(A/N): I realize you all must hate me right now for just leaving the story like that for so long. Unfortunately, all of my professors want to get everything done in the three weeks before spring break. Ugh. So, I'm sorry for this delay. Hopefully, this chapter is worth the wait.
Thank you to these people for your reviews: Awesmazing (I can tell you that James and Camille won't try the cliché fake dating thing. No, I have other ideas for them. As for Evan rejecting Camille, don't worry, he gets his comeuppance for that. I know how much you like James and Katrina together, so I'll admit right now: There's something in this chapter you'll like.), FuzzyVampireNinjaTeddyBear (First, okay, you caught me on that one. I did that line on purpose, knowing that someone would catch the Taylor Swift reference. Second, more Carlos and Natalie fluff right here! Third, just let it all play out…), BlueRagingFire (YAY! Glad to hear you've caught up. Sorry it's so long, but I didn't want to split it up into more than one story cause then it gets complicated.), Lean Garcia (I have a feeling that you and your sister are going to like this chapter. Emily wouldn't do what you're suggesting. No, she has something else up her sleeve.), Dreamer1992 (The song is in this chapter! Hopefully, it's a good one!), and Derba (So sorry this wasn't faster. Glad to hear you're enjoying it though!).
I do not have any right to Big Time Rush nor the episode, Big Time Sneakers, which is used in this chapter. I also don't own the songs Fear of Tomorrow by Aloha From Hell and Heart Heart Heartbreak by Boys Like Girls. Please do not sue me as I wouldn't be able to pay the legal fees. Now, please enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 78: Date With Destruction
"Emily?!" Evan fell out of the bush in his rush to get over to her. He quickly got to his feet and went over to her, placing his hands on her cheek. "Oh my God. You're real. I haven't seen you in so long. How did you get away from the Zizi?"
"No," Emily shook her head. "You can't be Evan. I've seen Evan and you are not him, no matter how much you might look like him." Evan stared down at her in confusion. "The Zizi gave me a picture and told me who Evan was so that I wouldn't be confused after not seeing him for years."
"But, I'm Evan," Evan insisted. Emily shook her head, starting to back away. "Wait, let me get out a picture." He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket, taking a picture out of it. Emily took it when he handed it to her. The picture showed Evan with what was left of his family: Kendall, Katrina, Katie and Mrs. Knight. "See, I'm Evan!"
"Evan's on here, but it's not you," Emily pointed at Kendall in the picture. "That's Evan."
"No, that's Kendall," Evan tried to get Emily to hear the truth. "He's mine and Kat's cousin." She raised her eyebrows, still not believing him. "Okay, fine. I have another picture." He pulled out a picture of the Wolff family that was taken two years ago. "See? Now why would I be in that picture if I wasn't Evan?"
"But the Zizi said-"
"The Zizi lie!" Evan exclaimed. He took a breath to relax. "Look, I know it's been years, but your parents told me that you had died. If I had known you were kidnapped, I would have done anything I could to save you, even though we were only ten."
"Okay, I believe you," Emily gave in. "What now?"
Evan smiled and took one of her hands, "I'd like you to come with me to this gala tonight. If you want to give this a shot, then come be my date. If you don't, then don't show up and I'll put the past behind me, never to bother you again." Emily opened her mouth to answer, but Evan put a finger on her lips to stop her. "Don't tell me. Just show up." She smiled up at him, squeezing his hand.
Tim had stared at them, watching the entire scene play out. Quickly, he pulled out his cell phone and called a number. Bringing it up to his ear, he talked into it, "Uh, Brandon. We might have a problem."
Katrina looked up from her notebook as Logan pushed James back into the apartment. James was apologizing profusely for damaging one of the shoes. Logan slapped the damaged one on the counter, saying, "This was your plan all along! To scuff the shoes so I couldn't sell them and you could wear them!"
"Oh, you know I'm not that clever," James pointed out.
"That's a good point," Logan mumbled.
"I tried to tell you," Katrina practically sang. The boys glared at her. "Oh, come on. I knew this was coming. YOU should have known this was coming. We all attract trouble. Expensive shoes: not a good idea to let them out of sight."
"The sheik's coming in three hours!" Logan exclaimed. "And when he sees this scratch, bye-bye three grand."
"Heh," James grabbed the shoe. "Then we'll just wash it off." Katrina's eyes went wide as James turned on the faucet in the kitchen sink.
"NO!" Logan and Katrina exclaimed as Logan reached forward to stop James. Grabbing the shoe out of James's hands, Logan placed it on the counter.
