Ashleigh waited nervously, clutching a worn manila envelope in her hands. She'd been standing there for hours anticipating the group's arrival at the arena, and at last she heard the low rumble of a tour bus pulling into the lot. Quickly, she rose from her spot on the narrow brick wall just outside the building. Once more, Ashleigh raised her eyes to heaven, praying for help and strength to accomplish the task before her.
Her breath caught in her throat as the first of the guys exited the bus. Lance, she reminded herself. It appeared as though he had more than his fair share of energy to burn as he bounced up and down in place. The next man off had Ashleigh stuck for a moment. She racked her brain to come up with a name as her mind rapidly flashed back over all the web sites she'd looked at over the last couple of days. Through her sister's influence, Ashleigh knew the group's music, but she'd never taken the time before to learn who was who. But that was then, and this was now, and now it was essential for her to be able to match names to faces. She received help with the second man when a third, who she knew to be Justin, bolted off the bus a split-second later, followed by a brunette in a bright blue shirt sporting the Superman logo.
�Chris!� Justin shouted as his friend took off running. �Get back here, Old Man! You're not going to get away with that!� The two began chasing each other as Lance and �Superman� stood next to the bus laughing.
Just as she had connected the Superman shirt to the name Joey, the final member of *N Sync stepped off the bus. Ashleigh's brown eyes widened as she took him in. This was who she'd been waiting for. He was taller than the last time she'd seen him, and he'd let his hair grow longer. She took a deep breath, glancing down once more to the envelope she held and wondered briefly if he'd remember her or Amber. Exhaling slowly, she stood up a little straighter as they began walking towards the arena doors�towards her.
They were still about thirty yards away when Joey's brown eyes met hers. He said something to the others quietly, and they too looked up to where she stood. They stopped momentarily, probably debating on whether or not to call security, then Justin shook his head and began walking closer. Here goes nothing. Ashleigh thought. Amber, I need your help. She remained calm as Justin climbed the steps and came to a halt just before her. His deep blue eyes ground into hers for a moment as if he was trying to read her, before he thrust his hand toward her.
�Hi, I'm Justin.� he said cheerfully. �And you are...�
�Ashleigh.� she whispered, taking his hand lightly. �Ashleigh Brentwood.�
�Well, Ashleigh, it's nice to meet you.� he said gently. �Though we didn't think any fans would be here.�
Ashleigh saw the curiosity in his sparkling eyes and heard his unspoken question and hastily explained. �Oh, um, I'm not staying or anything. The arena manager is a friend of mine, of my sister's actually, and he said that I could wait out here, as long as I didn't bother anyone.�
By now, the others had caught up with Justin and had arrived to hear Ashleigh's last statement. �You've been waiting for us?� Lance asked.
She kept her eyes to the ground, knowing she'd lose her composure if she looking into his eyes. �Yes.� she began, then faltered. �Well, for Josh actually.�
JC stepped forward after hearing his given name coming from someone whom he'd assumed was a fan. He looked the rather plump girl in front of him over, confused at the pang of recognition that hit his stomach. �Do I know you, um...� he tripped over his words, trying to remember if he'd heard her name.
�Ashleigh.� Justin supplied.
�Thanks. Ashleigh.� JC repeated.
The young girl in front of them finally looked up, and they were startled at the innocence and childlike beauty that radiated from her. She gave them a shy smile, then half-nodded. �Kinda.� she answered softly.
JC was confused. �Kinda?�
Once again a smile graced her features briefly. �My sister and I met you once, a long time ago. She, um, she asked me to give you this.�
Glancing at his friends, JC reached out and accepted the envelope held out to him. �Thank you.� he replied automatically.
�No.� she shook her head slowly. �Thank you, Josh. Thank you so much.�
All five men stared at her, wondering what had that brought that strange smile back to her face. Not being a shy one, Chris opened his mouth to ask, but they were interrupted by the back door to the arena flying open and banging into the wall behind them. They turned to find Lonnie's intimidating body filling the doorway as he looked at them sternly.
�You boys know you're supposed to come straight inside. Come on, now.�
Nodding, they turned back to bid farewell to their visitor, only to find she'd disappeared. They looked around, trying to figure out how she'd left so quickly, and then were ushered inside the building by their bodyguard. Once they were safely inside their dressing area, all eyes fell to the package JC still held in his hand.
