[Translation] The Forbidden Floor - Book 1

THE FORBIDDEN FLOOR

Chapter 1 : Reunions



December, Sunday 10th, 2007.
9:15 am

The teenagers had an appointment under the Arc de Triomphe. Aby and Chouk had awaited for fifteen minutes already the arrival of Delphine, Clauchette, Amélie and Line.
All were members of the official German rock band Japan Road website and spent their evenings commenting on the news about the four young musicians. While discussing on this forum, they had decided to come to Paris, to try to see the band who came to France for the promotion of their new dvd and the recording of TV shows.

There was a crazyness around Japan Road that no one had seen since the Beatles, Abba or Claude François. Everywhere they went, a crowd of hysterical girls awaited and acclaimed them. They knew absolutely everything about them. The hour when their planes arrived, the name of the hotels where they stayed, the restaurants they attended, the promotion places where they had appointments... Never a fans community had been so well informed or had deployed such ways to see their idols. These girls, still teenagers for the majority, would cross kilometers to see them one moment or would camp several days before a show to be in the front row. They could go without anything just to save money and to reinvest it into the cds, dvds, show tickets and merchandising. They only lived for them. It completely baffled the parents and the adults in general. The loss of control upon their teenagers was something rather worrying and they didn’t know how to face it.

Today, the girls came for three days of promotion. The band would record shows tomorrow at the Plaine St Denis ; so they knew that they would arrive in the middle of the day, rather in the evening to leave on Tuesday in the early afternoon. They knew about their habits.

Aby and Chouk got impatient. The weather was cold and on the Place de l’Etoile they received the wind in their faces. When it started raining, they advanced under the Arc de Triomphe to put themselves under cover. Chouk had two large travel bags. They were light because they contained just four large blankets and some food. She put them against the pillar and sat on them. She took her mp3 player and activated the random function, a mix of Japan Roads albums. Aby put her bag towards herself and started reading the list of the names engraved under the small arcades. That would spend the time, and who knows, perhaps she may see names she knew. There were names of Generals and Colonels, having fought during the French Revolution or the 1st Empire. She started her reading from the left and the fourth column made her laugh.

- Take a look Chouk ! Maison, Mouton... Grenier ! (House, Sheep, Attic in french)
- Super names, laughed her friend.
- It’s not nice to make fun of people, girls ! an old Sir reprimanded them, and the two restarted their laugh. Do you know about the General Paul Grenier who fought during the Revolution in the great Battle of Valmy ?

The teenagers made a negative sign of head.

- Aaah, he exclaimed. The Republic was proclaimed after this Battle of Valmy, children. But what on earth do you learn at school ?!

Delphine chose this particular moment to come and she wondered whom the girls could discuss with.

- And do you know about the Maréchal of France Nicolas Maison who fought in the Austerlitz Battle? And about the General Georges Mouton who took part in many battles... The battle of Friedland for example, he said by pointing the arm towards the Avenue of Friedland, which started from the Place de l’Etoile and that they could see on their right.

Chouk and Delphine bit their lips not to laugh. Aby listened to what this sir said. She had always been interested in history and the battles which had opposed the French and the Germans. In her city, she was a volunteer in an association which worked for the memory of the wars between France and Germany.

- Aby just read the names engraved on the Arc of Triumphe to spend time, said Chouk in a whisper. She saw names like Maison, Grenier... and that made us laugh. It is at this moment that the old man accosted us ! Gnagnagna, it is not well to make fun of people, etc... And now he’s giving us a History lesson!

- Oh, I see , she said, sympathizing for Aby. Do you have news from the others ?
- Clauchette arrived from Nice. Her plane had already landed but it takes time to come... And Amélie and Line sent me a sms from the train. No news since then, but they won’t be long I think.
- Ok, she said while advancing towards Aby_Shadow and waving a little sign with her hand.

She also read now the engraved names and her eyes catched the name of MacDonald. As a reflex, she read it out loud.

