*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of ‘N Sync (nor would I ever really want to), they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike, Rachel, Devon, Ashley and Dru. Plagiarism is against the law, please don’t make me pursue any legal recourse. It would only be a pain.

The alley was dark, something that she had grown used to, but had never really grown to like. Rain poured down in buckets, almost causing her to wonder if the heavens had opened up and all the angels were crying. Until she remembered that she believed in those fairy tales less than she believed she was ever going to get out of the dead end life she had been living for the past six months. She huddled into the doorway of the old apartment building, trying to keep from getting wet and trying to keep warm, something that was near impossible in this kind of weather. She wasn’t really looking forward to walking around all night in cold, wet clothes. She shook her head with a sigh, wondering when it had all started to go wrong. Wondering why she couldn’t have remained in control of the situation. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to block out the sound of his screams as they took him away from her. She surged to her feet in one fluid motion and disappeared into the night, wandering the streets until dawn. She had learned from experience that the cops would ask questions and start poking their noses in her business if she were to fall asleep in the safety of the doorway. She pulled the hood of her old, battered sweatshirt over her head to protect herself from the immediate drenching. It didn’t work. She was soaked to the bone seconds later. She sighed again, turning her face up to the sky, letting the rain drip down her cheeks, much like the tears she refused to cry. It wasn’t something kids from the streets did. If you cried, you had weakness. If you had weakness, others could rule over you. If others could rule over you, you’d be dead within twenty-four hours. Or, you’d be forced into a prostitution ring, and end up dying a slow death from AIDS or any of the other sexually transmitted diseases. She walked past stores long closed for the evening, glancing in the windows, wondering how hard it would be to lift something so she could buy something to eat. She hadn’t eaten worth a damn in four days. Hadn’t slept in almost a week. She had been alone for six months. And she was tired. She stopped suddenly, gazing at her reflection in a mirror that was being displayed in a furniture store and her mouth gaped open. Dark circles rested under her eyes, her cheekbones now very pronounced, she looked.. like she was dying a slow, painful death of starvation. She looked like she had already died and was a member of the walking dead. She glanced up as a woman rushed by, huddling her child close to her as she past by, giving her a dirty look. She shrugged it off. She once had everything, too. A loving family. Lots of clothes. Her own phone. And a hundred friends. Then they had all been taken from her. Not all at once, but one by one. She had watched as bits and pieces of her life were sold off. She shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to the present. Thinking about the past was dangerous now. She had to keep an eye out for herself. She had to make sure she wasn’t found. She wouldn’t go back. Couldn’t go back. Would kill herself before even thinking of going back. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and continued walking, the rain beating down on her shoulders, her steps slowing as her feet started to drag. Sleep. Warmth. Food. That’s all she needed. That’s all she wanted. The rest could go to hell for all she cared. Self preservation was her only thought.

Justin Timberlake hunched his shoulders as he walked briskly through the rain, trying to get back to the hotel before he became totally soaked to the bone. Hours ago, he needed to get out of the hotel and all the problems of his life, with the battle over everything with Trans Con., and other various problems that inevitably arose whenever something new happened. It had begun to weigh on his shoulders too much. He couldn’t stand the way things were going, all the name calling, all the harassment from both sides of the suing and counter-suing had caused. He and his four friends had been in the group ‘N Sync for over four years now, but they never really had a taste of fame until recently. First they had exploded over in Europe, and now, finally they were able to tour the states, something they had all dreamt about for years. The group consisted of himself, the youngest of the group; Lance Bass, ultimately the shiest and the business man of the group; Joe Fatone, the flirt and partier; JC Chasez, the dad and serious member; and Chris Kirkpatrick, the craziest member. The five men had been best friends for years, and had formed a sense of brotherhood throughout all the trials of trying to make it in the music industry. They kept each other grounded, and were always there for one another. With the help of a few ladies.

Joe, JC and Chris had girlfriends and Lance was on the verge of a relationship with someone. Joe had met Ashley almost two years ago, through JC’s girlfriend Mike. Chris’s girlfriend Devon was Mike’s older cousin and Lance’s soon to be girlfriend Rachel was also met through Mike. He wondered vaguely if it had all been set up before hand. Mike being the first girlfriend inducted into the tightly knit group, then her deciding that they all needed women to help balance their testosterone out. He sighed when his mind drifted back to the court trials. He shook his head ruefully. At least the fans’ support had never wavered, not once. For that he was thankful. Grateful. He groaned softly to himself when the rain started falling from the sky in one thick sheet.

