26 JUNE 2233
CONTINUED

TARA

“I’m going to die of boredom if we don’t do something, and soon,” Audrey said as the end credits rolled across the screen. Tara couldn’t even name what movie had been on.

“I agree. I think I’m going crazy over here,” Sam said and waved her hand.

“I know I am,” Aiden said with a small groan.

“Do you think the guys are better now?” Pyper asked.

“I don’t know,” Tori said quietly and lightly bit down on her bottom lip.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out!” Patti exclaimed and stood up. She started out the front door, and she grabbed Aiden on her way out. Aiden reached behind her and grabbed Sam, who then grabbed Reina, and a startled Lindsay got drug out behind Reina.

“So, what now?” Pyper asked.

“You’re coming with me,” Audrey said and grabbed her wrist. Pyper looked over her shoulder with wide eyes, and Tori grabbed Pyper’s wrist so that she would get pulled along with her. Once they were out of sight, Tara turned to look at the only two people left besides herself.

“Raven. Emily. Wanna go with me? I think I’ll go check on the Red Bus,” Tara decided as she stood up. Because the first group of girls were probably headed towards Avenged’s bus, and Tara was sure that Audrey was going to check on Bert.

“I would love to,” Raven said and jumped up.

“Might as well,” Emily sighed and got to her feet. The three of them linked arms once they were outside, and they weaved through the parking lot until they reached the Red Bus. The door was open slightly, so they let themselves in. Mikey, Ray, Frank, Bob, and Liza were sitting in the small lounge area, and they all mumbled out some kind of greeting as they walked in. Bob and Liza were sitting in a chair, but the other three guys were sitting on the couch.

“So, how’s everything here?” Tara asked. Raven and Tara fell into the small space between Mikey and Frank, and the couch suddenly felt very cramped. Which was probably why Emily sat on the arm of the couch next to Ray.

“Shock,” Ray mumbled.

“How are the rest of the girls?” Mikey asked Tara. She leaned her head against his shoulder and then felt him lean his head against the top of hers.

“Okay, mostly just worried about all of you guys. It’s a really big shock, to everyone. It’s hard to imagine, you know?” Tara asked.

“Yeah, I was thinking of going to check on The Used guys,” Mikey said.

“I’ll go with you,” Tara said quickly.

“Anyone else wanna come?” Mikey asked and looked around. Everyone shook their heads, so the two of them slowly stood up. They waved goodbye to everyone and then walked outside, and they paused after shutting the bus door.

“Has it been that quiet the entire time?” Tara asked.

“The first hour was a lot of yelling, but then it just got…quiet. I was starting to go crazy in there,” Mikey said. He looped his arm through hers, and they started to walk around. The busses were parked pretty close together, so it didn’t take long for them to reach the Pink Bus.

“Should we knock first?” Tara whispered.

“I don’t know,” Mikey whispered back.

“Maybe we should just walk in?”

“But what if they get mad?” Mikey and Tara continued to talk in whispers, until they heard someone clear their throat behind them. They slowly turned around, and Betty smiled tiredly at them.

“You could have knocked and then just walked in. They wouldn’t have gotten mad,” Betty said.

“Or we could just wait for you to escort us,” Tara said and smiled. Betty’s smile brightened a little, and she reached forward to grab Tara’s free hand.

“Let’s get inside and check on everyone,” Betty said and opened the door.

LEE

Lee’s feet drug across the ground as he paced, and his fingers ached as he continuously clenched and unclenched his fists. Everyone had been upset by the earlier announcement, but it was a different kind of hurt for Lee. Every single muscle was tense as he waited, and his thoughts kept bouncing all over the place. He briefly considered hitting something, but he knew that would hurt him more than it would help. Plus, The Used guys were counting on him so he needed his hands to stay undamaged.

“There you are!” Lee turned around at the voice and saw a tall figure stalking towards him.

“Kellan! What took you so long?!” Lee yelled and started walking forwards. Lee could see his older brother’s face clearly now, and he didn’t look happy.

“Welcome to the club,” Lee thought as they both came to a stop.

“I didn’t have to come at all! You’re lucky that I even answered the phone, after you left us,” Kellan said.

“Be serious, would you? How long did you think I would actually stay? It’s not like we’re some big happy family,” Lee said and shook his head. Happy family? The Morrisons? That was a laugh.

“We used to be,” Kellan said.

“Yeah, before Mercy turned into a bitch and y’all decided to switch to the dark side.”

“You were there when we made the decision.”

“I was also the minority.” Kellan’s dark brown eyes stared down into Lee’s, and for a minute Kellan looked just like their father. Scary.

“Look,” Kellan paused to sigh, “I’m not here to argue. Just tell me what you want.”

“Well, I am here to argue! How could you hire Branden?! You knew what that would do to The Used guys, and you did it anyway!” Lee yelled.

“Calling up Branden was my idea, and he agreed to tour with us, so I don’t see what the big deal is. Why are you so upset?” Kellan sounded perfectly calm, and Lee seriously considered hitting him.

“Because I’m going to be taking over Jeph’s place, so I’ll be hanging around them a lot.” The look in Kellan’s dark eyes turned murderous, but Lee didn’t back down. He was done being the one that Kellan, and Mercy, could boss around.

“That’s how it’s going to be, huh?” Kellan finally asked.

“Until you stop being an ass, yeah,” Lee replied.

“I told you he’d be the one to turn.” Lee dropped his head with a quiet groan, and he looked over to see another figure walking towards them.

“Nice to see you again, Mercy Marie,” Lee greeted with a wide smile.

“Watch it, Jackson.” Dammit. Lee hated his first name almost as much as Mercy hated her middle name.

“What are you doing here? I said I wanted to talk to Kellan, not you,” Lee said as he glared at his older sister.

“Am I not allowed to come see my baby brother anymore?” Mercy asked.

“Since when have you ever wanted to see me?”

“Yeah, Mercy, since when have you ever wanted to see him?” The new voice was coming from behind him, and Lee instantly knew who it was. It was another voice from his childhood, one that he recognized just as easily as his siblings’. He was more used to that particular voice yelling at him or scolding him for something, but he knew that protective tone too.

“Who invited you, Kinston?” Mercy asked.

“Unlike you, I don’t need an invitation,” Emily said. She was standing next to Lee now, and he looked over at her.

“Where’d you come from?” Lee asked.

“Tara and I got worried when you weren’t with The Used, so we thought we’d come looking for you. We split up, and it looks like I won,” Emily said with a small shrug.

“I knew you loved me,” Lee teased. Emily made a quiet snorting sound and then shifted her attention to the two people standing in front of them.

“You two still here?” Emily asked.

“We’re having a family meeting right now,” Mercy said while glaring at Emily. It was hard to remember that those two used to be best friends.

