Generation 2, Chapter 3: Sizzling magic tricks, flying fire batons and the ghost of Love

My fists are shaking as they hang next to my body. It's taking every ounce of me not to lift it up and punch someone. The guy Bridget was with sneakily gets up and collects his clothes, gliding past me quickly. I don't spare him a second look, focusing my eyes on my sister before me, seeing as she's the one who didn't abide by my rules.

"Bridget, I gave you a chance. I took you in, let you have my bed for a night, let you sleep on my couch and eat my food, watch my television, heck, I would even have let you borrowed my car. You could have started a new life here, with a new job and showing off your talents. All I asked for in return is that you don't go crazy. And that's exactly what you did: Grab a random guy off the street and sleep with him. Are you proud of yourself? 'Cause I sure am not. Get out of my house, get out of my life."

"Kaylin, please, you're being irrational! I swear I didn't sleep with him, we were practicing poses for a photo shoot. I could have gotten money! But you just chased him away, and also my chance of becoming famous in a instant. So all of it-"

"Don't blame this on me, Bridget," I interrupt her. "You could have done it at his apartment, where you would have a bed that's not going to be slept on by someone else."

I watch on as Bridget's eyes sadly look across the room, outside the window to the streets; a place that can potentially be her home tonight.

"Again, I'm sorry. Your wasting your talents, Bridget, and that's why I can't let you live in my home anymore. You need to get a job, and quickly too."

Gesturing to the door, I lead Bridget out the apartment and down the elevator. Just as she's about to step outside into the cold, treacherous night, she pauses.

"You said I need to use my talents, right, then I can live with you again?"

"Well, yeah. Mom placed the responsibility of changing you into a better person on me, so I have to do something good."

"Um, okay, I didn't need all that jibber-jabber," Bridget raises an eyebrow, "but anyways. I could use my talent of deception."

"Talent of deception?" I frown, intrigued by her suggestion. What talent could that be?

"You see this rather large coin? Now, see how I make it disappear..." Bridget closes her hand around the simolean, then slowly opens her hand, lifting one finger at a time. Much to my surprise, it's gone.

"Alright, so you made a coin disappear into thin air. A lot of people can do that," I point out, unimpressed by her show.

"Oh, but what's that behind your ear..."

"Bridget, there is absolutely no chance that your gonna pull that from behind my ear. I would know if something was tucked behind...," Just as I'm halfway insulting Bridget for her stupidity, she pulls out the gold coin from behind my ear, stopping my sentence and its meaning.

"You were saying what, sis? That your observant? Guess your not so observant as you thought, huh?" my sister openly mocks me with the coin, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Alright, so your good at doing magic tricks. But Bridget, a couple of parlor tricks isn't going to get you a job. You need education for a good job."

"What if I turn it into a career?" she suggests. "Then I'll teach myself some more advanced tricks. I can't start out training in the park, earning money while I'm at it. I think I'll do that."

I sigh, leaving Bridget alone with her new idea of becoming a magician.

"Hey, Kaylin, one question..."

"What now, Bridget?"

"Do you have some clothes for me? It's pretty cold me for me to be standing here  in lingerie with an open door blowing in night air."

The next morning, I dress in a warm sweater with a snazzy jacket, deciding to go casual for the day. Of course, the only reason I'm dressing up at all is to accompany Bridget to the park to make sure she doesn't go crazy again. As I'm cleaning up around the lounge, Bridget exits my room, looking extremely uncomfortable. I can see why.

"I look ridiculous in this outfit... And it's tight! Jeepers, how will I perform tricks when I can hardly move?"

My hand covers my mouth, and I try to hold back my laughter. She does look ridiculous, but in a good way, to be honest.

"Presenting Bridget, the Multicolored Clown," I announce, then burst into giggles.

"Not funny, Kaylin," she growls.

Through the morning,from the time we got there, and from the time I wanted to leave, Bridget has been busy practicing her sleight of hand skills, actually making a lot of progress. She has successfully made a bunch of roses appear. Twice, to be precise.

