| Chapter 7 Howie scooted out of his bunk, his eyes half closed. He stood up, heading to the bathroom when he stopped. "Hey Kev, what are you doing up?" he asked, moving to stand next to him. Kevin had Brian's curtain pulled back, watching his sleeping cousin, intently. "Couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd check on him. Has he been acting weird to you lately?" Kevin asked. "Um, no not really, why?" Howie answered, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up. Kevin sighed, running his hand through his dark hair, "I dunno. I get this feeling that something's not right with him." Howie shrugged it off, "Well, he was sick. Maybe he's not quite over that yet. You know how those twenty-four hour bugs drain you." Kevin stared back down at Brian, "I don't think that's it," he said, reaching over to check Brian's forehead for a temperature. Howie grabbed his hand before it reached it's destination, "Kev, let him rest. I'm sure he's just getting over that little bug, and in a few days he'll be good as new." Kevin stared at Howie for a moment, then back down at Brian. Howie's nerves were on end, waiting for Kevin to make up his mind. "Alright, I'll give him another day or so, but then if he's still actin weird I'm calling a doc," Kevin said. "Fair enough," Howie said, moving past him as Kevin closed Brian's curtain. "What are you doing up?" he asked. Howie glanced back at him, "To much tea man. I swear my bladder is getting smaller." They both chuckled as Howie stepped into the bathroom and Kevin climbed into his bunk. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clouds. Brian was sitting on a cloud, watching as the scenery passed by below him. He felt peaceful, peering out across the blue sky. He sighed, and leaned back into his cloud, content as it enveloped him. Slowly Brian opened his eyes, wondering what was touching his face. He looked up, seeing the top of his bunk. Ok, that's odd. What's the top of my bunk doing touching my face? He asked himself. Slowly his brain woke up and joined the rest of his body. Brian looked down, realizing he was floating a good two feet above his bed. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!"he screamed, and promptly fell back onto his bunk, knocking the wind out of himself. "Brian?! What's wrong?" Kevin asked, pulling the curtain back. Brain looked over at his concerned cousin, seeing the rest of the guys jumping out of their bunks. "I'm Ok, just um had a bad dream," he said, still trying to catch his breath. Kevin's eyes narrowed, "Are you sure that's all?" Brian nodded, taking a deep breath and sliding out of his bunk, "Yeah, sorry for waking you up." Kevin glanced at his watch, "It's alright, we gotta get up anyway. We should be at the hotel pretty soon." Brian walked to the front of the bus and looked out the windows. The sun was up, making him squint against its brightness. He sat down and closed his eyes, trying to curve the sudden thirst he had. Howie moved next to him, "Hey, you really Ok?" he whispered, glancing back at Kevin. He was busy trying to pull Nick and A.J. back out of their bunks. "Yeah, I'm just really thirsty," he admitted. Howie frowned, "Thirsty?" Brian nodded, catching the worry in his face, "Is that a bad thing?" Howie shrugged his shoulders as Kevin came towards them, muttering about lazy, ungrateful people he knew. Howie went to the small refrigerator and looked through it. He grabbed two orange juice boxes, "Kev, you want something?" "Naw, they should have breakfast set up in the day room," he answered. Howie walked back over and handed Brian one of the boxes. Brian took it and downed it in one swallow. He glanced out the window, the thirst still strong. Man it was going to be a long day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian laughed as Nick jumped up and down on the couch, giggling. They had gotten to the hotel a few hours before, eaten, showered, and now where waiting to go down to the fan conference. Nick had somehow found a bowl of candy, and had eaten it all before Kevin caught him. Now, with boundless energy, he was driving them all up the wall. "Nick, stop that!" Kevin scolded, pulling him off the couch. "Aww Kev, come on, jump with me!" Nick said, his eyes lighting up. "Now that I'd like to see," A.J. muttered, an amused smile on his face. "I am not jumping with you, that's childish," Kevin said. "You're just afraid to. Yeah, you're afraid to have some fun because someone might see and Ohhh heaven forbid that Kevin