"why doesnt she like to bring it up?" JC asked watching Lily retreat to the dolphin pen. She sat down on the rim of the pool and dangled her feet in the water.
"it's not like she wasnt well off to begin with. Her grandparents on both sides were rich. When they died they left their money and houses, whatever, to her parents. Well, the cycle just repeated itself a little too soon, so with no other siblings or cousins to speak of, all the money and property was shifted down to Lily." Michelle shrugged.
"her parents are dead?" Lance asked softly. Michelle nodded.
"yeah. Plane crash on their way back from Hawaii. That's where Lily was born. Her father was a native and her mother was there researching the hawaiian monk seals. They moved after her dad's grandparents died here to Orlando. Lily still has a huge mansion and about 60 acres of land back there. Then her mother's grandparents eventually died, when Lil was about 10. She never knew her dad's parents. Her grandfather died before she was born and her granmother died right after. Then about 4 years ago her parents died. She was still only working behind the scenes. She'd been working here for almost two years, her mother was training her to be an entertainer like she was. Well, after their deaths, Lily was handed all this stuff. She kept all of it, of course. Most of it was paid off b/c it was secind generation stuff, you know? So, I know I brag about it alot, but i think it's great she's kept all their things. She doesnt like it brought up b/c then everyone wants to know why it was given to her or ho she got all the money, then she has to tell them her parents, grandparnts, they're all dead and she has no family. She hates the sympathetic looks that they give her." Michelle finished the story. The guys were silent. Michelle walked off to find Dan.
"wow, she's only 21?" Joey asked agian. Justin nodded. "what a hell to go through being only 21."
"no family. That's awful. I bet holidays are tough." Lance said quietly.
"yeah, it's sad and yeah, we feel sorry for her, but dont act like it. No sympathetic looks, no 'are you okay's. She was fine when we got here, she'll be fine when we leave. Act like you dont know anything." JC said. The guys all nodded.
"i'll be right back." Justin said and he headed towards Lily.
"did i not just say.." Jc trailed off to the rest of the group. They all laughed quietly.
"hey, this seat taken?" Justin asked, coming up behind Lily.
"if you're here to ask me if I'm okay or to tell me how sorry you feel, then yeah, it is." Lily said, walking her feet up and down the back of one of the dolphins.
"well, what if i'm not here to say any of that?" Justin countered.
"pull up some floor." Lily patted the ground next to her. Justin sat down cross-legged beside her. They sat in silence for a few moments. "it's hard for you not to say it." Lily acused. "yeah, it's a bad thing that happened to me. But people 'feeling sorry' for me wont help it. That wont bring back my mother or my father. It's a phrase to show how better off they are than me. They can feel sorry b/c they still have a family to go home to. So when someone feels sorry for me, they dont need to tell me. I dont need pity and i dont need to be babied about it. I'm a normal person. I go home everyday. Only i go home to my dog and they go home to their family. I'm no differnt than someone who just moved out of their hosue. People live alone all the time." Lily shrugged. Justin nodded.
"well, i dont feel sorry for you." he said. "you have an amazing job, you have good friends, a dog, you have purpose in your life. There's nothing to feel sorry about." Justin pointed out. "everyone loses sometimes. You just lost alot, very early in life. But sooner or later, i'll lose the same way you did, and so will JC and so will Mickey. So why shoudl I feel sorry for you, when i'm going to face the smae thing later on?" Justin said. Lily smiled, still not looking over at him. "you have a gift." Lily smiled again and looked over at Justin.
"thank you." She said softly. Justin smiled and gave a oneshouldered shrug.
"i may have more money than i know what to do with...but I'm pretty good at advice, for being 20." Justin said. Lily gave a small laugh. Justin looked at the dolphins swimming around, occasionally coming and nudging Lily's feet. "they really are kool to watch." Justin nodded towards the perpetually smiling whales. " about what you were saying at dinner? The belugas? You said they make all kinds of noises.......i thought all whales do is click."
