Pat

My seatbelt fastened, and I was ready to go. Levi slid into the driver's seat and started the ignition. The car roared to life after a few sputtering coughs. It was still cold in the vehicle because the heater hadn't kicked in. I slammed a fist on the dashboard, hoping it would turn on, but it didn't. I hugged my coat closer, and breathed out an icy cloud of fog. Levi kicked the gas pedal, and it loosened from its jammed position. We took off at 3 in the morning.

The car pulled out into the road, and suddenly I realized something was wrong." Levi, Alaska's that way." I jerked a thumb behind my bundled head.

" I know. Maybe that's why we're headed this way," she nodded forward and I saw her smoky breath rise above the fur-trimmed coat about her shoulders and neck.

" I didn't know you were Canadian. So how long is this road trip gonna last?"

Levi looked at me like I was crazy." I'm not Canadian. I've always lived in the U.S."

" Well, turn around. We can't keep the reunion waiting."

She still had that face." did I not tell you?"

" Tell me what?"

" I use to live in Florida."

"Florida!?"

She nodded her head." but we're not going to Orlando."

" Thank you..."

" We're going to St. Louis..."

"What!?"

"... By plane."

I rammed my foot on the brake, and the car skidded across the icy road and into a ditch. The airbag failed, and I hit my head on the frozen dash. Levi's worked, so her face was cushioned in the plastic, air-filled pillow. Moaning, I woke up with a blurry gaze. Everything was hazy as if it were under smog. Automatically my hand felt my forehead, and I was right. I had been cut.

" Are you okay, Patrick?"

" I'm bleeding," I moaned," and I can't see."

Levi's soft hand brushed the hair out of my face, and I could feel her eyes staring at the gash. Then a cold, wet piece of ice was thrust upon the spot. She said," this will help stop the bleeding. While we wait, tell me what's wrong."

I leaned back in the seat and relaxed. Taking the ice from Levi's hand, I rolled my head so I wouldn't face her. I sighed, then started." I can't fly. Not again."

" But we're not going with people, bud's taking us."

I blindly looked at her then fumbled with the door handle." never! I'm never going on one of those small cargo plane's again, especially with bud!" I managed to open the door, and as I got up to get out, my seatbelt stopped me and pulled me back into the seat.

Levi sounded like she was crying. I guess she managed to sniffle," but you promised me you would go."

" I did no such thing, and if I had, that was then, and this is now!" I yelled. I didn't mean to, but it just came out that way.

She was definitely shedding tears, and it was because of me. I was a bad person. Was it too much for me to go with her to the reunion?" Levi, I'm sorry. I'll go."

" You will?"

" Yeah, and I'm also sorry I made you cry. I guess my anger is how I hide my fears." I reached towards where I remembered her face to be, and wiped away one of Levi's tears." forgive me."

Her hand clasped over mine, and we sat there in below freezing weather. " I do." and we thrusted our arms over each other, hugging one another close.

" Okay, let's go." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocketknife. Leaning over Levi, I popped the airbag and cut it off. Then, the remains were tossed out the window.

We drove off to the airport.

***

" What do you mean ' delayed '?!" I yelled, swinging my lighter luggage around in the air.

The clerk cleared her throat and pushed up her tiny spectacles with her forefinger. I listened to her fingers go " Click " against the keyboard. She looked up at me and stated," Yes, the flight to St. Paul, Minnesota, is delayed."

I gave the clerk the stink-eye and left. Great! I was stuck at this dumpy little airport in, like, nowhere because of a little snow. A foot of snow an hour isn't as bad as riding in that flying dumpster with bud; I don't no what could be worse than that.

Levi came over to me, so I perked up; I wasn't gonna ruin this trip. " Hi, Levi. The flight is delayed. You wanna..."

" When will it not be delayed?"

" Uh... Like I was saying, do you wanna go get something to eat at the cafe?" I pointed to the airport's little restaurant and waiting area.

She shook her head but said," I guess." Whether that was a " Yes " or a " no ", I really don't know. So we walked over to the counter and ordered.

Ben

I dropped the suitcase in the trunk of the car and shut the door. It wasn't my car nor was it Alli's, but we had rented the used, bright green Beetle. Green was normally my favorite color, but the shade was a sick, puke color. No wonder why we got it at such a cheap price.

Slipping into the driver's side, I inserted the keys, and the car sputtered and spit smoke until the stale gasoline gurgled in the body of the vehicle. The morning dew glistened underneath the hazy fog that I was carefully traveling through.

I squinted my eyes at the address on the torn piece of chewing gum paper. The numbers and street were correct, but it didn't look like a place that a top journalist would live in.

It was a low, one-story, brick building, drained of its blood color. Instead, it was a rusted tan color with completely bleached spots around corners and edges. The windows were dark, not only because of the loss of light, but also because dirt and dust had caked on the glass. Trees grew short and fat with their branches reaching to the sky, begging. It wasn't a very optimistic place, and it gave me the chills.

Nevertheless, I walked to the dark door as casually as a creeped-out person could. I searched for a doorbell, but found none, so I knocked on the door with a sweaty fist.

The door swung open so suddenly that I jumped back in shock. Alli was in the doorway, holding a carpetbag and looking puzzled. I sighed in relief, took my shaking hand away from my pounding heart, and said," Man, you...you sc-scared me. Why do you l-l-live here anyway?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she floated by me and towards the car. I rushed to the passenger door and opened it before she could. Alli smiled at me as a sign of thanks and kissed me on the cheek. She got in and laid the bag in the back seat.

***

We had been traveling for six hours, but had only barely gotten out of Los Angeles. The traffic was terrible, and that was at seven in the morning. During rush hour, it was like Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.

It was sooo slow. A snail could have won in a race against us to the nearest fire hydrant. It was so slow that I dozed off, and five minutes later when I woke up, the car ahead of Alli and I hadn't moved a millimeter. Those six hours droned on like six days, six years, six centuries. But finally we moved, and the Beetle rolled down the highway.

" So, why do you live at that spooky whatever it is?"

Alli yawned and blinked back the sleep." The rent is fair, and it's not so bad on the inside."

" Let me guess. Appearances can be deceiving?"

" Right! Just think about it. You don't judge a book by its cover." Alli stared at me, noticing 'guilty' was plastered on my face." You do?"

I nodded, ashamed." But it was only one book."

She then dared," Let's make a deal. We'll only go to places that seem disgusting, filthy, or at least unpleasant on the outside. If they are really great places, I win and you have to... go back to that children's hospital and help administer the medicine... through shots."

" But what if I win?" I challenged." What if most of the stops ARE disgusting, filthy, and unpleasant?"

" Then I'll personally see to it that you get your own magazine. I'm not talking local and so-so popular; I'm saying it will be the number one best-seller in America!"

That wasn't such a bad idea. I've always longed for my own published book, and a magazine was pretty much an on-going biography of people's lives." Deal," I said and spit into my hand. Alli did the same, and I grabbed hers and gave it a tight squeeze. I couldn't lose; that haunted hospital was too much.

