What It Is To Burn
Isn't It Always About The Singer?
Dess looked at herself in the mirror, smirking at her newly dyed pink and blonde hair, her eyes were heavily lined with a winged look to them and her lips were covered in light pink lip gloss. The stylist that stood behind her, a small girl named Jill, teased her hair slightly, making Dess’ bangs poofy while everything else hung down by her shoulders. They had asked her if she wanted to change her hair for this photo shoot and Dess figured why not-it was free and she had been wanting something different. Pink and blonde…God it made her feel sixteen again and Dess smiled widely at herself once again before turning to the short man who was sitting next to her on the couch in her dressing room.
“So what inspired you to start your Batman sleeve?” Mike, the interviewer, asked as he held up a recorder to Dess and she thought for a moment. They were now in Boise Idaho, a strange place to do an interview and photo shoot, but it was the next stop on the tour and so that’s just the way it worked.
“I’ve always loved Batman and my boyfriend just recently finished his sleeve and I loved the way it looked, so I said ‘why not?’.” Dess laughed, her voice light and airy as Mike just smiled at her and looked back down at his paper.
“Now how many tattoos do you have currently and how many more do you plan on getting?” He asked and Dess bit down on her lip in thought as Jill pulled and tugged at her hair. One would think Dess would be used to it by now, but she still winced every few seconds.
“I have twenty-three completed tattoos. I have three that I’m trying to get finished currently and I have at least ten more bouncing around in my brain.” She laughed as Dess looked down at her dark blue painted fingernails and then her eyes landed on her outfit in the corner. Black cut off shorts with the pockets hanging out of the bottom, studded ankle biker boots and a cut up t-shirt that had a huge Batman symbol on it. She also would have to wear a bikini-something she wasn’t looking forward to, but the black and white polka dotted garment didn’t look too bad.
“Who does all of you work?” He asked and Dess turned her attention back to the center of the room and smiled.
“Ower Hernandez is my guy in Virginia, so when we’re home that’s where we go. But in LA it’s Angelic Amore, who is fabulous-I love her to death.” Dess smiled at the thought and sighed in relief as Jill moved from the back of her head and began to touch up her makeup.
“Speaking of, how does it feel being engaged to one of the most desired musicians in the business right now? How does it feel being Andy Biersack’s girlfriend?” Mike asked and Dess tried to keep the cringe off of her face. This question-this fucking question was grating on her nerves as it seemed to be all she heard these days when she talked to press or fans.
“Andy is a great and loving person and I’m very happy that we’ve been able to be together. I love him very much…” Dess tried to keep her tone level, she was trying to not lose her cool on this poor interviewer who probably had just been handed these questions and didn’t even want to ask half of them.
“Now do you have tattoos dedicated to each other?” He asked, obviously trying to steer the conversation back to where it was supposed to be: tattoos.
“We do actually. I have my Raven, the BVB symbol and I have some of his lyrics. Andy has a Camellia flower-which is a personal thing between he and I and he just finished up getting one of my t-shirt designs done on his back. All in all we’re both pretty equal in our dedication.” Dess laughed as her eyes roamed down her arms, which were shining brightly under the lights. Jill had sprayed some kind of liquid all over her body, which was supposed to bring out the colors in her tattoos to make them easier to photograph-it stank and it made her sticky but she would suck it up.
“Black Veil Brides just released a new album The Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones. What’re your thoughts on that?” Dess bit down on her tongue, her eyebrows raised as she just looked at Mike and then sighed.
“Well I was there through the entire process. I’m really proud of what all of them have accomplished-John Feldman really pushed them this time around and I think it really paid off. Andy especially had a rough time singing some of the slower songs, but I think they’re beautiful and I’m really proud of him.” Dess said, a soft smile on her lips as she thought back to the two songs that were running through her mind.
“Now a lot of the new album was written with someone in mind, who was that?” Dess coughed loudly, nearly choking on the water that she had been sipping as she looked down at Mike. When did this interview turn into a talk about Black Veil Brides? Wasn’t this article supposed to be about her tattoos?
“Uh-yeah. My little sister Moira, who passed away right as they had started writing everything for the album, was really close with the band and they felt inspired by her struggles and mine with her death. She actually is the reason I even met Andy-I had no idea who he even was when I met him.” Dess laughed, her nose burning slightly from the water that she had inhaled.