"You don't put water on leather," Logan scolded. "It ruins it."
"Shouldn't you know that since you're the fashion forward one of your group?" Katrina asked. James gave her a blank look. "Uh, forget I asked."
"Well," James seemed sad. "I guess we can't sell them." Suddenly, he made a complete emotion change. "So, I'll just keep them and wear them! Bye!" He walked away. Logan looked down and realized the shoe had disappeared from the counter. He watched James's retreating feet to find that James had somehow gotten the shoes on his feet again. Katrina furrowed her eyebrows and scratched her head, wondering how he could have done that.
"Stop!" Logan exclaimed. James turned on his heels to face his best friend. "Look, we'll match the finish with nail polish and buff out the scratch with make-up. Katrina, can we use yours?"
Katrina laughed, "No! This is your problem not mine! Plus, my make-up is very expensive and I'm not letting it be used on some shoes."
"Then you're not getting your two hundred and fifty dollars back," James insisted.
Crossing her arms, Katrina responded, "You know what? I'm good with that. In a couple years, it won't matter anyways since I'll get my billions of dollars in inheritance money."
"You won't even do it for your boyfriend?" Logan checked. Katrina shook her head, immune to the boys begging. "Oh, I think I know what's going on. You're hormonal, aren't you?"
"NO!" Katrina yelled. "I'm just pissed off at everyone that keeps interrupting my song writing session! I lost my train of thought when you came back in!"
"Are you sure you're not hormonal?" James asked. "Because you sure sound like it." He had to duck as Katrina threw a pillow at him. Turning to Logan, James whispered so the model couldn't hear, "She's hormonal."
Suddenly, the door opened and Mrs. Knight walked in, back from her jog. The boys turned to her and James asked, "Mrs. Knight, can we borrow your make-up and nail polish?"
Mrs. Knight stared at the boys in disbelief before giving them a strained smile, "Okay." She walked off to go get the make-up.
"HA!" James exclaimed, pointing at Katrina. "We don't need your make-up!"
"Idiots," Katrina mumbled, turning back to her notebook.
Carlos, Natalie and Katie watched in disbelief as a security guard kept the Palm Woods kids from getting too close to the vending machine. The guard even had a dog with him.
Katie looked over at Mr. Bitters to say, "You've lost your mind!"
"Correction," Mr. Bitters told her. "You've lost. And how does defeat taste? Not as sweet as victory. Or Fruit Smackers." He held up a bag of Fruit Smackers and Carlos tried to grab them, practically attacking the building manager. Mr. Bitters laughed as he was able to get out of Carlos's grasp, the bag of Fruit Smackers still in his hand. "You want your Smackers, then you'll pay. If you want me, don't because I'll be paying for more voiceover lessons." Counting his cash, he walked through the group of three, bumping them to the side without another thought. Carlos, Natalie and Katie glared at the retreating man.
"All of this for some stupid, sugary snacks," Natalie mumbled, shaking her head.
Carlos leaned over to ask Katie, "Did you get them?" Smiling, Katie held up a ring of keys.
"This is still a REALLY bad idea!" Natalie insisted. "We could get arrested for stealing!"
"You need to learn how to have fun," Carlos decided. "Why don't you try some Fruit Smackers?"
"I don't need to try them when I know the taste of them already!" Natalie exclaimed. "They cause people to get addicted to them and then cause cavities and, after eating thousands of bags, you end up morbidly obese." Natalie shivered. "Never letting that happen. Not again."
"Well, that's not gonna happen," Carlos replied. "Come on, Katie. Let's unlock that door." The two of them raced over to the supply closet.
"I guess you can get away with the extra sugar," Natalie mumbled, lagging behind them. "You are really active." Reaching the door, Carlos and Natalie kept watch for Mr. Bitters as Katie unlocked it. In the supply closet beyond, a stack of boxes sat that contained tons of Fruit Smackers.
"Robin, Hoodie and Marian strike again," Katie spoke as she and Carlos fist-bumped.
"For the last time," Natalie began. "Do NOT call me Marian!"
"Who IS Marian anyway?" Carlos asked.
"Maid Marian is the noted love interest of Robin Hood," Natalie spouted off. "Most stories put her as the daughter of some high official and she would use her cunning to help Robin Hood give to the poor by using her position of authority."
"So, you are our Marian then," Carlos decided.
"You know that I have a boyfriend, right?" Natalie checked.
