I can't apologize enough for the super, super late update! But I'm so, so sorry! I just got so blocked with this chapter! And it's still not as long as the other chapters are, but I hope you guys will forgive me for that. Once again, I'm so sorry!

Disclaimer: Let me make it very simple: No. I do not own Big Time Rush. But thank you for asking.

A: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it! I hope after the wait you still feel the same way. I'm not sure. Definitely a few more, for sure. Probably somewhere between four to eight chapters, but I'm not positive. Thank you again, and thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate it :)

misslittlemaslow/LovaticRusherMasloverTarver/Guest: Sure, I can do that :) It's going to be awhile before I get around to writing or posting the story, but I'll definitely keep that in mind! And I totally get that, so yeah, I'll definitely put you as his GF in a story. Yep, I know who Katelyn Tarver is :) She's an amazing singer. Okay, so, other fanfics that I wrote...Wow, there's a lot haha. I wrote "Hot Water", "Slip of the Tongue", "Movie Talk", "The School Project", "Christmas Magic", "The Double-Date", "Cougars, Bears, and Lions, Oh My!", and "Hey Katie, Wanna Hear a Secret". I did a few Harry Potter fics, but only one of them's finished: "Quidditch Love", "Trials and Tribulations of a Wizarding War", and "My Brother's Girlfriend". Yep, you can throw a bomb in the water. Well, there's worse things to be obsessed with ;) Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it that much! And thank you for reviewing! It means so much to me! :)

lalaland: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! Yep, I'm sure you guys will be seeing more protective Kendall ;) Thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate it :)

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BTRFan8123: Really? Thank you so much! You're so incredibly sweet! Yep, I'm going to continue ;) Thank you for reviewing! It means so much to me!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who is following this story, or has reviewed it, or who has read it, and who have had to wait for updates! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I love you guys! You're always so sweet to me, and so patient. So thank you :)

Warnings: Language, mild innuendos, and creepiness.

Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 15: Voodoo Dolls

James's POV

(Flashback)

July 4th, 2011

"Katie, you're crazy!" I called to her as we ran down the beach.

She spun around, laughing, her hair whipping around her. "So have me locked up for wanting to swim in the ocean."

I licked my lips. My mind was already going crazy in the summer heat, and I didn't need one more thing to add to the insanity. The idea of Katie half-naked, swimming in the ocean was enough to make my head spin. In the distance, fireworks and firecrackers exploded, although they barely made an impression in the bright blue sky.

There was the smell of hamburgers, hot dogs, and ribs, mixing with the salty smell of the ocean air. And in front of me was Katie, kicking off her flip-flops, and about to pull off her tank top.

My stomach twisted in anxious anticipation, even though I knew nothing would happen. She saw me strictly as a big brother, and as far as she was concerned, my feelings towards her went nothing farther than that of a baby sister. But what she didn't know was that I was falling in love with her, and there was nothing about it that I could do.

My entire body froze, and then grew hot, as Katie pulled her tank top off.

"We're in public!" I called to her, averting my eyes.

"So?"

"You can get arrested for indecent exposure!"

"Dude! I'm wearing a bikini!"

I turned my head back to look at her. Oh. She was. Well, that was embarrassing.

"Did you really think I would strip on a public beach?" Katie asked me.

More like hoped..."No, of course not. Sorry, it's just really hot out here and my brain isn't functioning."

She nodded. "Oh, okay."

I smiled at her weakly, but with the way she narrowed her eyes, I could tell that she wasn't completely buying it.

I couldn't say I blamed her.

James's POV

12:01 AM

I was torn out of the memory by the sounds of our phones either vibrating or beeping. We all pulled our phones out, eyes wide as we opened the new text: Well, that's quite a problem...But now you know the secret: in 36 hours, the ship will explode, with all of you on it. Just a normal accident. There was a problem with the engine. And what a shame that so many beautiful, famous people were on board. But, oh well, just like with the Titanic, life goes on. And that's what all the magazines, newspapers, and talk shows will report, because that's all they will ever be able to guess about the fate of the DLS-S Cruise Ship. And finally...finally...after five years of plotting my revenge, you will all feel the wrath of The Replacement and The Serpent. - The Replacement.

"The Serpent?" Gustavo said with a frown. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Maybe you're thinking of Harry Potter?" I suggested.

"No...that's not it..."