“She’s been more of a sister than you ever have, Mercy. So if this was a family meeting, you’d have to leave,” Lee quickly defended.

“Come on, Kellan, let’s go. As far as I care, you’re my only brother now,” Mercy said and pulled on Kellan’s arm. Lee watched them both walk off and disappear, and he felt Emily’s arm land across his shoulders.

“Don’t let them get to you, okay?” Emily said quietly. Lee wrapped his arm around her waist and laid his head against hers.

“I won’t.” He smiled even though she couldn’t see it, and he felt a little better about everything as Emily started quietly humming. It was how she calmed him down when they were kids.

“There you two are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! Jackson Lee Morrison, who do you think you are?! You know you’re supposed to leave a note before wandering off! What if you had gotten lost?! Or hurt?! And you could have—Wait a minute…since when are you two so cozy?” Tara’s voice filled the air all around them, and Emily and Lee looked up to see Tara and Mikey standing right in front of them.

“I think they’re having a moment,” Mikey whispered.

“I want a moment,” Tara pouted. Well, things must have calmed down if she’s in a joking mood again.

“You’ll have your moment later. Right now, it’s their moment,” Mikey said.

“Fine. Let’s go have a moment together then,” Tara said. She laced her arm through Mikey’s, stuck her tongue out at Emily and Lee, and pulled Mikey away. Lee felt Emily laughing against his shoulder, and a small laugh slipped out of him.

“Leave it to those two to ruin a good moment,” Emily said.

“It could have been worse,” Lee pointed out. Like, for example, Tara and Mikey could have shown up before Kellan and Mercy left.

“Good point. So, ready to get back?” Emily asked and looked over at him. Usually when someone asked Lee if he was ready to head back, he’d dread it. Going back meant putting up with people who either ignored him or bossed him around like he couldn’t think for himself. Now? Going back meant returning to people who laughed with him and treated him like an actual human being. It was almost like going…home.

BRIAN

“Why’d you drag me back here?” Brian looked up, and Jimmy was staring down at him. The rest of the guys were still in the kitchen area, but Brian had asked Jimmy if he could talk to him. So they were now sitting in the little lounge area.

“I’m an idiot.” Jimmy’s blue eyes narrowed a little, as if he was concentrating on something, and then he looked down at the ground.

“What’d you do?” he finally asked.

“Reina tried to talk to me, and I…yelled at her. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I think it was something about respecting people’s privacy,” Brian said quietly. He’d barely gotten the whole confession out when he felt a sharp pain over his ear, and he jumped back with a quiet shout. Jimmy was glaring at him, and Brian slowly rubbed the aching spot where Jimmy had just smacked him.

“First you talk about her nonstop and then you do and do that?!” Jimmy yelled.

“I didn’t mean it!” Brian yelled back. Jimmy glared over at him, and Brian saw Jimmy’s hand twitch out of the corner of his eye.

“Guys!” Brian jumped at the sound of the sudden shout, and Jimmy grinned over at him. Brian preferred the glare.

“You’re going to apologize to her. Now.” Jimmy gave him one last look, and Brian did something he hadn’t done in more years than he cared to count. He closed his eyes and prayed.

BERT

“Emily, come on!” Tara yelled. Bert’s bus had been empty and quiet, but now it was full and very loud. Audrey, Pyper, and Tori had been the first ones to walk onto the bus, but Bert hadn’t been able to look any of them in the eye. Especially Audrey. He’d screamed at her less than two hours ago, and he didn’t want to look up and see her angry eyes staring back at him.

“I’m coming! Tori, you wheel Jeph over to the arena and check there! Pyper, grab Quinn and check the surrounding stores!” Emily called out. Tori and Pyper scrambled to grab Jeph and Quinn, who went along without too many protests.

“What about Dan and Betty?” Quinn asked as Pyper pulled him towards the door.

“They were smart enough to run away,” Mikey mumbled.

“Oh, quit grumbling! We gotta go find Lee! It’s not safe for him to be just wandering around alone! Someone could steal him!” Tara yelled. There was that yelling again.

“We’re coming!” Jeph yelled back at her.

“Well, it’s about damned time!” Tara yelled it while glaring up at Mikey, Bert could just barely see it from where he was sitting, and he was glad that none of the women were currently yelling at him.

“Get out of my way! You’re all insane!” Emily yelled and left everyone else behind. Quinn and Pyper followed her out, Tori helped Jeph out next, and then Tara and Mikey left too. Bert thought about getting up and disappearing into the bunk area, but he didn’t want to make Audrey angrier. He’s never seen her angry, but he could just imagine her bright green eyes with a murderous look in them.

“Bert?” He felt his shoulders tense, but he still didn’t look up. He saw a knee out of the corner of his eye, which meant that Audrey was sitting on the arm of the chair he was in. He felt small fingers on his shoulders, and a quiet sigh slipped past his lips without his permission.

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay now?” she whispered. Without really thinking it through, Bert looked up at Audrey. Her green eyes looked glassy, and there was a small smile on her lips. Worry and concern clouded her eyes, not anger.

“I will be,” he whispered back. Bert leaned his head against her leg and felt her fingers gently combing through his hair. Yeah, he’d be okay.

JEPH

Jeph stared up at the girl fussing over him, and he felt another wave of guilt wash over him. She should have been yelling at him; she should have started yelling at him as soon as they separated from the group, but she didn’t. Did she yell at him and call him every name under the sun? No, she didn’t. Instead, she wheeled him to the Blue Bus and dumped his sorry ass on the couch so that she could prop his leg up. (When he quietly asked her if they should go check the arena like Emily requested, Tori just looked at him before pushing the wheelchair towards the empty Blue Bus.)

“You really shouldn’t have been on it, Jeph. You heard what the doctor said, and I know that you don’t want it to get worse. Where did I put those ice-packs?” Tori mumbled and started to walk off. Jeph quickly sat up and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. She came to an abrupt stop and looked over her shoulder at him.

“Shouldn’t you be yelling at me or…something?” Jeph asked quietly. He watched Tori’s back expand as she sighed and then she turned around to completely face him. She glanced down at her feet, bit the left side of her lip, and then slowly sank down onto the couch next to his hip. It was so quiet on the empty bus that he could hear Tori’s steady breaths, and it was such a big change from the usual yelling that echoed on the bus that Jeph felt like he was dreaming.

“You think that I should be mad at you for what you said earlier?” Tori asked and looked down at him. Jeph squirmed a little under her steady gaze and drummed his fingers against his thighs. He had actually screamed for her to get the fuck away from him, and he’d been regretting it ever since she walked away.

“Yes.”

“Well, I was.” His head snapped up at her words, and her green eyes locked with his.

“What changed?”