“So much for not getting drenched.” he muttered savagely as he broke out into a jog, trying to make it to the hotel in record time. He sighed in relief when he saw the tall building and sprinted into the safe haven of it’s lobby, running his fingers through his curly, tousled hair to shake the excess droplets of water from the strands. He looked down at himself in mild amusement. For all intents and purposes, he looked like a drowned rat. He grimaced with a shake of his head, turning towards the elevators so he could ride up to the top floor, and the warmth and dry clothing of his suite.

“Get your hands off me, I was just leaving.” a loud female voice caused his step to falter. He glanced up and saw a uniformed hotel worker grab a ragged looking girl by the arm, hustling her back out into the rain. His brow furrowed slightly as he debated on whether or not his curiosity was greater than the need for dry clothes. His curiosity won. He wandered over to the front desk and rested his arms on the shiny, marble surface.

“What was that all about?” Justin inquired, lifting an eyebrow. The gentleman behind the desk glanced up distractedly and smiled immediately upon seeing who it was.

“Nothing to worry about sir. Just a homeless girl looking for somewhere to dry off.” the uniformed man stated with a shake of his head.

“And you tossed her back out onto the streets?” Justin murmured the question, suddenly feeling a wave of pity for the poor girl.

“Sir, this is a five star establishment, I can assure you, we cannot have ruffians come traipsing through our lobby, no matter how long.” the gentleman sniffed, taking on a haughty air. Justin gritted his teeth, turning on his heel. Without thinking, he jogged back out into the rain, hoping to entice the girl into some dry clothing and maybe something to eat. He glanced first down the street to his left, then his right. She was nowhere to be found. He sighed, shoulders sagging slightly. So much for my good deed of the day. He shook his head, returning to the hotel lobby. He did some quick calculating in his head and nodded with satisfaction.

“I want you to send someone out to find her and bring her back here. Since this is a five star establishment, I’m sure you won’t mind giving her a delectable meal, something that she’d like and a clean, dry set of clothing.” Justin stated, his voice firm, uncompromising.

“You can’t be serious.” the man sputtered, a look of shock crossing over his features.

“I’m serious. I believe that you get most of your business through the entertainment industry. Am I correct in assuming so?” Justin raised an eyebrow.

“Well.. yes.” the man nodded, clearly becoming wary of what was coming.

“Ah, I was right. If you don’t find her and give her a room, I will personally make sure that the entertainment business knows what kind of hotel you run here. And believe you me, it won’t be to your liking.” Justin’s eyes flashed with brief, intense anger.

“Ye - yes sir.” the gentleman nodded, snapping his fingers. A uniformed bellhop appeared moments later at the desk, awaiting instructions. Justin waited patiently as the man behind the desk informed the bellhop of his new duty that night, then nodded with satisfaction. He watched as the bellhop disappeared into the rainy night before turning back to the desk.

“Put anything she needs on my tab. Consider it my good deed.” Justin stated shortly before turning on his heel and heading toward the elevator once again. Once the doors slid shut, he sagged back against the wall, wondering why in the world he had done such a thing. It wasn’t like him to do things without thinking about them. But, he couldn’t rightly see someone spending a night like the one they were having, out on the streets. The doors slid open, and he stepped out into the lavishly decorated hallway. He shook his head with a soft snort. He had never really been overly fond of five star hotels anyway. Way too upper class, and rather temperamental about various things. Like fans coming to see them at all hours of the day and night. Justin sighed tiredly as he slipped the key into the lock and opened the door, stepping inside. He wandered into the room and smiled when he saw JC and Mike curled up on the couch, watching a movie.

“Big surprise here. JC’s watching a chick flick.” Justin snorted loudly as he flopped down in an empty chair, assuming that Lance had already headed off to bed. During the group’s stay at this hotel, JC, Lance and himself were sharing a suite, leaving Chris and Joe to share the second suite with a couple of the bodyguards.

