Old Scars/Future Hearts (Adopted by Alex Gaskarth)

Chapter 9

December 20th, 2015

I go with Tony up to Los Angeles. At this point, Dad has pretty much given up trying to get us to wait until I'm 18 to start dating. He helped us rent a small apartment which I'll be staying in for most of the next year.

Dad is still supplying for me as I need and frequently coming up to visit, but the second I had gone to Ash Avildsen wanting to try and create a band, he saw me as the perfect addition to the movie he is directing called American Satan.

Basically, he wanted me to play the role of a girl called Lily Mayflower who is supposed to be this bassist of an aspiring rock band who ends up making a deal with the devil to create this hugely successful album. Basically, I'm a 15-year-old playing this 20-something-year-old slut and addict. Dad doesn't really know much about my character in the movie.

I walk into the building for the first day of recording and rub my arm a little, awkwardly. Ash comes over. "Hey kid! Are you ready?" I nod a little. "I like your haircut. I feel like it really fits Lily." I brush my hand through my short hair and nod.

"That's what I was going for." He leads me over to four people, three of the four I recognize. "Andy, Booboo, Ben, Sebastian, this is your bassist, Rachel Gaskarth." I wave a little. "You seem pretty shy." "She is. Her dad says she opens up with guys more easily than girls and that when directly talking about music or acting she opens up quicker."

He leaves me with them. "Hey, the way he was talking about you it sounds like you are still under 18." "I am. I'm nearly 16." "You look a lot older. Your face is still young, but I guess between a mix of your piercings, your height, and the tattoos, you appear older." "Yeah, Dad still doesn't know about the tattoos. He should've learned after the first few incidents of me doing things when he left me alone on tour that it is a bad idea."

"Your dad's in a band?" "Yeah. All Time Low." "Nice. What acting experience or music experience do you have?" "Acting I've done multiple leads on school plays or musicals. Music, I do nearly everything I can musically. I mostly sing, play guitar, and play bass. I'm also learning drums but I have literally had a cast either on my leg or arm since my dad found me back in June. I had gotten an arm brace back in mid-August and was letting my shoulder heal a little more and literally the same night I got the cast on my arm off, I got hit by a car and broke my leg rendering me in a cast for 17 weeks."

"Damn, kid. Do you know who we are?" "By process of elimination, yes. I didn't know Sebastian before just now though." "Do you listen to Ben's and my music?" I look down at my Black Veil Brides shirt and Asking Alexandria bracelets. "Maybe." He laughs.

"Do you mind me asking why you are relatively quiet and seemed quite anxious?" "I was born in Maryland to my dad and his at the time girlfriend now wife. My sister and I were kidnapped before we were a year old. We don't really know when we went to the orphanage the first time but we were adopted on our second birthday.

We were brought down to Los Angeles. My earliest memories of that household were of being abused, mainly by the mom but also by the dad. I would, from a young age, put myself in the way to prevent my sister from getting hurt. At about 5, the parents would disappear for weeks or even months at a time leaving my sister and I with their three sons.

Th-They began r-r-raping me frequently. It went on for about 5 years before we were removed from the house after I didn't cover my bruises well enough one day before going to school. From that point on, the lady at the orphanage would abuse me a lot, presumably because of how skinny I was, I guess I am still fairly skinny, and how I wouldn't defend myself. Dad found us five years later and obviously, it had and still does effect me."

"Wow, that's crazy, kid. Are you sure this isn't going to be too much violence and mature scenes for you?" "I think I should be fine. I tend to get into "the zone" when acting and I immediately fall into character." They nod. "Well, welcome to the team Ms Lily Mayflower."

I playfully roll my eyes. "Whatever." They all laugh. "This doesn't seem too far off from your actual personality." "It's not. Short hair is a little odd for me but I don't hate it. I'm extremely loyal to my boyfriend though. I'm definitely a lot more romantic than Lily is."

I hear a voice and pull my attention away from them. "Alright guys, let's get changed to do the scene where Lily gets introduced to the band." Another guy comes over. "Hi, you must be the girl playing Lily. Rachel, right?" I nod. "I'm John, playing the bands manager." I nod.

We get changed and I grab the case and stand next to John. Everyone else gets set up. "Action!" "Guys, guys. This is, is Lily." They all wave to me. We go on recording all day. We finish and I walk out of the building. I look around a little curiously. In all honesty, I forgot where I'm going.

"Hey, Rachel. Do you need a ride?" I look back at Andy. "Nah, it's fine. I'm gonna call my boyfriend to come pick me up because in all honesty I forgot where our apartment is." I call him and notice Andy is waiting.

"Hey Tony, can you come pick me up? I forgot our address." "I'm down in San Diego for the next couple days, I'm sorry." "Oh shit, I forgot. What's our complex?" "The Gardens on Garfield." "Okay, thanks. I'll miss you." "I'll miss you too. I'll talk to you later." "Bye." He hangs up.

I look to Andy. "Is the ride still up for grabs?" He nods. "Hop in." I get in. "Where are we heading?" He hands me his phone and I pull up our complex. "Juliet and I lived in that complex. We don't live far from it now but we do have a house." I give him a slight nod.

"Where is your boyfriend?" "Back down in San Diego. His band is finishing up recording their album. It won't be long before they go on tour again. Dad's in Wisconsin for a show tonight and then he'll be home for about a month before he flies out to Japan for tour. I'm not really close to my mom. My sister is going to be back in softball within the next couple of months and then she'll be constantly leaving the state for sports."

"I'll tell you what, as long as your dad and/or boyfriend won't get upset, you can stay with Juliet and I when your boyfriend and dad are on tour." "I'll ask later." He nods. "Also, I'm creating a solo album and I need a guitarist. Any chance you want to join? I heard you messing around on guitar during break and you're really good."

"I'll ask my dad but I definitely want to. The way Ash found me was actually because I was trying to create a band. Granted, it was going to be pretty much solo music with touring members but still." He smiles. We arrive. "Um, do you want to come in? I'm obviously alone and I don't really like being alone."

"Sure." He follows me in. I take one of my basses out of our spare room. I pull the copy of The Relentless songs up on my computer that we all got so we could mute certain parts and work on playing along. I mute the bass and vocal parts on the first song.

"I'm curious how your voice sounds with the music since it's Remington's voice normally." I turn it on and begin playing while he sings. "Woah, that actually sounds really different in a fun way." He smiles. "It does."