2000

“What are you doing?”

Nick Carter looked up from the book he had been engrossed in before he was so rudely interrupted. “Shitting. What does it look like?” He rolled his eyes and concentrated on the novel in his hands again.

“No seriously Nick. You and reading?”

“I’m not illiterate you know. Now stop bugging me.” Okay, so he was reading. What’s the big deal? It’s not like they haven’t seen him with a book before. And yes, comics do count as books.

“Yo Nick!”

Nick let out a sigh, he was never going to get some peace and quiet to read his book. He placed his new bookmark in between the pages where he left off and gloomily put his book down next to him.

“Wait, why are you looking so down?” Brian Littrell had just entered the tour bus with a basketball under his left arm.

“Mister grumpy-pants over here was reading a book.” AJ Mclean said, thumbing at a glaring Nick.

“Really? You’re kidding.” Brian said. He could not mentally picture Nick reading a book. “Oh, you mean he has a new comic book?”

Nick groaned. “Why is it so hard for you guys to believe that I actually read?” New hobby, sheesh. “And no, AJ was not taking the mickey out of you.”

Brian gave Nick an odd look.

“Because Nicky,” AJ said pinching Nick’s cheeks, “You are just a cute face.”

“Shut up.” Nick grumbled, swatting his band mate’s hand away.

Brian laughed, “So, what were you reading Nick?” He sat down in a booth, but not before shoving the dirty pile of clothes away.

“It’s a Harry Potter book actually.”

Brian and AJ laughed, “Harry Potter? That sounds so … weird.” AJ barked. “What kind of name is Harry Potter?”

Nick huffed, “Fine, whatever. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go to the back of the bus to read my book in peaceful silence.” He grabbed his book and stalked to the back of the bus.

“It’s not that bad he’s reading a book, is it?” Brian commented.

“Yeah,” AJ laughed, “Did you see the size of it? Around 200 pages I’d say. That’s gotta hurt his brain.”

Brian rolled his eyes, but his lips curled anyway. “Our Nicky’s growing up,” he wiped a fake tear away.

“’bout darn time. The guy’s already 20.”

_______________________________


Nick could still remember the day he got wind of the book. They were in Great-Britain to promote their latest album. He was wandering around in London when he came across a relatively small bookshop. The display caught his eye. The window-shop was colourfully decorated with one subject: Harry Potter. Of course Nick was interested. Because, well it looked … interesting.

So he went in.

The shop was practically empty. There were two people browsing the shelves and there was a salesclerk behind the counter reading one of the books he saw in the display.

“Um hi,” He said, trying to catch her attention.

The young girl behind the counter jumped up, “Shit zeg! Ik krijg zowat een hartaanval!”* Her hand flew to her chest.

Nick just stared at her full of confusion. He was in London right? Right? His eyes grew huge, “Holy crap, I just walked through some freaky portal didn’t I?” He looked around frantically. But then again, he did understood the shit part.

“I apologize sir, I tend to get lost in the books.”

He just nodded. “Uhm, what’s the book about?”

“Are you interested?” She smiled.

There was a freaky glint in her eyes that Nick couldn’t decipher. He heard her mutter something but couldn’t catch more than ‘victim’. He slowly backed away.

“Hey! I didn’t get to tell you about the book!” She said, holding the book in her hand. “You wanna hear about it or what?”

Definitely not shy. She was short, not taller than 5”3, had straight black hair that was swept into a ponytail and a pair of glasses perched up her nose. “Sure,” He took a step forward again. Don’t be scared of the girl, Nick scolded himself. She had to be around 16.

“So, these were written by a woman called Joanne Rowling, better known as J.K. Rowling. Brilliant lady.”

Nick saw her pull out three different books. All three of them had the name Harry Potter on it and their titles.

“The series is going to be 7 novels long. So far, these three are published.”

“They’re pretty thick, aren’t they.” Nick gulped.

“Ehh, you’ll breeze through them,” she waved it away. “It’s about wizards and witches. A whole new world to explore. It’s amazing.”

“Sounds like a children’s book.”

“Then they’ll be perfect for you.”

“Hey!” He said affronted.

“Sorry.”

Nick gave her the evil eye, she didn’t seem to notice. “You don’t mean it. And that’s all? Witches and wizards? You’re not going to tell me more?”

“The protagonist is Harry Potter.”

“Figures.”

“You want them or not?”

“Are you sure they’re good books?”

“They are good books. The first one’s being filmed into a movie right now. Sounds promising, right? And hey, if the movie’s a hit, people might give the books a chance too. You can tell your friends that you’ve read the books before seeing the movie. Watcha think, doesn’t that sound impressing?”

Nick agreed, that did sound impressing. Let’s show Kevin and AJ. “Alright, I’ll take all three.”

The girl smiled, “Awesome! You won’t regret it. I promise.” She put the books on the counter away and grabbed three new ones. “You want them gift wrapped?” She asked.

He shook his head, “No thanks.”

The girl just shrugged and put the books in a plastic bag. “That’s fifty pounds.”

Nick’s eyes grew huge. “Those books are expensive.”

“They’re definitely worth it.”

“Did you buy them too?”

She scoffed, “Are you kidding me? Why do you think I work here? Working in a bookshop has its perks.” She winked.

“So you just read them during work? Is that even legal?”

The Asian girl gave him an odd look, “No, did you think that? I get the books for a good price, that’s what I meant.”

“Oh.” He handed her the money.

“Thank you, here’s your change.”

Nick had just put his wallet away when a person entered the shop.

“Potterfreak, you almost off?”

The girl smiled brightly, “Yup, last customer over here. Shana‘s going to cover the next shift.”

Nick grabbed his bag and turned to leave.

“Wait, sir!”

He turned around.

“If you want, give me your e-mail and I’ll keep you updated on the happenings around the books.”

“Erm…” he hesitated. Giving a stranger his e-mail? She was freaky. But then again, he was curious. “Sure, but only if you promise not to spread it around.”

The girl just gave him an odd look, “Okay…” She handed him a pen and a small piece of paper.

He wrote down his e-mail and slid the paper and pen back to her.

She smiled, “Thank you for purchasing something from our shop, sir!”

“It’s Nick.” Being addressed as ‘sir’ was just weird.

She nodded, “Rose. Oh, hang on! Here, promotion right?” She gave handed him something.