"Well, while you think about that, we have Griffin with a gun, and we have a bomb hidden somewhere on this ship," I reminded them. "And we have 35 hours and fifty-eight minutes to find the bomb."

"Maybe there's life rafts somewhere on this ship," Katie suggested. "I mean, you know, in case we can't find the bomb..."

"But we have no idea where we are," Logan pointed out. "We could be at the edge of the world and wouldn't know it."

"I'd say it's a safe bet that we're in the middle of the Pacific," Kendall spoke up. "But without any tracking devices, I can't back it up..."

"Break into the control room," I said without even realizing that the thought had crossed my mind.

Kendall's eyebrows knitted slightly. "Break into the control room..."

"Yeah. We could check our positioning. And...figure out who or what is steering the ship. I mean, the ship's probably on autopilot, but if we could switch it off and somehow steer the ship in the direction of land..."

Katie beamed at me proudly. "That's a fantastic idea!"

I felt my face break out into a wide smile. At that moment, there was almost nothing I wouldn't give just to keep on seeing Katie smile at me like that, adoringly and lovingly.

"So, maybe we should split into groups?" Logan spoke up. "Some of us can look for the bomb, and then the others can break into the control room?"

I nodded. "That makes sense. Okay, who wants to break into the control room?"

"I'll do it," Gustavo spoke up.

"Me too," Kelly agreed.

"I'll do it," Stephanie volunteered.

"And me," Carlos said decidedly.

"I'll do it too," Jenn added.

The rest of us nodded at each other. That left six of us to look for the bomb.

"I guess we should split up now," Logan said nervously. "I - I wish we had something to defend ourselves with, in case we run into The Replacement or Griffin."

"I guess we just run like hell if we see either of them," I put in. "That's kind of the only thing we can do right now..."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Ummm...where is the control room?" Kelly asked.

"On the ship somewhere?" Carlos replied, looking just as confused as she did.

"Well, it's not like we got complementary maps," Logan pointed out. "We only know where the most basic places are, and I'm sure there's a reason for it - so that we can't track down The Replacement."

"Obviously," I said dryly. "But until then, we're just going to be stumbling around in the dark."

"We'll just have to wing it," Jo sighed.

The others nodded grimly.

"Ready to head out?" Kendall asked the room at large.

Gulping, we all nodded again. We de-barricaded the door, unlocked it, and filed out.

The hunt had begun.

Carlos's POV

12:30 AM

We split up once we reached the lobby. The bomb-searching team headed downstairs, and the rest of us decided to stay on the ground - sea? - level floor to begin our search, because that was where the captain's cabin had been located, and surely the captain would want to be near the control room.

"Let's head in that direction," Stephanie said to me, nodding towards the captain's cabin.

"Okay. Let's go."

Stephanie, Gustavo, Jenn, Kelly, and I began heading in the direction of the cabin. We reached it within a couple of minutes.

"Maybe there's a map on the ship or something," Gustavo suggested. "I'll go in and check."

"I'll go with you," I volunteered.

"We'll continue looking around," Kelly said to us, and Gustavo and I opened up the door to the Captain's Cabin. We stepped inside a little bit hesitantly. I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed like every time we were in here, we found a dead body, or a dead body part.

I heard the others set off down the hall, and I walked over to the desk, hesitantly opening it. With our luck, there would be a foot or something in there.

Except for some papers, the drawer was empty. Gustavo and I both breathed out sighs of relief. No dead body parts in the desk drawer today.

"Check through the papers," Gustavo told me. "I'm going to look around for something else. He's got a computer– maybe we can find something on it."

"Okay."

I began to search through the papers, examining each one to see if there was a map on them. In the meantime, Gustavo booted up the captain's computer.

"There's nothing in this drawer," I announced to him.

"Check the next drawer."

I opened up the one below the one I had been going through, and let out a strangled gasp. In the drawer lay eleven Voodoo dolls, all likenesses of each one of us, save for Griffin. Mine had a black helmet, Kendall's had a hockey stick, Logan's had a text book and was wearing one of those doctor-coat-things, and James' was carrying a comb and mirror. Gustavo's had his infamous bug-eyed glasses, Stephanie's was holding a movie camera, and Jenn's wore a t-shirt that said, Mother of the Popstar. There were pins in each of the dolls.

"You need to see this," I told Gustavo, my voice shaking. "The Replacement has been in here."

Gustavo walked over, and looked into the drawer. His eyes widened, and his face seemed to drain of all color.