“Only cause Mike wanted to.” JC countered with a shake of his head, causing Mike to glower at him for a moment, before turning her attention back to the television. JC chuckled softly, shaking his head. Justin sighed, wondering when Mike would get around to finding the perfect girl for him, since she had already done so with the others. He shook his head, mentally chiding himself for having such a thought. He gave a violent shiver as a cool blast of air washed over him, and quickly decided to take a shower. He rummaged around in his duffel bag, looking for a change of clothing before he wandered into the bathroom. He grabbed a towel, placing it on the counter as he waited for the water to reach the right temperature. Within moments, he stood under the hot spray of water, letting his mind blank and his muscles relax.

She hugged herself, trying to keep what warmth she had, her sweatshirt and every other article of clothing she wore totally soaked from standing and walking out in the rain. How was she to know that she had stepped into one of the most expensive hotels in the city? She sighed gustily, turning the corner of another street. She nearly shrieked in terror when a gentle hand cupped her shoulder, keeping her from walking any further. She spun around to face her assailant, hands fisted and ready to swing should it be foe instead of friend. A young man in a bell hop’s uniformed smiled at her, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Please, miss, I’ve been asked to bring you back to the hotel.” he stated loudly enough for her to hear over the patter of rain and the noise of the traffic that moved swiftly, though intermittently throughout the street.

“Why?” she demanded, arching an eyebrow at him, her stance still poised and ready to defend herself if necessary.

“I’m not sure why, miss. But please, come with me. At least you’ll have some place dry to stay for a bit. Or, long enough to warm yourself.” his kind eyes spoke volumes to her. He didn’t look down upon her. He didn’t even make a move to be condescending to her. He was just acting the worried patron. She nodded once, her stance relaxing as she followed him quickly back to the lavish hotel. Once she stepped into the hotel lobby, her muscles tensed, eyes darting around to make sure emminent danger didn’t lurk in the corners. The man behind the desk, the one who had ordered her taken from the hotel lobby, sniffed loudly in distaste before turning and reluctantly pulling a key from a small drawer.

“You’re room is 315. I assume everything you need will already be waiting for you. A please, leave everything in the room the way you found it.” his icy eyes traveled down her skinny, dranched form then met her cool eyes with a smirk. The bell hop took the key from the man and handed it to her.

“I’ll show you to your room. Follow me, miss.” he encouraged gently. She mentally shook herself, turning abruptly to follow the bell hop into an awaiting elevator. The pair rode up to the third floor in silence. She shook her head in wonderment, disbelieving that she was actually going to stay in one of the posh hotel’s rooms for the night. She shook her head, steeling herself against the instant doubts while pushing away her curiosity over who her benefactor for the evening had been. The bell hop stopped in front of door 315 and turned to her with a smile.

“If you need anything, miss, please don’t hesitate to call on me. Just ring the front desk and ask for Brian.” he informed her, bowing slightly before turning on his heel to return to the elevator.

“Brian?” she called out on instinct, almost regretting her action. He turned to her once again, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, miss?”

“Stop calling me miss. Name’s Dru.” she gave him a tentative smile before she shut herself up into the hotel room. She turned, resting her back against the door, her eyes widening when she took in the expansive room. A king size bed took up only a quarter of the room, it’s comforter thick and brightly colored. Two chairs surrounded a small oak table, heavy drapes in the same pattern of the comforter hung in front of the windows, a small oak bedside table rested on one side of the bed, an oak dresser held a television and vcr, which completed the room. She shook her head, feeling mildly dazed. She hadn’t had it this good in a long while. Dru wandered to the bathroom and nearly groaned upon seeing the huge bath tub with small jets set into the tub itself.

“First thing’s first. Bath. Then sleep.” she mumbled to herself, reaching over to turn on the faucet. She checked the temperature before pushing the plug into the drain. She giggled softly when she saw the scented bath beads, compliments of the hotel. Without thinking twice, she dropped the beads into the steaming water, then undressed. Moments later, she sighed luxuriously as she sank into the hot water. This is what heaven must be like. Vaguely she wondered how she ended up with her own room in one of the fanciest hotels she had ever seen and who was footing the bill. Her heart lurched in her chest when the idea of payment entered her mind. On more than one occasion she had been propositioned by greasey young men who were too horny to make use of their hand, and dirty old men who wanted one last experience with a girl much younger. They had seen through the grime and exhaustion to see her classically beautiful features and had tempted her with a nice, warm place to stay for the night. Her skin crawled even now, just thinking about it, and she hoped the hotel staff didn’t have an ulterior motive in mind. She sighed heavily, folding the wet wash cloth over her eyes, her mind wandering to more pleasant thoughts.

