Chapters 1 through 3

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful Sunday morning when she got the call. The trees were singing in the wind, and the flowers were dripping with the remnants of dew from the night before. Courtney was, needless to say, very happy and at peace with herself and her surroundings, well, as happy as a 13 year old girl can be.

She was sitting outside on the deck railing in her backyard, daydreaming. She really had nothing else to do, since she had finished all her homework that she had been assigned for spring break.

She fell deeper into her daydream as she closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet, light scent of the newly budded lilac bushes to her far right. Taylor Hanson invaded her mind as his beautiful face lit up the back of her eyelids, almost like a projection movie.

As he moved closer to her, she trembled with excitement. She could see his bright blue eyes sparkling with excitement as he gently brushed back a stray lock of honey blonde hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Ever so tenderly he caressed her neck and touched her pouting lips with such tenderness and affection. He moved closer to her. She reached out to touch him. "Taylor," she whispered. "Please, please," she begged, "Kiss me......"

RRRRIIIINNNGGGG!!!!!!!!!! She was jarred out of her lucious daydream with such velocity, she was left still in anticipation of Taylor’s would-be kiss.

"Damn that phone." She muttered to herself as she jumped off the deck railing. "Son of a..." she swore after she stubbed her big toe. "Ouch!" Her sandals had slipped off her feet onto the ground during her daydream.

RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!!!!

"Ooooo! I hate that phone!" She limped to the phone nearest to her, in the new garage. Well, her family calls it "the new garage". It was, in fact, built in 1989, 8 years ago. The garage itself was an almost house. It looked like a small house, with the exception the garage door took up most of the front of the house-garage. She opened the door.

RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I’m coming! Geezus!"

She picked up the phone. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hello." replied her best friend, Lori. Lori had been in California visiting relatives for most of March and part of April.

"Lori! You’re Back! Oh, we have so much catching up to do! Oh, Brian’s going out with Rebecca what’s-her-name,"
"Malony?" Lori finished for her.
"Yeah, her. Oh! and Jessi’s going out with um, um," she was so excited and talking so fast, she couldn’t think of the name.

"Well, nevermind about that, um," Courtney was still out of breath from making such a mad dash for the phone. "Whew!" she said in-between gulps of air.

"You okay?" Lori asked her friend.
"Yup. Just out of breath. Oh, and my toe is killing me!"
"What on earth were you doing? Or do I want to know?" Lori casually joked.
"Nothin’. I was just daydreaming again."
"Oh, I see" And she did. Daydreaming was something Courtney often did to pass the time. She had quite an imagination, and she put it to use regularly. "About Taylor again?"

"No."
"Liar, you were too!" she accused.

It was no use, Lori could always tell when she was lying. Just one of the curses of having someone know you better than you know yourself.

"So, what’s your point?"
"Oh, so you admit it, huh?"

"Okay, okay!" She was trying not to laugh, to see how long she could stay serious. This was a game she and Lori often played over the phone. They’d act all mad at each other and be joking, and see who would start laughing first. (They’re very easily entertained) "I admit it! I was daydreaming," she got quieter, "about, well, you know,"
"Come on, spit it out! Hurry up, I haven’t got all day!"
"Really? I do. You know that I’ve had nothing to do for the past two....."
"Courtney!"
"What?" she asked innocently.
"Don’t change the subject!"

She couldn’t hold it in any longer. She burst out laughing. "Yes! Yes, I was daydreaming about Taylor you nosy little...."

"Don’t say it," she warned.
"I wasn’t goin’ to"
"Oh."

They were both quiet for a moment. "Well," Lori started.
"Well," Courtney repeated.
"I got you a souvenir." She finished.
"Really?" Courtney asked excitedly.
"Well, yeah, don’t I always?"
"Yup. What’d ya get me?"
She surpreesed a giggle. "I got you a necklace." *******************************************************************************
"You want a soda?"
"Yeah, Coca-Cola"
"Okay, I’ll be back"
"Okay"

Lori was sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through Courtney’s Hanson scrapbook. She really liked Hanson. Really really. Hanson was a relatively new music group. They live in Tulsa, OK and they’re locally famous. They’re just getting into the mainstream music scene. Actually, according to Internet buzz, they’re supposed to be making an album for a worldwide release. They’ve already locally released two CD’s; Boomerrang and Mmmbop. Courtney’s cousin Heather lives in Tulsa, and Heather’s responsible for Courtney’s fascination with Hanson. Heather sent her Boomerrang and Mmmbop for Christmas.