It looked like a piece of carton with some weird art on it with the shop’s name. He shot her a questioning look.

“It’s a bookmark.”

“Oh, right. Thanks.” Nick then turned and walked to the door.

“New victim?” The guy who had entered chuckled.

“Yup, I think I just pulled another one to the dark side.”

Nick left the shop more confused than ever. With three new books in his bag he walked back to his hotel. It was there that he realized that the salesgirl from before had spoken in some weird language when he first entered the shop, and that she sounded more American English than British English. “Weird chick.”

_______________________________


Nick got his first mail from the girl he met in Britain in 2001, a year after he had bought the books. He managed to read all three of them. She was right, he admitted. Once you get into it, you’re practically breezing through them.

From: Autumn_Rose
To: […]
Subject: HARRY POTTER

Mick right? (I forgot)

I promised to keep you up to date, so I’ll do just that.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has been made into a movie and will premier this year! Aren’t you excited? You’ll get to see it in theatres soon, be sure to bring all your friends and family with you!

I assume that you’ve read all three books? If you haven’t, I’ll owe my boyfriend ten pounds. Normally no big deal, but I’m broke right now. Not kidding.

More good news, if you have finished reading those books and are pining for more.. BOOK 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is going to be in stores soon too! Heaven, right?

Rose.

_______________________


And he did just that, he brought everyone he could to the movie. Nick couldn’t stop talking about it for weeks. It drove his band mates nuts. AJ even complained on how he wished that Nick didn’t read. Kevin endured it all by telling himself that it was good for Nick. Reading Nick was a good Nick.

Of course Nick didn’t forget to write her back. He had to thank the girl for introducing the books to him.

From: […]
To: Autumn_Roses
Subject: Thank You

Thank you for your mail! I was very pleased and must thank you for introducing me. I’m looking forward to fourth one. *wink*

I love Harry.

Nick.

---

From: Autumn_Roses
To: […]
Subject: WTF?

Who the f*** are you? Freak! leave me alone you fag.

---

Nick frowned when he read the mail. Why would she send that? Was it some kind of joke? He checked the address again. To his stupidity, he noticed that he had written Rose in plural. No wonder.

Sighing, he began to write a new mail.

From: […]
To: Autumn_Rose
Subject: Thank You

I’m very glad I received your mail. I’m looking forward to both the book and the movie. You can rest assured, I’ve read the three books, you won’t loose your money =)

Nick. (not Mick)

_________________________


And that was the last thing he’d heard of Rose. It wasn’t until the summer of ‘05 that he received yet another mail from her.

_________________________

* I'm about to have a heart attack!

Chapter 2: Yikes!


And that was the last thing he’d heard of Rose. It wasn’t until the summer of ‘05 that he received yet another mail from her.

----
From: IloveNightTenjou
To: […]
Subject: Long time no.. you get it.

Nick! (hehe got your name right) (I’m Rose by the way)

I’m sorry I haven’t written anything to you in a while. (4 years. Yikes)

I do hope that you’ve been updated on Harry Potter all those years. If not, and you trusted on my ‘promise’ to keep you updated, then.. SORRY!!!

SORRY SORRY SORRY! I apologize.. But life got in the way. No matter what, I’ve been a Potter Fan through thick and thin! My boyfriend pointed it out the other day. I absolutely forgot about you, I feel terrible. Please forgive me. *puppy-eyed look*

The Harry Potter series now has 5 books and the sixth will be published in July! Hehe, not that bad right? Only one book behind. You’ll catch up fast. Though book 5 is large too.

And now, *cringe* the books 2, 3 and 4 have been made into movies! They are all out on DVD right now.. Even though you didn’t have the chance yet to see them in the theatres, I’ll bet that they’ll be great for Home Entertainment too! (I know ‘cause I have them)

Well, hope you don’t hate me.

Rose.

By the way… if you’re waiting for new material .. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is good..
And:

Ever heard of Manga?

________________________


“NO!!!” Nick had just finished reading the e-mail and stared at the screen with great horror.

“What’s wrong?” Howie Dorough looked up from his own laptop and looked at Nick with concern.

“Everything!” Nick wailed. Even though it had been 4 years since the mail he’d received of Rose, he couldn’t believe how much out of the loop he had been. He had missed a lot in all those years!

“We’re going to Barnes and Noble right now!” Nick closed his Notebook and stalked out of his tour bus. “And after that, Best Buy!”

“Nick! Wait up!”

Nick and Howie visited those two stores and came back with full hands. Well Nick was, but Howie helped carrying. Nick had purchased book 5 and pre-ordered book 6. He had also bought the 2 movies that were out. Film 4 was supposed to come out later this year. While they were browsing in Barnes and Noble Nick also found the other book Rose was talking about. Twilight. The cover looked interesting enough, a pair of hands holding an apple. He didn’t get to find out what that ‘Mango’ thing Rose was talking about. He was in a hurry.

__________________

From: […]
To: IloveNightTenjou
Subject: Grumble

I am disappointed in you. Yes, I did trust on your knowledge, and it hurt to read that you had forgotten about me.

I will forgive you however, but only because you had the dignity to write to me anyway. (and provided me with new information)

I have purchased the goods and will start reading them soon! (first I’m going to watch the movies!)
Also, I’ve bought Twilight. Looks interesting.

Nick.

By the way: Mangoes?

---

From: IloveNightTenjou
To: […]
Subject: NEW MOON

Nick!

It has been a while! Already 2007. Hope you had a good New Year! Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be in theatres this summer and the last book will come out soon too! Have you already heard? It’s going to be called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.. Ooh interesting.

If you have read Twilight, then you might be pleased to hear that its sequel New Moon is out too! A must read.. But I liked Twilight better. New Moon didn’t have enough Edward. *Sniff* (I won’t tell more). You could visit the author’s site for more information stepheniemeyer.com! The boyfriend is addicted to the books too!

Manga- I’ll tell you soon *wink*

Rose.

____________

To be continued

Chapter 3 Fandom

2006 was a busy year for Nick. Not only had he spent a lot of time working on the Backstreet Boys’ new album with the rest of the guys, he had also spent every free time in the midday reading 2 absolutely wonderful books.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Twilight.

His band mates somehow got used to a reading Nick and slowly but surely also accepted it. That was mostly Kevin’s doing. A reading Nick is a good Nick, because a reading Nick didn’t have time for childish pranks. That was what Kevin would say over and over again. No more stupid pranks.

