Chapter 2 - A super day alone with *NSYNC!

On the next day, Kate wakes up at seven-thirty A.M., because 'NSYNC wanted to pick her up at nine fifteen in the morning. And Kate didn't want them to wait in no case or even miss. She was so excited that it took at least thirty minutes until she was fully dressed, washed and hair and make-up were done.

Then she went down to the kitchen, where her mother, along with Ruby made breakfast. Her brother sat with Dean at the dining table.

"There's our star!", Ruby and Dean said immediately and he jumped up from the table to enclose his girlfriend in his arms.

"Ruby, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Star!" Kate complained.

"You have to tell us all about the audition. Do you hear?" Said Ruby, while as usual, ignoring Kate's demanding and putting a basket of bread rolls on to the table. Dean, however, did not want Kate to go yet.

"I hope the guys are right and the producer recognizes your talent, sweetie!", Her mother said a little worried.

"Mommy, I'm sure! Otherwise 'NSYNC would never have been as successful as they are, wouldn't they!?" Kate replied.

And yet came her doubts: would her voice sound well enough, if not great? Or would she stand in front of the producer and can not bring a sound out at all? Slowly, Kate got scared and while the others ate breakfast, Kate sat at the table and wondered if she should not but prefer to cancel!

Her mother tried to bring her desperately to eat, but Kate was deep in thoughts, struggling with her fear to disappoint her friends and family in a few hours.

Out of a sudden, the bell rang at the front door. There were 'NSYNC!

"Pull them off their feet, okay sis?" Cried Sebastian after her, as she got into the car to 'NSYNC.

Kate waved again goodbye and then climbed to Chris in front, in the passenger seat, and slammed the door shut. Lance and Joey sat in the back, Chris was driving, just like yesterday.

"Hey, where are JC and Justin?" Kate asked, after Chris had started the engine.

Chris told her: "JC is already in the studio and Justin, we pick him up now! He lives quite close, from here."

And Chris was right.

Kate noticed that Justin really lived only some fifteen to twenty minutes and street bends away from Dean's parents' house. Kate could not believe her eyes when she saw this property and did not even notice that her mouth was open wide.

"Hey Katie, what's wrong?" Justin asked as he got into the car, behind her.

Kate was startled and said only: "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. Why?"

"You look just so weird, that's all! So what? Is something with the house?" Asked Justin.

Chris began to laugh at this question and Kate gave him an angry look in response, only.

"Ugh! Justin? Did you just call me Katie, or what?" Kate asked him when he was in the car behind her. "Please don't ever do that again, okay? I hate this kind of my nick naming!!!"

Justin leaned toward her, in between the driver's and passenger seat and smiled mischievously at her.

"How am I shorten your name otherwise?" He wanted to know.

And Kate said: "It is best not to do! But if you have to, simply do just as my Mom. Call me by my middle name: Marie."

And playfully stuck out her tongue.

Then Kate turned on the radio and was looking for a great song, until she found a station that played the slightly rocking number from JC's compilation of No Strings Attached album Bringin' Da Noise.

And she turned the radio just a little louder!

"This is my favorite song by JC on the NSA album!!!" Kate informed the four boys.

Then Kate began the wonderful ballad My Heart Is Like A River, to sing. The four 'NSYNC - guys were great impressed by Kate's voice. When she had finished the boys applauded; except Chris, who had to drive, so loud that Kate would again slipped almost of embarrassment from her seat.

When they arrived at the studio, Kate was so nervous that she did not want to have to get out. And Lance and Joey had to almost carry her. The woman at the front desk was just about to the mid-twenties and as Kate noticed a very pretty woman (besides her mom), with brown hair and blond streaks. She greeted the boys and told them that Johnny Wright, Alex Greggs and JC they were expecting already.

In the room with the Soundboard.

Kate was so terribly excited that she hid behind the boys until one of the two men approached her. He was of medium height (about one meter eighty-two), powerfully built and of dark complexion.

"Hello! You must be Kate, right? I'm Johnny Wright, the manager of the guys. "He told Kate timidly.

She just nodded sheepishly with her head.

"Yeah, I think she heard of you, Johnny! This is Alex, Kate. Maybe you know him? He is the ..." JC respoded, and introduced Kate to the other man next.

He pointed to a man right next to Johnny, this was not quite as strongly built as Mr. Wright, but they were about the same height. And Mr. Greggs was Caucasian and has dark blond hair and blue eyes.

"Hello!" Said Mr. Greggs.

And again Kate nodded and said shyly: "I ... I ... know. I know you both. I am 'NSYNC's biggest fan!"

"Then you surely want to sing a song we determine for you, right?" Asked Mr. Greggs her.

"No. I ... I have two songs, if you don't mind?" Kate replied.

"All right, guys would you please leave us alone with Kate?" Mr. Greggs asked the boys.

Kate was at this moment feeling like her head began to spin and said, "No!" Everybody looked at her.

"No, please! Can't you let them stay here? Please!"

"But ... we ...".

"Come on Alex, just this once! Before Kate do collapses on us here!" JC told him.

Only he had noticed that Kate had become pale in the face and would stand protectively behind her so that he could catch her if necessary. After Alex was persuaded and all were seated.

All but JC and Kate, who was still standing behind her, straightening her back, until she was taking a deep breathe, and got an encouraging smile. Kate told him with her look that he could leave standing alone now. She was getting ready for her first song. She sang as a first God Only Knows by Claudine Longet's Album The Very Best of Claudine Longet ... she only had for just a few months.

