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Day 1 � Part 2

They�re coming! someone yelled.
Cara got up from the ground she was sitting at. Her legs felt numb, and she was very cold.
A black car got to the front of the hotel. Girls packed tighter to see who was in it.
-AJ! AJ! AJ! girl next to Cara screamed. Ophelia was looking at the cars. And even if Cara had promised herself not to be hysterical, she felt tears on her face, just like in the concert.
Nick came out of the car. He looked tired and much older than when they first met.
-Nick! Nick! she shouted. Nick was glancing at the crowd, making a quick, exhausted smile and wave.
-Nick! Christmas! Remember the Christmas!!!
But he went in with the bodyguards on both sides. She fell to the ground.

-So you had meet him before? I have to ask. This information is new to me.
-Yes. We met at Christmas almost exactly year earlier. I am maybe just a little ashamed that it didn�t mean much to me at that time. I wasn�t any Backstreet Boys fan and I was full of meeting famous people.
-Because of your parents?
-Because of my parents, she answers and looks down. At the same her hair falls down and I can�t see her face. Soon she gathers herself and looks at me.
-When we first met I was nothing than a teenage girl. How was I supposed to know that year later he would be my only hope?
Before I can ask any questions, she keeps telling her story.

-Christmas, is that soon? Nick asked when they walked in.
-Few weeks.
-Remind me to buy a decent gift for my mother this year.
Brian looked thoughtful.
-I wonder why they were screaming it.
-Actually it wasn�t they, it was this one girl, Chris, one of the guards said.
-Have you seen her before?
Chris shook his head and they kept walking. Even if the girls haven�t got close to the Boys, they did know about their existence. Sometimes they told employees to let girls in to the hotels, if it was cold and they were shivering outside.
-Yeah, another Christmas, Howie said. -I can�t wait that. Just to have a little break.
-Are we far enough? AJ wanted to know and looked over his shoulder.
-I guess so.
He lit a cigarette.
-I can�t understand why you announced that you�ve quitted smoking? Kevin complained. -Now you have to hide once again.
-And soon you�ll have to quit anyway. If you don�t want your kid to grow in smoke, Brian reminded.
-I�ll quit after this. Or tomorrow.
-You�re hopeless, Kevin sighed.

Cara leaned to the wall. Boys had just gone in front of him, gone inside.
-So that�s about it, Ophelia said and bowed to take her bags.
-That�s it?
-Yeah, for tonight. Look, it�s almost midnight, they�re not gonna go out tonight. Because they were already partying yesterday. And in this city there aren�t many places you can go to. So are you coming?
-Where?
-Where we�re staying.
Ophelia started to walk and after a little hesitation Cara followed her. She had to run to catch Ophelia and when she got beside her, Cara asked:
-Where are you staying?
-You�ll see.

-So we walked trough the sleeping city. It must have taken over an hour because when we finally got to the house, I was freezing and so tired I was about to cry. Ophelia didn�t talk anything, she just walked and smoked. She spins the spoon in between her fingers like it would have been cigarette.
-Do you smoke?
-I used to. Not anymore.

They sat in the kitchen of an old house. Cara looked around.
-Who owns this place? she asked from Ophelia.
-I don�t know.
-Oh.
-This is one of the Backstreet Headquarters. Or not actually, this is too small for that.
-What does that mean?
-Come on.
They get up and go to the basement.
-Kind of Fight Club, ha?
-Yeah, Cara answered.
-So, Ophelia introduced. -This is map of our country. And these red spots are our bases.
Cara looked at the map and saw it covered with pins.
-In every major city and somewhere else we have places where any of Backstreet fans can go. Or not any. You have to know certain facts and maybe a password.
-What are those places?
-Some are abandoned houses, like this one. In some cities fans offer a place to stay if you�re around. You see those with white circle around the spot? Those are, as we call those, armed units. Those completely reds are like this, no one owns them. And the ones with black spot inside of them mean low class or insecure place. Like houses that has no lights or running water or that are about to be bull zoned. Understand?
-I guess so.
-Good. I�ll give you a copy of that map later. Now let�s go up. Are you hungry?
-Oh, you don�t believe.
-Let�s hope someone has stopped by the store.

Backstreet Boys� was played in the house. It seemed that in every room there was different album or different song playing. So that moving from the living room trough the kitchen to the bathroom meant medley of Don�t want you back, Drowning and Backstreet�s Back.
Cara has lost Ophelia who right after coming up from the basement said that she would try to find something to eat. Meantime Cara wondered around in the house. It was pretty much like from Fight Club. As climbing up to the second floor she was afraid that stairs would collapse under her. There were rooms filled with mattresses, pillows and blankets. All around floated stale smell and something else, something sweeter. In one room girl was laying on her back on the floor as other girl did a tattoo for her. Cara looked at that for a while until she started to feel sick and went back down.

