Valery’s POV
I woke up with a feeling that something was going to happen, something bad. It didn’t disappear even when I opened my eyes and saw Connor smiling at me. But it does cheer me up instantly. It’s been two weeks since Connor saved me and Escence and I still can’t believe he’s really here. Everyone insisted that he join us on tour because we didn’t trust that he wouldn’t disappear again.
“Good morning.” He says lightly.
“Good morning.” I say back, smiling. We climb out of the bunk and grab some fruit out of the fridge. We sit on the couch and I lean against him. We’re in Minnesota today. Eventually we get up and get ready. We hardly ever talk when it’s just the two of us; we don’t need to.
“Can I do your makeup like Jayy’s?” I ask him. He smiles.
“Of course.” He says. I sit him down and go to work. It doesn’t take me long to finish, and then I move on to my own makeup. He teases his hair while I do. I decided to just leave my hair the way it is today. I dyed it again, so it’s black with red streaks. Simple, but it looks nice.
“I think I’m gonna go for a walk.” I say.
“You want me to come?” He asks.
“No, just promise you’ll be here when I get back.” I say.
“I promise I’ll always be here, no matter how many times you leave and come back.” He says. For some reason his words make me feel odd. Not really sad, or hurt. But different, in a bad way. I brush it off and leave the bus.
Jayy’s POV
I wake up to an oddly quiet bus. Normally Val and Connor are up before everyone else and are watching TV or goofing off. I climb out of the bunk, careful not to wake Texas, and go into the living room. Connor is sitting there, looking out the window. I would normally guess that Val is still asleep, but his makeup is done like mine, which tells me that she’s been up.
“Where’s Val?” I ask, making him jump.
“She went for a walk.” He says, mock glaring at me.
“You let her go out alone?” I ask.
“She can take care of herself. Besides, I think it’s a test to see if I’ll actually stay.” Connor explains.
“Oh.” I grab a can of Monster from the fridge and I’m about to take a sip when I notice something odd. There’s a piece of paper taped over the label. It’s a graphic design not unlike what you might find on our t-shirts and it say’s ‘Ima Monster’ in gothic bubble letters. I start laughing and look at the rest of the can of Monster in the fridge. They all have different designs but they all say Ima Monster. I look to Connor.
“Did Val do this?” I ask him. He smiles hugely.
“She was up all night doing that. I did the cutting and the taping.” He says happily. I take a picture of all of them and post it on Twitter. Then I take a sip of the Monster. There are instantly at least twenty replies. Most of them asking where they can by the BOTDF Monster Energy Drinks. I post back saying that Val made them last night. I’m never getting rid of these cans. I decide that Dahvie needs to see this, now.
“Dahvie, wake up. Come and see what Val did.” I say, shaking him.
“If she antiqued me she’s dead.” He says groggily.
“She didn’t. Now get up and come here.” He finally gets up and I drag him to the kitchen.
“Holy shit! Val made these?”
“With Connor’s help.”
“Wow.” I suddenly get a really dark, bad feeling. I frown and try to figure out what it is.
“Does anyone else feel as if something bad is about to happen?” Connor asks. Me and Dahvie both nod. All three of us look at each other.
“Val.” We say at once.
Valery’s POV
I avoided alley ways. I’ve learned my lesson as far as they’re concerned. Every time I walk through an alley way, something bad happens. But other than that I just walk around the whole town. It’s a nice little place with a huge venue. There’s really not much to do and I soon get bored. I decided to head back. I stop at the venue and decide to go have a look inside. Luckily I thought to bring my pass with me. I’m let in quickly. It’s absolutely massive! My voice echoes loudly even when I whisper. I’m gonna have so much fun tonight. I smile and leave through the front entrance even though the bus is parked around back. There are no fans yet, it’s just a little too early for that. As I’m walking around the side of the venue I see a group of men. They spot me and freeze.
“Looks like we hit the jackpot. It’s the princess emo herself.” One of them says. There are even more of them than there was in the group who raped me almost a year ago. I turn and run without a second thought. Just like last time, I’m not fast enough. They catch me and shove me against the wall. I scream and they cover my mouth.
“Now, now, there’ll be none of that.” Another guy says. They all start beating me. I fear that they’ll rape me, but quickly realize that that’s not their intent. They just want to beat me, hurt me, kill me. I scream again and again. They don’t even bother to stop me, but no one comes. No! This can’t be happening. Can no one hear me? This is just like my dream. They bash my head against the pavement again and again. I feel a sharp stab in my stomach and see one of the guys pulling back a knife, stained ruby red with my blood. I can barely hear their feet slapping against the pavement as the run off. Then the world goes dark and I fear that it’s for good.