“How long have you been dating Andy?” Really? Was this interview really going to head down that road? Didn’t people know enough about her and her relationship with Andy that Dess didn’t have to talk about it constantly?
“We officially got together New Years Eve 2011, but we’ve been best friends since July of the same year.” Her voice was monotone, but Mike seemed to be oblivious as he just kept on going down the Black Veil Brides road.
“How is it touring with the guys? Do they treat you any differently? You’re still on tour with them now correct?” Dess felt herself growing more and more frustrated and she was beginning to wonder just how long this interview was going to last.
“It’s awesome! We all have a really fun time together and they pretty much treat me like a sister. We actually are in the middle of a tour-the second leg of their Church of the Wild Ones Tour. We’ll be finishing up in about a week and then it’s back overseas for a few days and then they have a month off and we’ll be going back out for Warped Tour this summer…” Dess felt out of breath and like her head was going to spin off of her shoulders as she tried to prattle off everything.
“How are you planning your wedding with so much going on?” What was this? Ask Dess anything you fucking want hour? Odessa smiled as she glanced at herself in the mirror, smirking at her new hair before she turned back to face Mike.
“Well the guys have some time off in May between tours and Andy and I will be going back home to Virginia, so we’ll be working on it then.” Dess said as Jill was back behind her and Dess winced as her hair was being pulled into a high ponytail.
“That sounds fun. So last question: what is your favorite Black Veil Brides song?” Dess felt her mouth drop open, her face going slack as she went over this entire interview in her head. Was this really about her tattoos or did they just say that to get her in here to talk about Andy and their relationship?
“Gee-I really love them all, but I guess if I had to just pick one I’d say I Caught Fire…” Dess smirked at Mike’s confused look and he shuffled through some papers before he looked back up at her, his eyebrows raised.
“Tha-that’s not a Black Veil Brides song though…” He said and Dess just laughed softly as she stood up and began to move towards the door. It was time for her to change and it was time for Mike the interviewer to kick rocks.
“I know. It’s been a pleasure. Thanks!”She smirked at him as Mike backed up towards the door and then Dess just closed it in his face. Asshole.
Odessa had gotten dressed as soon as the door shut, she and Jill sharing a look as the shorter girl helped Dess get everything together. The bikini went on first, then the shorts, the shirt and finally the boots but Dess paused as Jill handed her some jewelry to put on, including a BVB emblem necklace. Really? Could she not get away from being associated with Black Veil Brides for just one day? Dess looked at herself in the mirror, smiling at her fluffy pink bangs that were swept to the side and her high ponytail, the different strands of pink and blonde shining in the light. Andy was supposed to be meeting her here and he was probably on set already, so with a heaved sigh of nervousness, Dess turned and walked towards the door, her heart heavy now that the interview was over with.
The set was chaotic, with people running every which way as a short man with a very large camera barked orders at everyone. Dess looked around, seeing a huge black backdrop on one side of the room, that area being the most crowded as people worked on setting up lights and air machines. She finally caught site of Andy and Dess felt her heart stop as she took him in. He was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, pointed boots and a black jean vest and that was it. His arms were bare and he had no shirt on underneath his vest, but Dess was wondering why he was having makeup applied to his face. As she approached him, Andy looked right at her, smiling softly but then he turned back around, almost as if he didn’t know who she was.
“Uh-hi.” She said from behind him and Dess smirked up at Andy as he turned around, his smile soft as he took her in. She nearly snorted as Andy’s eyes grew wide at the site of her and Dess knew with her new hair that Andy hadn’t even recognized her at first.
“O-Odessa?” He asked as Dess just nodded and Andy smirked that lop sided grin at her as he took in first her hair and then her outfit.
“What do you think?” She asked, leaning in to wrap her arms around his neck as Andy leaned down, his long black hair tickling her neck as he growled in her ear.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off of you during this shoot.”
His voice was low in her ear and Dess felt herself shiver as she smirked and pulled away from him.
“I’m so glad you could make it up here to watch me. I think they’re almost ready and-what? What’s that look for?” She asked. Andy was looking down at her, his eyes avoiding hers as he rubbed a hand against the back of his neck.
