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Author's Chapter Notes:
Back with a new chapter :) hope you all enjoy and don't hate me too much for this one haha.
Chapter 28


"Sure, Nick. I'll hang here until you're done." AJ said as his phone began to ring.


Nick smiled at AJ before going into the recording booth, closing the door behind him. He felt his stomach doing backflips bust wasn't sure why. He put the headphones on and began to record, AJ looking at him from behind the glass. He saw AJ go rigid and drop his phone, still singing but watching carefully. The door on the recording booth was locked from the inside, so he felt safe.

"I gave to you all that I got, you gifted me jack....pretend to be my friend, my trust you're earning....but all this time you're turning a knife in my back..." Nick sang. The song was appropriate for the circumstances, he smiled.

His eyes suddenly went wide when he saw AJ pour the coffee on the electrical sound panel in the recording studio.

"Shit!!!"


Sparks crackled and series of electrical noises followed, Nick watching in horror. Things seemed to happen in succession....a burst of flames erupted from the papers laying around.

"AJ!!!!" Nick screamed. AJ stood there, as if he was in a trance. Nick threw down the headphones, his heart racing. He couldn't think of anything but getting out of there as his hands fumbled with the doorknob. The flames grew brighter, catching the table and chair, setting the carpet ablaze. Nick couldn't get the door to open, smoke seeping in under the crack. He was so frustrated he began crying, watching AJ walking away.


"AJ!!!! Please!!!" he screamed. He threw himself against the door but it was getting hot....the door was going to catch fire. He coughed and felt lightheaded, smoke clogging up his lungs.

It was then that Nick realized....there was no way to escape. He was doomed. He tried to break the glass window, tried to break the door down, but nothing seemed to work. More and more smoke poured into the room and Nick finally lost consciousness, falling to the carpet as the fire raged around him.




"Nicky......time to wake up...."


Nick stirred at the sound of his own voice. He could hardly see, the smoke was so thick, choking him. Out of the smoke stepped his double, holding a knife that reflected the light from the flames.

"No...."

"I came to finish what I started. AJ was just helping. You see, Nicky.....they're all on my side. You can't trust anyone anymore, I always get what I want." he smirked, his blue eyes filled with malice. The knife came so quickly Nick had no chance to defend himself....



"NICK!!!"


Nick snapped awake, not sure if he'd been dreaming or not. The fire had taken over the door to the recording booth, trapping him inside. Suddenly the glass broke, showering him as a chair fell to the floor next to his leg. He passed out again, falling limp on the carpet....




"Nick.....please. Please wake up. Please." a soft voice drawled, shaking him gently. Nick felt like his lungs were on fire, his chest was heavy and he couldn't open his eyes. Was this what dying felt like?

"Oh god, please don't take him." the voice begged. Nick's eyes finally began to open and he let out a moan. He could hear the person who'd rescued him crying.

"This is all my fault."

Nick blinked in surprise, Kevin was holding him. He felt so weak that he didn't care if this was really him or not, he simply passed out again. When he woke up again, he was laying in a bed. He felt sick to his stomach and dizzy. Where was everyone? Where was AJ......did AJ really try to murder him?

"Take it easy, kiddo. You've been through a lot. We are at my place."

That was Kevin.....but it was impossible. How could he be here?

Nick opened his eyes to see Kevin again, he looked as if he hadn't been eating well in a long time. His face was bony and pale....but it made no sense.


"You're awake. Gave me quite a scare, kiddo. Don't get up, you hit your head somehow when you fell. I don't want you passing out again." Kevin said kindly.

"How? How are you here? Where the hell have you been the last few months?" Nick asked. Kevin brought him a cup of instant ramen and urged him to eat it.

"It's a long story but I found you just in time. You need to stay away from them, you hear me? They've been put under mind control. Whenever they hear Everybody they will try to kill you." he explained. Nick sipped at the soup, listening although he knew all of this already.

"That doesn't tell me how you got here. You rescued me, but how can I trust you? How do I know you're not going to kill me too?" he asked. The soup didn't taste poisonous, so he figured Kevin might be telling the truth.

"We need you safe. That clone will stop at nothing until you're dead. Hopefully they don't notice I'm gone. I just barely managed to escape, they've been holding me prisoner for a while now. Ever since that night I fought back.....I don't want to hurt you anymore, Nick."

"Anymore?" Nick asked, setting the soup down.

"I played a hand in the arena blowing up....I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for any of this but they forced me into it. I'm ashamed of myself because at first I only wanted you gone, but please understand it wasn't meant for you to die." Kevin said, tearing up again. Nick looked at him in shock. How long had they been plotting to kill him for?

"Why is all this happening? I don't understand...."

"They wanted to change you....that's why you were kidnapped, they wanted the perfect teen idol. They wanted you to do everything they say...without question. Those people want to change all of us, Nick." he told him. Nick nodded and drank more of the ramen, his stomach grateful for the food.

"When I saw what was happening to us, I told them no more. You aren't perfect, but you don't deserve any of this at all. I'm so sorry, Nick. Now Alexis and Brian are in danger, and there's nothing we can do." Kevin said with a sigh.

"There is, we have to rescue them." Nick replied.

"I can't go back there."

"We have to get them back. I don't care if anything happens to me. I am not gonna just let these assholes take my fucking life. I'm done feeling sorry for myself, Kevin. I'm done living in fear if someone is out to kill me. I'm fighting back, and you're going to help me." Nick said, sitting up fully now. He just wished he knew what he was about to get himself into.