Nope, ‘cause Nick only had time for fictional books and movies now. You couldn’t forget that one. Nick had bought all the Harry Potter movies he could find. Both regular and special edition. His hunger for merchandise didn’t stop there. Oh no, Nick also went down to hunt every little thing he could find in stores. Howie was glad that Nick hadn’t discovered online shopping yet. That would be hell.

On rare times, Nick’s friends could also find him sitting behind his laptop. But that was only to check his e-mail. Nick would search for mail from someone who kept feeding him these pieces of information on books.

These books(Harry Potter and Twilight) included witches, wizards, werewolves and to the band’s surprise also vampires. Yup, Nick’s next obsession was the vampires of Twilight. He could not stop yapping about them. How these vampires didn’t have fangs, or wouldn’t burn in sunlight. No, these vampires were special.
His friends could now rattle off almost every special feature these vampires had.

1.They were as hard as granite.
2.They were immortal
3.They were super fast
4.They didn’t have fangs
5.They couldn’t sleep
6.They were inhumanly beautiful (most of ‘em)

And the list went on and on. AJ was surprised by the amount of stuff that Nick could remember. After all, Nick could be kind of forgetful.

There was only one downside to Nick’s obsession of vampire: he wanted to be one. How ridiculous is that? A twenty-six-year old wanting to be a (fictional) vampire.

1.Nick worked out in order to be stronger. - Vampires were really strong-
2.Well, Nick couldn’t do much about that one. Humans die. Nick just aimed for a long life.
3.Running. That is what he would do in the morning. He wanted to be fast
4.Nick didn’t have fangs either!
5.Ah, well, Nick could sleep and he needed sleep. He just went to bed really late, an easy compromise.
6.No problem here. Nick was already inhumanly beautiful. (His band mates might beg to differ though.)

By the end of the year, Nick became slightly restless because he hadn’t heard of Rose. He wanted information! Of course Nick could surf the net and find it himself, but there was also the possibility of getting lost over the net. Also, he hated those viruses. It was best to just wait for information from his trustful source.

_______

To be continued.

Chapter 4: New Mail

2007

---

From: Rose’sEdward
To: [...]
Subject: Update

This is Rose’sEdward, AKA “the boyfriend”. I know Rose promised not to spread your e-mail around, but 1 person is hardly ‘spreading it’. She’s away for school, so temporarily unavailable.

Of course this e-mail has a reason. (I would not just mail random stuff to strangers. What’s the point in that?)

Rose asked me to inform you on some stuff that has been going on around Twilight -Brilliant book-

But I forgot. Sorry. I will mail you as soon as I remember it.

The boyfriend.

---

Nick cursed. What was the point of that mail? Why would the dude send that e-mail if he had nothing useful to say? He wrote something about new information related to Twiligh. Why the hell would he do that if he forgot what it was?! Did he want Nick to die from anticipation?

---
From: […]
To: EdwardRoses
Subject: Grrr

I accuse you of making me wait with (unwanted) anticipation.

Nick.

----

The mail he received wasn’t exactly one he had expected. On the contrary, it rather scared Nick.

---

From: EdwardRoses
To: […]
Subject: None

Ooh, me like *wink*

---

Nick checked the mail address and hit himself in the head. “Not again!”

He quickly deleted the mail and reopened the mail from ‘the boyfriend’. “Next time, hit reply!” He gritted through his teeth. That mail had been awful, even more horrifying than the one that had accused him for being gay many years ago. He shuddered thinking back of the mail he just got seconds ago. “Never again.”

---
From: […]
To: Rose’sEdward
Subject: Sigh


Thanks for notifying me though. I’ll be waiting for more information. (By the way, you guys have difficult and easily-typed-wrong names)

Nick.

----

Nick tiredly rubbed his eyes after he hit the ‘send’ button. He wanted to know what was happening around Twilight. Desperately. This suddenly made him think of the sequel New Moon. He hadn’t had the chance to read it yet, let alone buy!

He groaned when he glanced at the clock. It was too late to go out now. Tomorrow then, he thought.

“If the dude doesn’t remember, then I should check the author’s site!” Nick quickly typed in the URL that Rose had once sent him. He clicked on ‘Twilight’ and was directed to an other page. “Outtakes!” He exclaimed. “Definitely gotta check that one out.” He muttered to himself. For convenient matters he bookmarked the page.

“Hey, awesome! ‘Cullen cars!’ Nick’s eyes grew huge. Now he could finally visualize the cars that the Cullen family owned. They loved fast cars. Nick clicked a few random buttons and came to a new page.

“Holy crap! That is one heck of a car! Wait, it’s featured in New Moon?” Nick frowned. It had to be, he hadn’t read anything about that beauty in Twilight. “Screw this. I’m going to get that book right now. There has got to be a store open this late.”

He quickly closed his laptop and scrambled away to get his shoes. He was about to leave the house when someone called out his name.

“Aaah!” Nick yelled. What the hell?

There, standing in the hall (in his pyjamas which had pink bunnies on them) was AJ.

“Don’t scare me like that! And what are you doing in my house J?” How did he even get in?

“Did you hit your head or something?” AJ looked at Nick as if he was crazy.

"Oh, right." Nick nodded. "Convenient for recording, bla bla bla. I bet you're just crashing here because it's cheaper than a hotel."

"Of course it's cheaper. You don't get roomservice in here." AJ rolled his eyes.
"Where are you going anyway? It's almost twelve." AJ commented, taking Nick's appearance in.

"Errands." Was all Nick said, and he turned to leave.

"Hey wait!" AJ said. "I want to come too."

Nick frowned, "Why?" If AJ knew what kind of 'errand' Nick had to run he'd never hear the end of this.

"Just hang on for a sec, let me change." AJ made to walk up the huge staircase but Nick stopped him.

"I will not wait. Just go in your jammies."

"But that would be embaressing."

"Then you shouldn't have bought them." Nick said. "Hurry up!" He needed New Moon right now.

"They're cute."

"Just go J." Nick sighed. He locked the door behind them.

Nick drove in silence while AJ was humming some sort of song.

"Kind of catchy, who's the singer?" Nick commented.

"I don't know. Some Asian dude on Youtube. Funny song. It's about Youtube." AJ laughed. "It's called the 'You tube' love song or something."