“I thought about how I would feel if one of the girls did that to me, and I realized that I would feel the same way. So, I’m not mad at you. Now, don’t even think about moving and I’ll be right back with an ice-pack,” Tori said and jumped up. Jeph craned his neck to watch her walk away and then slowly shook his head. There was definitely something different about Tori. Something better.

GERARD

“We’re back!” Gerard cringed at the sound of the loud voice and tightened his grip on the water bottle in his hand.

“I’m out!” Ray yelled. The sound of the bus door closing echoed, which meant that Gerard was alone with the voice. Frank and Raven had disappeared about ten minutes ago, and Gerard didn’t know where Bob and Liza were. Two sets of footsteps walked into the dining area, where Gerard was sitting, and he looked up.

“Where’d everyone go?” Tara asked. Mikey walked up behind her and propped his chin on top of her head, and Tara reached up to lightly pat his cheek.

“Out,” Gerard mumbled.

“Out where?” Tara asked. Mikey just looked on with an amused smile.

“Just out.”

“Mikes, your brother sucks with details,” Tara said and tilted her head to the side. Mikey’s head tilted along with hers, and Gerard rolled his eyes at the both of them.

“Nah, he’s just in a downer mood,” Mikey replied. Gerard opened his mouth to say something, but Tara let out an ear piercing squeal and then started digging in her pockets. Gerard closed his mouth and glared at the current cause of his headache, but her eyes were quickly reading over a text. She let out another squeal, which made Gerard wince, and then she started bouncing lightly on her feet.

“Brian finally grew some damn balls!” she screamed and turned to hug Mikey.

“Umm…congratulations?” Mikey asked and looked over at Gerard. He just shrugged, because he had no clue what the insane woman was talking about now.

“Brian apologized to Reina and then made an honest woman out of her! They’re together! This is great!” Tara yelled. She was always yelling. Gerard heard something vibrate and then Tara pulled away from Mikey.

“Who’s grown balls this time?” Mikey asked.

“No one! Try to cheer your brother up, because this might take a while,” she said and skipped off. Mikey grinned as the bus door closed and then he slid into the booth across from Gerard.

“Don’t even think about trying to cheer me up,” Gerard said and glared over at his little brother.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Mikey mumbled and looked down at his hands. He drummed his fingers against the tabletop and kept sneaking glances over at Gerard.

“I’m fine,” Gerard said after a minute.

“Are you sure? You seem a little down lately,” Mikey said and glanced over at him again.

“I’m surprised you noticed. I only see you at shows.” Gerard’s voice didn’t sound accusing, but Mikey straightened up anyway.

“I sleep here every night,” Mikey said and crossed his arms. Gerard shrugged his shoulders, and Mikey didn’t say anything else. They just sat in silence.

After what felt like a small eternity, Gerard heard the sounds of the bus door opening. He waited to hear the sound of Tara’s loud voice, but everything was suspiciously quiet. He doesn’t really know the woman, but he does know that she isn’t the quiet type. She’s always yelling, usually while attached to his brother. Soft footsteps padded into the kitchen area, and Tara grinned as she propped her fists on her hips.

“We have decided to have a “fuck you!” party, and you’re both invited,” Tara said with a wide grin. Mikey whooped and jumped up to spin her around, and Gerard felt the beginnings of a new headache coming on.

TARA

Tara was still laughing two hours later as the “fuck you” party raged on around her, because everyone was together and having a good time. She also couldn’t stop seeing the shocked look on Gerard’s face as her and Mikey drug him off the Red Bus. The look on his face really had been…priceless. Tara could tell that the man was stressed and quite possibly becoming depressed (that psych degree really was useful), and she had a feeling that someone would need to talk to him soon. All of the guys probably needed some counseling, but she was hoping that just being out on the road again would help their mental states. Tara still couldn’t help laughing though; Gerard had looked ready to kill both of them, and he was still glaring despite joining in on the party.

Her pocket started vibrating again, so she stepped away from Emily and Ray to pull her phone out. She was really hoping it wasn’t Casey calling with more bad news, and relief washed over her when she saw who was calling. She raised her pointed finger at Emily and Ray to let them know she’d be back in a minute, and she quickly weaved her way through the mass of bodies so that she could get outside. Once she was outside and completely alone, she answered her phone.

“Mama Ruby!”

“Tara?” The smile on her face faded instantly at the tight sound of her mother’s voice, and her left arm wrapped around her middle as she held the phone a little tighter.

“Mama Ruby, what’s wrong?” She could hear chatter in the background, and there was something else. A quiet little hiccoughing sound.

“It’s Melody…she was playing down by the creek, you know the one, and hit a patch of mud. She’s got a broken arm and some bruised ribs, but her leg. Tara, they’re going to have to do surgery to fix the broken bone in her leg. I can’t get Cady to stop crying, and Mely keeps asking for you. Can you come see her? Just for a day?” Mama Ruby understood Tara’s need to leave home and make a life for herself, so she never asked Tara to come home. For her to ask now, it had to be serious.

“Yeah, I’ll be there. When does she go in for surgery?” Poor little Mely. The girl’s a brave one, but any kid would be scared of surgery. And Cady must be going crazy with her twin hurt.

“Wednesday morning. A specialist is coming in. We’re at the hospital in Birmingham,” Mama Ruby said quickly. It was currently Monday night, so Tara could make it by Wednesday morning. She could probably make it back before the first show on Friday too.

“I’ll be there. Tell Cady to keep her chin up, and let Mely know that I’ll be there as soon as I can.” They said some quick goodbyes, and Tara sighed as she reached up to rub the back of her neck. Yeah, she was definitely going to have a headache soon. She rolled her shoulders, dialed another number, and brought the phone back up to her ear.

She felt a pair of hands settle on her shoulders, and she looked up to see Mikey smiling at her. She gave him a quick smile and then continued talking to the woman on the other line. Mikey’s fingers slowly relaxed her tense shoulder muscles, and she leaned back against him as she made her arrangements. After a few conversations, she let out a loud sigh and stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

“Sounds like a busy couple of days,” Mikey said and propped his chin on top of her head.

“Very busy,” Tara mumbled. She had ten minutes to throw some things into a bag before a driver arrived to take her to a rental train car, and she’d paid extra to make sure that the train car would get her to Alabama in twenty-four hours. The express lane always cost a small fortune, but it was worth it.

“Everything okay?” Mikey asked her.

“One of my little sisters had an accident. A couple of minor injuries, but she’s gonna need surgery on her leg. She’s scared and asking for me.” Brave little Mely…there was no way Tara could turn her down.

“Do you need someone to go with you?” That was tempting, but this was family business. Best to deal with it on her own.

