Demons

I was pulled abruptly from the comfort of my dreams when a heavy weight was thrown upon me, knocking the air out of my lungs. With a soft gasp I sat upright, my brain still heavily sleep-muddled. Tina was slung across me, peering up at me with a feigned look of innocence. “Guess what day it is?” My mouth fell open seconds before I threw off my comforter and sped off to the bathroom to take a shower, Tina’s giggle fading as I shut the door. After freshening up and brushing out the tangled knots in my hair, I went back to my room to slip into the outfit I laid out yesterday - a light baby-blue summer dress with a navy cardigan and some worn-down vans. The brunette was still occupying my unmade bed, most likely texting her boyfriend, so I simply scooped up the bundle of clothing and went to change in the bathroom instead.

Tina was gone when I reemerged, so I slung my duffel bag across my shoulder and went downstairs to join the others. It was only 4:30 in the morning and the pitch-black sky loomed ominously behind the windows. “Coffee?” I asked through a yawn, and within seconds a scalding mug was passed into my hands. “Thanks, Luce.” She mock-bowed before digging into her cereal once more, and my stomach growled at the sight. For the occasion I’d decided to allow myself breakfast, since I knew I’d be too tired to function if I didn’t, so I hesitantly made myself a bowl of oatmeal and grabbed an apple.

Just as I swallowed down the last bite of the gritty texture, headlights could be seen lighting flashing in the distance. “Ooh, they’re here!” Lucy exclaimed, jumping out of the stool in excitement. Tina and I hastily shrugged on our coats before picking up our luggage once more, and we enveloped Lucy simultaneously in a group-hug. “Have fun, you guys,” she gushed when we finally released her, already urging us towards the front door. “I feel so bad about leaving you here, Luce. Maybe if we-“ “Oh, stop it,” Lucy interrupted Tina with an eye-roll. “I’m gonna come hang with you at one of the shows anyway. See you then!” And then we were out in the cold. And then we approached the large, intimidating piece of metal. And then we were inside. The bus was bathed in darkness with only a few yellow-tinged bursts of light illuminating the furniture. Tina let out a muffled ‘oof’ when CC picked her up and twirled her about before peppering tiny kisses all over her face as she let out a shy giggle.

A long arm was snaked around my waist and pulled me towards a rock-hard chest, and I tilted my head backwards to see Andy smiling down at me. I turned around in his arms to greet him with a full hug, muttering a quiet: “Good morning.” He kissed the top of my head and returned the greeting before grabbing my hand and pulling me down onto a leather couch with him. “Do you like it?” he asked as he pulled me flush against him once again. “From what I’ve seen so far, yes,” I smiled, and he muttered a small “good”. Soon CC and Tina joined us on the couch, and within the next five minutes, everyone else from the band and a crew member joined us as well. The latter reached to greet Tina and I with a hand-shake and introduced himself as “Richard, the lighting guy”.

“It smells like dude in here,” Tina commented jokingly with a crinkle of her nose, and CC rolled his eyes. “Better get used to it then. You’re gonna be here for two weeks.” Mindless banter filled the atmosphere for a good half hour where everyone was surprisingly awake - I guess it was the excitement rolling off everyone in thick waves that kept the air electric. “Where are we going first?” I asked no one in particular, and Ashley was the first to answer. “San Diego, so not too far. There’s, like, a 2-hour drive left.” I nodded in silence before leaning back and soaking up the animated topics of conversation that seemingly no one had trouble keeping up with. It felt surreal. And it felt like home.

…

The time wasted away quickly until there was only half an hour left. Then twenty minutes. Then ten. And then we were there. The conversation quieted down once the wheels came to a squealing stop, and then they were milling about while Tina and I sat together on the couch, observing them. “You ready?” Jinxx asked, breaking our reveries. We gave each other a quick glance with mirroring smiles on our faces before nodding at him. The door was opened and daylight was spilling into the bus with tiny bits of dust flickering in the light. Everyone inhaled the fresh air deeply before stepping out into the sun, Tina and I being the last ones to do so. Busses took up every inch of space on the vast gray parking lot surrounding us, varying in size and color, each with their own logo on it.

