Through two years of hard work, after playing in different bars and clubs and creating demos, singles, and EP (extended play) albums, we finally made a full-length self-titled album, “Elusive Chimera.” It was signed under Dragon Records and consisted of ten songs. The ten songs included “Where Were You Last Night?”, “Petals of Deep Red Roses," “Her Blood Is in Your Hands," “The Haunted Doll," “Voodoo Girl," “Don’t Follow the Light," “Our Dear Violet," “Outer Peace," "Hunger," and “I Will Destroy You.” On the cover of the album was a mythological creature, a chimera in a tall grass of a dark forest under a full moon.
My manager was none other than my former boss and the owner of Dragon Records. We toured locally at mall shows and gigs at night. I had to quit my job as a disc jockey to focus on my music career. Some of my band members did the same; others didn’t. We tirelessly worked from Monday to Sunday every night. We did our album tour locally and played our famous single “Where Were You Last Night?”, “The Haunted Doll,” and “Our Dear Violet,” along with the rest of our album. My bandmates and I rarely went home nor spent time with our long-time friends. But at least we made friends with some of our hundreds of fans. Eventually, we gained more and more fans. So, from hundreds of admirers, they became thousands. We were truly grateful for that.
However, we did feel homesick. When we weren’t rehearsing, composing songs, or even touring, we stayed in the van 24/7. My parents called me from time to time to know how I was doing. Naturally, I told them that I was doing fine. I found out from them that my brother Richard was now officially dating the lovely and intelligent Sheena and that he became an ecologist while his girlfriend was a nurse. Later on, I asked my parents how they were doing. They, in return, replied that they were doing well. They showed me their faces. My parents grew more wrinkles, but they still look basically the same. I told them they looked well, which was true. I blew kisses at them when I said goodbye.
“Aww, your parents are so sweet.” Noah was eating a bag of chips while watching an action movie. He had short, spiky black hair and hooded, dark eyes.
“I agree, they are so thoughtful.” Liam was playing a video game featuring a hunter who kills demons. He was tall and had brown eyes.
“You’re both talking as if your family members do not talk to you,” Dianne laughed as she did her hair for a makeup and crime-related vlog. She had silver hair and gray-blue eyes.
To which Noah replied, “Of course ours do.”
Liam added, “Hers just call more often.”
“You both sound jealous,” Dominic joked. He was reading a psychological thriller novel. He had wavy and messy brown hair and high cheekbones. Noah and Liam chuckled.
Sebastian chimed in, “Yeah, they do.” He was walking on a treadmill. He had olive skin and an athletic figure. “I can’t blame these two. Imogen’s parents call a lot. They obviously miss her and are concerned about her.”
“Don’t be jealous, your parents will call you, too,” I quipped and smiled. They all accepted my joke with sincere laughter.
Months later, we did concerts and gigs internationally. 
We had a concert in a stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Before our concert, we explored this beautiful country and enjoyed the cuisine in their restaurants. The country had lovely scenery and unique shops and stores. The people were nice. But what stood out for me were the ladies. They were too gorgeous. I was amazed by their beauty. In the day, Thailand showed people who were too busy walking to their schools and workplaces, wearing neat and fine uniforms. In the night, it showed people who dressed up in bold and vibrant clothing. The ones who were waiting in line in front of the clubs wore revealing and flashy outfits.
My impression was that Thais worked hard during the day and partied at night. The music booming from the inside of the nightclubs was catchy and groovy.
“Wow, the club seems cool,” I said.
“Promise me we will go here later after the concert,” Dianne responded.
“Sure!” I replied enthusiastically.
“Remember not to drink too much,” Noah told us both.
“Yes, Dad,” Dianne remarked sarcastically.
Noah rolled his eyes. “We were just trying to protect you.”
“I can handle myself; thank you very much,” Dianne answered back.
I knew Dianne. When she got drunk, she always got wild and picked on fights. I agreed silently with Noah. I really hoped that Dianne wouldn’t drink too much when we went to a club.
“I think it’s better if we all went to the club,” Liam suggested.
“Yeah,” Dominic agreed. “So, we can all enjoy it.”
“It will be a great experience for the band,” Sebastian added.
At 8:00 pm, we performed at the stadium. A mix of citizens and foreigners filled the audience. The venue was jam-packed. The crowd headbanged and sang along with us. Some did a mosh pit and circle pit on faster and heavier songs. I was glad that they knew our songs by heart. They really enjoyed the concert with utmost excitement. My bandmates and I were delighted by the crowd’s enthusiasm. We were asked to play encore. We anticipated and prepared this, so we played our encore songs.
We thanked all our fans before exiting towards backstage.
After the concert, we met and greeted our fans from the VIP section. They shook hands and took pictures with us and asked for our autographs, and we granted their requests. We expressed our gratitude towards these fans.
Later on, at around 9:15 pm, we went to a nightclub. We danced and drank liquor. Sebastian secretly rolled a joint under the table and smoked it. He offered me, and I took only a puff of it.
“Nice!” He exclaimed. I smiled. Then I took a shot of pina colada.
On our backs, Dianne was shouting and slurring her words. As expected, she was too drunk.
“Say that again?” She asked an American guy beside her.
“Your band stinks, and you played the bass guitar badly,” he replied cruelly.
Dianne was about to beat the guy with a bottle of beer. But Noah immediately stopped her and took the bottle away.
Me and the rest of the band approached them quickly to de-escalate the situation and apologized to the American guy.
“Let’s go now; you had your fun,” Noah berated Dianne.
We left the club. While we were in the van, Noah scolded Dianne.
“I told you to drink moderately. Look what you have done. You might get us in trouble with your reckless behavior.”
“But he was the one who started it,” Dianne defended herself.
“But still, you don’t have to bash someone’s head with a beer if you hate their opinion,” Noah shot back. “Which you nearly did.” He glared at Dianne.
“I am so sorry,” Dianne slurred her apology, but she meant every word. “I’d never do it again. I promise.”
Sebastian and I were carrying Dianne on our arms. We gently lay her down on the couch. She slept like a child.