Opening the door, Shannon's mouth fell open. Then she snapped it shut after a few short seconds and smiled sweetly at them. "I hope you brought food." She stated as she allowed them to walk inside.
Taylor laughed. "Nope, sorry. We didn’t know that you wanted any."
Shannon groaned and flung herself onto her bed facedown. "I'm gonna die of starvation." She whined pathetically. "I'm gonna waste away and it's all your guys' fault!" She stated as she pointed at them accusingly.
"Our fault?" Zac asked incredulously. "How is this our fault?" Zac asked as he laid next to her on his stomach.
Thinking for a moment Shannon shrugged. "I don't know. I need someone to blame."
Isaac laughed as Shana walked in. She looked the guys over and then looked over at Shannon. Then back again. "They're not food, Iz. They are people." She explained slowly as if she were talking to a mere child.
"Thanks for pointing that small fact out to me, Skyye." Shannon said rolling her eyes. "Captain Obvious strikes again!" She yelled as sarcastically as she could.
Another knock landed on their door and Shannon took off running for it. Her feet pounding loudly on the floor in her rush.
When she came back she brought back a tray piled high with food. She was looking at it greedily and then she licked her lips. She looked at everyone else in the room. "Psshh, if you think you're getting any of this you are seriously mistaking. You gotta call down for your own food."
"You are going to eat all that?" Zac asked in disbelief.
Shannon nodded her head and Shana shook hers. "No, she's not. She knows the true value of sharing with her friends. She just learned it on Barney this morning."
Shannon stuck her lower lip out in a pout. "Did not. I learnt it on Sesame Street. I'm close to graduating." She said smiling proudly.
Isaac, Zac, and Taylor gave her strange looks and Shannon laughed uncomfortably and shrunk under their stares. "It's called a joke. Learn to take one."
Then she rolled her eyes and sat up straight. "I'm never up early enough for those shows. However I will share my meal with ya 'cause I'm just such a nice person. And I'm already a Sesame Street graduate." She said smiling. "And besides, you gave me your autograph this mornin'."
Isaac and Taylor laughed while Shannon and Zac went after the food. Shana watched as the two started eating everything that they could get their hands on.
"Hey, hey slow down." Taylor said as he went over to the tray of food also. "You need to swallow and digest that too, you know?" He said as he grabbed some of the fresh fruit and a few sandwiches.
Isaac and Shana did the same. Leaving the rest to be devoured by what seemed to be the human garbage disposals. Also known as Shannon and Zac. Soon all of the food was gone and Shannon wanted dessert. Zac did too.
Shana rolled her eyes. "I guess. If you really think that you two need anymore crap in your stomachs."
"We do!!!" They shouted at the same time. Then started laughing because of it.
Taylor turned to Shana and Isaac. "Be afraid. Be very afraid."
Shana jumped and hid behind Isaac and Taylor. "They're scaring me. Make 'em stop!!" She shouted trying hard not to laugh.
"Oh, I think I'm gonna hurl and then burst." Shannon moaned as she laid still in her bed.
Shana laughed. Serves you right. You knew better than to eat all that crap!" She pointed out.
Shannon gave her a weak smile. "But it was sooo good." She replied.
"Aww, forget about it." She said dismissing the subject with the wave of her hand. "Are you feeling okay though?" She asked concerned for her sister.
Managing another weak smile Shannon responded, "Concerning my physical or mental health?"
Shana laughed again. "I already know about your mental health, Shann. You're as mental as they come."
Shannon managed to laugh lightly. "Yeah, but you love me for it." She replied. "Speaking of mental cases. Lil' Miss I'll sit at a stop sign, with an upside down book in my hands, pretending to read while singing to everyone that stops at the stop sign." She said reminding her friend of what she did when she was little.
"Okay, okay." Shana said holding up her hands and admitting defeat. "I did mean your physical well being."
Groaning Shannon rolled over and started taking out her contacts. "I'll be okay by morning. If I make it through tonight." She turned to face Shana before she laid back down. "This is way beyond cool." She stated smiling. "We have each other, music, and we've met Hanson again."
Shana was grinning when she took out her contacts and started placing them in her casing. "How many times are you going to say that, girl?" She asked as she grabbed her pj's.
"Until I'm able to believe it." Shannon answered truthfully.
On her way to the bathroom Shana answered, "Well, believe it, girl. 'Cause it's happenin' and we need to cherish it while we've still got it. 'Cause you know as well as I do that once our album and video is out we are gonna get caught." She reminded before she shut the door behind her.
Shannon got up and went to her suitcase. Inside one of the pouches she took out a sheet of paper that was crumpled and smudged with tearstains.
She stared down at an old picture of her and Shana. They were old pictures, but it was still them. She read the 'Missing Poster' again. She read it about a million times before. Yet, she had to read it because she couldn't actually believe that she was doing her passion with Shana. Music and her soul mate. The two things that made everything worth wild and definitely worth everything they went through, we're going through, and about to go through.
Quickly and forcefully Shannon slid the paper back into her suitcase and went back to her bed. She waited for Shana to come out of the bathroom so that she could change into her pj's.
But she never got the chance to. She fell asleep before Shana came out.
When Shana walked out of the bathroom she smiled over at Shannon's sleeping form. The light snore gave away the fact that she was sleeping. Laughing she walked over to her suitcase.
She looked over her shoulder to make sure that Shannon was still sleeping before she pulled out a small wad of folded up pieces of paper. She smiled faintly when she looked over the first page. It was a bulletin of 'Off Balanced' singing at the fairgrounds for last summer. She smiled at the name. Everything was fun and games that summer. Just dreams aching to come true.
The next page she grinned at. It was a picture of them in front of their first tour bus. It was the picture they placed on a piece of paper to hand out as fliers at the places where they performed.
The next page made her heart leap into her throat. It was the first record deal that they had been offered. It was written down on paper. The whole deal and plan in rough estimation. That piece of paper changed their lives.
On the last piece of paper Shana felt the tears burn the back of her eyes. She hadn't looked at it for months. Not since they had been in Hollywood. She stared down at the 'Missing Poster' of Shannon Morrow and Shana Reed. The faces were the same, but nothing else was. She stared at the picture a moment longer and then folded the papers back up and placed them back in her suitcase. To keep their past well hidden from the eyes of others.
Slowly she climbed into her bed and looked over at her sister. "Night, sis." She murmured tiredly before she laid her head and fell asleep instantly.
They didn't have to go to the studio because it was their given day off. They spent the afternoon sightseeing and enjoying the landscape and the evening was spent in their hotel room watching movies and talking.
Keeping the phone off the hook the whole time and not answering the door unless they ordered room service and expecting them.
As they were munching on their popcorn Shannon looked over at Shana. "So what do you think about all of this?" She asked as she motioned to the hotel room.
Shana smiled slightly. "Well, at one time I didn't think we were ever going to be together to make it this far."
Shannon nodded her head slowly. That thought passed through her mind once before. After they were first offered their record deal their families instantly broke them apart. Saying that they knew what was best for them. And yet they didn't seem to realize that they were practically taking away their souls by keeping them apart.
"I am sorry about before." But I'm glad that we have now." She said smiling faintly.
Shana smiled also. "Me too." Then she jumped up on her bed. "POPCORN FIGHT!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Soon a full fledge popcorn war broke out in the room. Their floor was covered with the popcorn and the popcorn kernels.
They collapsed on the floor in a fit of giggles. Just enjoying the fun that they created in a world that seemed as if fun was illegal.
