Kathryn woke up, yawning. She opened her eyes, and not knowing her surroundings, she sat up quickly. Unfortunately, that was a bad idea. She slammed her head on the bunk above her and lay back down with a groan. Mouse, who had been sleeping at the end of her bed woke up, and meowed in protest at being jostled, then turned and fell asleep again.
Kathryn shook her head, tossing her brown hair around, painfully rubbing it. She got out of her bunk, yawning and stretching. Around the bus, Marie was reading a book, a blonde girl was brushing her hair, and a few ladies were talking and eating. Kathryn glanced at her watch casually to check the time, and did a double-take. "5:45!!" she whispered to herself in disbelief.
She had basically slept the day away! Kathryn had to admit she needed some good rest, and certainly felt refreshed. However...she usually never slept for that long. Kathryn looked out the window and saw scenery passing quickly. It seemed as though they were entering a town. She looked out the window, curled up on her bunk, pulling Mouse over to lay by her.
Suddenly, from the front of the bus came the bus driver's deep, gruff sounding voice. "Ladies, we'll be reaching the hotel soon. We'll be staying at the Marriott. When we get there, you're going to have to take as little luggage as possibile, and come out quickly and do not look suspicious. This town may seems small to you, but fans will do anything to get to the guys. There are tons of fan everywhere. I know you have all met with our media specialist and know not to say anything to give us away. The buses will be bad enough, since their so big, but once their hidden behind the hotel, we must stay inconspicious. Got it?" he finished.
Kathryn tried to take in all the information that had just been thrown at her and silently nodded as a few of the other people said, "Yeah".
The man nodded, and said, "Good. We should be reaching there in 15 to 20 minutes. Just give your names to the lady at the front desk to recieve your keys. There is a dining room if you are hungry, and today's dining expenses are carried by Jive." The man said nothing after that, and returned to his driving.
As Kathryn actually took a good look around the bus, she was impressed. There were numerous bunks, and they were quite soft and comfortable. Kathryn was glad they weren't scratchy or rough as she'd expected. There was a small TV in the back of the bus, and 2 bathrooms. The bathrooms only had a sink, toilet and mirror, but Kathryn figured she'd take a shower at the hotels they would stay at. The bus was actually luxurious, as far as buses go.
Kathryn sat on her bunk, absently petting Mouse who was purring. She felt him move and crawl away from her, and she assumed he was going to sleep on the end of her bed. She let go of him and gave him a quick pat, and continued looking out of the window. She started to space off, thinking of nothing in particular.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around, startled out of her thoughts. A pretty blonde woman around her age was tapping her shoulder, with a look of complete irritation across her face. "Um, can I help you?" asked Kathryn, confused at why this woman was standing in front of her.
"Yes, actually. Is this...THING...yours? It was in my bunk, sleeping!" said the woman, her nose wrinkled at a whimpering Mouse whom she was holding by his stomach. The poor animal was struggling to escape her grasp, but her manicured fingers kept a painfully tight hold on him.
"Oh God! Mouse! You bad kitty! I thought you were on the bed!" she said taking Mouse and petting him fondly. Turning back to the annoyed blonde, she said, "Thank you so much. I'm so sorry he was bothering you. I appreciate it....what's your name?" asked Kathryn.
The girl flashed her a dirty look, and said, "My name is Alison, and I'm the make-up artist. Just keep your animal on your part of the bus, whatever your name is. I think picking him up got this gross cat hair on me. I don't really like animals, so just keep that thing over here, okay? I need to go paint my nails." said Alison, turning with a toss of her head. She flounced over to her bunk, giving Kathryn a final dirty look.
Kathryn stared after the girl, shocked by her rudeness. "Ooookay." she said to herself. "That was really, really weird. Huh, Mousey? Wasn't it?" she cooed to Mouse.
She rubbed his stomach, noticing that the woman had held him awfully hard. The little kitten cried out as she touched his stomach. Kathryn frowned and looked at his stomach. There were red finger marks on it. Kathryn looked angrily at Alison and sighed. She didn't want to pick a fight on this tour where she didn't know anybody yet. The bus stopped abruptly. The bus driver called out, "We're here! Please take your things and head on in."
