(I'm back. Thank you for all of your well wishes. Just to be clear, I didn't have surgery, but pneumonia. I was depressed for a while, cause the infection activates the same virus that caused my dad to die in 2016. He suffered for several years before his death, becoming like a living mummy at the end. That will be my fate in a couple of years. Lol.)
[General POV]
It was 3 am in the morning. In front of the Entertain company, multiple paparazzis kept camping out for even a tiny bit of news about Edward, while the staff members were busy and working overtime inside the building.
"Pepper. You're going to Ed's hometown?" Renaldo asked as Pepper was standing by a line of black SUVs at the building parking lot. More than 30 staff members could be seen loading things up into the transport as Pepper directed them.
"Yes. Ed wants to do something there, and he needs support. So I'm joining in to break the news to him!"
"Is this about him hitting 2 millions album sales, and hitting multi-platinum in one day? Can I join you?" Renaldo's eyes lit up.
He was wondering why the company kept the information from Edward, and now he understood. It was just that the CEO wanted to tell the artist the news himself!
The media was already hyping up Edward's achievement, and predicted that he will be among the rare few artists in the world that can get 10 million unit sales in the first week, and get the highest RIAA Diamond Certificate.
That's why Pepper was being urgent right now. He wanted to tell Edward first before he got the news from the media.
Pepper shook his head and said coyly, "Don't be greedy! Harvey needs you here."
"You just want me to deal with the reporters all by myself." Renaldo pouted. Pepper smiled wryly as his motive was exposed. Even though Pepper loved the attention from the cameras, he found it extremely tiring today– especially since it had interfered with his work multiple times.
[Edward POV]
"Why do I still smell like a puma even though I had already showered?" I sniffed my t-shirt after waking up in the morning. I caught the sight of Uncle Aaron who had already walked away lifelessly, which made me think that he was still depressed.
"Poor guy." I muttered sympathetically before going to take a shower again. After brushing my teeth, I went to change my clothes into a blue-ish gray suit, pairing it with a Rolex watch, and yellow Ray Ban sunglasses.
"Good. I looked like Ryan Gosling." I muttered as I posed in the mirror. I did the pose, the left hand wrapped at my body, while the right hand was almost midair with my fingers lightly pinching together, looking contemptuously and condescendingly at the other person from top to bottom.
"Great. It works." I smiled before I left my room.
"(Whistle) Come on. Let's go." I snapped my fingers annoyingly at my uncle who was sitting at the breakfast table. Then, I frowned, "Really? That's what you're wearing?"
My uncle was wearing a simple orange shirt and jeans, paired with worn-down sneakers. Although the clothes were fine, it wasn't a good look for him in my opinion.
"What's wrong with my clothes now?" He said in disbelief.
"Hmm…I guess it doesn't matter. I'll burn everything in your closet when we get back anyway."
Uncle Aaron scoffed as he thought I was joking and pointed at the food on top of the table, "You don't want to eat breakfast yet?" I shook my hand at him, and he added.
"Your grandma will be upset." Uncle Aaron frowned as he reluctantly stood up.
"It's an hour and a half ride to the city. I'm not wasting time eating breakfast here. Grandma already packed some food for the ride." I said as I exited the house, leaving behind a grumbling old man.
…
It took us all morning, and more than 15 shops just for me to give my uncle a brand new look. I threw away his velcro wallet in front of him, making him stare at me blankly. I also maxed out one of his credit cards, which made him groan in pain.
However, do not underestimate the heir of a 100 acre ranch. Breeding horses wasn't a poor guys' business. I brought him to a salon afterward and made him change his unkempt hairstyle and also shaved off his messy, patchy beard.
"I feel stupid." He said as I made him change into his new clothes inside the salon's fitting room. Rather than a fitting room, it was more of a stage because it was set up in a half-circular manner at the center of the salon, with only a curtain to hide the one's inside.
