Edwin was on a roll.
No, he wasn't trying to blow through the money Alexei had so graciously bestowed upon him as fast as possible. He simply did what he wanted and there were a lot of things he wanted to do.
Like riding a roller coaster, it was fun, so he did it again and every other ride at the amusement park.
Like eating junk food, he ordered everything on the menu, ate until he threw up, and when he recovered he ate some more.
Like wine, he passed out after the first glass. He decided to give it another try on a different day.
Like shopping for things that he actually liked. He settled for a punk style, after that, he trashed everything his mothers had bought him and replaced his entire wardrobe.
Like getting his hair dyed. He remembered the omega Ethan gushed about endlessly during his hospital visits. He wasn't confident going fully platinum blonde, so he settled on yellow and purple highlights.
Like getting a piercing, he quickly understood that he did not like pain, but he mustered up the courage to get only one on his right ear. He settled for a little citrus shaped stud.
Like getting a tattoo but when he heard the whirl of the needle, he quickly decided against it and ran away.
Like karaoke, his mothers who had been convinced he would marry into a high-class elite family allowed him to learn the basics of classical music, not the instruments just the history. Of all the genres he explored, he decided he liked rock. He screamed at the top of his lungs into the mic, bouncing about the private booth like a deranged excited rabbit. It was fascinating to watch… at least the people peeping through the window thought so.
But for all the freedom, there were times he was overcome with an inexplicable fear that all this was nothing but a cruel hallucination his mind had conjured while he was drugged and trapped in the bed of yet another alpha, to whom his mothers had pimped him out.
He dreaded such times.
In those harrowing moments, he would reach for his medical card or take stock of the almost endless supply of supplements and medicines that had been given to him. Sometimes, he wanted to call his brother, but he always stopped himself. Ethan had done more than enough for him.
Besides that, he believed he was doing quite well for himself.
The boy was living his life without a single worry. Well, he had one, he was looking for his elder sister. He didn't even question his parents' disappearance, he just wanted to find Edith. There were no pictures of her in their house, no matter how much he searched so he couldn't even go to the police or news outlets. When asked about her physical appearance, he couldn't give an accurate description because he had rarely ever taken a good look at her. He only had a vague idea of what she looked like. She was like a ghost, but he was certain he would find her with time.
Edwin had since become a dedicated patron of this karaoke club, and he had made a name for himself. What he considered mindless screaming, some considered the most spellbinding sound they had ever heard and watching him sing was even more captivating. It was like he was about to take flight the next minute.
This all began when an attendant casually passed by his room and heard him. He peeked in to see Edwin pouring his whole soul into the microphone. She was immediately rooted on the spot. What started as one turned to two and eventually, five. From attendants to other patrons, Edwin had built his own little fanbase without knowing.
As he did every Friday, he visited his usual joint, paid for a few hours and was led to the room that seemed to have become his permanent stage. He picked out a few songs, familiarized himself with the beat and lyrics and then he went off.
Outside his room was buzzing with excitement. The karaoke bar's very own songbird was back. It was their own private concert and like every other person who comes across a spectacular sight, the sight in question being a bunch of people gathered outside a private room to steal glances at someone singing, it makes sense to make a video and share it with friends, right?
This was the exact reason #karaokesongbird became a thing. Something Edwin had no idea about.
He received a job offer.
"It pays really well."
Edwin looked at the stranger with a straight face and said, rather bluntly "I have money."
"You don't understand. You'll make a fortune. More money than you know what to do with."
He stifled a yawn "I have money."
"We'll make you really popular. You'll be a celebrity and have a lot of fans."
"Sounds annoying."
The man was frustrated. When his boss saw the videos circulating, his insisted on signing him, but Edwin was simply not interested in whatever they had to offer. His reluctance even doubled when they said he would be in a pop group. He seemed almost repulsed by the idea. Once again, the talent scout left disheartened.
"Will you be our lead singer?" Joshua ceased the opportunity as soon as the scout left. He moved so quickly, he tripped and fell over but he didn't care how clumsy or stupid he looked.
Edwin was done with people popping out of nowhere asking if he would sign with them. How were these people even finding him? He decided then to switch joints.
"You're looking for someone... Edith right? We'll help you." Joshua dusted his jeans as he straightened.
Edwin sneered at him.