- Etienne MacDonald and the battle of Wagram ! the old man exclaimed while laughing. Look the Avenue Wagram is right behind you. What a mess this battle of Wagram ! One may laugh at but it was tragic. MacDonald came and shot the men from Bernadotte’s army, whom he thought were Prussians because of their white uniforms ! Nevertheless he defended the country and was made Maréchal.... It was, despite everything, a great battle, he went on, but the teenagers became upset.

Clauchette arrived, charged with three rather heavy bags and in the tread, two girls approached the group. They were the sisters Amélie and Line. They had been close to them since five minutes but as they were in conversation with this man, they had doubted they may have been the Japan Road fans they had to meet. Chouk once again explained the situation and Amélie suggested to gently tell the man that they had better things to do or that they were awaited elsewhere. In front of the hotel of their favorite band for exemple ! Soon, the pavement would be over-crowded by fans and they would have to stand at the end of the avenue ! Chouk reassured them by reminding that it was barely 9:25 am and J.R. would not arrive before 20:00 pm, then they had plenty of time !

- The battle of Wagram put an end to the 5th Coalition, he went on and because he suspected that they didn’t know what he was talking about, he started explaining. It was an alliance between Austria and the United Kingdom to fight the French Empire of Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century. But MacDonald also fought in Watterloo ! Under the commandment of Maréchal Ney, he said by pointing his name engraved on the wall just above MacDonald’s name. He was a great man too ! He took part in every battle ! Austerlitz, Friedland, Iena... and after Iena, he never stopped gaining Prussian territories... Erfurt in a few days, Magdeburg in 24 hours...

- MAGDEBURG ?! the six amazed teenagers exclaimed together.
- Yes, that was very fast. Don’t tell me you know this battle which is one of most modest of his list...
- Oh, of course not ! Aby reassured him
- This is Japan Road’s town ! explained Clauchette.
- No, it is where the band met, rectified Amélie.
- This is why we are in Paris today, added Delphine.
- We’re going to see Japan Road at their hotel !!! exclaimed Chouk standing up from her bags.

They were very excited about speaking about their favourite band to the old man. The roles were reversed, it was their turn now, to tell the History of the band.

When they were children, Liam and Théo Karitz, twin brothers, gave some small shows in bars of Magdeburg, a small town in Germany. Liam sang and played synthesizer. His brother played guitar. One evening they met two friends : Geoffrey, who played bass and Gunther, who played drums. The four boys, around ten years old, became friends and then the band created their first compositions. They continued to do small concerts around Magdeburg during a few years and an evening, a producer was in the club and noticed the potential of the four boys. Each one had a look and his own personality in spite of their 13 years old. Liam had the hair dyed in black, made up his eyes and painted his nails in black. He customised his jeans and wore tee-shirts close to the body. He also liked all kinds of jewels : large silver bracelets, skulls pendants, leather collar... And he had a piercing on his tongue and on the eyebrow. Contrary to many of twins, his brother had a total different look. Never would one have said these two were brothers. Théo had kept his natural hair color and some caramel-blond dread-locks fell almost touching his shoulders. He wore wide baggy jeans and rap tee-shirts. He discovered at this period the hip-hop music and was on the way to become completely fan. At such a point that hip-hop eclipsed rock'n'roll in his mind. But when he composed with Liam, it was always rock'n'roll tunes ; the practice of guitar hardly lead to make hip-hop music. He also had a piercing on his lip.
Their friends Geoffrey and Gunther had a more traditional look, but they had for their age a serious musical culture and a good experiment of music. Both of them played since their early childhood and they went to a music school. They were fans of English rock and metal. Their tastes went more towards hard rock.
The risk in producing a band was often that no one knows how the members will get along. But here, it was a band made of boys who had known each other for several years and who were on the same wavelength when they talked about music. Each one accepted the tastes of the others in private and when it came to make music with the band, they all agreed on the style to adopt. Never Théo had tried to turn the melodies more groovy or Gunther, the accords more hardcore. They were ok on a rock'n'roll sound that everyone could like.