-There you are! Ophelia yelled. -I made few sandwich for us.
She handed filled toast to Cara.
-Is there anything to drink?
-What would you like to have?
-Well... Water?
-In kitchen. I guess that�s only functioning tap. And if there�s other, I don�t recommend you to drink from that. Once I was away from the tour for four days. I was in hospital because of diarrhea. Can you believe that? Come with me.
Mouth full of cheese and salad Cara followed Ophelia to the kitchen and then to the corner of the living room. Two girls were sitting there.
-Cara, I would like you to meet Pie and Peach. Girls, this is Cara. She�s a newcomer.
-Didn�t we agree we wouldn�t take any more members? either Pie or Peach asked with bored voice.
-Look at her, Ophelia said. -Did you think I could just let her go?
-OK, sit down, the other, Pie or Peach, commanded. -So what�s your story?
Cara sat down.
-My story?
-Yeah. Why are you on road? How old are you anyway?
Cara saw flash in Ophelia�s eyes and she answered:
-Eighteen.
-Yeah well, me too. How old are we really?
-I am eighteen.
-Bright girl, Pie or Peach said. -What about the rest? Why can�t you go home?

-That time I didn�t know that truth didn�t mean anything to these girls.
She looks at me and I don�t know what to say. What all she may have gone trough, this is obviously just a start.
-Could I have a piece of pie? she then asks.
-Sure.
I signed to the waiter to bring us two pieces of pie and more tea.
-So did you ever learn to separate those two? I ask. -Peach and Pie, I continue when she looks at me questioning.
-Eventually, yeah. But it didn�t really matter.

-Oh that�s so old, Peach sighed when Cara had told her story. -You have to come up with something new. Listen to Pie.
Cara turned to see girl who was rolling a cigarette. -Well, I�m twenty and I�ve been on the road since I was seventeen. I was dating one of the Britney Spear�s dancers. So I hanged out with them, before that bitch got too evil. My boyfriend got kicked out because of the drugs and I dumped him. By that time I was totally addicted to heroine and I wandered around in the slums of Chicago. Then one day I went to record store and stole some albums to sell them later to get some money for the drugs. But I listened of those. It happened to be Backstreet Boys� album. I went to their gig, and this is where I stand now. I could say that Boys saved my life.
Cara looked at Ophelia.
-Is that true?
-Who can say, she shrugged. -From these girls you can expect anything.
-Do you smoke? Peach asked and offered a smoke.
Cara thought for a while but then reached for it. She took it to her lips and inhaled. She held the smoke and cough down as she gave it forward to Ophelia.

-We sat there for at least two hours talking about Boys. It amazed me how much they knew about them. But then again, if you dedicate every hour of your life to one thing, you soon learn about it. But it confused me that during the time they had been on road, they had met Boys only few times face to face. And also it reduced my courage. I got to think that maybe it wasn�t right way to meet Boys.
-But you stayed with them, didn�t you? I ask as she seems to get caught in her memories once again.
-Yeah I did. It was too easy just to go along. Most of them were at least two years older than me. You know I lied my age?
I nod. I had basic facts about her learned well.
-Good Lord, I was only sixteen.
She falls silent. It�s late and we are only customers. Waiter hangs out on the desk, waiting us to leave so that he could close the place. Pie is eaten, tea is cold. She sits silent.
-You know, I�ve traveled a long way down here this morning. I�m pretty tired. Is it okay, if we continue this at tomorrow? I suggest.
-Sure. I�m little tired myself.
We get up and start to dress. I notice her jacket that doesn�t seem very warm.
-Do you have a place to go?
She looks at me both little upset and amused.
-I have the map.
-Does that house still exist?
-No, she shakes her head. -They torn it down last year. Too bad, I kind of liked it.
-Where would you like to meet tomorrow?
-Not here, she looks around and I feel how she disguises the place. Weird that I didn�t notice it before.
-Name the place.
-Meet me in the corner of Main Street and Colonel Alley at 10 am. Do you find there? It�s not difficult. Which hotel are you staying at?
-Carlton.
Little tremble goes trough her body.
-If I remember right, just take bus number eighteen, drive twelve stops and then get out. You�ll be standing on Main Street and two blocks down to the river is Colonel Alley.
-I think I manage. So good night, I say even if she�s already going out the door. Waiter takes few steps towards our table but then slows down, he�s not sure if I�ll be leaving or not. Quickly I take my scarf and intrude on the wind.

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