“I-um-I’m not here to just watch Dess…they-uh…they asked me if I wanted to be in it with you.” His voice was low towards the end, but Odessa had heard him loud and clear and she was livid. This was supposed to be her thing-her interview and her photo shoot away from all things Black Veil Brides. She had been living under the shadow of Andy and his band for months and it shouldn’t be a shock that this would be included in that very shadow.
“Oh. Well great.” She put on a smile, looking up at Andy who looked relieved and suddenly the small man with the camera was right in her face.
“Are we ready?! Is this couple ready?!” He called out over his shoulder as two assistants came over and ushered both Andy and Dess towards the black backdrop.
They were moved around for about ten minutes until finally Andy and Dess were back to back, their hands clasped as their sleeved arms rested against one another. Dess scowled into the camera and then she switched over to a slight smirk as the flash bulbs went off in her face. After a few poses together, Andy was asked to take his vest off and Dess was instructed to strip down to her bikini. The photographer shot both of them from the back, being sure to get in all of Dess’ artwork that graced her slight back and her thighs. Andy was then dismissed and it was just Dess and she smiled into the camera as the photographer moved around her, having her lift up her hair some so that he could get a picture of her ear tattoos from behind and finally after forty minutes he called cut and Dess was allowed back over by where Andy had been watching her.
“You look so fucking good right now babe…” Andy said as Dess took a seat next to him on the couch, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. She had been battling a migraine all day and the news that her solo photo shoot had been scrapped in favor of her famous relationship had only made it worse.
“Thanks…I wanted a change and Jill gave it to me.” She laughed as Andy reached out and grabbed a few strands of her newly pink hair and he smirked at her as he let it fall back down to her shoulder.
“I think it’s awesome. You ready to head out? The show is in two hours…the guys let me get out early from soundcheck so I could be here.” Andy said as he stood, holding out his hands and Dess only smiled as she helped herself up and wrapped her arm around his waist.
Dess didn’t want to go to the show-she just wanted to get on the bus, get into her bunk and pass out, but Andy needed her there and so she would go. No matter what Dess would always be there for Andy, always.
“So what inspired you to start your Batman sleeve?” Mike, the interviewer, asked as he held up a recorder to Dess and she thought for a moment. They were now in Boise Idaho, a strange place to do an interview and photo shoot, but it was the next stop on the tour and so that’s just the way it worked.
“I’ve always loved Batman and my boyfriend just recently finished his sleeve and I loved the way it looked, so I said ‘why not?’.” Dess laughed, her voice light and airy as Mike just smiled at her and looked back down at his paper.
“Now how many tattoos do you have currently and how many more do you plan on getting?” He asked and Dess bit down on her lip in thought as Jill pulled and tugged at her hair. One would think Dess would be used to it by now, but she still winced every few seconds.
“I have twenty-three completed tattoos. I have three that I’m trying to get finished currently and I have at least ten more bouncing around in my brain.” She laughed as Dess looked down at her dark blue painted fingernails and then her eyes landed on her outfit in the corner. Black cut off shorts with the pockets hanging out of the bottom, studded ankle biker boots and a cut up t-shirt that had a huge Batman symbol on it. She also would have to wear a bikini-something she wasn’t looking forward to, but the black and white polka dotted garment didn’t look too bad.
“Who does all of you work?” He asked and Dess turned her attention back to the center of the room and smiled.
“Ower Hernandez is my guy in Virginia, so when we’re home that’s where we go. But in LA it’s Angelic Amore, who is fabulous-I love her to death.” Dess smiled at the thought and sighed in relief as Jill moved from the back of her head and began to touch up her makeup.
“Speaking of, how does it feel being engaged to one of the most desired musicians in the business right now? How does it feel being Andy Biersack’s girlfriend?” Mike asked and Dess tried to keep the cringe off of her face. This question-this fucking question was grating on her nerves as it seemed to be all she heard these days when she talked to press or fans.
“Andy is a great and loving person and I’m very happy that we’ve been able to be together. I love him very much…” Dess tried to keep her tone level, she was trying to not lose her cool on this poor interviewer who probably had just been handed these questions and didn’t even want to ask half of them.