" Look! There's a place right now. It's way past lunchtime, and I'm starving! What do you say?" Alli asked.

I eyed the sign." Pedro's Pancake Palace. Why not?" Inside my mind, I laughed. Pedro's Pancake Palace was going to be pricey, but also plum nasty.

***

" Oh my gosh, that was like, the best food ever!" I screamed as we walked out of the restaurant and into the parking lot. " Who would've thought Pedro wasn't Spanish, but French instead!"

" I knew you would like it," Alli answered." It's 1 out of 1 for now."

Somehow, but I don't know how, she knew that this place was really good, and I had fallen for the trap." I pick the next place, whether it's a restaurant, a motel, a gas station, or a restroom area." Alli only nodded like she knew something that I didn't.

We drove away and into the desert, making sure we avoided Las Vegas. The Beetle headed east, passing a series of small, no-name towns unlisted on the road map.

One of the towns really hypnotized Alli. I didn't like it because it reminded me of Orlando. A warm, light breeze stirred the leaves of beach trees and other tropical foliage. Screeches of seabirds carried across the salty air, but there were no birds, not even a buzzard.

And the strangest part of it all, was the noise. The air was silent, and then the wind stopped flowing and all was still. The beach houses were dark on the inside, there was no one on the street, and cars sat abandoned in their driveways. I could've sworn I heard the roaring of the ocean's waves as they crashed on the pale yellow sand, but we were in the middle of a desert.

Alli wanted to spend the night there because it was growing dark, and she didn't like to travel at night. So I stopped at an inn, and told her to wait in the Beetle while I saw if the place had a vacancy. I went in to find the whole room covered in dust; dust that had been there for ages, and I'm not talking overnight either.

I ran to the car, got in, and sped away without explaining to Alli what I had seen. It was way too freaky to even think about.

***

The next day I woke up before dawn because that town was still haunting me. We were at least fifty miles away, but goosebumps stood my hairs on end. It was not the silence that spooked me, nor the fact that the town was a mini-Orlando, but it was what I had seen at the inn.

I had looked out the window to check on Alli when I noticed this creepy black candle burning in the middle of the road that had not been there before. I turned around, and that candle sat in front of me, melting, liquified wax running onto the counter in pools of dark red.

When I turned the key to the car, that candle pulled my eyes back to where it sat on the counter. It stared at me, dripping its blood-like wax and licking the air with its flame.

That freaky candle was in my dreams, and the motel bed I slept on felt like fire. I woke up sweating and scanning the room for the possessed candle. But it was not there. It was not in the hallway, and it was not in Alli's room.

Was I going crazy? Had I dreamed the whole candle thing? Or, did I also dream the tropical town? I don't know, but I was shaky the whole trip to St. Louis.

After taking a shower, I went downstairs and waited for Alli. An hour later, we were on the road.

Driving through the desert in the morning and the evening was okay, but at noon, it was torture. Alli and I didn't drive at noon; our car had a flat by nine.

Alli checked the trunk for a spare while I inspected the hole in the tire. A chunk of glass had been wedged into the wheel, and blackish-red wax had dried onto the smooth surface. I jumped back and hit Alli.

" Hey! I just came to tell you that the spare is flat, too. This is really weird, but I found this piece of broken glass jammed in the tire. It had blood or something on it, but I wiped it off."

" Where did you wipe it?"

Alli looked at me strangely." What?"

" What did you wipe the glass off with?"

" Your jacket because I knew you wouldn't mind."

I grabbed that coat and beat it. Then I excused myself and trekked off into the desert, looking for a spot to dig a grave for my nightmares. The perfect place was a half-mile from the road, and it took me ten minutes to dig a hole that would separate the haunted candle and me.

I walked back to the Beetle and sat down on the pavement, leaning my back against the only green thing for miles. That puke color was starting to look good compared to the single, earth-toned color that was somewhere between gray and brown and orange.

Alli and I lay there for hours, suffering beneath that torture device everyone called the sun. It burned down so hot that I actually wished the sun was that freaky candle. We couldn't do anything because it was too hot.

After the sun had gone down, and the earth began to cool, we started down the road on foot. Alli carried our three water bottles while I dragged my rolling suitcase down the street in one hand and grasped her carpetbag in my other one.

We walked and walked. The desert was beautiful at night, but my attention wandered from the landscape to times with Natural. They were happy memories, but I was almost on the verge of tears because the guys were like lost brothers.

I sniffed the tears back and tried to focus on the night sky overhead, which I normally wouldn't notice in the city. All the pollution would block the view.

The stars twinkled brightly and the moon had a luminous glow surrounding it. A coyote's silhouette appeared at the base of the moon, and not long after, the mutt's howl for the orb floated on the breeze. I saw a shooting star and made a wish on the dying ball of gas. It left a streak of tears behind it, which sparkled.

An old, beat-up blue truck blew its horn at us because Alli and I were in the middle of the road, traveling the opposite way.

" What are you kids doing out here?" the old lady driving the truck asked." Where's your car?"

Alli pointed in the direction and said," That way, but it has a flat tire and a flat spare."

" Well, I have an extra one. Do you want to have it? I have no use for it."

" Thank you, ma'am, thank you very much. We can get it and take it down there," I told her.

" If you insist, young man."

I climbed into the bed and took the tire out. It was a little bit larger than the other ones, but it would still work." Thanks again!" I called as we ran down the street, rolling the tire along the dotted line.

An hour later, we were ready to drive off except that we were both extremely tired. Alli and I got in the back seat and locked the doors. Then we both went to sleep, her in the seat, and me on the floor.

***

A coyote howled, and the barking from the other members of the pack woke me up from my sleep. I looked at my watch, and it was only a little past four. The sun hadn't begun to rise yet, but many of the nocturnal creatures were returning to their dens.

I crawled over the seat and got behind the wheel without disturbing Alli. The car started and rolled down the street, the passenger side slightly higher than the rest of the Beetle. Turning on the radio, I yawned and tried to find a station that would pick up.

The FM side crackled on every station, so I changed the tuner to AM. At first, I couldn't find anything, but somewhere along the way I knew I had found something other than a radio station. A voice, covered in static, shouted out to whoever was listening. It sounded familiar, but I couldn't tell you who it was.

" Help, somebody help!..." and that's all I understood. The message faded, followed by more static.

Having traveled for an hour in silence because the radio was off, I was relieved when Alli woke up." Where are we?" she asked.

I looked through the rear-view mirror at her. Alli's hair was a mess and stood out in all directions. Her lipstick was smeared, and her mascara had run, almost as if she had been crying. She smoothed out her wrinkled T-shirt and pulled the folds out of her khakis.

" We're in Colorado now. In about an hour, we'll cross the Rockies. Do you want to stop somewhere and eat breakfast, or do you just want a cereal bar?" I pointed at the bag of snacks.

" A cereal bar is fine. We'll eat out for lunch," she smiled." Besides, do you want to go out in public with me when I look like this?"

