16 Things You Should Never Do

Justin didn’t leave when Carmandy asked him to. Well not technically. He sat out by the door and listened to Carmandy sing and cry.

It made tears come to his eyes to hear her like that.

Her voice had such depth when she was emotional and he could feel her sadness.

It was then that he begun to not like Brandy anymore and he couldn’t wait to get this music video over with.

“I will follow you, into the dark,” she sang and pressed the last keys.

She must have laid her head down on the keyboard or something because Justin heard the keys be pressed all at once.

She sniffled and calmed herself down and soon it got quiet.

Justin stood and peeked to look at the piano on the stage again but Carmandy was gone.

He wasn’t hungry and didn’t even bother going to eat lunch. He simply went back and opened the bench to get his notebook back out. He opened it to the page he had started his new song on and set it on the music stand on the piano.

He stared at the page for a little while and couldn’t come up with anything anymore.

He knew he had to do something to make Carmandy feel better. But what could it be?

Then it hit him; the perfect idea.

-*-*-

Carmandy wiped her tears away and ate lunch with Scooter and Pattie. Justin, however, didn’t show up though. Carmandy was kinda worried about him. I mean with Brandy running around, he could be trapped somewhere.

Eventually the itchy feeling, of not seeing him anywhere, made her excuse herself from lunch and go look for him.

She ended up passing Brandy in the hallway by the dressing room and they glared at each other.

So that calmed her a little to know he wasn’t with her.

She checked back out on the stage and no one was in there and then she checked in the dressing room.

“Justin?” she asked. But there was no answer.

She plopped on the couch and for some unknown reason she fell asleep.

-*-*-

Justin went back into the dressing room to pick something up and he found Carmandy sleeping on the couch. It had startled him to find her and quickly found a blanket to drape over her small body.

He smiled and went back to doing what he was planning.

He grabbed some paper and a sharpie and headed out on Mission MCH (make Carmandy happy).

-*-*-

“Carmandy,” someone shook her shoulder, “Carmandy, sweetie, it’s time to wake up.”
It was Pattie and Carmandy was still asleep.

“What?” she said groggily.

“Filming is over for the day, everyone’s locking up for the night and we can leave now. But you’ve got to go find Justin, he wanted me to give this to you,” Pattie said handing her an envelope.

Carmandy rubbed her eyes and felt the envelope. There was something heavy inside.

She gently tore open the paper and let a set of keys fall into her hand along with a note.

She looked up at Pattie questioningly.

“Take all the time you need,” she said smiling and leaving the dressing room.

Something weird was going on and Carmandy knew it.

She unfolded the note and read Justin’s perfectly messy scrawl.

Carmandy,

Inside each envelope,

is hidden a clue.

To what, you’ll see,

is written in blue.

If you think I’m joking,

take a peek.

I’m hiding and I need to be found,

so I won’t be making a peep.

Ignore my suck-ish attempts at rhyming;

I’m only trying to be spell-binding.

The next envelope that you seek

will not bore you into sleep.

Here’s my clue:

What you’re looking for is black and white and makes noise.

Love,

Justin

P.S.

In the next 6 notes I’m going to name one of the millions of reasons why I love you.

Carmandy laughed. Her mood had improved 100%.

He would do this. She thought. Justin was always one to be creative.

This was going to be fun!

She had to think about that clue for a minute.

Black, white, and makes noise? Oh! That’s like the piano that’s sitting on the stage. The key must be for the doors since everyone is locking up.

She stuck the key in her pocket and held on to the envelope as she made her way to the stage again.

Once she got to the door she checked and it was indeed locked. So she used the key and opened the door.

This door was the right stage door which made her come in where the keys were facing. And she was right, she could see the envelope on the piano bench and the piano was open.

She skipped over and opened the next envelope.

Carmandy,

Cangrats to you!

You made it through!

Now find the next hidden clue,

by using this default poem.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

their petals are small,

but important to you.

Love,

Justin.

P.S.

You’re more beautiful than Beyoncé, Meagan Fox, and a supermodel put together.

Carmandy smiled about his reason one and went back to figuring out the riddle.

“Petals?” Carmandy asked herself.

She looked around and saw behind the piano was a trail of rose petals leading out off the stage and out the left side door.

She smiled and began to follow them.

They led her all the way back out into a hallway and into the equipment room.

The ended at drum set and the next envelope lay on the drummer’s stool.

