"Lincoln, Nebraska!" A cheer resounded from the audience, causing the man behind the microphone to laugh, "Are you fucking ready?"

The crowd screamed again. I bounced on my feet, behind Zach. Maxx went on first, ducking behind his drums and automatically getting into place. Dan, Zach, and I were all next, falling easily into our places as we began to play our instruments. I stood almost in the center of the stage, a little closer to Zach than to Dan. Our cue to play came on, and I bopped my head a little bit, strumming the cords of my bass.

Cody appeared behind us, weaving between the drums and then between me and Dan. "How we feeling tonight?"

The crowd's screams would have deafened me if it weren't for the fact my ears were plugged.

"We are Set! It! Off!" Each word of our band's name got a strum, each harder than the last.

An easy slide into Uncontainable. I leaned into the microphone, harmonizing with Dan's backing vocals as Cody sang his verse. Zach stood in the middle, behind Cody. Cody didn't block him, though- Zach's bobbing and weaving around back there made sure of it.

I almost felt bad for Cody. He must have been touched at least ten times just during Uncontainable. This crowd insisted on jumping, and as I watched, the containment fencing rocked back and forth.

My chest pounded, and I tried to focus on just playing the instrument. I nudged Zach, and he easily slid into my place. His vocals weren't in the same range, but they could cover.

Why did my anxiety spike? My fingers bounced over the strings, trying desperately to make it look like I was okay.

The crowd could have mistaken our slide into Wolf in Sheep's Clothing as a band-wide mistake. We had done this before though. The motions came easy, and I bounced in order to try and calm down.

It seemed to be working. Even though Wolf in Sheep's Clothing was Set It Off's top song, the crowd calmed down just a little bit. From behind Cody, I couldn't see the rocking of the fence.

Cody approached me, violently peeling his jacket off.

"Sam, you good?" Cody yelled over the music.

"Yeah! If it gets too bad I'll let you know!" I replied, pushing past him to start clapping to the beat with Zach. We hopped onto the raised platform, my bass hitting my back. My hands stung a little bit as I hopped off a second later, getting behind Cody again.

I began to play the main rift underneath Dan and Zach's guitars. The familiarity of the motions comforted me, seemingly giving me permission to let loose a little.

The chorus felt like it ended too quickly. Nevertheless, I hopped back up and continued clapping, cheering with the crowd. This time, I was up with Cody, and I screamed into his microphone with him.

My throat ached, but boy was I having a hell of a time.

The rest of the night became uneventful. The routine had been engrained into my mind. Play the show, run to the trailer (parked far enough away that Killian didn't get hurt), get refreshed, do some DPT with Killian in bed while the boys get refreshed, then bring Killian to the Meet-And-Greet.

The crowd that night didn't even fill half the room- we hadn't sold out the VIP Packs at this show.

"Killian, claude," I demanded softly. Killian moved in front of me, pressing against my legs. I didn't even have to bend down to pat his head. Killian licked my hand, pressing his head into my palm.

"Bonus, Killian," I whispered.

Cody and Zach stood on either side of me, providing comfort and safety. As the first fan came up, I let myself dissociate a little. Just the usual high-five, say hi, the occasional "No, you can't pet him", take a picture, sign something, and then the next fan comes along.

Around 3/4ths of the way through, one boy came up with his mother. Upon seeing Killian, she immediately began to coo over him.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but he's working right now. Please don't interact with him," I explained.

"A dog? Working? Oh you must be working so hard aren't you?" She asked the dog.

"Ma'am-"

She leaned down and began to pet Killian. Killian leaned further into her hand.

I sucked in a breath, "Killian, saepi." He immediately moved behind me.

The lady straightened up quickly, "I was playing with him!"

"And he's working. She said leave him alone, so you need to leave him alone," Zach spoke up.

The woman groaned, walking off to the side.

The boy came up sheepishly, "Sorry about that. I warned her before the show-."

I smiled, "It's okay, you tried your best. I appreciate it. What's your name?"

"My name is Henry," He said.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Henry. Got anything I need to sign?" I asked, grinning.

"Just this," Henry said, slowly pulling out a copy of Upside Down.

I laughed, "I've heard this is a good album."

"Yeah, I really like the bass," Henry replied, laughing.

I laughed, signing the cover and passing it to Cody. "Yeah, I've heard it's good!"

The night wrapped quickly. By the time we got back to the trailer, I could barely keep my eyes open. Killian led me to my bed, hopping up next to me and laying his head on my stomach. We barely fit into the bunk, but that meant more of him for DPT.

I heard the boys messing around in the cabin area. I sighed a little, running my hand through Killian's fur. He let out a breath, which fanned over my chest.

My curtain moved to the side a bit, revealing Zach. "You okay, Sam?"

"Mhm," I mumbled. I could feel how hard my heart was pounding.

"We're gonna sleep here for the night then start driving in the morning," Zach explained.

I nodded, "Alrighty." I hadn't spoken above a whisper, but Zach heard me.

"Get some rest, Sam," Zach said. "Good night, Killian." Zach reached in and scratched Killian's head, much to the dog's delight.

I laughed, "Good night, Zach."

He smiled and shut the curtain. I flipped over onto my side, allowing Killian to lay on something other than my stomach. I pulled my laptop out of the side pocket of my bunk, then I opened it and began to watch some TV.

"You want to do what now?"

My body lounged on my couch, and Cody sat in front of me.

"I want to move the band to LA. I haven't asked the guys yet, but I figured I would come to you first," Cody explained. "I don't want you to be too startled by it."

"But why?" I asked. Killian's head rested itself on my knee, stopping the bouncing that shook my body.

"There's a lot of good producers and studios out there, plus there's a lot of other bands out there we can collaborate with," Cody leaned forward in his seat. His hands wrung together, rubbing gently over themselves.

I looked down at Killian, nodding slowly. I couldn't doubt that my heart beat hard on my chest, or that my hands shook.

"If you don't want to go, you don't have to. But if you do, the guys and I will be there for you every step of the way," Cody said.

I nodded again. My eyes trained on the floor, but as I looked, I could feel them focusing and unfocusing on each piece of grain. Nausea clouded my throat, so I looked away.

"Sam, do you wanna head to dinner now? I'm gonna tell the boys when we get there," Cody offered.

"Let me get dressed and take my meds," I mumbled.

Cody nodded, "Take your time."

I stood, gently pushing Killian off my leg. He trotted behind me, making sure to occasionally boop my calf as I changed. I made sure to grab his boots and harness, walking with the older dog as I ran over my mental checklist of what I needed for dinner. My purse was on my coat hanger by the door, my shoes were on the floor-.

"Ah shit," I mumbled. "Killian, arcesse." Killian trotted off, going to grab my medication. Cody stood in front of my fridge, pouring a glass of water.

"You got comfortable quick," I teased.

Cody laughed a little, "It's for you, weirdo." He turned around and handed me the small glass of water.

I laughed a little, grabbing the cup. Killian walked back into the room, pill bottle in his mouth.

"Alright, let's go."