by:

Maggie Chasez

When I was six years old I got my first crush. Lance Bass… Wow. And even now, after I've had many crushes, Lance is still the most special to me. I still blush every time he speaks to me! Only my father knows about my crush - believe me, he threatens to tell Lance every time I try to win an argument with him!

At first, Lance had always been just a really nice guy who sang and danced with my father and was the father of one of my friends. He was like an uncle to me. But then, when I was six, Dad and I went on a camping trip with the rest of *N Sync and their families, and Lance became my hero.

Everything about camping was great - except the part where you have to be outside at night. I didn't much like that, and I still don't now. I was content to dive into the tent Daddy and I were sharing right after roasting marshmallows!

By late evening on the second day, I was very proud of myself. I had survived two whole days of nothing but being outside! After supper, my friend Eric shouted, "Hey, let's play hide and seek!"

I wasn't too sure about this. It was already starting to get dark. I figured I'd be better off to stay at camp with Dad.

"Uh," I mumbled, "You guys go on and play, I don't really want to."

Colette skipped over to me and flung her arm around my shoulder. "Aw, come on, Maggie!" she exclaimed. "It'll be fun!"

"Yeah," her twin brother Cain said. "It won't be fun without you!"

I still wasn't sure about it, but if Colette and Cain thought it would be fun, I supposed it would be okay.

"All right." I said finally. "I'll play."

"Great!" Colette shrieked. "Eric's It!" Then she ran off into the woods, followed by Angel, Robbie, and Cain.

"Hey!" Eric shouted in protest. "Not me! I don't want to be It!" But it was too late. The others were gone. I quickly ducked into my tent and grabbed my flashlight. I wasn't going into those dark woods without that! Then I snuck out of the tent behind Eric's back and ran for the woods. I ran for quite some time. I only stopped when I couldn't catch my breath. Looking around, I realized I didn't know where I was, or how to get back to camp.

Panicking, I immediately sat down on the cold ground and began to cry. It was almost dark.

I knew this was a bad idea, I thought to myself miserably.

* * * * *

Back at camp, the others had all met behind the tents.

"Where's Maggie?" asked Colette.

"I don't know," said Eric. "I never found her. I figured she had come back here."

"Oh, great!" exclaimed Robbie. "We lost JC's daughter! He's gonna kill us!"

"So who's going to tell JC?" asked Cain.

They all looked at Eric.

"What?" he cried. "Why do I have to tell him?"

"Because it was your idea to play in the woods!" said Angel.

"But Colette's the one that got her to play!" Eric retorted.

"Look!" Robbie cried, frustrated. "Somebody's gotta tell JC!"

"Tell me what?" Dad asked, coming up behind them.

They all hung their heads as Eric mumbled, "We can't find Maggie."

For a second, Dad just looked shocked. "What do you mean you can't find her?" he whispered after a moment.

"Well," Cain stuttered, "We were playing hide and seek in the woods, and we couldn't find her."

"CHRIS!" Dad screamed. "JUSTIN! JOEY! LANCE! HELP!" Everyone came running to where he was standing.

"What's wrong?" Justin asked, feeling sure that his trouble-making son Eric had done something terrible again.

"Maggie's lost in the woods!" Dad rushed. "We have to find her!"

"Slow down." said Chris. "We'll find her, everything's gonna be all right." Lance, Joey, and Justin had already sprinted into the woods to search.

"JC," Chris said, "You stay here in case she comes back. Colette, try to calm him down." With that, he ran off to join the others.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, in the woods, I was still sitting there crying, wondering if anyone would find me. I shone my flashlight all around, but saw nothing but dark woods. I decided to keep my flashlight on, hoping that someone would see the beam. Minutes passed, but they seemed like hours.

Suddenly I heard footsteps rustling through the leaves, coming closer. Then I heard a deep voice calling my name. It was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Here I am!" I called back. Moments later, Lance emerged from behind the trees. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up and a look of relief crossed his face. He came over and lifted me up into his arms. I wrapped my arms around his neck and clung to him tightly. He gave me a gentle hug and whispered, "It's okay. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you."

Tears streaked down my face as he carried me through the woods. He rubbed my back gently and softly sang a quiet, lulling song to me. I think it was "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You." By the time we came out of the woods Lance's shoulder was completely soaked with my tears.

I'll always remember the look of sheer happiness and relief on my father's face as he saw Lance carrying me to him. It made me realize just how much he loves me.

Lance gently placed me in my father's arms, but I was a bit reluctant to let go. After a second's hesitation, I let go of Lance - my hero - and snuggled into my father's protecting arms. Daddy engulfed me into a huge hug and kissed me all over my face.

"Oh, sweetie!" he murmured. "Are you all right, Maggie?"

Unable to speak, I just nodded and rested my head on Daddy's shoulder. I began to doze off, but I heard Dad whisper to Lance, "Thank you so much. If I'd lost her, I don't know what I'd have done."

"Of course." Lance said. "Maggie's like a daughter to me, I love her." He paused for a moment, then said, "Where are the others?"

Dad seemed confused. "Asleep in their tents. I made them go to bed, it's late!"

"No, not the kids." Lance said. "The rest of *N Sync!"

"Oh, them!" Dad said. "They haven't come back yet."

"Oh, great." Lance muttered. "Do I have to find them too?"

Daddy laughed and said, "Maybe you should. Those three will never find their way back on their own!"

I then drifted off as I listened to Lance screaming for Joey, Justin, and Chris. ~

Move on to Colette's story.