The young girl listened intently while the older man spoke. "I don't think I quite heard you," she replied in complete shock.

"Don't give me that modest crap Liss. You heard me. Your single hit number three on the billboard charts," Her manager of 3 long years retorted on the phone. She had finally hit it big, but her single had only been released a little over 2 weeks ago.

"No, but see James, this isn't possible. My single has only been out for two weeks," she replied, a smile started to creep over her pretty face. She was ecstatic to say the least. She continued to babble, "And we haven't done much promotion besides over seas stuff, and I haven't even made any attempt to perform in the states."

"Well, little one, the good news doesn't stop there," he beamed. "We get to go back to the states tomorrow and start some promotion for the album."

"I'm not too sure that's a good thing," she said starring out the window of one of the nicest hotels in Japan. Her eyes scanned the skyline taking in every detail and every bright light that shined back at her. They had been there for almost 3 weeks promoting the single, that was undoubtedly climbing the charts in her native land. "I was beginning to really like it here," she replied softly.

"Well, don't get all mushy on me now, just think of the crowds you're going to draw back in the states. But go ahead and get some sleep, you're gonna need it after the schedule I'm drawing up for you..." he smiled into the phone. "I'll come down and get you in the morning," with that she hung up the phone, and retreated back to her bed. Silence rang loud and clear throughout her hotel room. She sighed happily.

As she slid in between the fading warmth of the sheets a weak smile crept across her face. She looked up at the ceiling, "This is going to be really weird." She slowly closed her eyes, still beaming from the amazing news she had received. Her breathing became deeper, and more rhythmic, as she fell into a deep sleep. Her last night of normalcy.

After a few hours of a much needed rest the young girl awoke to the bright Asian sun creeping in through her window. As she began to fully rise from her deep sleep she remembered the wonderful news, and new reason for living, that she had been given this morning. She had worked so hard for this and couldn't wait to sink her teeth into it. She heard a light knock at the door, "Liss, are you awake?"

It was her manager, "Am I ever!" She walked calmly to the door and opened it for him, she smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning Angel. How's my little popstar?" he replied letting himself into the room, placing a tray full of fruit and cereal on her table.

"I'm absolutely wonderful, as expected-I'm sure," she replied. She made her way over to her large duffle bag and rummaged through her life to find a T-shirt and jeans. When she finally found the articles she headed for the bathroom, "I'm just gonna take a quick shower, and then we'll head out."

"Aren't you going to eat anything?" he asked concerned.

"Oh hell yeah, and if you touch that watermelon-you're dead," she replied with a smile and an accusing finger. "I'll be right out." The warmth of the water rushing over her body made her tense muscles relax. She had never really been nervous about performing before, she had been doing it for so long, it didn't really affect her-but all of a sudden she had nerves on the rise. Maybe it was the fact that finally there were some expectations coming along with it, or the fact that the crowd would be of her homeland, or she was afraid of failure. She smiled at the thought, "Me? Fail?"

It wasn't that she was a conceited or egotistical girl, she just knew what she wanted, and worked hard to get there. Determined from the start, she had been waiting for this break, but the surrealism of it actually being there hadn't set in yet. She rinsed out the conditioner in her hair and stepped out of the shower. The steam of the small room cleared her senses, along with her head. She towel-dried quickly and slipped on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She needed to be comfortable, she had a long plane ride-home.

A few minutes later she reemerged from the bathroom, still beaming with the thoughts that ran through her head. "You didn't touch my watermelon, did you?" she smiled warily.

"Nope, I wouldn't want to get a beating this morning," he smiled. "It's too early..."

"You're telling me!" she sighed.

"So what are you thinking? And don't say 'Nothing,' because by the look on your face, it's definitely something," he questioned. It was good to have James around. She had known him for so long he was almost like a second dad, well more like an older brother. He was only in his late twenties, and that came in handy when she wanted to go partying. Not that she normally partied, seem as though he was the only one she hung out with. But it was a comfort factor to have him around-knowing that something or someone was always going to be stable in her life.

"Well, just about going home. How weird it's going to be to have to deal with all that. Like, going on tour with a big group-or even by myself. How my friends are going to take to it. The boys," she smiled, her voice got softer as she reached the last topic.

"You mean, fighting off the boys," he smiled at her.

"Whatever," she continued, "it's just going to be so weird to not be able to go home and not have to deal with what I deal with over here, ya know? But it's a relief in a way, cuz I finally get what I've always wanted."

"Which would be?" he smiled, hanging onto every word that came out of her mouth. She was a very intelligent girl-way past her years. She had grown up quickly, always knowing what she wanted-and leaving her own 'home' when she was only about 13. Most kids her age hadn't left for college yet, nevermind touring.

"Acceptance."

"First class may now board Flight 314 to the United States, landing in San Francisco," the flight attendant announced over the loud speaker.

"That's us," James replied grabbing his carry on as well as Melissa's. Two guards helped the pair safely board the flight. She smiled as they waved her on.

"This is going to be amazing," she replied.