“Now do you have tattoos dedicated to each other?” He asked, obviously trying to steer the conversation back to where it was supposed to be: tattoos.
“We do actually. I have my Raven, the BVB symbol and I have some of his lyrics. Andy has a Camellia flower-which is a personal thing between he and I and he just finished up getting one of my t-shirt designs done on his back. All in all we’re both pretty equal in our dedication.” Dess laughed as her eyes roamed down her arms, which were shining brightly under the lights. Jill had sprayed some kind of liquid all over her body, which was supposed to bring out the colors in her tattoos to make them easier to photograph-it stank and it made her sticky but she would suck it up.
“Black Veil Brides just released a new album The Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones. What’re your thoughts on that?” Dess bit down on her tongue, her eyebrows raised as she just looked at Mike and then sighed.
“Well I was there through the entire process. I’m really proud of what all of them have accomplished-John Feldman really pushed them this time around and I think it really paid off. Andy especially had a rough time singing some of the slower songs, but I think they’re beautiful and I’m really proud of him.” Dess said, a soft smile on her lips as she thought back to the two songs that were running through her mind.
“Now a lot of the new album was written with someone in mind, who was that?” Dess coughed loudly, nearly choking on the water that she had been sipping as she looked down at Mike. When did this interview turn into a talk about Black Veil Brides? Wasn’t this article supposed to be about her tattoos?
“Uh-yeah. My little sister Moira, who passed away right as they had started writing everything for the album, was really close with the band and they felt inspired by her struggles and mine with her death. She actually is the reason I even met Andy-I had no idea who he even was when I met him.” Dess laughed, her nose burning slightly from the water that she had inhaled.
“How long have you been dating Andy?” Really? Was this interview really going to head down that road? Didn’t people know enough about her and her relationship with Andy that Dess didn’t have to talk about it constantly?
“We officially got together New Years Eve 2011, but we’ve been best friends since July of the same year.” Her voice was monotone, but Mike seemed to be oblivious as he just kept on going down the Black Veil Brides road.
“How is it touring with the guys? Do they treat you any differently? You’re still on tour with them now correct?” Dess felt herself growing more and more frustrated and she was beginning to wonder just how long this interview was going to last.
“It’s awesome! We all have a really fun time together and they pretty much treat me like a sister. We actually are in the middle of a tour-the second leg of their Church of the Wild Ones Tour. We’ll be finishing up in about a week and then it’s back overseas for a few days and then they have a month off and we’ll be going back out for Warped Tour this summer…” Dess felt out of breath and like her head was going to spin off of her shoulders as she tried to prattle off everything.
“How are you planning your wedding with so much going on?” What was this? Ask Dess anything you fucking want hour? Odessa smiled as she glanced at herself in the mirror, smirking at her new hair before she turned back to face Mike.
“Well the guys have some time off in May between tours and Andy and I will be going back home to Virginia, so we’ll be working on it then.” Dess said as Jill was back behind her and Dess winced as her hair was being pulled into a high ponytail.
“That sounds fun. So last question: what is your favorite Black Veil Brides song?” Dess felt her mouth drop open, her face going slack as she went over this entire interview in her head. Was this really about her tattoos or did they just say that to get her in here to talk about Andy and their relationship?
“Gee-I really love them all, but I guess if I had to just pick one I’d say I Caught Fire…” Dess smirked at Mike’s confused look and he shuffled through some papers before he looked back up at her, his eyebrows raised.
“Tha-that’s not a Black Veil Brides song though…” He said and Dess just laughed softly as she stood up and began to move towards the door. It was time for her to change and it was time for Mike the interviewer to kick rocks.
“I know. It’s been a pleasure. Thanks!”She smirked at him as Mike backed up towards the door and then Dess just closed it in his face. Asshole.
Odessa had gotten dressed as soon as the door shut, she and Jill sharing a look as the shorter girl helped Dess get everything together. The bikini went on first, then the shorts, the shirt and finally the boots but Dess paused as Jill handed her some jewelry to put on, including a BVB emblem necklace. Really? Could she not get away from being associated with Black Veil Brides for just one day? Dess looked at herself in the mirror, smiling at her fluffy pink bangs that were swept to the side and her high ponytail, the different strands of pink and blonde shining in the light. Andy was supposed to be meeting her here and he was probably on set already, so with a heaved sigh of nervousness, Dess turned and walked towards the door, her heart heavy now that the interview was over with.