"I think Carlos is talking about the second part," Katie mentioned. "You're the daughter of a highly respected business owner, yet you're helping us steal from Bitters to give to the Palm Woods kids."
"Exactly," Carlos agreed.
"Oh," Natalie furrowed her eyebrows. "I guess you're right then. I am like Marian."
"Duh!" Carlos turned to the rest of the lobby to call out, "Free Fruit Smackers for everyone!" The kids cheered as they raced over to grab Fruit Smackers.
Katrina laughed at a video of a sneezing panda that she found on the internet.
"Oh, I love animals that do silly things," Katrina sighed.
"Aren't you supposed to be working on your song?" James asked.
Katrina held up her notebook, "Done!" She tossed the notebook so it landed on the coffee table. "And since I don't wanna move from this spot unless I have to, I'm gonna reward myself by looking up cute animals." She turned back to the laptop. "I wonder if I can find Dusty a mate. Birds should usually have a companion." Dusty catcalled from his cage. "Yeah, I think I'll look for a mate for him."
James turned to watch over Logan's shoulder as the smart boy put the finishing touches on the sneaker, trying to get them back to normal. Pulling away the cloth, Logan revealed a shoe that looked almost exactly like it did when it came out of the box.
"Ha!" James exclaimed. "It's perfect!"
"And it's gonna stay that way," Logan insisted. "Till sheik moneybags arrives in an hour and we cash in on these overpriced poo stompers."
James glared at Logan, insulted by what he had called the shoes, "Poo stompers?! Have you ever worn a pair of limited edition, series three, Buster Clydes?" Katrina looked over from the laptop, raising an eyebrow.
Logan shook his head, "No."
Dropping the shoe to the ground, James insisted, "Try one on. Just one." Logan shrugged and put his foot in the shoe.
Suddenly, a dreamy look appeared on Logan's face. Katrina chuckled and shook her head, "Buh bye, three grand."
"How does that feel?" James asked.
"Oh, it feels good," Logan replied.
"Go take a spin around the Palm Woods," James offered. "We've got an hour."
"Think I will," Logan decided, putting on the other shoe. As he was heading out the door, Evan walked in.
Taking one look at the shoes on Logan's feet, Evan got confused and turned to the James and Katrina, "I thought those were James's shoes?"
"We bought them to sell," James explained, sitting down on the couch next to Katrina.
"And they're gonna lose their money," Katrina added. "Did you find someone to take to the gala? Someone in particular?"
"Actually, it's someone that you'd know," Evan came over to sit on the other side of Katrina. "And I think you'll like her."
"Really?" Katrina smiled. "Tell me who so that I can tease you about it."
"Remember Emily?" Evan mentioned.
Katrina's smile dropped, "You mean the Emily that got kidnapped by the Zizi, became a part of the Zizi and then tried to kill both me and Kendall?"
"Well, if you believe Kendall's version of it," Evan replied. "I think there's some good in her. Besides, she thought that Kendall was me."
"Doesn't that mean that she tried to kill you but instead attempted to kill Kendall?" James brought up.
"You're an idiot if you think this is going to end well," Katrina added.
"Oh, come on," Evan responded. "This is my first love. I gotta give her a chance to be my only."
"No, you don't," James and Katrina spoke together.
"You two are just jealous that you haven't found a pure love like mine and Emily's," Evan insisted. "Besides, the Zizi have lied to her! They told her that Kendall was me! Now that she knows the truth, she's bound to join our side!"
"No, she's not," James and Katrina shook their heads.
"I don't have to listen to this," Evan declared. "Kat, have you finished the song?"
"Yeah," Katrina sighed. "But we should really conti-"
"Good, cause I took a look at our invitations today and it turns out that we have to sing two songs," Evan revealed, completely interrupting Katrina so she couldn't get them to continue to talk about Emily.
"W-What?" Katrina's face fell.
"Oh no," James mumbled.
"A-Another song?" Katrina stammered. "But I can't come up with another song. How are we supposed to debut something new if we don't have anything new?"
"Something that we haven't performed yet," Evan decided. "Maybe a song that I can sing and you'd have a rocking guitar solo?"
"Sounds like you've given this some thought," Katrina realized.
Evan pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Katrina, "Something like this."
Katrina read it over before saying, "It's good, but let me do a few tweaks to the solo and your lyrics." She grabbed her pencil and worked on the song.
"There we go," Katrina announced, holding up the sheet of paper. "Now, we have our second song."
"We should go get Brandon and have rehearsal before we have to perform tonight," Evan suggested. He grabbed Katrina's crutches and handed them to her.
