**Sang**

I am back in my old house surrounded by the boys and my father. All the people who left me. I look up at them from my kneeled position on the floor and come face to face with angry sneers and hate filled eyes. Their narrowed eyes gaze at me as they slowly begin to walk backwards, melting into the shadows. A hollow ache forms in my chest, that soon turns into an unbearable burn. I scream in agony, as flames lick at my insides and smoke pour out of my mouth. I'm burning from the inside, and all I can do is scream their names. I scream for them to come back, for them to save me, for them not to leave me. They never come back, I just sit there burning, screaming, dying...

I wake up clawing at my chest with tears streaming down my face. I hear a relieved sigh from beside me and jump before catching sight of Marissa's bright orange locks. I blink up at her, as she takes a seat beside me on the bed. She waits patiently as I calm my erratic breathing and try to clear my hazy mind.

Once I have myself under control, she asks, "You alright Starshine?"

The affection with which she says the nickname warms my heart, pulling a shy smile from my lips.

"Yeah Riss," I tell her calmly. "Just a nightmare. Nothing unusual."

I try to play it off as nothing serious, but honestly, that nightmare left me completely shaken. The flames felt so real.

At least this time I hadn't stopped breathing.

"Are you sure?" She asks with worried eyes.

"Yeah," I reply, mustering up a smile to ease her worry. "I'm fine. What's up?"

"If you're sure," she looks me over once more before telling me why she came down here. "It's time for rehearsal. You'll actually be a part of it this time so you definitely need to be there."

I am genuinely excited to start rehearsal since this is something we've all wanted for so long, but knew couldn't happen because of my home life. The only reason they knew I could sing was because Marissa caught me singing in the girls bathroom one day back in Illinois. They were all a little mad at that since I never told them I could sing, but they quickly got over it once they learned what would happen in my house if I got caught singing. It was really just a coincidence that Marissa caught me. I didn't even realize I was singing until she popped her head over the bathroom stall and scared the living day lights out of me.

I get up and take the clothes out of Marissa's hand that she had grabbed from my suitcase before waking me up. A light pink blouse with light wash skinny jeans and my pink and white converse.

I go into the small attached bathroom and quickly draw myself a bath. I wash and shave my body before getting out and drying off, putting on the clothes and throwing my hair in a low ponytail.

Once I'm ready, I run down the stairs and joined the others. Jaelyn is sitting on the arm of the couch in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a white top next to Marissa who's wearing a pair of ripped blue jeans and a dark blue top. The twins sit on the floor facing each other, both wearing matching grins but opposite outfits. Zerric is light in his light blue jeans and white button up shirt, while Darren is wearing dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. The twinkle in their eyes make me think they're up to something.

The only person I don't see is Ryan, and as if I magically conjured him with my thoughts alone, footsteps sound on the stairs behind me. Ryan walks into the living room wearing a pair of low rise black skinny jeans and an ACDC tanktop, with black vans. His look showing off the Rockstar her is.

"I'm right here," he says with a smirk, somehow reading my mind. "Good morning gorgeous. Sleep ok?"

"No worse than usual handsome," I reply with a smirk of my own.

From our time together in Illinois, I'm used to his near constant flirting and easily fall back into our routine. Somehow flirting with Ryan is a lot easier than when the boys would flirt with me. Maybe it's because I don't love Ryan. Well, I do, just not romantically.

Everyone stands up at Ryan's arrival and starts to walk outside. I follow behind them with Ryan on my heels.

We walk up to a familiar purple and black van with "The Lovely Echo" painted on the side in a cursive script. I smile at the band name that I helped come up with. I climb into the back and get sandwiched between Zerric and Darren. They each grab one of my hands and hug me. They've always had been able to read me like a book. As annoying as it can be sometimes, they always know what I need.

I smile and kiss both of their cheeks, thinking to myself that family is a choice, and despite how the boys had left me, I still deserved a family. This one wouldn't leave me, I knew that for sure. They had welcomed me back with open arms after months of no contact, that is what family was. Unconditional love and acceptance, no matter what.

