Saturday, December Twenty Second, 9:36 A.M…

I had been walking for nearly an hour and a half. Not a single car had passed me. It was kind of relaxing to just keep on going in a straight line, not worrying about anyone or anything. I had a backpack on my shoulders, and the weight of the world was gone. I hummed softly to myself as I approached the town.

Since fifteen minutes ago, a small town had come into view. As soon as I saw the four buildings that clustered around the base of a huge rock formation, I quickened my pace. The desert sun was forgiving in the depths of the winter months. The heat wasn’t as unrelenting and a nice breeze lightly skimmed the sand. I walked along the middle of the road. I need not worry about any cars. There hadn’t been one since I left the bus.

I stopped humming as I started along the main road between the buildings. There were some houses on the very outskirts, but otherwise, the town of Reed, Utah consisted of a gas station, a general store, a psychic shop, and the bar that I was looking for. Wanderer’s Paradise was hugging the main road and housed three cracked parking spots. A red van, silver Jeep, and motorcycle occupied the sun baked spots.

Jason hadn’t given me any directions for what I should do once I got here, but I assume all I had to do was just go in and tell someone what I was here for. I tucked a stray hair from my ponytail behind my ear. What I wouldn’t give for a hairbrush! The black and silver strands were turning back to their normal blonde hue. It didn’t look too tacky, just old.

I stopped right before the bar doors. The faded sign was washed out and the faint repaint was already cracking. Shrugging, I looked around. I wonder who my ride was. Would I be on the back of the motorcycle? Or perhaps I would be in the van, squirreled away between rowdy kids and acting like a sibling. Who would be my ride belong to? A toughened motorcyclist? A stay at home mom? Someone from the town? No, I shouldn’t make guesses.

Instead, I walked into the bar. The owners of the vehicles all sat at their own little stools by the counter. They chatted quietly, not really talking about serious matters. The sceen flickered to the news in the background. They talked about a shooting in Paris that ended in twelve tragedies. I took a seat at a stool. The woman with tattoos and long grey hair looked at me.

“Hey kid, new to town?” She asked. The two other men glanced at me. I nodded hesitantly, suddenly reverting from my confident form to my shy and meek older being.

“Yeah, I just walked in.” I nodded slowly. She arched an eyebrow, as if she was silently assessing my worth. I just looked her straight in the eyes, waiting for her reaction.

“So are you here for a drink or what?” She asked. I took a moment to look around. The bar owner wasn’t too be seen. He might just be in the back room.

The TV flashed again, distracting my thoughts.

“I’m here for a ride. They said I would meet one here.” I eventually stated. The woman grinned.

“You’re Orion, then. Nice to meet you. I’m Serenity, this is Moonshine and Wolf. We’re Guides.” She pointed to the other two. Wolf was a boy no older than me, and Moonshine was a man about twenty five years old or so. They each had two full sleeve tattoos, just like Serenity. I was a little surprised at first that they knew my name, but it wore off soon enough. Jason must’ve called in already.

“It’s nice to meet you. Are you one of my ride?” I asked curiously. Wolf laughed, sounding more like a bark than a chuckle. I eased up a little at the sound. He beckoned me forth without answer my question. I followed him, waiting to see what he had in store.

“You look pretty worn out. How was the walk?” He asked as he held the backdoor open for me. I shrugged and looked around as we entered a much larger room. There were a couple of bunk beds lined up on one wall, a door that led to a bathroom, and small kitchen. It was like a mini house in the back of a bar!

“Not bad. It wasn’t too long. I guess I was just anxious to get here.” I smiled, trying to relax. Hey, the boys were far gone! They weren’t going to get to me anymore! They had their tires slashed and I doubt they even were at the Motionless in White bus right now! In fact, if they could move at all, I would be surprised! I could chill!

But why couldn’t I really find myself at ease?

“That’s good. I’m glad you arrived. Your ride will be here in the next half hour or so. They said that they would be down as quick as possible.” Wolf grinned. I couldn’t help but see happiness reflected off of his amber eyes. He swept his dark, shaggy hair out of his eyes as he showed me around. He told me I could stay here and take a quick nap if I wanted. He would wake me up when it was time to go. As soon as Wolf left, I plopped down on the bed closest to me. It was lovely to have a squishy mattress yet again instead of a rock hard one, or even sleeping on the floor.

