Saturday, February Second, 6:48 P.M…

“Hey Vic?” I asked quietly. He looked up from the couch, rubbing Jaime’s arm gently. The two were both watching the TV as Tony directed the bus into a gas station. How he actually made it into the little lanes was beyond me.

“Yes, dear?” he asked. Jaime smiled at me. He held his hand out and whined. It latched onto mine, our fingers intertwining like little kids.

“Can we go see All Time Low?” I asked him quietly. Vic flicked Jaime’s ear, teasing him playfully. Jaime let go of my fingers to just jump up on Vic and punch his shoulder, laying his head and pushing his nose into his neck, mumbling that the singer was a ‘meanie butt-queef’.

“I was already planning on it.” Vic winked, groaning a little under the sudden weight on his chest. Tony let out a little pterodactyl screech as a lady cut him off. Mike rushed from the bunks to see what the commotion was. He stumbled as the bus jerked to a halt.

“Thank you!” I clapped happily. Jaime’s eyelashes fluttered close like little leaves falling to the ground. He nosed against Vic’s neck until he gave the bassist a little attention. Mike sat down in the unoccupied spot next to me. His hand shyly linked up with mine, his thumb tentatively rubbing little circles on the back of my hand.

“You want to catch up with Zack?” He asked me quietly. I nodded, unsure. I loved Mike to death, yes, but I loved Zack as well….and Austin…and Ricky…

What a mess I am in.

“Yes, I guess.” I murmured, trying to turn my attention onto the oh so intriguing coffee maker. Mike gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not jealous or anything.” He reassured, like he could read my thoughts. I laughed at the thought of Mike reading my mind. His eyes met mine for a moment. He seemed sincere enough.

“I wouldn’t peg you for someone like that.” I added nervously. He shrugged, taking my hand in his and pressing his lips to the back of my pale hand. I blushed harder. Mike chuckled, his breath tickling my skin.

“You’re too adorable.”

“Stahp.” I whimpered. He ruffled my hair as he stood up, going to make some breakfast. Tony made a sharp turn around the corner, throwing us all across the vehicle. A small dinosaur noise followed the maneuver and the tires screeched to a halt.

“GUYS!” Turtle yelled. Jaime and Vic jumped up, running to the front of the now stilled bus. We had barely made it out of the gas station and we already had to stop again. It was just outside of town and I could make out the slow moving cars behind us, but we were stranded in an ocean of roads and houses.

“What happened? Are you alright?” The singer questioned quickly. I got up with Mike. We traveled to the front of the bus, looking around desperately.

“Please, please, please tell me that is not Jordan freaking Fish.” He pointed a shaky finger at someone leaning against a car next to a park. I squinted, looking closer.

NOPE.

“SCREW THIS PERSON I’M OUT!” I yelped and darted for the back of the bus, agile as a leopard as I dodged bags and stray jackets, sliding into the back lounge and sliding under the couch, tucking a blanket around me and disguising my body. The door slammed shut behind me, leaving the boys confused.

HOW DID HE FIND ME HERE!?

Okay, okay, calm down. It was just Jordan…but Oli might be around the corner.

But Oli has Virgo.

And I need to get to Virgo.

“Stay in here, sweetheart. Jordan’s coming up to the bus. It’s kind of hard to hide a behemoth bus, but just stay there. I won’t let him touch you.” Mikes soothing voice whispered through the door. I let out a little whimper and squeezed my eyes closed.


Mike’s POV

Jordan Fish slowly came up to the bus, waving at us kindly. Vic let out a little growl low in his throat. He may be smaller than us, but he is fierce when it comes to protecting those he loves!

“Just act natural. Keep him away from the back lounge.” I murmured. Tony nodded slightly as he went to answer the knock at the door.

“Hey, Fish. What’s up?” Tony smiled politely as Jordan Fish leaned against the doorframe. Jordan’s dazzling eyes sparkled in the sun.