"What's Youtube?" Nick asked. He drove to the nearest 24 hours open convenience store. If he was lucky, they'd sell books.

"You've never heard of it? Strange considering you're on your laptop every time. What do you do on that thing anyways?"

"Just checking some sites,"(which are Harry Potter related)Like Nick would tell AJ. "Mail and stuff."

AJ glanced at Nick. "It's just a site where people post a lot of videos. You can find almost anything! There are loads of stuff from us on there too. Pretty darn cool, if I say so myself."

Nick just nodded. He didn't really pay attention to what AJ had just said. He was too nervous to let what AJ had said before sink in.


_______


They got home after 2 hours. Nick (grumpily) empty handed and AJ, contently, with a new set of jammies. (This one had Snoopy on them)

"Your new obsession is getting to your head J."(look who's talking) Nick said, referring to AJ's new pyjamas.

"Just 'cause you didn't find what you were searching for doesn't mean that you can take your frustrations out on me." AJ retorted.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." Nick stalked upstaris, but he couldn't fall asleep. (He'd even counted sheeps.)

Eventually he decided to go on his laptop again. He entered Stephenie Meyer's URL in again but this time clicked on 'New Moon'.

"What?! The first chapter is available online?" He quickly clicked on the link. Unfortunately though, his laptop couldn't read the PDFfile. "Why me! Why me!" Nick wailed to no one in particular. "Stupid non-PDFfile-reader-laptop!" He shouted. Out of anger and disappointment he shut his laptop and went to sleep (bummed).

_________________

To be continued

Chapter 5: Search

Nick awoke the next day in a hurry. He'd overslept, and it was already noon. He jumped out of his bed and continued to get ready for the day. After he got dressed and had brushed his teeth, he descended the stairs to find AJ standing in the kitchen, cooking. "Smells good, what are you making?"

"Your breakfast." AJ replied. "You wouldn't wake up, I tried everything, I even jumped on your bed."

"You did?" Nick questioned. He wondered why he hadn't woke up. After all, he did want to buy that book today. "Can I ask you a question J?"

"Sure," AJ replied, he took a plate out of the cupboard and filled it with the scrambled egg he'd just prepared. Taking 2 pieces of toast and putting it on the plate, he put it down in front of Nick.

"Thanks!" Nick picked up his fork and started on his breakfast. "Well, you know a lot about computers right?" Nick said with his mouth full.

"I wouldn't say that but I know some stuff," AJ poured in some Jus D'orange in for Nick.

"Well, my laptop can't read PDF-files, whatever those are, so I was wondering if there was some kind of programme to fix that problem, y'know?" He took a big gulp orange juice.

"PDF-files eh?" AJ nodded, "Yeah, you can download it for free on the net. "Acrobat Reader or something like that."

Nick nodded, "Thanks a lot. Ya know, you'd make a great housewife." He grinned.

"Shut up or I'll stop feeding you."

"Okay-okay!" Nick said, his hands shooting upwards as if he was held under shot. "You sure as hell are a lot better at cooking than Kev." Nick chuckled.

"You live in the past that was 10 years ago." But AJ smiled nonetheless.

"Yeah, but he still managed to burn water."

After Nick had finished his breakfast, he grabbed his keys and coat and asked AJ along. AJ declined, saying that he already had plans. So, Nick was now on his way to the bookstore.

He entered the first one, with crossed fingers, and walked up to the counter. A middle-aged lady with grey streaks in her brown hair warmly smiled at him, “Excuse me, but you wouldn’t have the New Moon book by Stephenie Meyer by any chance, do you?” ‘Please do, please do’ Nick chanted in his head.

“An avid reader? That’s wonderful! Of course I have that book!”
Nick’s eyes lit up.

“But unfortunately, we ran out.” The woman said. “We ordered some new ones, it’ll arrive in a week or two.”

“Really? This sucks.” Nick complained.

“Language, young man.” The woman scolded.

“Sorry,” Nick muttered, “Well thanks anyway. I’ll look further.”

The woman nodded, “Please visit again!”

Nick left the store feeling shot down. What a disappointment. The book he’d longed for was nowhere to be found. Another bookshop caught his eye and Nick decided to try his luck again. Maybe this bookstore had what he was yearning for.

This time there was an old man behind the counter. His face looked tired, but his eyes were full of life.
Nick walked up to the counter and asked for New Moon.

The man smiled, “You’re lucky, we have one last copy left. A horde of girls came in yesterday and bought 10 books! But are you sure that you want to buy this book?”

Nick frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Oh, didn’t you know yet? I myself am a big fan of Mrs. Meyer’s work and check her site regularly. There will be a New Moon Special Edition coming out May fifth, which will also feature the first chapter of the third book in the series, Eclipse. “

“Really?” Nick contemplated his choices, buy New Moon now and when the new edition comes out buy that one too, or wait for the new edition. Hmm, this was hard. “I’ll buy New Moon anyway,” He told the man. Nick didn’t think that he could wait 2 months for that new edition to come out. He was too curious.

After he’d purchased his book, he exited the store with a big smile on his face. He got it! Now he had to hurry home and get started on this book. He didn’t know what to expect from the book, only that it was going to be good.

When Nick entered his house, he found that AJ was nowhere to be seen. Shrugging, Nick quickly sat behind his laptop to check his mail, before starting on his book. He gauged the thickness of it, “Probably going to take me hours.”
To his surprise, Nick had indeed received a new e-mail.

---
From: Rose’sEdward
To: […]
Subject: I remember!

I finally remembered what I was supposed to tell you (actually Rose told me through the phone).

Twilight might be made into a film! Exciting right? Although, I do kind of hope that they’ll use some of the characters that Stephenie Meyer thinks will suit the part look-wise.

Also, Rose reminded me about something. She is not sure if you’re aware that the first chapter of Midnight Sun, Twilight told in Edward’s point of view, can be found on Stephenie’s site. A rather interesting view, you should check it out.

More news concerning the Twilight series, there’ll be a New Moon Special Edition which will include cool stuff. Unfortunately, it’s not available outside the US. We might be able to order it online though.

I guess this is it. Rose will be back the day after tomorrow, so she’ll be able to tell you more.

The boyfriend.

Ps. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will premiere on the 13th of July. The seventh book will be released on the 21st of July.

