Brighter Than the Stars

Zach's POV

"Cameron stop!" I screamed

"You're going down Porter!" he yelled. We are in a hotel out by the pool and he is trying to throw me in the pool.

"Let me go!" I yelled and hoped he would let me go and he did so I relaxed, but all of a sudden I was in the water. I barely touched the bottom of the pool and I felt the water rush in my mouth. I panicked as more water got in and I tried to go up but it seemed to far up. I closed my mouth and tried to hold my breath as I swam up but I started feeling lightheaded, I can make it up, I HAVE to. I felt as if I was going slower and slower but time sped up even faster. I need air I don't know if I can hold my breath any longer, my chest hurts, and my heart it pounding. I feel so tired, my vision was changing and I started seeing spots. I know how to swim so what's happening to me? I looked up and tried to go faster but felt even more tired and I feel like I am about to black out. I couldn't hold my breath anymore and the water rushed in my mouth again. Oh no, oh no, oh no, I have to- I have to... What do I have to do? I felt my hand reach the surface but I didn't have the strength to pull myself up and my eyes were closing. Very distantly I heard someone say my name, that is my name right? Maybe I am just hearing things. I closed my eyes and heard that voice again.

"Zach, you're scaring me!" I heard faintly, I opened my eyes slightly and closed them again.

"I don't think he's breathing." I heard

"Can you hear me?" someone asked. Are they talking to me? I barely moved my head to nod, I opened my mouth to speak but started chocking as I coughed and tried to breath in air. I felt someone sit me up and patting my back then I opened my eyes and felt around me. I don't think I'm in the water no more, did that really happen? Maybe I'm just dreaming? Why can't I think straight? I stopped coughing and I was feeling so weak so I closed my eyes again. I felt myself drifting into a deep sleep but I felt someone shake me.

"Zach please answer me, can you move?" someone asked, I tried to say no but I couldn't talk so I slightly shook my head. My head is hurting and I couldn't take it anymore, I blacked out.

I got this weird smell and I remembered how I was in the water and I couldn't get out, I started to freak out and someone shook me until I opened my eyes. My friends were all around me and I was confused.

"Hey buddy, you gave us a big scare, we were about to take you to the hospital." Mikey said

"Why?" I asked and realized my voice was raspy

"Because you wouldn't wake up." he said

"Oh." I mumbled, "How did I get here?"

"I'm so sorry Zach. I was only messing around and I didn't see that I threw you in the fifteen part of the pool. If Michael hadn't got you out in time I wouldn't have forgave myself. I'm so sorry." Cameron apologized and I stayed quiet.

"I love you Zachary." Kira said hugging me and kissing my forehead.

"I don't understand what happened, I know how to swim and pretty well... When m hand reached the top I was too tired to keep going, I felt like if my head was going to explode and I couldn't breathe guys I gave up." I said desperately

"When I got you out you were so pale and you weren't breathing, you really scared me." Michael said

"Thank you for getting me out." I said meaning every word, he was about to say something but his phone rang. It was his mom asking how things were and he said that things were fine but that I just gave them a big scare. After he convinced his mom everything was fine and that everyone was fine she hung up.

They kept trying to do everything for me, they won't even let me leave my bed and it is annoying me. I am not a little kid so they don't have to take care of me.

"The show! Guys we gotta go! NOW!" I exclaimed

"Dude relax, the show is tomorrow." Michael said trying to calm me down

I looked across the room and Cameron was facing the window, he hasn't talked to me, he won't even look at me. I think he really does feel guilty about what happened, at first I was mad but I quickly got over it when I couldn't breathe, besides it’s not like he tried to kill me on purpose.

"Cam," I spoke quietly but he ignored me. I grabbed my phone and began texting my brother for a while. I also sent a text to Cayandra calling her a phone taker and she replied saying she didn't take it that she found it, from there we started this lyrics game, we sent each other random parts of lyrics. After we got bored of that game we told each other things about us and she seems like a really interesting person. Maybe one day we will be good friends.

I looked up from my phone and Cameron was still in the same place as before, Kira was sitting in the bed next to mine.

"Is anything wrong?" Kira asked with worry in her voice

"I'm just cold." I said quietly and coughed

"Go take a shower before you get sick." she said putting a hand on my chest

"I'm already sick, I have been sick since yesterday." I mumbled

"Really, do you need me to get you medicine?" she asked getting up but I grabbed her hand

"Don't, it's ok, I'm not a little kid, you don't have to do everything for me. I'm a big boy." I said grinning

"But Zach, remember, you're my little baby." she said making an innocent face

"Oh Kiara... I'm gonna take a shower." I said shaking my head

Cameron's POV

I have been staring out the window for hours. I feel so bad for what I did; I thought it would be fun to throw him on the pool. When he didn't come up I thought he was just messing around. Then Michael pushed me and asked me where Zach was, I told him Zach was in the water and that ever since I pushed him in I hadn't seen him. Michael started freaking out then jumped in the pool to look for him. Kira yelled at me and when she was about to hit me she broke down crying. When Michael got Zach I was scared because he wasn't moving, I got even more scared when he wasn't breathing. I will never push him in a pool ever again.

I wish Tori was here to make me feel better, she had to go to a business meeting and won't be back for a few days, I miss her so much. She would know how to cheer me up.

"Cam." Zach whispered, isn't he sleeping?