Ryan drove, with Jaelyn in the passenger seat, leaving Marissa in the back with me and the twins. Riding in the van was an experience to say the least. The front of the van is as normal as any motor vehicle with two seats and seatbelts, the whole shebang. The back however is another story. There's a bench seat along the side behind the driver's seat, with no seatbelts. Those that ended up back here just had to hope and pray that we wouldn't crash. But there was nothing better than cuddling in the back seat with two of my best friends. Regardless of my absence, my love for them hadn't lessened, in fact I think it had grown.

Through I doubt their anger at the boys has gone away completely, they're doing a great job at hiding it. On the ride to The Club I tell them everything that I told Jae yesterday. I probably shouldn't have done that though, or at least told them in a lower voice since Ryan swerved a bit whenever I got to a particularly bad part in my story. I'm almost positive that their hate for my mother is bigger than North's, if that's even possible.

We finally arrive at The Club about forty-five minutes after we left the house, and yeah, that is actually the name of the place. It's a business that's open only to the eighteen and over crowd. Apart from me and the twins of course. Though that probably had something to do with the twin's father owning it.

All the equipment is already set up on the stage with an extra mic for me. I let out a deep breath as Zerric squeezes my hand and smile at him gratefully, giving him a gentle squeeze back.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

Before I know it we're up on the stage and everyone is getting in their spots. I grip the microphone that's handed to me and closed my eyes. Thankfully there are only about twenty people here since the place hasn't opened for the night yet. Otherwise I'm sure it'd be packed. Darren told me that the crowd here is usually in the hundreds.

Marissa takes her place to my right playing bass guitar. Ryan sets up shop near her with his own microphone. Darren is behind me testing out his drums, while Zerric has finally settled into his place on my left with his guitar.

Jaelyn stands off to the side on her phone. She's their, well I guess our now, manager. She controls our press and image. I fell more than hear the beginning chords to a familiar song start to play. This is one I helped write. A smile tugs at my lips as I sing the first few words.

Who're you in the dark, with the lights, with the lights out

Bullet proof, question mark, I'm onto you, I'm onto your tell tale heart

Baby beating like a drum, pounding out your chest,

now repeating on the run, tear the floorboards baby

I quickly settle into the feeling of being on stage, all feelings of discomfort gone. I send the crowd a wink as I bounced on the balls of my feet to steady beat. With each line that I sing, this morning's nightmare fades away, and all I'm left with is a feeling of unbelievable happiness. I give up trying to stay still and start walking around the stage, pouring all of my emotion and feeling into the song.

Who's coming to the rescue, what if some night, it's running gonna get you

No ones gonna save you, save you, when you cry wolf, cry wolf

Ryan takes over his part of the song easily slipping into the playful atmosphere that I created. I felt so at home here. His smooth baritone voice, though nothing like Victor's, was soothing all the same.

There's a knock, at your door, with the lights, with the lights out

Turn the lock, hit the floor

It's onto you, it's onto your tell tale heart, baby beating like a drum,

pounding out your chest, now repeating on the run

Tear the floor boards baby

We play around on stage, playing off of each other's energy and really getting into it. Each of us using the other to portray a certain emotion that we couldn't do on our own. He pulls my back to his chest and pretended to nip at my ear as I take over his lyrics, before we fall into a beautiful harmony. My high alto blending perfectly with his low baritone. I have a fleeting thought of what it would be like to sing with Victor, but quickly push it away. I don't need those thoughts.

Cause you buried it once, now you're digging it up, and going down with the sun

When you cry wolf, cry wolf (Luna Shadows-Cry Wolf)

We end the song with him on his knees looking up at me, while I face the crowd, head held high, with what Darren referred to as my "boxer dropping smile" gracing my lips. I break out into a crazy grin as the crowd roars with applause.

On this stage, with my new family, I know that I'm home. In this moment nothing matters more than the screaming words of encouragement alongside the huge hugs of everyone in the band. Including Jaelyn of course. For once in my life, my legs didn't threaten to give out, I didn't feel faint. I feel powerful. I feel loved.