"Well girls, how shall we spend our afternoon?" asked Hayley, when the girls finally woke up the next day. They had a few hours to kill before the second Backstreet concert that night.

"Shopping!" the other three shouted in unison.

"Okay, okay, just asking," laughed Hayley. "But we have to make sure we're back by 5:00. I've got to have time to make myself look perfect for the concert tonight!"

"Hey! What was that for?" she yelled as three pillows hit her in the face.

After the concert that night, Kimberly asked, "Who wants to go back to that club we were at last night? That was a blast!"

"Just try to keep me away," Hayley answered.

"I'm up for it," said Beth. "How about you, Kel?"

"I'm kind of tired. I think I'll just stay here and get a good night's sleep."

"Kel, it's our last night in Chicago. You have to come!" Hayley pleaded.

"No really, you guys go on without me." Kelly smiled.

Despite their protests, they weren't able to change her mind, so they left. Kelly put on her pajamas, got into bed and turned out the light. Her mind was reeling. She had seen two wonderful concerts, and as tired as she was, she just couldn't quit thinking about them.

She could see how the Backstreet Boys were the most popular group to come around in a long time. They were everything you could want in a vocal group. They had amazing voices, their rich harmonies were beautiful, they were good-looking, and on top of all their talent, they were also gracious to their fans. And as hard as she tried, she just couldn't get Kevin out of her mind. Finally she got out of bed and got dressed again.

She opened the door and walked downstairs. It was around midnight, and everything was quiet. She remembered that there was a piano right off the lobby, and she wanted to play for a while. If she couldn't sleep, maybe she could get some work done on her songs. She was an aspiring songwriter who was hoping to someday get something published. The problem was, she didn't have much confidence in her ability. She liked what she wrote, but had a hard time believing that anyone else would.

The lounge where the piano stood, was empty. It was just a small room off the lobby, with a few chairs scattered here and there. She went in and sat down on the bench. She placed her fingers on the keys of the shiny black baby grand. This piano was so beautiful, a far cry from her parents' old upright. She was almost afraid to touch it. Gently she played one key, then a second. She played a scale. The clarity of the notes was better than anything she had ever heard before. It was tuned to perfection. She put both hands on the keys and played a chord. The tone was so rich. She began to play a melody. It was one of the songs she had written and her fingers moved over the keys with confidence. She finished that song, and quickly moved on to another. She was beginning to relax as she lost herself in the music.

After a couple songs, she pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket, unfolded it, and set it on the piano. This was her most recent song, the one she was most proud of. It had been inspired by someone special. It was her baby and she hoped someday she could share it with someone. But for now it was enough that she got enjoyment out of it. She finished playing and then sighed. She just couldn't concentrate enough to add anything more to it tonight, but at least now she was relaxed enough that she could probably sleep. She took her music off the piano and spun around on the piano bench, but suddenly she gasped.

Someone was sitting there.

Chapter 3
Chapter 1
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