"ahh, but that's not ALL they do. They make the koolest sounds. I'll show you one day." Lily said. She stood up. "Now you better hurry and go find your bandmates. If this doesnt go well, we'll have to book Backstreet next time." Lily winked and jogged off.
"HEY!" Justin cried out, then laughed. He returned to where his bandmates were standing just off stage. He peered out at the audience. The place was jam packed.
"Dan said it's filled to the max, with people outside watching monitors. There are even people in the underwater viweing area, they're gonna watch it on tv down there too." Lance said. "they'll clear them out before we go down there."
"kool." Justin said. The mother and baby whale were no longer in the larger pool. "all the whales are put up?" he asked.
"yep. Mickey put them away about 5 minutes ago." JC said. "so what did you two talk about?" he asked as they walked further backstage to warmup vocals.
"we didnt talk alot. I just kinda sat there for awhile. Then she told me how she didnt like sympathy and i told her i wouldnt give her any. We talked for maybe 5 minutes. I was down there for ten. So half the time i just sat there like an idiot." Justin shrugged.
"I wonder what Britney would say about that," Chris joked. Justin punched him in the shoudler. "ooo, touchy-touchy!" Chris laughed.
"Might want to be careful tonight Chris. It's wet, I wouldnt want you to slip and break a hip. Would you like your cane Old Man? Justin retorted. Chris shoved him and he laughed.
"okay, okay. Let's warm up guys. We're on in 15." Lance said, looking at his watch.
"oh my god. Look at all those people lil!" Michelle whispered as she peered out at the audience. "i've never seen so many people here before!"
"People? Those arent people. Those are psycho-teenage girls who drug their paretns out here so they could all scream and fawn over Nsync." Dan laughed. "like, oh my god. Look it's Justin. He is sooo my favorite! I'm like totally going to marry him! Oh look, he like totally petted that dolphin. Isnt that, like so sweet? Arent you just saying awwwwww? Oo oh oh, he just looked a me. Oh my god!" Dan said jumping up and down. He was talking like a valley girl and flipping his hair.
"dont make fun of those little girls. They cant help it they've been brainwashed." Lily said.
"oh yeah. And besides. You used to talk like that anyway." Dan said. "like, what are you doing here? You are, like, so not supposed to be back here." Dan mimicked, recalling the first time they had met.
"you werent supposed to be back there! And i couldnt help it. Besides I wasnt that bad anyway!" Lily protested. Dan laughed.
"C'mon guys. Snap snap!" Jim rushed towards them. "you're on in 3! I've got stagehands back ready to release a whale on your command. Lily where's you whistle?" Jim asked rapidly. Lily reached for the whistle that was around her neck, but found it missing.
"oh shit! I'll be right back." she said and took off.
"language Lily! Language!" Jim shouted after her.
Lily raced back towards the lockers. As she ran she turned a corner and slammed into JC.
"oh my god. I'm, like so sorry." she said as JC stumbled back. All the guys looked at her.
"its okay. Where are you off to in such a rush?" JC asked, laughing a little, rubbing his chest where she slammed into him.
"i forgot my whistle and we're on in, like-"
"hey everyone and welcome to Sea World Orlando!" Dan's voice echoed over the speakers. Lily paled.
"oh shit!" she mumbled. SHe rushed past Nsync. Suddenly the guys saw Jim jog up to them.
"have you all seen Lily?" he asked, breathless.
"yeah, she just came tearing through here looking for her whistle." Joey said.
"we're on right now! Where is she?" Jim asked.
Suddenly Lily came running back from the lockers. "LILY!" Jim shouted. Lily stopped and looked at him.
"i got it." she said, breathlessly.
"well, we went on-"
"i know, gotta go," she said, patting Jim on the shoulder then took off agian.
"that girl," jim shook his head and ducked into a room to watch the show on several different tvs.
"well, that was interesting." Chris said. The guys laughed.
"dude, my chest hurts. She hits hard." JC groaned, holding his chest. All the guys laughed again. They all headed over to the side of the stage, waiting for their cue.