“Nothing much. My mates and I got a little lost in these Baltimore suburbs. I offered to get us all a little coffee to cheer up the morning but my tire got a flat in it. Have any tools to help me out or can you at least give me a lift to our bus? It’s just around the corner.” He asked, his thick British accent sleepily drifting into the air. I could almost feel the internal screams radiating from Rory hiding in the back lounge.

“I can help you fix the tire.” I offered, wanting to be the one to keep him distracted. Jaime scurried off, quickly as a mouse, to go and fetch the tool box. I slowly directed Jordan towards the car.

Jaime gave me the box and it didn’t take long before the keyboardist’s tire was fixed up. He thanked me, wished me and the band luck, and got into the car.

“Ey mate?” He called as I started back to the bus.

“You got yourself a girl?” He asked, a twinkle of mischief in his eye. I thought for a moment.

“Yeah, yeah I do.” Although I didn’t know which meaning of ‘got myself a girl’ he was referring to.

“Good. Treat her well, mate. See ya!” He called out and drove away. I swallowed the paleness from my face and hurried on the bus.

“Drive.” I whispered to Tony. He didn’t need another word.


Rory’s POV

“He’s gone, sweetheart.” He coaxed. I crawled from under the couch, slowly opening the door and peeking out. I looked up into Mike’s kind face. He was sincere about it.

“Thank you.” I shuddered as he shrugged his way into the back lounge, rubbing the tension out of my shoulders. I sighed and sat on the couch next to him.

“Let’s go see those boys now, how about?” He asked. I nodded and leaned into his shoulder. The familiar purr of our bus, like a cat on wheels, started up as we turned the corner and sped out of the danger zone.


A few hours later….

“Where are we meeting them?” I asked him. Mike didn’t say a word, but the corner of his lips twitched upwards into a sly smile.

“You’ll see.” He finally answered. I faked a pout and he poked my ribs, making me drop the guise and smile. I fell into his lap, his fingers winding their way through my hair. I closed my eyes with a yawn and curled up against the drummer’s warm chest.

The vehicle finally came rolling to a stop a little before ten. Tony had a little bit of an issue navigating the winding roads of the suburbs, but he didn’t get us too lost. At least we had a chance to listen to about three hours of the radio…

“We’re here.” Mike kissed the tip of my ear as I rolled off of him. He followed behind me, my own little shadow. I slipped some shoes on as I passed my bunk and we headed out towards the door. I yawned a little as I tromped out of the bus. My ankle had healed for the most part and my wrist wasn’t burning up in fire. I don’t think I should be doing a lot of mile sprints, but I’m able to walk on it at least.

We were at a little Main Street area. The buildings lines each side of the street. The median was paved in a brilliant green grass, despite it being winter. The flowers weren’t in bloom yet, but the stalks were starting to poke up. People bundled in expectations for another blizzard walked past us, but it had to be at least fifty five degrees out here.

“EYYYY STAR GIRL!” A voice yelled out behind me, rather, they squealed as a pair of arms encircled my waist, picking me up and spinning me around. I yelped and became a statue in the arms. When they finally put me down, I whirled around to see Jack Barakat in his classic BONER shirt and goofy purple rimmed glasses grinning down at me. The scruff on his jaw told me he hadn’t shaved in a while. I leaped up and wrapped my arms around his neck, holding onto him tightly. He held me close. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his shoulders.

“Stop hogging her!” A voice whined next to my head. I let go long enough for Jack to ruffle my hair affectionately and for me to jump into Alex’s arms. He kissed my cheek as I laughed, trying to bite back tears of joy. I loved seeing these guys. They were so much fun and were like big brothers to me.

“What about me?” Someone whimpered. I looked over Alex’s shoulder to see Rian pouting. Chuckling quietly to myself, I tore myself away from the singer to give another hug to the drummer.

When we were all done, I looked around, trying to find the last one, the one I needed to see most. Alex raised his eyebrow as he saw me trying to sneakily look around for Zack.