At that time, Josh, their future manager, had been impressed by the boys. They were very independent and knew what they wanted. Liam had written lyrics and when Josh had suggested to arrange them, he had categorically refused. He had a text against school, about the parents who divorce and make live a hell to the children. Another one about some boys they couldn’t stand the sight of and to whom they said ‘fuck you’, another one where he told about their reckless life and acknowledged that even if they were young, their weekends were prohibited for under-aged people. The other songs were inspired by his recent rupture with his girlfriend, Anaïs, and he didn’t want to hear that he was too young to die for love. It was the first time that he was in love and this separation had completely broke him down. All the members of the band were touched by the way.

The little Anaïs had stayed in Germany a bit more than two years, for the needs of her mother’s work, and had spent this year with Liam and his friends. She played the fool with them, supported them, gave her opinion about the new songs… And now that she was not there any more, Liam didn’t feel completely himself any more, as if he was another person. He wanted to scream to her to come back and save him from his lamentable state. He had also written this song, that Anais adored, in which he said that each second we don’t enjoy was lost. He made big efforts on himself to go ahead, to take in charge things for the band and not to think more about the past. He met Anaïs each night, in his dreams. Once, she had said to him, that each time the moon passed by in front of his window, it had already passed by in front of her own window to collect her thoughts, and it came now to warm him with its clear and luminous rays, soft like a night light, and not glazing like the sunrays. Even if their lives were dark in this moment, the moon would come each night to light it. And maybe one day it would join them together …..

Such was the universe of the band. A rather dark but romantic universe, always lit by a moonbeam. A tough world where remained a light at the end of the tunnel. Liam would not make any compromises and would not sing that we lived in a pink world where life was easy. Josh had been amused by his reaction at the beginning. This young boy didn’t seem to measure that he proposed to the band a contract with a big label, what implied the release of a CD single, and then an album, some promotion in the press, on the TV shows and some concerts if the album got enough success. It was the concretization of their dreams, for them who lived only for the music. But Théo, who always stand by his brother and knew perfectly what he thought, had immediately said to Josh that they lived only for their music ! Not music from other persons. They didn’t live for songs created in order to be appreciated by the majority of people. They were not going to sing a story about hot sand and coconuts under the pretext that the publisher wanted to release the first single in August or worse, to sing that yeah ! It would be soon time to go back to school and they would meet friends again and have fun at the catering. Then, Josh had been impressed by their temperament. Many of young people - and even adults - would have accepted every compromise which would make of them a star. The label’s director found them pretentious to refuse his offer but the band was not grained by it at all.

Then, Josh required what they intended to do, now that they had refused such a large deal and they answered that they were going to continue to play in clubs around their area and that they were going to write new songs and rehearse their music. Josh didn’t know why, but he was unable to let them down, and to just simply make the statement that they had refused a great opportunity so now they had to manage by themselves. They had guts, they had a style, they had a personality and they were honest. They were not ready to accept everything to be famous. Of course it was their dream to make one day a concert in front of a venue crowded by fans, but not by singing sweetened and coloured songs. Their teenage world was not sweetened and not coloured. It was rather bitter and dark.
Gunther, the calm and reserved drummer, asked to Josh what was wrong about the band. Why couldn't they be produced just as they were ? The answers were multiple. Their lyrics were a little awkward and writing in broken English. The pre-teenager of 10-15 years old represented the audience to touch with the songs, but they didn’t understand English at this age ; it was thus better to sing in German. Next, he really liked the songs’ thema, but he doubted that radios would play a song that pushed young people to leave school or to have a reckless life under cover of the maxim “enjoy every second”. Then, there was the look of each one. In a band, the members usually had the same look and liked the same style of music. And to finish, he didn’t hide from them that the hardest thing for a band made of children - because at 13 years old they were still children - was the look half-glamour half-gothic of Liam.
So they passed this weekend discussing in the garage they rented to repeat. They spoke all night long. About their lives, lyrics, tunes, school, Liam and Théo’s parent’s divorce, the shyness of Geoffrey and Gunther who did not have the temperament of the twins, about the make-up of Liam which was hardly accepted anywhere they go, about the famous French girlfriend, Anaïs, the friend she was for all of them and the girlfriend she was for Liam. So sweet and lovely. There had been laughters, tears, confidences and at the end an immense desire to share this universe with the whole world. A great complicity had been born this night between Josh and the band, and the boys had entrusted things they had never said before to each other.
These four young guys were different from the other ones. But then, weren’t there different people everywhere ? Shy teenagers who stayed apart in the courtyard, gothic youngters away in another corners, others who suffered from a difficult family universe, or who lived very badly an unhappy love stories... Finally the characteristic of people was to be each one different from the others. That was the reason why the human relations were so difficult.
The following weeks, Josh worked with Liam on the lyrics. He didn’t want to change the subjects, only to improve the words. He got in touch with some friends and soon other songwriters worked with him on the texts and the melodies. The band, who was not closed to any proposal, admitted that the songs were much better. The meanings were stronger, the music more deepened. During the following year, they recorded demos and continued to play in the neighbourhood clubs. Their style had continued to assert. And soon they had a deal with another label and a magazine for teens. A deal and some promotion.