---

That’s right, Nick thought. “Harry Potter. I still remember the sixth book. I wonder who that RAB person is. It’ll be clarified soon I guess, in 5 or so months.”

Nick typed up a fast reply

---

From: […]
To: Rose’sEdward
Subject: None

Hey, thank you for the update! I hope to receive some new mail soon.

Nick.

---

And with that Nick picked up his newly bought book and opened it, anticipating on what was laying ahead for Bella Swan, the protagonist.

_______________________________________

To be continued...

“It’s getting closer, it’s getting clo-suhr,” Nick chanted, dancing slightly. It was already June, there was only one month left before the movie and the book. All related to Harry Potter of course.

Meanwhile Howie and AJ were sitting in Nick’s living room, they both heard him quite clear.

“He’s going nuts, I’m telling ya.” AJ shook his head. Ever since Nick finished New Moon he’d been fuming over a Jacob Black and for a period of time, looked very very upset. AJ could even hear Nick in his room sometimes saying ‘Edward left, Edward left’ like he was in some trance. And other times ‘if you don’t come back Edward, I’ll kill you!’. (Which was of course impossible, AJ knew, because Nick was only a mere mortal. Not to mention the horde of fan girls that would probably murder him if he did manage to kill Edward Cullen.) The line ‘Look what you’ve done to Bella’ wasn’t uncommon either.

“At least he hasn’t got an obsession for pyjamas,” Howie distinctively muttered.

“What?” There was a slight growl in his voice. AJ’s snapped towards Howie.

Howie’s eyes widened, “N-nothing,” he stammered, “Erm, it’s good that he does something he’s excited about. Reading is good.”

There was a loud crash suddenly coming from upstairs. And a lot of stumbling.

“Bloody hell!” They heard Nick curse (in an awful, awful British accent)

AJ raised an eyebrow, a disbelieving look on his face and looked at Howie, “‘Bloody hell’? What is he British?”

“Well, I did hear him say ‘bollocks’ the other day,” Howie whispered.

“What the hell does that mean?” AJ exclaimed, his arms wailing around.

Howie shrugged, “I looked it up though, it said balls.”

“Balls? Does he know?” AJ chuckled loudly.

“But I also read that it could be meant as bullshit or nonsense. The word is often used figuratively.” Howie recited from the page where he got the information from. (Which was the handy online free encyclopaedia.)

AJ groaned, “I can’t believe he got into that Harry Potter thing again. It gets annoying man. Did you know that he listens to the soundtrack before he goes to sleep?!” AJ said, shaking his head.

“When did he got into those books anyway?” Howie wondered.

“It was in 2000, we just got back from our trip to London,” AJ replied. Howie gave him a questioning look. “I remembered it because it was the first time that I saw him reading something other than a comic book.” He shrugged.

Howie nodded. “That makes sense, it is an odd picture.”

“I wonder who got him hooked.” AJ said to no one in particular.

Nick then came running down the stairs, like an excited little child at Christmas. “J! Howie!” He panted, sliding on his socks to the living room.
Both AJ and Howie looked at him questioningly. “What is it?” AJ asked.

“Are we doing something this summer?” Nick asked.

AJ looked at Howie, “I don’t know. We might do some promotion for the new album…” He trailed off.

“Can we go to London? Can we? Can we?” Nick pleaded.

“London? Why?” AJ asked suspiciously. Surely this had everything to do with the books that Nick had read.

“I really want to go to the premiere of Harry Potter. Please?” Nick begged.

“The premiere?” Howie asked, “But those are really hard to get into.”

“I won this contest, I got 2 tickets, and I really want to go.” Nick pouted.

“2 tickets eh? Who are you bringing with you?” AJ said.

Nick shrugged, “I don’t know, which one of you wants to come along?”

Both Howie and AJ looked very uncomfortable right then. “Actually, Nicky, I don’t think Harry Potter is something that I’d enjoy.” Howie said apologetically.

“Me neither buddy.” AJ said. “You should ask Brian.”

Nick nodded, “So we’re going then? Brilliant!” Nick exclaimed. “I’m going to call Bri now. Catch you guys later, oh and J, your turn to make supper.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” AJ waved his hand.

--------------------------

“I am so excited!” Nick smiled broadly when they settled in the plane. It was the 25th of June today and he was thoroughly excited. In a few hours he’d be back in London. He hoped that Rose still worked in the same bookshop he’d visited 7 years ago, for he wanted to thank her in person for what she’d given him. Books to read!

When they finally arrived in the United Kingdom, Nick and the rest of the band checked in at the hotel they would be staying at for 10 days.

“Nick, your bag,” AJ huffed, dragging the extremely heavy bag along. “What did you stuff in here? Stones?” The bag was practically bulging out.

“Those are my books, thank you very much.” Nick said offended, taking the bag from AJ.

When Nick went to sleep that night, he told himself that tomorrow, he’d visit Rose the next day. With that he fell into a deep slumber, dreaming of Harry, Bella, Edward and himself.

____________________

To be continued...

“JAAAAY!” The shouting was followed by loud banging on the door.

AJ tiredly got out of his bed and opened the door to his room. “What.” He said annoyed. For he was sleeping peacefully before Nick woke him up.

“I have a question.” Nick smiled sheepishly. “I was making macaroni-”

“What? You were making macaroni?” AJ cut him off. “Why would you do that? We’re in a hotel.”

Nick just waved AJ’s comment away, “So I was making macaroni right, and I saw this red thing in it.”

AJ gave Nick an odd look. “You saw something red in it.”

“Yeah,” Nick agreed absentmindedly. “I don’t know what it is. At first I thought it was skin…”

AJ’s eyes practically bulged out of its sockets. “Skin..” He repeated aghast.

“And then I thought it was cheese or something,” Nick continued, ignoring AJ’s expressions. “But anyway, should I eat it or not? I’m really hungry. And it’s the last box…” Nick trailed off. He was now looking at AJ.

“Why, why are you asking me?” AJ said, blinking several times. This was too random.

“Because you have experience with cooking.” Nick replied, finding nothing abnormal about the question he had just asked his band mate.

“I’m sorry Nick.” AJ said, yawning. “This is too much for me to comprehend. Maybe you should ask Brian. He loves mac and cheese. I’m going back to bed.” And AJ shut the door, walking back to his comfortable bed and let himself fall on it.