“He’ll be here soon. He was running a little late. He broke the E string on his bass and had to replace it.” Alex told me. Jack scooped me, giving me a piggy back ride. Pierce the Veil made their way to say hello to the ATL boys. I put my chin on top of Jack’s black and white hair.

“You need a haircut.” I teased.

“Hey, skunk hair, don’t care!” He laughed. I smiled, a true smile, for once in what seemed like a small eternity. I clung onto Barakat like my life depended on it. We all walked down to a park at the end of Main Street. It was a large, colorful play set that had an abundance of kids crawling all over it. Mothers watched on with tentative eyes and sipped warm coffee to soothe the nip that lingered in the air, a reminder that winter was out the door.

“Okay, Jack. You can let me down.” I chuckled. Jack bent down and I hopped off, squeezing his hand as a silent thanks. He flicked my hair again, just a playful little gesture.

“Sorry I’m late. That little E string is a pain in my ass.” A soft voice apologized. We all turned around.

“Oh, hey Zack! How are you?” Mike clapped him on the back. I jumped from behind Jack, trying to search for the man in the clump of band members.

“Good, good…” Zack trailed off. I walked around Alex and Jaime, getting up in front of Zack. His warm eyes sparkled with a new life as his sight landed on me. The corners of his eyes crinkled up in that familiar smile. We both fell together, my face pressed into his warm chest, so familiar and safe. He leaned down, gently kissing my cheek as we detached. Mike came up, shaking hands with the bassist.

“I don’t even have to ask if you took good care of her; I know you did.” Zack laughed, his rare little chuckle that let you know that life was alright. I looked between the two of them curiously.

“Of course, of course. I wouldn’t let anything hurt her.” Mike stroked my hair. I gave up trying to figure out what went on between them. All I could guess was that Zack and Mike had kept in contact and had worked another little ‘sharing’ agreement like what Austin had been telling me.

These boys. They were all just too sweet. What would I do? I couldn’t have all of them. Could I even have one of them? What would happen when I get back home? Wouldn’t this all just go away or would they still remember me?

Vic nervously chatted with Alex in the background about the little run in with Jordan. We all sat around a table. I was sandwiched in between Zack and Mike as the others talked.

Vic was the one that eventually spoke up. “So the Bring Me boys are in the area?” He questioned to no single person in particular. Tony looked concerned.

“Yeah, they just had a show here. I thought they were going to leave soon, but they suddenly just added a bunch of shows for another month here in the states.” Jack added in. Zack leaned behind me, whispering Mike’s name.

I ducked towards the table, trying to get out of the middle of a conversation. “Hey, are you guys coming to the concert this evening?” He questioned.

“Yeah, yeah. We are. Do you think we’re going to have to worry about Oli there?” Mike asked worriedly.

“No, you shouldn’t have to. I heard they were leaving Maryland today. Their next stop is in Virginia. I also heard about Virgo.” Zack leaned into me. My heart caught in my throat. “I’m so sorry about your sister. Motionless in White contacted us asking if we knew much about her or if you had told us anything.” Zack took my right hand, squeezing it gently. I leaned into his shoulder, nodding slightly. The subject was still harsh and raw for me.

“It’s okay.” I managed to choke out eventually. Mike rubbed my back soothingly as Zack kissed the top of my head, running his hand over my fair blonde hair.

“They’ll get her back, don’t worry.” He assured. I gave him a fake smile and went back to the conversation. Soon enough, the talking turned towards the bus and we all started to get up from our spots, moving towards the bus. I followed behind the pack, shuffling my feet across the cement and staring towards the oak trees. Four of them with boney hands that stretched low to caress you skin were on our way to the bus. Their long limbs like hands touched my cheek gently.
And that’s when I saw her.

Girl in the shadows, I see you.

I paused to look at the tree just ahead of the group of boys. They passed it with ease, not even noticing her presence. Her hair was that of night and her eyes were trained on me like a hawk. They were an olive green, like a polished stone.

