Ace Huxley's Daughter

8

"You've been too quiet the past few days Em."

"Vanished into thin air Saturday night too." The boys watched me carefully as I sipped my beer. "Did you find someone to take your mind off Huxley's girl?" You could say that. Though now my brain was thoroughly cemented on the girl I last saw timidly leaving the room after she'd cheered me on. Phenomenal. She was other worldly. Like an angel that I desperately wanted to turn dark. I'd had one quickie with her and I was hooked and now she's gone. Not a single sight of her since that night and I had no doubt that I'd never see her again. Embarrassed and probably home with a boyfriend where what happened between us will never be spoken into the world again. My dirty little secret.

"Guess so." They stared and I took a step forward, pushing another collection of twigs into the campfire I'd started before anyone else pulled up. I have no idea how I'd gotten so far ahead of everyone else. It wasn't long though until others started to fill up the huge field in the middle of nowhere. Aiden and Kace pulling in 40 minutes after me, sky burning orange as it set over the horizon we were overlooking. Huxley knew how to pick a good spot I must admit.

"Who was it?"

"Bet it was that Vanessa. She looks like your type." Aiden nodded his head back to a group of girls across the field. PR reps, people here to make the band look good and a techie. He was right Nessa was my usual type. Blonde, petite, quiet, scared to rock the boat, easy. Too easy. My eyes landed on her and a blush rose across her cheeks, looking away and back to her friends. "Oh, definitely Ness." I raised my eyebrows, sitting back in my chair as the bands bus pulled up.

"Here we go ladies and gents. Let the fun begin." Kace smiled, shuffling to grab for another bottle. No matter how long you'd been in this kind of job, you'd heard about Valor's campfire nights whilst they toured. The opposite of everything the rest of the world knew about them. Slow and relaxed, singing around the fire on just an old acoustic guitar. I'd been lucky enough to experience one, the first proper night of tour, they pulled everyone in and wanted to use it to help us bond together. Ace said it was important for his team to know who everyone was and since there was now so many new faces, he had to do it. He set a few rules, mainly just to keep us safe. No drink driving, drug use was allowed so long as someone sober was in the know and it was not misused, no fights, any problems were to be reported to the band and then he dished out his number with beers for everyone.

"The stage guys were gonna go ahead tonight, drive further but apparently Ace said there was some kind of announcement he had to have everyone here." I turned my head to Aiden.

"What announcement? Who told you that?"

"Blake. No one knows what it is. Nothing's happened, no one broke any rules, Blake doesn't know and you know he knows everything." He nodded at the door of the bus as it opened, people starting to gather around the fire, dragging chairs until it was packed out 3 people deep. They emerged one at a time. Zeb, Joe, Nigel, Olive, Ace. Olive. OLIVE. Shit. Fuck. "I thought you said she's only ever here for one night."

"That's what I found online. She hangs out with him when he's in her hometown or local to where she's living."

"But she's there. Coming off the bus."

"I can fucking see that Kace."

"Oh, he's crushing hard. Look Aid." I turned, glaring at him for a second before pulling the beer bottle back to my lips, looking back at her. Head in a book. Nigel snatched it from her, tossing it back onto the bus and she looked furious. She turned to her dad who laughed, shrugged, and walked off. Nigel wrapped an arm over her, dragging her along and thrusting a guitar into her hands. Something she looked so comfortable with. An elbow into his side pushed her dad's friend out of the way and she fell back in line beside Ace. It didn't surprise me that she was close with the band. Not if she grew up around them. I can imagine they're like family.

Zeb sat down onto the wooden log at the other end of the fire. A cooler by his feet, he didn't hesitate to start opening bottles for his group, handing the first one to her as she sat down between him and a space for her father, who was stood, hand on her shoulder. She scowled, tuning the guitar, and then glaring at Nigel when he said something I couldn't hear, Zeb chuckled, making her tip the bottle up when he took a sip, spilling it down his tee shirt.

I don't understand how a girl could perfect like this. Band tee, denim shorts, hair pulled up into a ponytail. I'd seen girls wear the skimpiest of clothes, barely covering a thing. I'd seen lingerie sets in every colour and style, but her, right now. Beautiful.

"Okay!" The group fell silent, chatter ending. The off tune pulling of guitar strings breaking through. The crackle of the fire. Blood flooding through my ears. "Thank you everyone for pulling in tonight, I know some of you wanted to keep going and get ahead of schedule but with months of heavy work, it's important to unwind and you guys have been staring at road signs for the past 2 days. You need a break." He stopped. Sipped. Continued. "You may have noticed an additional member on Saturday at soundcheck who is now fucking about with Nig's guitar."

"Not my fault he fucks it up." She muttered.

"I don't fuck it up."

"Then explain why it's never in tune dickhead." Her dad cracked Nigel around the back of the head and she stuck her tongue out. Daddy's girl. Got it. She leaned down taking a sip from the beer bottle, turning when Zeb tried to get his own back.

"ANYWAY. This is my daughter." She waved awkwardly. "Goes by Callie. She'll be joining us for the next 7 weeks. Well, 6 and a half. She is a part of the family and she will be treated as such. I am fully aware some of you have already met Callie and were not the most welcoming. That's not something we expect here, whether you know who she is or not. You know who you are and you should know I am not impressed." Shot. I've taken a shot straight to the heart and she was staring at me, the tug of a smile on half of her face as she drunk. "If anyone has a problem with Callie being here, they can take it up with the bin in the corner where all trash will be left. I don't want to hear it. Get over it. She's here. She's my daughter and she'll be treated with the same respect I expect everyone else to be treated here. If word gets back to me one of you have insulted her by pretending to be me again, I'll sure as hell be getting out of her who it was and you'll be leaving. Does everyone understand?" The crowd nodded, looking around for the perpetrator who had caused us to be given a telling off.

"Dude, she totally told daddy on you." Kace snickered and I pushed his chair over, sending him toppling to the floor. She craned her neck looking back at me, quizzical look spread across her face. I shrugged. Sipped. Watched her. All night.