Chapter 1

    Kat sighed as she sipped her Lime-Rickey.  The humidity was so dense that she really didn’t care what was going on.  All she knew was that her car was broken and that fact was going to make her life much harder.  As her friend Jacee called AAA in a panicked fury, Kat just looked at her watch.  At least this little mishap had gotten her out of having to work.
     “I bet famous people never have to deal with this crap,” thought Kat to herself as she looked up for a moment to discover that her car was still smoking.  Pulling a small notebook out of her purse, she opened it up to the score sheet she had made on the first page.  The page was split into two sections and had a series of tally marks on each side.    Kat put a mark on the appropriate side of the page and looked over the score.  The Get a Real Job and Make Parents Happy section had 5 marks under it while Find Some Way to Get Famous and Get Out of this Godforsaken Hellhole had a whopping 37 tally marks under it.  Kat giggled to herself.  “With that settled, now I just have to find a way to become famous.”
     “Stupid, no good slackers,” cursed Jacee as she made her way over to the curb where Kat was sitting.
     “Why are you so pent up about this?” asked Kat.  “My car is the one that is broken.  I’m the one who has to pay for the repairs.”
     “Hey, you're right,” Jacee answered brightly.  “It sure does suck to be you!”
     “Thanks Jacee.  You always have this magical way of making me feel better about things.”
     “I try.”  Jacee just gave her friend a self-satisfied smile.

About a week later:
     “I can’t believe this!!  In all our travels this has never happened before!  What if we die out here?  We could starve!  I feel weak already.  Everything is getting dark.  I never thought it would end this way!”
     “Joey,” began JC.  “Would you please get over yourself?  Another limo is supposed to pick us up in less than 15 minutes.  There is no way that you are going to starve to death just because our limo over-heated.  Besides, you just ate less than a hour ago.”
     “Actually, that’s not true,” laughed Chris.  “While you were talking to the driver about the limo breaking down, Joey broke into your bag and ate your cookies and stuff.”
     “Joey, man . . . I was hoping to get to those first!” whined Justin as he kicked a rock on the side of the road.
     JC glared at Joey and Justin.
     “What I find difficult to believe is that the limo driver just abandoned us.  Where did he go, anyway?” asked Lance.
     “Maybe he had to find a bathroom?” tried Chris.
     “That’s just silly,” said Joey as he shook his head.  “What self-respecting guy is too good to piss on the side of the road?  It has to be something else.”
     “What if it’s all a plot?  What if our fans are involved with all this?” asked a paranoid Lance as he scanned the area.  “They could be watching us right now . . .”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
     Kat stared at the road ahead of her.  To her surprise, off in the distance she saw a broken down limo.   A pang of sympathy coursed through her body as she remembered how it had taken three hours just to get her car towed.  This could be a great opportunity for her.  Not only could she help her fellow neighbor, but also whoever might be in this limo could prove to be of great use to her.  After all, it’s much easier to become famous if you know someone.  Smiling impishly to herself, Kat pulled her car over to the side of the road.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
     “OHMYGOD THEY FOUND US!!!” cried Lance as hid behind JC.  “Hide me . . . PLEASE.”
     “What is wrong with him?” JC asked rather off-handedly.
     “He hasn’t been the same since that fan tried to pull down his pants.  Having his yellow duckie silk boxers exposed to the entire world was just too much for him to handle.  Poor fool, if only he wore Superman boxers like me.  Then he wouldn’t be having this problem,” said Joey matter-of –factly.
     Normally, one of the other members of the group would respond to this sort of comment with something along the lines of “Who’s idea was it to let him in the group anyway?”  Sadly, the guys did not have time for this because they were busy looking nervously at the approaching car.

 
 Chapter 2

 “Oh my sweet Lord Jesus!” exclaimed Kat when she found herself standing in front of N Sync.
 “Um, hello,” answered JC as he gave her a polite smile.  The rest of the guys just waved to Kat meekly.
 “ Look,” began Kat.  “I have to admit to you boys that I really wasn’t ready for this.  It’s not everyday that I find N Sync alone and unprotected on the side of the road.”
     Lance yelped out in fear from behind JC.
     “Could you boys please excuse me for a moment?” continued Kat calmly.
     “Take all the time you need,” said Justin as he pulled a small compact out of his pocket.  “I could use a bit of a freshening up myself.  Besides, it is understandable that meeting all of us at once could be too much for the average human being to handle.”
     “Sure . . .thanks . . .I’ll be back in a moment,” said Kat as she walked over to her car.  She opened the passenger side door and pulled out a hooded sweatshirt.  Burying her face in the folds of the shirt, she let out what sounded like a few muffled yells.  Once she was finished, she walked casually back to the guys and told them . . .
     “I think I’ll be okay now.”
     “Well, I’m sold.  My curiosity simply will not let this one go.  What exactly were you saying?” asked Chris.
     “Would you like the G or R rated version?” Kat answered slyly.
     “G please . . .Lance is still impressionable.”
     “Well then . . . it was something along the lines of  ‘Oh my gosh, that’s N Sync.  I simply do not believe it, and golly . . .they are looking very handsome today.’”
     “When we have a chance to get rid of Lance,” said Justin, “I’d love to hear the R rated version.  Especially around that part where you call us handsome.”
     “Will you please lay off of her?” JC said in a rather angry tone.
     “Yeah!  That’s my job!” Joey whined.
     JC thought it best not to encourage the other guys any longer.  He took a moment to look Kat over before he spoke again.  She was an attractive fashion diva with medium long dark hair.  “Screw it,” he thought to himself.  “I’m not waiting around for a stupid limo service to come get us when I can get driven to the venue by a pretty girl.
     “Well it seems that we are really stuck here,” said JC.  “ Our driver disappeared looking for help two hours ago and we have a show to do tonight.  It wouldn’t be too much trouble if you could drive us to the venue would it . . .Miss . . .um . . .What was your name?”
     “Kat,” she answered smiling.
     As the guys somehow managed to squeeze themselves into Kat’s car (hey, use your imagination!), a dark figure detached itself from the bottom of the limo and repositioned itself under Kat’s car.  Though this strange figure went unnoticed, it was certainly following the guys.
 