The reason that Courtney, and many other girls like them, is because they themselves are teenagers. Taylor, (a.k.a Tay) who plays keyboards, is 14. Issac (a.k.a. Issac) plays guitar and is 16, and Zac the drummer is 11. The boys have been singing their whole lives, and believe it or not, they started singing by singing Amen at the dinner table! The boys are famous for their stair-step harmonies, and the fact that they play their own instruments. They have three younger siblings also. Jessica is 8, Avery’s 6, and the youngest brother, Mackenzie (a.k.a. Mac).

Lori put her hand in her pocket. She felt the necklace she got for Courtney out in L.A. She just knew that Courtney would love it. It was, as their friend Helen would say ‘So Courtney’.

And it was. It was a relativly cheap necklace, but it didn’t look cheap. It was a bluey- greenish (one of Courtney’s fave colors) pendant on a black cord necklace.

Courtney came back in from the garage. She was juggling Dr.Pepper and Cola- Cola cans. No, really, she was juggling them!

"What’re you doing, goofball?"
"These soda cans are freezing!"
"Oh. I knew that."
"Sure, whatever Lori." She cast Lori one of her ‘I’m just kidding’ looks. Lori grinned.

She got up from the table and to the counter, where the soda was and where Courtney was standing. She picked up her Coca-Cola. Courtney had already opened her Dr. Pepper.

She opened her coke, and took a drink. "Yuck!" She spit out the nasty brown liquid into the sink. "What on earth did you do to that?! It’s horrible!" She picked up a water glass. Around Courtney’s house, you have no idea who’s glass it could be. But after tasting that soda, all she wanted to do was get the taste out of her mouth, and she really didn’t care who’s glass it was. She filled the glass and took a big gulp.

"What’s wrong with it?" Courtney picked up the can and inspected it. She smelled the soda through the opening on the top. Then she got a whiff of the stuff. "Whew!" She held the can over the sink and turned the can upside-down and let the rancid liquid run down the drain. "I don’t even want to know what caused that smell! Yuck!"

"I know! And I drank it!" Lori refilled her water glass. She already downed the first glass. She took another gulp. "Oh! I totally forgot!"
"What?"

She reached into her pocket and dug out the necklace. "This. I forgot about it.” Courtney was in awe. "It’s beautiful!" she whispered, almost as if she was afraid she would break it if she talked any louder.

But I guess she had a right to be awed by it. It was rather beautiful. It was made of quartz (a crystal look-alike) and it was made a blueish-green color. The pendant was actually a cross. Courtney’s not really religous, but Lori knew she’d like it because of the color. She handed it to Courtney.

"I knew you’d like it." Lori said with a self-satisfied smile.

"Wow. I do." She put the necklace around her neck and fastened it. "Like it, I mean." She started to feel around the pendant, investigating the new object.

Lori smiled. "Like I said, I knew you’d like it. Oh, and there’s only 2 of those necklaces in the world."

"Really? Do you mean only 2? Or only 2 that you know about?"
"Only 2."
"Cool."
"I know."
"So where’d you get it?"
"L.A."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "I know that, I mean like what store?"
"Oh, some hippie store."
"Really? I didn’t know there’s still stores like that."
"Well, now you do."
"Yep." Courtney’s fingers brushed past a raised surface on the pendant. She looked at Lori. "Lor, feel this!"
"Feel what?"
"On the cross."
"What?" Lori asked, exasperated.
"Lori," She took off the necklace to show her. "Look, see this raised part right here? Feel it."

She touched the pendant. It felt and looked like some kind of inscription in a forign language. "Wow. What do you think it is?" She looked at Courtney in amazement, her eyes as big as silver dollars.

"I honestly don’t know." Courtney said in pure bewilderment. "It’s weird though."

They were both silent for a moment. Lori turned to look out the big picture window in the living room. Courtney took the pendant from Lori’s hands. She studied it for a few seconds. "You know what?"

"What?" Lori turned away from the window to look at Courtney.

"It almost looks," she turned the pendant over so Lori could see what she was looking at. "Like a Japanese or Chinese inscription. See?"

"Oh!" Lori cried.

"What? What is it?" Courtney asked, concerned.

Lori talked in a whisper. "Of course! Now it makes sense!"

"Lori what-"

"Okay. When I was in Long Beach at that hippie store thing, I was there buying your necklace, and the guy told me about this. He said the inscription meant,” she reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. She unfolded it and read: “Wearers shall interchange souls under the presence of a star."