The next summer, the first CD was released on the waves. The title was “Fliegt zu der Mond” which means “Fly away to the Moon”, the story of a breakup and a reunion in the night world with a message deeper than it seemed. When someone read through the lines, he understood that no matter the obstacles to cross, it was always possible to escape from the daily life, to remember the good moments and especially to continue to go on his life. Then Japan Road was introduced to people. The band explained the choice of this unexpected name for a German band.

- “Japan”, because we like Japan and its culture, explained Liam, who naturally became the leader of the band. And “Road”, because that represents our current way of life. We are always on the road, between a city and another.

It was immediately a blast ! To the great astonishment of all. The teenagers definitely loved them !. They liked everything. The lyrics, the rock tunes, the look of the boys, their frankness in interview, their spontaneousness on tv shows. In a few weeks they became stars in Germany. They were the new idols. Despite everything they were young, they were barely 15 years old and Josh engaged soon a security team directed by Saly. Saly and Tony were their first bodyguards.
The album was released and it was a success without precedent in Germany. Never a so young rock band had had such a success or had been also idolized by the audience. They made their first tour by the end of the year. They were asked in every part of the country, made the cover of a magazine every day and Internet sites were created by thousands.
The phenomenon quickly crossed the frontiers and soon Japan Road was asked in every country of Europe. And more especially in France. Amazingly, the band realized thanks to Internet websites, that they had an enormous success with the French teenagers. They saw on YouTube fan-videos where they saw them singing in German. Quickly, websites were organized to translate the interviews and the songs lyrics, magazines received requests for articles and the musical chanels were asked to diffuse their video-clips. In each city, teenagers thought they were the only ones who liked this band who sang in an incomprehensible language for the majority of the teens. They were few to learn German as a foreign language. But it was precisely the reason of their success. It was new and out of ordinary. Everyone listened to English and American music. This kind was with abundance. Rock band singing in German, daring to show their personality as Japan Road did it, there was only one of them. And each teenager who liked the band felt a little special, different. They knew a band that anybody else knew. The others loved a singer in vogue, but they did not follow the hord stupidly.

Gradually, the fans of Japan Road learned a lesson from the songs and dared to affirm their differences and their tastes. The hair, the nails and the eyelids turned into black. Clothing covered with skulls, stars, broken heart and cherries. The stripes and the checkerworks came back in fashion. And when the band started to make promotion and concerts in France, then they measured quickly the extent of their success. Two years later, nothing let predict that this enormous success would become even more important, so much that the band became a completely unexplained phenomenon and without precedent. The sales of cds and dvds exploded in spite of the crisis most artists had to deal with face to the illegal downloadings, some teen magazines had increased by a tier their production, concert tickets were sold in half a day and, always, a crowd of girls followed the band, everywhere they went. They slept in front of radios, tv studios, concert halls, hotels. They arrived several days before and camped there. They had made their absolute anthem of the song of Pascal Obispo, “Fan”, but finally the song which fitted them more was “La Groupie du Pianiste” of Michel Berger.

