The Rolling Saviours

Prologue

Tears blurred Alyssa's vision as her father kicked her ribs.

"You bitch!"
His voice was slurred by the alcohol he'd consumed, his breath stank as he grabbed the collar of her t-shirt and hauled her up, only to throw her against the wall.

Alyssa bit her lip, tasting her own blood as she tried not to cry out.

Her ribs were on fire where he'd kicked her and every breath hurt.

A fist landed in her stomach, driving the air from her lungs.

Ever since her mother had walked out, Alyssa suffered the abuse instead.

After what seemed like hours of pain and shouting, her father stormed from the room, leaving her curled in a sobbing ball on the floor.

Gradually, she picked herself up, moving carefully to avoid hurting herself any more.

Once she reached her bedroom, she sat down, switching on her record player and setting the needle down.

Leaning back, Alyssa closed her eyes as the guitar announced the beginning of "Street Fighting Man"  by the Rolling Stones, her favourite rock band.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as every breath caused pain to her battered ribs and side.

She wondered if she'd ever escape the circles of beatings and being called things like "You shit!" and "Girl".
She couldn't remember the last time her father had called her by her name.

"Well now what can a poor boy do..." she sang softly along with Mick Jagger
"Except to sing for a rock 'n' roll band. 'Cause in sleepy London town there's just no place for a street fighting man, no!"

Alyssa dried her tears, letting the music soothe her aching soul.

Moving slowly, she changed into her pyjamas, then sat back down, humming along to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."

Rumour said the Rolling Stones guitarist, Keith Richards, had written the guitar riff of the song in his sleep and recorded it on a cassette player.
It was "Satisfaction" that had launched the Rolling Stones to global fame.

Alyssa hummed until the song came to an end, then put it on again, singing along this time.

"...But he can't be a man cause he doesn't smoke the same cigarettes as me."
Alyssa smiled as that lyric left her lips, privately thinking that nobody smoked the same cigarettes as the Rolling Stones, as at least one of them was notorious for drug use in his younger years, though he was reportedly clean now.

The next song that came on was called "The Last Time" but Alyssa skipped it because the one after it, "Jumpin' Jack Flash," was one of her favourites.

The opening guitar riff was magic in itself and one of Alyssa's favourites of all Keith Richards' riffs.

"I was born in a cross-fire hurricane. And I howled at my ma in the drivin' rain. But it's alright, in fact it's a gas, but it's alright, yeah. I'm jumpin' Jack Flash, it's a gas, gas, gas."

When the song ended, she put it back on, closing her eyes as the guitar played.

She glanced at her record collection, deciding to go hunting for more Rolling Stones, AC/DC or Alice Cooper records tomorrow.

She needed more music to escape from the hell that was her life.

Though her father disapproved of music and often smashed her precious records, it was the one thing Alyssa could not and would not give up.

So she spent what little money she had in a second hand shop on records, meaning she only had two sets of clothes and a single set of pyjamas as her father wouldn't spend his money on her.

Alyssa didn't care.

She needed music more than clothes.

Her aching body was craving sleep so she slipped into bed, leaving her record playing softly so she fell asleep to the sound of Mick Jagger's voice.