“No, I’ll be okay. Can you do me a small favor though?” Tara asked and tilted her head back to look at Mikey. He nodded and smiled real big for her, and she reached up to pat his cheek. What would she do without Mikey Way? “Will you let everyone know that I’m going home-home for a couple of days? I’d do it myself, but my ride will be here in a few minutes.”

“No problem, my little honeybunch. Call me as soon as you can, okay?” Mikey whispered.

“Of course.” Mikey gave her shoulders one last little squeeze, and she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head before quickly walking away. Tara raised her chin and started back towards the busses, and the Blue Bus was completely silent when she walked on.

She found a small backpack and quickly emptied it, it was just a few of her electronics and some chargers, and she tossed a couple changes of clothes inside. Her small toiletry bag went in next, then her phone charger, and that was about all she needed. She pulled her phone out after straightening up, and she sent a quick text to Emily. First to say sorry for pulling a disappearing act in the middle of the night and then to ask her to be on the lookout for Casey, who would probably show up before Tara returned.

She glanced around at her bunk area, to make sure she had everything, and her eyes landed on the black and red tie hanging above her pillow. Okay, so maybe she was a crazy fangirl at heart and had hung up the tie like some people hang up dreamcatchers. But she worked hard to get that tie! Her fingers touched against the silk for a moment, and she rolled her eyes at herself as she pulled it off its little hook. She slipped it around her neck, tightened the knot, and walked off the bus with her little backpack hanging off her shoulders. Her driver was already waiting for her, so she gave a little salute in the direction of the party tent and slipped into the car.

GERARD

“Why does your face look like that?” Gerard asked and sat down next to Mikey. Around them, everyone else was partying like it was their last night on earth. Every twenty minutes or so, a loud fuck-you would echo throughout the party tent. So it wasn’t the usual party, but Gerard had to admit that it was helping everyone deal with the news they received earlier that day.

“Like what?” Mikey asked and looked over at him.

“Like someone stole your favorite unicorn.” Mikey narrowed his eyes at Gerard for a moment and then sighed as he drummed his thumbs against his knees.

“It’s Tara,” Mikey sighed.

“Did she steal one of your unicorns? Want me to beat her up for you?” Mikey glared at him again as he lightly pushed on Gerard’s shoulder, just enough to make him rock to the side a little, and then he went back to drumming his fingers against his knees.

“One of her little sisters got hurt, so she’s going home to see her.”

“There’s more of her?” The question just kind of slipped out, and Mikey smiled a little.

“Yeah, twin little sisters. Cadence and Melody. They’re eight. One of them is going to have to have surgery on her leg,” Mikey explained. Tara wasn’t Gerard’s favorite person, she yelled too much and kept stealing Mikey away, but Gerard didn’t like seeing his brother sad.

“Well, if they’re anything like her, the little Tara will be fine.” Gerard forced himself to smile when Mikey looked over at him, and Mikey nodded.

“Thanks, Gee.” Saying something positive about his main source of headaches was worth hearing those two little words.

TARA

“Do you understand the rental agreement as I have just explained it to you?” the woman asked in a dry monotone. Tara’s been standing in the same spot for twenty minutes while listening to this woman read the entirety of the rental agreement in the same slow even tone, and she felt like she was losing it.

“Yes, I completely understand,” she said and unclenched her jaw to smile.

“Sign here.” She scribbled her signature, swiped her card, signed again, and then let out a sigh of relief as someone showed up to escort her to her rental train car. She was led out of the small building and towards the Reno Tunnel, and the man next to her yawned as he checked his watch. A few seconds later, a train car came down the tracks and stopped right in front of them. The man opened the driver side door for her, and Tara tossed her backpack over into the passenger seat before climbing into the driver seat.

“Some people get a little sick before their bodies adjust to the speed, so there’s a bag under the seat if you need it. You are scheduled to arrive in Birmingham at eight tomorrow night. You are to return to the rental train car before seven Wednesday night. If you fail to return before that time, the train car will leave without you and you will have to make other arrangements. Understood?”

“Yeah, I got it.” He closed the door for her, and Tara slumped back in her seat as the train car took off. The high speed did make her feel a little dizzy and slightly nauseas, so she closed her eyes to ride it out.

During the rebuilding after the war, The Management decided to reinforce the major cities. Every major city was protected by high walls that were impossible to break through, and the cities were connected by above ground tunnels. Each tunnel was comprised of three separate lanes. The automatic lane was for people who preferred to drive their vehicles themselves, the manual lane was for the vehicles that were self-driving, and then there was the express lane that went above the enforced speed limits of the other two lanes. The last two lanes ran on tracks to avoid accidents; the busses usually traveled on the track with a designated speed limit, instead of the express lane. Tara doesn’t have time to travel slowly across the country though, so she’s taking the fastest lane.

Driving in the cities was a little less complicated; everyone drove their own vehicles inside of the cities, but driving outside of the cities was a challenge. Mostly because of the paperwork. Of course, people could always choose to drive outside of the tunnels. Most people didn’t out of fear of the people who lived outside of the cities. Getting mugged out in the open, out in the Dead Zones, meant losing more than just your money. It usually meant death too. Tara wasn’t too scared of the outside though, because she wasn’t raised in a city.

Alabama only had two cities, just like all of the states, Birmingham and Mobile. Tara grew up in the town of Briar, about an hour’s drive away from Birmingham. Towns don’t have giant walls protecting them; towns are encircled by outposts and electric fences, and people with guns. One of the best paying jobs in a town was guard duty; guards were posted in towers to watch the perimeter, and other guards patrolled between the towers. The people in the cities thought people who lived in towns were crazy, but there was a little more freedom in the towns. People tended to be a little poorer, but they didn’t have their every action regulated. There was, however, one big drawback of living in Briar. There wasn’t a good hospital. There was a small doctor’s office and a doctor that could do small things, but people had to go to a city if anything major happened. Like, say, having a broken leg that required surgery.

Tara groaned as she shifted onto her side in the seat, because she was sure that Mama Ruby had left for Birmingham without an escort. Tunnels didn’t connect the cities and towns, so townspeople had to drive out in the open to get to a city. The closest city would send out an escort if requested, but sometimes it took hours for the escort to show up. If Mama Ruby had been really worried about Mely’s leg, she probably left for the city without requesting an escort. Tara’s mother was tough, but she’d feel better if her family was surrounded by armed soldiers while traveling. She’d have to arrange for a return escort before she left, just for her own peace of mind.

Her body finally adjusted to the high speed, and she curled up in the seat with her knees pressed against her chest. She had a long ride ahead of her, so she might as well catch up on some sleep.

27 JUNE 2233

EMILY

Emily’s phone vibrated and chimed twice, signaling a text message, and she pulled it out of her pants pocket. Tara’s grinning face took up most of the screen, so Emily swiped her finger across the screen and read the text.