The set was chaotic, with people running every which way as a short man with a very large camera barked orders at everyone. Dess looked around, seeing a huge black backdrop on one side of the room, that area being the most crowded as people worked on setting up lights and air machines. She finally caught site of Andy and Dess felt her heart stop as she took him in. He was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, pointed boots and a black jean vest and that was it. His arms were bare and he had no shirt on underneath his vest, but Dess was wondering why he was having makeup applied to his face. As she approached him, Andy looked right at her, smiling softly but then he turned back around, almost as if he didn’t know who she was.
“Uh-hi.” She said from behind him and Dess smirked up at Andy as he turned around, his smile soft as he took her in. She nearly snorted as Andy’s eyes grew wide at the site of her and Dess knew with her new hair that Andy hadn’t even recognized her at first.
“O-Odessa?” He asked as Dess just nodded and Andy smirked that lop sided grin at her as he took in first her hair and then her outfit.
“What do you think?” She asked, leaning in to wrap her arms around his neck as Andy leaned down, his long black hair tickling her neck as he growled in her ear.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to keep my hands off of you during this shoot.”
His voice was low in her ear and Dess felt herself shiver as she smirked and pulled away from him.
“I’m so glad you could make it up here to watch me. I think they’re almost ready and-what? What’s that look for?” She asked. Andy was looking down at her, his eyes avoiding hers as he rubbed a hand against the back of his neck.
“I-um-I’m not here to just watch Dess…they-uh…they asked me if I wanted to be in it with you.” His voice was low towards the end, but Odessa had heard him loud and clear and she was livid. This was supposed to be her thing-her interview and her photo shoot away from all things Black Veil Brides. She had been living under the shadow of Andy and his band for months and it shouldn’t be a shock that this would be included in that very shadow.
“Oh. Well great.” She put on a smile, looking up at Andy who looked relieved and suddenly the small man with the camera was right in her face.
“Are we ready?! Is this couple ready?!” He called out over his shoulder as two assistants came over and ushered both Andy and Dess towards the black backdrop.
They were moved around for about ten minutes until finally Andy and Dess were back to back, their hands clasped as their sleeved arms rested against one another. Dess scowled into the camera and then she switched over to a slight smirk as the flash bulbs went off in her face. After a few poses together, Andy was asked to take his vest off and Dess was instructed to strip down to her bikini. The photographer shot both of them from the back, being sure to get in all of Dess’ artwork that graced her slight back and her thighs. Andy was then dismissed and it was just Dess and she smiled into the camera as the photographer moved around her, having her lift up her hair some so that he could get a picture of her ear tattoos from behind and finally after forty minutes he called cut and Dess was allowed back over by where Andy had been watching her.
“You look so fucking good right now babe…” Andy said as Dess took a seat next to him on the couch, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. She had been battling a migraine all day and the news that her solo photo shoot had been scrapped in favor of her famous relationship had only made it worse.
“Thanks…I wanted a change and Jill gave it to me.” She laughed as Andy reached out and grabbed a few strands of her newly pink hair and he smirked at her as he let it fall back down to her shoulder.
“I think it’s awesome. You ready to head out? The show is in two hours…the guys let me get out early from soundcheck so I could be here.” Andy said as he stood, holding out his hands and Dess only smiled as she helped herself up and wrapped her arm around his waist.
Dess didn’t want to go to the show-she just wanted to get on the bus, get into her bunk and pass out, but Andy needed her there and so she would go. No matter what Dess would always be there for Andy, always.
Notes
Uh-oh...looks like Dess is getting tired of being known for only one thing...I wonder how that's going to work out...
Please read and review <3 (because the more you review the sooner I update, otherwise it's updating whenever I feel like it)
What It Is To Burn Tumblr
A Demonic Love
Imagine Me and You
@Broken Wing
Here's my problem, though. As I am starting the final series, I won't be able to go to my regular computer because it's broken, and I can't view certain chapters on my iPad. So now my mom knows why I'm suddenly in a bitchy mood. :/
6/11/14