1. Welcome to another chapter of A Night's Tale!
Last time, we saw Shelby not answering Spiral's calls, while she dated
other guys. Mercury, Stella and Cara started to see people. Spiral was
hit by a car after fleeing from a slow dance with Bim Lawson, one of
his friends from the dorms. He had an interesting dream involving hula
costumes, before waking up and leaving Shelby for Bim.
Now, onto this chapter! :)

2. On the west side of the Valley University campus, a band were setting
up in the empty function room at Club Rhythm. Margaret Turner lifted
her guitar, and nodded once to her bandmates.
Flipping her newly-dyed hair over her shoulder, she picked out the
notes she had written earlier.

3. Tosha Go, on the left side of the stage, stood with her hands wrapped
round the bass, waiting for her cue to join in.
It wasn't like they had practised much, but the function room was
empty, so it didn't matter.

4. At the back of the stage, Nicole Thompson started playing the drums –
out of all three musicians, she was by far the most talented at it.
Over the layers of sound created by the girls, a voice, deep and husky,
started to sing.
“Surrender, surrender,
There's no cure
Like a good beat
No cure, no cure
Like the resurrection
Of music...”

5. Samuel Fuchs moved across the stage with confidence, and pointed
towards his imaginary audience.
“Surrender, surrender,
Revive your soul
There's no cure
Like the resurrection
Of Music...”

6. Samuel finished the eerie lyrics with a high note, one no one expected
him to reach. Once that was out of the way, he grinned at the empty
room, imagining it filled with fans.

7. “Hello there, we're the Soul Bandits,” Samuel announced, “we're here
to make sure our music never leaves your mind...”
“This is the first song we wrote together as a band, it's called
Restoration, and I'd like to dedicate it to my late father, Jon Smith
Tricou.”
...

8. At the Night Family Greek House, Spiral was relaxing on his bed,
feeling much better after being hit by a car almost a week ago.
He was watching his girlfriend, Bim Lawson, as she pulled faces.
Amused, he asked, “What are you doing?”

9. Bim sat up, grinning, “Trying to think of something we can do tonight.”
“I have a few ideas.” Spiral teased. Bim rolled her eyes.
“I meant with your brothers and sisters.”
“Didn't realise you were-”
“Stop it,” Bim laughed, “how about we all go out tonight? Or
something.”

10. Bim's attention moved to the poster on Spiral's wall, as he questioned,
“What kind of outing were you thinking of?”
“How about a concert?” She said, eyes fixed on a poster of a boyband.
Spiral shrugged.
“Are there any on nearby?”

11. “There's a tribute act on at the Student Union tonight, but they're
renowned for being the worst band on campus.” Bim told him.
Spiral laughed, “Any decent concerts?”
“I saw an advertisement for a band playing at Club Rhythm, but I've
never heard of them before,” Bim replied, “we could always give them
a shot.”
“Yeah, why not. Good luck convincing the other three, though.”

12. “Aw, come on guys, we never do anything as a family together any
more.” Spiral said, with a smile.
Stella pulled at her chair, “I think there's a reason for that. The last
time we 'hung out' was on that spaceship!”
Spiral shrugged, “So? This will be more fun.”

13. “You really think so?” Mercury asked, with a hint of a smile, “What if
the band sucks?”

14. “Then we find something else to do, but,” Spiral paused, grinning, “Bim
and I looked them up online, the Soul Bandits have a good reputation,
good reviews, and there's talk of them being signed to a record label.”
Mercury raised an eyebrow, and replied, “Fine, then, I'll go.”

15. “I'm in if it gets me out of another date with that creepy guy who has
problems respecting personal space.” Cara announced, cheerfully.
Stella snickered, “I'm in because that's a hilarious reason to be in.”
Cara frowned a little, but quickly cheered up again.

16. “Yes!” Spiral celebrated, “I'm saying now, you can all invite whoever
you want. I mean, I'm taking Bim. So that means you guys can invite
Heather and Jimmy if you want.”
Mercury and Stella grinned, before they all continued with what they
had been doing.

17. Bim turned to Spiral, “What if the band is terrible now that we've
recommended them?”
Spiral smiled, “Then there is a perfectly good pizza place down the
road from the club.”
...

