Free Warlord Metal by D Jordan Redhawk Page A

right now. I just left a meeting with three guys who own some clubs in Seattle, Portland and San Jose. Between them and their contacts, we could actually increase our territory with a mini tour."
    There was a pause and everyone spoke at once. Hampton let them go for a couple of minutes before raising his hands to quiet the hubbub.
    "We could get a guaranteed itinerary of four months from Seattle to San Jose and the surrounding areas. We would make enough money on this venture to top off our savings and be able to record that CD we're always talking about."
    "Guaranteed?" Jordan asked.
    "Yes. All we have to do is sign an agreement that we will appear on those dates at those venues."
    Atkins' face was scrunched in thought. "But what if they cancel on us? Won't we get screwed?"
    The bald man shook his head. "The agreement covers our butts, too. It will stipulate that we'll still get paid half the performance fee if they should cancel out on us. Besides, I'll have a lawyer have a look at it before we sign."
    "Sounds good to me," the guitarist said, looking around at his band mates.
    "When?"
    Hampton turned to the drummer. "Our first gig would be scheduled for December first in Seattle."
    Middlestead's face deepened into a frown. "No. I can't do it."
    "What? Why the hell not?!" Atkins demanded.

The dark man looked down at his sister who had whirled around in amazement at his refusal. "Sonny's got school. It's her senior year. I can't jeopardize her chances at a college scholarship by taking her with us. And I can't leave her at home alone for four months."
    "But..." the teenager began.
    "No buts, Sonny," Middlestead intoned, shaking his head. "This can wait. Your education comes first." He brought his dark blue gaze up to scan the rest of the crowd. "I can't ask you to wait until summer, so I'll understand if you need to get another drummer. It's cool."
    Middlestead then scooped up his jacket and strode out of the warehouse. Everyone stared after him, dumbfounded.
    "Well, fuck me," Atkins breathed.
    Sonny stared after her brother, feeling his heart break at such a tough decision. This is what he's always wanted, what he's worked on for years! I can't be responsible for this. There's gotta be another way.... She searched her mind and the room for answers, her eyes finally connecting with emerald green. Jordan'll help...
     
    Nov 14, 2000
    Well, it's been a couple of days since I've written. Guess I'd better catch up here. I've been so busy and have had so much on my mind...
    Warlord has a chance at a tour - guaranteed income for four months! But, Tom has nixed it for himself because of me. I can't have that on my conscience. He's been working on this for nearly as long as I can remember!
    So, I skipped school on Monday. Jordan took me downtown. We checked the library for books on home schooling first. Found a really good one called The Teenage Liberation Handbook. I've only been able to scan the first three chapters, but it appears to have tons of educational ideas and resources.
    And then Jordan took me to Greenhouse, a youth shelter near Burnside. She knows one of the counselors there. Had a long talk with Gladys (the counselor) and she helped me brainstorm some options.
    Today I had a meeting with Mrs. Rutherford, my school counselor. I laid it all out to her and what I wanted to do. She thinks it'd be great for me to do an independent study program. Since I want to get a degree in journalism and all, Mrs. R thinks I could do an extracurricular thing for the school paper. Weekly updates on the road with a rock band kind of thing. She says it'd be nothing for me to get the assignments from my classes and do the work on the road.
    About the only trouble spots will be chemistry lab and tests. We could do the tests through college libraries and computers. I might have to wait on the lab work, though. It just all depends on where we are and whether or not I can get permission to use a lab somewhere...
    Now, if I can just talk Tom