"Bridget, why don't you try something new, or at least easier? If people kept looking at you making roses appear, I think they'd get bored."

"Fineeeeeeee," she rolls her eyes, checking her toolkit for some other tricks to do. "Oh, here's a nice one. Making cards appear... All you do is put your hands together, do that, and Bob's your uncle... Okay, I think I can manage it."

With a line of concentration between her eyebrows, Bridget starts and places her hands together, bringing forth a mysterious green orb. I'm almost thinking "Does magic really exist?" as I watch her. Lifting her hand up, Bridget releases the orb... And nothing comes from it except smoke.

"Well, that's a bummer," she sighs.

While Bridget is in rant-mode, I start to notice that people are congregating around the stage.

"Bridget, shush for a minute. I think something's gonna happen here."

"Well, duh," she points her finger to the stage. "Today is SimFest. There's gonna be a whole show up there. Let's cheer the peeps on and look all social. Hopefully they'll give us a gig here one day."

Next thing I know, Bridget whips out her phone and starts waving it in a flowing movement above her head.

"Uh, what'cha doin' there?" I blink at her, really confused as how weird my sister can get at times.

"I'm doing what everyone does at concerts to make the place look awesome. You know, like at the Adele concert, they lit up the entire hall... That was amazing. Anyways, I'm actually just following the guidance of that guy over there. He looks cute."

Sure enough, as I look over to my right, there's a guy in the crowd also waving his phone.

"I live in a town full of crazy people," sighing, I shake my head.

The proprietor of the park walks on stage, receiving multiple cheers of the crowd as he does.

"Thank you, thank you. But we're not here to celebrate a talent scout today. We're here to celebrate the talent that is out there in the world. Let's be thankful to them, otherwise we'd have no entertainment. Presenting our first act, a gifted acrobat by the name of Eragon, the fire juggling expert!"

The acrobat that walks onto the stage is none other than...

Aaron.

It's the third time I've seen him around, and I've only been in the town for three days.

"Greetings, dear fans! It's nice to have you come watch my act. Now, for starters, I'll show you just how flexible I am in my talents."

Without hesitating or breaking a sweat, Aaron starts to bend over backwards.

"Oh, did I mention that I'm literally flexible?" he chuckles.

"Try something new, something dangerous!" an female audience member yells.

That chick has no life if she comes to an acrobat show to see something dangerous, I think, rolling my eyes in the process.

"For the very determined lady in the front row, I will try something new... How about juggling this fire baton that 'magically' appeared in my hand."


The crowd roared with appreciation and delight. Even Bridget was all "OMG, that guy is so cute! Can I date him?" and impressed with his skills. I agree, I'm impressed as well, but I damn sure am not going to show it in front of the guy that only two nights ago asked me out, while incredibly drunk.

"Has any of you seen a tornado before? Or a tornado sucking up the things closest to you?" Aaron, or Eragon, asks the crowd. Many people are shaking their heads, while others are whispering "On the TV, yes". Satisfied with the reaction, he continues.

"Behold... A man trapped in a gust of wind." Eragon starts to mine, showing how he's struggling against a fake storm. From nowhere, a strong wind current sweeps him off his feet. I think even Aaron is surprised with what just happened. Maybe it wasn't planned to go that way.

"And, uh, with that, I end my show," Aaron stutters, quickly bowing and running off stage.

"That...was so freaking AWESOME! Can I get his autograph? Do you think he'd sign my shirt?" Bridget freaks out, giddily jumping on the same spot.

I snort at her antics, and put my hands together clapping, waiting for the next person to get on stage. Just as the magician gets up on stage, Aaron blocks my view from it.

"What did you think of my performance?" he asks with a bright smile, eyebrows raised.

"Get out of my view and then I'll tell you," I answer him in a flat tone, trying to see past his bulky shoulders. He obliges, and I continue. "It was good, I confess, but that last mistake ruined it."

