Jaded by Bright Colors and Faded Walls

Dan froze as he stepped out of the venue. He stared at the maroon van in horror.

“Is that blood?” He asked softly looking at the words slowly running down the side of the van. William, Michael and Sisky turned to him. All three nodded slowly. “Once I get Toto, you’ll be next princess, then it’s Dorothy?” He lifted his hands confused. “What hell kinda…” His words trailed off as the small swinging animal off the rear-view mirror caught his attention. “Why the hell is there a chicken hanging off the mirror?” He gasped softly. “Is this a failed attempt at a prank?” He asked slowly.

“No. Someone threatening,” Michael stopped as he rolled his hand. “Cassadee seeing as I don’t think any of the guys go by princess, or ev’a would.” William let out a deep breath.

“Princess is Cassadee, Toto is button, and Dorothy is Jade. There’s a message on your van as well. Which was written before this, just by context.” Sisky, Michael and Dan stared at it. “Well your van.” He pointed at Dan. “Say’s I’ll you get and your little dog Toto too, meaning who ever wrote it didn’t have Button yet. Then is says once I get Toto you’ll be next princess. So I think we need to find Button because I think who ever this is is going to go in the order they’ve said it. Button, Cassadee, Jade.” William finished with a head nod. His arms crossed tightly over his chest as if holding his hammering heart in.

“You watch CSI too much mate.” Michael mused slowly.

“Agreed.” Dan and Sisky stated softly. A frown etched its way onto William’s features.

“But,” Dan licked his lips. “he might be right. Let’s have everyone but Jade and Cassadee look for button.” William nodded. “We can’t take our chances. I know Jade would kill anyone for touching Button in the wrong way, but you know. If it’s a crazy killer I’m not taking chances nor am I putting Cassadee in the line or fire either. That’s just fucked up.” He mused as the other nodded, phone already out and calling the others. “Tell Zack I want him ad Jake to watch over Cassadee and Jade.”

“I get Zack, he’s muscular and scary and can break a tree in half,” Sisky stated softly. “But… Jake?”He asked softly watching as Dan’s brows narrowing in thought.

“You’re right, Albert’s better.” He mused walking off.

“What?” All three yelled confused. Dan stopped turning to them.

“Would you ever step between a gay man and his’ own human model and living life size Barbie doll? Even if you wanted to kill that living life sized Barbie?” Dan asked softly. Their face paled.

“That’d be suicide.” William whispered softly. Dan nodded.

“Exactly, and Jade is that living life sized Barbie to him, not only that she’s one of his best friends.” They all nodded and watched Dan leave before talking quickly into their phones.

“Albert’s gay?” Michael asked softly, utterly confused.

“Not now man.” William stated softly. “Look for Button get Jade, Albert, Zack and Cassadee in the dressing rooms. Cassadee isn’t safe either man.” He stated before hanging up. “This is fucked up.” He added.

“What the hell happened to our van? Is that a chicken?” All three looked at all of Hey Monday standing before them.

“Cassadee you have to stay inside. Some if after you.” Sisky stated lightly, trying to be call. Her face paled. “They’re also after Button and Jade. Why Button, who knows. But you Jade, Albert and Zack are going to stay in the dressing room and stay safe. Everyone else is looking for Button, meaning you guys.”

“Why are we looking for the stupid cat?” Elliot asked softly confused.

“Because Toto is Button, once who ever wrote this getting Button then it’s Cassadee. So were making sure they don’t get button and we’re hoping that they won’t hurt Cassadee or Jade with out getting Button.” William stated as he dialed 911. “So, yeah.” He stated.

“They threatened Jade?” Cassadee asked softly. They nodded. “Why?”

“If we knew man we’d tell you. But it freaked Jade out.” Sisky snapped bitterly. He didn’t want anyone hurt and this was just ridiculous.

“Actually I think she only freaked because Saw freaked her out.” Michael stated lightly. “I mean… she doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’d even pay attention to the threat if she hadn’t watched people being tortured for about twenty minutes.” He snorted lightly at how true the words were.

“Is that a chicken?” Albert gasped as he walked up, hands on Jade’s shoulders. She didn’t even look slightly phased anymore. William instantly walked off.

“Find Button.” He yelled before turning back to his phone.

Jade walked over to the rearview mirror. Crouching she looked at the chicken hanging from its neck. Sighing softly she reached up untying the rope.

“Don’t touch it!” everyone yelled as she lowered it to the ground into the pool of it’s own blood.

