Family Values

Chapter 1

Chilly morning light seeps through the hotel curtains, dabbling my face and waking me up. Groaning, I slowly sit up and glance at the clock. 8:25. I shake my blue, mussy hair out of my face, push back the covers, and swing my legs out of bed. I listen for the sounds of my dad and uncles getting up, but there was silence.
I groggily stand up and move to the bathroom, where I twist my hair into a bun and change into the outfit I had laid out the night before. I smooth down the front of my top, then examine myself in the mirror.
Deeming myself fit to be seen in public, I exit the bathroom, pull on my black boots, then head out the door, thinking about breakfast.
As I walk, I look around for my family. "They must have gone ahead of me," I murmur to myself. "This is what you get for sleeping in, Colleen, you lazy bum!" I chuckle, then turn and head down the hotel stairs that lead to the breakfast room. I pick up my pace, getting a little worried that Mick, one of my nine uncles and guitarist for the band Slipknot, would take all the bacon. Then I finally reach the bottom of the stairs, where I was greeted with a loud, "Surprise!!!
I take a step back in shock, then laugh happily. Everyone- my dad, Corey Taylor, and my uncles, Shawn Crahan, Mick Thomson, Chris Fehn, Craig Jones, Jim Root, Sid Wilson, Jay Weinburg and Alessandro "Alex" Venturella- were gathered around a table with a largish apple pie with nineteen candles stuck in it, all lit. A tall stack of pancakes and waffles sits next to a big plate of bacon, and a bowl full of scrambled eggs jostles for room next to another bowl filled with fresh fruit.
I run to them and we all fall into a group hug.
"Happy 19th birthday, Colleen!" Sid exclaims, squeezing me tightly.
Mick ruffles my hair and Corey lightly kisses my forehead. "Happy birthday, baby girl," he murmurs, pulling me into a hug.
"Thank you, Dad," I reply quietly. I turn to everyone else. "Thanks, you guys! This means a lot to me!" I giggle.
Shawn approaches me and hands me a small gift. "Here," he says gruffly, blushing a little. "I made it myself."
I take it, then hug him. "I'm not even sure what it is, but thank you," I mumble. He returns the hug, the lets go and takes a seat at the table next to Sid. I pull off the paper and open it. Inside was one of those DIY Friendship Bracelets. The string was sky blue like my hair, and there were letter beads spelling out my name and number.
I smile, lifting it out of the box and sliding it on. I turn my wrist, admiring it.
Suddenly, I hear Corey call my name, and I look up to see him patting a chair next to him that had the pie in front of it. I grin and hurry over, sliding into the chair as Corey stands up.
He clears his throat and begins to speak.
"Guys, I can't express how fucking lucky I am to have all of you. We've hit rough patches along the way to here, what with Paul dying and Joey leaving last month... But out of those bad times, good things have come out of it, like Colleen, Jay and Alex joining us."
He pauses, gathering his thoughts, then starts again. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm so happy to go through all that with the nine of you. There's no one else I would rather be with than you." Finishing, he nods and sits, accompanied by applause from the guys and I.
"Can I blow out the candles now?" I ask. "Not until we sing 'Happy Birthday!'" Sid calls out.
I jokingly moan, and everyone begins singing.
I giggle, feeling the love for my family expand in my chest until I thought I would burst. They finish, then I lean forward and carefully blow out the candles. I accidentally spray a little wax onto the pie.
Alex, from across the table, frowns and says, "Oh, look, now there's wax on the pie. Corey, I think you spoke for a little too long there."
Corey rolls his eyes, then begins cutting up the pie. I stand up to place the pie on plates and pass them out.
Corey grabs the piece that had the most wax on it and gives it to Alex, smirking.
Alex sticks his tongue out at him, then starts picking off the wax.
I settle with my pie and eat slowly, savoring it. It had been a while since I had apple pie.
As we eat, Chris lays out the plan for today. We were going to be closing for a band called Five Finger Death Punch at 2:00, then head out for home. Until then, we would be hanging out at the concert where the new band would play.
After we finish breakfast, we pack up our stuff and pile onto the tour bus. I take my usual spot between Sid and Mick on the couch.
Sid ruffles my hair good-naturedly and asks, "Bet this was a better birthday than last year, huh?"
I giggle in agreement. Last year, for my eighteenth birthday, we had been stuck in the airport waiting for our jet to be repaired. We had been continually harassed by fans wanting autographs and pictures. It was mostly Corey, Mick and Shawn, but the others including myself received our fair share. I had even been asked if I could give someone a kiss (Since the guy was, like, thirty, I had politely declined).
Despite all the riff raff, the guys had really tried to create a birthday-like atmosphere. Mick had bought me a small stuffed panda, and Corey had fashioned me a birthday hat from a Burger King's kid crown. My birthday cake was a chocolate brownie with Jay's lighter stuck in the middle of it. Sid had led the singing, much like this year, and during the song, random passerbys had either given us weird looks or joined in for a few lines. It had been awkward but strangely sweet, because they had tried really hard to make it nice. It had actually been one of my many favorite times with the guys.
I smile at the memory, my cheeks warming up. Then I look around at all the guys joking around and being stupid, and my happiness and pride and love for all nine of them wells up in my chest again. I felt like hugging every single one of them.
Instead, I lean against Mick's arm contentedly and grin.
Mick feels my weight and shifts, putting his arm around my shoulders. I nuzzle into his chest as he inquires, "What are you thinking about?"
I reply, "My eighteenth birthday in the airport, remember that?"
I feel his chest vibrate with a chuckle and he answers, "Of course. You said that was the weirdest birthday you've ever had."
I laugh with him and mumble, "Yeah, but it was my favorite birthday... I don't think I've ever thanked you for it."
Mick squeezes my shoulder and says softly, "Hey, it wasn't my idea. It was mostly Corey's and Chris's."
I smile. "But you went along with it," I argue. "Hell, you bought me Percy!" "You still have that?" Mick asks, surprised.
"It's only been a year, Mickey," I smirk, using the nickname I had christened him with two weeks before the airport birthday. I look up to see him roll his eyes in mock annoyance. I laugh happily as the bus speeds along the highway, taking us to the concert hall and to the band that just might change my life.

*AUTHOR'S NOTE*
The next chapter has an event of sexual assault. This is an early trigger warning. Skip to the third chapter if the second chapter causes a trigger.