Truth, Lies and Bitchy Girls

“Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!” Ellen ran round backstage, freaking out.

“Ellie! Calm down!” Brian grabbed her arms and held her still. “What’s up?”

“Mikey and Ryan aren’t here yet!” She began hyperventilating.

“They will be. Go outside, take JB with you, and wait for them.” Brian spun her round and pushed her in Jason Berry’s direction.

“Hey Ellie, do you need something?” Jason greeted her.

“Errm, yeah. Brian said to take you outside with me to go wait for Mikey and Ryan. That okay?” She asked him nervously.

“Sure thing babycakes.” Ellen blushed as Jason called her this. She swiftly turned around and made her way towards the exit, Jason following close behind her. As she walked out of the door, she heard the band having an incredibly hushed conversation.

She was standing outside with Jason for about ten minutes before a car pulled up. It was about 4pm and people were turning up to queue already. She wasn’t sure that it was them until she saw Ryan’s hair poking out of the car door. She squealed and ran towards the car. As Ryan straightened up, Ellen jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders.

“Hi to you too Ellie!” He laughed as she got off him and went to hug Mikey.

“Hey Ellie.” Mikey said, as he returned her hug.

“Bitches! Meet Jason!” She introduced them to Jason who was lurking in the background.

“Wow. Nice introduction there babycakes.” Jason rolled his eyes.

“Stop with the babycakes already, please? I don’t know if I can possibly take two months of it!” She laughed.

“Okay. But only if you promise to be my bitch.” Jason winked at her. She laughed and didn’t bother to answer. She just took hold of both Mikey and Ryan’s hands and pulled them inside the venue.

“Oi oi! What’s going on here then?” She asked, cutting the band’s conversation short with their entrance. They didn’t continue again until after the three of them had passed through. Little did they know that Ellen was still in earshot when they started talking again and she heard them talking about doing something on stage that night.

As show time neared, Ellen gave Mikey and Ryan a choice; they were to watch the show from the side of the stage or watch it from the pits. They chose the pits, strange people. But then again, that’s what Ellen would have chosen if she wasn’t to take over from Brian during Afterlife.

After Mikey and Ryan had disappeared into the crowd, Matt came up to Ellen and handed her the set list.

“Ellie, you come on when the lights dim after Second Heartbeat and when I ask for my slave to come onstage, you walk on and do what I say, okay? Oh, and there’s a holdall somewhere back here, after you’ve been onstage the first time, ask JB for it and put on what’s in it.” She agreed and gave him a hug wishing him a good show before she walked off towards Michelle and Val. They were to do her makeup.

Minutes before the beginning of the set, they were all sat on the couches, giving Ellen advice on what to do and what not to do. Basically, she was to not look into the lights and was to do whatever else she wanted. Jason came into the room and gave them a minute warning. The guys rose from the couches and hugged the three girls who, in turn, wished them all good luck. The exited the room, Ellen following them as she only had fifteen minutes before she took to the stage with them. Michelle and Val remained on the couches, they watched the show through a live hook-up to a camera that was filming the show.

The lights on the stage went down and the band strode out, taking their places on the stage. The sound of an organ playing floated through the speakers and the lights came up, revealing Matt sitting at an electrical organ playing the introduction to Critical Acclaim. The crowd went wild as the guitars joined in. they made their way through Critical Acclaim easily, stopping to talk to the audience before playing Second Heartbeat.

The lights going down at the end of Second Heartbeat was Ellen’s cue. She slung the strap for her bubblegum pink Les Paul over her shoulder and strode out onto the stage. Matt looked over at her and the strings blasted through the speakers for a few seconds before the lights came up, showing the crowd the new Sevenfold band member, who was currently standing next to Zacky Vengeance doing his and Synyster Gates’ patented back to back guitar playing. They played the opening riffs and the crowd screamed. Averting her gaze below the lights towards the audience, whilst she played Synyster Gates’ lead guitar part, she saw Mikey and Ryan singing along with Matt and having the time of their lives.

After the song finished, she swung her guitar onto her back, took a bow and went to exit the stage, before Matt stopped her in her tracks.

“Where d’you think you’re going Ellie?” He spoke into the microphone. Ellen felt a wave of nervousness engulf her body. “We’re not finished with you yet.”

“Yes Ellie. Go over there and talk to the guy you unwillingly called awesome.” Brian laughed into his microphone. Obliging, Ellen walked over to Zacky and stood in front of him, her arms folded across her chest. Without saying anything, he put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it to Ellen.

She unfolded it, taking in the markings on the back of the paper. They were the markings of the American government. Opening it out so there were no more folds, she read official looking document:

Surname:Baker

Given Names: Ellen Marie

Ellen felt herself begin to hyperventilate. She looked up at Zacky who probed her to read on.

Date of Birth: 17/5/1991

Place of Birth: Huntington Beach General Hospital

Ellen didn’t read anymore. She didn’t need to. She launched herself at Zacky and hugged him so hard, she almost restricted his air supply. She was finally free. A wave of euphoria washed over her as she skipped of the stage, waving to the audience, who were somewhat confused.

“And that, Long Beach, was Zacky Vengeance changing that girl’s life forever. Before she was just a friend, now she’s his mother fucking daughter!”

Ellen grabbed a microphone from Jason, still backstage, and turned it on before talking into it.

