Soul Searcher Book 1

Sighing, I stare up at the place I will call home for the next who knows how many months. Thankfully I found a furnished beach house to rent twenty-four hours after arriving in Myrtle Beach. Having settled myself in, I flopped on the couch, a yawn suddenly escaping my lips. Where to begin? Flipping the television on, I surf the stations for a minute or two before switching it back off. Not one for being up during the day, I decide to go into the bedroom and shutting the curtains, fall onto the bed, an ‘ugh’ escapes as I do.

Since I have no direction on where to start this dumb search of mine, I willingly sleep the rest of the day away. Nothing fun ever happens while the sun is up anyway, right?

**

Having just stocked her kitchen with groceries, Cassie with her hands on her hips, scans her kitchen counters and her little dining table to make sure she hadn’t forgotten to put anything away. Glancing at the screen on her phone, she realizes it’s a quarter after six. “Shit!” She quickly makes her way to her bathroom to adjust her messy bun from earlier into a wavy flowing ponytail. After this she begins to search for some clean clothes.

Pulling a black tank top from off a shelf in her walk-in closet, Cassie flips it over her head and then goes in search for her favorite pair of black colored jean short shorts. Slipping on her shorts, she grabs her black combat boots from the floor of her closet and then takes her favorite black belt with silver studs from off a hook that hangs on the inside of her closet door, wrapping it swiftly around her slim waist. Once completely clothed, she dashes into the bathroom and applies mascara and eyeliner to her ocean-blue eyes; runs a shimmering ice pink lip-gloss across her lips and then running into her living room, snatches up her satchel from off the island/counter of her kitchen and slamming the door behind her, turns the deadbolt before clambering down the flight of stairs so she can start helping Jason prep the club before it opens for the night.

“Hey Cass, what-ya doing here? Isn’t Ginny scheduled in tonight?” Jason asks as he runs a hand through his short brown slightly curly hair while walking out from the back room, having just completed the inventory check list. Tilting his head, he watches Cassie as she wipes down the last part of the bar. She shrugs her shoulders at his question and moves onto her next task, pulling out the containers that hold the condiments that they use for making some of their beverages. “Oh, no... What has she gone and done now?”

“Nothing. Well aside from agreeing to go out on tour with that band from last night as their merch person.” She forces a smile on her lips as she looks up at Jason.

“What? Are you serious?” Jason shakes his head astonished with what Cassie has just said to him. “That girl astounds me.”

“Eh, I can’t be too mad. You only live once, right? I would hope she would cover for me like I am for her.”

“Well, you’re too damn nice, but whatever,” Jason shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head once more before he walks into his office leaving Cassie to finish setting up the cups and pulling the hard liquors from inside a cabinet which she then places on display along their mirrored wall on top of a dark lacquered wooden shelf that sits against the mirror.

7 o’clock rolls around way too soon and before Cassie realizes it, the bouncers have opened the front doors allowing people entrance to the club/bar. In a matter of minutes, the bar is crowded with people and Cassie is slinging drinks as quickly as orders are thrown at her. When three people shout orders at the same time though, she stops in her tracks and takes a deep breath, “Jason! Get your ass out here! I need help, please.” Knowing she shouldn’t have shouted for him that way, Cassie quickly added a ‘please’ in hopes of avoiding an argument with him after the bar shuts down for the night.

As Jason strolls out of his office, he wears a look of surprise upon his face as he glances around the room that had been empty not fifteen minutes ago. “Damn Cass, why didn’t you shout for me sooner?” Instead of answering him, she just hands him two empty cups that were used specifically for beer and nods her head towards the Bud-light, indicating with her eyes that both should be filled with that specific beverage.

“Thank the moon above, the band is starting. Since it has died down, I’m going to take a break. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes, okay?” Cassie tells Jason as she glances at the time on her phone.

Jason nods his head, “yeah, I’ve got this. Go chill for a bit. The first band ends their set at 8:30 so just be back five minutes prior to then.” Cassie tosses her bar rag at Jason and with a squeal quickly ducks out the back door before he is able to throw it back at her.

Flipping a red crate over, Cassie seats herself upon it, positioning herself so that she can watch people pass by but go unnoticed by others because of a wooden fence strategically placed to hide that area of the club.

Cassie winces as she sits on the sturdy plastic crate because of the headache, she thought she had gotten rid of hours earlier decided to streak across her brain, causing searing hot pain to flash behind her closed eyelids. That was a weird one. I’ve never felt pain like that before, she thought as a moment later the pain/ache subsides and she pulls out her pack of cigarettes from her back pocket, yanking one out, she places it against her lips, flicks her lighter, lighting the end of it before taking a nice long drag. She hated that she smoked but she couldn’t seem to quit no matter what she tried.

Taking another puff, she glances up from looking at the ground and notices an oddity walking by her. It’s like freaking 90 degrees out, why in the hell would someone be sporting a hoodie in this heat? Dude must be mental, she thought as she continued to gaze at him as he sauntered by, oblivious to his surroundings.

**

Glancing back over my right shoulder as I walk along the boardwalk, I look at my surroundings. For some reason I feel as though someone is watching me but as I shift my eyes from one side to the other, I don’t see nor catch anyone gazing my way. Shaking my head for being paranoid, I continue walking for a few seconds more before coming to a stop. I can hear live music coming not too far from where I stand. As I listen to the music spilling out into the night air, I feel compelled to check it out. The moment I came to earth, I had been attracted to the ’Rock ‘n’ Roll scene’ and the bands that make that type of music. Inching closer to the building where the sound is coming from, I look up and see that the name of the bar is called Star-Sky.

The name itself has intrigued me enough to enter the venue. I knew it! I thought to myself as I looked towards the stage and saw one of my favorite bands standing on it and at this exact moment, they also happen to be playing one of my favorite songs of theirs. As I try to get a better view of the place though, I am not able to see much of what the venue looks like because the lights are dimmed, all but the ones pointed at the stage that is. I am stopped by someone near the entrance before I am able to venture any further into the club because I apparently need a ticket to see the band perform.

“Well shit. Thank you anyway.” Bowing my head ever so slightly at the girl sitting inside the ticket box, I turn on my heel and make my way back outside. The show was sold out and I now feel dumb for not realizing that of course that band would have sold out, just the brief view of the inside I had seen; people were packed in tightly together like sardines. I will definitely have to remember this spot; I think to myself as I walk back outside.

With a sigh of disappointment, I go back to wandering down the wooden planks to see what else is around.