Nobody's Hero (A Black Veil Brides fanfiction)

Chapter 1: Stay Close

{This was originally written in a notebook while I was at school, something that I could use to keep myself and my friends entertained when we didn't feel like paying attention to our classes. Lots of this has been edited before it's put in, though the storyline remains the same. I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it and please vote and share it with your friends!

Also; I picture my main character (stupidly named after me cause I had no idea what to name her at the time) as Shailene Woodley.

Enjoy!

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"We expect a battle for humanity is about to begin. With each uprising, a fake sense of safety will ignite in you-an unseen shadowy sliver of doubt towards those who protect and defend you. But the thoughts slip away and remain calm. Stay close to F.E.A.R— only we can protect." The transmission ended with the faint sound of static and the room became quiet again.

F.E.A.R kept us safe from the Rebel Uprisings. They called themselves the Legion of the Black, their leaders the Wild Ones. They coated themselves in black war paint and wore masks that covered most of their faces. They ran like a wolf pack, storming the streets, ripping people from their homes before slaughtering them. Fires were set everywhere you looked, lives ruined at their hands.

They wanted to destroy our society. They stood against everything I'd ever known.

Turning away from the projection fading slowly from the wall, I went to find my best friend in a room nearby. People had slowly started to make their way home or to find their families. I, unlike the rest of them, had no intentions of returning home just yet..

I was pushing my way through the crowd when a pale hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me to the side of the corridor. "Where are you going, Little One?" His voice a hushed whisper in my ear.

"Anthony." I sighed, a small smile pulling at the corners of my lips.

Anthony had escaped from an Uprising in a city not too far from my own. I had found him standing around outside the school one morning, looking like a lost puppy. Once I gathered the courage to talk to him, I pulled him inside and showed him around. Since that day, he's been sort of a teacher's assistant—though he manages to pull me into trouble more than I'd like.

"Were you looking for me?" His breath ghosted across my skin has he pulled me into a tight hug. My thoughts floated back to the message from F.E.A.R and how it only brought a feeling of dread to my heart. I looked into the deep oceans of his eyes, knowing he sensed the shift in my emotions.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he pulled me back the way I had just come from. Anthony nodded to a few of his friends, while blocking me from their view— I knew he didn't like them knowing about me, since I was a few years younger than them; he didn't want them getting any ideas.

He led me out to the courtyard in the middle of the school and sat us down on the grass, just beneath the old pine tree. We were silent for a few minutes before Anthony broke the silence. "I'm thinking about joining them." I could feel his steady gaze on my face, waiting for my reaction to his words.

I looked up from the blade of grass I had between my fingers. "What?" There were so many emotions I was feeling— anger, sadness, hurt, shock. I couldn't think of anything else to say but, "Join who?" I watched Anthony rip a few blades from the ground while he thought over his response.

He finally looked up from under his long, brown bangs. "The Legion of the Black." He murmured softly. There was a fear shining brightly in his eyes, a fear I knew all too well— he didn't want to be shut out again.

"You can't be serious!" I crawled over to where he sat, pushing his hair out of his face. "No, Anthony, I won't let you."

He gripped my shoulders in his enormous hands. "Jess, can't you see what F.E.A.R is doing to us?! They're corrupting our minds into thinking that anyone who's different should be cast off!" He muttered quickly, looking around to make sure no one was around to witness his outburst. "It seems like the Wild Ones and their Legion have the right idea." He started to stand and turn away from me.

"Anthony," I caught his chin and made him look at me, my frustration clear as day. "If anyone finds out that you're thinking like this, we'll never see each other again." I bit my lip, not wanting to tell him his fate. "They'll lock you away forever." I shook my head. Just the thought brought tears to my eyes.

I hung my head so the man before me wouldn't see the tears roll down my cheeks. Despite my actions, Anthony saw the tiny droplets fall into the grass. Sighing, he sat back down. "Jessie, come here." He pulled me between his jean-clad legs and held me in a comeforting embrace. "I want to go, but at the same time, I don't want to leave you here alone." Anthony tried to hide the hurt in his voice, but he did a shitty job at it; I could tell that even thinking the words hurt him emotionally.

I sucked in a breath, hoping that I could use this as a chance to change his stubborn mind. "Then don't go."

Anthony shook his head. "I want you to leave with me."

I pushed away from him, shocked. "W-What?" Had he really just asked me to join an army of thieves? An army of killers?

He sighed at my actions before shooting me a smile. "Please, join the Legion with me."

I pushed myself up, now standing a few feet away, with my back turned to him. "How could you ask me to do that?! This is my home!" Allowing myself to think about this entire conversation was making me believe that he was crazy.

I heard Anthony shuffle to his feet. "Don't tell me they've gotten to you too..." He murmured, his footsteps drawing closer to where I stood. "Please don't let them have taken my best friend." His voice cracked near the end of his sentience.

"You can't just leave." I willed the tears not to fall, but they betrayed me, slipping down my skin. "They'll keep you in."

Anthony wrapped his arms around me gently and chuckled in my ear. "You think a few guards are gonna stop me?" He turned me around, ignoring the wetness that stained my cheeks.

He pulled an arm away from me, holding up a small necklace with a large pendant hanging from it. "What's that?" I stepped closer to it, letting it rest against my fingertips so I could get a better look.

It was their symbol. A star formed by the shape of ten letter Bs with the bottoms connected, little points branching off slightly from their tops. The symbol of the Legion. I let it fall from my hand immediately, clutching my hand as if it had burned me.

"Anthony! Where did you get that?!" My eyes widened as I continued to stare at the golden pendant, watching it sway in the air.

"One of them gave it to me." His blue eyes burned into my brown ones, heavy emotions flickering behind them. I was afraid of what he was going to say next, knowing it was being influenced by the necklace in his grasp. "The man said to be outside the city walls...tonight."