Chapter 17

IN ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

"Why do people think Russia is so bad?" Danika questioned.

"I know. It is cold, but everything is so full of culture!" Pascal exclaimed. Danika, Pascal, and Danika's aunt, Ana, were all sitting in a little restaurant outside of St. Petersburg. They were sipping hot chocolate and talking about the present situation of Russia. They had just finished talking about the Romanovs. All of the sudden, this group of strange men came into the cafe. They began an argument with the owner and chef. Apparently, it was something about politics. From what Pascal could translate, the newcomers were pro-communist and were angry over some comments the owner had said at some other time. The argument was getting heated. Many of the customers were asking for their checks. Pascal, Danika, and Ana were getting worried. Suddently, one of the men took out a gun and yelled, "No one is leaving this vicinity. People who eat here certainly must be our enemies. People that buy from this man should be punished," the apparent leader said. They were clearly not of stable minds and a bit drunk.

Everyone was beginning to get worried. Danika and Any grabbed each other's hand while Pascal attempted to remain calm and keep them calm as well. Without warning, the angry men let out a stream of bullets everywhere. Any ducked out of the way just in time. Danika was hit in her right arm. Pascal was shot in the back and in her left arm. She collapsed to the ground in agony. Everyone was sreaming terrified. The police arrived and had the men arrested. Pascal looked down to her arm and saw nothing but streams of gushing blood. She felt a slicing pain in her back and put her right hand to her back. She looked at her hand covered in blood. Her eyes frantically searched for Danika and Ana. Ana took them in her arms and prayed for help to arrive soon.

BACK HOME IN ORLANDO AT THE JUSTIN'S HOUSE

The door knocks. Lynn answers it. Louis, Jenelle, and Solange are standing there with pale faces and forlorn looks. Lynn ushers them in quickly to the living room. They quickly explain what has happened. Lynn and her husband Paul gasp and the blood rushes from their faces as well. They know they have to tell the boys. Worst of all, they have to tell Justin.....

"Boys," Lynn calls as steadily as she can. Pascal has become like a daughter to her in the past few months. She and Pascal were the only female members of the "tour", and the news has ripped her apart. The boys come bouncing down the stairs from watching The Usual Suspects. The notice immediately the grim look the other people's faces. Justin sees the DeBauviers with strained faces and knows something is wrong with Pascal. He panics. "What happened? What is wrong with Pascal?" he stammers. The rest of the boys demand to know what has happend.

"Boys sit down," Lynn instructed calmly. She takes a deep, ragged breath, puts her hand to her mouth, and tries to relax. "While Pascal, her friend, and her friend' aunt were at a restaurant, some pro-communists came into the place and started trouble. They were apparently drunk and did not know what they were doing," the boys were intently watching Lynn. Justin's stomach was being turned inside out.

"Anyway, they opened gunfire. The aunt was not hurt, her friend was shot in the arm, and Pascal was shot in her left arm and her lower back, " before Lynn could finish, the boys all leapt to their feet. "Oh, my God! Is she alright? When can we see her? Is she alive?" Justin was the loudest of the five.

"She is going to be fine, but the doctors do not know if or when shebe able to walk again. She is going to need alot of love, help, and support from all of us," Jenelle said on the verge of tears.

"Thank God," Justin sighed looking upward. Still, he was worried about her.

"When will she be home?" Lance asked.

"She needs to stay in the hospital for a few days, and then they are going to let her come home. We cannot even talk to her because she needs as much rest as possible and needs to be free of any excitement," Louis explained.

"We expect her home Wednesday at nine pm," Janelle added. After an hour or so, the group split up. They were to all meet at the airport Wednesday. The incident appeared on the news. It broke all of their hearts. The scene looked so scary and tense. "Why does she always have to go throught stuff like that? It's not fair!" Justin growled with his fists clenched. The other guys comforted him as best they could, but they all felt the same way and were just as upset. The next few night, hardly any of them could sleep. Justin tossed and turned. He was a guy and was not supposed to cry, but the thought of her being basically all alone in Russia thousands of miles from him and the fact that he almost lost her, made him lose control. He buried his face in his pillow and cried for the first time in years.