Before they could leave, the door burst open and Logan rushed in, a guilty look on his face. James took one look at the completely ruined shoes on Logan's feet and screamed.
"What did you do?!" James exclaimed.
"I can fix it," Logan assured him.
"The sheik is gonna be here in twenty minutes!" James reminded him.
"I CAN FIX IT!" Logan insisted.
"We should probably leave now," Katrina decided. Evan nodded. The siblings quickly made their way out of the apartment before James or Logan could rope them in to help with the ruined shoes.
Carlos, Natalie and Katie crawled through the air ducts of the Palm Woods. All three of them were wearing black outfits, black lines under their eyes.
"You do realize that I could just disable the security system," Natalie offered. "Just a few taps of the keyboard and we'd be able to open the door with no issues."
"Let's try this first," Katie insisted. "There's nothing better than getting your hands dirty when you're trying to put down the man."
"Here we are," Carlos stopped them at the vent for the supply closet. He pulled out the vent and Katie handed him one end of the rope she was attached to. Natalie scooted over to him and, together, she and Carlos lowered Katie down into the supply closet. Katie grabbed one of the boxes.
Suddenly, the room filled with a red light and a buzzing sound went off. The security guard and his dog turned the corner of the air ducts to face the two guilty teenagers.
"Carlos!" Katie exclaimed as he and Natalie dropped the rope in surprise.
"IT'S A TRAP!" Carlos screamed, jumping through the vent opening to avoid getting caught by security.
"I TOLD you we should have done it my way!" Natalie reminded them, following Carlos into the supply closet. She fell on top of Carlos and the two of them groaned in pain.
The door to the supply closet opened and Mr. Bitters stood in the doorway, smiling triumphantly.
The three caught liberators sat on a couch in the lobby as Mr. Bitters spoke in his voiceover tone, "So, after falling into Bitters' storage room trap and thoroughly defeated, Robin, Hoodie and Maid Marian gave up their rebellious ways."
"Are you done?" Katie asked.
"Aren't my voiceover lessons really paying off?" Mr. Bitters mentioned in his own voice.
"Personally, I don't see a difference," Natalie replied. Mr. Bitters frowned at this.
"You'll never win," Carlos insisted. "Because whenever injustice rears its ugly head, the masses will rise." He flipped his hood up over his head.
Mr. Bitters laughed, "I'm SO scared of the masses rising."
That's when the masses rose. The Palm Woods kids surrounded the building manager, glaring at him as they each flipped up their hoods. Carlos, Natalie and Katie looked on with smiles, realizing that they were going to win the war. As a result, Natalie and Katie happily flipped their hoods up too. The security dog barking gained everyone's attention. Even he had a hoodie on with the hood up. At the sight of this, the security guard and the scientist that designed the security system ran off to save their lives.
Mr. Bitters spoke in his normal voice, "And, realizing he was outnumbered and scared, Bitters lowered the price of Fruit Smackers to a buck twenty-five?" The masses nodded. "And ran to his office." Before anyone could do anything, Mr. Bitters sprinted away. The kids cheered, excited to be able to enjoy their favorite snack at a reasonable price.
"Carlos, I think we saved more than the Fruit Smackers," Natalie told him. "You might have saved my show because I got the perfect idea on how to make it fun."
"Really?" Carlos jumped up and down excitedly. "How?"
"You'll see," Natalie pulled her tape recorder out of her back pocket, speaking into it so fast that Carlos couldn't catch what she was saying.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Brandon screamed into Evan's face. The boys were in their apartment, 2K.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Evan insisted.
"I'M TALKING ABOUT EMILY!" Brandon continued to yell.
"And?" Evan didn't seem to get what Brandon was saying. "I might be taking her to the gala tonight. So what?"
"SO WHAT?!" Brandon's voice seemed to get louder. "SHE'S the reason that you were almost put in jail while your sister and cousin almost died in a hospital room that no one could get to!"
"She was not proven to have anything to do with that," Evan shook his head.
"Kendall's an eye witness!" Brandon reminded him.
"And he could have been hallucinating due to the carbon monoxide," Evan came up with an explanation. Brandon grabbed fistfuls of his afro, screaming in frustration.
Katrina had sat on the couch watching the conversation, but at this point, she jumped in, "What will it take for you to realize that she's not that innocent little girl that you fell in love with all those years ago?"
"I'll admit that she's done some bad things," Evan brought up. "But that's because the Zizi are in control of her. With her on our side, we'll have someone on the inside that can help us."