"Oh, you're just being fussy. The entire crowd loved it." I give him a blank stare, refusing to answer him on that insult. "Okay, so maybe it wasn't THAT good. Are you going to try and do better than me, and go on that stage to sing?"

The word "sing" pulls me back to reality, reminding me that I was hired to deliver a sing-a-gram to someone.

"Well, crap! Sorry to be leaving you two, but I have to gooooo!" I shout, running over to the bathroom to get changed into my stage clothes.

"Hey, wait!" Aaron calls back. "Let's all meet up at a club afterwards for some chillaxing!"

I wave my hand, not even sure of its meaning, and quickly shut myself in the bathroom to get dressed.

It's sad to see how depressed a lot of people are, but good to know that my sing-a-grams often cheer them up.

Delivering sing-a-grams isn't the career I was imagining. I was thinking big lights, big stages and a lot of fans. I guess people have to start somewhere in life. For the first time ever, I realize how extremely privileged I was, having rich parents. But now they weren't here to buy my way up the fame ladder, and I have to work hard to accomplish it myself.

Driving back to town, I meet up with Bridget again, and we roam the streets, dressed as idiots. "But good looking idiots", says Bridget. I pass her a goofy grin, and check my phone for texts. There's one from Aaron, giving us directions to a cool club.

"Think we should go?" I ask Bridget, flashing her the text.

"Uh, do you need to ask? DEFINITELY. I want to get to know that guy better!"

Entering the club, flashing lights envelop us, and I instantly feel like partying. Aaron is smashing away at the DJ booth, playing Dubstep to the partying peeps, while Bridget and I try to outsmart each other at pool.

"I thought you wanted to talk to the guy!" I hiss at Bridget when she won, frowning.

"I'm kinda nervous... He's not like the guys I usually date," Bridget nervously looks over to the booth, and Aaron throws her a smile.

"Bridget, I'll be honest. None of the guys in this town are like the guys you usually date."

"Oh, is that a insult to us guys?" a guy asks as he walks over to us.

"Well, no," I shrug. "More like an insult to the guys she used to date."

"Hahahaha! That's good to know... Hey, would you like to dance?" the stranger asks.

"Uh, sorry, I don't even know you..." I bite my lip, hoping that he won't attack me or anything because I said 'no'.

"I'm not a stranger," he says with a smile, stepping from the shadows. It turns out to be Charlie, the guy I met yesterday, and someone I had an instant attraction to.

"In that case, I have no reason not to dance!" Charlie takes me by the hand and leads me to an open spot on the floor, where we start to slowly move and try to figure out how to dance together. It's awkward at first, seeing as he doesn't really know how to move his body when dancing, but we iron out the wrinkles and make it work.

"You're quite the dancer!" Charlie compliments me, and I feel my cheeks warming up. "You have a lot of natural rhythm!"

"Thanks. I'd like to say the same, but... I can't. Sorry!" I awkwardly smile at him, and continue to dance.

"Oh, that's fine. Only one of us needs to be a good dancer," he winks.

For a second, I cast my eyes and look out the window, but instead, I see a reflection of what's going on behind me. Aaron is still enjoying being a DJ, but Bridget has paused with her game of pool... Is she listening to our conversation?

"Um, I hate to shorten our dance, but is there anywhere we could talk privately?" I ask, then lower my voice to a whisper. "I think my sister is listening to us talking."

"Yeah, sure, there over where Aaron is, there are some seats," Charlie points over to the corner, and I quickly walk over there.

As soon as we're far away from earshot, I start to relax more with Charlie. He's very thoughtful, asking me questions of where I'm from, what kind of childhood I had, how my parents were, how many siblings I have, and so on. I feel like I'm being interviewed on a talk show, but that a friend is interviewing me, causing me to laugh as I speak.

"So how did you grow up? Actually, where did you grow up? Have you been in Starlight Shores for long?"

