The New Member (One Direction Fanfiction)

Chapter 3

Louis and Harry came out last, arms gripped tightly around one another. Harry hid his face in Louis' shoulder, as his shorter friend stared boldly out into the crowd, daring anyone to come near him and his friend. The last to leave from the door were three security guards, and they soon circled around the band to protect them from the girls as they leapt forward as one. That was not what terrified me to my very core though.

The chanting had quit. As soon as the first boy walked out, the chant had shut off, leaving room for the scream of teenage girls to fill the air. Most people would have taken it as a good sign that they were silent now, that maybe the danger had gone, but I knew it had only increased. From my spot at the front of the crowd, where I was being almost trampled by fans hungry to touch the boys, I could see clearly that every person dressed in black had frozen in place. They had made their way to the front near me, and were not just watching calmly the insanity unraveling around me.

"Get away!" yelled a security guard in a strong Irish accent. "Back off!" I wondered vaguely what the fangirls were doing now, and even where Tori had gone, if she had been swept away by the bustle of people, but my mind was focused completely on the cult of 1D haters, standing still as statues around me. All of them stood still, except for one.

They were pushing through the crowd roughly, a fierce look in their eyes. I had no idea who they were, why they were here, or why they would do this, all I knew was that he was getting closer to the boys being bombarded by fans. They passed me, now only feet away from the band and security guards trying desperately to push girls back, and that was when I saw the sharp knife in his hand. It was half way concealed by what must be a man's fist, but glinted in the moonlight and caused my heart to stutter wildly. He was going to hurt, even kill, One Direction if he made it to them.

Do not ask me why I did this, what came over me, or gave me the idea, because I truly do not know what I was thinking. Maybe I was thinking that I could distract the man, and make him turn around for a second. Perhaps I thought that in a desperate time like this it was the only thing I could do. I do not even know why I wanted to do anything, anyways. It was not my job to assisst these strangers in anyway. They were famous, yes, but I owed them nothing. Especially my life, if that is what it would have come to if the man turned on me. Thinking back on the whole situation later I would realize I had not been thinking, but rather had opened my mouth and acted on pure, crazy instinct.

I began to sing. Softly at first, but then as the girls surrounding me stopped to stare I gained confidence and belted out the words to the only song I could remember.

'You're insecure, don't know what for.

You turn heads when you walk through the door."

It was the only song I knew all the words to, since I heard it every day on the radio. As more and more people quieted and watched me curiously I noticed that the man with the knife had disappeared back into the crowd, but at least he was no longer heading for the band. Tori pushed her way through the people watching me and stood at the front, gawking at me like an idiot. I was one, though, as I began to belt the words out stronger, holding the notes longer to add my own twist before changing the song to fit my vocal range. I had taken voice lessons when I was younger, but only because the teacher was also teaching me piano and had insisted she train me. I never thought I was very good, and still did not, so that was not why I continued to sing, even as the girls backed away from the boys. It was that for one moment in my life people were finally seeing me, and realizing I had more to offer. I had always thought writing would get me the recognition I wanted, but now, as people stared at me in awe and respect, I realized that I needed to speak out, or sing out, more, if I wanted to get anywhere.

I liked that all eyes were on me, and a small circle of space had been formed around me. Every second, every single thing about this, thrilled me to my very core. Not the singing, not the performing part of it, not even really the way people stared at me in admiration. I loved the idea that I could be something more than I had been, do something great if I really worked. I had always felt that I stuck out in my school, not because I was weird, but because I was different... I knew my life could mean something more, and this was only proof. The crowd around me was calm and silent, as the bridge of the bridge of the song arrived. I did not want to do the silly "Na, na," part so I was just about to shut up when five voices were added to the song.