Justin suffered through another yawn, eyes watering as he combed his fingers through the curl atop his head. He rested his head back against the couch, eyelids at half-mast, index finger pushing a button on the remote control to the television. Channels whirled by, never resting for more than five seconds before flipping to the next one, the screen flickering madly. His mind wasn’t really on the television at all, but, rather on the girl he’d seen in the lobby two short hours earlier. He wondered if she had been found and given a room.

“Will you find something to watch already? You’re giving me a headache.” Lance informed the younger man in exasperation. Justin, lost in his own thoughts, glanced up startled.

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” he mumbled, his cheeks flushing slightly, tossing the remote onto the low laying coffee table in front of the couch. Lance shook his head, lips twitching with amusement.

“So, you met a girl, huh?” he inquired knowingly.

“What makes you think I met a girl?” Justin countered, raising an eyebrow at his friend as he reached for the soda can resting on the coffee table.

“You only get that far off look in your eyes when you’ve met a girl.” Lance shrugged, folding his arms across his chest.

“You sure it was that far off look? He has many different versions of vacancy.” JC commented, stepping further into the room as Mike reached for her light weight jacket.

“Yes, it was the ‘fantasizing about a girl’ vacant look about him. Not the, ‘I don’t want to be here so I’ll take a mini vacation in my mind look’, nor was it the, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’ look.” Lance nodded, giving the other man a thoughtful look.

“It’s not like that, guys. This girl’s different.” Justin shook his head, sighing heavily.

“Probably not. I’m guessing she’s short, blond and built.” Joe snorted tiredly, blinking hard to keep his eyes from drooping.

“Is it possible, for once, for me to not automatically think of a girl as something other than ‘fresh meat’?” Justin demanded softly, climbing to his feet in one swift motion.

“All right, our bad. What’s she like, Curly?” Joe shrugged a shoulder, flopping down onto a chair.

“That’s just it. I don’t know. I haven’t even met her yet.” Justin sighed, raking a hand through his curls.

“You’re this touchy on the subject of a girl you haven’t even met? This can’t be good.” JC shook his head and received an honorary punch in the arm from his girlfriend. He glowered at her, giving her a playful shove and almost knocking her into Joe, who was standing a few feet away from them.

“I’m not touchy.” Justin snorted, vaguely amused with the conversation.

“No?” Chris lifted an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest. “Then what are you, kid?”

“Human. Male. Caucasian. Anything else you’d like to know?” Justin lifted his own eyebrow, stilling the twitch of his lips.

“Everyone has to be a smart ass.” Chris rolled his eyes, slapping a hand to his forehead.

“Though you have to admit, Chris, that one was good. You never saw it coming.” Lance chuckled softly with a shake of his head.

“What’s with this girl?” Chris interrupted, tossing a mild glare in Lance’s general direction.

“I don’t know much about her. As far as I can guess, she’s homeless. But, I didn’t get a good look at her, not that it would have mattered because she probably hasn’t had a shower at her disposal in a while.” Justin shrugged a shoulder, rubbing the nape of his neck warily.

“Um, you met up with a homeless girl?” Lance tried to break the question delicately, not sure of what the others were thinking.

“I didn’t meet up with her, no. Hotel staff was throwing her out of the lobby when she was there only to warm up for a few minutes. I asked about her and the manager told me not to worry about it. I felt bad for her, so I told them to give her a room or I’d smear the hotel’s reputation in the biz.” the whole story tumbled from his mouth before he had thought better. He sighed at the equal looks of shock plastered upon everyone’s faces.

“Let me get this straight.” Chris held up a hand. “You threatened the hotel manager, essentially blackmailing him so this homeless girl could have a warm, dry place to stay for the night?”

Justin nodded silently, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. A small grin split Chris’s face.

“I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but I’m proud of him.” Chris turned to the others.

“I’m not sure if blackmail was the best option, though.” Lance nodded in concideration.

“What else could I do?” Justin lifted an eyebrow.

“All right, you can go now.” Lance waved Justin off, laughing softly.

“You’re dismissing me?” Justin snorted incredulously.