"I know this my friend," he replied sarcastically as they adapted to the plush leather seats. "I could get used to this," he smiled.

"You mean, you're not yet?" Melissa wiggled her way into comfortable position in her large chair and quickly dozed off. It was going to be a long day.

Many hours later the stewardess came over the loud speakers, "Ladies and gentleman, we will be landing momentarily, and we hope you enjoyed your flight. Thank You."

James picked up his papers, and shut down his laptop. He looked down over the sleeping form next to him. "She's gonna be amazing," he stated lightly, brushing a small piece of hair out of her face. "Sweetheart, Time to wake up. We're almost there."

She moaned accordingly, and shifted in her seat. Her eyes popped open as she became discombobulated as to where she was. When she sat up completely her nerves relaxed and she remembered. Going home. Everything is going to be OK.

The stewardess kindly showed the pair their way off of the plane, and much to their dismay they were greeted by an enormous crowd. Melissa and James both looked at one another wondering if they had missed a celebrity that was on the plane-there was no way that they were here for her. They continued on their way, but when a loud shriek echoed her name, they knew they were in trouble. "Awww, dammit. Follow me closely and don't get out of my site."

Melissa tensed up as she noticed how large the crowd was, if it wasn't as large she would have been more than happy to sign a few autographs. This was a reaction that she was used to-overseas. Seeing this in her homeland was a huge shock. She grabbed onto James hand for dear life as he pulled her through the crowd, cameras flashing and fans screaming as they headed to the baggage claim. The fans calmed down rather quickly, but still managed to follow them. "What should we do?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"Well, maybe if we just slow and sign a few things, they'll get the hint," he smiled weakly. He hoped it worked. Melissa slowed down almost to a halt and turned around. She peeled her pink tinted sunglasses from off her eyes and rested them on her head. She smiled at one of the girls-who looked to be about her age. The girl waited patiently with a pen and a napkin. "What's your name?" she said reaching for the napkin.

"Ashley," she beamed.

"Well, Ashley- I thank you very much for your love and support," she smiled. "How did you guys find out that we were flying in here," she asked no one in particular. The whole crowd chimed in together, "KLMN- 103.7!"

Melissa looked at James confused and he smiled apologetically, "You're doing a radio show for them tonight."

"Were you gonna tell me?" she laughed-as did some of the fans still standing there.

"I just didn't want to stress you out," he stated, grabbing her bags from her so she could sign a few more autographs. The young girls all talked about what it was like overseas, and Melissa beamed with excitement from all the attention. It was good to speak to fans who spoke her language-clearly.

"Melissa, you're the coolest. Your song is amazing, and I think I speak for everyone when I say-we can't wait for the album," one older girl said as the crowd agreed in unison.

"Well, I thank you all very much. Ya know?" she replied, and idea popped in her head. "Why don't you all write down your names and phone numbers on this piece of paper, and next time I'm in California I'll see if I can get you guys some tickets. Seeing as though you're my first fan club and all," she giggled.

"You'd really do that for us?" one little girl smiled.

"Of course-that's what friends are for," she replied sweetly. The list went around the group and eventually came back to Melissa. "I should get going now guys, it was nice meeting all of you. And I hope I see you again," she said nodding to the paper filled with names and numbers.

The group continued to shout her praises as she walked away. She felt so good about herself, people had actually liked her music. She linked her arm with James' and sighed heavily, "Finally."

Melissa sat patiently in the limo as James made a few phone calls on his cell. She overheard the conversation, "No, man. You don't understand. There were like 35 girls there. Just waiting like idiots." Melissa shot him a glare. "Like devoted fans," he corrected himself.

"We're definitely going to need a security team and fast," James boasted to one of the head hanchos at Arista Records. She had been signed a little over a year ago-kind of as a tester. The executives weren't too sure how well she would do in the business, being so young and having so much competition. In other words-they rarely paid any attention to her, but now that her single was on the rise, she was going to live the big easy. She smiled when she heard James' next line, "Damn straight you better have them at the hotel before we get there. Somebody's got protect my angel. It sure as hell isn't gonna be me! You ever see those kids?"

The limo took a once over at the hotel to see how big the crowd was. If they had thought the airport was bad-the hotel was horrible. There were at least 60 kids standing outside the hotel, all armed with banners, gifts and flowers. She smiled as the took off. "Fifteen more minutes," James said to the driver. Hopefully the crowds would die down and the security would arrive. As she continued to look out the window she noticed policemen were starting to barricade an entrance to the hotel.

"Just pull around one more time, and I'll take my chances," she smiled at the driver, eager to get out of a moving vehicle. She just wanted to sit down somewhere and not have things passing her by. "You're a funny kid, really," the driver replied thick with sarcasm. Everyone seemed to be scared-except her.

A few minutes later James had gotten the 'OK' that the security had arrived, and boy had they ever. There were four big black men, and two overly large white men standing on either sides of the barricade. As the limo pulled up the shrieks became louder and louder with excitement. When James stepped out, they got real quiet, and when he reached in a hand to pull out his princess the crowd went crazy. She took in the crowd for a few seconds, smiling and waving as the guards rushed her into the building. The last guard handed them their rooms keys and off they went. The crowd behind her still screaming, "Melissa we love you!"