"Hey everyone. I'm Dan, this is Michelle" Dan introduced himself and Michelle. He looked offstage to see Lily running fullspeed towards them. "and, last but not least, I'd like you to meet the head trainer for tonight's show, LIly!" he said just as Lily walked calmly on stage. She smiled and waved at the crowd. She reached Dan's side.
"hi everyone!" she said brightly. She looked offstage at movement and saw Nsync standing offstage, Joey making faces at her. She smiled and looked back out over the crowd. "we have an awesome show planned for you tonight. And..as I'm sure many of you know..."Lily paused for dramatic effect, then grinned. "Nsync is here." she said and clapped her hands twice. The crowd went insane and she laughed. Dan motioned for them to calm down. "but..." Lily stopped while Michelle and Dan tried to shush the group. "BUT-" Lily said louder, she laughed as the crowd quieted down. "Before we get to that. I'd like to introduce you to some friends of mine." she cocked her head to the side. "First, i want to introduce you to the star of the park...SHAMU!" she shouted. A few moments later, Shamu was released into the arena. He swam around lazily. his trademark flopped over fin reminded Lily of Keiko, a killer they released about 2 years ago. He spouted and the crowd 'ooohed' and 'ahhed'. He exited out the opposite end of the arena and was led down a small water tunnel back into his pen. "now i'd like you to meet the rest of the killer whale family. Look closely and maybe you'll catch our smallest member, a two month old calf born right here in Sea World Orlando." Lily said as the 5 other killers were released. They all swam around the arena as the crowd cheered, then were exited out. "Now, i'd like you to meet a group of special whales. These whales arent known as well as the killer whales. This is a group of 2 pilot whales, 3 false killer whales. The pilots are the ones with the long fins and big forehead, the false killer whales look kinda like black dolphins ." Lily explained as the 5 entered the arena. "okay, and now. For our biggest bunch, and certainly the most hyper. These are our dolphins. We have 8 bottlenose,. Look carefully, we also have two babies! ." Lily finished, just as the first dolphins raced into the arena. They all jumped and played around, a few even swimming over to the trainers in search of a snack. They were all eventually herded out. " and last but not least," Lily took a breath. "we have our more furry pals, the sealions." she said and turned to look off stage as the lions were released. They all waddled onto the stage barking and yelping like crazy. Lily held out her arms and they ran over. SHe knelt and gave Seamore and hug around the neck and he kissed ehr cheek. The audience laughed. Lily stood up and faced the audience. She waved and the sealions waved. "And now, we'd like to show you our own version of Nsync's 'tearin up my heart'."
Lily looked offstage at a surprised Nsync. Lily took the five off to the side. She put a curly wig on one, and a silver necklace that resembled the one Justin had. She put blonde hair on another one, brown hair on one, brown and red hair on another, with a superman cape and braids and goggled on another. "Can you recognize the five?" She held her hand over the curly one. "this is Justin," she introduced the sealion. It gave a 'smile' and then blew a kiss. Lily gave it a treat. then she held her had over the next one. "Lance," the lion repeated the previous's gesture. "JC.......Joey.....and Chris" she said finally, and gave that lion a treat. "hit it!" she shouted. All the lions ducked. When the music started playing Lily spun in a circle and lead them in a sequence of 'dance moves' as the chorus to the song played. When the chorus was over the music cut and the crowd applauded. "thank you, thank you!" Lily said and bowed, along with all the lions, then stood up and they all blew kissed.
Dan and Michelle quickly led the lions of stage, gave them treats and ran back on.
"now that you've met our animal friends, we'd like you to meet our human ones." Michelle said. "well, except for maybe Joey..he's kinda weird....and Chris is sorta hairy soo." she trailed off as the crowd laughed.
"anyway. Without anymore interuptions, Sea World Orlando gives you......" Dan trailed off.
"NSYNC!" Lily, Michelle, and Dan shouted. they ran off stage as fireworks went off and lasers went everywhere.
"What's up Sea World!?" Justin shouted as they walked onstage. The crowded screamed back in response.