“It’s dead.” She whispered up at them, as if it was nothing.

“see.” Michael stated wandering off.

“I’m going to look for button.” Jade stated standing up and wandering off. Zack reached out stopping her. “What?” Shaking his head he pushed her towards the door. “What? I wanna find him.” She spun around glaring at him. “I’m looking for him and you can’t stop me.” She growled, brown narrowed.

“Oh shit.” Zack whispered sliding behind Albert. “uh.. yer-your turn.” He muttered softly.

“Jade, you can’t look for button.” Albert stated. Growling she reached up and pulled Albert down to her.

“Watch me.” She hissed pushing him away and walking off.

“Did she just… and…” Cassadee trailed off, her pointed finger limp.

“Let’s find button now. Cassadee inside, stay with security. Zack you’re with me.” Albert stated softly. “the rest of you find that damn cat.” He added before taking off after Jade.

“But… she scares me.” Zack groaned before following Albert as quickly as possible.

“She scares me too.” Mike and Alex of Hey Monday stated softly. “Find the cat!” They yelled rushing off. Sisky nodded and took off in different directions from Jersey. Elliot stayed next to Cassadee.

“Should we help?” Cassadee asked softly looking up at him. He shrugged softly.

“Get inside Jade and the others!” William yelled. “Police are on there way.” He added as he passed them going in how own direction to find Button.

“Jade’s looking for her cat.” Cassadee stated lightly at him. She winced as he froze and turned slowly. “She kinda went psycho, which was kinda cool, but took off. Albert and Zack followed her.”

“Fucking A. Inside now, Jersey stay with her.” William snapped. “Which way?” He asked, both pointed in the direction.

“Button?” Jade called. Not only were all the Band’s looking for the small black and white cat, but so were all the fans. People were spread out calling for the small cat. “Button?” She yelled again, she stopped and waited. Sticking her index and pinkie finger in her mouth and let out a loud whistle. People stopped and turned to look in her direction. She didn’t move a muscle before letting out another loud whistle.

“Way to draw attention to yourself.” She glanced over at William walking over. “Inside.” He stated ignoring the blank and slightly angry look in her large emerald eyes.

“I’m not moving.” She stated softly to him. The coldness in her voice sent shivers down his spine as he watched her.

“Your being threatened.” William snapped bitterly. “And you don’t care this person could kill you?” He asked. She glanced at him with totally vacant and hard expression. A small laugh left her lips in an eerie fashion.

“You have no idea what my life as put me through.” Jade whispered to his lightly. Zack back up hiding behind Albert again, the small woman he could easily snap scared him. “This… this is nothing.” She stated laughing again softly. “As long as it’s not him.” She whispered softly to herself, not meaning for the others to hear.

“What do you mean by him?” William asked softly. Jade turned glaring at him. Swallowing he took a step back. “Jade, you’ve gotta talk to me so I can understand.” He stated softly. Jade laughed loudly.

“You wouldn’t even care to listen after I uttered the first sentence of what I have to say, so why should I even try?” She snapped at him. “Even if you did listen how would you be able to possibly even understand what I’ve gone through. I doubt your perfect little life as gone as horribly wrong as mine. I doubt the colors in your world didn’t all twist into black and red straight to white and stay that way for ever.” William’s jaw tightened at her words, his heart hammered in his chest and goose bumps rose on his arms. She’d completely avoided saying what happened to her while directly saying it descriptions he didn’t understand. It was beautiful yet completely horrifying.

“Jade who’s he?” Jade just glared at him and let out another loud whistle. “You’ll have to tell the police when they get here.” He added. Albert froze.

“You called the police?” William nodded slowly. Why wouldn’t he have called them. There was threatening messages on two vans in blood. “Shit.” He whispered pulling out his phone and quickly dialing Dan. “They called the cops.” He groaned into the phone.

“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.” Zack whispered.

“Maybe not for you guys it’s not.” Albert sighed lightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You sound like your harboring a criminal.” Zack laughed lightly. There was no way anyone in Six Feet High was a criminal.

“Not quite.” He stated as Jade let out another whistle. He watched the small black and white kitten come bounding up to her. “Let’s go.” Jade giggled as Albert scooped her up, Button cuddling into her chest as he hurried off.

“What’d you mean not quite?” William asked following quickly with Zack.

“I mean not quite.” Albert stated as Jade petted her cat.