"Cam." he said hoping I would listen to him, I turned and saw that he was tiredly standing next to me.

"What?" I asked

"Why are you ignoring me?" he asked

"I'm not ignoring you- I just- ok yes, I've been ignoring you, it's just that I feel bad about what happened." I said looking down

"Well, it's not like you tried to kill me on purpose right?" he asked

"No, of course not." I said automatically. Why would he ask such a stupid question, he's my best friend, why would I try to drown him on purpose?

"Then it doesn't matter." he said

"What?" I asked confused and he burst out laughing. What is wrong with him? Why won't he stop laughing? This isn't funny...

"Yo- your f-ace-" he said in between laughs

"What about my face? It's so dark you can't even see my face. What's so funny?" I asked

"Well yea it's dark but the window brings in light and the shadow on your face when you were confused made you look funny."" he said when he stopped laughing. He looked at my face and started laughing again. I just stared at him as he was on the floor laughing.

"There is something really wrong with you." I said

"And it took you this long to figure that out?" he asked sarcastically. My phone vibrated in my pocket, I got it out and my mom was calling.

"Hello." I answered

"Cameron please tell me you're alright." she pleaded, I could hear the worry in her voice

"Yea mom, I'm fine what's wrong?" I asked, when I said that Zach stopped laughing and looked at me.

"I just wanted to know if you were alright. I thought something happened to you." she said quietly

"Ok Mom, what happened?" I asked

"Is she ok?" Zach asked

"I don't know," I whispered, "Mom answer me!" I demanded

"It's nothing, I'm just being a mother. You're my son and you're miles away from home, of course I worry about you." she said

"Hum... Fine, but I still feel like you're hiding something." I said

"Bye Cameron. I love you, take care." she said before hanging up

"Is everything alright over there?" Zach asked

"I don't know, but she sounded upset. I have a bad feeling about this call." I said sighing

"Maybe you should go to sleep and call her tomorrow or call your sister and ask her if she knows something." he said

"You know, sometimes you do give good advice." I said

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's go to sleep I'm tired." he mumbled

"Not my fault you wanted to talk to me when you could have been sleeping." I said. Honestly, I'm glad he did.

"Well, I had to get through your big head." he said chuckling before laying down next to Kira

"Oh Zach, you're so crazy." I said quietly and he mumbled something I couldn't understand.

Vic's POV

I smiled as I thought about my date with Anna. I went in my house only to find my mom crying on the floor.

"Mom, why are you crying?" I asked hugging her. When she heard me she tried to hide some papers, which must be what made her cry. I took them and my body when cold when I saw what they were.

"Mom, how did you get this? It must be some sick joke." I said as u tried not to panic

"It was in the mail." she said crying

"They can't be serious." I said hoping I was right

"They have your pictures!" she yelled. The note said:

2 Mr. & mR$. PoRt3r,

!$ YoUr F@m!Ly S@f3? ! wOuLdNt b3 $0 SuR3 iF ! W3r3 YoU. n0 oN3 I$ S@f3 Fr0m M3 & R3m3mB3R !M @LwAy$ W@tChInG ! c@N M@K3 @NyOn3 I W@nT D!$ApeAr !f YoU kNoW wH@t ! M3@n. ! M!gHt NoT h@Rm YoUr SoN$ BuT dOnT $HoW tH!$ NoT3 2 @nYoN3. I mU$T w@rN y0u I m!GhT g3t BoR3D & D3c!d3 ! W@nT 2 H@v3 $Om3 FuN w!Th YoUr $0n$. ! @m NoT @fR@!D 2 K!lL!!!!

-YOUR NIGHTMARE

along with the note were some pictures of all of us, by all of us I mean Zach and me, even Kristen and Taylor. There wasn't just one picture, there were lots of them, there were pictures of us with our friends and most of them were of us alone. It was all too creepy.

"Everything is going to be fine Mom." I said trying to sound hopeful

"Fine? You think everything is going to be fine?! NO! No its not, don't you see what's happening? Someone wants to harm you guys! You and Zach mean the world to me, Kristen and Taylor, I love them too, and whoever is behind this can kill you! How can you say everything will be fine!?" she yelled, her voice filled with fear and frustration.

"Zach can take care of himself and so can Taylor, I'll look after Kristen and we will be ok." I said

"How can you be so calm about this, aren't you scared?" she asked

"Of course I'm scared, I'm terrified but I can't let it all get to me, I don't want to be a prisoner of fear." I said, I lived that before and I don't want to live it again.

"Zach! Zach, what if he's not ok!?" she asked franticly

"I was texting him yesterday and he said he was fine." I assured her. She looked at me with tearful eyes and I called Zach. When he answered I put him on speaker and asked him how he was doing, he said everything was fine and that he was excited for the show tonight. He went on talking about random things but I could tell my mom was pleased to hear his voice. He asked how things were over here and I just told him that Mom missed him like crazy. After he hung up my mom seemed a little bit calmer. We hugged each other and I tried not to cry but I need to be strong for my mom. She convinced me not to tell my dad anything, at least not yet. I tried to cheer her up by trying to convince her to make Zach a welcoming party when he gets back from tour. Since Zach is off of tour next month and my mom is paranoid by all this I told her we can have it in the back yard. Talking over the details seemed to take her mind off of things and that's what I hoped. All I want is for all this to be over soon and that my brother and cousins don't get hurt.