“Ah man,” Nick whined. “I’m really hungry.” He walked back to his hotel room. “Maybe I should eat it anyway. If I get sick, I’ll sue the macaroni company.” And with that he went to prepare his macaroni.

_________________

“Where are you going Nick?” Howie asked. They were all sitting in Nick’s room. Nick had just put his shoes on and was now in the process of zipping up his coat. The weather didn’t look all too good.

“Bloody rain.” Nick muttered, complaining.

“Why didn’t we just stay in the States?” AJ complained. “You do know that they’ll show the Harry Potter movie there too, right?”

Nick nodded, “Of course I know that. I just wanted to go to the London Premiere. Plus I’ve got tickets. I can’t wait! The third of July is coming up soon.”

“Where are you going now?” Howie repeated his question.

“Do you know the game console that I’ve wanted for so long?”

“The Wii? I thought that one was new,” AJ remarked.

“It’s been a few months.” I think, Nick added. “Anyways, the fifth Harry Potter game got released and I want to purchase the Wii and that game.” This is so cool! It’ll be like I’m really walking in Hogwarts".

“Ah hell no,” AJ shook his head. “Do you know how expensive that is? Not only the console, but the game too you know. Geez, might as well dump your wallet in the gutter.”

Nick sulked, “But, it’s the Wii, everyone owns it.

AJ scoffed, “Yeah right, as if everyone has like 300 dollars to spend on a console. You recently bought a DS Lite, don’t you think that’s enough for a while? Maybe there’s a Harry Potter game for that device.”

“There are, I think, but I don’t want to buy it for my DS Lite, do you know how small those screens are? I want to enjoy the Harry Potter game to the fullest.”

AJ sighed, “Look Nick, I can’t stop you from buying all that, but I’m just saying that you should spent your money wisely. What’s the use of that, when you have 3 play stations at home, 2 xbox’s, a PSP and a Nintendo DS Lite with numerous of games. Not to mention those gameboys you used to own until you gave them to Bailey.”

“Actually, I didn’t buy any of those save the DS Lite and the first Playstation. You’ve gotta love freebees.” Nick smiled.

“How about, if you promise to sell them all and I’ll stop bugging you about the Wii.” AJ proposed.

“Sell them all?” Nick looked reluctant. He didn’t want to sell the DS, the PSP or his first Playstation. He told AJ that.

“Fine, but you have to sell the rest and their games. Alright?”

“Yeah.” Nick breathed. He had to admit, he felt better about the fact that AJ would approve if he sold his old stuff. Less crap, yay!

“Nick, are you still leaving? I thought that you would sell all your stuff first?” Howie commented.

“Well, yeah, but I still have something to do.”

“Should one of us come? Y’know to drive the rental car?” Howie suggested. Right then a blue-ish flash could be seen, and no more than a few seconds later, a huge thunder could be heard.

Nick shuddered, quickly kicking his shoes off. “Looks like I’m not going anywhere at all.”

“Yeah, it’s probably safer if you stay inside with this kind of weather.” Brian said.

“I agree. I’m going to watch television,” Nick said reaching for the remote.

“Nick!” They all shouted.

“Are you nuts or something?!” AJ shouted. “Do you not know how dangerous it is to use electricity when a storm this close is raging? You could die?”

“What? That’s ridiculous.” Nick shot AJ an odd look. Telling him that he was mental.

“That thing could explode right in your face.”

“Really?” Nick’s eyes grew huge. He never knew that. Hmm, maybe that explained the time when his TV broke down during a storm. Smoke was coming out of the darn thing. “What about my DS Lite, can I still play on my Nintendo?” Nick queried.

“I guess you can still play with that, as long as you don’t plug it in somewhere, like a socket.” Brian said.

“Cool! GUILT-virus here I come!” Nick hollered. He was referring to one of his favourite games: Trauma Center: Under The Knife. “Who wants to see me beat that disease’s bum?”

“I’ll watch!” AJ said, “Storms bore me.”
____

July the third

"Brian! Hurry up or else we're going to be late!" Nick bellowed.

"Nick. Calm. Down." Brian said, breathing in and out slowly, to show Nick.

"I can't help it! I'm really excited!" Nick smiled. He felt like a small child all over again.

Brian laughed, "I know buddy." Brian grabbed the keys to the rental car. "Let's go, we're only, oh I don't know 4 hours too early."

When they arrived, there was already a mass line of Harry Potter fans waiting with loads of signs. A lot of them were even dressed up like one off the characters. Everyone was shouting and smiling.

The feel was amazing. Nick smiled broadly. "Oh my god." He couldn't believe it. "Oh. My. God. It's Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson!" Nick pointed to the trio who were standing there, greeting the fans.

"Let's meet them!" Nick grabbed Brian by his coat and dragged him along.

~~~~
This is so surreal. I got to meet the trio. This is so surreal."

"It's a great feeling isn't it?" Brian said.

"Totally!"
~~~~
"Ooh, food." Nick said. "I want some popcorn."

"Go get some then, I'll wait over here."
~~~~
"I saw them again!"

"Good for you Nick. That's great."
~~~~
"Hey, the fans are still waiting outside."

