Today's First Chapter Friday is from my fourth Shifter Towers story, His Omega on Stage. I tried to expand what we know about the city of Saramto with this story, while returning to Adan Records at the same time. This is the longest story in the Shifter Towers series. And I'll let you in on a secret, there is more Shifter Towers coming in the future. In His Omega on Stage, Ash is releasing his debut album under the stage name AI. And when mishaps happen, he ends up working alongside his high school crush. But in the entertainment industry, relationships are never easy when they happen in the spotlight.

Another day, another dollar. Okay, so I made more than a dollar a day, but that was how the saying went. I was on my way to work once again. All I seemed to do lately, with nothing to break the monotony of my week. I used to teach guitar lessons to a few high school kids on my days off, but they either went off to college or had their own part-time job now with no time for lessons anymore. And I hadn’t bothered to look for more students. A boyfriend? Yeah right! Who wanted a leopard cat alpha who worked the evening shift at a record store? One who had a bad-boy reputation in high school that hadn’t translated well into adulthood. I had the occasional lonely omega come into the store at night. But a hookup with them never led to another. At first, that’s exactly what I’d wanted, having been burned by those I’d loved in the past. But, that had quickly become a lonely life. Now, I was “too passionate,” or “an overgrown house cat,” and not at all the type of fun my bed warmers were looking for. I wasn’t the “bad boy” they expected.

So, I worked. And when I wasn’t working, I listened to music at home, sometimes strumming along. That was my life. Boring. And another boring night awaited me at work.

Or so I thought until I got there and saw my boss, Kathie, the owner of KMM—Kathie’s Music and Merch—at the back of the store, fingers clenched in her dark-brown hair.

“Thank the stars you’re here.” She handed me a tall, yet thin cardboard box. “My father was rushed to the hospital a couple of of hours ago, and I need to get there.”

“Why didn’t you call me to come in earlier?” I felt bad for sleeping in and lazing around all morning while she was stressing the whole time. Sure, my job was boring, but Kathie treated me well, and we got along. “You know I would have.”

“I know.” She lightly touched my forearm. “But the doctor said he was stable, and I needed to discuss things with Sanjeet, the rep from Adan Records, before AI’s signing tomorrow.”

She nodded toward a stack of tall cardboard boxes like the one I held. “This is only some of the display for tomorrow’s signing. I need you to help those coming down from AR to set up. Felix is coming in to work the store so you can do that for me.”

“Okay.” I nudged her toward her office. “I’ll take care of it all. Now, get your stuff and go to your father.” She didn’t need to stress about anything else.

While Kathie gathered her belongings, I rang up a couple of customers. The part of my job I was used to. Setting up the event room for the signing would be new for me. Usually, Kathie did that herself. Sure, I’d retrieved items for her when the store wasn’t busy, but I’d never been left to complete the task on my own. Or even with support staff from AR. But I wasn’t worried. She wouldn’t trust me with the task if I couldn’t handle it.

A few minutes after Kathie rushed out to catch the light rail transit to the hospital, Felix arrived, his normally blond hair sprayed silver, the main color in all the promo for AI’s debut album.

I tried to hide my smirk. “Excited about the album, or hoping to pick up a fan?”

He winked at me. “Maybe a bit of both. AI is cute. Have you seen him?”

“Nah. I don’t get into artists for their looks. I need to hear them first before I become a fan.” And if they’re good-looking, it’s an added bonus. But like I’d ever have a chance with anyone famous.

“He has some covers out already.” Somehow Felix managed to pull an app with a list of AI’s covers up on his phone, and flashed it in front of me within seconds. “You should give them a listen while you’re setting up for him.”

I shrugged. “Trying to copy someone else’s song doesn’t give me any idea of what an artist truly sounds like.” From my experience, artists usually didn’t live up to my expectations on their own music after I’d enjoyed a cover. Sometimes the artist released a single of a completely different style than what I’d hoped for.

“But he makes them his own. Does his own thing.” Felix’s pout was cute, but it wouldn’t make me listen to this AI kid any sooner than I had to.

“Whatever.” I picked up a couple of the boxes. “I know the album will be playing here all day tomorrow. I’ll decide then.” Likely I’d be sick of every song by the end of the day and never want to hear the album again. Adan Records did have some good artists, like Envi and TK, but the boy group they debuted recently was too bubble-gum pop for me. Listening to them made my teeth hurt. Although they and groups like them seemed to sell well. With the rise of digital music, many fans no longer bought albums, but they came in searching for other merchandise, like clothing, posters, trading cards, figurines, and more. Their hunger for goods was endless.

Tonight, we wouldn’t be very busy. Only the customers who knew about the signing and wanted to avoid the crowd would come in. Plus, the occasional random shopper. Nothing Felix couldn’t handle. So, I set to work carrying all the material to the event room.