"Don't complain. By the way Tiffany, what are you doing later?" I shouted at my uncle first before flirting with the stylist. She has brunette hair and caramel coloured skin. Her smile gave off a kind vibe, but her eyes were a little mischievous.
She touched my shoulder lightly as she smiled, "I don't know what I'm doing later."
"Oh I know what you're doing later."
"Really? You know?"
"Can you guys stop flirting?" My uncle said tiredly as he opened the curtain, revealing a dashing middle-aged man. Tiffany widened her eyes as she saw him, and I smiled in satisfaction as I saw my masterpiece.
"Clothes do make the man." I said as I went to check his outfit. A simple white shirt and a black Armani suit changed his looks from a farm boy to looking like a CEO.
The key was not to wear a necktie, as although it could look better, the necktie would also give a formal appearance, as if he was a working man. This manly style suits him more as it made him look like a rich man going out to play.
"Hmm…Something's missing." I mused for a while before taking off my watch and making him wear it.
"Now it's finished."
My uncle was looking at me in disbelief before he checked out his reflection in the mirror.
"This doesn't suit me-"
"Shh!" I shushed him and turned to the stylist, "Tiffany, be honest. You'd sleep with him right?"
Aaron was astonished and embarrassed while Tiffany looked at him from top to bottom. She then nodded honestly, "Yeah. I probably would."
Aaron thought she was being polite, but was flattered regardless. "Now, do you want to give him your number?" I asked again.
Tiffany paused for a while before she smiled, "Yeah." Then, she wrote her number on a piece of paper and gave it to Aaron. "Call me."
"He will meet you at Julie's restaurant for dinner tonight, at 7 o'clock." I replied for him before he could even open his mouth. Tiffany didn't have any objection and said, "I'll look forward to it."
She touched his arm slightly before she turned and walked away, slightly swaying her hips as she did. My uncle was still in disbelief as to what just happened, and his eyes couldn't help but go blank as he watched her backside.
After getting my uncle a date for the night, we need to settle the next crucial thing.
"What-NO!" He protested immediately as he heard the next plan.
"Then, you really want to pick up your date in this worn down car? Even the pigs at the farm won't get on this piece of shit." I said sarcastically as I directed him to a nearest car dealership.
Aaron was silent, and then he asked, "Why are you doing this Ed? Why go through so much trouble?"
"Revenge." I replied jokingly, causing him to widen his eyes in shock. "I'm just joking. Although, you still owe me for making me believe my mom was a lesbian and thus making me homophobic for a few years."
"Joking aside, you can say that I miss my uncle." I said without looking at him. "The uncle that used to joke around, the one that used to chase after me with a chicken in his hand while trying to make me cry, the uncle that would just crack up inappropriate jokes at the most inappropriate moment, and not this broody, batman wannabe loser kinda uncle."
"Times are tough for you right now. I may not understand what you're feeling, but I do have the experience of someone close to me betraying me too."
Uncle Aaron's eyes reddened, but he didn't break down. He smiled and then asked, "So, you trying to make me mad by spending all of my money?"
"No, that part is actually genuine. Your fashion sense is really unappealing. I just thought that the shopping stuff would help you like it did me."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" He asked, confused.
I smacked my lips as I knew that I spoke too much and was hesitant, "Ummm…"
"Maybe your experience will help me?" Uncle Aaron said in a gentle tone, which made me feel a little bit guilty if I didn't say it.
"Maybe…Alright, the reason I brought you shopping, even though it was embarrassing to admit, my life changed even before my career started, during my first shopping trip in fact."
"Hmm? Explain." Uncle Aaron was confused.
"Well, I went shopping with Pepper, Cam, and Mitchell. You know them right?"
He nodded and let me continue without interrupting.
"To thank them, I offered to sing a song I wrote, and then it exploded on Youtube. It started a whole new life for me. Now, my album is selling like crazy, and it all began there on that one fateful shopping trip." I said in a melancholic manner.
"So, you're trying to give me a fresh start?" He said with a touched expression, which made me scowl in disgust.