"Yeah, not all of them can go in. Too bad."
~~~~

“The movie was awesome!” Nick exclaimed as they walked out of the theatre. Hordes of Harry Potter fans were still standing outside, waiting for the actors to emerge. Hoping to catch a glance.

Brian nodded, “That was really impressive. I really liked those computer graphics. Amazing, it looked very real.” Brian shuddered, “That Voldie dude is giving me the creeps. Really freaky.”

Nick agreed. “Yeah, he’s a real piece of work.”

Both Backstreet Boys took a deep breath of fresh cold air, and walked to their rental car. Brian took a seat behind the wheel, because Nick was still spooked by the way British people ‘drive the wrong way’.

“I don’t really got the part at the ending, y’know?” Brian said to Nick, his gaze on the road.

“Oh, you mean the part where…-,” Nick started.

“Exactly. That part. It was really confusing, and seeing Harry’s reaction. Must’ve been something rather important.” Brian noted.

“It was. I guess you’d understand it better if you’ve read the actual books. I’m still kind of sad that they couldn’t have made the movie longer. I would have loved to see more stuff.” Nick partially sulked. He was still very happy that he’d gotten to see the movie, but now the show was over, he sort of missed it. Ah hell, he was going to another show when he got back to the States anyway.
___

“How was the movie guys?” AJ asked when Brian and Nick returned. They’d all cooped up in Howie’s room.

“It was awesome!” Nick grinned.

“Yeah, loads better than I’d expected,” Brian followed.

“Really, it was that good?” Howie asked, intrigued.

“Of course!” Nick claimed. “It wouldn’t have such a following if it sucked, you know.”

“I guess you’re right Nicky,” Howie said, patting Nick’s shoulder. “Maybe I should go see it once.”

“You should.” Nick nodded. “I definitely recommend it. I just love Harry Potter. Wait, that didn’t come out right. I just love the series and everything related, not the person itself. I mean, Harry’s a great kid and all but..” Nick blabbed.

“We get the point Nick.” AJ stopped him.

“Ah, it was still an awesome movie. I wouldn’t mind seeing it once again,” Nick smiled. The smile freaked the rest of the band members a bit out, but they knew Nick. He was just like that. Really enthusiastic.

__

When Nick went to bed that night, he’d realised that he hadn’t visited Rose. They only had 2 days left in London, and then he’d be back in the States. ‘This time you mustn’t forget to visit her Nick’, he told himself. Tomorrow, I promise. After that, he closed his eyes and made himself relax. He was still full of excitement over the movie, but knew that he was too tired to stay up. His breathing became more steady and he slowly slipped away - hoping to dream about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

_____________________________

To Be Continued...

“Hey Nick, I’m going to the supermarket, wanna come along?” AJ asked, grabbing his coat and keys.

“Uhm..” Nick diverted his attention from his DS Lite. Finally he had beaten the Triti (which was really hard because he did not know how they would regenerate). He quickly glanced at his watch, it was 10 AM. He could go with AJ and then visit the bookshop he’d visited 7 years ago. “Sure, wait up.”

When they entered the huge supermarket, AJ grabbed a trolly and proceeded along the aisle.

“What are you going to buy?” Nick asked.

“Some bread and cheese, we need food. We’ll be leaving tomorrow, so nothing fancy.” AJ replied, grabbing 2 loafs of bread.

Nick nodded. He’d forgotten that they’d leave tomorrow. It would be 2 more weeks until the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He was insanely curious about how it all was going to end. When Nick came out his thoughts, he realised that he was standing in the aisle where they displayed magazines. A particular one caught his eye. It had Harry Potter on its cover. It read:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix preview and mega posters inside! Exclusive interview with Dan, Emma and Rupert!

“I definitely have got to buy this one.” Nick murmured to himself. Grabbing the magazine off of the shelf, he noticed, right at the bottom, a Harry Potter personal organizer. “Hmm, definitely need that one for all my work schedules…” And so he picked that particular piece too.

He met up with AJ at the cash register. He put down the articles down when the cashier started to ring up AJ’s items.

“That’ll be 20 pounds sir.” The cashier said.

AJ looked surprised. After he’d paid for his groceries he looked at Nick, with a questioning look. “What did you put in?” He said, examining the contents of the bag.

“Oh just a few things…” Nick said, diverting his eyes.

“You could’ve warned me, y’know.” AJ commented. “I was about to have a heart attack, I mean, I just got some bread and cheese. How the hell could that have add up to 20 pounds?”

“Sorry. I’ll pay you back.”

“No, that’s alright Nick.”

“Thanks Jay!”

0x0x0x

When it was 2 o’clock that day, Nick told his band mates that he was going to visit an old buddy. After he closed the door behind him, all the remaining Backstreet Boys, who were all cooped up in Nick’s room, decided to follow him.

“Ten bucks says he’s going to that person he’d visited 7 years ago,” AJ whispered, when they were trailing behind Nick, making sure that he wouldn’t notice them. “Y’know the one who got him like this. Obsessive over Harry Potter and vampires.”

“Deal,” said Brian. “I think he’s going to buy that game for the Wii.”

Nick whistled softly, spinning the keys of his hotel room around his index finger. If he recalled correctly, the bookshop couldn’t be too far from here.

“Stop bumping against me,” AJ complained as Brian accidentally tripped over some uneven ground for the fifth time.

“Sorry,” He apologised, backtracking a little bit.

“You guys, we lost sight of him,” Howie said, interrupting the bantering between AJ and Brian.

“How could that be possible? He was just there!” AJ exclaimed.

Brian looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the blond Backstreet Boy. “Let’s split up. Search every game- and bookstore that you can find. We’ll catch up eventually. Call if anyone sees him.”

“Alright,” Howie said. The three Backstreet Boys parted their ways.
_______

AJ thought saw a glimpse of blond ahead of him, so he followed the person. He couldn’t see very clear as to who it exactly was. There were too many bystanders shopping, and the person walked rather fast. ‘Hmm, could be Nick… if he’s going to that bookstore then he definitely is rushing. But on the other hand, this is Nick. Nick who, even though might like sports, is not in his best shape right now and could be as slow as a turtle…’. AJ contemplated long on following the person or not, and by the time he looked up, the person had disappeared among the mass.

_______

“Nick!” Brian called out. He assumed that it was Nick anyway. The coat looked similar to the one Nick was wearing. Alas, the guy did not turn around, so it probably wasn’t Nick. Brian suddenly regretted his cry for Nick. They were supposed to follow Nick, not make themselves known. He kept his mouth shut tight and peered around looking for Nick.

_______

Meanwhile, Howie was also looking for a certain Nick Carter. “If I were Nick, where would I be.” Taking into consideration that Nick was currently very obsessed with Harry Potter, Howie decided that he should try his luck in the bookshops. He entered the first one, which was practically empty. There were no customers whatsoever, and there appeared to be no cashier behind the cash register. The shelves were stacked full of books. Judging by the dust covering some books, he assumed that this one was not very successful.

