Chapter 3:

Every time a car splashed past the hotel, 16-year-old Heather looked outside in search for her friend. "Juli, where are you?" she wondered to herself. Her father sat in the hotel lobby, talking on his cell phone. Juli had found out that Maya had died just yesterday. She didn't say a word but ran out into the rain. Her new foster parent was their manager's boss, William Buxton. He sat in the soft glow of orange lamps. His blonde hair fading into a light grey, his steel eyes concentrated on something in the distance.

The double doors were thrown open as Juli walked in. She almost seemed like a ghost. She moved softly and gingerly, almost lost like a child. Whatever radiance was in her eyes had now disappeared, Heather noticed as she grabbed her friend into a tight hug. "Juli, we were so worried about you."

Juli looked at Heather, her face softening. A fake radiance returned as she faced Heather. "Hey, hey, it's ok. I'm sorry that I forgot to call saying I was going to be a bit late." she said.

"Tomorrow's our San Diego show, are you feeling up to it?" Heather asked gently. "I can show you Holly. Oh, you’ll love her. Come on." They headed upstairs for bed. "Let's go to bed, ok?"

Juli nodded, slipping into her pajamas after arriving at their floor and room. She crawled under the covers and curled into the fetal position. She finally closed her eyes and went to sleep after a few minutes. Heather stands in the doorway connecting their rooms together. The phone rang in Heather's room and she left her vigil to answer it.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"Hello, is this Heather Drake? This is Officer Juanita Rameirez." the person on the other line replied.

"Hello, officer, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I’m calling to tell you that your friend Holly McNamara was raped and killed tonight. The same sick-o raped one Juli Saunders and nearly 2 others. But apparently, Miss Saunders got away before he could kill her. Don’t worry, though, we caught the sucker and he’ll be in jail for a long, long time. Although, Miss Saunders will need to appear for the trial. Is she up to it?" the officer asked.

Heather looked at Juli's shaking form; finally realizing why Juli acted so strangely. "Um, officer, I don’t think Juli will be able to testify. She was acting very strange and lost tonight. Are there others that can testify?"

"Yes, the other two girls. They witnessed the whole thing. Ok, I’ll let her slip." Officer Rameirez sighed.

"Thank you, Officer." she said as she hung up. She looked at Juli who had began to whimper and move around. Heather moved to hold her friend, consoling her. She smoothed Juli's hair and whispered kind words. "Shh…it’s ok, it’s ok, Juli. I’m right here. It’s ok. It’s ok, Juli. I’m right here." she whispered.

Juli seemed to calm down at that and snuggled closer to Heather. They fell asleep together with Heather holding Juli close to her.

The next morning on the bus, Juli seemed like she was back to her old crazy self again. Their baggages were being loaded onto the bus when Heather climbed on. She spotted Juli on the couch and sat down next to her. "Hey." she greeted.

"Hey." Juli smiled.

"You feeling ok? Cause you know you can talk to me about anything." Heather said sincerely.

Juli seemed alarmed for a second. "Of course I'm ok, Feather." she smiled weakly. "I have you, for now and forever. Just like you'll have me."

Heather smiled and put an arm around Juli. "Yeah, we'll always have each other."

It was a warm Christmas season that floated through the air. The scenery was beautiful outside, Heather thought. Juli’s head rested on her shoulder. An inner battle raged in her head. This was their big break. Awards will come pouring in…and Heather will need to face it herself.