"Wipe that expression off your face! We're here!" I said angrily to hide my embarrassment as the car pulled into the car dealership parking lot. My uncle smiled as I walked out of the car, and he sat at the driver's seat for a while to process his thoughts before getting out.
I was talking to the agent there, and after my uncle joined me, we went to check out a few cars before I fell in love with one of them. Unfortunately, my uncle decided on another one.
"I'll take that Lexus." He said to the agent.
"Are you an idiot?" I smacked his chest before pointing at the sleek black, 67 Chevrolet Impala in front of me. "You're taking this one!"
"What? No. I don't like it that much. I want to use a hybrid car. It'll be good for the environment."
"You're joking right?" I rolled my eyes at him before retorting.
"This is THE car from Supernatural! It's cheap now…well not that cheap… but it'll be extremely expensive in a few more years! Not to mention that Gary here refitted the entire thing so skillfully that there's almost no difference compared to a brand new car!"
"Yeah. I was thinking of using it myself, but my wife won't let me." Gary added with a look of pity on his face.
"But-"
"No buts!" I said decisively before forcing him to sign the deal. He was a bit taken aback, but he relented after a thorough brainwashing from me.
When he went on a date with Tiffany tonight, his little bit of resentment from being forced into it disappeared completely.
Turns out, she was a huge fan of the show. She loved it so much that she actually forgot her panties and bra in the car after whatever it was they did inside of it – which was found by my grandmother the next morning.
"My work here is done!" I muttered.
…
Pepper finally arrived at the ranch. And when I told my dad about my plans, he was displeased that I couldn't split myself away from work for more than a few days.
"I just want to record a short video about the ranch and have an online fan meet first before the actual fan meet later on." I complained in dissatisfaction to Maggie and Amy as we followed the crew around the ranch.
"Ed, what is the plan here? What is the purpose of your short video?" Pepper asked.
"It's a blog. I just thought it'll be fun. And the fans would like to know more about me. So I decided, why not?" I replied to Pepper as he nodded.
"But there's no script." He said in concern.
"I'm not planning a serious blog. It's just for fun. I'll introduce the ranch and my daily life here. It's a 20 minute video, max."
Then, I proceed to drag the team around for over 10 straight hours as we shoot the video. It was a challenge to shoot the scenes at night, but the company has a custom video camera, built from my blueprints, so the video quality didn't decline.
In fact, the starry night sky was clear to see on the screen, prompting the director to salivate and shoot a lot more picturesquare scenes.
"Ahh..I'm tired." I said as I laid down on the grass on the open field. Maggie and Amy lie down with me, with our heads close together.
"Don't you mean fatty-goo?" Maggie snickered. Amy and I were confused and we glanced at her, "What?"
"Fatty-goo?" She muttered again, confused as to why we were reacting like that.
"Do you mean fatigued?" I asked with my lips curling up. Amy broke into laughter while Maggie cupped her face with her hands in embarrassment.
"HAHAHAHA. Fatty-goo! We have another Marinara Trench moment!!" Amy laughed until her stomach hurt. I also laughed, but I applauded Maggie for trying too. I guess she read the word somewhere instead of hearing it, so that's why it happened.
"Ed. You're now famous all over the world now." Amy said after we calmed down. "But, you've never sung in front of us before."
"Yeah. What's that about?" Maggie added in a dissatisfied tone, but she actually just wanted to push the spotlight on me.
"Why would I sing in front of you poor people?" I said condescendingly, causing me to get beat up by the both of them.
After the coercion failed, they begged me to do it, so I did it with a guitar in my hand while sitting crossed legged on the ground.
…
[General POV]
Edward picked the guitar as he played a soft melody. Amy and Maggie looked at him with glittering eyes, while the staff members stopped what they were doing and looked into the trio's direction.
[Artist : Anson Seabra – Song : Welcome to Wonderland]
"♫♪ Welcome to Wonderland, we've got it all
Potions and pastries that make you grow tall
Forests and cottages, castles and cards that can talk ♫♪"
Pepper has a fatherly smile on his face, while Ted walked towards the trio, but stopped before he could destroy the vibe there.