"Or they'll have someone on the inside that can help them," Katrina flipped it. "Evan, as long as you trust her, we can't trust you."
"What if I prove to you that she's a good person?" Evan asked.
Katrina and Brandon exchanged glances before Katrina spoke, "If it's without doubt, then we'd have to accept it. But good luck getting Kendall to believe it. He hates her more than Jett."
"I can do it," Evan took on the task. "Now, aren't we supposed to be practicing?" He didn't want to say anything more on the subject. Sitting behind his drum set, Evan used the drums to drown out Katrina's and Brandon's words. After a minute of this, they gave in, picking up their instruments to join in on practice.
Kendall and Jo stopped in front of the door to 2J. They had just gotten back from the zoo where their plan to get Jett out of the picture had been a success.
"I'll pick you up later before we head over to the gala," Kendall assured her.
"See you then," Jo responded. They shared a kiss before Jo walked away toward her apartment. Kendall went in 2J with a smile on his face.
The smile went away at the sight of the people gathered in the apartment. Everyone was there except for Evan. Kendall's eyes darted back and forth before he questioned them, "What's going on?"
"We need your help," Katrina spoke. "Evan's taking Emily to the gala tonight."
Kendall's face fell, "What?"
"We tried to talk him out of it," James brought up. "But he's being stubborn."
"Oh, I'll show him stubborn," Kendall turned to leave and find his cousin.
"It's not going to work," Brandon mentioned, stopping Kendall from leaving. "Evan's made up his mind. We need to prove to him that Emily's no good."
Kendall looked over the group gathered before a smile appeared on his face, "I got it. Natalie, you're gonna be there tonight, right?" Natalie nodded. "I've got a job for you, James and Carlos. And, if things go a different way, then you'll also be working with Logan." Natalie raised an eyebrow, wondering what Kendall was up to. "Logan and Kat, you two are gonna be with me and Jo. Here's what we're going to do." The group got into a huddle as Kendall relayed his plan.
Evan stood at the front of the Palm Woods, already dressed in his suit for the gala. The boys, Katrina, Natalie and Jo were piling into the limo. Kendall leaned out to talk to his cousin, "She's probably not coming."
"Give it a second," Evan insisted. "Emily will come."
"We're gonna be late if we don't leave soon," Kendall reminded him. Evan sighed and started to get in the limo.
"WAIT!" Evan perked up at the sound of a yell. He looked around and found Emily rushing towards him. She stopped in front of him, out of breath. "Sorry I'm late. I had to find a dress last minute."
"I think you look gorgeous," Evan assured her. Emily blushed, giggling at the comment. Kendall rolled his eyes and disappeared inside the limo. "Come on, let's go." He helped her in before following her.
The limo ride to the gala was mostly quiet as no one wanted to talk in front of Emily. The girl seemed content with the quietness, watching each person with a smile. She seemed to have particular interest in Kendall who had glared at her throughout the ride.
Katrina had broken the silence once, "That dress seems familiar."
"Oh, it's just something I found among a bunch of other used dresses," Emily responded. Katrina narrowed her eyes, keeping a careful eye on her brother's date. "So, how's your leg?"
"Better," Katrina spoke harshly. Emily noticed the tone of voice and went quiet, but did keep eye contact with Katrina for a few long moments before her eyes wandered the limo again.
The limo pulled up to the red carpet and the group made their way out. Logan handed Katrina her crutches and they all headed down the red carpet. Right in front of them, Jett was walking a llama. While Kendall and Jo didn't seem surprised by this, the others stared on in confusion.
"Well, he did want to be half of the hottest couple in Hollywood," Kendall mentioned.
"And he is," Jo added, holding onto Kendall's hand. As Jett and his llama walked away, Kendall and Jo walked down the red carpet together.
Suddenly, Kelly called out from among the crowd, "Look! It's Kendall and Jo!" The paparazzi immediately left Jett and his llama alone to take tons of pictures of Kendall and Jo. It was a sad sight to see as the couple was blinded by the flashes of light coming from the cameras. They slowly dropped to the ground, trying to get as far away from the cameras as possible.
"Looks like your cousin could use some more time in front of the cameras," Emily noted.
"He'll be fine," Evan reasoned. "Let's go take the attention away from them." Evan led his date down the red carpet. The two of them took enough of the attention from the paparazzi that Kendall and Jo were able to get off the red carpet and head inside.