I’d just finished bringing in everything labeled for the signing when two women from AR arrived to help me get the room ready. The older one, probably in her mid-forties, with shoulder-length blonde hair and a large tattoo of a snake around her right arm, had a detailed layout of where everything was supposed to go. We divided the room then set up cardboard cutouts, decorated tables, and arranged the line area. The merchandise would come in the morning. Adan Records was really strict about not letting anyone get an early peek at their albums. Even though customers always came into the store early, hoping to snag a copy before their friends, they never had any luck with AR artists. Because we didn’t get them ahead of time.

I had just put the last barrier in place for the fan lineup when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out to find a text from Felix.

Suspicious customer. Busy with others. Can you come deal?

Be right there, I replied.

I quickly excused myself from the room then rushed back to KMM. Felix was ringing through customers, but I could see him side-eying the person he’d texted me about. And for good reason. The figure browsing through the pop CDs wore baggy black jogging pants and a hoodie, with a black bucket hat and black face mask bejewelled with silver beads in the shape of a diamond. Obviously trying to keep their identity a secret, but that made them more suspicious in a record store. Though we had security stickers on most products, there were still too many items that could easily be pocketed.

I caught a whiff of their scent. Vanilla and brown sugar. An omega, which I hadn’t expected when I’d first seen him. Though I couldn’t tell what kind of shifter. “Can I help you with something?”

I don’t think he heard me approach, as he jumped a little before turning my direction. “I uh, yeah.... I’m looking for AI. His new album. For my sister.”

His deep voice caught me by surprise, too, but I didn’t believe his story at all. Why did he have to hide, in multiple ways, that he was a fan?

I sneaked a glimpse of his eyes under the rim of his hat. He appeared strangely familiar, as if I should know who the person was but couldn’t seem to remember. Someone I’d seen in person before maybe? Why couldn’t I remember?

“AI’s album doesn’t release until tomorrow. We don’t get any copies of it until first thing in the morning. Sorry to disappoint you, I mean, your sister.” Would he get the hint I didn’t find his story credible? “But if you’re available tomorrow, AI will be here to sign his new album from eleven until two. There’ll be new merch, too.”

“Oh, okay.” The guy adjusted his hat and mask, covering even more of his face. “I’ll come back then to get one. Thank you.” He rushed out of the store without bothering to look for anything else.

Not that I minded. It meant I could return to setting up for the signing. But I wondered if the guy would really come back. Would he admit to being a fan if face-to-face with AI?

“Customers are looking for his album already,” I said, walking into the event room. “That’s a good sign.”

“Understandable. He’s really good.” The older woman carried the cardboard cutout of AI to the stage. “I heard his album is a bit different from the covers he posted though.”

Everyone spoke so highly of his covers, but I still wouldn’t listen to them. I wanted to hear him singing his own music to make my judgment. “Well, I’m sure he’ll have quite the turnout tomorrow.”
​
The woman set the cutout in place, and that was the first time I got a glimpse of the artist who went by the stage name AI. All other cutouts had him wearing a white full-face mask, with intricate silver patterns. In this one, I could see his dark hair and big doe eyes. I couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity, like I should know him from somewhere. I guess I’d have to try to get a glimpse of him sometime tomorrow to know for sure. That is, if I had a moment to leave the store.

One of my goals this year was to post more on my own blog. I used to do that a lot by participating in weekly author hops where we shared snippets of our works-in-progress, or simply by creating my own weekly or monthly posts. I'd gotten away from those any many other things last year, but I'm trying to revive some things again. 

Since the seventh book in my Shifter Towers series released last month, and some of the others in the series were on sale as well, I wanted to take you for a tour of the towers, share the businesses that are inside each one. If I lived in Saramto, I would definitely take the LRT to the towers to do some shopping and maybe catch sight of a pop artist while I am there.

Shifter Towers consists of three 70-storey skyscrapers located in the center of Saramto. While they all look the same from the outside, the inside of the buildings are very different. There is a courtyard that connects them all with Main Street on one side of the buildings and the main station for the light rail transit system to the rear of the buildings. While towers one and two have a large bank of elevators just off the concourse on the main floor, tower three is much more secure due to the businesses inside.

Tower One is home to many businesses including the following:

• NJ Fresh Foods on the main floor with the head office on the 30th floor
• a medical clinic on the second floor
• a doctor's office on the 17th floor
• a coding school on the 20th floor
• Saramto Shifter News Network on the 68th to the 70th floors

The stories that relate to Tower One the most are:

• Pika Omega Plus One
• Fox Trapped

While Tower Three is home to many businesses, the main business that takes up many floors is Adan Records. Because of the nature of their business and those who work for them, anyone who wants to go beyond the lobby of the building must have a security card or be approved by reception. The main offices are on the second floor while recording studios, dance practice studios and more are higher up. There is a gift shop on the main floor where fans can buy albums and other artist merch. This store opened after the closing of Kathie's Music and Merch in Tower Two.

The stories that relate to Tower Three the most are:

• Bunny Omega on the Run
• His Omega on Stage
• Memories of Us

You may have noticed that Demon on Jackson Street wasn't mentioned under any of the towers. That's because it isn't set in any of the towers. It's set in an area of Saramto that's previously mentioned in several of the books. It's slightly different than the others in the series, but is still set in Saramto.