“You’re all bastards, you know that? You fucking kept that from me! Ima cry now. Out of happiness or annoyance, I don’t know. But I’ll see you bitches later!” She screamed into the microphone and ran off to where Michelle and Val were watching the show.

They jumped up and officially welcomed her to the family, tears running down all of their cheeks. She broke away from the hug and ran to find Jason Berry, who was currently standing at the side of the stage, watching the band finish playing Beast & The Harlot. He handed her the holdall and she ran off to get changed; only having four minutes forty-eight seconds to do so. She found a dark corner and quickly stripped, before pulling what could only be described as rags out of the bag and throwing them over her head. She returned to where Jason was, ready for her next entrance. He put his thumbs up to her eyes and dragged them downwards; smudging her makeup and making her look like a street urchin in the process. The lights onstage died down and the girls that were dancing at the back came off the stage just before the lights came back up again. Her cue was coming.

“Slave! Get your ass out here now!” Matt yelled. She did as she was told, accepting her cue, and scampered onto the stage, tripping for effect. “Bring me my bitch!” He pointed off stage. She bowed and took the microphone that Brian offered her.

“Yes master. I will be back with her in a minute master.” She bowed again and left the stage, still clutching the microphone. She ran through the corridors towards the room where she had once again left Val and Michelle. She walked up to Val and tugged her arm. Once again she spoke into the microphone, letting the crowd and the band know what was happening as they waited. “Mistress, the master has sent for you.” Val tried resisting, but Ellen had hold of her arm and, with Michelle’s help, she managed to pull her up off the couch and forced her to come with her to the stage. As they walked back onto the stage, Ellen spoke once again, “Here you are master. Was that all you wanted?”

“Yes, thank you. You can go now.” Ellen handed the microphone back to Brian, bowed again, and left the stage for the final time.

“Don’t you just love our slave?” Brian laughed, provoking a reaction from the confused crowd.

“You’re probably all wondering why the love of my life is currently standing next to me, right?” The crowd screamed in response to Matt’s question. He continued talking. “I’m gonna sing her a little song. You all wanna help me?” More screams from the crowd. “Okay then. This song’s called Seize the Day.” Matt took hold of Val’s hand and laced his fingers with hers

Seize the day or die regretting the time you lost, to many people to ache over…

As the song progressed, Val’s eyes began to well up with tears and her makeup gradually began to run down her face. By the end of the song she was wishing that she had used waterproof mascara instead of normal mascara. After he had finished singing, Matt led her into the middle of the stage, onto one of the ‘ego risers’. He put his hand into his pocket and pulled something out before getting down onto one knee. A gasp of shock escaped Val’s mouth.

“Valary DiBenedetto, words can’t describe how much I love you. All I know is this, I love you, I always have and always will. Will you marry me?” He opened the box which he had previously taken out of his pocket, displaying a ring that had a white gold band and a single diamond on the top. Lost for words, Val just nodded, even more tears cascading down her cheeks. Matt stood up, wiped the tears away and claimed her lips with his.

Val left the stage, wiping her eyes, to be met by her twin and Ellen, both with massive grins on their faces. She was engulfed by both of them, still in shock. When they released her, she turned to Ellen.

“You knew all about this?!”

“Too fucking right I did!” Ellen grinned. They returned for the final time to the ‘couch room’ to watch the rest of the show.

After the show, they band all piled into the room and congratulated Matt and Val. Quarter of an hour later, Mikey and Ryan entered the room, also congratulating the happy couple, before jumping on top of Ellen.

“Oi, Baker! You’re too fucking lucky, you know that?!” Ryan laughed.

“’Course I fucking do!” She struggled under the weight of them, finally pushing them off her and onto the floor. Laughing, she stood up and grabbed their wrists, pulling them up.

Mikey immediately took her place on the couch. She turned to sit on the floor but, before she had the chance, she felt Mikey’s arms snake around her and pull her down onto his lap. Ryan pouted at this action.

“You’ve replaced me! It’s okay. I know my place. Right here on the floor with the rest of the scum!”

“Too right!” Ellen giggled. This humour was short-lived as Ryan hit her leg. “Bitch!”

“Obviously!” This was Mikey’s first input into the conversation. “Comfy there Miss Baker?”

“Incredibly comfy thank you Mikey.” She turned her head and smiled at him, unaware that Michelle, Val, Ryan, her new father and the rest of the band were watching them.

“Good.” He leant forward and kissed her cheek. Blood suddenly rushed to her face and her cheeks became rose-tinted.

“So Ellen Marie Baker, describe for us, if you will, your life a year ago.” Zacky asked her, holding out an invisible microphone. She laughed and thought for a moment.

“Hell. No friends, lies and bitchy girls.” She replied bluntly.

“Thank you Miss. Now, describe the life you’re currently living.” Zacky told her.

“Amazing. A fucking great family, the best friends I’ve ever had, no lies, no bitchy girls, just truth.” She concluded, smiling.

This, I am afraid, is where we leave Ellen to go off and lead her own life. I think we have probed enough. You know some of her secrets, you know her past and you can only predict the future. I hope it has given you an insight into how some people live and how they need saving. Please, if you can, save someone, if not fully, partially. This was the story of Ellen Marie Baker nee McAvey and the truth, lies and bitchy girls she has suffered.