Ember

I woke up and had a minor panic attack. I was in a strange room with grey walls. It took me a minute of hyperventilating before I remembered that I had a new home now. Get a grip, Ember. You live in California now. With Gerard. Your dad. And his wife and baby. Wow. A lot of shit can happen in a day. I decided I might as well get up and begin my journey to find the washroom. I needed a shower.

Twenty minutes later, I stepped cautiously out of the shower and dried off. I threw on a plain blue t-shirt and jeans, and did my hair and brushed my teeth. I trudged out of the bathroom and headed down stairs. I smelled coffee – mmm, I missed that smell. Mom hated when I drank it, she always said it would stunt my growth, but I could already accept the fact that I had been 5'1 for over a year, and I probably wasn't going to grow anymore. I walked to the coffee pot slowly and grabbed a mug. Mmm. I love coffee – have I mentioned that?

Just then, I heard someone walk into the kitchen.

"Morning, Em. Didja sleep well?" It was Gerard, and he had a small Bandit attached to his hip.

"Yep." Not much of an answer, but still. It wasn't even 8 in the morning.

"Well, I was wondering what you wanted to do today, we could hang out here, go shopping, go to the beach, whatever you want." He said

"Umm, I don't know- I'm fine with staying here." I answered

"Alright then. So, how's the coffee? Not like it matters, though. I'm addicted to it. What was it Mikey always says? Oh yeah, 'gotta pick your poisons'." He chuckled to himself. I stood there awkwardly. I had heard the name Mikey before, but I wasn't sure who exactly he was and how Gerard knew him. I didn't feel like asking. I finished my coffee before Gerard, who was struggling to drink, read a note Lynz had left (saying she had to go to Jamia's – again, someone I didn't know) and hold Bandit.

"I'll take Bandit, if you want, Gerard." I offered.

"Thanks Em." He handed her over and she gave me a little pat on the head. I walked over to the front window and looked out. I saw a group of teenagers – probably just a bit older than me – walking down the sidewalk with backpacks. That shouldn't have surprised me – not everyone's lives were changing. Just mine. I noticed one boy in the group – he stood out more than the others, but not in a bad way. He had short, dark hair and dark eyes. He was wearing ripped jeans and an old concert tee. I tried to get myself to look away, but I couldn't. I'm weak, so what? As the boy and his friends – well, I guess they were his friends – turned the corner, I felt Bandit struggling in my arms. I put her down on the couch, which was a nice break for my arms, and sunk down beside her.

"So, I guess we're sisters now, huh, B?" I asked her

She smiled up at me with her dark eyes – I guess I was the only girl here with Gerard's – and nodded. Just then Lynz walked in through the door.

"Hey Bandit, hi Em. I was just at Jamia's and Frank's-"Gerard cut her off. I didn't think he could have heard her from the kitchen, but I was wrong.

"Oh really? How are the twins? How's Frank and Jamia?" he asked

"If you would kindly shut the fuck up, Gerard, I'll tell you." She answered seriously, but I think she was joking.

Silence from the kitchen. Then...

"Okay. Continue"

Lynz smiled. "They're fine. Cherry's walking now, and if Bandit wants to walk before Lily she better get a move on. Anyway, they want to come over tonight and meet Ember. And if she's alright with it, you might as well invite Mikey and Alicia, and Ray and Christa over."

"Alright. I'll call them later." Gerard answered.

Lynz picked up Bandit. "Anyway, I'm taking Bandit to her swimming lesson. I'll see you guys later." And she left the room.

Gerard walked in. "So, umm, do you wanna see our recording room?" He asked.

"Sure, just let me get my shoes and we can go." I answered, and I stood up.

"No need, it's right here in the house. C'mon, I'll show you." He headed upstairs and went into a room 2 doors down from my new room. As we passed my room, he said:

"Well, we're gonna have to get your room beautified soon, hey, Ember?" He smiled. Wait – did he say 'beautified'? That was so...girly. Really sassy. Weird. Gerard walked into the recording room and flipped on the light switch. I gasped. Even though I didn't play any instruments, it was incredible – the room wasn't huge, but there were at least 10 guitars, just as many basses, an upright piano, a drum set, and a glass window that looked into a tiny space with a microphone. Gerard smiled.

"It's nothing too fancy, but once we decorated in here it made it feel more...alive. It used to be plain grey walls, but we got bored of that, so we kind of...well, you can see for yourself."

I looked around and noticed the massive amount of colour and art in the room for the first time. There was the American flag painted on the ceiling with a spider on top of it. The walls were covered in comic book styled murals and symbols and characters. It was really incredible.

"So, what do you play, Ember?" Gerard looked at me.

"Umm... nothing. Mom said it wasn't important – I mean, I asked once for piano lessons and she said no, but... it's okay." I answered quickly and quietly.

Gerard walked over to the piano and dragged 2 chairs to it. He sat down in one, and patted the other.

"Sit." He said.

I walked over and sat down.

"Now, this is a middle C" He played a key near the center of the piano keys. I played it back. Within ten minutes I had learned all the keys and flats names, and we started scales. At 10:30, I was able to play the major scales, and Gerard suggested we take a break. I was so excited, I didn't really want to stop, but it was probably a good idea to eat something.

After lunch, Gerard and I sat down at the piano again. We never noticed when Lynz came home, but we did notice when a tiny child practically jumped on us from Lynz's arms.

"EEEK- Oh my god Bandit, you scared the shit out of me!" I yelped. She giggled. Lynz walked over to Gerard.

"So, have you called everyone about dinner tonight, or what?" She asked him

"Shit. No, I completely forgot." He face-palmed. Lynz headed for the door, muttering something about having to do everything for Gerard.

"Love ya too, Lynz sweetie!" He called after her in a sickeningly sweet voice. Lynz laughed and flipped him the finger without even turning around.

"So, you ready to meet the band tonight, Em? They're around here a lot, so they're pretty much family." Gerard said

"Yeah, I guess so...but what if they don't like me?" I said the last part quietly, even though Lynz was gone and Bandit was busy crawling around the room.

"Don't worry. They're all like kids in their own way." He smiled

"What do you mean by that?" I asked suspiciously

"Oh, you'll see. You'll see..." He smiled again.

I was freaked out completely about meeting these people.