Her voice just flew over the melodies and she moved sometimes quite easily from old to bass and back for soprano (her original pitch). No one had taught her to do that, she just did it! Kate's music teacher once said to her that she had a vocal range of four octaves. The music just carried her every time to a place only she could reach. So that Kate did not even notice how Alex's and Johnny's mouths would fall open! When she had finished Alex immediately spoke the word. While Kate seated herself in between JC and Lance, on the couch.

"Kate! My goodness!!! Johnny, what are you thinking?"

"In a word? Wow!!!" Johnny replied.

Kate began softly to giggle at that remark!

"Kate, you're actually in some vocal training?" Alex asked her.

Kate shook her head and said, "No. No, I am not! Why?"

Alex stared at her open-mouthed and finally said towards 'NSYNC, "Guys, would you now leave us alone with Kate?"

"Sure! I'll be in the dance room, then!" Said Justin. "Guys, are you coming with?"

Kate looked at JC depressed and said to Alex.

"Can JC Please stay here? Please!!!"

But this time Alex was not convinced, and as the five were outside Kate wanted to know immediately if she would have said something wrong. Johnny assured her that she hadn't said anything wrong, but Kate saw the two men still weary of how they were standing in front of her and how Kate could see clearly on their faces, they would much rather have spoken in private with each other about Kate.

"Kate, why you don't have participated in vocal training?" Asked Mr. Greggs.

"It's easy! Because I never wanted to go to music school. That's all!" She would answer.

"Hm." Alex says back only.

And for some time says no one of them a word and Kate was just thinking to get up and get out, as Johnny was suddenly interrupting her thoughts.

"Alex, what do you think, if Kate sings her second song? Of course, only if you want to, Kate!"

She agreed and before Mr. Greggs could say anything else, she begins to sing a different song, this time by Bec Lavelle, the song (her absolute favorite song) was Don't Judge.

She wanted to sing it, as if she had never sung anything else.

But this time, she was found, her voice was not the powerful, but small and squeaky not like her. And in the middle of the song, Kate begin to cry and ran out of the room (Alex and Johnny could only watch after her, in shock).

She ran the many corridors along, not caring that her run tears down the face or where she was running to, until she collided with Justin.

"Kate? What's going on?" He asked, but Kate could not answer.

She looked briefly at his face and buried her face in his chest. He held her close for about five minutes, then he asked her again.

"Kate, what happened?"

She just shakes her head and sobs quietly into his shirt. Suddenly JC stood beside them and asked, "What's going on?"

Kate felt Justin's shrugs to signify to his friend, that she didn't want to tell him anything. JC leaned down to her and strokes her hair. Suddenly Kate came out of her hiding place and dries her eyes on a sleeve of her sweater. She had very red eyes. She told both what happened after they went outside that room and started again to cry. JC and Justin tried everything to calm her down again, but first as JC took takes her in his arms, she slowly calms herself down.

"Guys, I do not want to go in there again, okay?" Kate said suddenly.

"Where will you go, then?" JC asked.

"I do not know! Home?" Kate replied sadly.

"But what will be happening of your contract with us?" A man's voice came from behind her.

When Kate turned around she saw Johnny Wright, who seemed to have run after her.

"I have no record deal and I don't want one either!!! I just want to go home!!"

"Oh come on, another song, please?" Johnny asked.

"I can't!" Kate disagreed and looked at her clock. "I have to go home, my boyfriend is waiting!"

"Your friend knows that you are coming with us to a club after this. So he certainly does not wait! At least not yet!" Corrects JC her.

By contrast, Kate could not say much, so she saw only sadly to the ground and lets herself, without realizing it, get towed back in the recording by the guys, back to Alex.

Alex asked, "What was just going on, Kate?"

Kate looked alternately to Justin and JC.

"She only got a little fright and just needed a break." Justin said.

"Okay, and now all is well with you?" Asked Alex.

Kate thought for a moment and just shrugged her shoulders. JC met her eyes then and nudged her slightly in to her side and she would respond:

"I think so!"

"And you feel like one more song to sing at the microphone?" Alex asked. Kate just nodded her head slightly and was passed on promptly by JC over to the receiving chamber.

"What shall I sing?", Shouted Kate towards Mr. Greggs before she was pushed by JC in the receiving chamber.

"What do you want to?" Alex assured her.

"Um … I know! Can I do the song No Strings Attached?”

"Excuse me? Why do you always need to do one of mine from this album?" JC asked.

"Because I think the song is totally awesome and he's got a great beat also!" Kate replied, looking at JC with large dog eyes.

"Do you need the text?" Asked Alex.

"Yes, and perhaps the music!" Kate replied.

Johnny gave her the text and JC showed her how everything worked. Kate put the headphones on and listened to the music of No Strings Attached and begin to drum around in rhythm to the music on to the stand, where her lyrics sheet lays. Kate took a deep breathe and looked at Mr. Greggs through the window, whether she could even get started already. He glanced at Johnny and then at Kate, and motioned for her to begin. Kate listened to the music and began to sing, she sang as she stands just in her room in Germany and forgot everything around her. This feeling she has, she never had even before. When she had finished Johnny, Alex, JC, Justin and the other three of 'NSYNC, who just came in, were applauding so loud that Kate got out of the room with a red face and went to JC.

"Kate, you're a real singing wonder! Is it possible that you would come back tomorrow, maybe?" Explained Alex.

"Hey JC, you should write a song especially for her!" Chris said as he stand next to Kate and put his right arm around her.

Kate and 'NSYNC then make their way into 'NSYNC's favorite club, but before, they drove on Kate's begging to Justin's home.