18. The concert had just started when the Night family arrived. Students
gathered at the foot of the stage, dancing recklessly to the
unstoppable beat and catchy lyrics.

19. Bim felt slightly strange as she stood at the very front of the crowd. It
wasn't because the music wasn't quite to the taste.
It was more the fact she couldn't stop looking at the singer, Samuel
Fuchs.

20. He was just so passionate. His lyrics, tales of loss, strength, rebellion
and revival, seemed to echo the feelings Samuel kept deep in his soul.
Bim could feel every word.
“Are you okay? Bim?”

21. “Bim, are you okay?” Spiral asked again, breaking her focus on the
singer.
She felt a little dazed, “Yeah, I'm fine. Just getting into the music.”
“That's great! The band are pretty decent, right?” Spiral grinned. The
songs of the Soul Bandits were definitely up his street. If they started
releasing albums, Spiral would have one in his CD rack.
Bim nodded, and turned her attention back to the singer.

22. On stage, Samuel Fuchs had finished his song. He called to Bim,
“Hey! You seem to be enjoying this concert, how about you join me on
stage for the final song of our set, Fallen Trees!”
Bim couldn't believe her luck. She could become part of the art that
was being created in front of them. Without any hesitation, she
climbed onto the stage and joined Samuel.

23. Bim started dancing with Samuel on stage, and Spiral couldn't contain
his surprise.
“Bim told me she wasn't much of a dancer...” Spiral said to himself, “why
is she dancing with him when she won't even dance with me?”
Sulkily, Spiral moved into the crowd, and began trying to ignore the way
Bim was moving on stage.

24. In the corner of the room, Bill Blur watched, taking care not to be
spotted. He was a representative of a record company, keen on
hearing the new and popular music of the Soul Bandits.
“They might be worth signing.” He murmured, grinning, as he watched
the crowd go crazy.

25. At the front of the stage, Spiral had climbed up, and made an attempt
to pull Bim's arm.
“Bim, we're going home. Coming?” Spiral asked, smiling.
Samuel brushed him off, “Leave her be, she's coming home with me,
right, babe?”
Spiral's smile dropped instantly, “That's my fiancé.”
“Don't make me call security,” Samuel threatened, “get out. See, the
lady's enjoying herself!”
Furious, Spiral jumped off stage and stormed out.

26. After the show was over, the band, and Bim, sat on the sofas of the
club.
“Right, so how much money did we make?” Samuel asked, hurriedly.

27. “I thought we were in this for the music, not just to make some money
for your stupid Tricou project.” Margaret remarked, irritated.
Samuel raised an eyebrow, but didn't reply to Margaret's statement.

28. “No,” Nicole interjected, sitting down next to Margaret, “we didn't make
enough money for your first installment before you ask.”
“Though we really should be doing this for the music. Look how our
songs are making people feel!” Margaret added.

29. “Well, at least I didn't come away empty-handed, right Bim?” Samuel
smiled, earning a giggle from Bim.
“I thought she was some guy's wife?” Margaret questioned, loudly.
“Fiancé.” Samuel responded, “Which means nothing to me. Until she's
dressed in white at the other end of that aisle, she's allowed to do
what she wants.”

30. “He makes marriage sound so desirable,” Tosha commented,
sarcastically, joining her band on the sofas.
“How does he have groupies already?” Margaret questioned, “When
us three do all the real work, too...”

31. Samuel was oblivious to their comments. “Comfy, Bim?”
Bim was entirely under his spell, still mesmerized from his intriguing
and heartfelt lyrics earlier. Unable to respond, she just grinned and
moved closer.
...

33. Spiral slumped against the wall, frowning.
“Why does every girl do this to me?” He asked, tiredly.

34. “I have to be home in two days, with a woman to introduce to my
parents before I marry her.” Spiral sighed.
He promptly began to cry, no matter how young it made him feel.

35. Outside Spiral's room, Cara and Mercury were having a discussion.
“I've got an idea, Merc. He's really worried about this 'no-wife'
business, isn't he?” Cara asked, cheerfully, Merc just nodded, “Then I
shall reveal my idea at breakfast.”
Cara danced away, singing to herself, leaving Mercury confused.