The boys never noticed her, but I did. She wasn’t meant to be seen by normal eyes. Only those trained to watch for whips and kicks, those who had been taught by experience to always watch for everything, for every little sign of danger or warning, could see her.

And I was the only one on the street who paid her any attention.

I passed by her, my eyes on the ground. Only when she whispered my name did I look up. She lounged against the bark of the giant oak overhanging the sidewalk.

“Rory, they’re waiting for you.” She whispered, a devilish grin on her face.

Hell, what was happening!? Who was she? How does she know my name?

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I stuttered out past the fear that gripped my lungs. The world around us disappeared. We were invisible to everyone and everything.

“No, no, I wouldn’t expect you to.” She chuckled, like that of silver bells. She wore black. She was black. Her skin was pale, fair, but she was night. She was a shadow. She slipped through them like they were her. She was made of shadow, that I know. She wore a black shirt, black skinny jeans, had black hair, and had black shoes on. She was woven from the essence of invisibility, the substance of darkness.

“I have to go.” I excused myself, trying to catch up with the others who were a fair distance ahead.

“Wait,” And she caught my arm, her hand whipping out like a snake holding down prey. My eyes were wide as I stiffened, ready for a fight, “They’re watching for you, Rory. They know you’re here. They still want you, Oli still has your sister. Chris is close to getting her out. Watch your back, Orion Greening.” The girl whispered urgently. Chills raced up my spine at her icy message.

Oli knows that I’m out here. He knows that I’m in Maryland. He still wants me. How does she know? Chris, okay, Chris Motionless. I guess he is close to getting Virgo out, but what more? I need more information, I need to know my sister is okay!

“Wait, is she okay? Virgo, is she okay?” I asked quietly. The question seemed to amuse the mysterious shadow girl because she laughed and replied darkly, “As well as she can be when she is surrounded by whips and chains and men with malice intent.”

“RORY! Where are you!?” Panicked voices called. The girl’s eyes widened in humor.

“You better go, Orion. They will want you soon enough. Keep yourself safe and it’ll keep her safe.” The girl nodded her head. I saw Alex turn the corner, quickly followed by Jack. I turned back to the mysterious girl.

“Wait, so Oli is here!? I thought they were going to Virginia!” I asked in a flurry.

“Did you think they would be so easy to fool? Did you think that flat tire was a mistake? Don’t be a fool. They know. They will find you. Keep Virgo safe by staying safe yourself.” Her pursed lips let me know that was the end of the conversation.

“Oh, Rory! There you are!” Zack laughed. They all trotted towards me. My eyes went wide. Why couldn’t they see that I was talking to her!?

“Wait, what’s your name?” I asked quickly. The girl leaned against the tree, seemingly blending into the dark bark.

“They call me Zila. Jason sends his regards. May shadows keep you. May the night be your rest.” I squinted curiously at her message.

May shadows keep you? What does that mean? May the night be your rest? Even stranger….

“Rory, are you okay?”

“What happened?”

“Did you see Oli or Jordan?” Their flurry of questions surrounded me like a choking hold. I shook my head, holding up my hands for them to calm down.

“No, no, I’m fine. I didn’t see Oli or Jordan. I met this girl. Her name was, uh, Zila. Yeah. She was just, um, telling me things….” I stuttered out, pointing towards the tree and losing my nerve at what I saw.

She was gone. Crap.

“Um, what girl? There was no girl.” Mike said curiously. I shook my head, looking around the tree and mumbling weak arguments that there was a girl here.

“Come on, let’s get back to the bus and get you some water and you can lie down. That will probably help.” Vic suggested, gently encouraging me forward. I didn’t argue.

I looked back one last time.

She leaned against the tree, waving and grinning like a fool.

Notes

Hello everyone!

Sorry it's been a while. My weekends are generally taken up by a world class percussion ensemble that i'm a part of. However, I did have spring break this week and I have found some motivation to post, so I have this chapter and possibly another one soon enough!

Thanks for the waiting, loves!

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