I slipped my hand into my pocket, fishing out the slip of paper I had taken from Ricky. I had a feeling he put it in there on purpose, just for me to find. Well, I left my ipod with him, so it should be a fair trade. It would be something to remember me by.

I opened it up to see ten little numbers scrawled onto the inside. His phone number. My heart ached from the gesture. I knew what it meant, no doubt about it. He wanted me to call him if I ever needed anything. He still loved me. Ricky Horror still loved me.

I folded the paper back up and shoved it deeper in my pocket. Would I ever use it? Would I need to?

I wanted to get away from all this business, from all the bands that held me captive. I wanted to get rid of all of this. Once I was back home, I would figure out what was going on between mom and dad and keep my past in the past. I didn’t want it to resurface. But calling Ricky…that would be trying to keep ahold of what kept me down.

Did I really want Ricky back in my life again? He would be just another reminder of the pain I went through. I could be sucked back into it if I followed him. Should I let him back in? I loved him, yes, but could I ever let him back in?

I don’t know.

I lay down on the pillow, curling up on top of the blankets. I didn’t bother going under the sheets. Kicking off my shoes, I curled up into a ball, laying my jacket on top of myself and shut my eyes. I can keep the thoughts for a later day.

It was some time later when I felt hands shake me awake. My mind snapped to attention. I jumped away from the hands, fearing for Chris and Kellin and all the others.

“Hey! Hey! It’s just me.” Wolf soothed. Evening my breathing, I sighed and tossed him a weak grin. He handed me my backpack. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I followed him down a back hallway.

“Your ride is here. And um….good luck.” He chuckled. I squinted nervously at him. What did he mean by that?

“Are they bad?”

“No! No! They’re all great people. I just hope you don’t mind spending two days or so with four boys that enjoy beer, pranks, and assorted other crazy adventures. If you get sidetracked a couple of days, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Wolf chuckled deeply. I just fell silent, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. We stepped from the dim hallway to the back lot behind the building. I squinted against the sun.

“HELLO ORION!” Four loud boys cheered from the top of a large tour bus. I held my hand up to shield my eyes from the sun.

That Girl.

Jasey Rae.

Heroes.

Time-Bomb.

Yep, I had all their songs on my ipod back fifteen miles. And here they were, just chilling up on the roof of their bus, smiling down at me and waving. Was I surprised that I was with another band? No. Was I surprised that they all had their shirts off, fanning themselves? No.

Was I surprised they were on the roof? No.

I mean, it’s All Time Low, the most unpredictable, craziest, frat-house-like party boys of their music scene.

“You’re pretty!” One admired.

“Jack, you can’t just tell girls that! You tell them their gorgeous!” Alex clucked his tongue at him. Jack pouted.

“Hello there, Orion. I hope you’re ready for the next couple of days.” Zack said as he climbed down the side of the bus nimbly. Rian just ended up hopping off the edge of the tall vehicle. Zack came up in front of me. I blushed and looked down.

“Aw! You’re so adorable when you blush!” Rian cooed and scooped me into a big hug. I shrieked as he lifted me off the ground.

“BAD RIANOCEROUS! YOU’RE CRUSHING HER!” Jack shrieked and scurried down to follow the others. Rianocerous? As in, Rhinoceros but with Rian? I caught my breath as Rian set me down. Zack took my hand, kissing the back of it. More heat rose to my cheeks. Zack just gave me a crooked grin and gently led me to the bus.

“Bye, Rory! Good luck!” Wolf whistled to me. I waved to him as the others followed me up on the bus.

“Why do you smell like gasoline?” Jack asked as he sniffed my shoulder. I shied away from him, looking over my shoulder. The others patiently waited for an answer.

“I lit some stuff on fire.” I shrugged. Rian’s eyes went wide.

“I like this girl already.” He whispered to Alex, who just rolled his eyes and took my bag for me. I watched as he disappeared to the bunks to set it down on an empty one.

Zack gave me a quick tour of the bus, letting me look around a little bit. Eventually, I stood by a couch, feeling a little lost.