My pulse quickened as I recognized names such as Pierce The Veil, Of Mice And Men and Sleeping With Sirens. “Oh my God, are you seeing this?” Tina whispered somewhere near my ear, sounding to be just as starstruck as I was feeling. Our heads whipped around as Andy spoke. “We have a few hours to kill while the crew is getting everything ready. Wanna head out and say hello to some of our friends?” “Oh my God, yes!” Tina squealed, and I winced at her shrill tone. She shot me a sheepish look. “I mean… Yeah, that would be cool.” Andy chuckled and grabbed my hand again, motioning for Tina to follow us, before winding us past several busses and further into the parking lot. “You guys are familiar with PTV, right?” My hands got slightly damp at the mentioning of their name, but I tried to play it cool. “Yeah. They’re great.”

We finally came to a stop in front of a large silver bus with a familiar mustache taped to the front of it. Andy went to knock on the door while Tina and I stayed behind, nervously scuffing our shoes against the warm asphalt. With a muted ‘click’ the door was opened and a guy I didn’t recognize stuck his head out, shooting a friendly smile at Andy. “Are the guys here? I wanna introduce them to someone,” he asked before sending a wink in our direction. We could have fainted right there. “Yeah. Or, Jaime and Vic are here. Dunno ‘bout the rest.” He then disappeared for a brief moment and we could hear him yell: “Guys! Andy wants to introduce you to someone!” As we heard Jaime’s muffled voice respond, Tina and I turned to each other with eyes as wide as saucers. “Andy who?” “Biersack, genius!” Andy shouted back, voice light with laughter, before motioning us over to stand with him. We did so hesitantly. Within a few moments the very Vic Fuentes and Jaime Preciado stepped out into the warm summer air, sunglasses perched on the bridge of their noses, and it took all the willpower in me to not let my jaw drop as Tina’s did.

“‘Sup? I’m Vic,” the first boy greeted before sticking his hand out for us to shake. I looked at it in awe for a brief moment before grasping it in my own and giving it a firm shake. “I’m Amelia,” I said shyly. “Pretty name for a pretty girl,” Jaime joked and stuck his hand out as well. “I’m Jaime. But you probably already knew that,” he added with a wink. I blushed under his gaze and took a step closer to Andy, who hooked his arm around my waist. “Who is that?” a third voice called from within the bus, and I sidestepped Jaime to peer into the darkness. A figure emerged from the shadows - one I knew all too well. “Woah. Kellin Quinn,” I whispered. He, too, stepped out of the bus, squinting at the harsh sunlight, and then his face broke out into a grin. “Well hello there,” he said. “I’m Kellin.” I nodded mutely, not trusting my mouth to not say something embarrassingly starstruck. “This is Amelia and Tina,” Jaime introduced, gesturing between the both of us, and it was so strange to hear our names roll off of his tongue so easily.

“Hey, Kells,” Andy greeted before leaning in to give him a bro-hug, just as he had done with the other two. “So which one is yours?” Vic asked, his gaze shifting between Tina and I. Andy rolled his eyes, but still wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on the top of my head. “This one.” Heat rushed to my face once again, and I ducked my head to hide it. “Aw, they’re cute,” Kellin commented and the rest chuckled. “Knock it off,” Andy grinned. Kelvin held up his hands in mock-surrender and then checked the watch on his wrist. “Shit, guys. I gotta go. It was nice to meet you.” He then brought Tina and I into short but comfortable hugs and then jogged back to his own bus. “I guess we better get going, too. See you later guys,” Andy said with a wave, and then we were heading back to our own bus, Tina’s and my head still stuck in the clouds.

Notes