Katrina handed her crutches to James, stating, "Here, I can walk this short ways without crutches. Plus, I really don't want pictures of me in crutches while I'm on the red carpet." She grabbed Logan's arm. "Ready?"
"Uh," Logan looked over the crowd of paparazzi. "Not sure."
"Too late for uncertainty," Katrina told him. "We're going in." He didn't get another word in as Katrina pulled him down the red carpet, limping on her bad leg. As soon as the paparazzi saw her, they left Evan and Emily alone to take pictures of the model with her boyfriend. Katrina smiled and posed like a professional, but Logan didn't seem to have that same skill. He held up his hand, trying to block the flashes of light from reaching his eyes. Eventually, it got so bad that he had to let go of Katrina to hold up both hands. While Logan sunk to the ground, Katrina was left without a person to steady her. She shot her hands out, trying to come up with some balance on her good foot.
James handed Katrina's crutches over to Carlos, "I'm going in." Before anyone could say another word, James rushed down the red carpet and caught Katrina just before she was about to fall. James gave her a smile while she stared up at him in confusion.
"Uh, thanks," Katrina responded, unable to process what James had just done. James turned to the paparazzi and gave them a wink before helping Katrina towards the building. The paparazzi followed their every move.
Natalie walked over to Logan, sighed and held out a hand to help him up, "You really need to work on your media persona if you want to continue dating Kat." Logan took her hand and she helped him to his feet. "Otherwise, you are going to lose her to someone like James, if not him. You know, someone that's good in the spotlight. Kat is always going to be under media attention so she'll end up with someone that can handle the attention. Right now, you can't, but James can. Just some advice for you."
Suddenly, Carlos came past them using Katrina's crutches. He gave the two smart ones a smile, "Look! This isn't that hard!"
"Carlos!" Logan exclaimed. "Be careful! You're gonna-" Carlos tripped and fell into a heap on the ground with the crutches. He groaned in pain. "-hurt yourself." One lone cameraman came over and took a picture of Carlos in the pile on the red carpet.
Inside the gala, Kendall, Logan, Katrina and Jo sat at one of the tables while Carlos, James and Natalie danced together on the dance floor. The three dancing people kept an eye on Evan and Emily who were also dancing.
"When are Brandon and Tim supposed to get here?" Katrina asked Kendall.
Kendall looked at his watch, "In a few minutes. And then they'll be keeping an eye on the stage set-up. We don't want any surprises tonight."
"Can we go over the plan one more time?" Logan checked.
Before Kendall could respond, Katrina felt something wet in her ear. Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned to end up face-to-face with Jett's llama date. The llama snorted in her face.
"She was just so insistent to come over here," Jett told Katrina. "Of course, I understand why. Models like you tend to attract a lot of attention." He gave her a wink. Kendall and Jo rolled their eyes while Logan glared at the actor.
Katrina just smiled in reply, patting the llama's head, "Oh, I don't mind. I love animals! Although, this llama is not a girl." The other three at the table chuckled at Jett's predicament.
Jett's face paled, "What? You mean I took a boy llama out?!" Katrina nodded. "Oh, this is not good for my image." He pulled the llama away, leaving the group alone.
"Okay, now that he's gone," Katrina turned to the others. "The plan."
"Right," Kendall spoke. "The three-way split we have allows each of us to have someone smart in case we get hit by the Zizi. Logan's with us, Natalie's with James and Carlos while keeping an eye on Evan and Brandon has Tim."
"And we all have earpieces to get in contact with each other in case something does happen," Logan added.
"Exactly," Kendall nodded. "Emily is our main concern, so she's being tracked by James, Carlos and Natalie. We've got our eyes on the main door for anyone coming in that seems suspicious. Brandon and Tim are going to be backstage most of the time, checking the back ways into the building."
"What about during Wolff Pack's performance?" Jo asked.
"We're gonna keep an eye on the back," Kendall explained. "Kat, Evan and Brandon are going to do their thing on stage. Logan, Natalie and Tim will watch them for any issues. James and Carlos will continue to track Emily."
"We should have everything covered then," Katrina realized. She relaxed back in her seat, sighing in relief.
Katrina sat in a seat on the stage, guitar on her lap and microphone in front of her. Brandon stood nearby, tuning the bass in his hands. Evan sat behind the drum set, twirling a drumstick in his hand. The band waited patiently for them to be introduced.
"I still think that bringing Emily was a bad idea," Katrina told Evan.
"When will you realize that I'm right and you're wrong about this?" Evan retorted. "I know Emily. She wouldn't do anything to hurt us without good reason." Katrina and Brandon exchanged looks and left the subject alone.