"Whoa, whoa, one question at a time!" Charlie hollers, but smiles. "Well, I grew up in Twinbrook. It's a sad story which I don't repeat often. In short, my father shot himself when I was 11, my mom threw me out and I lived in the streets for a very long time. I caught a bus to Starlight Shores by accident once when I was 16, and  that's how I got here. I met Aaron a year later, and he saved me. I had no natural performing talent, but he did. So I sponged off him, later becoming his agent. We've been best buds since, and I have no idea what I would have done without him."

"Wow, that's, uh... Charlie, I'm so so sorry. I shouldn't have asked. Ugh, I'm so stupid at times," I hold my face in my hands, regretting ever have asked him. I hadn't been expecting such a story. He looked so normal, so happy.

"Hey, don't be sorry," he soothes, resting his hand on my arm. I freeze. "It was a long time ago, and I'm pretty much over it."

There's a very long pause between us, and Charlie keeps staring at me. Is he a creep, or something? I feel very uncomfortable, and I prepare myself to get up and run.

"Sorry, uh...," Charlie apologizes, removing his hand from my arm. "I, uh... You look so beautiful, with the ominous backlighting and all. Sorry for being so bold, but I had to get that out."

"Wow. Uh, thanks, I think? Um, no guy has ever told me that, to be honest," feeling awkward, I avert my eyes and look at the dance floor.

"They must have been crazy, or blinded by something, to not be able to see that... Whoa, I sound really corny."

"That's alright," I shrug. The situation is already awkward, it can't get any more awkward.

"Would you like to, I dunno, move closer or anything. It would make for an hilarious prank on your sister, don'tcha think?"

I was wrong - it can get more awkward. A lot more awkward.

I allow Charlie to scoot a little closer, agreeing that it would make a funny joke on my sister (I have a boyfriend and she doesn't), but as his face lingers close to mine, there's just this feeling that pops in me...

And I kiss him.

"Oh GOD, what is that?! What are they doing!" I hear my sister's voice screech over the loud music.

"What'cha talkin' about, Bridget?" Aaron asks, stopping the track he was playing.

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," she smiles at him, but shoots us a glare. The club owner bursts in and shouts "Closing time, everyone OUT!".

I spare Charlie a smile, before quickly untangling myself from his grasp and running out of the bar.

As we're all rushing out the door before the owner punches as or something, a firm grasp encloses around my hand, spinning me around.

"Kaylin, wait... This is probably not the best place to ask, or the best circumstances, but I want to know... Will I see you again? Could we go out sometime and get a bite to eat?"

I smile at him timidly, and nod. His face lights up with a huge smile, and he quickly plants a kiss on my lips.

"Goodnight, Kaylin. Sleep well."

With shaky hands, I unlock my apartment's door, feeling flushed and happy from the quick kiss I shared with Charlie. Of course, Bridget is there to "welcome" me.

"What the heck was that stunt you pulled at the club? You hardly know the guy!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Coming from the person who jumped into bed with a guy she didn't even know for a day," I counter, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Okay, point," she relents. "But, seriously, this is soooo unlike you. What's his name? How long have you known him?"

"I've known him for three days... And his name is Charlie."

"Ah, that is so sweet!" Bridget coos, pulling a fake cute smile. "It's so romantic, I could puke, but instead, lemme do a quick magic trick... You see this wand? One moment it's an ordinary stick, and the next..."

"..."It's a bouquet of flowers! I have a feeling he's gonna give you a lot more flower bundles in the future!"


I really do regret taking my sister in.

Generation 2, Chapter 2: The candle has been lit

"Wow... Nice place you got here. Though it could do with some sprucing up, don'tcha think? Some disco lights would look awesome. Hey, where's the bathroom? I still need to go, urgently. Those gas station attendants were weird, so I couldn't go there," Bridget rants off as she easily glides past me, with not a care in the world that she's intruding - I mean, it's 3:00 AM for Pete's sake!

Maybe it's sleep deprivation, maybe it's stress. Maybe it's the anger that still lingers from the weird encounter I had with that one guy the previous day. Whatever the case, I flip out on my younger sister.