“That doesn’t tell me anything.” He snapped. William stopped as Albert turned to him.

“Yeah and I’m not going to. You don’t need to know anything. Anything you or anyone else knows hurts us, ruins peoples lives. Sorry, I think you’re a nice guy and all like everyone else, but I don’t trust you guys that much. No one in our van trusts anyone that much on this tour but those in our van.” Albert snapped viciously. “Get use to it.” He stated wandering off as Jake ran up.

“Jake.” William grabbed his arm. Jake instantly pulling away following Albert, he glanced over his shoulder for a second before looking away.

“What the hell was that about?” Zack asked softly. “What can’t we be trust with? Is someone actually a criminal?” He whispered up at William.

“I think it’s Jade.” He whispered watched as all of Six Feet High plus Oliver and Alicia crowded around her, seemed to check Jade and freak out over something. “I don’t think she’s a criminal though.” He whispered looking down at Zack before back at the group. “But it’s something to do with her.” He added softly. Zack nodded slowly.

“They are really protective of her, I mean, sometime they even avert conversations in other directions, like just cut in and take the conversation a different direction completely.” He stated softly.

“Like they’re hiding something.” William whispered softly. “Why do you think we can’t be trusted?” He asked softly.

“Maybe she’s like suppose to be in a hospital because she’s dying and they broke her out.” Zack mused softly. “I mean the only other person I met that’s that small and over the age of ten had terminal cancer and had most of their life and it ate there body and so they didn’t grow, but they weren’t allowed of the hospital very often.” Zack mused softly. It was true his neighbors had a daughter the same size as Jade with caner, she was fighting it still but she didn’t grow height wise.

William licked his lips.

“Maybe they don’t want anyone to know she has deadly disease, because if people found out they might not last as band because she could die at any minute. They’d regret her and the band. I mean who wants to be in love with a band with a terminally ill singer.” William nodded.

“That’s it then. They broke her out of a cancer ward or something…” He swallowed looking down at Zack.

“What’d we do, we shouldn’t know.” He whispered softly. He felt dirty for digging into his friends hidden secrets.

“Make sure no one else finds out, including the cops.” William stated walking over to them.

“They’ll eat you alive.” Zack gasped. William shrugged.

“Hey.” They all looked up at William, the only smile he got was from Jade. The other either frowned at him or glared. “I’m sorry, if I stepped over some invisible boundary. I didn’t mean to. I called the cops because that’s what I was taught to do for this sort of thing. I didn’t relies it would piss you guys off. I didn’t mean to be a hassle or trouble. I just wanna make sure no one gets hurt, so I want the cops to find who ever did this. I’m sorry and I understand you can’t trust everyone with everything.” He nodded before backing up slowly and heading back to Zack. “Don’t let them know you know either.” He whispered as he passed Zack.

“Roger.” Zack stated turning and following him to towards everyone gathering together by the buses and vans. “I can’t believe she’s sick.” He whispered, William nodded slowly. “She’s so full of life.”

“Enough, no one can know.” William stated as the sound of sirens rang through the air.

“How do we fool the cops?” Zack asked softly looking at him. William shushed him and stopped several yards from the others and watched for the cops to come blasting in.

“Im sorry.” William spun looking at Dan. “I’m sorry we can’t tell you, it’s just... it’s a sensitive subject. I’m also sorry Albert was rude.” William shrugged at the kind words

“Its cool.” He stated watching the flashing lights appear on the street. “If you need any help let me know. I know I can’t know what the big thing is, but I’ll help just as blindly.” He stated. Dan nodded.

“That’s good to know.” He mused.

“So are you like the unspoken leader and decision maker of the band?” William asked glancing at Dan’s blank expression, his eyes focused on the police cars.

“What give you that idea?” Dan asked softly glancing over at him.

“You give off a mob boss vibe.” Dan’s blank mask cracked into an amused smile. “You bark orders, and they all listen to you.” He stated.

“Because I think before I act or speak. I choose what I do carefully it’s how I was raised. The rest of them are crazy.” He whispered softly as William laughed softly. “Besides.” Dan sniffed lightly and rubbed under his nose. “I’m pure Italian; of course I give of a mob boss vibe.” With that said he let out a deep breath. “I hate cops, there so troublesome.” He added and wandered off back to his friends.

“That is not the guy I ever want to meet in a dark alley or fuck with.” Zack stated, pointing at him lightly. William nodded slowly. There was no way he was ever pissing Dan off, he’d end up dead.