"On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you go to the Civil Registry to ask if there's any information on her, that's not really effective. If you try out for our band, I promise I'll help you search for her and if you get in, we'll all chip in to help. and we've got a website and everything, it'll be faster that way." He looked up to see disgust all over Edwin's face "I wasn't stalking you…" he took a small step towards the other "…I wasn't creeping on you or anything like that. I just saw you go there a few times, and I followed you out of curi-"
"You're not making your case any better."
At this point, Joshua was tempted to bite his own tongue "Okay… fine. I followed you… a bit."
"WOW, really? You don't say."
"I'm… look, my band, we need a singer."
"Your band? It's not another boy group, is it?"
"No, no…we are a rock band." He explained excitedly. "You should come by and try out for our band, please… please. Please." He was a breath away from dropping to his knees to beg "I promise, even if you don't get in, I'll help you out. I swear!"
"Okay."
"I mean, if you sing for us and you get popular and have a solid fanbase, that's like half the job done. We can print out posters and-"
He crossed his arms across his chest "I said okay."
"Okay?"
"I'll check your band out, but you have to help me even if I don't join."
Joshua couldn't contain himself. He chattered on and on about the band, the members, his favorite bands and what songs he wanted to cover and who the greatest rockstar of all time was not that Edwin knew what he was going on about. He didn't care. He let the boy talk as he stared out the window as the car sped down the highway.
"That's Jade, our drummer."
"Yoooooo." A girl with neon pink coloured hair, a nose ring and eyebrow piercings wave leisurely at him.
"She's like a sloth. I think it's because she uses all her energy on the drums." Joshua whispered to Edwin before continuing on "That's Zed. She's on the keyboard. Fred and I play the electric guitar and..." He pointed to the person hunched over a table in the corner "... that's Lilian. She's the leader, song writer and bassist. That's it. We're the Crushed Diamond." He made a proud rock-on gesture with both hands.
Edwin scanned the room. They were all dressed in a similar fashion, ripped denims, plaid shirts, coloured hair, a few piercings here and there. He glanced at his outfit wondering if the similar elements their fashion was what prompted Joshua to approach him. He didn't want to think too much so he just asked "So?"
"Please try out for our vocalist." Zed spoke softly, stealing a glance at Lillian "The last one bailed."
"You're really into emo, aren't you?" Fred asked as he came forward.
He turned to Joshua "What's that?"
"It's a sub-genre. The song you were singing. Your videos are mostly emo, pop-rock and alternative rock." Lillian answered impatiently.
"Oh... I see."
"Do you have a favourite band?" Zed asked, intending to soften the now tense atmosphere.
"Nope."
"Singer then?"
"Nope."
"Can you even read music? Play an instrument? Anything?" Lillian asked.
"Nope." He answered unapologetically.
Lillian shot Joshua an annoyed look "What? You don't know anything? What are you? Some omega groomed for childbearing?"
"Yes."
Fred and Joshua, who had just stepped forward to pacify Lillian and convince her to give the newcomer a chance, froze.
Edwin, the recipient of five complicated gazes, was completely unbothered.
"Duuuude, tha's craaaazeey." Jade slurred.
Edwin sighed "Joshua said you guys would help me look for my sister if I tried out for your band."
"Yea, sure. We will…" Fred hurried over with his phone "How about this song, you sing it a lot." He played a video.
He furrowed his brows "How did you get that?" he asked as he watched a secretly taken video of himself prance about the room as he sang.
"It's all over the internet. Did you…" Fred lowered the phone "…did you not know?"
"No."
"Oh! My bad."
Zed joined in "Sorry we thought you knew. It's everywhere online. You should've been tagged in a few of them."
"I'm not. My mothers had complete control of my phone."
"Uh... Edwin, your mothers, do they know you're here?" Zed asked awkwardly.
He shook his head.
"You ran away?" Lillian asked, feeling perplexed.
"Nope…" he shrugged "…they disappeared." He turned to Fred "If I sing this, you'll help me, right? I have to find my sister."
"Of course!" Joshua held a hand up to the sky to show his sincerity "Even if you don't join us, I'll help you."
Feeling motivated, Edwin walked to the microphone stand.
Zed kicked Jade, who was still sprawled out over a beanbag on the floor "Get up." Jade moved so slowly it almost hurt to watch her, but she made it to the drum kit only to shed her sloth-like nature when she picked her drumsticks.