At the time of the first French tour, many were the fans who followed the band on several dates, or all the dates. They travelled through France. Medias and adults said about them they were nuts, obsessed, idiots, unconscious... In real, they were organized and independents. Indeed, they skipped school, but caught up with what they missed afterwards. Compared to the young people who spent their days stupidly in front of tv, to undergo a show without any interest, they took the train, travelled, visited new cities. At the hour when teens played all day long with videos games on the computer, they used Internet to find the cheapest train tickets, cities map, environant McDo, a last minute reservation site which proposed cheap hotel rooms. And when the ones talked on Msn or the tchats, they were joined together in front of the concert hall, sharing their hard times, their memories, their confidences and the last information about the band. Some fans had created the SDF1. Society of Devoted Fans and the teens were proud to be part of this group.

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SDF : Sans Domicile Fixe in French. Homeless people, without a regular home. So that was quite the way of life of the Japan Road’s fans SDF also is for French ‘Societé Des Fans’ : Society Of Fans. We can play with the letters in French version.
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Society of Devoted Fans and the teens were proud to be part of this group. This name was given to those who followed the promotions, appearances and concerts of Japan Road. But the most well known fans where the Lunatics. Alice, Anta,Camille, Carmen, Fanny, Julia and Victoria. Seven young girls who followed the band since their beginning. Since Zu Der Mond Fliegen had been out on German radio. They chose their name in reference to the moon and to the first song. But also because their mood changed as often as the moon changed. Always on the front row it was easy to spot them and the media talked about them. Alice was sometimes invited to some tv show as the Japan Road fan. Since then, even if the others didn’t know her name, they reminded about her as “the read-head girl” who was on tv.

Today, all that occurred around the band was quite simply incredible. The old man had leaned to the wall between the arcades. He had difficulties to understand.

- But why the hell taking so much pain to do that ? Why waiting all day long in the cold?
- To see them ! the girls screamed.
- While arriving at the hotel, sometimes they sign autographs, Chouk explained.
- It is rare, Line contradicted her. They rather sign the following day before going to the promotion.
- Yeah, it’s true, Aby conceded.
- But we must nevertheless be there ! Clauchette said.
- And we don’t come just to have photographs and autographs, added Amélie. It’s to show them that we are here, that we support them.
- That’s right, some girls approved.
- But how do you know in which hotel they will be ? the man wondered. Celebrities keep this kind of thing a secret...
- Well, it’s easy, they always come at the Royal Monceau ! Delphine claimed, and her friends launched a reprobatory glance to her followed by a ‘huuuush !!'
- It’s Avenue Hoche, Aby said. I bet that it was a great German battle too !
- Ah ah ! the old sir laughted. Oh not at all, come and see !

He took her under the second arcade and, engraved on the wall of the northern pillar, she had been able to read “Hoche”, right above “Bernadotte”, a Maréchal whom he had talked about a few moments ago.

- The General Lazare Hoche fought during the French Revolution. And later, he took the head of the Army of the Young Republic, the purpose of which was to fight the revolutionists or the enemies to maintain the reign of Louis XVI... Moreover, I think about it, while speaking about Louis XVI, says the man pointing the second name in top of the column. The Marquis de LaFayette was captured and retained captive in Magdeburg.

- Really ?! the teenagers exclaimed, interested by any small informations relative to their idols.
- Yes. It was 1792. One wanted to relieve the King from his throne and LaFayette was opposed to it. He pushed the King to make the war and fight the people and the enemies with the Armies of the Young Republic. Unfortunately, he was then captured. In Magdeburg, he was retained in a small wet underground apartment, under inhuman conditions... One month later took place the Battle of Valmy with the consequences that you know : the first republic, changes on the calender etc... And in this Battle if Valmy, in the opposite camp, do you know that a young German novelist of the name of Goethe had fought ?

