The man watched Gwen for what, to her, seemed like an eternity before finally moving to join the crowed in front of the stage. As he approached Gwen kept her gaze focused on him, as though she were studying a piece of art. Her sight took in every aspect of him; the tall, green mohawk, the sleeves of tattoos that twined down both his arms, the piercings in his ears and left eyebrow, the way his eyes seemed to drink her soul. He was beautiful, though Gwen was aware that wasn't usually the word used to describe attractive males. And yet it suited him better than any other word she could conjure, so she went with it.

She was so wrapped up in his looks that she didn't even realize that she'd lost sight of him until she noticed she was staring at an empty space in the crowd. Despairing, she glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of where he had gone. But no sight of him remained and Gwen felt her momentary excitement fade like the afterimage of a dream.

And then came a voice, right behind her, making her jump. "I've never seen you here before," it said, sending a shiver down her spine.

She turned then and there he was, standing so close she could feel the heat from his body.

"I...I, uh...my name is Gwen." she stammered, silently cursing herself for her clumsy attempt at conversation.

"I see." the man said. "Well, Gwen, my name is Duncan Reynolds and like I said, I've never seen you here before. This your first time?"

"Uh, yes?" Gwen said, hoping she was giving him the right answer.

"Well, welcome then." he said, grinning. "Welcome to Mad Dog's, our town's only home for punk and metal shows."

"You...you're not going to ask why I'm here?" Gwen asked, perplexed by his greeting.

"No, why would I?" Duncan asked. "This club is all ages and I assume you're here because you like the music. That's all I need to know."

"Actually, I don't really know the music." Gwen replied, not meeting his gaze.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." Duncan said, grinning again. "The band currently on the stage is Meat Wagon, one of my personal favorite hardcore bands. But the best is yet to come. The headliners for tonight are Static Apocalypse and they're fucking killer."

Gwen looked at him like he was speaking a different language. She had never heard of either of the bands he'd mentioned and she had no idea what hardcore was. She wasn't allowed to listen to aggressive music at home or at school and the most brutal stuff she'd ever heard was some pop-punk and mild goth rock.

"What's hardcore?" she asked then, just for something to say.

"Hardcore is a variant form of punk." Duncan answered, apparently unperturbed by her lack of knowledge. "It's characterized by it's aggressive style of play and it's socially conscious lyrics, along with it's utter disregard for the mainstream."

"So these bands...they don't get played on the radio?" Gwen asked, now throughly curious.

"Exactly." Duncan answered. "Everything we do is about going against the grain, fighting that which would enslave us."

"We?" Gwen asked, once again confused.

"Yeah." Duncan answered. "I'm an anarchist and a lifelong member of the hardcore movement. I even have my own band, but we're not ready to play shows like this."

"Why not?" Gwen asked, finally managing to meet his gaze.

"Because we don't have a singer." Duncan answered. "But we're working on finding one." His gaze lingered on Gwen for a moment before he turned his attention back to the stage, where a new band was getting ready to play.

Realizing that this must be the Static Apocalypse Duncan had mentioned earlier, Gwen also turned her attention to the stage, eager to see what this band was like. She still wasn't sure about what she was listening too, but at that moment it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Duncan liked the music and that she did whatever he did.

When the band was finally done sound-checking, their vocalist, a burly man with long hair and a massive beard stepped up to the front of the stage and bellowed, "What's up motherfuckers! Welcome to the Static Apocalypse!"

With that, the band launched into a ferocious song that immediately got the whole club moving. Gwen felt something inside her surge in response to the beat, her pulse quickening as Duncan grabbed her and shielded her from the flailing bodies all around them. She quickly tired of his protection however and pushed him away, each song pulling her deeper and deeper into the fray, until she had completely forgotten about everything that had been troubling her.

The show lasted for nearly an hour. When it finally ended, Gwen felt as though she'd been involved in a fight and an orgy all at once, though she found that she liked the feeling.

"That was fucking amazing!" she said, turning to Duncan, who was watching her with a mixture of amusement and concern.

"That's Static Apocalypse for ya." he said, grinning. "They really know how to make you forget all about the shit going on in your life."

"How did you know I have shit going on in my life?" Gwen asked.

"Because everyone does." Duncan said. "Also, I could tell from the way you were hanging back when I first got here. You weren't sure if you belonged, as I'm guessing you feel in your everyday life, and you didn't want to risk putting yourself out there. Am I right?"

"You are." Gwen answered. "This is the first time in my life where I haven't felt like there's a weight of someone else's fucking expectations of judgments on my shoulders."

"Yeah, that's what being a part of this community will do for for you." Duncan said.

"How do I feel like this all the time?" Gwen asked, genuinely curious.

"You find the strength within yourself." Duncan answered.

"I'm not sure I can do that." Gwen said, suddenly ashamed.

"Sure you can." Duncan said. "You just have to look hard enough. Eventually the answer will present itself."

"If you say so." Gwen said, staring at her feet again.

Duncan didn't immediately respond, taking a moment to consider this sad, broken girl before him. He wasn't usually the kind of person who helped others, but Gwen seemed so desperate to free herself of the shackles of her oppressors that he couldn't just turn his back on her.

"Tell ya what." he said. "Meet me here tomorrow night and I'll introduce you to some people who can help you. Sound like a plan?"

"Sure." Gwen said, feeling her spirits lift again. "But, who are these people you'll introduce me too, exactly?"

"You'll find out tomorrow." Duncan said. "Now let's get out of here before the crazy late night drunks show up."

Gwen nodded and they exited the club together, parting ways a few blocks later with Duncan's promise that everything would make sense soon. Gwen wasn't so sure of that, but she couldn't help but trust him even though they'd just met. There was something about him that made her feel safe and loved, two things she'd never really felt before, though she couldn't quite explain what that something was. Still, she knew it was there and she was eager to see where this journey would lead her and if it would finally give her the sense of purpose and belonging she had been searching for her entire life.

A/N: And that's chapter 2. The chapters will be getting longer, I promise. Anyway, Gwen and Duncan have now met and the beginnings of Gwen's transformation are taking place. It remains to be seen exactly what Duncan has planned for her and how she and others will react to it, but it's going to be a fun ride, I can promise you that. Also, in case you're wondering, Meat Wagon and Static Apocalypse are fictional bands, though they were likely inspired by real bands I like. Anyway, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed. Cheers, KT.