The high note he hits a couple minutes in...I picture Orion doing that a lot.

Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my face. ;)