The girls started to really get impatient.

- Well, time passes by and we are awaited ! Chouk interrupt the old man. Hurry up, girls !

They benefited from this interruption to take their bags and leave the Arc de Triomphe. They moved away laughing whereas Chouk fulminated. Really, her friends were up to no initiatives ! If she had not been there to cut short to the conversation, the man would still be there, making them a History of war lesson ! And moreover, they did not know this old Sir, so nothing obliged them to listen quietly to his speeches.
They went up the avenue Hoche and at the crossroads of rue de Beaujon, they crossed to be on the good pavement. While approaching, they saw that only few fans were already there. A small group was posted just opposite the large glass shelter of the Royal Monceau, which sheltered the entry in front of which the band’s car was going to stop, and two teenagers busied themselves to assemble their tent, a little in withdrawal. Clauchette put down her bags with relief. Chouk sat down on one of hers, as usual. Amélie took out two survival blankets and gave one to her sister. Aby opened the second bag of Chouk and took away from it a large blanket. She rolled up inside with Delphine. Only Clauchette and Chouk faced the cold and stayed quietly sitting on their bags. They extended a plaid on the ground and sat down side by side. They observed Mathilde and Guillaume who covered their tent with survival blankets to isolate it well from the cold.
Mathilde held the blankets, the golden side on the outside, and Guigui fixed them using adhesive tape. She also laid down a survival blanket inside, on the ground, the silver face on the exterior this time. Then they entered in and took care of zipper the door well. The others burst out laughing, easily imagining what was going to occure under the tent. But Guigui was gay and if they were locked up, it was just to prepare something that they did not want to reveal to the fans. At least, not yet.
Mathilde switched on her laptop computer while Guillaume was taking lots of precautions to take a small remoted controlled helicopter and its remote controle out of a box. The large travel bag of the teenager was used as a table for the computer and Guigui posed the toy by its side while he made some connections. When the RCA cable was connected, both of them exchanged a knowing glance, proud of them and of what they prepared.

Then came a whole group of SDF, the girls from the Society of Devoted Fans. Morgi, Farah, Laëtitia, Panda, Apple, Maeva, Peanut, Suika, Despair and Ewigkeit settled down beside the small group of Chouk and Aby. Some girls knew each other from Internet and others had already met during the last coming of Japan Road in France. They formed one big group. Maeva and Despair rushed off in Franprix, the supermarket right face to face with the hotel, to make some shopping while Laetitia built up her tent, helped by her friends.
The commisionnaires and carriers of the Royal Monceau looked at all these people busy to settle as if the flower bed was a campsite. Another tent was drawn up ; Apple’s one. After a few hours, they had made a home from the pavement. The staff was astonished that the hotel’s direction allows that. But how could it be another way ? Japan Road were good customers and refusing their fans would be equal to welcome them badly. The band liked to see their fans. Sometimes they made a sign to them from their room or from the balcony, and there were always an autographs and photographs session. Sometimes several. And to tell the truth, the other hotel customers did not seem to be disturbed by the girls. It was on the contrary a show they contemplated with astonishment or recreation according to people.

Morgi had taken along her guitar and started to play randomly Japan Road melodies. And Laetitia started to sing the first song of Japan Road. The one that had revealed them.

- I’m watching you… Walk out the door… There’s nothing left here anymore…
- I feel the cold !!! screamed the teens all together. It’s driving me insane… they followed and here they went to sing together “To The Moon, Soon”.

