Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 07:53:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Red <redfirewitch@yahoo.com>
Subject: Hide In Plain Sight [Part 5: The Phone-Call]

Title: Hide In Plain Sight

Author: Red [redfirewitch@yahoo.com]

Disclaimer: This is just fiction and there isn't an
ounce of truth about the sexuality of the Nsync boys
in here. At least not as far as I know. If you're
below 18 or if you don't want to read fiction about
homosexuality, do not go further than this line.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 5: The Phone-Call

"Thank ya and have a slammin' night!" Justin yelled
into the mike, inciting even more screams from the
crowd.

The guys all ran backstage while the band played on.
They had to make a quick getaway before the fans
swamped them. They were immediately steered to the
cars waiting to take them to their hotel. As this was
the final leg of their tour, they were going to get to
spend the night at the hotel and leave for Orlando in
the morning.

"WHOOHOOO! WE'RE DONE!" Chris shouted as he settled in
the leather seat and the door closed. All the guys
began to whoop.

"Are we going clubbing?" Lance asked, running his
hands through his sweat-soaked hair.

"Of course man!" Justin answered, still bouncing from
the energy of performing.

"YEAH!" Joey agreed. "Can't disappoint the ladies."

The rest of the guys booed.

"How about you, JC? You're in too?" Justin asked
nudging his friend beside him.

"I pass. I need some sleep. I didn't get much last
night." JC replied, seeing the knowing nod from
Justin.

"Aw man! The one night you can't give us grief about
resting up for the next night's show and you're not
even coming with us? Come on , JC! You should at least
give me the chance to say 'screw you' for a good
reason!" Joey protested.

JC smiled.
"How about if tomorrow morning I say you look like
shit and serves you right? Then you can throw it to my
face that the tour is over."

Joey grinned and showed two thumbs up.

"We're here." Randy, their bodyguard informed them.
"You know the deal. Joey, JC, Chris first. Then Justin
and Lance."

The boys filed out of the car accordingly and were
escorted by two bodyguards per group, past the group
of screaming fans. Once they were inside the hotel it
was relatively quieter but not by much. Finally they
reached their rooms. While on the corridor, Justin
yelled to the others to get ready and meet up in his
room. All except JC agreed and each went to the
respective rooms.

JC tiredly opened his hotel room door and switched on
the lights. He was so tired that he didn't even want
to bath but then his innate sense of personal hygiene
wouldn't let him. He was about to head for the
bathroom when he noticed an envelope on the floor.
Frowning he picked it up. On the front was written:

To Joshua Scott Chasez.

JC shrugged, thinking it was probably a letter from
some fan and left it on his dresser to be read after
his shower. He was too tired now and if he didn't
shower soon, he was likely to be falling asleep,
smelling like a skunk.

By the time he was ready for bed, his eyes were barely
open. He heard the sound of the other guys getting
ready to go clubbing and shook his head. They weren't
really party animals but they never could turn down
the chance to act normal and be around normal people
of their age. As much as they appreciated their young
fans, they also wanted to be around people their own
age. That made them feel normal.

JC switched off the lights and lay down on his bed.
His last thoughts before sleep overtook him was that
things were finally returning to normal again.

The envelope just lay unopened on the dresser.

**

The next morning.

The phone rang at about 7 am. The loud noise slowly
penetrated JC's sleep-fogged mind as he unburied his
head from the pillow. His thought process in the
morning was limited to words not sentences.

/Phone...sound...bad...kill!/

Getting up early when you have some place to be was
bad enough but having to get up early when it was your
first day off was pure torture.  Groaning, JC felt the
side-table for the receiver and dragged it to his
ears.

"Hello? I didn't ask for a wake-up call! What is this
about?" he snarled, though it came out sounding almost
polite.

Silence.

"You've got to be kidding me! HELLO!" JC yelled.

Silence.

JC was about to bang the phone down when he heard the
voice.

"Hello, Joshy boy."

It wasn't really the voice. The voice had long become
an hazy memory. Even in his nightmares, he never heard
the voice or at least he never registered the voice.
But the name. That name. Joshy boy. JC felt his whole
body go lax, his stomach clench and his mind become
blank. He knew who it was immediately.

'Phillip'

"You still there, Joshy boy?"

