The Rest of Chapter One

Here's a bit more. :)


"Free at last!" Sighed Justin, falling into the bed in his hotel room and enjoying the silence. "What a day."

His thoughts drifted all over, the concert tomorrow night, the wild fans, his family back home, and how this sudden stardom had happened so quickly.

Justin reached under his bed and pulled out his heavy black guitar case. He unclasped the shiny metal locks, and lifted the guitar out. It was an awesome instrument, bright red and shiny. It was the best electrical guitar he had ever owned, and certainly the most expensive.

Justin, at that moment, wanted nothing more then to play it and sing his heart out. It was his way of escaping stress and calming down. Something a lot of people just couldn't understand. How could something so loud and energy taking calm you down? But somehow it did. But he knew he'd get in trouble with the hotel if he started such a racket. And he didn't have the cords for his guitar in his room anyway. Instead he silently ran his fingers over the strings and whispered lyrics from one of his greatest hits.

Keep stayin' strong, it won't be long, keep hangin' on...

Justin was only nineteen, soon to be twenty, yet, already, he was a huge star. At the age of seventeen he had been "discovered" and it wasn't long after that, that record companies had come chasing after him. Justin had signed a contract and hadn't looked back. It was crazy really how it had all happened. Now, here he was, Justin Fairway, one of the most popular artists in the whole country, and maybe, the whole world.

*~*~*

Ella looked out the living room window onto the dusty driveway, waiting for her Father to come back from his daily job hunt. Maybe today would be the day he got one, the day they had all been waiting for. A job, even a very small one, would mean so much. It would mean no more worried, whispered conversations at night, it would mean new sneakers for Ella and Maria, it would mean no more stress for her poor parents, it would mean ice cream after dinner, and, to Ella, it would mean Justin Fairway's latest cd.

Maria came up behind Ella and threw her arms around her neck. "Ella!"

"Gah! Don't do that!" cried Ella, pulling her little sister off.

"Awww come on! What'cha doing anyway?"

"Waiting for Daddy to come home. And thinking."

Maria didn't say anything, and merely snuggled up against Ella. Maria wasn't one for talking too much. When it came to Maria, actions really spoke louder then words.

*~*~*

Justin opened up his laptop and read quickly through his long list of emails. Nothing interesting. He started to write a quick note to his mother telling her he was safe in the hotel. She worried greatly about him even with all the security. Once that task was done, he logged off and went to bed.

Tomorrow was going to be another wild, and no doubt very very busy day. But it would be fun too, Justin loved nothing more then to sing live on stage. He just hoped everything would go smoothly. Fans, were really, the most unpredictable creatures in the world.

*~*~*

"Hey, Ella?" Whispered Maria, opening up the door to Ella's bedroom.

"Uh huh, Maria?" Groaned Ella, blinking in the light from the hallway.

Maria stood still for a second, then suddenly closed the door and scurried through the dark room, jumping onto Ella's bed. "I have a question." she whispered "And I don't want to ask Mom, because it might make her sad."

Ella sat up in her bed. "What is it?" She asked softly, feeling somewhat warm inside that Maria had come to her, but concerned about what might be worrying this small girl of ten and a half.

"Why didn't Dad get a job, again?"

"Ohh.." whispered Ella "Well, see, the whole country is in trouble with money and stuff, so nobody has any extra money to hire somebody."

"Ok." Maria paused "Is everyone getting poor, like us?"

"Well, not everybody, but a lot of people, yeah."

"Ok" Maria sighed "Can I sleep with you tonight? My room, is, well, my room is kind of empty."

"Of course, silly, you can always sleep in here."

"Good night, Ella."

"Night', Maria."