Kathryn put Mouse in the carrier, and grabbed her bag of things. She stepped off the bus, with a smile to the bus driver and entered the hotel. Looking around her spacious surroundings, she realized Jive certainly knew how to treat their employees. She walked up to the front desk, and got in line to receive her key.
As she stood in line, she looked around at the beautiful fountain in the corner of the lobby and all the people milling about. Finally, she reached the front. "NSA tour, Kathryn Alender." she said to the lady at the front desk. The lady looked a little flustered, and handed her the key to room 118.
"Oh wow! You're going to be staying near THEM! Oh my GOD!" she bubbled, her words spilling over each other. Kathryn furrowed her eyebrows, wondering who "them" was and nodded with a vague smile, taking her key. She decided that she would go up to her room and take a warm shower, and then go down to eat.
She stepped into the empty elevator. "Which floor, ma'am?" asked the bellboy.
"1, please."
The boy nodded and they headed up. After a moment, a "Ding!" was heard, and the doors slid open. She smiled at the bellboy, thanking him, and walked into her room. She put down her small luggage and quickly let Mouse out.
Stretching, she looked around. The room was really very nice. Behind her was a beautiful view of the quaint Mississippi city they were staying in, and Kathryn noticed a wide balcony, which she took note of for later on.
Kathryn quickly hopped into the shower and scrubbed herself clean, and washed her hair. She got dressed in some nice clothes, and clipped up her hair in a bun. Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding Kathryn she had to go down to eat. Grabbing her purse, she walked downstairs, and spied the dining room. Entering, she was greeted by a waiter.
"Hello ma'am. How many people in your party?" asked the waiter, politely.
"Only one." she said, feeling the slightest bit embarrassed. Most people were eating in groups of 3, 4, or 5. She didn't notice anyone sitting alone. The one person tables were all empty, so the waiter nodded and brought her over to the table.
She sat down, putting her purse down next to her. Looking at the menu, she figured that service would be slow with so many people in the restaurant. She fiddled with her menu, and twisted her hair around her finger, an old habit. Looking around at the other guests, she looked over at the table next to her. There were a few men sitting at the table, clad in sunglasses and hats. She noticed they were looking back at her, and diverted her eyes, ducking her head low and retreated to scanning her menu.
"Look!" said Chris in an excited whisper. "That's her! That's that girl with the cat!" he said. The 5 men turned to look at her just as she turned to look at them. Quickly, her eyes cast away to her menu.
Joey looked her over once. "Wow. You were right, Justin. She's pretty hot."
"Told ya' so!" said Justin smugly. "That's why ya'll should never doubt me. I'm always right." he finished.
The men rolled their eyes at Justin. "That's right, Justin. You're always right. Just like you were right about that girl you said was looking at me, about the "poisoned food" in McDonalds, about..."
"Yeah, yeah, shutup." said Justin scowling.
"Well, you are right this time." said Lance, being returned with a satisfied smile from Justin. "What do you think JC?" he asked.
JC barely glanced at Kathryn. "Yeah. She's cute." He played around with the straw of his drink, wondering when their food was coming.
"Did you see how she looked down at her menu when she saw us?" asked Chris. Seeing their nods, he smiled happily. "See? She's SHY!" he said triumphantly.
"Nah, snobby." said Justin, inwardly thinking she was shy, but wanting to irritate Chris.
"Shy!" protested Chris.
"Snobby."
"Shy!"
"Shy." said Justin, slyly.
"Snobby!" said Chris. Realizing his mistake, he said, "No! I meant shy!"
"Soooo, Chris! That's a change. You usually don't change your opinions that quick. You think she's snobby, don't you? I think she's shy, but I dunno about you." Justin said smiling cockily.
Chris narrowed his eyes, in jest. "Ya' wanna take this outside, Curly?" asked Chris.
Just then the food came, breaking up their friendly argument, and the men ate, talking and laughing about their tour.
