I am alive. I think!

Hello fans. I have been gone a very long time, I know. I have not been out of the hospital for a long time now, and the scars of what I endured are both obvious, physically and mentally. It is hard for me to write on this blog, but I needed you all to know I am alive, I am home, in recovery. Although I must be honest and tell you I am not sure I will recover completely. I may be alive, but will never be the same.

The papers and media have already had a field day relaying their speculations on my ordeal. How much of what they said is true? We shall see. I am not yet ready to relay any details beyond what I have at present.

I am absolutely exhausted. I either sleep too much, in which the bad dreams come and wake me, preventing any real restful sleep, or I do not sleep at all.

I have to tell my female fans, out of respect, to please not come by my manor. I will not allow you inside. I really do need time alone. To myself.

I see the band has kept up on my blog and all they knew. There is a reason so many clues were missing in my disappearance. Those who took me left little behind. But, a clue I offer here; my heart was left behind. It no longer belongs to me and has perished along with the place in which I was held.

With this, I head off to bed. Oh, what I would not give for a dreamless night. But this is an impossibility!

Dane is BACK!!

This is Stephan again! I have written nothing in Dane's blog since December after he disappeared. The trail was so cold I was sure he was gone forever, no one ever knowing what had happened to him. We still do not know, and I have yet to see him, but he is back.

I moved home to my own house back in February. There was simply nothing left to look for and, although Edna is very nice, she was just too... accommodating for me. I guess she missed Dane quite a bit.

I guess I will leave the remainder of this blog to Dane, once he recovers and is out of the hospital. I am hopeful, though many express concern. He has not yet regained consciousness. The media has been all over this! Of course they have. This is big news--rock star found by housemaid, bloody and tortured, in torrential storm.  At least that is what one headline stated.

That gives a basic idea of what happened. I will not go on, as this is Dane's story to tell. Like I said, I am hopeful. At this writing, he is in the hospital in a coma. What he went through, what happened, and how they took him with leaving absolutely no trace, remains to be determined.

Here's a photo from a couple years ago...

Stephan here-- No News on Dane.

I am feeling so helpless. Today, I went to the studio in Atlanta to lay down some of the bass tracks for the latest album, but I don't think it's my best work. I cannot concentrate. At what point do you consider someone dead? Or give up on finding them?  It's been over a month. Nothing. No sign. No clues. Dane is just--gone!

Damn it. Why did I have to be the one to agree to stay here at Dane's home and take care of things? To basically live his life looking for clues as to my friend's disappearance?  Every day is harder than the day before. Though I am also learning things about my friend I never knew. And I'm hoping to find a clue within his life somewhere.

I get up in the morning (which, for me is usually around 11am), go down to the vast kitchen to find my coffee already made by Dane's housemaid, Edna (who calls him Mr. Dane). I sit at the kitchen island and drink my coffee and read the paper (apparently, Dane never read newspapers. Only history books and some novels). So, I started having the paper delivered here. 

I always have the dog and several cats for company as Edna goes about her duties managing the staff, which I counted as 3 people; two for cleaning the mansion, one for taking care of the horses--though I think that is 2 since there's weekday and weekend help. It is amazing how much help Dane relies on. Edna is sweeter than pie. She takes care of the indoor animals. She takes care of Dane. But he is not here so she has been trying to take care of me, but I am rather used to taking care of myself. She makes all his meals, cares for the cats (how many I don't know. I swear I see a new one daily), cares for the dog and manages the staff.

More fans have come by in the last weeks, both male and female. I rarely invite them in. Just the occasional hot chick. But, as time goes by, my worry is starting to effect me in other areas. I am desperately trying to find even the hint of a clue. I don't understand how someone can just...vanish!

Trying to get into Dane's head, his life. The only thing that keeps coming up is that woman both Dane and Bruce saw in the mirror onstage back in December. But who is she??? Does she have anything to do with Dane's disappearance? I need to follow that lead. It's the only one I have. I need to find this woman!

As I always do, to please fans... band photos:

Dane coming out of the shower

Adrian daydreaming

This was a fun shoot of me    

Bruce at some backstage thing about a year ago

The orchestra girls. We do hire local, but these gals are with us most tours.

This is Stephan. Many Strange Happenings.

