Instinctive Feelings.

The engine roared down the road and the wheels slid smoothly over the cracked concrete. Sami rummaged in the glove compartment, searching for her sunglasses. She pulled them on, instantly dulling the California sun. She glanced from the road to Dan and then her brown eyes returned to the road. “You can put a CD in if you want,” the dark-haired girl suggested. Sami wanted at least a slight feel of the music she would be hearing at the show.

Dan shook his head; he had not brought anything with him apart from their tickets. He grinned excitedly, screwing his eyes up as he did so. The pair were stuck in a lengthy line of traffic. Horns were beeping from all directions and drivers were becoming irritated. “Good thing we came out early,” Dan noted.

As the traffic slowly shifted a little bit at a time, the sun was becoming hotter on their skin. It seemed there was no air that day, except hot air. It clung around their necks so much that Sami had to roll down both windows - something she hated doing because they often got stuck. Right now, she did not care about that.

“So,” Sami began, “Tell me something about this band.”

A smile spread across Dan’s lips, making them quiver slightly. Never had his sister asked such a question, but he was happy to answer nonetheless. “They’re really amazing. M. Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance, Johnny Christ and The Reverend Tholomew Plague are their stage names. I suggest you remember those. They have three albums at the moment, but I’m positive there will be more. They are my life,” he beamed; the words seemed to spill out of his mouth endlessly.

“Your life?” she scoffed in return.

Dan nodded a few times. “You don’t understand,” the blue-eyed teenager began. “But when you see ‘em… you will. You will understand exactly what I mean.”

The traffic seemed at a stand still. Minutes slowly crept into an hour and Dan was beginning to feel panicked. He was starting to wonder if they would make it in time at all.

Sami let out a deep sigh, frustrated with the traffic. “It’s only eleven A.M. The show doesn’t start until seven P.M. What are you so worried about? It won’t take us that long… once the traffic gets moving,” she tried to reassure him, though not really believing it herself. Dan leant an arm out of the window, a small breeze catching in his hair.

He nodded slightly, his hair blowing into his face. “But the line will be huge. They haven’t played Chain Reaction for a couple of years-- it’s a one off show. There will be a hundred inside at least and many more jus’ standing around outside.” He stroked his black hair from his eyes, blinking as he did so. “I can’t miss this, Sami. I really can’t.” He sat back against the seat, his leather jacket pulling tightly to his skin.

Sami attempted to understand how her little brother would be feeling at this moment. However, she could not help letting out a smidge of laughter. “I’m sorry…” she quickly said, the laughter slowly dying off. She turned into a side road now most of the traffic was clearing and gave a small nudge to Dan’s arm, which made him look ahead. Noticing she had gone off the route they planned to take, he raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t worry!” Sami exclaimed. “I know this road like the back of my hand. It’s quicker, anyway,” she told him before he could get a word in. She tilted her head and grinned. “I take this route when I go to Huntington.” Dan furrowed his brow he did not know this and began to wonder why they had not taken this route in the first place - seeing, as it was supposedly quicker.

“Since when do you visit Huntington? I’ve barely seen you leave the house,” he questioned, not quite believing his sister.

Sami smiled smugly, spreading her lips widely over her face. “Beach days with my friends. We go all the time. You rarely see me leave ‘cause you sit in your room with your music too loud to even notice!”

The small girl grinned within herself as she thought of the adventures she had taken many times before. Beach days were not always a simple day in the sun, lazing around on the hot sands of California - but more of a day when young adults would go ‘bar hopping’ and get completely out of their minds with alcohol. However, if her mother knew anything like this had been occurring she would put an end to the fun. Sami lounged back in her seat now that they were on open road, with barely another car in sight.

“I may take you with me sometime,” the dark-haired girl mentioned, cutting the silence between them.

“Take me to what?”

“A BEACH DAY!” she yelled excitedly in return.

Dan let out a mutter under his breath. “Won’t I cramp your style?” he asked sarcastically. With that, the rest of the journey was quiet. Too quiet.

- - - -

Once arriving at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, Dan bounded out of the car as if he were a little child again. His black hair wrapped around his pasty skin and he quickly slicked it back with his hands. Not many people had turned up yet, but that wasn’t to say that more would not appear shortly. It was after all, just reaching half past twelve in the afternoon.

“HI!” squealed the black haired girl, who was standing in front of Dan in the queue. She was wearing an Avenged Sevenfold band t-shirt, like everyone else. Her green eyes seemed to glitter under her heavy fringe. Her skin was glowing and she branded a large smile across her face.

Dan shyly let out a reply; he was not used to new people. Or people he knew, for that matter. It was safe to say he had never been a people person and probably would remain that way. He scanned the girl up and down before awkwardly shifting his body. “I’m Dan, by the way,” he told her, glancing up to her face.

The black haired girl looked up slightly, as Dan was a little taller than she was. “I’m Autumn,” she replied, sighing at her common name. “Nice to meet you.” She pulled her fringe from her green eyes and it rested on the ridge of her glasses. “I’m assuming you are here to see Avenged, by the shirt,” she added, pointing to her own shirt.

“I am. They’re amazing, right?” Dan pulled down his own shirt and ruffled it up again, creating the messy t-shirt effect.

“Amazing isn’t the word. How long have you been a fan?”

“Since I was eleven… so… three years,” he muttered, thinking to himself. “Since 2002, how about you?”

The girl beamed, her skin glowing under the sun. “Since the very start. I’ve seen them four times already.”

Dan let out a mystified ‘wow’, this was only his first time but clearly, they were well worth the money. “This is my first! Really excited about it, actually,” he shivered.

She looked behind her shoulder to a group of slightly intimidating teens. “HEY GUYS! C’MERE!” she yelled, causing them to turn and casually walk over. They nodded in unison towards Dan and Sami, scanning each up and down, obviously making some first impressions. “This is Dan, guys… He’s a concert virgin. So I’m guessing we should show him the ropes?”

“No, no… I’ve been to a concert before. Just not an Avenged Sevenfold one. I know how mosh pits work,” Dan interrupted, not wanting to seem like a wannabe.

The group continued to chat about their favorite albums or songs, or even their preferred member. All the while Sami was feeling a little left out. Had she done some research, she would know what to say.

Before anyone knew it, the car park was packed and the whole crowd was chanting ‘SEVENFOLD!’ and singing songs such as Unholy Confessions and Bat Country - which were obviously some favorites amongst them all.

Suddenly a silhouette emerged from the lightened venue to the darkness of the night. “IF YOU COULD ALL FORM AN ORDERLY QUEUE,” the voice yelled above a mass of people - unrecognizable as neither male nor female. Slowly the figure appeared into the shape of a male with short blonde hair that was tousled into short, lazy spikes. One side of his face was in darkness while the other was under the light that shone through the door.

“This is it…” Dan muttered to his sister, shifting forward in the queue and eagerly gripping onto his tickets.

Sami rolled her eyes. “I s’pose it is.”

Slowly the whole venue was filled to the brim with over-excited fans, while even more were spilling in. A backdrop with their band name scribbled onto it hung behind the silenced stage. The heat and loud chants rose up above everything else.

Unexpectedly to the crowd, the stage began to fill with a light grey smoke from the smoke-machines in front. They knew what this meant and the whole place began to shake with screams and chants. Through the smoke five men appeared, they said nothing. Instead, stood still and watched the fans scream their name. They enjoyed that and really appreciated that they would bother to fill this small place for them.

Luckily, for Dan and Sami they got right to the barrier and in the middle. This was the best spot in the house.

“I WANT TO SEE THIS PLACE EXPLODE!” screamed the singer, Matt. And that is exactly what they did.