Chapter 3

     “You’ll never believe what happened to me on my way home tonight,” said Kat to her friend on the other line.
     “Let me guess . . .you met JC and you’re calling me from his hotel room as we speak?” Meg asked sarcastically.
     “Well, give me a few hours and I’ll see what I can do about that.”
     “What do you mean?”
     “I mean that I am at the sold out *N Sync concert as their personal guest. Translation for the slow minded . . . GET YOUR ASS HERE NOW!!!  Oh, and don’t forget the rest of the crew,” finished Kat as she hung up the phone.
     Within moments, Kat found herself surrounded by her friends.  Needless to say, they had made it to the venue in record time.  Kat just smiled slyly, as Meg, Jacee, Mary, and Marcy looked around feverishly for the guys.
     “If you are looking for *N Sync, they’re in their dressing rooms right now.”
     “You mean that I’m missing my chance to see Joey naked right now!  Outta my way girls!” Meg yelled as she headed down the hall.
     “I was worried that she may react like this.  I’m worried that I don’t have enough money to bail her out if Joey has her arrested,” voiced Mary in a concerned manner.
     “Since when has Joey been one to say no to a sex-crazed fan?” asked Jacee.
     All the girls just looked at each other blankly for a moment as if asking whether they should take advantage of this prime moment to make fun of Joey.  Before any of them had a change to decide, they hears a loud scream from the general direction of the boys’ dressing rooms.
     “AAHHHHH!!!!!!” the voice cried out.
     The girls ran towards the noise to find Lance alone in his dressing room and screaming at the top of his lungs.  The girls where in such shock over Lance’s behavior that they did not notice the dark figure that almost slithered out of the room as they tried to comfort Lance.  Oddly enough, it was the very same dark figure from earlier that day.
     “Did you have a bad dream, Lance?” asked Marci.
     “What are you talking about Marci?  He couldn’t have been asleep.  Lance only sleeps on things that move!” exclaimed Jacee.
     “Whoa,” said Meg.  “I’m not even going to go there!  I’m just going to let everyone translate that one for themselves”
     “All right girls.  I can see that this is getting us nowhere fast.  Perhaps we should ask Lance what is wrong?” said Kat as she handed Lance a tissue.
     Before Lance had a chance to explain what had happened, the rest of *N Sync came storming into the room.
     “Lance, are you all right?” asked JC in concern.
 

Chapter 4

     Luckily for Kat, she had plenty of time to get used to the guys while she was driving them around in her car.  As for her friends, well . . .this was their first *N Sync Encounter.  Before we get to what Lance was crying about, I think that it should be said that each girl reacted in her own special way.
     Marci stared at the guys for a bit before remembering where she was and that now was the time to keep her cool.  In order to remain calm, she began to analyze that dream she had the other night about llama and the jar of Miracle Whip.  She figured that this would keep her busy until the introductions were over.
     Mary walked casually up to the guys and introduced herself politely.  All those times she practiced meeting the guys in her head, were totally paying off.
     Jacee tried to tell the guys how much she appreciated them right from the start.  She used words like “inspiration” and “role models” and such.  Needless to say, the guys were pretty impressed.
     While the other girls had managed to maintain some sort of composure, the same could not be said for Meg.  She just ran up to Joey and threw her arms around his neck.
     “Let’s act out that scene from Armageddon!  Only without the animal crackers,” Meg suggested to Joey.
     “But that would only leave me leaning over your half naked body while making animal noises,” exclaimed a confused Joey.
     Meg nodded in agreement and gave him a wink.
     “OHH! I get it!” Joey laughed as her pulled her closer.
     “That was supposed to be us!” spat an angry Kat as she pulled JC over to look her in the eye.
     JC, who has never been very good at confrontations, just began to stutter.  Good thing for him he was saved by a second scream from Lance.
     “I WILL NOT BE IGNORED.  I’M THE ONE WITH THE PROBLEM, REMEMBER?”
     A silence filled the room as everyone turned around to face Lance.
 