"Alright!" Fred clapped twice before picking his guitar "Let's do this."
Edwin's energy could be best described as contagious. Even the skeptical Lillian got swept up by the wave of emotion he brought. By the end of the song, they were breathless. They had played with everything they had, almost as if their lives depended on that moment alone.
"That was sick!" Fred screamed, breathlessly.
"I told you he was awesome!" Joshua howled "I was right, wasn't I?" he asked no one in particular.
The group turned to Lillian, waiting eagerly for her verdict.
"It's fine." She put her guitar aside.
"Fine?!" Fred stared at Lillian in shock "You call that fine?"
"Doood, we like… keeel'd it."
"He can join but he has to take it seriously."
Jade indolently walked over Edwin to ruffle his hair "Boy can sing "
He dodged her hand "I'm twenty-five."
Everyone stared at him again, this time in surprise, he looked like a teenager, he could pass for twenty at most.
Truth be told, Lillian was the one who wanted him to join the most, no she needed him to join, and she also felt very awful for her earlier attitude "I'm sorry, for what I said earlier. I didn't mean to-"
Edwin waved it off "It's the truth anyway."
And so, Edwin became the lead vocalist of the rock band, the Crushed Diamond.
They kept their word to help search for Edith. They had a composite sketch made, based on what he could remember, which was a pinned post on their page. Fred, Zed and Joshua distributed flyers when they could, every other free time was spent practicing.
Lillian taught him what she could about music, and when it came to light that he was only allowed as far as compulsory basic education, she made it her personal mission to teach him everything about anything. He really did not find her as overbearing as they had described… well, she was nothing compared to the crazy women who had raised him.
Edwin learnt a few things about the members of the group, for instance, Lillian's excessive determination to make their band succeed had pressured the previous vocalist so much that they quit. Joshua said it has something to do with her wanting to prove something to her parents or whatever. The soft-spoken and mild-mannered Zed was also an alpha, like Lillian. The two were apparently together. Fred, a beta was Jade's de facto caretaker, also a beta. Apparently, Jade was so low energy that she would die if he weren't by her side. That's what Fred said, although, Jade seemed to be doing fine on her own, she was just excessively laid back. Joshua was the youngest at twenty, an alpha still in college. Very lively, just sort of all over the place.
Edwin was the only omega, but they didn't seem as hung up on secondary genders as his mothers had been. It was a little relaxing.
The group also learned a lot about Edwin. A lot. This was mostly due to the boy's ability to drop the most concerning and sometimes heart wrenching details about himself without batting an eye, not to garner sympathy or pity, he just did not care. Like the time they all went out to eat to celebrate his joining their band and Fred teased Edwin about his eating so fast saying no one would take the food away. Edwin said "Oh... Right. I can eat what I want as much as I want now." After the realization set in, he visibly relaxed and seemed to savour his meal.
Fred excused himself to cry a little in the corner.
Omegas being groomed as playthings and tools to give birth was an uncommon sight in recent years, but stories did circulate occasionally so Edwin's appearance was a rather jolting existence for the group. This incident prompted the practice of Edwin constantly being offered food or snacks. If he wasn't talking or singing, he was eating something. His mouth was always moving.
Edwin's life became a cycle of search for Edith, practice, study with Lillian, practice some more, sleep. Repeat.
Lillian's hard work paid off or perhaps, it was Edwin's natural talent or maybe just a combination of both but soon he had perfected a few of their songs but there was one problem.
A tiny issue of concern for the group, and that was Edwin's endurance.
It was shit.
Probably because he had been chronically malnourished, for this, Joshua stepped up. His cycle now included going to the gym at least three times a week and Fred, the designated mother bird took charge of his meals.
The Crushed Diamond started to make ripples, in part because Edwin had joined the band at the peak of his popularity and they attracted the attention of a record label. They were good too. And they caught a break, at last.
They came to an agreement but their assigned manager, Manson, had a few propositions to make them more…. marketable including making a few changes to Edwin's appearance. Suggestions Lillian rejected vehemently and without a single thought.
When Manson insisted, stating it was just dying his hair and going for a more fashionable look, she stated they had no qualms walking away.
Manson backed down.