was acting like nothing more than a stick in the mud," Nick retorted. Brian nearly spat out the water he was drinking. Howie and A.J. exchanged shocked glances. Kevin turned on his heel, marching right up in Nick's face, "What did you just say?" "You heard me, or are you so old you're losing your hearing?" Nick asked, giggling. Now Brian really did spit out the water he was drinking. "Oh no," A.J. muttered, Howie nodding in agreement. Kevin's green eyes were on fire, "You did not just say that." Nick nodded, "Yeah I did, what you gonna do about it, old man?" Brian quickly moved as Kevin grabbed Nick and pulled him up onto the couch, making the younger man jump with him. "Old, I'll show you old," Kevin spat, making Nick jump higher. "Where the hell is the video camera?" A.J. asked, frantically searching through their bags, not wanting to miss this once in a lifetime event. Brian laughed at the sight. Nick and Kevin trying to outdo each other, holding hands, jumping on the couch. Nick was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, Kevin following suit. "Never thought I'd see this," Howie said, "Ever." "Me neither," Brian said as something snapped. They both watched as Nick and Kevin landed on the couch, and went almost to the floor, still laughing. "Oooops, we broke it," Nick bellowed. Kevin was laughing so hard he couldn't even talk. "Guys, they're ready for you ..... what the hell happened?" one of their managers asked. Kevin and Nick looked at each other, then burst out laughing again. "Um, we seem to have some faulty furniture," A.J. said, as he brushed past the man and out of the room. "Yeah, defective couch," Brian added, carting another bottle of water with him to the conference. "Uh huh," the manager said, leaving the room. Howie helped the two up, "You two are paying for that. Just because it was broke in a Backstreet Boys, Inc. rented room, I'm not sharing the cost." Nick and Kevin glanced at each other. "Ok dad," they both whined, following Howie out of the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian sat with his head down, listening to the questions. He'd been drinking everything he could get his hands on and he was still thirsty. He looked over to the side of the room and motioned to one of the body guards to get him yet another bottle of water. He'd already drank three in the short time the conference had been underway. Howie glanced at him, but was drawn back to the conference when he was asked a question. Brian opened his bottle and chugged a few swallows, glancing around the crowd. It was a small fan conference. Just some radio and contest winners, along with some local press. He liked the fan conferences the best, because the fans were given the same opportunity to ask questions as the reporters were. And boy could they come up with some good ones. As his eyes drifted across the room he noticed a girl in the back. She seemed to be off by herself, not really up with the rest of the crowd. She was dressed in a black mini dress with spaghetti straps, black high heels, her dark brown hair pulled up, with a few strands down around her face. He smiled at her, when he caught her eye. Even from the front of the room he could tell they were a rich chocolate color. She smiled back, leaning against the door frame. His attention was drawn back to the conference when a fan asked him a question about his heart. Brian smiled, and answered that he was just fine, and thanked the girl for her concern. If I get asked that question one more time, I'm gonna scream, he thought, taking another drink. He looked up, swearing that he heard someone laughing. When he didn't find anyone, he leaned on the table, his head down. He felt odd, weak, and incredibly thirsty. He grimaced as a flock of butterflies erupted in his stomach, his skin crawling and the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He moved to lick his lips and stopped mid motion, his eyes widening with fear. Carefully he ran his tongue along his teeth, feeling them. "Oh God," he muttered, glancing up at Howie. Howie looked over, taking in a sharp breath. Brian's eyes had paled to almost a translucent crystal blue, the look of fear in them. He watched as Brian clamped his hand over his mouth, and ran from the room. Nick stopped in mid answer, looking over. Kevin and Howie exchanged concerned glances. Howie cleared his throat, "Um, Brian's had the flu the past few days." The crowd buzzed, but died down quickly, seeming to accept the fact that he had left to go throw up. At least Howie hoped that's what they thought. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brian ran into the nearest bathroom, locking the door behind him. He quickly checked to make sure no one was in any of the stalls, then moved to the mirror. His eyes frightened him. They were so pale. Then he opened his mouth, chills running up and down his spine. Fangs. He had fangs! He grabbed the sink to keep from falling to the floor, "No, please not this. Please make this stop," he muttered. "I'm afraid it won't," a voice said from behind him. Brian whipped around to see the girl he'd noticed at the back of the room. He quickly looked over, seeing the door was still locked. "How'd you get in here?" he asked, backing up against the wall, his hands over his mouth, lest she see his new dental work. She watched him for a moment, seeing how frightened he was. "My name is Tracy, and I think I can help you," she answered. Brian shook his head, turning away from her, "You can't. Please leave." She stepped closer to him, gently putting her hand on his shoulder. She felt him tense at the touch. "Brian, you need help," she said. He closed his eyes, determined not to cry in front of this stranger. "I know what you are," she said softly. If Brian thought he was scared before, he was beyond it now. His entire body started trembling as he glanced at her, "Are you .... a slayer?" She smiled and shook her head, "No, slayers don't talk to you, they just kill you. I'm like you," she admitted. He swallowed, forcing his heart back down his throat, "You're a ....a....?" "Vampire?" she supplied, "Yes, I am." Brian wasn't sure what to do. He didn't know if he should be scared or relieved. Tracy started fumbling through her purse, "How long ago where you bitten?" "A few days," he answered. She looked back up at him, confusion on her face, "A few days? Are you sure?" He nodded. "And you already have your fangs," she noted. Brian looked down at the floor, having forgotten about trying to hide them. "It's Ok," Tracy said, pulling a small flask out of her purse, "You don't have to hide them from me. Here, drink this," she said, offering it to him. Brian took a step back, "What is it?" "It's what you crave," she answered, pushing the flask into his hands, "I carry it for emergencies. I'd say this is an emergency." Brian stared at the small silver container. Tracy watched him, "Brian, you won't get rid of the fangs until you drink. You're on the verge of going into a blood lust. If you do that, I can't help you." "What's a ...?" he started to ask. She grabbed the flask and moved it to his lips so fast he didn't even see it, "Drink now, I'll answer your questions later." Brian swallowed the liquid. It was nothing like he'd expected. It was sweet, like honey. He took a few more swallows before she pulled the flask from his lips, "Not to much. That will tide you over." Brian licked his lips, feeling the liquid go all the way down to his stomach. He realized he wasn't thirsty anymore, and the weakness was quickly disappearing. He grazed his tongue over his teeth. The fangs were gone, just like that. Tracy placed the flask back in her purse, "Now, who is your sire?" "My what?" he asked. "The one that bit you. Who are they and why aren't they taking care of you?" she asked. "She said her name was Raven, and I don't know where she is. She bit me, I fell asleep and woke up in my hotel," he told her, surprised at how much he entrusted his deepest secret with a woman he just met. Tracy sighed, and Brian could tell she was trying not to show her anger. "Do you have anyone helping you?" she asked. "Howie is. He's a watcher," he blurted out. Tracy's eyebrows went up, "Oh he is? That's interesting. But still, there are things he can't help you with, that I can. We have a lot to talk about." Brian just nodded, what else was he going to do? "Tell me where you will be later, where we can talk, alone," she asked. "Um ..after this we have an interview to tape, then we have the night off," he said. "Are you staying here, in the hotel?" she asked. He nodded. "Do you have your own room, or are you sharing with someone?" Tracy asked. Brian smiled, "I've got my own. We haven't shared rooms in a while." "That's good. I'll meet you tonight, in your room," she said, moving toward the door. "Don't you need the number?" Brian asked. She turned to him and smiled, "We have much to talk about. See you tonight," she laughed, unlocking the door and leaving him staring after her, confused. Chapter 8 |