“You said it. ‘Sides, you were just trying to leave a few minutes ago. So, be gone with you.” Lance shrugged, shooing him away with his hands. Justin rolled his eyes, snickering softly as he wandered to the door, disappearing out into the hallway.

“You think we should worry about this whole thing?” JC inquired, draping his arm along Mike’s shoulders.

“What for? He seems to have everything under control.” Joe shook his head, covering a yawn with his hand.

Dru paced the hotel room, bored out of her bloody mind. On the streets there were thousands of things to do to keep yourself occupied. But here, in an enclosed hotel room, the options were rather limited. She had become bored with the television minutes after she turned it on, especially when nothing worth while was on; though she had come across a talk show with the theme of runaway teens and why they did it. She had watched for a few minutes, nearly laughing at how fake they all seemed. She flopped down on the bed and covered her face with a pillow so she could scream at the top of her lungs, then nearly jumped out of her skin when the hotel phone rang shrilly, interrupting any further thoughts of entertaining herself. She reached over and grabbed the phone.

“Hello?” she hated that she sounded breathless.

“Dru?”

“Yeah..,”

“It’s Brian, I walked you to your room.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“You hungry?”

“Sorry, pal. I’ve no money for bread.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“All right. Fine. I’m starved.”

“Come down to the lobby. I’ll set you up with something to eat.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch. Just come downstairs.”

“All right. I’ll be down in a few minutes.” she rolled her eyes as she hung up the phone. She reached for her hooded sweat shirt, grimacing slightly upon feeling the lingering dampness of the material. She shook her head, shrugging into the sweat shirt, then combed her fingers through her damp hair as she made her way to the door. At the last moment, she remembered to grab the key to the room, then wandered down the hallway to the elevator. She gave a small, self conscious sigh as she neared the elevator. A nice looking young blond guy was also waiting for the elevator. He wore expensive clothing and he stood with an air of importance, even if his shoulders were slightly slouched. He glanced over at her and gave her a distracted smile. She did her best to smile back, her heart thundering in her chest. She reprimanded herself silently, internally rolling her eyes at her sudden giddiness. Her only rational explanation for the way her heart was behaving was the fact it had been a very long time since a guy looked at her and smiled. She closed her eyes, shutting his image out.

Justin sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. The elevator seemed to be taking forever to arrive. He just wanted to go downstairs to the restuarant and maybe grab something to eat. He slid a glance over at the young girl who had joined him a few minutes earlier. A vague memory tugged on his brain, causing him to turn and gaze at her for a moment.

“What?” she inquired nervously.

“Nothing. You just look familiar.” he shook his head, trying to place her face in the vast number of faces he had seen in the past few days. He shook his head, laughing softly. It’s a surprise he didn’t go through this more often, especially with all the people he had to meet on a daily basis. It was deja vu all over again.

“Somehow I find that hard to believe. I’ve never seen you before in my life.” she shook her head, rolling her eyes. Her voice was tough, a slight east coast accent giving her words more strength. Both his brows shot up.

“You’ve never seen me before?” he sounded shocked, almost amused.

“Can’t say I have.” she shook her head again, and gave a sigh of relief when the elevator doors slid open with a cheerful ding.

“Now there’s something I don’t hear anymore.” he laughed softly, following her into the elevator.

“Why?” her speech was still guarded, as if she was waiting for him to do or say something that would endanger her.

“Well, I’m a singer. Face plastered all over various magazines. Named sexiest star under twenty-five two years in a row.” he turned his gaze to her, eyes dancing with mirth. She made a face, groaning softly.

“Doesn’t help me out.” she shook her head, pushing the button for the lobby.

“You ever hear of the group ‘N Sync?” Justin tried again, unable to believe she had never heard of them.

“I don’t keep up with music these days.” she sighed, a vaguely wistfull look entering her eyes.

“You might have heard something of ours on the radio.” he shurgged, willing to let the subject drop. Suddenly, the elevator came to a screeched halt, the lights flickering madly. Justin’s jaw dropped open, his mind registering the fact that he was stuck in an elevator with a young woman who had no idea who he or ‘N Sync was. he bit his lip to keep from laughing, as he turned his gaze to her.