"They're not – they're not real Voodoo dolls, though…right?" I asked him anxiously. "I mean, the real ones, like the ones those witch doctors make…Those can actually work…right? These haven't…I don't think…"

"The Voodoo dolls are for healing and protection purposes," Gustavo said to me, his voice shaking. "They're not actually for – for bad. It's a focusing point, I think. These are – I'm pretty sure they're just here to scare us."

"But – but – how did he know we were even going to be here?" I asked, my voice practically a hoarse whisper.

"That's – that's a really good question…"

"The Replacement, The Serpent, and Griffin…They're all watching us. They know our every move."

"They do," he agreed, beady eyes casting around the room nervously.

I checked the next desk drawer, but didn't find anything. All that was left was the bottom right drawer. I slowly opened it. There was a single key lying against the wooden slat. I hesitantly reached inside, and picked the key up.

"What is that?" Gustavo asked me from where he had sat himself down at the computer.

"A key," I told him, frowning in confusion. "It was the only thing in the last drawer. Why would he have a random key in a drawer? I mean, does it open something? A vault? A Ferrari? A hidden underwater temple? Oooh! Maybe a tomb! We could be like the Tomb Raider!"

Gustavo blinked. "If he's kept it on the ship, it probably unlocks a vault or something that's on the ship."

"Yeah, but where?"

"That's the key question – no pun intended."

I grinned. "So, anything on the computer?"

"I'm checking, I'm checking…This damn thing is so slow…"

I frowned. "That's weird."

"I know. And it's a newer one too. Like, maybe six months old?"

"So, why would it be so slow?"

"That's a very good question…"

Gustavo got into one of the captain's documents. "This is the contract he signed, to let The Replacement use the ship. It's signed by Arthur Griffin."

"Okay."

"It says that it was just for a luxury cruise for some of his friends."

"Does it say where we were headed?"

Gustavo's eyes scanned down the screen. "As a matter of fact, it does. We were headed down towards his island, about forty miles from Hawaii's island Kauai. It shows the route we were taking. Looks like we're going around South America."

"I wonder where we are right now…"

"No idea. Sadly, the days and our progress wasn't mapped out on this."

"Damn."

"I know."

Gustavo continued to go through Captain Montgomery's files, as I examined the key. It was small, reminding me of a key to a lock on a diary. I had seen one a few years ago, when Katie was going through a diary phase. But it looked much more complex than a key to a diary. It looked like it could open a small door.

Gustavo snapped me out of my thoughts: "There's a weird file on his computer, and it takes up a lot of room. It was mentioned briefly in the contract – that he had to download it."

I frowned. "Why would he have to download a file?"

"That's what I'm wondering."

"What's it called?"

"SPYxSoftware."

"Like…spy software?"

"Maybe…Actually, quite possibly! I've heard of electronic devices slowing down when there's some sort of listening device downloaded to them. That might be what's happened to his computer!"

"Click on it! Let's find out!"

He double clicked on it, and it popped up. He began to explore it, examining it.

"There's nothing to suggest that that's what it is, but I bet if we could dissect the program, we'd find out that it's actually a camera or a listening device."

I nodded. "That makes sense."

He nodded back. "We better go let the others know what we've found. They'll be needing this information."

"Okay." He got to his feet, just as there was a loud slamming. We turned our heads, and saw that the door, which we had left open, had just banged shut.

I frowned. "A draft?"

"None of the windows are open, and we're pretty deep into the ship…"

I walked over to it, and tried the door handle. It refused to turn.

"Um…Gustavo?"

"Don't say it."

"Um…We're kinda locked in…"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY IT!"

Stephanie's POV

"It's nowhere here," Jenn finally said. We had been walking through the ground floor of the ship for the past half hour, and nothing had turned up. Nothing.

"It must be on a higher floor," Kelly said wearily, looking tired. Even though she was still fairly young, she looked at least ten years older. All thanks to The Replacement, and the DLS-S Cruise.

"We better head back to Carlos and Gustavo," I announced. "They must be getting worried about us."

"No doubt," Kelly agreed, and we made our way back to the Captain's Cabin. The door was closed, and Carlos' and Gustavo's panicked voices echoed out through the wood.

Jenn knocked on the door. "Are you guys okay in there?"

"No!" Carlos cried. "He locked us in! The Replacement locked us in!"