We know each other for so long
I can’t believe that now you’re gone
I read in the stars
We’ll be together again


Flying to moon, soon
Another world
Where I’ll hide sometimes
Until the pain won’t hurt
Watching the stars
Up in the sky
And when l loose myself
I’ll think of you
Together we’ll be one
And somewhere new
To the moon, soon
Fly back to you

A half moon’s coming in my sight
Sometimes ago, it was at your side
It carries your vision
Left me less alone

I know it’s like we meet right now
I feel you here, I don’t know how
Always you make
This darkness feels like a home

Flying to moon, soon
Another world
Where i’ll hide sometimes
Untill the pain won’t hurt
Watching the stars
Up in the sky
And when I loose myself
I’ll think of you
Together we’ll be one
And somewhere new
And we’ll both get wings to flying to
To the moon, soon
Fly back to you

Hey, Hey
I’m flying always higher
Following my way
Let stars take me straight into you
I’ll be flying night and day
I’ll be with you soon
Just me and you
We’ll be there soon
So soon

Flying to moon, soon
Another world
Where i’ll hide sometimes
Untill the pain won’t hurt
Watching the stars
Up in the sky
And when I loose myself
I’ll think of you
Together we’ll be one
And somewhere new
And we’ll both get wings to flying to
To the moon, soon
Fly back to you
To the moon, soon
Fly back to you
Fly back to you

Barely finished, Morgi go on with “Flieght Nicht” in French version. The band had to perform it tomorrow and a video of the rehearsal in Germany had been diffused in a report on Viva, the German musical chanel. That’s why fans already knew by heart the lyrics of this new version. Once again, the girls sang all together.

Là haut sur le toit (up there on the roof)
Tout est noir autour de toi (everything is black around you)
Chaque pas en silence (each step in silence)
Te libère d’une souffrance (set you free from a pain)

Tu regardes le ciel (you look up in the sky)
Et tu te sens pousser des ailes (and you feel you get wings)
Tu crois pouvoir sauter (you think that you can jump)
Et enfin pouvoir t’envoler (to at least be able to fly)

J’me perds dans la nuit sans toi (I’m lost in the night without you)
N’me laisse pas comme ça (don’t let me down like that)
T’envole pas (don’t fly away)
Les étoiles te guident pas (the stars won’t guide you)
Si tu n’y crois pas (if you don’t believe in it)
T’envole pas (don’t fly away)
La lune t’éclaire (the moon lights you up)
Si tu te perds (if you are lost)
Fais confiance à sa lumière (trust its light)
T’envole pas déjà… (don’t fly away so soon)

Tu ouvres les yeux (you open your eyes)
Tu ne sais même plus pourquoi (you don’t know why)
En quittant l’enfance (while leaving childhood)
Tu n’as trouvé que des souffrances (you only found pains)

Et dans le ciel (and in the sky)
La vie te parait plus belle (life seems to you more beautiful)
Alors tu veux sauter (so you want to jump)
Et enfin pouvoir t’envoler (to at least be able to fly)

J’me perds dans la nuit sans toi (I’m lost in the night without you)
N’me laisse pas comme ça (don’t let me down like that)
T’envole pas (don’t fly away)
Les étoiles te guident pas (the stars won’t guide you)
Si tu n’y crois pas (if you don’t believe in it)
T’envole pas (don’t fly away)
La lune t’éclaire (the moon lights you up)
Si tu te perds (if you are lost)
Fais confiance à sa lumière (trust its light)
T’envole pas déjà… (don’t fly away so soon)

Laisse les étoiles dans le ciel (leave the stars in the sky)
Je n’ai qu’une chandelle (I only have a candle light)
Pour éclairer ton ciel (to light up your sky)

Mais c’est bien réel (but it’s well real)
Viens, je t’appelle (come I call you)
T’envole pas… (dont fly away)

J’me perds dans la nuit sans toi (I’m lost in the night without you)
N’me laisse pas comme ça (don’t let me down like that)
T’envole pas (don’t fly away)
Les étoiles te guident pas (the stars won’t guide you)
Si tu n’y crois pas (if you don’t believe in it)
T’envole pas (don’t fly away)
La lune t’éclaire (the moon lights you up)
Si tu te perds (if you are lost)
Fais confiance à sa lumière (trust its light)
T’envole pas déjà… (don’t fly away so soon)

Et si tout ça ne retiens pas (and if all that dont holding you)
Je volerai pour toi… (I’ll fly away for you)