Later that week, Manson invited the band to a pretty posh place for a dinner. They would be meeting with a few possible investors that night, after all, no matter how good or how talented a band was, money was still an absolute necessity. It was going quite well until Manson kept pushing Edwin to sit next to a certain investor and pour out drinks for them.
"I'll do it." Zed said with a sweet smile, walking over to take the bottle from Edwin, only to spill the contents over Manson's head. "Fuck you." She said softly, smile still plastered as she pulled Edwin out of his chair.
"We'll be taking our leave now." Lillian announced and led the way with the rest of the group trailed behind with Joshua at the end of the group, flipping them off with his tongue sticking out.
Of course, the record deal was a bust.
"It's nothing I haven't done before."
Zed gripped both his hands tightly as she brought her face close to his "Edwin, we have zero interest in using you as a tool to make our dreams come true. You will never have to do things like that when you're with us."
"It's fine if we have to wait a few more years for our big break." Fred chimed in "We already waited this long."
Edwin was speechless. He had known they were somewhat protective of him and occasionally, overly concerned, but he never thought it would be to the point where they would willingly walk away from such an opportunity. It was a new feeling for him, like there was something moving in his chest.
"I have money..." He mumbled.
No one reacted to his words.
"I have money." He spoke louder, unwilling to be ignored.
"That's... You don't have to do that. We can-"
He interrupted Lillian "I mean, I have more than enough money. Half of it belongs to my sister..." He quickly fished out his phone to show Lillian the account Alexei had gifted him "…but I'm sure this is enough for us, right?"
She gasped involuntarily when she saw the numbers. Her concern hit the sky, how was it possible that someone who knew nothing about the world and had been kept under someone's thumb all his life, came into such an absurd amount of money? She snatched the phone and dragged him to a corner "Edwin, where did you get this?" She asked with hushed urgency.
"It was a gift." He answered quietly, he started to get the feeling that he may have done something wrong.
"Who gifts such a ridiculous thing?" in her panic she grabbed his shoulders tightly "Who gave it to you and what did you do to get it?"
"My brother's boyfriend gave it to me."
"What?" Edwin had talked about his twin brother a few times, but he didn't particularly say much about him only that he ran away and they met each other again recently. It was always a little vague. "Why... Why would he give you so much?"
"Ethan told him to, okay?" He took his phone from her hands. Her questions made him a little upset "He was just looking out for me, it's not anything weird. They have a decent relationship and I didn't do anything!"
"...okay. Fine. I believe you but you can't go around showing that to people. Even if we're all friends, some things are better kept to yourself."
"But it can help us."
"Edwin, I'm sure your brother got you that money for you to live your life the way you want to, you don't have to give it to us. It's for you so you can be free and do what you want."
He ruminated for a minute "Initially, I wanted to go to school…"
"That's great. We could look into some courses you can take, there are some exams but between all of us we can tutor you-" Edwin's laugh interrupted her "…what… why are you laughing?"
"This is the first time…" he mumbled with his eyes fixed on the floor.
"Edwin?"
He met her concerned gaze with glassy but shining eyes. His voice shook a little "…what I want is to sing with you."
His words confused her "What about school?" That's what they were talking about, right? He wanted to go back to school.
"I like singing with you… with everyone so that's what I will do." It was a rather blunt declaration, but it was very much Edwin's style.
She bit the sides of her cheeks for a moment "Are you sure about this?"
He nodded eagerly "We don't need Manson and I won't have to pour drinks for people or have anyone touching me. It's a win, right?"
Lillian hugged him.
Seeing this, the rest of the group hurried over to join in, even if they didn't know why, they all felt very emotional.
What followed next was quite easy.
In fact, the whole process of securing equipment and even a space for their studio was easy.
Too easy.
So easy… that it put Lillian and Zed in an almost perpetual state of unease. There was no way everything would just be handed to them so easily, but they kept that between themselves.
"The logo?"
"A bird...." Jade drawled "That's cool."
Fred nodded in agreement "…colour?"
"Black?" Joshua suggested.
"Purple." Edwin said, leaning over the table to get a better view of the sketch Zed was making "I want it to be purple."
"You really like purple." Zed commented, gesturing to his highlights.
Edwin nodded in agreement "I guess I do." He muttered
"A purple bird is cool." Jade said, suddenly feeling energetic "We should call our label Purple Bird. Right Ed?"
