The screaming fans voices got louder and louder as the concert neared an end. Finally, the song finished and the guys said their good-byes and ran off the stage and immediately to their bus, to escape the crowd of fans sure to be out there in minutes. The ride on the bus to the hotel was quiet, as they waited for the adrenaline rush to calm down and they regained their composure from such an energetic show. Twenty minutes later, they arrived in a neighboring town to rest for the night. Sometimes they did small tricks like that to avoid fans. They loved their fans, but some nights, especially nights like this one, they were tired and really wanted to sleep. They filed out of the bus and checked into their rooms and almost immediately crashed. But Chris Kirkpatrick for some odd reason could not get to sleep. He found himself to be completely restless and tossed and turned for several minutes before deciding that maybe a walk would help get some of the anxiousness out of his system. He pulled on some jeans and an orange T-shirt and picked up his black Adidas windbreaker from a chair in the room, taking it with him in case it got a little chilly. He slipped one of the room keys into one of his jean pockets and quietly stepped out of the room and made his way to the street. He looked around making sure no one was out on the street and sighed with relief, grateful that he could actually have a peaceful walk and some time to himself. He walked for about an hour, making his way through the streets and thinking. As he passed a dark alley, he swore he heard someone crying. His first instinct was to ignore it and keep walking, but something inside kept him from doing that. He slowly walked into the back street and looked around for where the cries were coming from. He finally saw a small figure sitting on the ground and weeping. He cautiously walked up to her to see if he could help her in any way.

“Excuse me, miss?” Rachel heard the voice and jumped away from him.
“Go away!” She snapped at him, and Chris noticed the look of fear in her eyes.
“I am not going to hurt you...I saw you crying and thought maybe I could help.”
“Well thanks for your concern, but no thanks. Look I gotta go.” As soon as she said the words, she heard the deep voices of the men calling her name. “Oh my God! We have got to get out of here!” She unconsciously grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper into the alley, hoping they would pass by without seeing them. They did and she slowly walked out of the alley looking around. The guys’ backs were to them, and she put her finger to her mouth, signaling to Chris to be quiet. They tiptoed out onto the street and Rachel silently prayed that they wouldn’t be seen, but much to her dismay, they did and called out to her. A wave of panic struck her and she took off. Chris ran after her and they desperately tried to lose the men who were hot on their tails. Seeing that they weren’t going to any time soon, they quickly jumped into a cab and screamed at the driver to lose them. The driver sped off on two wheels and went down several side streets in an effort to try and evade the assailants. Chris told him the hotel he was staying at and the cab driver took off towards the hotel, quickly dropping them off there. Chris threw a fifty into the driver’s seat and grabbed the girl’s hand, running inside and up the stairs. They stopped on the third floor and looked out a hallway window, grateful to see that the men were nowhere in sight. They took a few moments to catch their breath and then Chris finally thought to introduce himself.

“Hi, I’m Chris.” He slowly stuck out his hand, hoping maybe she wouldn’t fear him anymore and was glad when she took his hand and shook it.
“Hi Chris. I’m Rachel.”

“You’re bleeding.” Chris said, as they stood motionless in the hallway.
“Huh?” Rachel was taken off guard by his comment.
“On your shoulder. You’re bleeding. Come on, let’s get that cleaned up.” He took her by the hand and led her onto the elevator, going up to the seventh floor and walking into his hotel room. She was very nervous about being in such close quarters with a complete stranger. She couldn’t afford to trust anyone at this moment in time.
“Chris, you don’t have to do this--”
“Don’t worry...I want to.” He gave her a friendly smile and gently dabbed a wet washcloth on the wound.
“Ow..” The cut was still tender.
“Oops sorry.” Chris apologized and looked at her shoulder closer. “This is a pretty nasty cut...how did you get it?” Rachel tensed up and Chris eased off. “Nevermind, you don’t have to tell me.” Rachel yawned and Chris helped her off of the bathroom counter. “Come on, you can sleep in my bed.”
“Umm...I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I’ll sleep on the floor. You take the bed. I can tell you are tired.” Rachel really was fatigued and she was in no mood to argue and she nodded her head in agreement. Chris led her into the bedroom and grabbed a pillow and the comforter on the bed and made himself a temporary bed on the floor. Rachel climbed into the bed and under the two blankets and sheets Chris had left her and was instantly asleep. Chris laid awake for a while, thinking about everything that had happened in the past two hours. His mind raced with questions as to why Rachel had been running and who those men were chasing her. He could already tell from the panic caused whenever she saw them, that they definitely were threats. He was scared to ask, though. He saw how she tensed up whenever he asked what had happened to her shoulder, so he knew she would most definitely avoid any question as to what it was she was fleeing. He also knew she had no place to go, and all he wanted to do was help her. He drifted off to sleep, settling on a decision. He would ask her to complete the remaining six weeks of the tour with them and then they would take it from there.

Rachel woke up a few hours later, with the sun shining into the room. She looked around the room and saw another guy sleeping in the other bed, and Chris sleeping soundly on the floor. She got up quietly and gathered her few belongings, and silently let herself out of the room. She was grateful to Chris for everything he had done, but she didn’t want him to get involved in everything going on in her life. It was just too dangerous. She dug around in her pockets and in her purse, gathering just enough money for cab fare and a bus ticket. She knew she had no place to go, and no one in the world to turn to, but she would figure out something when she reached her destination. She always did.

Justin Timberlake woke up around eight and sleepily rubbed his eyes. He turned his head towards the other bed in the double room and saw that it had definitely been slept in, but no one was there. He slowly sat up in the bed and laughed when he saw Chris on the floor, tangled up in the comforter and cuddling the pillow. He reached behind his back and grabbed his own pillow, throwing it in Chris’s direction and hitting him in the head.

“Huh?” Chris mumbled half in his sleep, half awake as he felt the pillow hit his head.
“Dude...did you fall off the bed again?” Chris slowly raised his head and squinted his eyes as he saw the sunlight shining into the room.
“Huh?”
“You are on the floor, man.”
“Yeah...cause Rachel is in the bed.”
“What in the heck are you talking about man?” Justin was obviously confused and looked over towards the other bed. Seeing no one there he turned back to Chris and gave him a dumbfounded look. Chris raised up and his eyes popped out of his head as he noticed the empty bed. He stood up and frantically looked for a note or some clue to where she had went. Nothing turned up.
“But she had nowhere to go...”