Quickly exiting the store he headed for the next one.
_________________

Nick scratched the back of his head, messing up his dirty blond hair even more. He looked thoroughly confused. He could’ve sworn that the bookstore was around here somewhere. Yet, everywhere he looked, he couldn’t seem to find it.

The appearance of the store 7 years ago was very fitting. It was an old building, with a green door and brown-coloured frames. The atmosphere was nice, and the interior looked almost antique. He turned around once more and glanced quickly at the row of shops standing next to each other. There! Finally he located the bookstore. Nick, even though he thought it was strange he couldn’t see it the first time he looked, thought nothing special of it. He probably just overlooked it.

He walked up to the door, and opened it.

___________________

“Did you find him yet?” AJ asked Brian.

Brian shook his head, “Not a clue. Though I did notice a lot of blond males walking around here, looking a lot like Nick.”

“Yeah,” AJ agreed. They both turned to Howie. “You didn’t see him either, did ya.”

Howie shook his head solemnly. “I’ve looked in almost every single shop. Couldn’t find a thing.”

The three Backstreet Boys were standing in the middle, on a big stone square surrounded by numerous of different shops. Looking at a loss, for not being able to find their band mate.

“Hey, what’s that there?” AJ said, pointing ahead of him. The other two followed with their eyes where he was pointing at. “He could be in there, couldn’t he. I mean look at it, it’s display is Harry Potter themed. He’s got to be in there.” AJ said confidently.

“Let’s go!” Brian said, running forwards, waving the other two to come along.

“Wait up!”
_______________________

To Be Continued...

Chapter 10: Red


“Why do they keep giving me odd looks?” Nick whispered to AJ, who was twirling his long grey beard.

AJ looked at Nick from behind his half-moon spectacles.

“Because you’re a tall grown man who dressed himself as a teenage boy. And don’t forget the fake blood you’re drenched in.” Howie said. Howie was wearing a fur-coat and was holding a large staff.

“What’s wrong with that? The Sectumsempra scene was awesome!” Nick imitated the sound of blood gushing out. He took a step forward. Because of the amount of red liquid on his black robe, a pool of darkred blood would form on the ground beneath him.

A young girl nearby buried her face in her mother’s dress. The mother glared at Nick.

“But this is awesome, isn’t it guys?” Nick said smiling broadly.

Brian nodded in agreement. “I cannot wait for the store to open.”

The boys were standing mingled with a large crowd, all waiting for the bookstore to open. It was the midnight party release for the last Harry Potter book. It was a great turn-out. After waiting for a while, a salesclerk came out with a megaphone.

The clerk climbed on a plastic crate, to look over the crowd. “Welcome to the Harry Potter Midnight Release,” he called out through the megaphone. His voice cracked due to the device, but everyone could hear him well. “There are a lot of people here, so if you’re just wanting to find out the end, I’ll tell you.”

“What?!” Nick yelled. What was going on? “This is nonsense!” He complained. He put his hands over his ears and started humming. The rest of the guys followed his example. Nick saw people sauntering off as the salesclerk continued speaking.

This is absolutely ridiculous, Nick thought to himself. A disgrace!

In the end, there was a relatively small crowd left. A lot of excited readers probably went to the bookstore at the other end of the shopping street. It wouldn’t surprise Nick one bit.

“Maybe we should go to the other store too.” AJ grumbled. “I do not like them right now.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

The guys took off and arrived at the other bookshop in less than two minutes. Nick was right, most of the readers came together here.

They all got their copy of Deathly Hallows that early morning and headed home after mingling with the other fans.

Nick returned home with a smile. His friends went with him. They decided to have a sleepover at Nick’s house. Nick prepared the living room with snacks and sleeping bags.

“Okay, I’m going to shower first ‘cause this blood is getting sticky.” He scrunched his nose as he looked down at his robe. “Don’t you guys dare to start reading without me. We have to start together at the same time.”

“Got it Nick.” Brian said. “I’ll guess I’ll change in my pyjama too.”

Howie smacked his forehead. Something very un-Howie-like. “I forgot to bring my pyjamas.” He said with a sullen face as he showed the boys his duffel bag. His toothbrush was the only thing in there. “Must’ve left them on my bed this morning.” He said. “Err.. I mean, yesterday morning…”

“AJ, don’t you have a spare?” Brian asked. The other guy growled.

“My precious pyjamas?” He asked in a small voice. Howie was one of his best friends, but this was one of his pyjamas they were talking about. Of course he brought a spare. He always carried three or more around with him.

“It’s alright J. I’ll just wear my fur-coat to sleep.” Howie smiled.

“You didn’t wear a shirt or anything underneath it?” AJ asked surprised.

Howie shook his head. “It was very hot on with just my fur-coat on.”

“Oh.” AJ said. He looked at his friend who was pyjama-less. Something AJ couldn’t imagine. It must be a great horror, to be separated from his beloved pyjamas. “Here D, it’s Pokémon, I happened to find a large size. Can you believe they only have them for kids?”

“Are you sure AJ?” Howie asked with a shy smile.

“Of course, you’re my friend. A night without a pyjama is like a night without a bed. Or a sleeping bag this time.” AJ said. “I’m sure.”

“Thanks! I’ll make sure not to spoil them with snacks or anything.”

“You’d better not.”

“See, that worked out fine,” Brian said, patting AJ’s shoulder. “You helped a friend in need.”

“I guess I just did.”

At that moment, Nick walked in.

All guys burst in laughter. Nick looked at them with a sour expression.

“Dude,” AJ gasped, “You’re all red.” He managed to choke out before howling with laughter again.

Nick glared at his friends. “I washed it out too late, my skin absorbed it, and it won’t go out of my hair either.” He looked down at his feet. “Even my toes turned bright red!”

“You remind me of an M&M,” Howie smirked.

“It’s going to be alright Nick.” Brian reasoned, a small smile playing on his lips. “It’s not like we’re leaving this house before we’ve finished the book.”

“You’re right.” Nick tucked his book under his red arm. “I’ll try to wash it out again later.” He let out a sigh. “I’m never going to use this stuff again.” He muttered under his breath. He walked over and let himself fall on the large, white couch. “2007 is a pretty good year.” He remarked.

“How so?” Howie asked. He had changed in the pyjama provided by AJ. A tad bit short, but it fit nice. It had had a large yellow beast on it. Pikachu, AJ had said.

“Well, the last Harry Potter book just got released, and in less than 2 weeks Stephenie Meyer’s Eclips will be released.” Nick said, rubbing his hands together. “I cannot wait for that one either.”

“Ah, the vampire story,” AJ said. “That any good?”

“Amazing,” Nick said, giving AJ a knowing look. “Seriously.”

“Hmm, might give it a try,” AJ said.

“But now, let’s start reading Harry Potter!!!”

_________________________________

To be continued…