RockScars

We've had our fights, been black and blue, It's true, I've even gone to jail for you my friends, Bet your life that I'd do it again. Until the end…

An oldie, but a goodie…You see, back in the day, yeah, I said back in the day…the men whom you’ve been reading about wrote that song. Back then, people called them “Rock Stars” and they were, in every sense of the term. They had it all. Fame, money, beautiful women at their beck and call every night and it was V.I.P. all the way every day.

Oh…wait. Don’t tell me you thought they were just born vampires. That’s really cute, but no. Many years ago at the height of their fame, they lost it all. All it took was one little party back stage and an obsessed groupie. She had them all one by one and by the time she was finished, life, as they knew it, was over.

With no one to guide them, and no clan to belong to, they walked the night not knowing how many others were out there like them. It took what seemed like a lifetime in itself for them to learn the ways of the vampire, and it wasn’t until after the turf wars that everything finally started to come together.

The clan known as Vengeance, began with only five members, but has grown over time with Shadows recruiting new members and now with Vengeance University in place the numbers were growing every day. How Vengeance actually became the Prince is a story for another day though.

On certain occasions, they do return to their roots. A band once called Avenged Sevenfold. Now and again, they pick up their instruments and play even if only for an audience of one or two as opposed to the millions of fans that used to be decades ago.

Tonight would be one of those occasions. A party of sorts more or less to say goodbye to a new friend. Of course, for some it really was goodbye, but for others, it was a realization that what they really wanted to say was: Hello…Please don’t leave me.

“Y’all, I really don’t know what to say.” Daisy looked around the table at everyone sitting there as she spoke. “It’s so nice of you to have a party for me. I feel like it’s my birthday and I don’t even know when my birthday is!”

Everyone laughed including Gates, but deep down the pain that had been haunting him had been getting progressively worse. It was now that he realized the pain that he was feeling could not have been Daisy’s. She was beyond happy that her parents would be at the manor in two more days to pick her up. He wasn’t looking forward to Sunday one bit.

“Mr. Vengeance, if I may, I’d sure like to come back and visit.”

Vengeance smiled and nodded. “You’ll always be welcome back here, Daisy.”

“Thank you, I guess we should eat now.” Daisy was touched and as happy as she was to be going home, she was going to miss everyone. While they ate, Shadows excused himself to go find the person who should have filled the empty chair at the table.

*****

“Why aren’t you downstairs?” Shadows asked Twyla who was struggling with trying to get her arm through the sleeve of a hoodie. He slipped the jacket over her shoulder and helped her find the sleeve.

“I can do it myself.”

“I know you can, I was just trying…forget it. Why didn’t you come down for the party?”

Twyla shrugged her shoulders. “Don’t feel like it.”

Shadows looked down at her while she sat back down on her bed. “You’re going to have to face the world sooner or later.”

“Yeah, well it aint gonna be tonight. By the way, you sounded flat before when you were singing. Just sayin.”

He put his hand on his hip and glared at her. “I did not sound flat!”

“I’m blind, not deaf. You were definitely flat.” She crossed her legs, sitting Indian style on the bed, while he looked at her appearing thoroughly offended and forgetting for a moment that she couldn’t see his expressions.

He shook his head and was ready to argue. “I was not flat! You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“I know what I heard. And that thing you do where you sing through your nose. Are you tone deaf?”

“OK, What the fuck? I do not sing through my nose.”

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t!” He stamped his foot like a three year old.

“Yes, you do and why are you so offended?”

He took a deep breath and shook his head again. “You’re annoying you know that?”

“Apparently.”

“I can sing, damn it!”

Twyla held up her hands and tried not to laugh. Obviously she hit a sore spot and now had some fuel. “Never said you couldn’t. All I said was you were flat. Sometimes you sounded like you had a head cold.”

“STOP IT!”

“What am I doing?”

Shadows gritted his teeth. “You’re being a dick!”

“Oh, I’m being a dick now?”

“Yes,” He shook his head as if she could see him. “You are!”