I inhaled sharply. "But – but – most doors unlock from the inside!"

"We tried," Gustavo told me. "I think he must have jammed the lock with something. We can't unlock it, and we can't open it. We've been trying, but nothing's working."

"Plus, The Replacement left us Voodoo dolls of ourselves!" Carlos' voice squeaked in fear.

"Voodoo dolls?" Kelly repeated, her eyes widening.

"Yeah! With pins in them and everything! And they look almost exactly like us! Mine even has a helmet!"

I bit my lip. And the award for most creepiest goes to…

There was the sound of someone rummaging around in the room, and then Gustavo swore loudly. "This is real hair! He sewed real hair onto the Voodoo dolls!"

I felt bile rise in my mouth. "Do you think – do you think it's our hair?"

I heard Gustavo gag slightly, and a moment later he answered, "Feels like it…It's all different textures. Mine doesn't even really have any. And Carlos' hair and his doll's hair matches perfectly."

Kelly clapped her hand over her mouth, her face beginning to turn green. I felt my own stomach swirling with nausea.

"That's sick," I stated. "That's fucking sick. The Replacement is sick and twisted."

"We already knew that," Jenn said in what would have been a duh, Captain Obvious voice if she didn't sound as disgusted as I felt.

"Go and find the control room," Gustavo urged us. "Try to get us out of here later. We'll keep looking around. There's some sort of weird software on the captain's computer that I'm pretty sure is used for spying. I'll see what I can come up with. Maybe I can turn it around on The Replacement, The Serpent – whoever the hell that is – , and Griffin."

"Okay," Kelly agreed. "Be careful."

"We will. You too."

"For sure."

We hurried away from the door.

"Where to now?" Kelly asked, looking hopeless. I couldn't say I blamed her. We had no idea where the control room was, and we had just lost two members of our team. We were not in a good situation, not in the least.

I bit my lip, trying to think. If I was a ship designer, where would I put the control room…? Let's see…I wouldn't want to be surrounded by walls. I'd want to be somewhere with windows…And I'd want to be able to see the ocean.

I snapped my fingers. "The top level! That's where the control room is! Come on!" I grabbed Kelly's and Jenn's hands, and dragged them up the stairs. We reached the top floor of the ship within a couple of minutes. The top floor consisted of a hall, and a single room. The door was closed to the room, but I knew immediately what was inside.

I walked right across the hall, and tried the door. It opened at once.

Jenn and Kelly followed me into the room, a little hesitantly, and I felt my own stomach churning. I couldn't figure out why, though. No one was in here. It was completely empty, except for us. We hadn't passed anyone on the stairs, and there was no place for anyone to hide.

The walls were all windows, except for the longest one. That one consisted of a virtual map. A green line went from California, down to South America. I blinked, and realized that it was our progress.

I walked over to it to examine it, but just as I came within a foot of it, a voice echoed throughout the room: "Stephanie King! Did you really think you would be safe from me in here? This may have been Captain Montgomery's little hideaway, but it is my mask to wear now. And I will always wear my mask, Stephanie. The same way you all hide behind your secrets and lies. But, after all, secrets and lies make us human, don't they? Without them, what are we, but perfect beings? Your secrets and lies are used to cover up your mistakes. Isn't that the point of every horror movie?"

"What do you want?" I demanded of The Replacement.

"Isn't it obvious, my dear? I want to watch you all burn. I want to watch the people who once ruled the crowd that I could never belong to, burn, their remains turning to ashes. You have thirty-four hours to think on that, Stephanie. Thirty-four hours to contemplate my words, and contemplate your own life. And remember – your last hours are not going to be your best. They will be your worst. I will make sure of it!"

He fell silent, and all I could do was look at Jenn and Kelly. They both looked as stunned and scared as I did.

"Your last hours are not going to be your best. They will be your worst. What the hell does that mean?" I cried.

At that moment, there was a sudden shaking movement, and my eyes widened. It felt like an earthquake was going on. The only problem was, we were on water.

There was no way…

…But there it was, on the screen, a squiggly mass rising towards us.

We were about to be hit by a tidal wave.

Once again, I'm sorry that was so short :( But I hope you guys liked it. And thank you again for waiting so long. You're all awesome!

So...Voodoo dolls and a tidal wave...Wow...The Replacement's really stepping up his game.

Let me know what you think about this chapter. The review button and I both depend on your reviews ;)