The small part of his mind that was still aware was
yelling at him to say something or do something.
Something to the extent of hanging up. But JC couldn't
get his hand to comply with that order.

"That's ok. You don't have to say anything. I know you
won't hang up on me," came the smug voice.

That last sentence ironically bugged JC more than the
fact that the man who was on the phone was supposed to
be dead. He had said, 'I know you won't hang up on
me.' I * know *. That signified one thing. Control.
That was Phillip Rondall had always been about. He had
uncannily controlled everything. From Liam's to JC's
own life. Even from beyond the grave.

'Beyond the grave!'

"Y-you are dead." JC said in a whisper.

"Am I?"

"You are dead! I saw you...I, I,"

"You, you. You what, Joshy boy? You shot me? You
killed me? Can't say the words, can you?"

For a brief second JC wondered if he was dreaming or
crazy or dreaming that he was crazy.
"This can't be happening!" he cried out.

There was a deep laughter from the other end.
"Hard to believe, isn't it? You know what's even more
incredible? The fact that a gay boy like you are in a
boy band with millions of girls lusting after you."

JC inhaled sharply.
"You really were there!"

"You saw me? I thought you did but with all that crazy
girls screaming their head off, it was hard to say.
Although I had a hard time keeping myself from
laughing when I saw you on stage the other night. You
were a god to them, beautiful and the perfect man. Ha!
Guess I know something that they don't huh?"

Suddenly JC felt a surge of anger. This man was
supposed to be dead. JC had tortured himself with
guilt and fear of discovery of his crime all these
years because Phillip Rondall was supposed to have
died at his hands. But now he was back. Alive and
still torturing him. He would be damned if he allowed
that.

"What the fuck do you want, Phillip?" JC asked,
slightly pleased that his voice sounded firm and
strong this time. Anger was a good ally.

"Funny you should put it that way, Joshy boy. If my
memory serves me right, you owe me a fuck, don't you.
Too bad, Liam had to interfere the last time. Of
course it really was * his * last time."

JC's heart clenched at the thought of Liam. His Liam.

"I may not have killed you that time, Phillip but I
swear if I ever see you again, I'm going to finish
what I had started!"

"Wow! I'm impressed. Never thought I would hear that
from you. Gotten some balls , have you Joshy boy?"

JC suddenly had the urge to hit something and scream
but he reined it in and put all the venom in his
voice.
"Stay away from me, Phillip. I'm not the same stupid
kid I was six years ago. This time, I have control,
money and backing. Stay away from me!"

There was silence for a while, followed by a harsh
laughter.
"Listen here, Joshy boy. Drop the tough guy act. It
won't work with me. You don't have control. I do. I
always will! Liam learned that the hard way. Don't
make the same mistake too. You will do as I say, when
I say and how I say. Six years. I waited for six years
because those bastards...never mind. You're mine. You
always were. Just like how Liam was. You don't get
away unless you are dead. Or I am. But we both know
how that one goes, don't we?"

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" JC asked, knowing
the answer only too well.

"Hell no! What made you think that? I'm only trying to
teach you responsibility, Joshy boy. Paying your dues,
respecting your superiors and taking care of your old
friends. Of course you and I are going to be more than
just friends," he drawled.

"You're crazy!!" JC cried out. His heart was beating
so fast he was afraid to breathe.

"And you're mine. I'll give you time to think about
your responsibilities. We'll talk again. Maybe this
time face-to-face. Would you like that?"

"Fuck you!" JC spat.

"In good time! Goodbye, Joshy boy."

"I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU CONTROL ME! NOT AGAIN!" JC
yelled.

The line was cut off. JC grabbed the phone and threw
it across the room. Suddenly he felt dizzy and hot. He
scrambled out of the bed and began to walk up and
down. He just paced the floor aimlessly and without a
logical thought on his mind. It was just a whirlwind
of thoughts. His gaze was wild as it flitted across
the room. It landed on the letter on the dresser.
Madly he rushed to grab the envelope and tore it open
with a shaking hand. JC pulled out a plain piece of
paper from it. As he read it, his hand tightened into
a fist. He then crumbled up the paper and threw it
against the wall with all his might. The balled up
paper bounced against the wall and fell to the floor.
JC then fell to the floor and rested his head against
his raised knees. His body began to shake as he sobbed
loudly.