Twyla threw her head back and laughed hard.

“What’s so fucking funny?”

Before she could answer she had to stop and catch her breath first. “ You calling me a dick is funny. You’re the one who left me on the other side of the room and told me to find my own way back.” She held up one hand and waived. “Hello! Blind girl here!”

Shadows bent down to her level and got in her face. “Awe the poor wittle bwind girl.” Twyla was far from impressed by his sarcasm. “Does the baby want a bottle?”

“Fuck you, Shadows!”

“I’m game if you are.” He folded his arms across his chest and laughed when her mouth gaped open.

“Pervert! Get out of my room!”

“No. Since you’re in such a great mood, I think we’ll have a lesson tonight.”

Now it was Twyla who crossed her arms. “I hate you.”

“Try a different record, sweetheart. I’m tired of hearing the same one over and over.”

He put his arms behind his back and turned to walk away from her. “Trust me?”

She shook her head. “No fucking way.”

Shadows turned and hissed baring his fangs at her. Now, he was pissed. “Find me, blind girl.”

Twyla sighed and seemed unimpressed. When she felt a slap on the back of her head, she turned to hit Shadows back, but he wasn’t there. “Asshole!”

“FIND ME!” He was so close she could feel his nose touching hers. Again she reached out and tried to grab him, but he wasn’t there.

“Fucking ridiculous!” Twyla got up off the bed and stood placing a hand on the end table to guide her. “I don’t know what kind of game you are trying to play…”

“I SAID FIND ME!” The rumble in his voice nearly sent her backwards back on to the bed. This was a pointless game. There was no way she could win either. He knew it and so did she, but if she wasn’t going to trust him, then she was going to play by his rules.

Twyla balled her hands into fists and without thinking took a few quick steps forward until she walked right into a dresser and took the corner in her stomach feeling like she just got punched hard. “FUCK!”

“Stop stalling and find me,” he said patiently.

“I’M NOT STALLING! I DON’T FUCKING KNOW WHERE YOU ARE AND I DON’T WANT TO KNOW! JUST GET OUT!”

Shadows walked right up to where she stood and stopped in front of her. “We’re moving you to the guesthouse tomorrow, so you better learn to fucking trust me and you better learn fast. I’m all you have right now and the sooner you fucking realize that the better off you’ll be.”

“It bothers you doesn’t it?”

“What?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“The fact that you can’t hypnotize me because I’m blind. You can’t manipulate me into trusting you and that just burns you doesn’t it?”

Shadows laughed lowly. “You think you know it all don’t you? I don’t need you to be able to see me for me to hypnotize you. I don’t need your eyesight to be able to manipulate your mind. If I wanted to, I could have you on your knees right fucking now and doing exactly as I say. You want it that way? I don’t want to take it there, but if you don’t start trusting me willingly, then I’ll take your trust the way I know I can get it, unwillingly. Don’t fuck with me, Twyla.”

Daaaaaaaaaaaamn! Someone just got served!

“Get out,” she said calmly, but he took one more step and he was in her face.

“Not so tough now?”

“Just get out.”

He laughed again and backed away from her heading for the door. When he opened it, Gates was on the other side just about to knock. Shadows walked past him and Gates walked in closing the door behind him.

Twyla got back on the bed and laid down wanting to forget what just happened, but Gates had to be Gates and ask the obvious question. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing.”

He walked over to the bed and lay down beside her. “Don’t tell me nothing, I know when something is wrong with you.”

“I hate him.”

“This I already know.”

“Can we not talk about it?”

“Yeah, fine.” He sighed and turned on his side.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“I call bullshit, Bri.”

“Maybe, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Twyla turned back on to her other side so she was facing him. “Daisy?”

“Yeah,” Gates whispered. “How did you know?”

“Awe.” Twyla touched the side of his face with her hand. “Everybody knows. I think we all knew how you felt about her before you even did.”

“That obvious, huh.” His voice was low and sounded like it was about to crack.

