Status: Haitus For Probably A Month--Sorry Guys!

Speechless.

Defense Mechanisms.

Cassadee was torn. She was torn between what her heart told her to do and what her head screamed at her. So she stood in the corner of her bus, stressed and biting her nails.

John was confused. He was confused as to why Amelia chose not to speak. He was confused as to why she acted the way she did. He was confused as to why she was currently falling apart at the seams and it seemed like only he could see it. He was confused as to what Amelia was running from…yes, Amelia was running; a revelation that fed his insatiable curiosity. So he stood beside Cassadee, not stressed and nervous but concerned and curious as he kept a trained eye on the girl before them.

Amelia Flyzik was loosing it. She was trembling and she couldn’t stop it. She wanted to cry and scream and run but she couldn’t—wouldn’t, in front of John and Cassadee. She wanted to die. The images tormenting her, flashing through her scarred mind repeatedly, making her want to kill herself just to make the images stop—Just to forget. She was scared out of her mind. She was scared because her mind was working in overdrive. She knew that eventually Matt and the others would find her. Her mind, which had gone into survival mode, told her that Matt coming would bring trouble for Amelia. She didn’t doubt that the strange man and Renee would both be with Matt, hunting her down, determined to break her open and discover all her carefully hidden secrets. Suddenly everything was out of Amelia’s control. Everything was spiraling and so was she—downward.

She fingered the rubber band around her wrist as a whimper escaped her lips. She was situated on Hey Monday’s couch, her arms pulled up around her legs, hugging them to herself. Cassadee tried to reach out to Amelia again but again Amelia shrank away and John pulled Cassadee back toward him, on the opposite side of the bus away from Amelia.

“What’s wrong with her?” John murmured, his eyes locking on Amelia’s form.

He knew next to nothing about the broken girl but he wanted to. He wanted to know everything. He wanted to examine and know every broken piece of her and then patch her back together. He knew in an early time, this girl had been down a completely different path. A good one, John mused, in another time this girl was strong and brave, gentle and beautiful. But John also knew that the girl he imagined she once was would probably never fully come back. There was a chance that this shattered beauty would never be as brave as she was, nor as gentle and innocent but she would still be better than now.

“I don’t know.” Distress filled Cassadee’s voice. She wanted desperately to call Matt, Matt would have answers, Matt could help her. But Cassadee’s heart told her that Matt was the last person Amelia needed right now.

Then something small and inconspicuous caught John’s eye. He recognized it and the meaning behind it immediately. His eye brows furrowed as he stared at Amelia in a new light. John was beginning to see just how bad Amelia was becoming. In the back of his mind John knew that no one else realized exactly how bad Amelia had become, she was an expert at hiding things. But John couldn’t help but wonder how Alex Gaskarth hadn’t recognized at least some of the signs...

“How long?” John spoke up and Amelia’s eyes flashed to him. Cassadee turned to the tall lanky figure in confusion.

“How long what?” Cassadee questioned.

“She knows.” John answered, his eyes never leaving Amelia’s. Her fingers fell away from the rubber band around her wrist self-consciously and she looked away. “Right,” John began in frustration as he suddenly crossed the space to where Amelia was. “This is how it’s going to be Mia. Either you tell us something, explain something. Or I’m calling Matt right now.” Amelia’s eyes flashed to his in annoyance. “I know you can talk Amelia.”

“She doesn’t talk, John.” Cassadee disagreed.

“No, but she can. She chooses not to.” His eyes narrowed on Amelia in frustration. “Let’s start simple: Why don’t you talk?” It was silent; Amelia gritted her teeth and glared at John.

“She doesn’t talk John.” Cassadee repeated. But John just stared at Amelia expectantly.

“That,” Amelia began slowly, her voice a hoarse whisper. “Is not an easy question. It is the most complex question you could possibly ask me, and believe me kid, you do not want to know the answer.” Cassadee stared at her stunned but John just looked smug with satisfaction yet annoyed that she had referred to him as ‘kid’—especially when he was 11 months older than her.

“Why are you hiding from everyone?” John questioned.

“Because they are assholes,” She replied simply. John was getting no where with this girl and he could only narrow his eyes in annoyance as she smirked back in response.

After getting over the initial shock that, yes, Amelia could talk, Cassadee began to speak. “Look Mia, I get that you don’t want talk about the things that hurt but you have to tell us something. I mean, I’m hiding you from your brother who just so happens to be a very good friend of mine. I’m hiding you from people who are like brothers to me, so you better give me something to work with here.” Cassadee sighed tiredly, the sun had long since set and Cassadee knew that Matt had probably come to the conclusion of her whereabouts and decided to leave her alone for the night—or he would try to track her down and drag Amelia back to the bus kicking and screaming. Either way when she was found in Cassadee and John’s company, she knew that everyone would be less than happy with the trio. “The guys went to hang out with A Rocket to the Moon, but they’ll be back soon. I know you don’t want to be around when they get back so please just tell us something that can help.”

Amelia turned on her friend then, turned on her like family dog turned into a rabid Cujo.

“Then why don’t you just throw me out, Cass. I’d hate to make life fucking difficult for you.” Amelia rose to her feet. “You really really do not want to hear my story Cassadee so don’t pretend like you do. You’ve been talking to my illusive asshole of a brother and I know he has told you nothing, just filled your head with the lies amongst the truth. He’s told you versions of my darkest hours, theories of my life. He knows nothing, you know nothing. You think you know what it means to have a bad day, you don’t have a goddamn clue.”

“Alright that’s it,” Annoyance laced John’s voice but not the anger Amelia hoped for. Anger would make John storm away, it would make him leave her alone. Just like hurting Cassadee’s feelings would make her run in the other direction. It was Psych 101: Defense Mechanisms.
John stepped in front of Cassadee, whose eyes had begun to shimmer with unshed tears. “Cassadee cares Amelia,” He snapped. “Don’t push her away for wanting to be your friend. She’s not your brother, you can’t verbally abuse her until she walks away. That’s not how you treat people. Personally, I don’t give a fuck what you want, or what you think you know about me.” It was silent, nobody spoke, and nothing could be heard aside from Cassadee’s quite sniffles.
He sighed tiredly and turned around to face a fellow lead singer and a good friend. “I’ll take her back to my bus. The guys are out partying with Boys like Girl and Cobra for the night, and chances are Matt and the guys won’t find her there. And if they do—No offense but I can handle them better than you can.”

“I’m a lover not a fighter,” Cassadee smiled weakly.

“Yeah,” He mumbled kissing her forehead before turning to Amelia who narrowed her eyes at him and got three steps away before John reached out and snatched her wrist. The action caused her to jump and the first emotion to flash across her face when she turned to him was terror, but it was quickly masked by annoyance.

“Let me go douche bag.” She seethed, her voice sounding like a terrible case of laryngitis—something John himself was familiar with.

“I don’t think so.” In one swift motion John had one arm around her waist and the other knocking her legs out from under her; suddenly she was in his arms and he was moving across the bus. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Cassadee.” He maneuvered out the door as Amelia began to fight him—weakly.

“Let me go!” Her voice rose to the loudest it would allow, which was little more than an ‘indoor’ voice.

“Careful now,” His voice held a mocking edge, slightly bitter toward the girl after her lashing out at Cassadee. “Wouldn’t want to cause a scene, you may get your brother’s attention.”
♠ ♠ ♠
Finally an update! Sorry for the lack there of. To be honest this story went on the back burner for a bit while I wrote new pieces and updates to L.L.L.

So she speaks! Kind of a bitch though, isn't she?

Hope you all had a good holiday, comments appreciated! =]