I just laughed.

Around noon, we stopped at a restaurant called " Hog's Heaven." It was the perfect place to win my bet with Alli.

Located in Colorado, the outside air was cold, but so was the inside. The snow fell in blankets on our table because a hole had been punctured in the ceiling. I asked the waitress what had happened to it, and she said that a hunter had come in one day, forgetting his gun was loaded, and waved it around at the spot, pulling the trigger. After three shots, he realized what had happened and left before anybody could recognize him. Then I had to ask if we could get another table, and the waitress just shook her head. Strike one for " Hog's Heaven."

After looking at the menu, I decided to get the grilled fish, but they brought me an Opossum Burger instead. They put homemade mayonnaise on it, and I threw up after we left the restaurant. Strike two!

I ordered a pie for desert. It was supposed to be a homemade apple pie with almonds and cinnamon, and I found out that the same ingredients were different ingredients that had been added. Instead of fresh apples, the cook opened up a can of baby food, mushed preservatives. The nuts weren't almonds, but whole peanuts, including the shells. And the worst of all was the spice. In fact, I wouldn't consider it a spice. It was tea sweetener. Sick, and strike three for the diner!

Alli drove that afternoon because my lunch was still making me sick. She had to pull the car over several times, but it finally got out of my system. I drifted into sleep, feeling better. I didn't wake up until we stopped in Kansas City, Kansas, to spend the night.

Alli slept, but I wasn't very sleepy, so I stayed up and watched TV. On the weather channel, the forecast for the period we were staying in St. Louis said it would be constantly snowing.

I hadn't seen Missouri dressed in white for quite a bit of time. I might have never except on video or something similar. I couldn't wait for the vacation!

Pat

" Flight one-o-two is ready to board! Flight one-o-two ready to board!"

Not mine, so I didn't care. I kept on drinking the coffee and glancing at the sick, glazed donut to my left. How much longer would I have to wait?

I looked over at Levi. She was picking at the sprinkles on her sugar cookie and dropping them in the floor. Finally, after staring at her for five minutes and willing her to look at me, she did.

" Patrick?"

I choked on the steaming cup of caffeine. With the burns stinging my mouth like a million angry bees, I said," Yeah?"

Is something bothering you? You seem upset - tense, really. Maybe you should take a walk."

" I think I will do that," I responded, pushing in my chair with ease. " Be back in about ten minutes unless I hear the flight announcement." I grabbed my jacket and threw it on.

Walking toward the restrooms, I noticed a bulletin board. It seemed harmless enough to go look at it, so I went over. A lot of the things advertised on the board were people looking to get hired and people looking for someone to hire. The flyer of a local Canadian band was posted, saying that a concert would be held in Wishy-Washy, Alaska. Then there was a couple of local grocery stores' salespapers. What's new?

After my trip to the restroom, I went over to one of the clerks. " Is the flight to St. Paul, Minnesota, ready to board?" Please, say Yes, Please!

" No." She looked at me.

My face became full of hate. I looked like I was about to spit on the poor woman. Finally, after an extended minute, I loosened up a little. That had made me angry.

I shuffled past the traffic of human cars to the window. Laying my forehead on the glass, I closed my eyes. Then, I lifted my head and began banging it on the frosted glass. My life was over; I was stuck at an airport.

Soon the banging stopped, and I opened my eyes. Snow poured like a white syrup, drizzling and falling in blotches as more was squeezed. For a minute, my sight was impaired as the crystals were released in a batch.

When they became normal again, I saw something in the snow. At first, my brain could not perceive this thing. It was just too hard to comprehend. I thought it was a real angel, but finally I decided that it was a real person.

She stood there in the snow. She wore a coat made of white feathers that was so long that the feather tips dragged the ground. Her hair was blonde - or was it gold - and red. It was styled up into two buns. Hers lips were scarlet red. She was beautiful! Who was she?

AS I was about to rush for the door to go meet her, I changed my mind. It wasn't because I didn't like her or because of Levi; it was because of the man who walked up to her. He wasn't the tallest person; I looked the same height as him. But he was muscular and looked like a bodyguard. Apparently that's all he was because he motioned for her to head to a giant, private plane and didn't give her a kiss or a hug, nor did he put his arms around her. I stared as he watched the " Angel " walk to the plane. His long, black leather coat whipped in the snow and wind as he turned and faced the window. I tried to look ordinary, and he didn't notice. The bodyguard began the trek back to the plane, but not before I saw one of his eyes behind the metallic sunglasses (Just wondering why he's wearing sunglasses in winter during a storm and no sun?). He looked familiar.

" Could it be...?" I whispered to myself, but I erased the thought from my brain.

Marc

" Are you sure you're taking enough stuff?" I asked Kris sarcastically. The truth was she had alot. Not just an extra bag or two; more like an extra six.

I heard her call back to me," Maybe you're right. Have I forgot something?" She stopped walking.

She began walking again when I laughed. " Just kiddin', Kris. Just kiddin'."

" Yeah, but I don't think I brought enough," Carrey stated from the front of the line. " How many bags did I bring, Marc?"

Stopping, I threw the luggage off my back and set down the carried ones. Carrey's luggage was light, but not that light. After endless searching for all of his bags, I counted and responded," Four. Two rolling suitcases, a holding case, and a backpack. Anyone else need any info?" No one answered, so I threw the packs of clothes and who-knows-what back into my possession.

The deal about the luggage is because Kris and I are going to that reunion, the others want to be dropped off somewhere, and they made me carry their stuff! The only thing I wasn't carrying was Kris's bass. So, that means yes, I was carrying two guitars, a drum set, and a keyboard plus the clothes.

The airport was crowded. I navigated my way through the mob until I got to a clerk. Throwing the weight onto the ground, I said," This goes on the Black Acid plane, please."

" AHHHHHH!"Apparently she had heard of me. " Right away, sir!" Our things were taken away. Hopefully, they would reach the plane.

I squeezed back into the crowd to hide from the off-the-rocker clerk who was, at the moment, screaming and jumping. The flow of the people was going the opposite direction that I was, so I bumped into somebody.

" I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed, trying to see whom I hit. When I did realize whom I hit, I tried to run, but the airport was so full that I couldn't move.

" Mr. Terenzi, is that you?"

What could I do? I couldn't go anywhere, so I answered the familiar red-head. " Hello, Jones." Yes, it was that April Jones who said that she would find Patrick. " So, why didn't you call us in TWO months like you promised?"

" I didn't promise," April stated, flipping her hair from one shoulder to the other," but I do have information on the whereabouts of Patrick King. He's in London."

London my butt. He's not in London because he didn't have enough cash to get there, and I have recently visited, but I wasn't gonna tell her that she was wrong. " Oh, well, great!" I added to her comment. Scanning the crowd for an opening, I tried to squeeze through a couple.

" Where are you going?" Jones demanded, flipping her hair again and fluttering her eyelids.

" You got something in your eyes?"