From: Tara, 1323
Casey will be there in thirty minutes. Good luck!

Emily thought about texting Tara back to chew her out for leaving in the middle of the night, but she held back. Tara sent her a text after she’d already left, or as she was leaving, and told Emily that Mely was hurt. Emily knew how much Tara loved her family, so she decided to let it go. She sent a text back to tell Tara not to worry because Emily had everything handled, and she sighed as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

“Who was that?” Aiden asked.

“Tara?” Audrey added. The three of them were sitting between the Blue Bus and the Purple Bus, and they just got done eating lunch.

“Yeah, she said Casey should be here in about thirty minutes for the interview. Wanna go with me to greet her?” Aiden and Audrey exchanged a look, and it looked to Emily like they were having a conversation with their eyebrows.

“We’re in.” Aiden and Audrey said it at the same time, and Emily smiled as she rocked up onto her feet. She pulled out her phone to send a mass text to the girls, minus Tara and the two with her, to ask them to get all of the guys to the party tent. After that was done, the three of them set off to the opening of the parking lot.

“Shouldn’t she be here by now?” Audrey asked thirty-three minutes later.

“Maybe she’s running late?” Aiden asked. Emily was ready for Casey to show up, because she wanted to see how this interview was going to go. Emily liked Casey, she was alright for a journalist, so she had a feeling that the interview was going to be very interesting.

“I’m sure she’ll be here any min—”

“I see her!” Audrey yelled. A small car was coming down the road, and it stopped right in front of them. Casey stepped out of the car and threw a large bag over her shoulder, and Emily rolled her eyes when she realized that Casey had dyed her hair again. Her hair reached down to the middle of her back, and it was now strawberry blonde. She’d also added a few other modifications. Emily already knew she had her ears were pierced twice and that she had a small grouping of black stars on the inside of her left wrist. Now she had the left sides of her nose and eyebrow pierced, and her left arm was half-sleeved with a large compass and flowers from her shoulder to her elbow. She must have kept her appointment with Toxsyn Designs after she interviewed the Women of Briar Lodge.

“Girls! It’s awesome to see you again!” Casey yelled and stepped forward. Casey was only five-five, shorter than the three women greeting her, so she leaned up on her toes to give each of them a hug. “Tara sent me a text to let me know she couldn’t make it. Everything okay with her?”

“She had to go take care of some family stuff, but she should be back before the first show,” Emily explained.

“Sounds good. So, all the girls I interviewed are here, right?” Casey asked.

“Yeah, all eleven of us,” Audrey said with a small laugh.

“The other girls wrangled all of the guys, so are you ready to head over?” Aiden asked.

“Oh, I’m ready,” Casey said with a wide grin. Aiden and Emily led the way, and Emily could hear Audrey and Casey talking about the last issue of Mindless Vengeance. All of the girls were fans of Mindless Vengeance, because they never shied away from the truth. That was something that Emily really respected; they never backed down, and their articles were usually a mixture of serious interviews with some hilarity thrown in. The four of them were almost to the tent when Emily first heard faint yelling, and she smiled at the sound. Casey wasn’t going to know what hit her.

“Quit being such a baby!” Lindsay yelled loud enough for them to hear outside of the tent.

“Quit trying to mess up my beautiful hair!” Ray yelled back. Loud laughter rang throughout the party tent, and Emily shook her head a little.

“Beautiful?! Beautiful?! It looks like a thrown away mop!” Lindsay yelled. Oh, sweet Lindsay. She was probably the easiest person in the world to get along with, but she was very passionate about the things she loved. Which included styling people’s hair.

Emily heard a shocked gasp, someone was clearly being over dramatic, and then there was another wave of laughter. Aiden and Emily were the first ones inside the tent, so they were the first ones to see what had caused everyone to start laughing again. Ray was sitting in a chair with his arms tightly crossed, and Lindsay was standing behind him to run a brush through his wild hair with a smug smile on her face. Emily quickly looked around to do a headcount, and she nodded once to herself when she realized everyone was there. Several of the chairs were arranged in a semi-circle, which is where all of the guys were sitting. There was an empty chair facing them, which was probably where Casey would sit so that she’d be able to see all of the guys. The rest of the girls were standing behind the guys and talking quietly to each other.

“I’m guessing this is just a normal day?” Casey asked.

“Pretty much,” Aiden shrugged.

“Hey, guys, it’s time to get started!” Audrey yelled. Lindsay gave Ray’s hair one last brushing and then stepped back to join the other girls, and Aiden winked at Casey before walking over to join the girls.

“Good luck,” Audrey whispered to Casey and then followed after Aiden.

“They’re all yours,” Emily said and went to join the girls.

CASEY

Casey sat down in the cushioned chair facing all three bands and took a quick look around. She’d done a lot of interviews during her time with Mindless Vengeance, six years now, but she’d never done anything like this. Here were three bands, three of her personal favorites, that had been missing for five years. Here were the men who inspired her when she was younger and the reason why she wanted to write for a magazine in the first place. Here were her idols who had kept her going when she just wanted to quit. And they were all staring at her.

She bent down to open the bag sitting at her feet and started pulling stuff out. She laid a notebook in her lap, because she had written down some questions ahead of time just in case her mind shorted out, and then she pulled her phone out to record the interview. She had learned, very early on, that it was easier to record interviews and then go back later to write. With her phone recording everything, she could actually look at the people she was interviewing and see their reactions.

“So, guys, ready to get started?” Casey asked.

“Yes!” Frank yelled. Everyone turned to look at him, but he just kept on smiling.

“We had a sugar binge, just ignore him,” Raven said and waved a hand in dismissal. Casey nodded at that and continued.

“Alright, let’s just dive right in. If that’s okay with everyone?” Casey asked. A few mumbles of agreement reached her, and she looked down at her notebook. “How did you feel when you were forced into retirement?”

The guys all looked around at each other, and Matt was the first one to speak up.

“We didn’t really believe it, at first. We didn’t think that anyone could come in and just completely wipe us out. We tried to stay optimistic for a while, waited to see if The Management would change their minds, before finally accepting the truth.”

“It was hard to accept later. It was like losing a piece of yourself,” Jeph said. Casey took in all of their expressions, and she could see the mix of emotions clearly: anger, hate, grief, hopelessness.

“Do you regret not conforming when they first asked you?”

“Never. We decided to always stay true to our music and to our fans, and we couldn’t let ourselves or the fans down,” Gerard said quickly. He looked as if the thought of changing made him physically sick.

“If we had conformed and let The Management change everything about us, we would have lost every true fan we had. Besides, we were never in it for the fame or anything. We just wanted to play our music and put on a good show for our fans,” Ray added.