Chapter 5

     “Look!” cried Lance as he held his hand out to show everyone exactly why he had been screaming before.
     Clenched in Lance’s hand was a singular piece of baby blue and pink Hello Kitty Stationery.  There was very little written on it except for the words “I’m going to kill you” in pink Milky Pen.  Worst of all, as if to add insult to injury, the I’s were dotted with little hearts.
     “Well that’s just plain sick,” exclaimed Chris in shock.
     “Yeah, everyone knows that I’m the only one who’s allowed to use baby blue,” said Justin in a huff.
     “Justin, I think that Chris was referring to the actual death threat . . . not the color scheme of the stationery,” said JC.
     “I hope you all realize that this means that we have a mystery to solve,” said Mary rather excitedly.
     After hearing this, Chris ran out of the room and returned with Busta.
     “What did you bring Busta in here for?” asked Marci.
     “Well, everyone knows that when you need to solve a crime in less than 30 minutes, you need a dog.  I think dogs have some innate mystery solving ability.  Take Scooby-Doo for instance, or Lassie. Or Rin-Tin-Tin. Turner and Hooch, even.” Chris answered.
     “Oh yeah,” everyone said in agreement.  Yes, this actually made sense to them, go figure!
     “I think we better get started,” said JC.  “We have to do a concert tonight after we save Lance from the blood thirsty stalker.”
     “Do we have enough time to eat first?” asked Joey.
     Meg pulled a candy bar from her purse.
     “I was ready just for this sort of thing.  Come on baby, I’ll take care of you,” she told him.
     And with that, our heroes began their search for clues.
 

Chapter 6

     After searching the backstage area for a couple of minutes, the crew still hadn’t found anything.  They were beginning to get worried because the Sugar Hill Gang had just finished their set.
     “Busta, you useless thing,” Justin yelled at the puppy.  “Haven’t you found anything yet?”
     Suddenly Justin felt someone’s fist land right in his stomach.  Before he had a chance to cry out in pain, he looked up to find Mary looking at him in a fury.
     “Don’t you dare take this out on an innocent puppy!” she yelled.  “Honestly, Justin.  You are as hot as they come, but sometimes I think that you would be nothing without your stunning good looks and soulful voice.”
     “So you think I’m soulful?” said Justin in a suave tone as he moved closer to Mary.
     And with that, Mary elbowed him in the ribs.  As, Justin sank to the floor in pain . . .Busta took the liberty of urinating on Justin’s new Nikes (his third pair that day.)
     “Well I can see that this is all getting us nowhere!” said JC as he turned to address Chris.  “Your dog is no Scooby-Doo and we haven’t any clues!  What do you think we should do now Mr. I Went To College?”
     “Would it surprise you if I said that I have an idea?” said Chris.
     “Really, what?” asked Joey his mouth filled with his third candy bar.
     “Whenever you are stuck in stories like this, it is always best to ask someone who knows what is going on.” Chris answered.
     “And who would that be?” asked Jacee with great curiosity.
     “The narrator!  She knows what exactly is going on.  Besides, I think she has a little crush on me.  She will tell us everything we need to know!”
     Oh will I?
     Everyone raised their heads to look up at the ceiling.  A strange booming voice was coming from above.  Lance dropped to his knees and began to throw his WWJD bracelet up in the air as an offering.
     That’s sweet Lance, but I don’t want your bracelet.
     “God doesn’t want my bracelet!” whined Lance.
     I’m not God, Lance.  I’m the narrator!  The offer was sweet, but the only one I want worshipping me is Chris.
     “Told ya she liked me!” exclaimed Chris.
     “Well, if you like him so much, why didn’t you write yourself in as his girlfriend?” asked Marci.
     That’s a fair question, but you see . . .I have huge issues about writing about myself getting busy with someone I’ve never met.  Others can write about it for me (hint, hint), but as far as I’m concerned . . .the whole thing is too much for me to handle.  A circuit over load if you will.
     “So I make you circuits overload, do I?”
     Chris, honey, I think you’ve been hanging out with Justin too much.
     “We’re really sorry to bother you Miss Narrator . . .” began JC.
     Oh, you can call me Val.
     “Val, we’re running out of time and we still don’t have any clues as to who is trying to kill Lance.  We were wondering if you could help us?”
     Isn’t that cheating?
     “Not at all!  We’re trying to save Lance’s life here”
     I guess you have a point, JC.  And since you asked so nicely . . .
     “What about me?” asked Chris.
     I have plans for you later.
     “Hip Hop Hooray!” exclaimed Chris.
     Yeah, whatever Chris.  Here is your hint everyone.  You know that dark and mysterious figure that has been following you guys since you left Florida?  Well, she’s standing over there in the corner.  You might want to ask her what’s up.  Can I go back to narrating now?
    “Yeah, thanks a lot for your help Val!” said JC as he turned his attention towards the corner of the room.