" Uh - yeah, sure." She faked a finger rub across her peepers. I knew the real truth; she was trying to flirt with me. After she had finished getting the thing out, April extended a hand. " We've never really been introduced. I'm April." She made an annoying giggle.

" I'm leaving. My flight can't wait and neither can my girlfriend." When I said " girlfriend ", I really put emphasis into it.

***

" What took you so long?" Jason asked from his seat on the couch in our plane, twirling a drum stick.

" The luggage took a while, the crowd was thicker than your hair with that goo in it, and I ran into an old friend... more like enemy." I threw myself into one of the chairs. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh. " Where are the others?"

As if it was an answer to my question, they came in, talking about a football game. Carrey, who seemed to be the supplier of the news, stopped abruptly, and grinned at me. " I'm going to China!"

With my eyes still closed, I replied," That's nice." I really didn't care. Within minutes, I was fast asleep.

***

China was not the best place to go at the moment because of some major storms and a recent earthquake, but Carrey insisted on it. The trip over took many hours. We had plenty of food for the three days that we'd be flying, but by the time we had hit the tiny city that Carrey would be staying in, he had devoured every crumb.

When he got off, we immediately began the flight to Brazil. Jason and Anthony went to sleep, Kris visited our pilot, and I sat in the dark, listening to the sounds of the guys' snoring and the tweet of Carrey's canary.

***

I looked at the clock. It was 5 o'clock in the morning. You would think that we'd be in Brazil by now, but we couldn't fly over the Pacific because of extremely bad weather and a hurricane. So we took the long route to Brazil.

Getting out of my chair, I looked around for Kris. I found her lying on the couch with Jason, but then I noticed that Anthony was gone.

Finally, I saw him. He was sitting at the back of the plane at the table, drinking some orange juice. Apparently that was all that Carrey left because Anthony usually doesn't even look at the stuff.

When he heard me coming, he looked up from the magazine that he was reading in the dark. " Want some?" he questioned, motioning toward the bottle of orange liquid.

I shook my head; I wanted some coffee. The cabinets were bare, and the refrigerator was hopeless. " Is there anything besides O.J. around here?"

Anthony pointed to a drawer by the sink. " There's some black coffee in there, but we have no sugar or cream."

Rushing over to the drawer and pulling the package out, I kissed it with joy. Finally some energy could be found.

When the coffee was getting ready, I went and woke Jason up. He slid out from behind Kris and followed me to the kitchen. " Aren't you going to wake her up?" he asked groggily, wiping his hand through his hair.

I poured some coffee into a cup. " Maybe later; let her sleep." Sipping the drink for a second, I noticed that the lights weren't on anywhere in the plane. " Does anyone ever think about turning on a light?" I reached over and tugged a lamp cord only to find that the room stayed dark.

" What's going on here?" Anthony stated, even though we all wondered the same thing.

Jason suddenly became more aware of his surroundings. " Why isn't the plane's lights coming on?" He became jumpy all of a sudden and moved closer to me and Anthony.

Anthony got up out of his wooden chair and went to the cabin. I followed, and Jason stayed next to me; he was definitely scared.

" Captain?"

Elizabeth, the pilot, turned to face us. " Don't worry, guys. The fuse for the lights busted, but we're okay. There's nothing to worry about, but we are about to hit a thunderstorm," she explained quietly.

" How bad is it?" I had to know. Were we in danger?

Josh, the co-pilot, looked up from the radar. " Pretty bad. You might want to get ready for it."

I woke Kris up as quick as I could. She was afraid because it was dark, and we were crowded around her. " Don't worry everything's gonna be okay." I held her close to my body.

We went through that storm like there was no tomorrow. The plane was tossed about and missed getting struck by lightening many times. The thunder shook the flying vessel as we sat there in the dark. The four of us were lucky to be alive.

Anthony got off in Brazil later that day around 6 in the evening. He was very glad to see solid, unmoving ground again. I wanted to get out with him, but I faced my fears and stayed on.

***

The next place we were going to was Canada. Jason was really excited about going there because some of his family lived in a little town in Alaska called Paradise. I've never heard of it.

It was snowing when we arrived in the Canadian airport. The ice crystals were falling quickly, and the wind made it worse. The depth was increasing at such a fast rate that the airport wouldn't let us take off.

" Man, I'm starving," I declared. Kris, Jason, and I were sitting in the plane. None of us wanted to venture out into the blizzard, so we sat there, hungry.

" What I wouldn't give for a cheeseburger!" Jason screamed and scratched his head.

Kris laughed. " I'd pay $50 for a half-eaten milkshake." She looked out the window and sighed.

My brain was hurting from lack of food. Why did Carrey have to eat all of the food? His bird has plenty of food, and we were starving! That reminds me... I need to give that dumb canary its seedbell.

I got off of the couch and walked over to the cage. Reaching for the seedbell, I talked to the yellow speedbump. When I threw the bell into the wasteland of newspaper and bird droppings, I whispered,"Eat while you still can." I smacked my lips; I was hungry. Soon, if I had to, I would eat that bird.

" Hey, guys, the snow's lettin' up for a while. Jason, you'd better get going while you still can," Kris informed.

Jason and Kris headed for the door, but I stopped Kris. " Stay here. I'll go get us some food." She sat back down and watched as we left.

***

There was only one restaurant in the airport. It was some type of cafe. The food looked nasty when I scanned the tables, but it really didn't matter.

I went up to this girl with brown and blonde hair who was dropping sprinkles into the floor. " Excuse me. Does this cafe take Canadian money or American money?" I fixed my metallic sunglasses so she could see my eyes.

" It takes Canadian money, sir," she responded. " Do I know you?"

" You might have heard of me," I smiled. " I'm sorry to ask you this, but I don't have Canadian money. Could I pay you American dollars for some?"

" Sure." We switched, and I ordered some food.

When I got to the plane, I found that Kris was gone. Looking out the window, I spotted her in the snow in her feather coat.

Clenching my black leather coat tight, I reached her. She didn't look scared, but she told me a strange man with long blonde hair was staring at her. After she began to walk back to the plane, I scanned the window. No one looked out of the ordinary, so I trekked back through the growing snow.

***

Kris and I were on our way to St. Louis in a few minutes. All through the trip, I thought of what the reunion would be like.

Pat

My flight was called over the intercom, and I headed back to the cafe. Levi was leaving when I arrived, so I joined her.

Our large bags had already been taken out to the plane, and we carried our smaller ones. The one I had was Levis, and so was the one she was carrying.

" I hope we're going in a bigger plane than I traveled in last time because there was barely enough room for me; not only did bud and me have to ride in the front seat, but my luggage had to also."

" Well, Im not sure which plane he will be driving for the trip," Levi stated as we walked out into the snow. Levi saw him, then she said," there he is!"

I looked past him to see the aircraft, but the snow was blowing to thick. All my vision could see was the tiny crystals chasing each other in the storm.