The two shared a dramatic high-five.
Thus, the record label Purple Bird was born with their first and only signed group, Crushed Diamond at the helm.
And… Lillian was indeed right to worry about how easily they had had it so far. After the official registration of their label, things started going south rather quickly. Their producer bailed, so did the sound technician. Not only that, they were constantly being slandered and dragged through the mud, unprovoked. She had a clear guess, so she decided to deal with the matter herself.
Walking into Manson's office, she was sure she would be turned away, but to her surprise, someone led her in.
"You must be Lillian." The person that greeted her was a rather tall toned woman, who was reclined in Manson's chair with both feet propped up on a bloodied and bruised Manson, on his hands and knees. They were not alone. On one side stood the frightened staff she was familiar with, on the other, a set of new faces. "Good thing you showed up, you saved me the trouble of looking for you."
She looked around in confusion "Uh… Excuse me?"
The woman pointed to the new faces "Your new manager, Giles. He was sensible enough to pick out a producer and sound technician along the way. Get familiar with them, they may be greenhorns, but they've got skills."
"I don't…" her mind was so jumbled she could barely form a complete thought. She looked to the trio, then at the woman and to Manson and finally, the woman in the chair "I don't know… what the- who are you?" when she was met the woman's unimpressed expression, she focused her confused eyes on Manson, who was shaking like a leaf under her feet. Well, he would definitely be of no help. His staff? Not them either, they were just as frightened. Who the hell was this woman?
"I thought you were smart."
"Well, sorry that I'm not jumping for joy, lady. I don't even know your name."
The woman huffed, unwilling to hide her impatience "Just how fucking naive can you be? Did you really think it would be that easy after offending someone like this pig?" She stomped Manson into the ground to emphasize her point.
She knew it wouldn't, that's why she and Zed had been wary from the start. She started to say something, but she stopped herself. Wasn't that why she was here? To confront Manson and now that he had been beaten to a pulp… this woman could be her new best friend for all she cared, as long as he would get off their backs.
Maybe she should be jumping for joy.
"Your little songbird is related to my boss's favourite. The old man kind of has a soft spot for kids… especially the ones that have had a hard time, so he decided to help you out a bit." She stomped in Manson again when she felt the man move before pointing to the trio she had barely introduced "This is an investment, make good on it. There will be no more assistance from him."
"Inves-" she took a deep breath "Please…" she faced the trio helplessly "…can someone tell me what is happening? What is this investment and from whom?"
They shook their heads helplessly, they were just responding to a job offer. They knew just as much as she did, maybe even less.
The woman stretched her long limbs ceremoniously and came to her feet "If you do well, you'll get an invitation to meet with him. Don't waste his good intentions."
"Lady, say something I can understand."
"Well, if you want to find out, you just have to work hard so my boss's efforts are not a waste." And… she left.
The woman was like a storm. Lillian wanted to pull out her hair. She looked at the three people she had suddenly gained.
What had just happened? There was no one to ask. So many questions but no answers.
She felt this episode was best kept between Lillian, Zed and the three.
With the new addition to their ranks, it was smooth sailing. Crushed Diamond's little ripple became a splash. There was still no news about Edith, but Edwin remained hopeful. With everyone's permission, he made a video of a studio session and sent it to Ethan.
Ethan played the video his brother had just sent him again, for the fifth time.
He had no preference for any genres in particular, as long as he felt good listening to it he liked it, but he really did like Edwin's songs.
He liked watching Edwin sing too.
He had received some videos before, he could tell Edwin was really enjoying himself.
He was glad but it was too bad, there was still no news on Edith. Edwin had assured him that he could handle it.
When the video ended, he placed the phone next to his pillow, rolled in to his back and stared up at the ceiling.
He wasn't used to the bed, it was a bit small and uncomfortable, so was his pillow. The material of the hospital gown was also uncomfortable. The smell of the hospital room was uncomfortable. The lights were too bright, that too was uncomfortable. The constant fussing behind the door was uncomfortable. The absence of Alexei by his side was uncomfortable. Everything was uncomfortable, maybe he really had been too pampered. Before he met Alexei, he could never have dreamed of being so picky.
He sighed, the universe must have been on his side because Alexei would be away for a few weeks. He could deal with his gland issue in that time.