Page 47 of Feral Touch
“Yeah. It's one of the first songs I ever wrote. The majority of it was composed only a few months after—” he faltered for a brief moment. “—after I moved to the city.”
After he'd left home.
“Do you mind if I ask…” I trailed off.
Ren shrugged carefully and casually. “Ask away.”
“What happened right after you left?”
“I took a bus to the city. I had the clothes on my back, my violin, and enough cash to last me about two weeks.”
"How did you manage it?” I didn't think I'd be able to make it two days on my own in a big city at age eighteen.
“I stayed at youth hostels and paid by the night for the first week. I started looking for jobs, but, well, it's hard to get hired when you're a homeless eighteen-year-old. Then, one day, I walked passed a bar holding a sort of karaoke battle of the bands type thing. Anyone could get up and sing or play guitar or whatever. The prize money wasn't a lot, but it would help.”
“So you won?”
Ren barked out a laugh. “God, no. Can you imagine? There I was at some dank bar full of bikers and addicts. Some skinny teenager comes on stage and pulls out a violin. The crowd was so confused. I mean, I didn't get booed off stage or anything, but—” He shrugged. “It just wasn't their thing.”
“It was a bust?”
“Not completely. That's where I met Kell.”
Ren hadn't told me how he met the band. “Was he there to play, too?”
“He was there to drink. Apparently he was a regular at the place. After I left with my tail tucked between my legs, he came chasing after me.”
“What did he want? Was he trying to recruit you to the band?”
“There was no band back then. Kell just saw some naive kid. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but it was probably something like what the hell did I think I was doing, showing up in my designer clothes and playing some classical instrument at a dive bar like that one.”
“What'd you tell him?”
“I told him it was a last resort. I couldn't think of anything else to do. He told me about a few small gigs, nothing big, just enough to help me get back on my feet. We kept in touch.”
I almost couldn't believe someone as self-centered as Kell could have such a soft spot for a random street kid. Looks could be deceiving.
"That's where the title of the song came from," Ren added.
"Out of the Darkness… It sounds sort of hopeful. What's it mean?"
"I left the bar when I realized I wouldn't win. It was late at night. Kell called out to me. He called mekid. I turned around and there he was, standing in the streetlight." Ren had a soft smile on his face. "It was like he'd appeared out of the darkness. A blond angel come to save me." Ren laughed and shook his head. "Of course, I've never told him that. It would just make his head swell up even more if he thought I looked up to him like some savior."
I was touched by Ren's story. It made me want to get to know Kell. There must have been more to him than his playful antics suggested.
“So this is the one, then?” Ren asked, bringing the conversation back around.
“Yes. I like this one.”
“Alright. Let's get to work.”
CHAPTER 12
ITFELTLIKEwe’d only been working a few hours when Kell popped his head into the room, interrupting a heated discussion between Ren and me over how many bars the intro should be. Working with someone as smart as Ren was eye-opening. My fellow students were skilled and my professors were all accomplished in their fields, but Ren was something else. As a professional working artist, he lived and breathed music. I felt like a little kid putting bow to strings for the first time compared to him.
Luckily, I managed to keep it together on the outside and hold my own against him. He never noticed how intimidated I was. I hoped.
“Hey lovebirds, it’s quittin’ time!” Kell declared.
