章 1: Perfect Weapon

Blade awoke to thunder rumbling loudly in the distance. Rain poured down heavily as lightning flashed in her window. She jumped, fear sending shivers up her spine as she rolled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She took a quick shower before slipping into a pair of ripped black skinny jeans, and Pierce The Veil tank top, and a black sweatshirt that said Parental Advisory: Explicit Content on it. She straightened her neon blue hair, fluffing her bangs so they swooped loosely over one eye. She pulled her Doc Martens on before grabbing her MP3 player. She switched to her favorite band, smiling as Perfect Weapon blared in her ears. "All girls aged 12-16 come to the gym." Madame Howe said over the intercom. Blade sighed, yawning and grabbing a monster from the stash under her bed before heading downstairs. She forced herself to keep her head up as she avoided the harsh glares of the other girls. Blade hated them and they hated her. She was different, and they were basically all carbon copies of each other. They all had long hair, way too much makeup, and the same variations of clothes; crop tops and daisy dukes. She walked into the gym, finding a quiet corner and sitting down. As always, the gym was freezing and the lights were flickering. The place was over 100 years old, yet nobody had ever thought of giving it a facelift. Blade sighed, bobbing her head to Heaven's Calling as she half sang half hummed along. A metal water bottle hit her in the head, making her grunt as she glared in the direction it came from. "Fuck you," she growled, flipping the giggling group of girls off before chugging her Monster. "She jumped as somebody tapped her shoulder, giving her a sympathetic look as she gazed up at them. "Hey. Are you alright?" they asked. Blade froze, starstruck. She wasn't even sure if she was breathing as she tried to comprehend the existence of the person standing in front of her. "Y-you're Andy S-Sixx." she stuttered, a smile fighting its way onto her surprised face. Andy smirked, nodding. "Yup. And it looks like you're the only one here worth wasting my time on," he said darkly, shooting the group of girls that had thrown the water bottle a death stare. Blade gulped, pressing the tin of her soda can with the tips of her fingers. The metal popped under the pressure, calming her as the two sat down. "So. What's your name, kid?" Andy asked. "Blade." the 12-year-old answered. "Cool. I'm Andy, although I'm sure you already know who I am," he smirked. Blade nodded, smiling as he ruffled her hair. "I'm assuming you like rock music?" he said, losing the growl in his voice and turning his attention from the girls to her. "I like rock and classical. I usually only listen to classical music when I'm studying or concentrating on something productive." "Do you like the dark academia shit?" Andy asked. Blade nodded, hiding her smile with her sleeved hand, she chipped black nail polish shining in the light. "What's your favorite band?" the vocalist asked. She went quiet, blushing as she pointed to the singer. "BVB," she mumbled. He smiled, bumping his shoulder against hers. "Who's your favorite member?" he asked. She hesitated, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "Jinxx. I like how quiet he is. I feel like we would get along really well." Blade said before clamping a hand over her mouth. Andy gave her puppy eyes, jutting his bottom lip out as he pretended to cry. "I'm not your favorite?" he asked pitifully. Blade shook her hands in front of his face, frantic to make him "like" her again. "Oh geez! No, I mean, you're my second favorite! I mean...I don't know what I mean." she said as her face turned a dark shade of crimson. The two held eye contact for a few seconds before Andy busted out laughing. "W-what?" Blade asked. "You thought I was actually upset! I'm just playing with you, lil dude!" he said through hysterical giggles. The 12-year-old heaved a sigh of relief, tears filling her eyes from the sense of calm that washed over her. She blinked them back, watching as the singer stood up. He offered her his hand, pulling her to her feet. He led her to one of the care people or whatever they were called. "I would like to foster this little girl," he said, flipping his long hair over his shoulder. The caretaker nodded solemnly, grimacing at Blade. "Follow me," she said curtly. The two shared a look, Andy giving Blade's hand a comforting squeeze as they followed the woman to her office. She motioned for them to sit down, keeping her face painfully blank as she ruffled through a file cabinet. She pulled out a thick packet of papers, handing them to Andy. "Fill these out. Blade, go pack your things." she snarled. The 12-year-old gave the woman a challenging smirk before throwing herself from her seat and walking off, making sure to slam the door on her way out. She took her time walking to her room, doing a little bit of dancing as she lip-synced to a Sleeping With Sirens song. She hastily threw all of her clothes and makeup in her suitcase before turning her attention to her posters. She carefully took them down, making sure to take all the tack off. She then took down the CDs and cassettes hanging from the ceiling, putting them all in their designated cardboard box. She closed her portable record player and put her vinyl in a box before throwing her backpack over her shoulder and walking back down to Andy. She saw him standing outside the door, fuming. His face lit up in a smile when he saw her, making her feel a little better. "Ready?" he asked. "I need help carrying my stuff." she said. The vocalist nodded, following her to her room. He grabbed her suitcase and one of the boxes, letting her grab the other as they made their way downstairs. They walked out to his car and put her things in the trunk. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Blade wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her face in his chest. He hugged her back, resting his chin on her head.