They continued with a third song and nobody noticed that Despair had stood up to go and isolate herself under Apple’s tent. She was literaly cold. It was not so much the cold than the lyrics of the song that made her shiver. She drew the sleeve of her black leather jacket, then of her hoodie, and discovered her wrist, full of a multitude of red scars. Marks of her discomfort. A suffering that had become physical and marked her body. How many times had she thought about jumping to fly away towards a better world? But what was the need to die ? She already felt dead. How many times had she notched her wrist to feel the blade inserting into her flesh ? A pain that recalled her she was still alive. The blood that ran through down her hand and dropped in the washbasin was well real. Her heart bit at her temples as strong as the drums printed the tempo of Flieght Nicht. And over this din, a soft voice begged in German.

I’m lost in the night without you
Don’t let me down like this
Don’t fly away

Then she saw Liam’s face in the mirror. The pictures of the video ravelled in front of her eyes, filled up with tears. Nobody saw her discomfort. Nobody knew how she felt. Excepted him. Him, he knew. He sang it. He understood that she was exhausted. And he was the only one to retain her. He sang and that calmed her. His voice was like balsam on her wounds. She sang the chorus with him, pressed the washcloth on her wrist, then left the bathroom more serene than she had entered there. In her room she put the MP3 player ear-phones and fell asleep with Liam’s voice whispering to her comforting words.

She took her cell phone and called Mathilde, in the tent just a few meters away from her.

- Mathilde ? This is Despair from the forum.
- Ah, hello, you’re going well ?
- Yes, yes. I’m arrived. I’ve got the letter...
- Cool. I’m going out, I’m in the tent with the golden survival blanket.
- I know, I saw you installing it.
- Ah ok, Mathilde laughed. Meet me outside, then.

Both left their tents, kissed themselves and exchanged some banalities about the weather and their travel. Then Despair tightened her letter to Mathilde

- But how will you give it to Liam ? she asked her.
- Gui' brought back a remote-controlled helicopter and we will make it fly to his window !
- Really ?! Despair exclaimed, the eyes wide opened. And you will put the letters inside ?
- Nein ! I will hang them to the landing legs. With a piece of Scotch tape. - Too cool !!
- Gui' will make the helicopter fly away right up in front of the window and then, he will make it knock against the glass.
- But how will you know in which room Liam will be ?
- Well... ! Mathilde exclaimed, as if that went without saying. When they will arrive, there is just to supervise which room will light up ! They are always on the fifth floor, anyway, she says by showing the top of the building.

Mathilde took her letter and told her that they would make some tests this afternoon. Despair turned over then towards her friends, a small smile on the lips. Liam was going to have her letter. He was going to finally know how much he was important for her. If somehow tomorrow life were really too unbearable for her, at least before leaving she would have said to him what she wanted.

Around 6:00 pm, some new fans arrived and before there would be too many people there, Guillaume carried out the tests of his helicopter. He made it fly not far from him to begin and test the levers. He had already done it at his place but each time he had to check that everything was ok. Then he made it go through the alley which separated them from the hotel and made it fly to the top of the glass shelter. He brought it back towards him and went back under the tent. When it went out, the helicopter had letters scotched on the landing bars. Mathilde held it in her hand, as one holds with precaution a birdy barely ready to fly away and Guillaume activated the take-off. She supported it one moment, until tightening her arm in the air then the helicopter left in the airs, under the interrogative glances of the hotel staff. Fans also looked at the small helicopter with amazement. They found that so clever that they ran towards Mathilde and Guillaume to ask them to give a letter to the band on their behalf. A letter that they were immediately reflected to write with the sheets of notebooks and paper pieces that they found. Mathilde returned under the tent while the small helicopter swirled in front of the building. To finish Guillaume made him reach the last floor. He could even have guided it beyond the hotel if he had wanted. Mathilde went out, looked at the helicopter going down again to them and caught it delicately. Both of them had a large smile.

- It goes as we planned it !! she exclaimed.
- Yes ! he says, crazily enjoyed and so proud of him and his genious idea.

END OF CHAPTER 1