"Bridget... What the hell are you doing here? I moved towns to get away from you guys, and now your following me?" I try my best to make my words sound clear, but it's hard to manage when you hardly got any sleep.

"Huh? I'm just visiting, Kay-Kay. So your telling me there's something wrong with visiting relatives? Wow. That's harsh," she responds, her eyes shining bright with fake innocence. That pitiful look just pushes me off the edge.

"Yeah, there is, actually. Especially when the sibling treated you like crap when she was a teen, and only talked to her sibling when she needed someone. But what happened when I needed someone? Oh no, you were to busy snogging that doll Keegan. I've had it with that. I just want you to get the hell out of my life."

What came next surprised me.

In response, Bridget bursts into tears for some reason. I knew it couldn't be my attitude or my words, because she has spoken worse than I ever could, with some bad words mixed in as well. 

"What now, Bridget? Is this some fake act to get me to allow you to stay here? I'm really sorry, Bridget, but I can't. I can't let you live here."

"No, it's not that. I-I just wanted to come and tell you I was gonna live here in town," Bridget confesses. "But, when you said Keegan... Keegan left me, Kay-Kay. He used me for sex, and then left. How could he do that? He told me wasn't in for a one-night-stand. So what happened?"

Instead of speaking my thoughts out loud, I sit with her on my bed and listen to her troubles. I know Keegan would drop out on her; he only used her to become a real person, and now he's gonna live his life, probably screwing over other girls who are lame enough to fall for his sweet talking.

It's the first time Bridget and I really connect. For once, I see her as my sister, and not just some random goth on the street. For once, I respect her, because she came to me with her troubles, and not someone else who would break her down. That's kinda nice, in a weird way.

Sleeping in boots and leather pants can't be comfortable, I figure. Grabbing an old pair of pajamas from my wardrobe, I lay it next to her, so she could get dressed into it if she ever woke up.

The couch is my bed for the evening. It's sad to know that I'm not the first person to enjoy a good night's rest in my bed, but I shrug it off. Bridget needs it more than I do.

The hours pass quickly, and next thing I know, it's 8 AM. I get up and jump into the shower for two minutes, only making sure I smell nice for the day ahead. Being lazy to dress up, I dress in the same clothes as yesterday, but with a comfy sweater. Settling in to watch the morning's news, I hear soft footsteps behind me, and a second later, Bridget settles next to me on the couch.

"Sleep well?" I mumble.

"Not too bad," she shrugs. I sneak a peek at her, and almost gawk. Bridget looks completely different without her Gothic clothes and braided up hair. There are still some make-up outlines from the previous day that haven't washed out, but she it doesn't make her look any less human.

"Listen...," she starts, and I put the TV on mute. "I probably should have called, or something, before popping up here. But truth be told, I couldn't. I had sneaked out of the house, aged myself up and ran away. Mom and dad are probably looking for me, but I couldn't care less. I just want to live on my own."

"Bridget?! How could you? Mom would die; she's probably worried sick. We have to at least call!" I almost get up with shock. After a few deep breaths, my anger is contained, and I feel up to talking again. "Your not living on your own. Your crashing at my place," I point out.

"I know, I know. I'll sort that out. But, please... Don't send me away. I don't wanna go back to dreary Sunset freakin' Valley. It's just not my scene. This place is. The fashion is FANTASTIC. Speaking of fashion... We need to give you a make over. Your fashion sense is horrible, to say the least."

"There is nothing wrong with my fashion sense. I was just lazy to dress up, alright?"

"Don't you have an important appointment today, with an agent? So you can get started on your career?" she questions, a deep frown situated between her brow. "Yes, I did snoop through your schedule, but for good cause. We should really spice up your style. I'll go have a shower, and when I get back, I'll help you choose out some clothes."

Bridget jumps up and skips all the way to the bedroom. I can't help but smile. She's so emotionally immature most of the time.