Bud greeted us, hugging Levi and giving her a big handshake, but he dismissed the thought of doing either to the crazy lunatic who had almost committed suicide while riding with him last time. He glared at me like I was a bad luck charm and shook his head like he knew he was going to regret this.

All three of us trekked through the snow to the tiny carrier plane. It was the same one I had rode in last time." don't worry," he yelled," all of our luggage is in the back seat! That leaves us plenty of room in the front!"

The color drained out of my face. It had been red because of the freezing cold, but the thought of the closeness of everyone stopped the blood flow. I could have sworn my heart stopped, too.

I reluctantly climbed into the cabin, praying that things would go smooth, praying that I wouldn't try anything to endanger us, praying that bud nor Levi would trigger my insanity. All I could do now was pray.

I shut the door on my side, and bud shut his. Then the doors locked. Fastening my seatbelt, I leaned over Levi and did hers also. She was jammed in the middle, and I was hyperventilating on her. She tried to calm me down, but it wouldn't work.

" Air control, this is plane one-two-five asking permission to take off," bud reported.

Static answered him, but apparently he knew the answer because he started the plane, and we were rolling towards the runway. Bud flipped a few buttons, and then he said," we're on the runway now. This is the pilot asking for clearance."

The radio answered unclearly with the crackle. " Plane one-two-five is taking off now."

The engine roared to life, and the plane bounced down the rocky clearing. Lights flashed within the cockpit, casting shadows on my horrified face. Plane 125 leapt into the air, catching a thermal with its silver wings.

But suddenly, something went wrong. The engine died, and the motor could be heard screeching while the propeller popped as it halted. When it quit, so did my heart.

The cockpit was quiet as we plummeted towards the runway, 200 feet below.

Mike

I needed to pack a few things before Lynn and I left for the reunion. The bare necessities needed to come with me on the trip. What are the bare necessities, you say? M.D., a toothbrush, extra clothes, shaving cream, a razor, and more M.D. are what a person really needs to survive.

My identity would have to be Michael on the trip. I couldn't let anyone know that I was Mike-o. And I would have to remember that Lynn was not Mimette. She was Lynn Brewer.

Driving over to Patrick's old, deserted place was not easy for me. It brought back happy memories and sad memories both. Nevertheless, my thoughts always wandered to the sad times, which brought tears to my eyes.

I went into the house by using the front door. A couple of months ago, I had shut and locked it to keep out animals and rain. The key did not work the first time I tried, but it finally gave in. Pushing the door open, I heard a scary, low squeaking from the hinges. My first thought was to turn back, but I didn't want to drive all the way to St. Louis on a motorcycle, and I'm sure Lynn didn't either.

Before I entered Pat's garage, I checked to see if he had any food that hadn't already rotted because the trip would be kind of long, and we were bound to get hungry. Soon, after searching for the unspoiled goodies, I made my way into the garage. I looked over at the wrecked Rolls-Royce. That reminded me why I was here, why I had met Lynn. The memory made me choke, but not because I was in the Kiss, but because Patrick was gone. Would I ever see my best friend again?

After loading all of the food and stuff strapped to my motorcycle into Pat's other car, a blue Cadillac, I sped off to Lynn's house, hoping she would be ready to go when I got there.

I found Lynn standing in her driveway with a dufflebag in one hand and a mesh laundry bag in the other. She pranced up to the car, threw her things in the trunk, and got in the passenger seat in less than a minute.

" So, this is finally it," she announced to me." After the reunion, we're not going to come back to Florida; Klown Kiss will officially be out of our lives. I guess we will stay in St. Louis or move north or something." Lynn folded her arms and placed them behind her head to prop it up in that relaxed position.

" I guess so."

" Aren't you excited, Michael?! You can meet all of my friends! I'm just sorry that I'll never meet yours."

I shook my head. " It's true; they've probably forgotten all about me."

" Don't blame yourself," my friend reassured me. She put a hand on my shoulder in a comforting way. It was kind of soothing. Maybe she was right. I should stop blaming myself.

The gas pedal was pressed down with so much force that I jerked forward. We were gonna leave this awful life behind, and it would only take hours.

***

" Are you sure we're going the right way?" I asked, flipping the road map around in the correct direction." You've been reading it upside down."

Lynn giggled and flipped her hair." So I have. What will we do now?" Lynn lightened up and became serious." We've been traveling in the wrong direction for 24 hours, and the reunion is in two days!"

Why hadn't I noticed before? All the signs read North Carolina or South Carolina, and I hadn't even thought twice. We were supposed to travel through Georgia, into Tennessee, and then be in Missouri, where it would be only a matter of a couple of hours until we reached St. Louis.

" Okay, let me think. Um... why don't we just head west from here and hope we come out around St. Louis."

" Well, that's dumb! It'll take forever!"

I gave Lynn the stink eye." I know you were expecting some time off before the reunion, but so did I. We'll just have to make some sacrifices to get there on time, unless you have a better idea."

" We could fly. Drive us to the nearest airport, and we'll board a plane."

" That takes money, and that's what we don't have. I don't know if you remember, but our line of work doesn't exactly pay in large bucks."

" But you work at a gas station. What happened to that money?" Lynn questioned.

" I work PART-TIME, and I usually don't even show up for that. Besides, what little cash I do get feeds me."

" Fine, we'll stow away!"

" But that's wrong!"

Lynn swelled up her chest, speaking in a deep voice, imitating me." I don't know if you remember, but our line of work isn't exactly legal."

" You can do that, but I'm not. I'm out of the Kiss, and I plan to stay out of trouble."

" We won't be when Charlie finds out about our break away from Klown Kiss."

" We're sticking to the road, and that's that!" I ordered as I pulled off a dusty side road and onto a westbound interstate. Being glue wasn't exactly my best idea, but it wasn't the worst either. I had been in trouble before, and somehow I always managed to get out.

***

It was 9 o'clock at night. We'd been traveling along highways, interstates, and backroads for the whole day. My head was spinning from all of the "Streets", "Roads", "Drives", and "I"s. I didn't think I could go on.

" Okay, turn on the next left. Yeah, right there. Now follow this road 'til you hit the interstate. Take it until you get to this exit, and we should end up in St. Louis," Lynn navigated. Her face was buried inside the atlas.

I yawned. My eyes blinked. I yawned again. How much further? I closed my eyes. They'd only be closed for a minute. Drifting off into a light slumber, I let the wings of unconscienceness take flight.

The car swerved. Lynn screamed. I woke up in time to avoid an accident with a 16 wheeler. " That was a close one," I said, breathing heavily.

My passenger was staring forward with big, aware eyes, but she turned to face me. She looked like she was about to cry. Instead, she became angry and hit me with her purse.

After some time, she calmed down and said she was sorry. I apologized, too. We decided to stay at the small inn on the road, so I could get some sleep.

***

I woke up late the next day; it was almost 11:30 A.M. Believe it or not, but when I knocked on Lynn's door, I heard a yawn from the other side.

" What do you want, Mike-o?" Lynn yawned after she cracked the door.