She picked it up and opened it.

Carmandy,

I think I’m gonna stop rhyming now.

So do you remember this?

This chair here, which you loved because it spun around?

Well, here’s my next clue:

What you’re looking for now not inside but outside,

you pointed something out to me here.

Love,

Justin

P.S.

You understand me and love me for whom I am.

Carmandy smiled and then thought about what the clue meant while absent mindedly
spinning on the chair. It was true she did love the fact it spun.

Then she though harder.

Outside? What did she point out to Justin that was outside?

Then it hit her. The front door, the first day they got here, she noticed how the front was like an old fashioned movie theatre with the sign that came out at a point and the sign had the Hollywood bulb lights and she said how cool it would be if it was back in its hey-day all lit up and sparkling.

So she stood and went outside to the front.

She came outside into the California heat and it was the afternoon so the sun was getting low in the sky.

She looked around and found the next envelope propped up on the ticket booth in the center and she went over and opened it.

Carmandy,

You noticed how this old theatre would look amazing in its ‘hey-day’.

:)

Your next clue should be really simple:

22nd Chair, 6th row.

The seat you would want.

Love,

Justin

P.S.

Music is such a big part of you. I can feel it radiating off of you all the time, like a cute little music box.

Really, she was like a music box?

She laughed and went back inside to find her seat.

She walked down the aisle and counted the row then the seats and found seat 22 in row 6 with its next envelope.

She snatched the envelope and sat down in the seat, smiling at how Justin knew her so well.

Carmandy,

But I know there’s sunshine beyond that rain, I know there’s good times beyond that pain, can you tell me how I can make a change?

Imagine how amazing that’s going to sound on stage.

She looked up and could see him sitting at his stool on stage in front of thousands singing ‘Pray’ for the world to hear. It almost made her wanna cry thinking about how amazing that will look.

The next envelope that you seek is hidden in the kitchen.

You’ll see it when you get there.

Love,

Justin

P.S.

You make me happy just standing by my side. Knowing that you’re there keeps me alive.

I keep him alive? She thought.

He was so amazing to her.

She stood and made her way into the backstage kitchen area.

Sure enough there was the envelope propped against a cold bottle of water.

It had just been outta the fridge for about 30 seconds.

He must be doing this right before she finds them.

She ripped open this envelope now.

Carmandy,

Don’t forget to stay hydrated!

How many times have we heard this now?

And remember how you always beat me at our water chugging races?

How do you do that anyways? Haha!

Well, your next clue is:

Come find me.

Think hard, you’ll know where to look.

Love,

Justin

P.S.

You know me all too well.

Carmandy pursed her lips.

She always did that when she had to think hard about something.

She sat down in one of the chairs and opened the water bottle and chugged about half of it. She was positive she was half amphibian or something and that’s why she could drink so much water.

She had to brain storm a little.

Where would, Justin be hiding?

Somewhere sneaky, and clever; most likely he isn’t hiding at all he just in a place where she wouldn’t think to look.

Then it hit her; the stair well where the hose is.

She swallowed the rest of her water and made her wait to the back stairwell.

She was on the upper level so she had to go down the stairs.

Being as quiet as possible, she made her way to the stair well and Justin’s back faced her because he was sitting on the stairs.

She crept up behind him (luckily she was barefooted and was totally quiet) and plopped down behind him and wrapped herself around him.

“Whoa!” he said, turning and seeing Carmandy’s face on his shoulder.

She laughed, “Hey babe.”

“Hi,” he whispered and managed to move up a step to sit next to her and wrap his arms around her.

“I love you,” she said.

“I love you more than anything in my world,” he smiled at her.

She looked up at him and kissed him with everything she had.

He did the same, not wanting to let go.

When the broke apart she asked, “So you don’t like Brandy?”

Justin looked at her like she was crazy, “What kind of question is that?”

She laughed, “One that wants an answer.”

“No I don’t, there’s no way I could, all of my heart belongs to you,” he whispered and look into her eyes.

She felt like he was looking into her soul.

She put their forehead together and closed her eyes.

“I close my eyes and I can see a brighter day,” she sang.

“I close my eyes, and, pray,” he finished the line for her.

“My heart and soul belong to you too,” she whispered.

He wrapped his arms around her pulled her into his chest. She wrapped her arms around him too.

And they sat like that, in the stairwell for what seemed like forever, or until they had to back to reality.