Chapter 2

Taylor was drifting in and out of sleep, which was not unusual for him. Whenever his family goes on a trip, whether it be plane or car, he’s always the first asleep. This time it was on a plane. The flight was at 8:30am, and because of a two hour time difference between Tulsa and Los Angeles, it was now 8:00am. The early morning sunlight streamed in the windows of the first class cabin, creating a warm glow that gently awoke Taylor out of a sound sleep. He opened his eyes and looked at his surroundings.

His brother, Zac was next to him, playing a Super Mario Bros. game on his Gameboy. Across the isle, his sisters, Jessi and Avie were on either side of his mother, sleeping. His mother, Diana, was sitting supporting his sisters while they slept, reading some in-flight magazine. Behind the three of them was his older brother Issac, his dad, and his youngest brother, Mackenzie. (Mac)

Taylor turned to look out the window. His eyes met a unbelievably awe inspiring sight. They were passing over Lake Tahoe. With the early morning light casting sun beams through the clouds on the trees and the placid water, it was breathtaking.

"Wow!" He whispered. ***********************************************************************************

"Tay-Tay! Tay-Tay!" Mac yelled loud enough for the whole airport to hear. Taylor set down his carry-on bag and picked up his youngest brother in one swift motion. "What, Mac?" Taylor asked in his sing-song voice.

Mackenzie took his thumb out of his mouth and leaned close to Taylor. He whispered in his ear, "I gots to go!"

Taylor gave his brother a questioning look. "What?"

Mac looked Tay in the eyes and whispered again, "To the bathroom! I gots to go!"

"Oh, okay Mac. Let’s go then. Okay?"

"Kay." Mac returned his thumb to his mouth.

Taylor turned to his parents who were getting coffee. "Hey! Mom, Dad," His parents turned to face him.

"What honey?" His mother yelled from the coffee shop. Taylor could smell the aroma of freshly ground coffee drift across the airport corridor.

"Mac’s got to go to the bathroom. We’ll be right back, Okay?" Taylor yelled from the water fountain/bathroom area.

"Okay sweetie. Hurry up though, we’ve got to meet with Mr. Greenburg at 10:00 sharp!"

"What time is it now?"
"Oh honey, it’s only..." she paused to glance at the rather tacky clock on the coffee shop wall. "uh, 9:30. But hurry anyway, I don’t want to be late."
"Okay mom."

Chapter 3

Taylor was sitting on the screened-in porch, watching Ike and Zac playing Nintendo64.

They were in a beachhouse somewhere in California. He didn’t know exactly where, nor did he care. He turned his head away from the nintendo game and gazed at the fiery orange ball that hung in the sky among the pink and blue clouds over the ocean. He was getting bored. It was 7:30 pm, and Taylor wanted to get out and go somewhere. "Hey, Ike?"

Issac looked up at Tay briefly to reply, "What?"

"Wanna go somewhere?" Taylor was tapping his fingertips against the porch railing. It was one of his worst habits. Issac paused the game.

"Hey! I was just about to beat you! Unpause it!" Zac whined.

Issac ignored him. He looked at Taylor. "Like where Taylor? In case you haven’t noticed, we’re out in the middle of nowhere!"

"Oh, well there’s got to be somew......"

"That’s it!" Zac interrupted.
"Zac, I was talking." Taylor informed him.
"I know, I know." Zac said excitedly. "Middle of Nowhere!"
"Zac, you’re talking nonsense." Issac said as he looked back at the game screen.
"No, no, middle of nowhere, for the CD!" Zac said anxiously.

He received blank stares from his older brothers. He explained with a disgusted look on his face. "For the title of the CD, nimrods.” He said each word distinctly and slowly. "Middle of Nowhere."

"Oh!" Taylor and Issac said in unison.
"Yeah, ‘Oh!’" Zac mocked them. He rolled his eyes.

"That’s perfect, Zac! I can see it now: Hanson’s Middle of Nowhere is climbing the charts, along with their bubble-gum pop song Mmmbop." Issac was imitating a radio personality’s voice. "The trio from Tulsa, Okal........" Issac was interrupted by a chair cushion hitting him on the side of the head. "Ow! Hey, that hurt you guys!"

Zac and Taylor were laughing so hard they were crying. They could barely talk. Taylor said in-between laughing fits, "You sounded so......" He was laughing again. "..stupid!" He was still laughing when Issac picked up the cushion and threw it at him.

"Shut up, Taylor!" He looked at Zac. He was giggling uncontrollably. Issac picked up another chair cushion and threw it at Zac. "You too, Zac!" He was laughing now, too. He tackled Taylor and started wrestling with him. They were wrestling playfully, of course, but the only way you could tell was because they were both roaring with laughter. They rolled all over the length of the 4’ by 11’ screened in porch, with Zac leaping out of their way occasionally. Zac was standing on a chair by the kitchen window, talking to his parents.