" Don't call me that! Especially not in public!" I whispered to her." Someone might hear."

" So what do you want?"

" Have you seen the time? It's 11:30!"

" What?!" Suddenly, she snapped out of her sleepiness." What are you doing standing in your pj's? I don't want to know...Just meet me downstairs in the lobby in thirty minutes."

As it turned out, I was down there at a quarter before twelve, and Lynn didn't show up until a quarter after. She thought she had a good excuse, too. Lynn had to be fashionably late. And I told her that we would be unfashionably late to the reunion if we didn't get going.

It was a little past four in the afternoon when I noticed a sign on the side of the road that read " Welcome to Iowa."

" Lynn!" I yelled." Why are we in Iowa?!"

"Oops, my mistake!" she exclaimed.

" Well, at least we're near St. Louis. I mean, we ain't in Minnesota!"

So, we drove south, heading into Missouri. Lynn messed up our course again, and we drove all the way into Kansas. Then we turned around, driving east, and we hit Jefferson City. It was ten P.M., and I was really tired, so we spent the night in Jeff City. We didn't go to a motel, but instead we fell asleep in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Pat

The plane swung up as it neared the ground, missing the pavement below. I grabbed my chest where my heart was and breathed deeply." Don't...ever...do... that...again!"

" Sorry, I can't control things like that."

" You're a pilot, aren't you?"

" Yeah, but like I said, I can't control the airplane. She has a mind of her own."

" Where did you graduate?" I asked, suspicions rising.

" Oh, yeah, those were the days. I was valedictorian of Paradise High. Captain of the football team and Homecoming King all four years of school, too."

Levi suddenly became aware of what I was getting at." You never went to college?"

Bud snorted the snot and chuckled," Oh, I did go to college." He shook his head like we were crazy.

" And, you graduated?" I asked. He sat there staring out of the window of the cockpit." You didn't."

" Well..."

" Well? Did you hear that, Levi? We're flying in a plane with a college drop out! Bud, here, probably doesn't even have a license!"

" I do too have a license! How dare you accuse me of such a terrible crime!"

" A flying license?"

Suddenly Bud wiped the smile off his face." You better not tell a soul."

" Or what?" I dared." You gonna crash this plane or something? Try me."

Bud and Levi sat silent looking at me. I could see the fear in their eyes building up. Their pupils widened to large, circular pools of tar. That lasted for about three hours, until I fell asleep. Although I was halfway unconscious, I still could feel the atmosphere around me loosen up.

I woke up two hours later, and I found Levi had gone into a deep slumber, and Bud was humming a pitiful tune out of key.

I slowly crept my hand towards the radio phone, keeping my eyes squinted so that Bud wouldn't notice I was awake. I was so close that I lashed out with my hand and grabbed the tangled cord. Before I knew it Bud was wrestling it out of my grip, and Levi was trying to pry us apart.

" Give it to me!"

" No!" I yelled back at him. I pressed the communication button and put the speaker up to my lips. I screamed into it," Help, help! Please help! Help, somebody help! Anybody! Just, please, save me from this madman!"

Bud bit my hand, causing me to drop the phone, and he snatched it up from off of Levi's lap." Don't ever touch any of my stuff again! And I mean it!"

I slumped in my seat and mumbled to myself," HIS stuff! Yeah right, he probably stole it."

J

It was three days before Jessi's big reunion. We were at a really fancy French restaurant, discussing meals that should be served at her once-in-a-life-time-to-meet-my-friends-again party.

" Should that include whipped butter and crushed almonds or spiced-ranch mustard?" I asked about the previous item.

Jessi sat down her fork and thought. " The mustard seems most appropriate." She took a quick bite of her fried calamari. Changing the food topic, she laughed," I have a friend that likes fish burgers."

" So?"

" Can you make her one? I don't know what type; do you have any in mind?" Her voice sounded really pathetic; apparently she really wanted to impress these people.

" Okay, she can have the Saucan Burrito Burger. It's a grilled fish patty on a giant roll with refried beans, tomatoes, onions, and cheese."

My guest looked down shyly. " I have another friend who loves Italian food. Got anything for her?"

I knew the perfect dish. " It's garlic-stuffed ravioli in a cheese sauce. The cheeses are Monterey, Feta, Cheddar, Swiss, Colby, Parmesan, Bleu, Monzrella, and Limburger. Together, this combination makes 9 Vampire Ravioli, the 9 meaning 9 cheeses."

" Limburger?!"

" Yeah. It's really good."

" If you say so."

" Any other special orders?" I asked, leaning over the table after writing the names of the dishes on a piece of paper.

" Well," she informed," I do have a friend who is a French fanatic and another who prefers... grease."

French dishes weren't exactly my type, but I was in a French restaurant, and I do know how to make one. " How's this sound? Onions, olives, and oysters grilled and covered in a tomato and basil sauce. I call it Honorable O's," I stated.

" Great!"

" Now, the Greek dish will be simple because I don't know too much about it. I could whip up some lettuce, Feta, olives, grapes..."

I was cut off by Jessi. Giggling, she announced," Not Greece; GREASE!"

" Grease?! What type of woman is she? A sick one?" I told her, shocked. " The only greasy thing I serve is the Sausage Dog. It's like a corndog, but it has a sausage, a pancake, and a raspberry and maple syrup filling. I'll warn you that it's not the best dinner dish."

" It's perfect!" she screamed. " She loves corndogs and just simply adores breakfast foods. How did you know?"

" I didn't," I moaned. Talking about food gives me a headache - especially when I'm eating.

Jessi took a sip from her iced tea. Pushing some hair out of her face, she smiled. " Now, let's talk about appetizers and drinks. I was thinking crackers and cheese from different parts of the world. My French-loving friend will have Brie and Neufchatel with a French roll. My Italian-eating girl will have Fontina and Gorgonzola with breadsticks. The greasy one will eat Edam and Gouda with saltines. Cheddar and Stilton with white bread squares will go to the fish lover."

" Okay, well, what about the drinks?"

Her smile became twice as big. " It's simple; everyone will have tea."

Whew! That's alot of stuff. I hope I'll be able to make this all. I scanned the orders, which caused me to notice something. " I thought alot of people were coming, but you only have orders for five. What's up with that?" I scratched my head.

Again, her smile widened. " Those are my close friends. I don't really care what you make for the others. Finger foods will be fine. My friends' food will be served after the others leave."

This was gonna be the best reunion ever, even if I had to work myself to death; I would not let sweet Jessi down.

***

It was the day of the reunion. The time was about 11 o'clock, and I was already rushing to make the dinner and snacks that would be served at 8 P.M. sharp. I couldn't totally make the food in advance and heat it up when it was time because some foods are just better the first time they are hot; if you were a chef, you'd probably understand.

Even though I had the preparation of the food to do, I also had to be a tour guide. Jessi thought that having a fieldtrip to my restaurant would be somewhat educational, plus it would look good for a student teacher to do something fun.