The last few times I was on a bus, I had to wait for instructions. I had to wait for someone to tell me I could sit, wait for someone to order me to do something. I always relied on the others for instructions. I couldn’t speak and had to only talk when spoken to. Despite rebelling and trying to brush off all the rules etched into my brain, I felt…lost. What was I supposed to do? I mean, for the past three months of my life, I had these rules permanently stuck with me. I can’t just…brush them off like dust!

“Um, do you want to sit?” Alex asked curiously. I sighed in relief, finally feeling a little order get back into my life.

“Thank you, sir.” I responded instantly.

“Um…”

“Oh, sorry, sorry.” I apologized quietly, blushing even harder than before. Alex sat down next to me, holding pity in his expression.

“You don’t have to call us ‘sir’ or ‘Master’. We don’t own you. You’re free now.” He patted my knee. Jack came and sat down in front of Alex on the couch. He leaned against his legs, looking at me.

“I’m sorry, it’s just hard to break the habit after it’s been whipped, burned, shocked, strangled, and beaten into you.” I looked at my folded hands. Alex touched my arm lightly. Jack hugged my legs, as if he was a small child. He will always be immature at heart.

“Can we help you in any way?” Alex asked. I shrugged. How could they help? I had been taught to do all these things, now I just had to break them. How long was that going to take?

“Would talking about it help?” Jack offered. I nodded. I had all these things I wanted, no, needed to talk about. I had to get them off my chest to people who hadn’t been there.

“It probably would.” I took a shaky breath, trying to gather my thoughts. Rian took the wheel as they pulled out of the parking lot, making their way slowly back down the main road, away from the town. Zack came and took a seat next to Jack. I had all the boys bundled around me. I felt a little claustrophobic, but I had been worse.

I spent the next half hour recounting everything that had happened to me, all the tortures and suffering I had gone through, all that Ricky and Gabe had found and done for me. When it became I started to cry, they sat their silently as I put my head in my hands, and let the tears flow freely. I had to stop at least three times by the time I finished.

“Rory, I’m so sorry.” Alex whispered.

“No one should endure that.” Rian added from the front of the bus, turning on some quiet music to cover the background. I sniffled a little bit.

“You’re a strong girl, Rory. Stronger than I’ll ever be.” Zack murmured. Jack didn’t say anything. Instead, he just climbed from the floor and into my lap, making me holding him as he wrapped his arms around my neck.

“Hold me, I’m gonna be sad.” He whimpered. I laughed lightly and wrapped my arms around him. Alex patted Jack’s knee.

“He likes to be cuddled and held.” Alex added. I smiled weakly. Jack sniffled into my shoulder, trying to support the weight of a grown man.

“Me to!” Rian complained.

“Oh yes, and Rian.” Zack added. Jack pouted and I rubbed his arm until he started to yawn. Alex stood up and held out his arms. Jack looked over to him, frowning with red rimmed eyes. He looked like he was holding back tears.

“No! Rory is holding me!” Jack sassed. Alex put his hands on his hips, as if he was a mother waiting out the temper tantrum of her child.

“Jack Barakat, we’re going to go give Rory some time. I’ll hold you.”

“NO!” He whined.

“Jack, I’m giving you to the count of three. One….two….” Alex threatened. Zack smirked. I laughed lightly. Jack relented and held his hands in the air, making a silent motion for Alex to pick him up.

“Fine.” Jack grumbled. Alex picked up the boy, relieving the pressure from my lap as he cradled Jack to his chest and brought him to one of the bunks, setting the guitarist down and crawling in after him. Zack took Alex’s spot, pulling me into his chest. It felt warm and so safe, it might as well be a warm blanket. I was too tired and exhausted to think about Ricky or where we were going. I just knew that Zack was warm and comforting, and I needed this safety.

“Thanks, Master-sorry, sorry, I mean Zack.” I corrected myself. He stroked my hair lightly, making me shiver in pleasure. He kissed the top of my head, holding me tightly.

“It’s okay, Rory. Just go to sleep, beautiful.” He cooed. I smiled slightly and let myself drift off.

Notes

Hello everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the chapter! But I think we have a thing to discuss here...

Zack's a big sweetheart.

And who doesn't love a big sweetheart???

So what will happen between Rory and Zack? What about Ricky? Will he just fade away? Will Rory ever call him?

(Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! :D)