�Who was that girl?� Joey muttered to no one in particular. �And how did she disappear so fast?�
JC shrugged. �I have no idea. I don't ever remember meeting her, but then again, I've met so many girls over the last few years that I barely recognize my own relatives.�
�What's in the envelope, C?� Justin asked, sitting down next to him on the couch.
�I guess there's only one way to find out, huh?� he replied, carefully edging his finger under the seal to break it. He gingerly opened the envelope and pulled out two sheets of notebook paper and a worn photograph. There was also another manila envelope inside the first, thicker and smaller, with FRAGILE: PHOTOS ENCLOSED printed neatly on the outside. The photo caught his eye first, and JC studied it carefully. He immediately recognized himself in the middle of two young girls. From the looks of his haircut and clothing, he knew that this was from very early in his career, when he was on the Mickey Mouse Club. On the right was a much-younger version of the girl who had met them outside. Ashleigh. JC thought, wondering why he once again felt a strange tugging at his heart. He turned his gaze to the other girl in the picture. He knew immediately that this had to be the sister Ashleigh had spoken of. The two girls looked very much alike, both had deep brown eyes and wavy blond hair. The second girl looked to be about his age, around fourteen or fifteen.
He glanced up to see Chris bending his body and head over strangely. �What on earth are you doing?�
�There's something on the back of the picture. I can't read it.� Chris mumbled, his face turning a nice shade of tomato red from standing at such a strange angle.
JC immediately flipped the picture over. �Amber, Josh, and Ashleigh. Orlando, Fl, 1992.� he read aloud. �That was right about the time that I was starting at MMC.� he mused.
The photo was passed around to the others, and JC turned his attention to the letter. Like the envelope and photo, it was worn. His crystal blue eyes flicked to the top right corner of the paper, where it was dated August 8, 1997. His mind blocked out the others as he began to read intently.
Dear Josh,
I know, you go by JC now, don't you? But you'll always be Josh to Ashleigh and me. I hope that Ash succeeds in finding you guys and getting this letter to you. According to my pen pal in Germany, your new group...In Synch? No, that doesn't look right...hold on...*N Sync! That's it! Anyway, Mieke says that you guys are getting really popular over there, and there's talk of you coming to America soon. Ash and I can't wait; I've made her promise to buy every one of your albums in my honor for as long as you guys remain in the music industry. Can you imagine my sister going into Sam Goody's and picking up an *N Sync Greatest Hits volume 81 when she's 90? You ought to do that, just so she has to go get it.
Since you'll probably be really famous and stuff by the time Ash can get this to you, and you won't remember either of us, I'll tell you the story again to refresh your memory. It was September 1992, and Ash and I were vacationing in Orlando with our parents. We went to see the Mickey Mouse Club being taped. After the show, Ash and I got bored and started walking around, and we found you and another boy playing basketball behind the set. You stopped and talked to us for a while. You and I walked away from the other two and talked privately. Somehow you sensed that I was upset over something, but you were polite enough not to ask. I'll never forget what you said, Josh. You told me that no matter what was happening in my life, there was always something that I could look forward to, something I could use to leave my problems behind me for a while. I asked you how, and you said that I had to find my own outlet, but that music was always your pick-me-up. I guess I already knew that deep down, but hearing it from you really made it sink in. You were so nice to me, and treated me like we'd been friends forever. That meant more to me than anything in the world.
I was upset, Josh. We were in Florida because my parents wanted to have one last big vacation before our family was broken up forever. You see, a few weeks before, I'd been feeling worse and worse. When I finally went to the doctor, he said that there wasn't much that could be done. I had cancer. My specialist gave me a year to a year and a half to live, but I beat them! I've had four extra years with my family and friends than I was supposed to. Unfortunately, my cancer is spreading again, and this time I won't be able to get past it. I'm feeling poorer and more tired every day, which is why I'm writing this letter. I want you to know how much you helped me that day. I've never forgotten what you told me. I found my own outlet. Part of it is music, like yours, but mostly I take pictures. My father bought me a beautiful camera two years ago, and nothing brings me more joy than raising it to my eye, knowing I can capture an emotion forever.
Well, I have to go now. My family is taking me to Germany to meet my pen pal, Mieke. They say that they have a couple of surprises for me, so I'm hoping that one of them is tickets to a show of yours.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I've prayed for you every night since the day we met, and I'll continue to until I'm called Home by my Father.
Love,
Amber Brentwood
PS~ I'm enclosing copies of some of my favorite photographs, and I'll have Ash make copies of the best ones I take in Germany for you. I want you to see what you've helped me to accomplish.