That one brat, Austin, hung around me the whole, entire time. He asked the most annoying questions, like," Do you like Miss Davis?" or," How old are you?" Every question was, I assure you, off the subject of restaurants.

" Mr. Horn, what is it like to own a restaurant?" Miss Davis asked.

I stood in front of the students. After numerous times of clearing my throat, I answered," Different. It's definitely not what I expected." Then, I heard a beep sound from the kitchen.

I ran to the back of the building and through the metal doors. Looking at the stove, I saw the food go up in flame. It was black and crispy by the time I reached it and could not be identified. Great! This was just perfect! Now I'd have to redo the whole dish.

Austin had followed me to the kitchen and was messing with one of my culinary knives when I turned around. " Drop it!" I yelled, trying to make sure the kid wouldn't get hurt. Luckily, he laid it down. I let out a sigh of relief.

Austin was escorted back to the tables where the students were sitting. Turning to Jessi, I said with disappointment," I found this in the back, playing with something that he shouldn't play with. He could've got hurt; I stopped him though."

The little spawn of the devil grinned and pleaded to Jessi," I wasn't gonna do anything wrong. I was just waiting for Mr. Corn."

" That's Horn!" I corrected.

Jessi took the kid with the name of a city in Texas out of my hand. She was not happy with him, and I definitely wouldn't want to be him at the moment.

I went back to the kitchen; I had a stove to deal with. Glaring at it, I recalled the time I burnt my hand on it. The bandages on my hand scratched my head in thought. What was I gonna do? My enemy seems to be refusing to cook the correct way. I guess I'd have to watch it at every moment that something was cooking to prevent any more mistakes.

***

It was 5 P.M. There was only two hours before the guests would be arriving. I was putting the finishing touches to a potato skin appetizer and the chilled shrimp. Jessi was checking the place to make sure that it was in tip-top condition.

" Streamers... check. Punch and iced tea... check. Flowers... check," Jessi informed herself. She was very busy because she wanted the night to be perfect. " J, how's the food coming?"

" Great!" I exclaimed from the kitchen. " When did you say the finger foods should be ready?"

" Eight. Oh, did I tell you that my friends might have guests. It won't be a problem unless my four best friends bring guests; it would be rude to make their guests go home when I have the dinner. Whip up two of each dinner dish; hopefully the extra people will like it and won't be allergic."

" Okay. I'm not gonna start making the dinner until 8."

We kept ourselves busy with meaningless tasks. I became so bored at one point that I went to the restrooms and cleaned them myself. Then I did a gum inspection. I checked every underside of every table.

Finally it was five minutes 'til. I gave Jessi a kiss on the forehead for good luck and went to the kitchen to begin more of the snacks.

Pat

It was five minutes until seven o'clock, and Levi and I sat in the parking lot in a rental car. I was squirming in my seat because I was ready to get out. I looked at Levi in her red leather, fur-trimmed coat. She was wearing flared bluejeans that were faded at the knees and a t-shirt with the sleeves tied with ribbons, and it said," He's mine," with an arrow pointing to the right.

I zipped up my patched, wool coat that had various designs on its many colors; the air was cold and still. I laughed to myself because Levi and i were wearing pretty much the same thing. My bluejeans had the faded part, but they were not flared; they just had wide legs. My shoulder blade-length blonde hair rested on a larger version of Levi's shirt, excluding the ribbons and adding a red "S" in front of the black words. It pointed to the left.

" Can we go now?"

" No," Levi stated firmly.

" How about now?"

" No!"

" Why not!?"

" Because, Patty-cakes, we want to be fasionably Late." Levi checked her watch." The party just officially began."

I mumbled to myself and turned to look out the window at the door when I saw a couple enter the restaurant." They just went in," I whined.

" I don't care."

Fine! Then I remembered something. Was it that the woman had been wearing a knee-length, bluejean jacket studded with rhinestones? No. Maybe it was the fact that the man with her was wearing a black and white football jacket so old in age that the black had faded gray, and the white was turning yellow at the seams and elbows? No, it was something else that had been bugging me.

That thing was the thought that the guy appeared to look like one of Natural. He was a mirror of Ben Bledsoe. But what were the chances that two members of the same group who had split up would be joining some girls to a reunion for them from middle school? One in a millon is what I would say.

We waited fifteen more minutes until we got out. By that time, the parking lot was filled, and Levi was satisfied. But, apparently, that was still not fasionably late. Why? At 7:30 P.M., a limo pulled up with camera lights flashing on the star.

I got a closer look and noticed that it was the angel I had seen in the Canadian airport. She had on that white, floor-length, feather coat, and she was accompianied by the bodyguard in the long, black leather coat. But somehow, he gave me the same uneasy feeling I had at the terminal. He reminded me of Marc Terenzi.

That made me afraid, so i tried to avoid them.

At eight, snacks were laid out on the table. A couple came in unfasionably late. She was wearing a transparent, plastic coat. He had a bright yellow sweatshirt on that had a picture of Bozo the Clown that read," The Bozo Show." That brought back an unwanted memory. Let's not talk about it.

As if the bozo logo was not creepy enough, I could've swore it was Mike, Michael Johnson.

I ran to the kitchen, but turned around as i looked through the door. There was a image of Josh Horn pulling something out of the oven. The bathroom was my hideout until I remembered they could go in there, so i locked the girls bathroom.

Levi pounded on the door until I finally gave up. They would have to be gone; everyone had left. I didn't see anyone, so I headed to the door, thinking that the reunion was over. Instead of actually leaving, I was stopped by Levi. " We've got a special dinner to go to."

She led me into a party room. There, sitting around a circular table, sat every Natural member with a girl.

" This is great!" I heard J say. " We're all together again... well, except for Patrick. So what have you guys been doing?"

Marc leaned back in his chair. His clothes consisted of a chain mail pull-over vest, a black tank underneath that, a pair of black leather pants with strings around the knees, and some black boots. He answered," I've been in the music business; I'm in a group called Black Acid with Kris, here." Pointing to the angel, he smiled this smile that was just too freaky, like he thought he was better than us or something.

Ben was wearing a black silk-like button-up, a pair of khakis, and tennis shoes. He did this funny little laugh and replied," Well, I've found the cure for the common cold, and Alli lost a bet; I get my own magazine!" He took a girl's hand in his and kissed it. Why? I don't know.

Michael... Is that Michael!!!! What is wrong with him? He looks like a gangster or something! His clothes were sick. He had on a torn up white, sweat stained tank with torn up bluejeans. " I joined a group... but I got out. It wasn't the healthiest thing I've done. Lynn came from the group." His arm was slung around the lady at his right.

" I've become a cook," J reported. He had on a black vest, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. His shirt was a white button-up. He had removed his black dress coat.

" Ahem," I breathed. They all looked up in unison. Suddenly, chatter arose, and whoops and whispers were passed about. I heard my name mentioned many times.

" Patrick King is here!" the females in the room screamed, and one fainted. It was the one called Lynn. She was wearing a bathing suit and shorts.