Even though Bridget might not care about how mom and dad feels about her leaving, I do. I know that dad will probably call the police to go looking for her, and that mom would possibly have a heart attack because of grief. As soon as I hear the bathroom door shut, I nearly fling myself to the phone and start dialing the familiar number of my mom.

"-ello?" my mom's voice comes through breathlessly. She was probably doing some kind of yoga or whatnot - she's much more into doing sports lately.

"Hi, mom, it's me, Kaylin. How's it going?" I almost laugh when I ask her how's it going. Well, it's the only icebreaker I have.

"Oh, Kaylin, sweetheart! It's so good to hear your voice. We've really been missing you. Well, daddy and I... We're doing alright. How's things in Starlight Shores? Are the people treating you nicely?"

"Well, there was this one incident," I say, recalling the strange brown haired fella. "But other than that, everyone is really welcoming." I pause, not sure how to phrase the next part of my sentence. "Uh, mom, there's something we need to talk about."

"Do you have any better hair clips than this ol' fancy thing?" Bridget's voice interrupts me.

"No, I don't," I gesture to her, walking towards the window as she comes closer.

"Who was that, honey?" my mom asks.

"Oh, no one of importance," I lie, but regret it. "Okay, it IS someone of importance. It's Bridget."

"WHAAAAAT?!?" my mom shouts down the phone. I hold the phone a few inches away from my face until she can finally calm down.

For a sensitive person, my mom has quite a vocabulary full of "bad" language. I turn around the see Bridget awkwardly clasping at her hair. "I guess you told mom about me..."

I nod, and put the phone back to my ear. Mom throws questions at me faster than I can handle. "What is she doing there?", "When did she arrive?", "How long has she been staying?" are just a few things she asks about.

"She got here last night, and I don't know why she's here - maybe because she's bored with Sunset Valley."

"You put that girl on the phone right this INSTANT, and tell her we'll put her on a plane back to home. She still has to finish school."

"Actually, she's eighteen now, mom, so you can't tell her what to do anymore," I interrupt. "And... I think I'll take her in for now. Maybe I'll be a good influence on her. Who knows?" Bridget's eyes light up as I say this, and she clasps her hands together, repeating 'thank you' the entire time.


Mom nearly shouts at me, but I can hear that she keeps that feeling under lock and key, for the time being.

I end the call not too long afterwards, as the conversation takes an awkward turn.

"Nu uh uh!" I call to Bridget as I notice she's about to sneak out the apartment. "I have something to say to you, missy, so get your booty back here or else."

"You're not my mom," she grumbles, slouching towards me.

"Apparently you don't listen to your mom, so you can just as well listen to me. Now, I just saved your ass from being fried by our parents. I want you to stay out of trouble and not cause havoc in town. That's all I ask of you. You can stay with me, for the time being, but your gonna have to crash on the couch."

"One question," she puts up her hand. I sigh, and gesture for her to continue. "When can I give you a make over?"

I can't help but snort in derision. "Fine. You can help me choose out my clothing for the day now."

Although she has a preference for dark colored clothing, Bridget has a great sense of style and diverseness, being able to quickly pick out a short dress that would look great for an interview.

"And now, my dear sister, you are ready to enter the town and paint it red," Bridget laughs darkly. 

Across the street from the karaoke bar, the place where I ended up yesterday, is a country themed hang out, and the place where I meet the agent who could put me in touch with some proprietors.

"Hi, hello!" a sleek figured female greets me with a chipper smile. "My name is Janelle Stiles, and I will be your agent. You may also refer to me as 'your new best friend', seeing as you and I will be in close contact from now on."

"New best friend? That's the best thing I've heard since arriving in town! My names Kaylin, Kaylin Webber. Pleasure to meet you."

"Webber?" she ponders out loud. "That sounds rather familiar... I know there's really hotshot businessman with the last name Webber..."

I nearly choke. Who would have thought that my father's business enterprise would reach as far as Starlight Shores? The thing is, I want to make myself famous, without my family's name to give me a boost.