36. The next day, Spiral surfaced from his room at lunchtime, hours later
than Cara had originally planned. But it had given her time to briefly
share her plan with Mercury and Stella.
“Mornin'.” Spiral yawned. Stella raised an eyebrow.
“How can you still be tired?” She questioned, “Also, it's afternoon.”
“Damn, really?” Spiral looked around for a clock.
“Spiral, we've got an idea we need to run past you.” Mercury
announced.

37. “Is this because I'm failing as the heir?” Spiral demanded.
“Not failing exactly, just not doing so well at the wife-thing.” Cara
replied, honestly. Spiral swore, loudly.
“Spiral,” Mercury said, sharply, “listen to Cara. She actually took the
time to think of this for you, so you had better listen to her.”
“Speed-dating.” Cara grinned.

38. “Speed-dating?” Spiral repeated, incredulously, “You think I'll meet my
life partner speed-dating?”
“It's possible.” Cara murmured.
Spiral laughed, “I'll give it a shot if it'll make you happy, Cara.”

39. “Aren't you going to have an eventful evening, Spiral?” Mercury
teased. Spiral said nothing, and just laughed along with him.
...

40. “Right, so when the noise sounds, all the males will move one table to
their left. The noise sounds every minute, and we'll go round the room
twice. Any questions?”

41. The noise sounded, and the speed-dating began. Students and adults
had all turned out for the evening, and Spiral was surprised to admit it
was a little bit fun.

43. After flirting with Tiffany Upsnott for a small while – causing the pair of
them to be yelled at for leaving their seats – Spiral decided he would
never meet anyone quite like Bim.

44. So after declaring he was leaving – and finger-gunning as he did so –
he decided he was going to say goodbye to Bim as he left campus the
next day.
...

45. Once again, the function room at Club Rhythm was empty except for a
band, practising their latest set on stage. Since being signed a week
ago, nothing much had changed in their practise routines.
“Start a new age,
Hold onto the past
Bring forward the
Ghosts
The ghosts of my past.”

46. Bim, who has spent enough time with the band now to know some of
the lyrics, went to take over, only to find herself struck dumb.
Eventually, her voice returned, but she had only one word to say,
“Spiral?”

47. “Hey, Bim,” Spiral smiled, “I just dropped by to wish you good luck on
my way home. I'm driving back today. For good.”
Bim blinked, as if she was waking up, “You're leaving? Today?!”
“You've known that for months,” Spiral replied, softly, “you are too.
Soul Bandits have a tour booked, don't they?”

48. “I just wanted you to know, that as much as miss you, I totally respect
the fact you don't want me, and instead want some singer guy with a
strange nose,” Spiral laughed a little, “hey, it doesn't bother me. I know
I am nothing compared to that guy.”
If Samuel had been listening, he would have added to what Spiral was
saying. Instead, Bim stared at Spiral in silence.
“So this is goodbye, Bim. Good luck with everything, okay?”

49. With that, Spiral started to walk away. And Bim just had to stand there
and watch him go.
But she couldn't. Something about this parting didn't sit right inside
her, and she wasn't sure why.
“Spiral! Wait!”

50. With that, she started running, desperate to say something before he
walked out of her life permenantly.
Suddenly, Samuel, Soul Bandits, and the tour, didn't matter. Only
talking to Spiral one last time mattered.

51. But then, of course, actions speak louder than words. The kiss
contained everything Bim wanted Spiral to know.

52. “Don't go without me,” she begged, “I don't know what I'm doing here,
or how I came to be associated with the singer, but don't leave me
with them.”
“Bim, you're part of their music now. You are in all the papers, with
Samuel.”
“I don't care. I'd gladly give it up to marry you.”

53. “Well, when you put it that way, I think you should come with me right
now, as I'm on my way home. Meet my parents and stuff.”
“Wouldn't miss it for the world.”

54. With that, Spiral lead Bim out of the club, to the street, where his car
was waiting for them both.

55. “This doesn't mean we're over...I think it's time we played a little
louder, so that guy can hear us...so that his life will never be the
same...”
...

56. This is where I shall leave you, this time, with Spiral laughing at Merc.
“Hahaha, look at him trying to dance!”
Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter, I think it's much better than the last
chapter. :) Join me next time for the beginnings of generation three!
Thanks for Reading!