“It was the same for us. We weren’t about to let the government tell us what to play, how to act, or any of that other shit. In the end, it wasn’t a hard decision for us to make,” Zacky said. Matt grabbed his shoulder and shook him a little, and the two guys smiled a little before leaning back in their chairs.

“I won’t lie, it was tempting for about a minute. The rush of being on stage, of watching your fans go crazy, it was hard to go without. We couldn’t do it though. If we had conformed, we would have hated ourselves,” Bert said quietly.

“In the end, we decided to just wait it out,” Dan said with a small smile.

“What was your first thought about going on tour again?” Casey asked. She really wanted to hear the answer to this question. It must have been a shock to these guys to hear that they were going to be able to play their music again, and Casey wanted to see just how much it had affected them.

“Well, for starters, they called us and told us basically nothing! They just said where to come, when, and at what time. So we showed up without knowing what to expect, and then they just cut straight to the point. I think I almost fell out of my chair,” Bert said and laughed.

“You did. I caught you,” Jeph said.

“I don’t think I really believed them until I saw the busses,” Brian said.

“I don’t think I believed it until I was standing on a stage again,” Johnny said.

“I had faith in them all along! Those girls may look all sweet, but they’re really ev—” Ray paused to look over his shoulder and gulped at the glare Emily was sending him before continuing, “everything we ever wished for.”

“I agree. We’d still be lost without them,” Mikey added quietly.

“Was it tough getting back into the touring lifestyle?” Casey asked next.

“It felt like coming home,” Bob said with a smile.

“It’s like we just slipped right back into it, like we never even left,” Jimmy laughed.

“I actually missed the busses, so it’s nice to be on one. Even though Bert had to pick the pink one,” Dan said and glared over at Bert. Bert just looked around as if someone wasn’t glaring holes in the back of his head.

“I think the fans got crazier,” Zacky mumbled.

“What’s it like having women run the show?” Casey looked to the back of the tent and saw all the girls smiling. Most of the guys laughed, and the girls just shook their heads at them. Casey met all the girls about two months ago, so she knew that they were all amazing and wonderful people. She was still curious about the answer though.

“It’s great! All of our old managers and techies were big smelly guys. The girls are much easier on the eyes,” Brian said. He turned to face the girls and blew a kiss, but Casey couldn’t tell if it was aimed at anyone in particular.

“Things run more smoothly with the women in charge,” Ray said.

“Even Bert’s on time for everything!” Quinn yelled.

“And I have my own nurse,” Jeph said with a wide smile. Casey knew that the only nurses in the group were Emily and Tori, and she wondered which one of them was helping Jeph.

“Do you think there are going to be anymore major setbacks, like what happened to Jeph?” Casey glanced down at Jeph’s broken leg, and Dan gently tapped the large cast.

“You never really know what can happen,” Johnny shrugged.

“But we’ll be prepared for whatever happens,” Frank added.

“And nothing can stop us now,” Bert finished.

“Well, besides setbacks and accidents, how has the tour been so far?” All of the guys turned to glance at Matt and then they all started laughing. All of the girls in the back were giggling too, and Casey had a feeling she knew what it was about.

“Yeah! Laugh it up! It’ll be your turn next!” Matt yelled.

“Can I ask what happened?” Casey asked. Tara had already told her the story, but she wanted to hear it from one of the guys. Matt crossed his arms and began glaring at everyone in the room, as if daring them to speak.

“It was perfect!” Johnny yelled out.

“Two of the girls got Matt, really good. They waited until he was taking a shower after the first show and then they went in to steal his clothes. They were kind enough to leave him this bright pink towel though. So we hear Matt after his shower, yelling about his clothes. Just as he’s coming around the corner, two of the girls just slammed right into him. Took him down and everything! Best night ever!”

“I never thought I’d see the M Shadows get tackled by two midgets,” Jimmy said with a laugh. Tara was only five feet tall and Sam was only an inch over that, so Casey was pretty sure that it had been hilarious.

“Tour’s been great so far,” Mikey said with a wide smile.

“So there hasn’t been any kind of tension?”

“No, we’ve all been getting along pretty good so far,” Dan said.

“Come back in a few months, and we’ll probably have a different answer,” Ray said with a laugh. All of the guys nodded their heads in agreement. They’d been on countless tours before, so they knew that fighting and arguing was bound to happen. It was just a part of tour life.

“The girls standing behind you, the ones who brought you back, do you have anything to say to them?” Casey watched as the guys all turned to look at the girls, who were smiling back at them. It was no secret that they were proud of what they were doing.

“Thank you,” Bert said in a quieter voice than usual. All of the guys replied with the same thing, together this time. Casey didn’t have to hear anymore to know that they were entirely grateful. It shone out of their eyes as they looked at the women who had resurrected their music.

“Do you think this tour will change anything in the end? Do you think it can bring actual music back?”

“I think that was the plan,” Zacky said. All of the guys laughed quietly, and Jeph leaned forward in his wheelchair.

“I think it can change things. All of our shows are completely sold out, and I can’t remember the last time we saw this many fans. There’s a lot of people out there who have missed us, have missed the old music, so I think there’s a very good chance that this tour will change everything.” All of the guys mumbled an agreement and nodded their heads.

“Do you think you’ll record anything new?”

“I definitely haven’t stopped writing,” Gerard said.

“Yeah, we’ve been making music, even if it was just for us and the neighbors to hear,” Bert said.

“If this changes things, I’d love to start recording again,” Matt said.

“Alright, guys, I hate to ask this next one but it’s what our readers want to know. Just try to forgive me for it later. How do you feel about the new drummer for Mercy’s Prophecy?” Casey watched as all of the guys tensed, and all of the girls looked ready to jump in at a moment’s notice. The girls really did look sweet and nice as could be, but Casey knew that they’d toss her out without a backwards glance if the guys got upset.

“Betrayed, mostly. One of our oldest friends ‘joined the enemy.’ It was a huge shock to all of us, and we were all a little more than mad when we found out. But we’re not going to let it mess up this tour,” Jeph said. No one else looked like they were going to say anything, and that was okay with Casey. She could only imagine how hard it was for Jeph to even speak, so she didn’t push. She could have asked more questions about the new drummer or the bands joining Mercy’s Prophecy on tour, but she didn’t want to.

“Let’s try something a little easier this time, yeah? How is it being back on stage with your fans cheering in front of you while you play your music?” Smiles instantly erupted all over the room, and the girls looked like they were listening intently.

“Heaven,” Mikey and Gerard whispered.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Jimmy said.

“I feel ten years younger,” Bert grinned.

“Alright, guys, last question. And again, this is something that the readers are just dying to know. Who are the single guys?” The entire tent seemed to shake with laughter, and it looked as if the girls were falling over each other because they were laughing so hard.