Their announcer turned on his microphone, "Normally, we don't have artists perform at this gala without at least having an album out, but this band is made up of people that are familiar with this gala as they have been here for other reasons. Katrina and Evan Wolff have always been in the spotlight since the day they were born. We watched them grow and specialize into their respective fields. We reached out with our hearts to them when they lost their family and were gladdened when they found some new members. These siblings have had it rough these past two and a half years, but now they've formed a band with their best friend, Brandon Hawk. Please join me in welcoming Wolff Pack!" Cheers rang from the crowd as the spotlight came on the band. Katrina started the song with a guitar solo. The boys joined her soon after and Katrina sang the lyrics she had written that day.
Sometimes you seem so happy, so happy to me
But I know behind your smile is a face I cannot see
When you're feeling all alone and no one seems to care
You cry for all the things you've lost and wonder why you're here
Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow
Can't turn your back on all your sorrow
Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow
Don't turn your back on all your sorrow
When the fear and anger hits you, don't close the door
The voices that you hear inside you calling more and more
You know that there is a reason, a reason that you're here
Stand up, know it won't last long, those voices become clear
Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow
Can't turn your back on all your sorrow
Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow
Don't turn your back on all your sorrow
Don't run, don't hide, know that you're alive
Don't run, don't hide, know that you're alive
Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow
Can't turn your back on all your sorrow
Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow
Don't turn your back on all your sorrow
Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow
Don't turn your back on all your sorrow
After a little bit more of the music, they finished the song to the cheers of the crowd.
While Wolff Pack was getting ready for their next song, James and Carlos ran up to Kendall. The blonde boy stared at his friends, wondering what they wanted.
"We lost Emily," Carlos admitted. Kendall looked in horror upon the band on stage, starting up their next song. This one, Evan took lead vocalist.
Heartbreak
Heart, heart heartbreak
Girl, don't say you love me when you're out the door (Whoa, yeah)
Cause I know things are different than they were before (Whoa, yeah)
You kill me with your kiss
It's so hard to resist you
When you look me in the eyes tonight
And say we're headed for a heart, heart heartbreak
And I don't ever, ever wanna hear you say
Don't say you love me, don't even
Don't say you love me, you're leaving
Headed for a heart, heart heartbreak
I'm gonna, gonna turn around and walk away
Don't say you love me, don't even
Don't say you love me, you're leaving
You said we'd stick it out through the thick and thin (Whoa, yeah)
But when the walls came down, you wouldn't let me in (Whoa, yeah)
We've been through it all
My back's against the wall
It's crashing down on me tonight
Now we're headed for a heart, heart heartbreak
And I don't ever, ever wanna hear you say
Don't say you love me, don't even
Don't say you love me, you're leaving
Headed for a heart, heart heartbreak
I'm gonna, gonna turn around and walk away
Don't say you love me, don't even
Don't say you love me, you're leaving
I'm sick and tired of this whole situation
Here comes another fight
Beating me down with the same conversation
No, don't say you love me tonight
Evan broke off his singing to allow Katrina her guitar solo. As she did so, Kendall turned to his friends, "What are you still doing here?! Go find her!"
"Right!" James and Carlos exclaimed, running off in separate directions. Kendall watched the band on stage, waiting for the worst.
Ha, ha, heartbreak
Now we're headed for a heart, heart heartbreak
And I don't ever, ever wanna hear you say
Don't say you love me, don't even
Don't say you love me, you're leaving
Headed for a heart, heart heartbreak
I'm gonna, gonna turn around and walk away
Don't say you love me, don't even
Don't say you love me, you're leaving
Say we're headed for a heart, heart heartbreak
And I don't ever, ever wanna hear you say
Don't say you love me, don't even
Don't say you love me, you're leaving
They ended the song to a thunderous roar from the crowd. The band happily waved to the people, grateful for the cheering.
Suddenly, the drum skin exploded, covering Evan in a white powder. Katrina and Brandon turned around, staring at Evan in horror. The boy Wolff sibling grabbed his throat, having trouble with his breathing. He fell off his seat, shaking as he gasped in breaths that he couldn't get enough air from.
Logan, Natalie and Tim rushed onto the stage, Tim carrying a bag of medical supplies that he and Brandon had brought in case of something like this. All three of them gathered around Evan, knelling beside him as they tried to figure out what was wrong.
"Okay, so what kind of powders can do this?" Logan began.