Noticing that her clothes were kind of odd, I checked the other girls. Alli was wearing a crushed velvet, bubble gum colored tank dress that was pretty short. Her shoes were huge-heeled sandals. Kris had on a silver, short tube dress and held a black feather boa. She had black, knee-high boots. Jessi, the host, wore a white, floor-length gown with a long slit up the side. I couldn't tell what her shoes looked like.

I sat down in one of the last two chairs. This was gonna be a long night.

***

It's been a week now. I'm not exactly sure if I should have ever agreed to go to the reunion. I think that something that night did something to me.

After I sat down, we sampled cheeses, and then J brought out the main course. Mike and Lynn ate the Sausage Dog, Ben and Alli dined on the Honorable O's, Marc and Kris chowed down on the 9 Vampire Ravioli, J and Jessi shared a giant plate of Japanese Pizza, and Levi and I pigged out on the Saucan Burger. Then we all had a slice of Chococide and some coffee.

At the table we discussed everything, from Ben's sideburns to Marc's bedhead, from Jessi's lipstick shade to the jewelry on Lynn. then a subject was brought up about the runaway. I was reluctant at first, but as the night wore on, I was filled up with emotions until the story came pouring out along with my fears and my tears.

After the guests listened, Michael suggested that I go to a therapist. But I didn't listen. At least, not until yesterday. he suggested I should buy a dog so that if I do feel lonely and unloved, I can always count on the dog to listen.

Today, I'm meeting the guys at our tourbus on a highway. My new puppy jumped in the backseat while Levi and I slipped into the frontseat of our rental. We drove down there and arrived last.

As I stepped out of the car with my dog, I noticed four others of the same breed about the same age, rolling, fighting, and playing.

" What is this?" I asked puzzled.

" We all saw a doctor this past week," Ben answered.

" And they prescribed us with the same medicine," Marc laughed.

" It seems we all have the same taste," J added.

I looked at the Siberian Huskies." Mine's the gray and white one. His name is Aries," Michael informed." J's dog is the brown and white one, and his name is Apollo. Marc's is the black and white one who's name is Anubis. He's a boy. Ben owns the only girl. Aphrodite is the tan and white husky. So I guess the white pup is yours?"

" Yeah, his name is Artemis."

" Well, let's go celebrate at lunch!" Ben exclaimed.

" Where do you want to go?" J asked.

I thought about it, but couldn't think of anything." No suggestions here." Maybe somebody else would have an idea.

" We could go somewhere that we shouldn't." Marc began to grin.

" What are you talking about?" Ben asked.

" Let's go somewhere unpredictable, like... Pizza Palace!" Marc shouted.

" What? You mean that kiddie restaurant?" J wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

" Let's do it!" Michael screamed.

We put the dogs in the tourbus and would come back later to pick them up. Everyone got in Marc and Kris's limo. Everyone is: Marc, Kris, Ben, Alli, Mike, Lynn, J, Jessi, Levi, and me.

***

Two hours had passed, and we had arrived at the tourbus. I was the first one to enter, and what I saw looked like a disaster area.

Pillow stuffing, cotton and feathers, was everywhere, including the air. Glass was broken, paper was shredded, old clothes were ripped and torn, and the curtains had been pulled off the rod. Mattresses had holes in them, scratches covered the furniture, and the little amount of nonperishable food items had been eaten.

I saw Anubis chewing and tugging on the bitten chords of Marc's guitar. Those strings were all sawed in half, swaying and slapping the husky as it fought back. The corners of the guitar and the pegboard had been knawed on; teeth Marks could be seen.

Then i turned slightly, and I saw Aphrodite scratching her claws against Ben's bass, screeching loudly. The whole bass guitar had wounds and gashes from the toe nails that digged and ripped at the surface. All of the pegs had been chewed off, also.

Apollo sat on J's keyboards. At first, I thought he was just resting, then I noticed he had had an accident. It smelled fresh, too. Some of the keys had been ripped up out of place, but most of them were the black ones. I even saw that the cord that connected J's piano to his amplifier was broken.

Hearing something from behind Michael's drums, I went to check what it was. I found Aries not behind Mike's set, but inside the bass drum. It was stretched out with one of the drumsticks in his mouth, and the other sat beside him, reduced to splinters.

Artemis ran by, dragging my guitar behind him. Apparently I had not cut the strings off at the top, and they had got stuck in his tail.

" What?" Michael asked from behind me. When he noticed his drums, he shouted," Aries!"

Ben pushed past me to look at the damage. He was speechless until he ran over to his dog. He cooed," Is Aphrodite okay? Did them mean ol' boy huskies make you do this?" I think that he was in complete denial.

Marc marched over to his dog and pointed. " Bad dog! Bad dog!" he announced. His dog got closer to the floor and looked up at him with sad eyes. " Well, there wasn't any damage done except to my guitar." Anubis perked up.

J ran over to where his dog was sitting, which was the keyboards. He spanked the dog and let it go. Then he began cleaning up the... you know.

The girls were amused. They walked through the bus, checking out the damage, which Marc denied, and the dogs, who had all done it; Ben just didn't want to except the truth.

A whistle sounded from Jessi's direction. It wasn't a good sounding whistle either.

Alli grabbed my dog and unleashed him from the torture of the guitar. She looked up at me and said," How can you just stand there and act like nothing has happened?"

Kris found a trash bag and began cleaning up the mess. She didn't seem too happy, especially at me, because she questioned," Pat, aren't you gonna help?"

Lynn giggled. What did she think was so funny? That was kinda rude to do right in front of our faces.

Levi put a hand on my shoulder. Her eyes gazed into mine, and I could feel that she was sorry for me.

And so, we worked all night to clean up the tourbus.

***

I rolled over, away from Michael, and plugged my hearing with my pillow. It was now four in the morning, and everybody, but me, had been sleeping for two hours.

We had all been wiped out at two, and everyone collapsed onto a bed. There were only six beds on the tourbus, so everyone had to double up, and I got stuck with Mike. He was talking to himself, and it was driving me up the wall.

Your probably thinking," Hey, if there are six beds, which two people had there own?" Well, let me tell you, no one. Them mutts got up there first, and it is impossible to move them.

I tried to dig my head deeper into the mattress because them stupid huskies were howling at the full moon. I know there like, part wolf, but do they really have to do that?

And another thing, when I was picking through the shredded magazines, I found an article on Siberian Huskies. It said that most people who want to own a husky need to know that the dogs are very destructive. Why hadn't I read that before I got one?

That time we spent cleaning the tourbus seemed to be a miracle. We all had been close before, but now, I think, we are even closer. I found out that I was loved, and if that I ever felt like running away again, all I would have to do is look at the scar on my back from the hit-and-run and remember the tough times. If any of us felt that way, we would have those scars to remind us.

Now that we are together again, Natural and the girls are going to go down to Flordia and announce to TransContinental Records that we're back and ready to make up those missed tours.

I have learned a valuable lesson, and I hope you have, too.As always, Keep It Natural!