"Uh... No, I'm not related to him. In actuality, my family's name is Webster, but I wanted it to be Webber, so it's easier on the tongue."

"Oh, okay. That's understandable. Well, lemme get started with explainin'..." My attention drifts off as I become enthralled by the spectacle behind her. On the mechanical bull, there was a hunk of a man, expertly managing to stay on the bull.

"...Kaylin? Have you heard anything I just said?" Janelle interrupts my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I didn't. Not to be rude or anything, but who is that guy on the bull?"

Janelle takes quick peek behind her, and turns back with a huge smile. "Oh. That guy. That's Charlie Rapp, A.K.A. bachelor of the year, A.K.A. my brother's best friend's cousin... Anyways, he is probably the hottest guy in town. He had a girlfriend a while ago, but dumped her when he found out she cheated on him. I tried to work up the courage to go talk to him, but failed. Which is really sad, come to think about it," she sniffles as she says the last part.

Excusing myself from the table, I tip-toe closer to the mechanical bull, gawking at how good he is at steering it.

"It just takes years and years of practice, and working out in the gym a lot," Charlie winks at me, causing me to freeze in my steps.

For more than 20 seconds, Charlie stays on, before deciding to stop by himself. Never in my life have I seen someone to such a dangerous thing, yet come out of it unscathed. Of course, it's just a fake bull he was riding, but the injuries are real.


"For the pretty girl in the audience dressed in blue, I will show you all my amazing show stopper." It takes a moment for me to realize that I was the only one watching, other than Janelle, and the only one dressed in blue. My cheeks burn with warmth, and I smile timidly at him.

Just like an professional acrobat, Charlie flings himself into the air, doing a perfect somersault before landing softly on the ground, despite his bulky figure.

"Wow... That was a really neat trick," is all I manage.

"That's not the only trick I know," he smiles brightly, and plucks out a beautiful bunch of white roses.

"Oh my, you're an acrobat and a magician. Talk about being diverse in many things!"

"Thank you, thank you. I'm here till Thursday," he bows, then chuckles, extending his hand. "I'm Charlie. What's your name? I don't think I've seen you here before."

"Kaylin," I shake his hand warmly. "You definitely haven't seen me around. I just arrived and moved into my apartment yesterday."

"Ah, that's nice. Have you gotten a job yet? If not, I can pass your number along to some people who would be interested in new personnel."

"Nah, I already have someone helping me; Janelle, who's sitting over there, is gonna put me in touch with some proprietors."

"Proprietors? You're gonna be a performer?" he frowns.

"Yeah, actually, I am. I kinda wanna be a singer, and... Oh no," I groan as I notice the brown haired guy from yesterday entering.

"What, you know Aaron?"

"So that's his name... I don't know him, but I did have a not-so-pleasant encounter with him last night."

"Hahaha, he does have his moments... He's not that bad of a guy, he was just trying his luck, probably. He's actually my best friend," Charlie shrugs.

I wave my hand, dismissing his words, and walk straight to where Aaron is standing.

"Hi there," I say in a friendly yet mocking tone. "Remember me?"

"Uh... Not really? You seem like a real nice person, so I'm sorry if I did something to offend you, or if you were one of those one-night-stands... I get tipsy a lot and don't remember the rest of the night."

"Maybe this will refresh your memory," I thrust my hand out and smack him a couple of times in the face. Gosh, it feels so good to release some anger.

"I guess I deserved that...," he mumbles. "Look, please, you have to understand. Last night wasn't a good night for me. I lost a pal of mine in a car crash, and wasn't taking it well... Some other friends took me out and got me really drunk. I'm sorry if I did something crazy, or something that offended you, but I wasn't in the right sense of my mind."

His story causes me to falter, and I have nothing to say in response. I was definitely not prepared for such a heartfelt apology.

"Uh, um, alright... I'm sorry about slapping you like that, but I really was angered by what you did, and it was my first day in a new town yesterday," I shrug.