"What on earth are they doing?" Diana Hanson asked Zac.

"Wrestling, mom." He turned back to his brothers. They were nearing the edge of the porch. Although it was recently built, the railing didn’t look all that sturdy. They teetered closer to the edge.

Walker Hanson took another sip of coffee. He looked at his wife. "You want some more?" He offered the coffee pot to her.

"Sure, honey." She reached for the coffee pot. She picked it up and poured some into her cup- and heard an earth-shattering sound. She jumped. She was still holding the coffee pot, but some of the coffee was on the floor.

"What in God’s name are they doing out there?!" Walker looked at Diana. She was shaking, the hot, brown liquid in the coffee pot splashing against the walls of the container. She turned to look at Walker.

"Honey," she looked out the window. She asked softly, her voice trembling, "what was that?"

Walker looked out the window now too. He was about to ask Zac what happened- until he heard laughter- and saw the huge hole in the porch railing. He walked from the window to the door and stormed outside. "What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” He still heard laughter, presumably from Taylor and Issac, since he couldn’t see either one of them. He walked to the porch edge where the hole was. He looked down at his two oldest sons lying in a tangled mess of twisted, broken plywood and the remains of a patch of flowers. He sighed a long sigh. "Come on you two, get on up out of there.” They were still chuckling as they raced each other up the porch stairs. Walker restrained a chuckle himself as he faced his sons to serve them their punishment. In the red-orange glow of the sun, Taylor and Issac looked like two very out-of-place aliens standing before him. "Boys, I don’t know what to say about this,"

"I do!" Their mother exclaimed as she was walking outside. "You scared the living daylights out of us! We didn’t know what that sound was, and we thought that you may have been hurt!"

"Mom," Taylor tried to interrupt.

She put up her left hand to silence him. "Don’t interrupt, Taylor."

"But mom, I.." Taylor tried again.

"Listen to your mother, Taylor." His dad warned him. He sighed with disgust. His father gave him a warning look. He looked away. "Boys," their mother continued, "I think you should go into the nearest town and pick up a sheet of plywood to repair the damage."

"Aw, geez mom!" Issac muttered under his breath.

Zac was getting a kick out of all this. "Yeah! Go find some plywood! Fix that hole!"

"And," Diana added, "since you woke up the little ones, you can take Zac with you."

Now it was Ike and Tay’s turn to laugh.
"Mom!" Zac protested. "Why? I didn’t do anything!"
"You’re whining, Zachary." Taylor said sarcastically.
"Shut up, Tay." Zac snapped back. Taylor kept laughing.
"Because," she answered. "if you’re here Zac, they’ll never go back to bed. They’ll just want to stay up and play with you." She said matter-of-factly.

Zac was still willing to protest his punishment, but Taylor cut in. "Come on Zac, let’s go."
"Taylor! I don’t want to!" Taylor waited until his parents went inside. When they were, Taylor turned off the nintendo and the TV, and he walked over to Zac and firmly grasped his upper arm.

"Ow! Taylor! That hur...."

Issac shushed him. He had the same idea Taylor had. "Shh! Be quiet!"
"Why should I be?" Zac demanded.
"Because," Taylor replied through gritted teeth. "if you’re quiet, we can leave!”
"Why do you want to leave?"

"So we can go somewhere, and not be bored." Taylor told Zac nonchalantly.

Zac sighed a sigh of reluctant agreement. "Fine. Let’s go then."

Taylor smiled at Issac. "Now that’s more like it, right Ike?
"Right." he said to Taylor. "Mom, Dad, we’ll be back," he yelled to his parents.
"Be back by 11:00, okay?"

Taylor glanced at his watch. 7:36. "Okay, mom. Bye!" he called to his mother.
"Bye honey. Be careful! Seatbelts!"

They walked off the porch towards Issac’s white Corvette. Issac was twirling his keys around his index finger. Taylor paused for a short moment to look at the sky as Ike put the top down on the ‘Vet. He looked up at the stars. Well, one star in particular. Actually, it’s not even a star. It’s a planet. Taylor was looking for the planet Venus. For some reason, he found it lucky. Whenever he was feeling down, or needed to think, he’d just stare at Venus, almost like he believed it knew the answers and the mysteries of life. Of course it didn’t know any answers, or if it did, he never got any. But still, nevertheless, he believed in that star.

"Taylor! Come on! What’re doing?" Issac said. He and Zac were already in the car, waiting for Taylor.