“Looks like we’ll have some time to talk.” he commented conversationally. She groaned, resting her forehead against the cool metal doors. He reached into his pocket and grabbed his cellular phone, hoping he’d be able to get a signal in the small room. He dialed quickly and waited a moment.

“Chris!” he nearly had to shot for his friend to hear him over the static.

“What?”

“You’ll never believe what just happened.”

“Something tells me I’m gonna have a really good laugh at your expense.”

“Probably. Dude. I’m stuck in the elevator.”

“What?”

“Elevator. Stuck. No power.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, way.” Justin rolled his eyes, lips twitching as Chris laughingly informed the rest of the room he was trapped in a elevator.

“What’d you want me to do about it?”

“Gee, I dunno. Maybe call someone for some HELP.”

“Wait, you want out of there? I thought you couldn’t be happier.”

“Funny, Chris. Come on, man. Get me outta here.”

“All right. You stay right there. I’ll call around and see if I can’t find someone who can help.”

“Where the hell else am I going to go, Chris? It’s an elevator and I’m trapped in it.” Justin snorted, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. It he wasn’t so tired, he probably would have been rather upset with the situation.

“Oh, right. My bad. Sit tight.” Chris snickered then hung up. Justin shook his head, pressing the end call button and shoved the cell phone back into his pocket. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this. Her turned to his companion with a smile.

“By the way, my name’s Justin.” he held his hand out to her. She gazed at him for a moment before taking his hand, giving it a firm shake.

“Dru.” she replied with a sigh.

“Short for?” he prompted gently, taking a seat on the floor, his back resting against the wall.

“Not gonna tell you. My name’s not something I relish.” she rolled her eyes, her lips curving in a reluctant smile.

“Just don’t like it, or not proud of it?” he continued softly, bending his legs at the knee so he could rest his arms on his knees.

“Neither, really. I’m just not wild about my name. The ‘rents named me after my great, great grandmother who happened to be a witch. Some people believed she was a vampire, but she died of old age so that kinds ends that theory.” she knew she was babbling, but she couldn’t help it. She always babbled when she was nervous, and being trapped in an elevator didn’t rank high in the blissfull zone.

“Really? Some pretty interesting family heritage.” he smiled, turning to gaze at her.

“Not really.” she shook her head, taking a seat in front of him, leaning back against the opposite wall.

“More interresting than mine by half, no doubt.” he snorted, closing his eyes, his head thumping softly against the wall.

“And it’s short for Drusylla.” she mumbled, gazing down at her hands folded in her lap.

“Nice name.”

“No, it’s not.” she shook her head with a roll of her eyes.

“I like it.” he shrugged, opening his eyes to gaze at her for a moment. Both started when his cell phone started ringing. He reached into his pocket and managed to answer it on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“You know that vacation you always wanted?”

“Chris, don’t start. What’s the news?”

“Well, I have good news and I have bad news.”

“All right, tell me the good news.”

“We found the hotel technician.”

“Okay, and the bad news?”

“He’s in Hawaii on vacation. You better get comfortable, cause you’re in for a two week stay.”

“You are so not funny, Chris.”

“We’re working on finding someone else who knows how to un-stuck an elevator. Even have the hotel manager working on it, too.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“You hungry? Want me to order out for pizza, have them deliver it to you?”

“I’m hanging up now, Chris.”

“Fine. If that’s what I get for trying to think of your needs.” Chris made an outraged sound and hung up. Justin groaned, tossing his phone onto the floor beside him.

“Sounds like you have some nice friends.” Dru murmured, a painful stab piercing her heart.

“Yeah. They’re alright.” he nodded, smiling slightly. The pair fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Dru wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly as the lights flickered. She’d be all right if the lights didn’t go out. She could handle her claustrophobia if she could see everything that was going on around her. However, if the power went out, her mind would have a feild day, taunting her with memories of a better life, a life she used to have. She closed her eyes tightly, willing her brain to shut down so the memories wouldn’t flood over her.

Things hadn’t gotten much better after that day. She had traveled from foster home to fister home for the better part of the next year and a half, though she never stayed long in each home. Something would happen, and she’d be shipped off to the next one. Twenty-four families in eighteen months. She shook her head sadly, gazing up at the ceiling. She could never forget the way Cory had screamed for her to keep him. The Department of Social Services never had let her see them after that day. As far as she knew, Cory had been adopted right away as was Michael; Keith went from home to home like her; and Tavis, she had no idea where Tavis was.