Wiping tears from his eyes, JC picked up the second envelope that had been lying forgotten in his lap. He opened it quickly and pulled out a handful of 8 by 10 glossy color prints. The first was of Ashleigh, apparently taken sometime close to when Amber had written the letter. She was sitting in an overstuffed blue floral recliner, with a pair of heavy-duty headphones covering her ears. Her eyes were closed, concentrating on the music she was hearing, and her lips were curved up into a smile. He turned the photo over, hoping that it had been labeled. It had. Ashleigh listening to Backstreet Boys album from Mieke. Music is her outlet, too. :) JC smiled. He knew then that Amber had labeled this picture especially for him.
He flipped to the next picture. This one was a baby who looked to be about five months old. The baby was in a good mood, with a flash of dimples complementing her sparkling brown eyes. Once again, JC turned it over. My niece, Katherine Amber, six months old. My brother and sister-in-law named her after me. June 1996.
JC looked at half a dozen pictures, some of her family, but most were beautiful scenic shots taken from various places around the country. He assumed that her family had taken her wherever she'd wanted to go, trying to make their daughter's last years special for her. Once again, he lifted his hand to wipe the moisture from his eyes. He turned to another picture and sucked in his breath sharply as he was faced with a picture of himself at an early concert. His eyes were closed in concentration as he hit a note. His face was shiny with sweat, but it was easy to tell that he was content and happy being on stage. Curious to see what Amber had written, he flipped the picture over. Guess who! Yup, Mieke and I got to go to a show while we were in Germany. This was my favorite picture of you from the concert. We were on the second row, so all of them came out very well, but I think this picture just shows how much you love music. You were singing �God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You.�
The next photo was of Joey. He was mid-bounce, with both his feet off the ground, and had a huge grin spreading across his face. The note on the back read simply SuperJoey, Tearing Up My Heart. JC chuckled and looked at the next one. Lance's face was slightly red from exertion, his eyes narrowed with concentration, but there was a smile on his face. Chris was next, his braided hair pulled into a ponytail on top of his head. The pineapple look. JC thought, laughing out loud. Chris had a smile on his face that could only be described as �goofy.� He turned to the next picture and saw Justin's classic smile. His blue eyes were lit up as he looked directly into the camera and laughed. Curious, JC looked at the back. I managed to snap Justin's picture right when he saw Mieke's sign. In case you were wondering, the sign said, �If you're ever in America, call my friend!� and had my number at the bottom. Once again, JC began laughing. He looked up to find all of his friends staring at him.
�Yes?� He said, raising his eyebrows at them. �Why are you guys looking at me like that?�
�Um, you went from being fine to crying to laughing...� Lance smiled. �We're curious as to why.�
Silently, JC handed over the letter and pictures. After a few minutes everyone had gotten a chance to read over Amber's letter and look at all of her pictures. Both were placed back on the table in front of them without a word.
�Wow.� Chris breathed. �That's... That's amazing.�
�Yeah.� JC answered. �I can't believe someone would take something I said so much to heart, especially back then. Or that someone would go to so much trouble to find me after so many years.�
Justin was still smiling. �I remember that sign, actually. I was laughing so hard that I missed my next line,� he laughed. �and that girl was cute, too!�
Looking at the group solemnly, Chris cleared his throat. �Um, that was dated almost five years ago guys. Do you...do you think she's still alive?�
�I don't know.� JC whispered. �But I don't think so...�
Lance picked up the larger envelope and looked inside one more time. �Wait a sec, what's this?� He asked, pulling out another small slip of paper. He glanced at it, and then handed it to JC. They all watched JC's eyes well up with tears as he read.
August 23, 1997
Dear Josh,
My sister, Amber Brentwood, passed away yesterday morning. She died peacefully, and she was more than ready to go home to God. She asked as her last wish for you to be informed of her death, and for me to give you this packet. I'm glad that I am able to fulfill that dream for her, and I hope that you and your group continue to find success. I will continue to buy each of your albums, and I look forward to each one. Thank you for everything you did for my sister, and through her, for me.
Yours always,
Ashleigh Brentwood
Justin glanced at JC, then at the rest of his friends, then slowly stood and left the room. The others followed his example, leaving JC alone with his grief. He stared at the paper in his hand feeling sad that he hadn't been able to speak to Amber in person before her death, but glad that he'd been able to affect her life for the better. Smiling through his tears, he looked toward the heavens.
�You're welcome, Amber. Thank you for letting me know.