"Which one of you guy's is Kirby Bloom?"

The awkward syllables of her name seemed to echo through the lobby of the Grand Hyatt, she raised a shaky hand just above her head, "That's me,"

"Excellent, so you're all here,"

The man with dark gray hair put a tick beside Kirby's name and looked the three over once more. Kirby bit her lip in nervousness and caught a glimpse of Asher Grant to her right and Melody Hargrove to her left.

"Ok, my name is Walker Hanson, I'm the dad in case you wanted to know," He gave a friendly smile, "You guys have probably already been told about your jobs...You'll be needed for the little things like laundry, picking up little things and other various jobs that might pop up,"

His voice came out in calm, casual waves that eased the knot in Kirby's stomach, but she could not shift the sickly nervous expression from her rosy-cheeked face. Company beepers and cell phones were given to the weary roadies, Kirby placed them in her weathered sling bag beside the piece of magenta paper that was beginning to soften from being folded and shoved into pockets one too many times; Call me damn you! I'm really really really bored, this is all your fault! Ok well smell ya later friend, Love Michaela. 

Kirby sat on a ledge outside the lobby that was so low she may as well have been sitting on the ground. Kirby, Asher and Melody were told to wait, "No longer than twenty minutes," Walker had said. The weather really was beautiful, the sun warmed the skin and a breeze would cool it down. Clumps of people passed back and forth in front of Kirby's curious but distant eyes, some of them carried what looked to be important papers, one girl looked about her age, licking an ice-cream and thoroughly enjoying it. Asher and Melody sat at the corner of Kirby's eye, she could not turn without making it obvious that she was watching them. 

But she needed to see. She pretended to sift through her bag and instead caught sight of Asher counting change in the palm of his hand. He looked friendly enough, but then again, she had not shared a word with him. He was a tall bohemian boy, a couple of years older than her. He wore torn jeans and leather sandals, his t-shirt had a leafy forest scene printed on the front, Jim Morrison sat amongst the foliage looking euphoric and almost angelic. She couldn't see his face properly which made her irritated, she needed to see his eyes. 

Melody sat on the edge of the waist-high pot plant, her legs dangling. Kirby knew she was an artist, without even looking at her face for more than a second. The movement of her hands was rhythmical, almost imitating the erratic waves of the sea. Kirby liked her already. She liked them both.

Kirby was snapped back into reality with the clop of a heel, she snapped her gaze from the stone floor and nearly choked when she saw the person in front of her. The woman could have easily been mistaken for her high school art teacher. She wore a crazy patterned shirt, black jeans, specs that were too large for her and her hair fell in dark red heaps all around her face. She had a welcoming face aged by time, but mostly rock and roll. Kirby could just picture her in a white room smoking a cigarette and telling the countless stories of her wild and crazy life. 

"Hi sweetheart, you look like you've got the world on your shoulders,"

Kirby smirked and waved her hand dismissively, "Hi,"

"I'm Rita, come over here you two,"

Asher and Melody moved closer, "I'm you're boss, if you want to call it that, but please don't. Let's just say that if you ever need a day off, I'm the one you come to."

It seemed as though Rita expected the roadies to comment but they stared at her instead, "I'll be traveling with you most of the time, the only time I won't be is when there just isn't enough room where you're sitting. You'll be traveling with Hanson, by the way,"

Rita gave the three extra information in dribs and drabs, often losing Kirby's attention that became fixed to the little children helping each other into their car. One little girl with long red plaits held her little sister's hand, and kept holding it even when they were buckled into the car. The little girl looked as though she owed everything in the entire world to her sister. Kirby wondered how this little girl, who was probably no more than four years old, could have so much to thank for to only one person. She was only tiny, she didn't even know how to repay this colossal mystery debt. 

"Kirby honey, hop into the car," Kirby looked at Rita and to the sleek black car parked in front of her, door wide open, Asher and Melody already inside. She slid in beside Asher and the car left the hotel, its destination LAX.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The separate characteristics of the Hanson's went unnoticed. Kirby saw them as one unit. Blonde, tall, quiet and so very tired. It had been a long and monotonous day for everyone. Bags on the conveyer belt, bags off the conveyer belt, in the car, out of the car. Time was given for everyone, including Hanson, to step back and pretend the tour hadn't started yet. 

"Hi Kirby," 

Kirby visibly flinched at the unexpected noise. Asher's lanky figure stood beside her on the balcony of their shared room, he looked so friendly that Kirby couldn't refuse to converse. 

"Hello Asher,"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing,"

"Really," Asher's hand crept into his pocket and came back out with a cigarette and fluorescent green lighter, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Think of nothing,"

"Oh. It's very easy, you just clear your mind,"

"I'll have to try it some time. Would you like a cigarette?"

Kirby was expecting this question to pop up. She concentrated on as much of Oklahoma City as she could see. She often tried not to succumb to vices, but it was in vain, "Yes, please,"

The two sat quietly for several moments until half their cigarettes had disappeared.

"You're a very quiet person, Kirby Bloom,"

Kirby couldn't help but smile, "You haven't been talking, either,"

"True, but I've been watching you. In total, you've spoken about five sentences out loud since 1 o'clock this afternoon,"

Kirby's mind was stuck on the words 'out loud', it even shocked her to think of all the sentences she spoke silently.

"I know. I'm not a very talkative person, I'm strong enough to admit that,"

Asher chuckled, puffs of smoke coming out in the short puffs of laughter, "I've tried that before. I decided it was wise to keep quiet instead of blurting things out and getting myself into trouble,"

A shy grin meandered over Kirby's lips. Asher's voice began to slowly fade as she began to concentrate on the city once again. The sun had set hours ago so the city was capped with navy darkness, stars filled the sky that almost looked like felt. She had never been to Oklahoma, in fact, she had never been to any state other than California, but she was content that way. California had been her safe haven with a thick brick wall surrounding it. There was a lot of good in Los Angeles, and a lot of bad, but it was always the same kind of bad, trapped inside the brick wall. 

The cigarette butt began to burn her fingers, she flicked it to the floor as if she was numb and stamped it with her foot. Asher's eyes rested on the crevice between the balcony wall and the floor, he looked disheartened. 

"I think I might take a shower and go to bed. Goodnight Asher,"

Asher heard what she said, he was very tuned in. Perhaps he should have been trying to think of nothing, but he was too consumed with a mild kind of hurt. Kirby had not listened to a word he had been saying for an entire space of ten minutes. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Seattle came and a bus arrived. A giant bus with identical gray bunk beds and the squashiest living area Kirby had ever seen. They were told they were lucky, since the whole Hanson family had decided not to tag along for this tour, the Hanson entourage had plenty of room. Kirby liked it, she saw it as a house and a cubby crammed into a bus. She felt like she owned a fort sitting perched on her third floor bunk bed.