My ear plugs were in, my microphone bounced in my hand, and I was already beginning to sweat with even the idea of jumping around under all those lights in this hot of weather.
"Ready?" the backstage manager peeked on stage and then patted my back to tell me to go. We ran out with smiles on our faces and already belting out the lyrics to Best Song Ever. No one were really into the concerts anymore. We were all to stressed. To tired. To impassionate.
Only three tours into One Direction's career, and the future already seemed bleak.
*
"Hello?" I answered my phone, not recognizing the number.
"Mr. Liam?" I'd recognize that voice anywhere. "Hello 'dis is Francesca. Have you seen my blankie?"
I smiled at her innocent and worried voice. "I don't know. What does your blankie look like?"
"It's big. And soft. And yellow. It's really yellow." A plan began forming in my head.
"Oh I think I see it," I said even though I saw nothing but the wall of the tour bus in front of me.
"Oh good. Will you give it back?"
"Of course sweetheart. Do you know what numbers are on the front of your house? What your address is?"
"Oh yes! Mommy made me learn it on my first day of kindy-garden! Francesca Rock's address is 1890 Brandy Lane."
"I will bring your blankie right over Franny. Hey, by any chance does your daddy know that your calling me."
"..No. Should I have asked?"
"No sweetie," I lied through my teeth. "You're just fine."
All in all the drive to Francesca's house was forty five minutes. However, it took a full hour because I went to the closest Target and bought a big yellow blanket to give to the little girl.
I knocked on the front door and almost immediately Francesca answered.
"Franny don't open the door without mommy or I-" Aaron stopped in the middle of his hallway.
"That's not blankie."
My smile was fake as I passed it down to the little girl. "Turns out I couldn't find it so I got you a new blankie."
She giggled and bubbled with glee. Aaron stepped forward, patting his daughters shoulder. "Go play with your brother Francesca." She looked confused by the tension between us, but left quickly.
"Get the hell off my property before I call the cops," he growled.
"Where is Jacelyn."
"Away from you that's for sure."
"I'm not playing around Aaron! Tell me where she is!"
He scoffed. "And miss this show you're giving? Never." And after I bit the inside of my cheek and balled my fists to contain my anger: "You put on this whole tough guy act Liam! You think just because you're famous you can get away with anything-"
"That's not it at all-"
"Not here Liam! Not here! I know you're just using her."
"Aaron I'm not-"
"I know you just want her for a publicity stunt. Why else would you pretend so hard to care about her?! She's infuriating! She can dance and that's about it!"
"Don't talk about her that way!" my voice rose as I stabbed a finger at him.
"Hot damn you even almost had me fooled! But she's got nothing you'd actually want Liam. She's not smart or understanding or pretty-"
I tore a hanging flower pot down from the chain it hung on next to the front door. "Don't you dare say that about her!!"
He reacted quickly, taking hold of my shirt and shoving me up against the doorframe.
"Daddy no!" Francesca appeared in the hallway and screamed for her father to stop. "Daddy you're scaring me!!" She cried, clutching the yellow blanket I'd brought her and sobbing.
"What in God's name is happening out here!" Alex swooped up the little girl as she came running into the hall.
"I'm calling the cops." Aaron released me and dove for the phone, dialing quickly and reporting a domestic disturbance as I continued to argue with him.
"Tell me where she is Aaron!!"
"Please hurry," he said to the police officer on the other line.
"She's your sister! How could you say those things about her!"
"I do what I want! I'm just telling the nasty truth about you!" I'd angered him.
We were still arguing when the cop car pulled up. Parker got out and ambled over to Aaron's front door, seemingly uninterested in helping his brother.
"Ok Mr. Rock," he recited playfully. "I'm here to resolve the domestic disturbance you called in."
When he finally pieced together that I was the domestic disturbance, his eyes filled with sympathy and his shoulders sunk.
"Parker get him the hell off my property!!" Aaron screamed. "He's harassing me, scaring my wife and kids, and trying to stalk our sister!!"
Parker didn't react immediately, and stood amidst the heavy, tense breathing for a while. "Liam..." he eventually spoke. "You've gotta go."
"He took her from me!" I protested. "Arrest him with kidnapping! Something! Anything!"
Parker's voice held more pleading and pity this time. "Please. I don't want to handcuff you but I will if you won't leave on your own."
My entire body seemed to slump with the weight of my grief. Slowly but steadily, my feet shuffled off of Aaron's porch.
I wanted to cry.
"You keep him away from her," I heard Aaron growl to Parker.
It was after I heard the door slam that Officer Rock called after me. "Liam wait!"
I didn't want to face him and be reminded of Jace again. He looked so much like her.
"I know." He breathed. "I know how much you love her and miss her and how infuriated you are that he took her. Trust me I feel so bad. I know how much you guys loved her. I can't imagine if she was taken away from me... I'm- I'm.." Parker sighed and tore off a scrap of paper from his pocket pad. "I shouldn't be doing this," he mumbled as he scribbled on the paper, using the trunk of his cruiser as a writing surface. "Here."
He gave me the scrap. I was confused, hurt, and stunned so I didn't actually respond. I just gave him a series of expressions.
"Just....do what you gotta do," Parker waved as he got into his police car and drove off. Once I was in my own car, I looked down at what he had written.
Samantha Dallas
472 Holdenbrook Lane
I didn't understand what it was at first. Samantha? Who the hell was that? I began to make conclusions in my head.
Parker gave me this. He must know Samantha. Samantha must be a friend of the Rock's. Parker also felt bad for me. I was looking for Jace. He knew I wouldn't get her back by yelling at Aaron. Parker knows where Jacelyn is. He's trying to help me.
When I finally connected all the dots, the key was jammed into the ignition and I was searching for a route to Holdenbrook Lane on the gps on my phone.
*
I knocked on the cream colored door uncertainly, unsure of what to expect. It was a few seconds before a dark-haired short girl with tan skin answered with a smile. Her smile quickly faded when her eyes trailed up to mine. She looked nervous; anxious,
Did everyone know about what was going on?
"Samantha?" I asked her.
She sighed, her deep brown eyes lowering to her bare feet. "I knew you would come sometime.." She didn't even explain herself; just pulled me into the house and down the halls cover in deep burgundy paint and soft beige carpet. Sounds of an actual home bustled in my ears.
A small wiener dog barked inside it's gated off area, the washing machine was running somewhere in the house, the microwave bustled, the oven beeped, and the TV was playing cartoons in the living room.
"Sorry," Samantha apologized, running and pulling a tray of food from the oven. "You decided to come at a busy time."
I was massively confused by now. Samantha smiled reassuringly. "You can call me Sam." Down another hall we went and this time, we came ino the living room. It was simple and pretty with pictures hanging on the lavender walls. Pictures of Sam. With Jace. I looked closer. Samantha knew Jace!
Curled up in a small blanket on the black leather couch, Jace was surrounded by Gatorade bottles and Gobstoppers.
"Jace!" I cried, overwhelmed with emotion.
She looked up and her eyes met mine.
"Liam? What are you doing here? Sam why is he here? How did he find me?"