What’s obvious is that the pain Gates has been feeling all this time is his own and no one else’s. He had felt the loss of Daisy before she was even gone.

“I don’t think any of us would have had a clue if you weren’t acting all angry all the time. You’ve never been that way around a girl before. You were pretty rude to her in a kindergarten crush kind of way.”

“Great, now I’m a bastard.”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just saying you made it obvious how you felt. I think you should go talk to Vengeance. There’s something you should know, but it isn’t my place to say anything.”

Gates propped himself up on his elbow. “Sounds serious.”

“Look, I probably shouldn’t have even said anything. Vengeance and I talk sometimes when everyone else has gone to bed and I can’t sleep. Just go see him, that’s all.”

“Ok, if you say so.” Gates got up off the bed and started for the door.

“Hey, Bri?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you say Shadows sounded flat earlier?”

“I wouldn’t say it out loud. Fucker has a mean right hook. Keep your chin up, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Probably not. I have to move in with Shadows tomorrow.”

“I’ know, I’m helping. It wont be so bad.

”You better visit and visit often. I can’t stomach the thought of being over there without having you randomly stop by now and again. I think I’ll miss that most about this place.”

“Trust me Twy, you can’t get rid of me just because you’re moving across the yard.”

She laughed. “Ok, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” he winked and walked out the door.

*****

Gates made his way back downstairs with one goal in mind. Finding Vengeance, and that is just what he did. “I guess the party’s over?”

“Yeah, everyone pretty much took off to do their own thing.” Vengeance was sitting at the kitchen counter reading the sports page. Gates wasn’t sure how to just come out with it and ask what he wanted to know. “No plans?”

“No, I think I’ll just hang around here tonight.”

“Synyster Gates has no plans on Friday night. Interesting.”

Gates laughed to himself and went to the fridge and get a beer. He hopped up on one of the stools next to Vengeance and twisted the cap off.

“So where did you disappear to before?”

“Went to see Twyla.”

Vengeance nodded. “She still hate Shadows?”

“You even have to ask?”

They both laughed and then the kitchen got completely silent.

“So I guess you are waiting to hear about Daisy then.”

Gates nodded and started playing with the label on his beer.

“Of course you didn’t just come down here to hang out with me.” Vengeance chided.

“Just tell me what’s up ok?”

“OK. Remember the night that we were having dinner and Daisy said she wasn’t going to say grace anymore?”

“Yeah,” he nodded remembering how it was his fault too.

“Well I meant to ask her about it, but then Nix showed up with Christ and I got distracted. So, I talked to her later that night.”

“Ok and?”

“Calm down. She told me about how you had a little talk with her and I honestly was a little surprised to hear whet she told me. She seemed to be ok with it though, at least it seemed that way. Then I asked her what was wrong and she told me something that I think you may be a little familiar with. She told me she was in pain, but she didn’t know why.”

“No offense Zee, but can you get to the point?”

Vengeance laughed and swiveled sideways in his stool. “She’s an empath, just like you. Because of her memory loss, she doesn’t know it. She feels your pain and it’s putting her in pain, which is only increasing your own pain. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?”

“That we’re both in pain?”

Vengeance shook his head. “No. Think about it, you can block out everyone else’s feelings, but not hers. She can’t feel anyone else’s pain except for yours. The two of you are Kindred.”

Gates held up his hand and shook his head. “What a damn minute. So, you’re telling me that some random stranger shows up here out of the blue and our souls just happen to be intertwined?”

“Pretty much,” Vengeance nodded. “Yeah.”

“That can’t be right. If we were bonded like that then nothing would be able to tear us apart. Yet, she’s leaving in two days.”

“Yeah,” Vengeance nodded again. “That’s the part I haven’t been able to figure out, yet.”

“Well think fast damn it, the pain is getting worse.” Gates got up and threw his empty beer bottle in the recycle bin and walked out of the kitchen. If he thought it hurt now, wait til it’s time to say goodbye.

…To reminisce won’t bring you back…