Noodle sighed and sat back in her chair, letting the stylist brush it out. Russel was sitting opposite from her, reading a tabloid magazine and making sure no love-crazed fans burst into her tiny trailer. A loud knock came from the door, and without hesitation, an angry Murdoc slammed the door open and stormed in, taking a seat next to Russel. "Remind me why we gotta do this again?" he asked. Noodle made a 'tsk' noise and said "It's a charity concert, we're doing it to promote sales and make us look good"
Murdoc scowled at her, he wouldn't mind boosting sales, but doing a concert for free? That was asking too much of him, but he had no choice, Noodle had pushed them into it after a less known band had dropped the lead. Murdoc watched the stylist, combing out Noodle's hair and adding gel to it, making it even more choppy, but adding a little pizzazz to her overall look. Once finished, the stylist packed her things up and gave Noodle a hug before leaving the trailer, screams issuing from the briefly opened door as fans had pushed through the barricade and were surrounding the trailer.
Russel put down his magazine and checked his watch, "Okay guys, we're on in five. Where's 2D?" he asked, scanning the room. Murdoc ignored him and Noodle shrugged her shoulders, giving Russel a blank look. The door opened again and in walked a red-faced 2D, a silly grin on his face. "Cute reporter outside, couldn't help myself" he said, leaning over the back of Russel's chair. Noodle's face flushed, how in the world could he spend all day womanizing? Right when there was a perfectly nice girl right in front of his face? Noodle mentally slapped herself for thinking that, 2D would never like a girl like her, besides, they were family, right?
"Awright lads" said a voice in Noodle's ear, making her jump, "you're on in two" Noodle laughed, realizing the voice was coming from her ear-piece. The four of them stood and exited the trailer, venturing out into a whirlwind of flashing from cameras and the screeching of hundreds of fans, mostly women screaming for Murdoc. He turned and flashed them a smile, make them giggle hysterically and making some faint from happiness.
They tramped onto the stage, hearing more screams from behind the thick, red curtain, separating them from the rest of the world. Noodle picked up her Les Paul and fitted the strap around her neck and shoulder, strumming out a few practice chords. A booming voice filled their ears, announcing that the world famous Gorillaz were about to play.
The announcer in their headsets counted backwards from three and signaled for them to start playing, the curtain was whisked away, exposing them to thousands of fans, shouting and yelling, taking pictures with camera phones. Noodle grinned and picked the pace to the song, the cue for 2D to sing the opening lines of 'Dirty Harry'.
An hour later, they bowed they're way off stage, having played ten or so songs. They were over-heated and sweaty from the hot stage lights and Noodle's fingers were bleeding slightly. They headed off to their separate trailers to wait out the fans, not wanting to be bombarded as they left the concert.
Noodle entered her cool, dark trailer, flipping the light switch on and shutting the door behind her. She grabbed a cold bottle of water from her mini-fridge and flopped down in her bean bag chair, looking around at the room. It was decked out in Asian trinkets and pictures, a few paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. She stood up and went to her closet, picking out a comfy pair of shorts and a tank top to change into, her damp, sweaty clothes were too much.
She changed quickly and stuck her head under the sink faucet rinsing it out then shook her head, the excess droplets flying in every direction. Noodle sank back down in her chair and awaited their departure.
It didn't take long before Murdoc was in the room, barking at her to get into the Geep. Noodle scampered out of her trailer and hopped in the back of the Geep next to 2D. The two made small talk about the concert, stopping occasionally to laugh at the loud rumbling coming from their stomachs. Halfway home, Noodle had convinced Murdoc to pull over to get something to eat, with Russel's help of course.
They stopped at a burger joint, wolfing down greasy burgers and too-salty fries. Noodle was sucking up a chocolate milkshake from a straw, watching the streets outside. Something caught her attention, she looked over and saw a small store on the corner, the windows were vibrantly decorated with pictures and signs in Japanese characters. Noodle wiped her face off on a napkin and tugged at Russel's sleeve, "Russel-san, can I go across the street while you finish eating, there is a Japanese store I would like to go see," At first Russel's answer was a firm 'No', but eventually, Noodle wore him down and he handed her twenty dollars and sent her on her way.
Noodle looked both ways before crossing the street, knowing Russel was watching from the steamed up window of the restaurant. The store was small and musty, there were shelves filling the entire space. The shelves were filled with Asian candies of every kind, ramen noodles, and small knick knacks. Noodle surveyed the entire store, finding a few things she wanted and headed up to the front to pay for them. A friendly looking cashier rang her up and took the bill she pushed across the counter and handed back her change. While Noodle was waiting, she spotted an odd looking figurine on the counter. She picked it up and examined, but quickly put it back down, it gave her a creepy feeling.
Back at the restaurant, Noodle distributed the Asian candies she had purchased, laughing at the silly, excited look on 2D's face at the sight of the candy. He sat in silence sucking on a lollypop, grinning stupidly at the rest of them. Too soon, Murdoc was hustling them back into the Geep so they could get home at a decent hour.
Noodle fell asleep in the Geep, waking when they got back and stumbling sleepily up to her room. She collapsed onto her bed and fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, Noodle awoke to Murdoc shoving a fed-ex package in her face. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, the package was small and heavy. She tore it open to discover the figurine she saw at the store she visited the night before, it's gruesome face twisted into a dark smile…
Hope ya liked it! The first chapters a little slow, there'll be more going on in the next one.
review, review, review !!!