"Too many to list off now," Natalie waved it off. "By the time that we identify the substance and find the cure, it could be too late."
"This kind of looks like what happens when I eat peanuts," Tim brought up.
"Allergies!" Logan and Natalie exclaimed.
"Evan's allergic to penicillin!" Katrina called out to them.
"Get out the allergy shot," Logan instructed Tim. The college student nodded, pulling an already loaded syringe out of the bag. He took the cap off the needle and brought it up to Evan's arm, hesitating there. "What are you waiting for?!"
"I'm not authorized to give humans shots," Tim mentioned.
"You're allowed to give animals shots, right?" Natalie replied. Tim nodded. "Humans are part of the animal kingdom. Now, give him the shot!"
"Works for me," Tim pressed the needle into Evan's skin and injected the serum inside.
Meanwhile, everyone in the crowd had gathered up close to the stage to watch what was going on. Kendall kept on the back edge of it, watching for anything suspicious in the crowd. That's how he caught Emily break away from the crowd and head for the door. Kendall ran over to her and grabbed her arm, stopping her from going anywhere.
"I knew you were trouble," Kendall insisted.
Emily gave him a smirk, "You can't prove anything, Kendall."
"We'll find a way," Kendall persisted.
"It's too bad that you decided to not join our side," Emily changed the subject. "You're cuter than your cousin." Before Kendall could do anything, Emily reached up and yanked some hair from his head. "Or is that your brother? You seriously look like him."
"What are you talking about?" Kendall asked. "Evan's not my brother."
Emily giggled, "Try saying that to your mom." Kendall's eyes widened. He was in so much shock at this that he let go of Emily's arm. She took that opportunity to escape, running out the door and disappearing into the night. Kendall stood alone, frozen as the message sunk in.
Back up on stage, the allergy shot was beginning to work. Evan took in some deep breaths, finally able to get oxygen to his lungs. He continued to shake though and his temperature kept elevated. Natalie pulled a test tube out of the bag and scooped up some of the powder with it. She put the test tube back in the back before concentrating on what was going on with Evan.
"He's stable and can breathe," Logan went through the status. "But something doesn't seem right."
"He just had an allergic reaction," Tim reminded him. "He's still recovering from it."
"Is Evan gonna be okay?" Katrina asked, stretching her neck to see what was going on since moving over there wasn't an option.
"It looks like it," Logan responded and Katrina let out a breath of relief. "But one of us should keep an eye on him. I'm not happy with this."
Natalie looked over Evan before saying, "I agree with you, for once." Logan rolled his eyes. "Let's get him out of here." Logan, Natalie and Tim all grabbed part of Evan and carrying him backstage, away from the eyes of the crowd.
(A/N): Well… That blew up spectacularly, didn't it? Poor Evan… How's he gonna react if the others can prove that it was Emily that set up that trap that almost killed him? Logan doesn't think that everything is right after Evan's allergic reaction and Natalie actually agrees with him. Uh oh, the two smart ones that hate each other agreeing? That can't be good for Evan. And another thing, when Evan realizes that he and Emily AREN'T meant to be, is he gonna go after Camille? Or is that relationship over before it's even begun? Natalie's figured out the kink in her television show, all thanks to Carlos. What's the solution that Carlos helped her with? So, Emily might have just hinted something big to Kendall, the fact that he and Evan look alike isn't just a coincidence. However, Evan brought up something earlier that we all need to remember: The Zizi lie. Emily is part of the Zizi, so that must mean that she's lying, right? But then, why would she take a lock of his hair? Logan's got a problem now, doesn't he? He's not too good in the spotlight, but James is. Just like Natalie said, Katrina's always gonna be in the spotlight and she'll need a boyfriend that can do the same. Will Logan be able to step up to the challenge or will he lose her to someone that can?
Remember people. Your votes make a difference in this story. YOU get to decide which member of Big Time Rush that Natalie ends up with, both in the end and as a love triangle. So, KEEP VOTING! Which will it be? Kendall, James, Carlos or Logan? It's all on you!
Unfortunately, I've got three papers and two exams this coming week (I shouldn't even be writing this), but I have spring break the next week. Although I won't be able to work too much on it during spring break (business opportunity with my OWN book! YAY!), I'll try my best to get an update on this, Pushing Boundaries and, if things go well, Big Time Rush and the Marauders during my spring break. I'm not promising anything. I'm saying I'll try. I'll probably be able to only get up one, but I'm an optimistic person. Anyway, until next time, happy reading and don't forget to vote!