"Hey, no biggie. By the way, what exactly did I do last night?"

I snort. "You hit on me, and suggested we do some crazy things."

Aaron smacks his own face, and I feel terrible for having said that. "God dammit, I'm gonna kill Ricky for getting me drunk... Really, really, please accept my apology, uh... What's your name again?"

"It's Kaylin, and your Aaron, right? Nice to meet you...again."

"Kaaaaaaaylin!" Janelle calls me over. "I actually managed to get a proprietor here who wasn't fake-busy, so please, would you get your booty over here and sing?"

"Sing?" I nearly choke. "Right here, in front of all of you?"

"Uh, yeah, that's what you're gonna do one day when your famous, obviously, and singing in front of huge crowds!"

Nervously, as the music equipment is being set up, I prepare myself and the song I would sing. The only song I can really express myself in is Adele's Someone Like You, as I have a country edge that fits in.

The music starts, and I ease myself into the rhythm. It's shaky at first, and I try my best to be calm.

As the part after the chorus starts, I hit the right notes and feel more relaxed - maybe it's because I have had the same experience depicted in the song.

"You know how the time flies

Only yesterday was the time of our lives

We were born and raised

In a summer haze

Bound by the surprise of our glory days"

The song reminds me a lot of my own experience that I had with Keegan. First being the time he left me alone, and the second being that he wasn't actually a real person, just a doll. All that time seemed so wasted.

With the last note sung, the guys erupt into cheers, and Janelle smiles fondly. "That was really great," she comments, then jerks her head towards the other person in the room, who turns out to be a proprietor.

"Hello, mam, I'm Kaylin. I, uh, hope you enjoyed my performance," I introduce myself.

"Hi there, Kaylin. Miss Stiles has told me all about you, but I'm not so sure she has done the same about me. I'm Kathleen Lisbon, and I am the proprietor for this par. And although I was really impressed by your singing talents... You did have your off moments. I'm not saying it was bad, it could have been better. I can't offer you a gig yet, but I suggest you start off as a street performer, delivering sing-a-grams. I'll sign the official papers for you, so you'll be registered as an singer."

It might not be the news I was hoping for, but it was definitely better than nothing. I high-five Janelle as I walk past her, and she jumps with delight.

"We should really celebrate. Come on, there's a nice hang-out spot on the second floor of this building."

Our manner of celebrating isn't like the "traditional" way. Instead of dancing,  drinking and getting drunk until you vomit, we listen to some tunes from the jukebox, and enjoy playing at the pool table. With my success, I notice that Charlie and Janelle play horribly, just to keep me happy and in a cheery mood.

"Thank you, for sticking around," I say to Janelle and the guys, "but now I must bid you goodnight, otherwise my sister will take over my apartment."

"Wait, I'll walk you out," Aaron offers.

"I'll come with," Charlie agrees.

In silence, all three of us walk down the stairs to the exit of the hangout. At the door, I tell them to pause.

"I'm a big girl, and I can walk to my car by myself. It's standing there, right in the road, not too far from here. So, thank you for being gentleman, but good night."

I smile and wave, quickly making my way to my car. The guys are still leaning by the doorway, and I want to smack my head into the dashboard: Did I lead them on, or were they just being gentleman? I sincerely hope it's not the first one.

Being utterly exhausted, I sluggishly open and lock my apartment door, immediately going to my bedroom and not bothering to search for Bridget. But something stops me. A growing feeling somewhere inside me tells me that something in this apartment is wrong. A quick peek around the lounge tells me there' no danger there. So the only other place something could be wrong is... In my bedroom.

With a moment's doubt, I throw open the door, and hesitantly take a glimpse of the room's contents. Before me, the scene that envelops is just plain mind-boggling. Bridget is in my bed with some random guy. Honestly, my bed. I find myself strangely calm, but I know: It's always calmest before the storm.

"Would you two lovebirds please explain to me what the HELL is going on here?" I spit out between clenched teeth.