"I'm your biggest fan!"

"I can't believe that's her! Oh my God!"

But soon after it was all over-and the noise had finally died down. She laid back on her queen sized bed as James went through his papers on the small table. "OK, this is the deal, we're gonna go downstairs in a little while to get some dinner-or order room service. Your choice. Then we're going to have a quick meeting with the security team for you all to get aquatinted and to go over some codes and rules. Then we're going to head out to the radio station to do the interview. It shouldn't be long they just want to chat a little, and probably have you sing something. You OK with all that?" he looked up hoping she was still paying attention. For a minute he thought she had fallen asleep.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said sitting up. "But do I have to change?"

"No darling, it's radio. No one can see you," he said answering and taking notice of her embarrassed expression.

"Right ... good. So anyway, to answer your question. I'm starving, and I don't care where we eat as long as we eat NOW," she said still trying to avoid the blush that rose to her cheeks.

"All right, give me a few minutes, and then we'll go eat," he replied letting himself out of the hotel room, leaving her alone. She smiled at the silence and reflected back on her day. She twitched feeling a severe pain in her side, she reached down and pulled the paper out of her pocket. She unfolded it and smiled as the memories of this mornings meeting rushed back into her head. As she looked down at the numbers it triggered her brain to call her mother. She flipped open her phone and dialed the numbers quickly. "Momma!" she shouted into the receiver.

"How's my baby girl?" she replied. Melissa and her mother continued to talk about everything that had been going on lately, and although her mother was very happy for her-she missed her deeply. The conversation continued until James reentered the room and informed her that they had to get going. Melissa quickly said her good-byes and promised to call back soon. James followed her out into the hallway where three large black men awaited her arrival. One was holding a large garbage bag, while the other holding flowers, and the third listening intently to something being said on his radio. The first man handed her the bag.

"Awww, you shouldn't have," she smiled.

"I didn't," he replied with a quick smirk, and continued, "These are all from the fans downstairs."

"And Miss America herself!" she squealed pretended to be starstruck.

He gave a hardy laugh, "These are for you Miss Melissa."

"Ooooh, 'Miss Melissa'; I could get used to that. But for now you can just call me Princess or 'Your Majesty,' whichever you prefer," she giggled.

The small group made their way down to the hotel lobby, and Melissa felt extremely comfortable. She felt as if she had known them for a quite a long time. She particularly had a soft spot for Bruce, the bald man who was a smidgen larger than the other two. Tony and Boots seem to be equally as nice, and she felt very safe in their care.

They waited for their food, entertained with good conversation and were only interrupted a few times. A couple of fans managed to get their way into the hotel, and while they had waited for their food, Melissa invited them to sit with her. If felt good to talk to people her own age, because she was surrounded by adults so much. The fans were extremely calm, and surprised at how down to earth she was.

The group became silent when their food came, and Melissa indulged in her spicy boneless chicken wings and blue cheese dressing.

"Enjoy them," James said with a smirk.

"Oh, I will," she replied matter of factly.

"Because they'll be your last," James replied. Melissa looked utterly confused, "What do you mean, 'They'll be your last'?"

"Well, you're going to be doing a lot more dancing now, a lot more performances, so we need to watch what you eat. You need to be eating healthy, high energy food, not chicken fingers and French fries," he said, only looking out for her well-being.

"Can I have desert?" Melissa inquired as a waiter walked by, making sure it was OK with James first. After all, he did know best.

"Yeah, just keep it simple," he replied taking a forkful of food into his mouth.

"OK, I'll have cheese fries, and cheese cake, and an Oreo madness from Fridays. Don't worry-it's not far, I saw one just up the street. I want a few poptarts, some Chex mix, a Twinkie and onion rings. Oh yeah, a chocolate milk shake...and don't forget a chilly cheese dog."

James nearly choked on his food as he heard her rambling off items she desired. The bodyguards let out deep rumbles of laughter, and it made her feel good that she could make these grown, very grown, men fall into hysterics. She flashed an irresistible smile at the waiter as he walked away.

"Disregard her... She'll have a fruit salad," he replied after the waiter, making sure he comprehended and then returning to his food.

Melissa tried to get the waiters attention and tell him to ignore the little white guy, but he wouldn't turn around. "I thought you said to keep it simple," she smiled innocently, acting as if she didn't know she ordered half the menu.

"I did, and fruit salad is as simple as it gets," he replied.

A few minutes later, she was completely finished with her meal-including her fruit salad, and she sat astonished, mouth dropped. She couldn't believe the amount of food the 3 bodyguards were inhaling. "Hey James, when you're not looking, can I steal some of their food?" she asked quietly.

James was about to reply, but Bruce interrupted him, "Touch my food and die, sweetheart."

"Sounds eerily familiar, doesn't it Liss?"