The day started out hot and humid, a typical July day in the Northern part of Virginia. The difference between today and any other day was that youths all over the area were getting ready for something special. It came every summer and they flocked there, moths to a flame seeking their one day out of the year to not be gawked at or ridiculed. Today was the day that the Vans Warped Tour would reach the NOVA area. Kids who were outcasts or who never felt normal were currently piling into cars, making their way over to the venue site to then fight their way through the gates to see their favorites bands.

All but one-Moira Montgomery.

No, currently she was begging her older sister Odessa to take her to Warped Tour for her very first concert festival.

“Please Dess! Mom said I could only go if you come too!” The 15 year old whine coming out of her sister’s mouth was truly getting to Odessa.

“Who is going to be there again?” She sighed turning from her sketch table to face her younger sister, eyeing her warily.

“the Used will be there and I know they are your favorite.” Dess took in her little sister’s appearance and smiled.

With her dark brown hair and light green eyes, Moira always looked like she was up to something and right now she clearly was trying to bribe her older sibling with the thought of seeing a favorite band perform live. Her eyes today were framed in heavy thick eyeliner that came half way down her cheeks ending in jagged points. Her lips were blood red with a line of black trailing away on one side with hash marks, looking similar to stitches. Her thick dark bangs were pin straight and hanging over her left eye while the rest of her hair was teased so high it made her seem almost a foot taller than her already 5’6 frame.

“Ugh I suppose. What time do we need to be there?” Dess asked as she took in what her sister was wearing and wondered if she would survive the heat in black skinny jeans, a black tank top and black ankle boots. Things sure had changed since the last time Odessa was involved in the “scene” of things.

“Gates open at 11 and we have to be there on time! I need to make sure I get a wristband to meet BVB or I will die!” Her sister nearly broke the sound barrier as she jumped and ran down the hall to her room.


At age 21 Odessa was past the point that he sister was currently at right now. Sure she still loved the music she listened to, most of the bands from her youth had either called it quits or were not around as much as they used to be. She never really dressed the way others did who enjoyed her music taste, of course she dressed that way all through high school, but currently her job didn’t allow her as much freedom with her appearance as she would have liked.

Sighing she slipped out of her desk chair, her sketches left to finish for another day. Her assignments for DC Comics weren’t due until the end of the week so she still had some time to tweak anything that didn’t match up with the story boards her boss Matt had Fedexed over to her a month ago. Currently she was the only female illustrator for DC and she loved her job. Getting to draw her favorite Gotham superhero every day was a dream come true.

Odessa moved silently over to her closet and slid the left door open to look at her options. Pulling out a pair of black cut off shorts and slipping them on she also decided on a teal tank top that was backless except for a nice lace design. Her blonde hair was down around her face, straight as usual with her side bands slightly curly and her newly dyed pink tips shown brightly in the sunlight coming through the window. Applying a minimal amount of eyeliner and some mascara she quickly pulled on her ancient chucks, that had survived High School and many boring math class doodles, and she headed down the stairs to find her sister waiting.

“Don’t forget sunscreen…” She reminded her younger sibling as she pulled some down from the top of the fridge and generously began slathering it on, paying close attention to her tattoos and face.

“Can we just go? Oh and we’re listening to my iPod on the way over…” Moira had always been impatient, but today it was really showing.

“Yes oh impatient one. What’s so special about this year anyways?” Odessa asked as she grabbed her keys and they both got in to her Rav-4, her beloved car.

“BVB is playing on one of the smaller stages and their CD just came out. I’ve never seen them live and this is my chance to meet them.” She nearly squealed as she jammed her iPod into the docking station and pressed play.


We are the in between, cast down as sons of war
Struck to the earth like lightning, on this world we're torn
We won't cause the pain, of living out their law
Take joy in who you are, we know our wings are flawed

“Who? And what is this?” Odessa scrunched her nose, not hating what she was hearing, but being unsure of it all the same. She didn’t listen to current music and had never heard this song before.

“Black Veil Brides! And this is them!” Again with the squealing. Odessa didn’t remember ever being this giddy over a band she had loved in her youth. It was hilarious and disturbing all the same.

“Oh I’ve heard of them sort of. I really like that one video…Perfect Weapon or whatever it’s called.” She was trying to relate to her younger sibling and by the look on Moira’s face she was failing miserably.

“That’s such an old song. The new stuff is so much better!” Moira rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the music.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as traffic slowly crawled towards the concert epicenter. Odessa looked down at her wrist while they were stopped at a light and noticed that she really needed to get her Batman tattoo touched up in the next few days. It was her favorite tattoo so she took extra care of it, sitting just on the inside of her wrist, half way up her arm, was a cupcake with dark blue frosting, a black wrapper, bright yellow bat shaped sprinkles and the ever famous batarang sat on top like a demented cherry. Her mother hated all of her tattoos, which she had about ten of them now, but Odessa loved them all, especially this one.

Her dad was a huge comic collector and loved Batman just as much as she did and he was the reason she got into drawing and wanted to be a comic illustrator. He died two years ago right before she got hired on as an intern at DC and Odessa always felt guilty that she wasn’t in town when he passed. Now every time one of her comics was published she smiled and said a little prayer for her father.

“We have arrived. Now I’m not sticking with you the entire time, so find your friends and behave but have fun. I have my cell if you need me and we will meet back at this car by 9 tonight okay?” She hadn’t even put the car in park before Moira was up and out of her seat and running over to the front gates.


“This is going to be a long day…” and with that Odessa was ready to enter a world she had not been a part of in several years.

Notes

First ever BVB fic. Please send me some love while I work on the next few chapters.