Kathryn brushed her straight hair in front of the mirror, standing in her silky blue pajamas and bare feet. Finishing, she walked over to the bed and lay down. Glancing at the digital clock, she realized that it was 11:00. She had finished reading her book, had painted her nails (silver), and brushed her teeth and washed her face. Now, it would probably be wise to sleep, considering most of tomorrow would be spent in the arena.
She tossed and turned for a little bit, trying to find a comfortable spot. Then, she closed her eyes, attempting to fall asleep. Sleep just wouldn't come to her. Kathryn decided that she had slept so much all day, that she just couldn't sleep now. Mouse was in a peaceful slumber in his cat carrier, so she couldn't play with him, and Kathryn didn't feel like reading.
She looked outside, and remembered the balcony. Looking at it, it was empty, and the sky was breath-taking, dotted with a million shining stars. Spotting a few chairs on it, she walked outside, grabbing a blanket, and fell into one. Smiling, she breathed in the fresh air and looked up into the stars. Finding nothing better to do, she started to name the constellations.
"There's the Little Dipper, and the Big Dipper," she said, pointing to the constellations, curling her legs up into the chair. Wrapping the blanket around her tighter, she went on, "And there's Orion." she said, pointing it out. "The Big Bear is right over there."
Then, she was interrupted, by a smooth voice that sent shivers up her spine. "That one," said the voice pointing to a constellation, "is Leo. I'm a Leo, actually, so that's one of the very few I actually know." said the voice.
Kathryn turned her head a little bit, and the figure dropped into the seat next to her. "You couldn't sleep, or you just out here for the stars?" questioned the voice.
"Couldn't sleep." said Kathryn, wondering who this person was.
"Yeah, same here. I slept on the bus, and it's surprising I can't sleep now. Oh well, when the tour really gets going, I'll cherish every bit of sleep I get." said the person gazing into the stars. A peaceful silence fell over the two people.
Breaking the silence, the man focused his eyes on her, and asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm Kathryn Alender. You?" she said, shivering a little as his eyes locked with hers. Though the rest of him was shadowed, the stars and moon illuminated his intense blue eyes.
"My name's JC, Josh, whatever ya wanna call me, and I believe I know who you are." said the man looking at her closer, recognition dawning on him. "You're the pianist! Aren't you?" he exclaimed.
"Yes, that's me." she said, blushing, wondering how he knew.
"Chris mentioned running into you, no pun intended." he answered, as if reading her mind, grinning.
"Oh. Yes..that...um...happened." she said, remembering the incident and blushing even redder if possible. "I, uh, feel rather sleepy," said Kathryn hurriedly, "It's been a pleasure talking to you, I'll be seeing you." mumbled Kathryn, dashing inside before JC had a chance to speak.
JC watched her go, confused. That had never happened to him before. She didn't even seem to recognize him or care a great deal who he was, which was getting rare for them ever since No Strings Attached came out. Most girls or even young women let out a squeal, or became nervous, or stuttered, but Kathryn was different.
She seemed very open while she named the constellations alone, but as soon as he came up, it seemed as if she withdrew into herself. JC furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Was she just shy, or did she not like talking or what? JC rubbed his eyes, and yawned. It was too late to think clearly. Besides, she'd be with them all tour. The guys and him would probably get to know her by then...right? "Right," JC thought. "I think."
Kathryn hurried inside the hotel room and collapsed on the bed with a groan. Great. Why couldn't she just stay and talk to that JC guy? He seemed nice enough, but she didn't really talk much to people unless she knew them really well. Now all of N SYNC must think she was pretty weird. After all, she was some girl that ran away every time they tried to talk to her. She'd probably end up blushing now, every time she'd look at them, or they'd look at her. What could she do? Simple. Right then, Kathryn told herself she'd just avoid the men N SYNC however she could. Kathryn yawned. She was feeling really sleepy. Tomorrow was their first concert! A smile unknowingly passed Kathryn's features as her eyes slowly slid shut, and she drifted into a deep sleep.