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Day 1 - Part 1

Cafeteria is almost empty. Someone sits beside the windows reading newspaper. I had also looked it trough, nothing new on it. Radio plays 50�s versions of Christmas carols and I am painfully aware how far I am from home. But then the door opens. Wind tries to squirm some snow in, waiter looks at her little hostile, she turns and closes the door. She scans the place and then notices me. I nod to her, mark of recognition. Even if I haven�t ever met her before, I know she is the one I came to meet.

She sits to the other side of the table and her gray eyes are researching me. Day is also gray and her hands shiver a little when she drinks her coffee. Her overlong bangs hide the eyes from me for a minute. She puts the cup back to the table.
-So what do you want to know? she asks with nice, low voice. She seems very calm even if I know that this must be hard for her.
-You can tell me anything you want.
-So you probably wonder what I�m doing in a small town like this.
She wipes off the hair from her eyes.
-Maybe, I answer even if it wasn�t really a question.
-This is a long story.
-I have all the time you need.
-How nice, she says with a small smile. And I got to wonder what this lady sitting opposite me would look like if she would be happy. Because now she obviously isn�t.
-I�m sorry, I didn�t catch your name.
I try to gather the facts together.
-I didn�t give you any, she says without regretting. She looks to the cup, it�s empty.
-Want some more coffee?
-I�m hungry.
I wave to the waiter and ask her to bring us some soup, bread and tea. Silent gratitude glances in her eyes but she doesn�t say anything.
-So would you like to start?
-OK.

-HOWIE! What are you doing? We should be going already!
Kevin rushed to the room just to find his band mate in front of computer.
-WHAT are you doing? Are you aware that we have a concert in over an hour?
Kevin glanced at the screen.
-And you are writing an e-mail?
Then his eyes caught something.
-Do you think that�s wise?
Howie turned to see him.
-I don�t know. She didn�t answer to the first one.
-Maybe we should just let her be.
-I think it�s better that she knows we�re thinking about her. Anything can happen.
-It�s you�re choice, Kevin said.
-I know.
Howie turned off the computer.
-So we�re in hurry? he asked with tiny laughter in his voice. Kevin was staring to the distance.
-Oh, he shook his head. -Yes we are! Let�s go!!! Billy is going to kill me.
-He�s driving?
-Yeah.
-Good. He drives fast.
They left the room.

-I got the tickets from the radio. They had competition and I won it. Can�t remember why.
But the way she looks away tells me she does remember. But I think that it�s too early to harass her.
-So I went there.

She was standing outside of the stadium. Everyone was screaming, most were singing at the same time. It was just about the time they would open the doors. Then she feels how an elbow hits between her ribs. She turned around and saw a girl about her age, maybe little older who smiled widely.
-Oh, I�m sorry! It�s just this crowd... It took me half an hour to get from the gate over here. I can�t miss the front places. Hey, I�m Ophelia, what�s your name girl?
She was just about to open her mouth when other girl continued:
-Listen, have you seen movie Almost Famous? OK, now tell me your name.
-Cara. Cara Castillo, she said without any hesitation.
-Nice name. Italian?
-Yeah.
-I like it.
-Me too. I really like it.

-When they opened the doors she just pulled me with her. She seemed to know just where to go and before I knew I was standing right in front of the stage.

-Yes, we made it! Ophelia yelled to her ears. -Couldn�t be any better. Most people think that now is the boring part but you�ll see. Of course this is nothing compared to the time when they�re on stage but you have to take every advantage you can. So are you from this town?
Cara nodded.
-Wow! How can you actually live here?
-I can�t.
-Great. You are rebel ain�t you? You look so sweet but under all that usual shit you must be pretty anarchist.
-Something like that, Cara said little confused. Ophelia just kept talking and it didn�t bother her as much as she thought. Cara herself didn�t like to talk that much, she liked to listen and find out things that way.
-Hey there�s Billy and Be-Bob. So boys are probably in house already.
-Who are Billy and Be-Bob?
-You know nothing? Ophelia looked at Cara with weird look. -They are Boys� security team members. As well as Tom, Louis and JK. They are the usual ones, one for each boy. Of course there are others in the situations like this. You could say that those five are more than guards. They do anything for the boys they can. Not their laundry or anything like that but you know what I mean.
Cara wasn�t so sure but she just nodded.
-How do you know so much? she had to ask.
Ophelia laughed: -I�ve been following them for one year and six months now.
-Following? Like from town to town?
-Yeah. I hate when they disappear. Like few weeks ago they had vacation and no one knew where they were. First we got the information they went to Europe but now it�s pretty much sure that they spent their time in US.
-So there�s more of you?
-Plenty. You can come to the hotel with me when this is over.

She sits silent for a while.
-Of course I had no clue what and how they were. I thought that going to hotel would mean meeting the Boys and for my own reasons that would have meant a lot to me.
She takes some tea and looks out from the window. It�s snowing outside and looking like it�s going to be stormy night. I let her think, I don�t want to push her anywhere she doesn�t want to go.
-If I would have been older, she then continues. There�s bitter in her laughter. -If I only would have been little wiser...

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