“You all right?” Justin inquired suddenly, startling her.

“Peachy, why do you ask?” she lifted an eyebrow, rubbing her arms, trying to ward off the lingering cold.

“You just had this meloncholy look and I wondered about it.” he shrugged, doing his best to make conversation. Being trapped in an elevator was bad enough, throw in an unsocial girl into the whole problem and he feared he would die from sheer boredom.

“Better not wonder. And not ask questions. My life has a way of sucking people’s lives from them.” Dru snorted angrily.

“Why? What happened?” honest curiosity threaded his tone.

“You have a few hours?” she rolled her eyes.

“Do I look busy?” he countered. “Besides, I’m not going anywhere. I’m your captive audience. Most girls would kill to be in your position.”

“Thanks. You’re just an ego booster.” she snickered, shaking her head slowly.

“The way I see it, without conversation, we’ll both go stark raving mad before we get out of here. Personally, I’m only thinking of your sanity.” he grinned at her, and she momentarily lost her train of thought.

“Can’t lose what you don’t have.” Dru mumbled, closing her eyes once again.

“All right, then think of my sanity. You don’t know my friends. They’re the most insane people you’d ever meet. Someone has to be the sanity of the group.” Justin pointed out logically.

“How about this, you ask a question and if I feel like answering, I will.” she snorted, craking an eyelid to give him a side long glance.

“Fine. How old are you, Drusyla?” he smirked, folding his arms across his chest.

“Seventeen.” she replied, smiling at her one word answer.

“When’s your birthday?” he continued.

“June 5th.” she rested her head back against the wall.

“What do you like to do?” he watched her, her face familair as his brain scrambled to place her.

“Eating’s good. So’s sleeping.” she shrugged.

“Where do you live?” he closed his own eyes, stifling a yawn of exhaustion.

“Nowhere.” she answered sharply.

“How can you live nowhere?” he opened his eyes, making a face.

“Very easily. I don’t have a home. I’m what you’d call a street rat.” she answered flippantly. Justin snapped his fingers, finally able to place her face.

“You’re the girl I saw in the lobby. The one the hotel staff were being jerks to.” he murmured more to himself than to her.

“You saw that?” she inquired sharply.

“Yeah. What happened, if you don’t mind my asking.” concern entered his eyes and she nearly winced. This was all she needed, to spill her soul to a pop singer.

“What happened when?” she countered with her own question.

“What happened to make you lose your home?” he specified, resting his wrists on his bent knees.

“My parents died.” she mumbled, the memory still painfully fresh.

“I’m sorry.” he replied instantly.

“Nothing for you to be sorry about. You weren’t the one who killed them.” she shrugged her shoulders, picking at the carpet for lack of anything better to do. She also couldn’t meet his gaze, knowing she’d find pity there.

“It was a sympathy apology.” he amended softly. “You have any brothers or sisters?”

“Does it matter at this point? If I do, they’re not with me.” she shook her head, heart contracting painfully in her chest. “But, yes, I do. Four brothers.”

“What happened to them?”

“Department of Social Services caught wind that I was taking care of them by myself and decided to take them away from me. I haven’t seen them in about two years.” Dru sighed, uneasy about answering the questions he was asking.

“Do you know where they are?” he sounded genuinely concerned, which made her even more wary.

“Not sure. They don’t confide these things to me.” she mumbled, glancing away from him. Justin grimaced as his cellular phone rang once again, and he reached for it after a second’s hesitation.

“Hello?”

“How you holding up in there, Curly?”

“You have impecable timing, Joe.”

“Why? Someone in there with you?”

“Duh. Yeah, there is. Did y’all find anything out?”

“About?”

“Getting me out of here. What the hell else are you trying to find out about?”

“Testy. Yeesh, I was just wondering if I was on the same page as you. No, we haven’t turned anything up yet. I was just calling to see how you were doing. It’s gotta suck being trapped in an elevator.”

“Yeah, it does.”

“All right, I’ll let you get back to whatever it was you were doing when I interrupted.”

“Gee. Thanks.” Justin rolled his eyes, clicking his phone off and letting it drop back to the floor beside him.

“Looks like we’re in for a long stay.” Justin sighed, giving her a rueful smile. Just then, the lights flickered then went out.

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