“I’ve got a question with a shorter answer. Who’re the only taken guys?” Ray asked. Casey leaned forward in her chair and waited to see who would speak first.

“Very happily married,” Bob said and grinned as he looked over his shoulder. A tall woman with long teal hair winked, and Casey remembered hearing that Bob got married a couple of years before the bands retired.

“Same here!” Dan yelled and blew kisses over his shoulder. A shorter woman with long wavy brown hair laughed and waved at him, but Casey couldn’t place the woman’s name. She’ll have to remember to interview the two married ladies later. All of the Avenged guys were looking at Brian, so Casey raised a brow at him in question.

“What can I say? I’m a lucky man,” Brian said with a wide smirk.

“So who’s the lucky lady?” Casey asked.

“That gorgeous woman standing right there, Miss Reina Cortez,” Brian said while looking straight at the named woman. Reina blew him a small kiss, and Casey paused for a second in shock. The guys were already starting to hook up with the women who brought them back? Casey decided right then that she’d definitely have to keep close tabs on this tour.

“Well, guys, I hate to ask and run but I’m on a tight schedule. Maybe we’ll be able to actually talk when I come back to watch you play,” Casey said as she started putting her things away. All of the guys thanked her and told her to come back whenever she wanted, and a few of the girls walked her back to where her cab was waiting. They told her she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted, and Casey promised to send a copy of the article to Tara as soon as it was published. Then she thanked them one last time and left to write the most important article of her career.

EMILY

After the interview was over, everyone stayed in the party tent but split off into several little groups. Some were quiet and thoughtful while others were loud and laughing. Emily sent Tara a quick text to let her know that everything went perfectly and then she walked over to where Ray was talking quietly with Gerard. Gerard’s pocket started ringing as soon as Emily stopped next to them, and Gerard excused himself before running off.

“So, Emily.” She raised a brow at Ray and waited for him to say whatever it was that he wanted to say. “Do you think my hair looks like a mop?”

GERARD

“Hello?” The name that had flashed on the screen was Honeybunch, which was Gerard’s first clue that he had accidentally grabbed Mikey’s phone instead of his own.

“You’re not my Mikey. Where is he? What’d you do to him?” Oh. It was her. He shouldn’t even be surprised.

“I didn’t do anything to him. I grabbed his phone instead of mine this morning,” he explained and turned to go back inside the party tent. He’ll just find Mikey and give him the phone before the woman on the other end of the line gives him a headache.

“Oh, it’s you! Sorry, I should have recognized your angelic voice. I think all of this high-speed traveling is messing with my brain.” Gerard paused before walking into the tent and thought that over. Reno wasn’t that far from LA, so why was she still traveling at high speeds?

“You’re in the express lane?”

“Yep! I’ve still got about six hours to go. I’ve been trying to sleep, but a person can only sleep so much. And there’s nothing to do in this car. I should’ve brought a coloring book or something.”

“Where are you going?” He couldn’t explain why he kept asking her questions. Maybe it was because he wanted to understand the woman that his brother spent so much time with.

“I’m headed back to my home state, Alabama. I thought Mikey told everyone?” He could hear loud tapping, like she was tapping her bare feet against something.

“He did, but I thought home meant LA.”

“Nah, LA’s just where I moved to. Didn’t my accent give away the fact that I’m not a natural Californian?” Honestly, he’d never really thought about it much.

“I’ll go find Mikey.”

“Wait!” Gerard stopped before taking a single step and waited. “I just wanted to ask how the interview went. Casey’s a good friend, but she’s a journalist first. She didn’t upset anyone, did she?”

“The interview was fine. We all liked her,” Gerard answered honestly. A few of the questions had been difficult, but the journalist made sure to look at each guy speaking and seemed like she really just wanted the truth.

“Good. That’s good. Oh, wait just a minute…Yeah, my mom is on the other line. Tell Mikey I miss him and love him big bunches!” The line went dead, and Gerard stared down at the phone for a second. He was never going to understand that woman. He pushed the phone into his pocket and walked back inside the party tent.

TARA

The sun was already down when she reached Birmingham, and she took a minute to shake her limbs out after getting out of the train car. She checked in with the guy running the Birmingham Tunnel and signed a form that promised she’d be back by seven the next night or forfeit her Reno train car rental. Once that was taken care of, she hoisted her backpack up and walked outside. She was able to get a cab pretty easily, and she hummed quietly to herself on the ride to the hospital. It didn’t really hit her that she was in Alabama again until she was standing in the hospital and talking to a nurse with an accent even thicker than her own, and she followed the woman’s directions to her little sister’s room.

“Tara!” She held still as arms wrapped tight around her waist, and she ruffled Cady’s long light brown hair. Wide brown eyes ringed in red from crying looked up at her, and she ducked down to smack a kiss against Cady’s forehead.

“Hey, kiddo. You got your chin up?” Cady made a show of lifting her chin, and Tara ruffled her hair one more time.

“That’s my girl. You gonna let me inside or what?” Cady had jumped her right before she could walk into the room, and the eight year old tightly gripped her hand and pulled her inside. Mama Ruby was sitting on the far side of the hospital bed, and she smiled tiredly at Tara as Cady pulled her inside. Cady let go once they reached the bed, and the little girl scrambled to get onto the bed next to Mely’s unbroken leg.

“You made it,” Mely said sleepily. Tara brushed some of her black hair off her forehead before leaning down to kiss her forehead, and Mely’s brown eyes looked hazily at her as she pulled back.

“How you feelin’, munchkin?” Mely had a cut with three stitches on her chin, her right arm was in a cast, her right leg was heavily bandaged, and she was laying stiffly because of her ribs.

“Funny. Like there’s cotton candy in my head.” Tara looked at all the machines hooked up to her little sister and sighed.

“That would be the pain meds. Don’t worry though,” Tara made a show of bending down and then looking inside of Mely’s left ear before continuing, “I can still see a brain in there.”

“You’re weird,” Mely said around a yawn.

“Get some sleep, Mels. You too, Cay.” Both girls grumbled, but their eyes closed after Cady stretched out next to Mely. They were both asleep in a few moments, and Tara followed Mama Ruby out of the room.

“Thanks for coming home,” Mama Ruby said while hugging her close.

“Anytime.”

28 JUNE 2233

GERARD

“Gee! Get my phone!” Mikey yelled. He was currently playing Twister against Raven, Frank, Liza, and Emily. Ray and Bob had already been disqualified, and Gerard had refused to play. It was safer to watch from the sidelines. He picked up Mikey’s phone and walked into the kitchen area, where it was quieter, and answered.

“Well, aren’t you just the world’s biggest phone thief?” This was what he got for not checking to see who was calling before answering.

“Why are you harassing my brother this time?” Gerard asked instead of answering.

