I begin writing another song, three hours after she had put Jayson to shame in front of the entire club. The words clear to me, but the sound of it and the music a mystery when I hear her play a mind blowing riff on the electric guitar from the backroom, making me realize that I'm missing lyrics.

"This who I am

This what I feel

It's all about me..."

Those words fit perfectly, Jayson and Leon with her back there. I know Jayson plays drums and she says Leon can sing, but it's rock/screamo (which fits the sound she wants for her rock albums, according to what I've heard from our studio at the house). Now all I need is a title for this song.

Walking into the room they've occupied, I watch her and Leon jamming on the two guitars while Jayson slams out the music on the drums. They begin playing a faster song, Leon beginning and Jayson singing normally while Leon does his

screamo bits, her voice with more of an edge while still cleanly harmonizing with them.

"It's unknown what I am for the buyer

Have they cloned the American dream?

Stand in line for a higher desire

It's a crack in this mortal machine

I'm enhanced, a synthetical fire

I am a product of chaos and entropy

As the dust settles, I get tired

Failed destiny, facing liars

Let me know I'm the one, I am reborn in a cosmic fire

Will I die or return from my demise?

Is it already over?

Am I falling apart out of the dark

And into a fading white star?

Is it already over?

I'm descended from dreams

Unnatural light bright in my eyes

And that's why they call me transhuman

I've postponed the transformed revolution

It's a blue print with silicon seams

Step by step, I revoke the illusion

Of the force that's not meant to be seen

My revenge stands for words to inspire

Will humanity see what I need?

My adrenaline feeds my desire

To become an immortal machine

Failed destiny, facing liars

Let me know I'm the one, I am reborn in a cosmic fire

Will I die or return from my demise?

Is it already over?

Am I falling apart out of the dark

And into a fading white star?

Is it already over?

I'm descended from dreams

Unnatural light bright in my eyes

And that's why they call me transhuman

Is it already over?

Am I falling out of the dark

And into a fading white star?

Is it already over?

I'm descended from dreams

Unnatural light bright in my eyes

And that's why they call me transhuman..."

I blink, watching her do her final stance with her head down and her hands holding a fading note on the guitar as I deal with my surprise over seeing this for the first time. "That was beautiful, yet different from the music you've released before," I comment as I approach her.

Her head snaps up, shyly grinning. They look between each other, shrugging at the same moment. "It's an old song. From about 96 or 97ish," she explains, brushing it off and kissing me.

"You've performed together before?"

Leon shakes his head. "Not live other than here or at other clubs within the SOA family."

"What do you call this band?" I ask, stepping back by three paces.

They snigger. "We call ourselves Ostracized Cannibals," Jayson informs me.

I hand her the new set of lyrics I'd just finished and she shows her band mates, discussion quickly forming about the music to the words, a sound quickly being built for it. It's rock/metal, it sounding great and my head bobs to the beat with their vocals blending in as they quickly figure it out. They drill the words into their minds in under half an hour, her and Leon turning to face me and they perform it for me. My smile grows quickly, proud of how fast it all came together.

She bounces on her heels, her eyes questioning my thoughts on the music and melody, all three on edge. "Could you play me another one of your old songs, a softer one?"

They huddle, whispering. Her head shakes, refusing to play the one Leon wants and telling Jayson no in the same motion. She mentions one and the guys rock their heads, finally agreeing on one. "We call this 'Electroheart'," she intros it.

Keep in mind that Nolan and Analeigh have both been fed and are napping on the other end of the building, in one of the side rooms and I do have a baby monitor attached to my belt. They play a very catchy and soft song, following it up with another. I quickly figure out that it's called 'Invincible'. "I'm going to assume that the second song you dove right into is titled 'Invincible'. You played all three very well and they're catchy, very well done. I thought it was beautifully composed and your own songs are written and composed flawlessly. I wouldn't doubt that your first album would cause Road Runner to drop or pass you off, maybe to another record company like Warner or Virgin before you complete the recording process. What's the way you draw people in?"

"Either they Google our band name, her name or like the music we produce," Jayson simply explains. "Our band name is most searched due to how odd and weird it sounds, which is why we chose Ostracized Cannibals in the beginning."

I nod, understanding their reasoning. "Makes sense. Good plan. Do you have any funny songs?"

"Yeah, one. 'Dogs Like Socks' and it was inspired by my husky, Micha, playing with my old socks with us," Leon explains, grinning. "She passed away in 2011 and I keep her ashes in my china cabinet." The dog's name is pronounced Mee-sha, not Mike-ah.

~*~Three months later~*~

I walk into the basement studio to find Ostracized Cannibals tossing a hackey sack, a small blue tennis ball and a bean bag Sam had made back in seventh grade during home economics after school back and forth. "We need three more songs for the album and have six months before it's due for review at triple R, then I'm gonna have a year and a half to deal with the bgbs album."

What does 'bgbs' stand for? It stands for bubblegum bullshit, her pop album.

Leon double checks the dates. "We only have three months, love," he corrects her, their eyes quickly snapping to me.

I check my cell phone and nod. "Sorry to say, but he is right."

She instantly drops her head onto the back of the spinning office seat covering her face with both hands. "Fffuuuuuuuuuccccccckkkkkk mmmmmeeeeeee!!!"

"What?" the three of us guys say unanimously, watching her.

"You guys need to quit doing that," she warns, dropping her hands and looking at us. "It means I've spent a year and and a half working on this damn album alone." She's annoyed at best, pointing at the recording equipment.

"Twenty-one months, including the past three that we've helped with all the recording," Jayson retorts, earning an evil eye from her.

Gina and Pete have the babies this weekend, giving us the time to complete it uninterrupted. I had just come back with coffee for all of us when I saw the back of her head and the three items being tossed back and forth between the three of themselves as they bounce ideas around. It's something they've always done. Pete and Gina confirmed that little factoid for me when I'd met everyone else.

Then I get a brilliant idea! "Why not add 'Invincible', 'Transhuman', 'Dogs Like Socks' and 'It's All About Me'?" I suggest.

"They're on there already," Leon groans, his head falling forward into his palms.

I put the coffees on the table in front of them and search through their song idea books, finding three without check marks in the corner of the pages. "Why not record 'Amaranthine', 'Leave Everything Behind' and 'Burn With Me'?" I point out, having scanned the lyrics and turning the notebooks toward them as I find they've huddled on the other end of the table with their drinks in hand.

Jayson and Leon eye her and she looks at them as to boast about being right about something. She glances over them and notes 'Leave Everything Behind' is one of hers; 'Burn With Me' is Jayson's; and Leon had penned 'Amaranthine'. She bites her bottom lip in thought and once she decides, writes the date beside a check mark, noting that it had been used for their debut. Leon and Jayson doing the same for theirs, Leon having taken the longest. "Trixa would be proud that you chose to allow the world to hear it," Sam assures him, resting her hand on his forearm after he agrees to add it to the album.

"Should we also put 'Automatic' on there as a hidden track, considering we know we want it on the sophomore release?" Jayson questions, making a valid point and proving they've discussed it previously.

They push their notebooks toward me. "Pick two more," Sam demands, her eyes begging.