I feel like I have taken Dane's life! Living in his home, watching his television, dealing with his help, giving attention to his pets... even doing his women! I didn't think our lives were this different until now. But, he has lived in a whole other world. I live on the coast. My home is big but smaller than this one.... I have no pets. I have a maid service that comes once a week, but no daily maids. Dane takes his fame and fortune to the ultimate limits.

I found this photo of Adrian from several years back... we did a bit of a Goth thing if yoou recall, awhile back. Adrian looked the part pretty well....

Adrian during our Goth period...

Okay, enough of this... Because of Dane's disappearance, the media are digging, coming up with all sorts of crazy ideas of their own. I found this online today... a photo of Dane having sex! No one ever photographed ME screwing! Well.... maybe that's a good thing, but for Dane it's a brag moment. He likes those... not in a bad way! Someone made this GIF....

Someone found, or captured, some video of Dane with a fan....

I seriously doubt you'll find me on any of these... Being the bass player has its advantages in that we tend to be more obscure! Lead singers and guitarists are at the forefront of the media's attentions. The strange thing is, at the moment of this video, at least, Dane was having a really good time.... where is he now, and is he having as good a time?

Ok, don't look at that video gif too long... it will give you a headache!

I also found this online. Not being able to work much with the band is giving me far too much time on my hands, I think.

I guess, according to this, I am doing quite well, as my hair now is waist-length.

No other fans have shown up since Dalia. So, my sex life is a bit slow at the moment.

But, this is Dane's blog and I am sure you do not want to hear of my prowess. But I have nothing else to offer...Dane is still missing! There's been NO leads. I will keep you informed on every tiny detail, even if it's sex pictures that pop up on the internet. I've been drinking Dane's booze. Does it show?

Something strange happened today! A clue to Dane's disappearance?

Hello. This is Stephan Gale again. I am staying at Dane's mansion until there is some word of his whereabouts. His housekeeper Edna is here each day, doing her part, though I feel bad because Dane is not here to pay her. And so I offered to pay her wages until Dane returns. There have been no charges on his credit cards, nothing. The bank said he made no unusual withdrawals before he disappeared. If he had run away with this girl as the authorities claim, he would have needed money.

Anyway, it has been a cold and rainy day here in SC. I was lying in the den, watching television earlier today, when the dog started to bark. Dane's dog, Wolfe, is a very sweet Doberman with brain damage sustained as a puppy. He does not bark unless there's a real reason to.

Dane has these security cameras all over the place, so I started to check them. That's when I saw her--some girl was standing outside in the rain, outside the gate. It was dark, the reporters have all but left us alone by now. Who is this chick? I thought. I know Dane has women showing up at his house all the time. Usually he lets them in for sex, drinks and sometimes a smoke or two, but with him gone, I wasn't sure what to do. If she's a fan, she must know he is gone. As it happens, my curiosity got the best of me.

I didn't open the gate, but went out into the drizzle. I don't think she knew who I was, as I had on a jacket and hood. She must have thought I was Dane. Though she was wearing a long rain coat, her black hair was soaked and hung down her back. Her brown eyes grew really wide and she started ranting "Oh my God Oh my God... Dane... I am so sorry about last time we were together! Please give me another chance," she rambled. "I thought you were missing, but I knew you would be here. Please, let me in, let me explain..."

At that point I removed my hood, which freed my long red hair. You should have seen the look on her face when she realized I was not Dane. Her mouth dropped open and I thought she was going to collapse onto the wet pavement. She began to stutter, "Y-You... y-you're not... um...you're Stephan, aren't you... the bass guitarist for Dark Myst?"

I tried to remain calm and neutral. "I am. May I help you with something?"

"Um...I eh... I'm Dalia. I was here, um.... in December. Dane and I...we... well, we.... Is he back yet?"

Ohhh I got it. Another of Dane's conquests, back for more. Or so I thought at the time. "No, Dalia, he is not. I'm staying here for now."

"Oh, I see. Oh, I thought... I've been coming by. I saw the lights on, I mean... the lights have been on, but the reporters are gone now and it's night and I thought--"

"You thought wrong, Dalia. Dane is not back yet." I know I sounded defensive.