“I tried to call Emily, but it went straight to voicemail. So I figured I’d call my baby daddy.” Gerard almost replied to that, but he heard muffled speaking on the other end of the phone. “I didn’t mean it literally, Mama Ruby! I promise, I am not pregnant. No, I have not eloped with some man in tight pants wearing eyeliner. It was a joke!”

“Tight pants and eyeliner?”

“Don’t you judge me, Mister Way.” He could hear laughter over the phone, probably her mother, and then Tara sighed.

“I just wanted to let Emily, and Mikey, know that I’ll be headed back in about an hour. So I should be back tomorrow afternoon. Around three or so.” There were some high-pitched “awws” from her side of the phone, and that had to be her sisters.

“I’ll tell them. How’s your little sister?” He might not like Tara most of the time, but he’s got a soft spot for kids.

“She kicked that surgery’s butt! Ain’t that right, munchkin?” There was a loud reply of “yeah” that drifted over the phone, and he could hear two little girls cheering. Then there was a lot of crackling and thumping, and he could hear Tara shouting.

“Hi! My name is Melody, but everyone calls me Mely. I kicked that surgery’s butt today. Are you a rockstar?” a little voice asked. Gerard smiled despite himself, even though he could hear Tara yelling for her phone back in the background.

“I am,” he answered.

“What instrument do you play? I like guitars, but my sister Cady likes drums.”

“I’m the singer.” The little girl gasped loudly, and Gerard worried for a second that she’d hurt herself or something.

“Will you sing me something so I can go to sleep? Please, please, please?” Gerard had never been able to deny a little kid, and he definitely couldn’t say no to a little kid that had just had surgery.

“What do you want me to sing?” The little girl hummed, and Gerard could hear her whispering to Tara. After a few moments of quick whispering, Melody answered him.

“I want you to sing…Sing! Please?” He’d been expecting some kind of lullaby, not one of his songs. Still, he said he’d sing for her. So, after clearing his throat, he started to sing.

He was almost at the end of the song when the phone cut off, and he looked down at it in confusion for a moment. Maybe the kid didn’t like his singing? A text came through a moment later, from Honeybunch, and Gerard opened it. It was just a picture, of two little girls asleep on a hospital bed. The one with light brown hair was in normal clothes, and she was curled around the little girl with black hair in a hospital gown. Cadence and Melody. Melody had a cast on one arm, and her leg was in a cast and being held up in the air. Another text came in while he was looking at the picture, and it was just two lines.

From: Honeybunch, 6:02 PM
They loved their lullaby
Thanks

TARA

She looked down at her sleeping sisters one last time and then slung her backpack up onto her shoulders. Mama Ruby followed her out into the hall, and she reached up to rub at her eyes. She spent most of the morning distracting Cadence from thinking about Melody, and she spent most of the afternoon telling Melody how awesome she was for surviving surgery. A part of her wanted to stay until her little sister was released from the hospital, but she knew that Mely would be fine. She was a tough little thing.

“Don’t forget to thank that young man for what he did. That was real nice of him,” Mama Ruby said first. When Gerard had started singing, Tara put him on speaker so that both girls could listen. Watching them smile before they fell asleep made her feel all warm inside, and she knew that she owed Gerard for singing them to sleep.

“I will,” Tara promised.

“Does he wear tight pants and eyeliner?” That got Tara to laugh, even as she nodded.

“Yeah, sometimes. Sings like an angel though, doesn’t he?” Mama Ruby hummed an agreement and then her expression changed to something more serious.

“You be careful, you hear?”

“The express lane is perfectly safe. I’ll probably sleep all the way back to Nevada.” There wasn’t much else to do in the train car…she should’ve gone to a bookstore or something today.

“I mean on that tour. Keep your head on straight and remember to ask for help if you need it.” Her mother always did worry too much, but she also gave great advice.

“I’m all squared away, Mama. Don’t you worry,” she said and stepped forward to hug her. She’s gotta leave soon if she’s going to make it on time.

“You always worry about your loved ones. Call me, or at least text me, and let me know you made it back okay.” Tara promised that she would before one last goodbye hug, and she struggled not to cry as she left the hospital. A cab took her back to the Birmingham Tunnel, and she felt a little more in control as she signed some more forms and then was escorted to her rental train car.

“The book you requested is inside the middle compartment, Miss Christens.” The guy said it as he opened the driver side door for her, and she gave him a confused look as she sat inside. Because she didn’t request a book. She didn’t even know that she could request a book.

The door closed quietly, and she squeezed her eyes shut as the train car took off. Around thirty minutes later, the dizziness passed so that she could open her eyes again. She popped open the middle compartment and looked inside, and she slowly pulled the bright yellow book out. Her eyes scanned the front cover, and her laugh sounded almost deafening in the enclosed space. Psychology for Dummies. She was either going to thank Gerard when she saw him or punch him.

EMILY

“You look smug. It’s kind of scary,” Emily said as she walked into the kitchen area. Gerard was sitting at the table and smiling down at the phone in his hand, but he looked up when she spoke.

“I’m scary?” he asked. There was a dark red mark running along her jaw line, from where Raven accidentally kicked her, so Emily grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and pressed it against the throbbing spot.

“Just you smiling is,” Emily said and grinned. She liked the guys of My Chem. Frank reminded her of Raven, Bob and Liza were super chill, Ray was easy to talk to, and Mikey made Tara smile. She still didn’t know what to think of Gerard though. At her words, Gerard smiled a little wider.

“Tara said she’d be back tomorrow afternoon.” So that was who had called Mikey. Come to think of it, her phone had rang a few times while she was in the middle of the Twister game.

“I was under the impression that the two of you didn’t exactly get along.” They didn’t argue or anything like that, but Gerard tended to glare at Tara whenever they were in the same area.

“We don’t,” Gerard said and kept smiling. He was still smiling when he walked out of the kitchen, and Emily pulled the cold water bottle away from her jaw.

“Weird,” she mumbled and took a quick sip before going to join the others. She wanted to see who was going to win, because she had money on Raven.

Notes

I would have already updated, but I spent a few days in the hospital. Long story short, I don’t have a gallbladder anymore. It wasn’t a fun stay, but one of the highlights was my little cousin singing old school Fall Out Boy right after my first surgery. The kid’s got awesome taste in music. I’m back at home now and on the mend, so I thought I’d update!

The interview questions come straight from the original story and were provided by readers. I tweaked them a little to fit the changes in the story, but they’re mostly unchanged. Also, Tara and Gerard had an actual conversation! Without yelling. So, expect to see a lot more of Gerard after this.

Remember, if there’s any band/artist you want to see later in the story, let me know! Also, if you want to see more of any of the other characters, I’m open to requests for that too!

And here’s a random gif of Gerard, because why not?