Lone Survivors

VII (Every Trick In The Book)

The next stop on the tour took us to Spokane, Washington.

My crew had no issues with me traveling with the boys of Ice Nine Kills. As long as I was around to do my job everything was fine. They had me bunked right above Spencer, getting comfortable in such a confined space was no easy task. By the time I got myself comfortable the familiar sounds of the road lulled me to sleep, my nightmares filled with Spencer with pitch black eyes holding a bloody axe in his hands. It soon turned into the hooded figure holding the bloody knife in his pale hands, his words echoing in my mind.

"You are setting such a bad example for you daughter, teaching her how to lie straight to someone's face. You should be ashamed of yourself Asher Porter."

I woke up with a start, stifling my screams by burying my face into my pillow. Tears, the same tears that had been falling down my face for years soaked into my pillow. The vicious cycle, the demons of my mind refusing to let me go. I couldn't escape my past knowing the ones who killed my parents were still out there. I hissed in pain my head colliding painfully with the ceiling. Swearing I slowly, but surely pushed myself into a sitting position counting forward to ten and backwards to one. A calming mechanism I developed to help bring myself back from the ghosts of my past.

"Everything okay?" Joe pulled back the curtain. I nodded, still counting I heard him coming down the little hallway, this prevented me from screaming my head off.

"I've got breakfast ready, if you're hungry?" He offered.

"Thanks, I'll be down in a few minutes." I gave him what I hoped was a convincing smile.

My heart still hammered in my chest, my hands still shaking, and I still struggled to breathe. I grabbed Kurt holding him close to my chest restarting my counting. In a matter of minutes my heartbeat steadied out, I tucked Kurt into the corner of the bunk climbing out with a little difficulty heading into the living area.

"Morning Kaitie Koala." Spencer smiled, pulling me onto his lap. I squealed in surprise not used to him being so forward especially around his friends.

"Hello to you too." I found myself blushing heavily glad my hair concealed the worst of it.

"We get a whole day to ourselves. Anything on your mind?" Spencer started massaging my shoulders.

"I wouldn't mind going to a bookstore." I said thoughtfully. "I also wouldn't be opposed to a lazy day in bed."

"We could go to a bookstore?" He offered. "Grab some lunch on the way back?"

"I don't think your friends would like me filling the bus with books, plus I don't have that much spare room in my van to keep them."

"You don't have to worry about that, you're going to be moving in with me remember?" He met my eyes. "I even made some calls, I'm having the guest bedroom remodeled, you'll have built-in bookshelves along one of the walls. All the more reason for you to get more books to fill them up." He sounded so happy his eyes bright with happiness. I stared at him, unsure of what to say. He was inviting me into his home, going so far as to make me my own special place. Not even my own Aunt Caroline showed me that level of kindness. To her, I was her big sister's annoyance, an extra mouth to feed. I thanked Joe for breakfast, eating quickly heading for the bathroom hearing their conversation from behind closed doors.

"Are you sure you don't have feelings for her?"

It was Dan who had spoken, an eerie silence followed I could just picture Spencer biting his lip attempting to find the right words.

"Why is everyone assuming I have feelings for Kaitie? She's my best friend, she's like-"

"Do not say "she's like family", I have never seen family do what you just did." Ricky cut in.