I thought she would leave at that, but she didn't. "I have something for him," she said as she pulled a wrinkled envelope from the small purse on her shoulder.

"What's that?" I asked.

"A gift... an apology, for last time."

Now I was intrigued. An apology? For what? Could this random fan not be so random? Could she have information on Dane's whereabouts and not even know it? I thought hard, then decided I needed to speak to her, question her. "Do you want to come in, Dalia?"

She nodded really fast.

Once in the house, Wolfe, Dane's Doberman, greeted her like an old friend. Not that that really meant anything. The dog loves everyone!! He's not much of a protector, he's a pet. Dalia patted him and called him by name. She said it was nice to see him again. She also seemed to know the house well, so she had definitely been here before. She walked into the parlor and looked around, not in the way people look when they are curious or browsing, but like she was looking for something. So, I decided to ask her.

"You lookin for something in particular?"

"Sort of, I guess. I should know better, after what happened." She kept looking around the room, the fireplace, the sofas, the piano, everywhere.

"What are you lookin for?" I asked.

"Well... I gave him a card last time I was here. I was hoping... I guess I was hoping he still had it."

Ah. What I didn't, and wouldn't, tell her was that Dane had a habit of collecting "trophies" as he called them, from women he slept with. If she had given him a card and it was not here, chances are she either stunk as a lay, or they never did it. "The maid probably threw it away," I told her. There were a few little trinkets about that I knew were Dane's "trophies" from past fans he had over and slept with, but they were less in the form of cards, and more in the form of silver or crystal knick knacks. Dane had expensive taste. If she had given him just a card and been a good lay, the card would have lasted a month at best. "When did you see Dane last?" I asked.

Dalia thought for a moment. "Uh, it was the 23rd, I think."

Hmmm. Bruce had mentioned to the police something about a fan Dane told him about, who had shown up that day (Dec. 23rd) with a gift, but he had not kept it. By that time, the card had been long gone and no one knew her name. And now, here she was and I felt it my duty to play detective. The police felt she was unimportant since Bruce and Caitlyn saw him after she did, and Dane was fine when they left. Something was missing, however. Something I could perhaps find out from this Dalia chick. Perhaps I could do what the police failed; find Dane!

"Tell me everything that happened that day," I said, feeling suddenly like a cop in a mystery novel.

"Why?" she asked.

People in mystery novels weren't supposed to ask why, they were supposed to just answer. "It might help find Dane," I said honestly.

"Um, ok..." she started. The envelope she held in her hand was spattered with rain, and she placed it on the top of the piano. I assumed it was another card for Dane. I looked at her expectantly, waiting for her story. "I came here to see Dane. Well, you know that. But, I gave him a card... a different card than this one," she motioned to the damp envelope. I nodded. C'mon, girl, get to something I can use here!  She continued, "We um... we... well, you know... started to get into it. But he stopped so suddenly. We were so close." She bit her lip and sat on the piano bench, her legs slightly parted. She was wearing a really short skirt!  I had to look away or else I would have finished wherever it was Dane left off!

"Okay," I said, unable for a moment to think. "Why did he stop?"

"I don't know!" she drawled (she was obviously from Georgia). "He was looking past me--towards that big mirror in his bedroom. I didn't see anything, but he just stopped, ya know. Then he said I had to go!" She shrugged. "I was fit to be tied, if ya get my meanin' but I left anyway. That was all. I went home."

Not much information to go on. I was very disappointed. But, I know Dane. We've been close friends for the past decade and I cannot imagine him stopping once he's started on one of his conquests, as he calls them. Not unless something major happened. She said he looked toward the mirror. And stopped. WTF??? I KNOW Dane has a problem with mirrors because he has said in the past that he sees funky things in them, but..... what could he have seen that would stop him from having sex????

I am just as lost now as I was before. No information to give police. I'll have to see if Bruce or Adrian have any information.

Anyway, I think Dalia saw my disappointment. She came over and actually SAT on my lap!! She said she felt bad about Dane and just started kissing me. What was I going to do, push her off? Let's just say I finished what Dane had started. haha.  Wonder if I should tell him when he returns? It is his velvet sofa after all. I guess I wont have to tell him. He will see this blog. I figure, if he is somewhere he can see this, he will get angry and contact me!!! Either way, it's a win win for me.