"♫♪ Welcome to Wonderland, look where you're at
Maddest of hatters, the Cheshire Cat
Magical cabins and lovely white rabbits with clocks ♫♪"
Amy shook her legs as she thought excitedly, 'Is this a song about this place?'
"♫♪ Dancing through a dream underneath the stars ♫♪"
"♫♪ Laughing 'til the morning comes ♫♪"
Amy and Maggie looked at each other before they laughed softly. Edward smiled before he looked into the sky with a melancholic expression.
"♫♪ Everyone that leaves has a heavy heart ♫♪"
"♫♪ Oh, Wonderland I love ♫♪"
Ted finally broke into a sincere smile after having a tough few days. Pepper decided to join in, and the staff members could hear the songs through Edward's microphone that was clipped on his shirt he forgot to turn off.
"♫♪Welcome to Wonderland, I'll be your guide
Holding your hand under sapphire skies
Let's go exploring or we could just go for a walk♫♪"
Memories about a special place Ted had always played with his brothers on the hill resurfaced in his mind. He thought he had forgotten all about it, but surprisingly it was still there.
Not only Ted, but all the people who heard the song fell into nostalgia of a time when everything was interesting, everything was easy, when they looked at the world with a childlike wonder instead of having the heavy burden of being an adult.
"♫♪Welcome to Wonderland, where should we go
There's a tea party along down the road
Make an appearance and maybe they'll sing us a song♫♪"
A golden-furred puma heard the song from a tree nearby, and it fell into reminiscence about the time he had with his owner. It closed its eyes as he slept on the tree branch.
"♫♪Dancing through a dream underneath the stars
Laughing 'til the morning comes
Everyone that leaves has a heavy heart
Oh, Wonderland I love♫♪"
"I-..." Pepper choked up, and he was startled as he found himself almost saying, 'I don't want to leave'.
"♫♪Nothing around here is quite as it seems
Not sure if anything's real or a dream
And the only thing sure from the start
Is the song that's inside of your heart
Don't let it leave♫♪"
Edward closed his eyes as he paused for a moment. Then, he opened it back up and smiled at the family members who were watching him.
"♫♪If this was a dream, then at least I've got
Memories for when morning comes♫♪"
"Now that I must leave with a heavy heart
Oh, Wonderland….I love♫♪"
As Edward stopped singing, the audience applauded as hard as they could. Maggie was astonished, "You're really a singer!"
Edward knocked her head with the guitar lightly, "I literally have an album!"
Maggie rubbed her temple in pain while Amy laughed at her misery. Pepper wiped his tears as he walked toward Ed, "I have an idea. Why don't we use this song in the short video?"
"Then I'm going to need proper recording equipment." Edward had no objections about it and agreed easily.
Ted didn't allow Edward to play around more and sent all of the teenagers to sleep.
"Are you alright Ted?" Pepper asked after he saw Ted's solemn face.
The blanked out Ted snapped back to reality, "Huh? Oh, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? You don't look fine." Pepper patted Ted's shoulder to comfort him. "I may know what you're feeling, if you want to talk about it."
"Hmm… You know?" Ted chuckled a bit.
Pepper scoffed before he calmed down, "My son went to serve. One day, I received a call from his Commander. He was hit, and he shows no signs of waking up."
Ted's hand shivered, and his ears started ringing as the memory of when Edward stopped breathing flashed into his mind.
"I'm not saying I know what you're feeling, but at the very least, I can listen." Pepper added, trying to get Ted to open up. However, he noticed that Ted was behaving strangely.
"Ted? Are you okay? Ted?" Pepper tried to call him, but Ted couldn't hear anything except the loud ringing in his ears before everything became silent. His heart rate elevated, and his hand started shaking.
Ted was having a panic attack, and Pepper tried his hardest to help him out.