The 4th Subject

Chapter 1: The Collab

(Sarah's POV)

I flopped onto my bed after filming a short Halloween makeup video for my Instagram. There was still some eyeliner in the corners of my eyes, but I didn't care. I skimmed through the video, checking for mistakes. Thankfully, there were very few.

I posted the video and put my phone on my charger. I then turned on my tv and selected a SSSniperwolf reaction video as background noise while I checked my email on my laptop.

I'd been doing this YouTube stuff for a year and 5 months, and I'd already gotten a huge following. It was slow at first, but after I posted my video about the amazing story of my birth, my channel practically exploded. The video went viral and the world was in awe with my life.

I celebrated my 50K subscriber milestone back in December of 2019, and I was almost at 95,000. My Instagram was even more popular, mainly because I was more active there. I had 97.3K followers in May, and it was still growing. If you would've asked me a year and a half ago if i would've made it this far, I'd have laughed in your face. And yet here I am.

I'd gotten several emails on my public email account from fans- I have fans!- talking about how much I've inspired them, how much they love my content, and asking for shoutouts. I tried my best to reply to as many emails as possible, but there were so many and I didn't have anyone to go through them for me.

I spent 30 minutes weeding through the emails when I saw one from an email address I recognized. I clicked on the email with a smile, knowing who this person was. Samantha Fekete.

Samantha had seen my viral video and contacted me telling me what an amazing story I had. I honestly had a bit of a fangirl moment- I watched several of her videos with Ryan and I had been a subscriber for such a long time. We chatted over email and occasionally through IGDMs. We had become good friends and we actually had a lot in common.

I read through the email, my smile getting bigger with each sentence. Then, my eyes lit up and I let out a squeal of excitement. Sam wanted me to fly out to California to do a collab with her and Ryan! I leapt out of bed and jumped around my room. I flung my door open and ran down the hall and into the living room where my mom was watching tv.

"Mom! Guess what!"

"What?"

"Sam invited me to fly out to California to do a collab with her and Ryan!" I squealed, jumping up and down and all around the kitchen.

"Samantha Fekete? That YouTuber you told me about?" She asked, pausing her show and sitting up.

"Yes! She even said she'll help cover the cost of the flight if necessary. I'm so excited!" I said, still bouncing around the house with happiness.

Suddenly, there was a bark at the sliding glass door. Our family dogs, Luna and Hazel, were outside standing by the door. Luna jumped up and hit the door, trying to open it while Hazel shoved her face into it.

I giggled and let them inside.

"Did you hear that girls? I'm going to California!"

They both looked up at me, then turned around and began fighting over one of their toys.

"Glad to know you two are excited," I mumbled sarcastically, walking back to the couch where my mom was sitting.

"When will you be leaving?" My mom asked, looking through her calendar on her phone. "And how long do you think you'll be?"

"Well, I'll probably leave in about a week, and I'll probably stay for 2-3 weeks, 4 max."

"4 weeks to film a video?"

"Mom..."

"I know it takes time, but 4 weeks?"

"That's at maximum, and we'll be filming for both their channel and my channel, so it'll take even longer. Plus, it would be nice to be able to hangout in person."

"I guess that makes sense," she says, typing a few things into her phone, "Ok. Well, I'd start packing if I were you!"

I nodded and made the millionth excited squeal today. I stood up and raced to the garage. I found the largest suitcase we had and pulled it down from the shelf. I also grabbed the second largest suitcase we had as well, knowing a was going to be in California for a couple weeks.

I pull both suitcases inside and to my room, smiling so hard, it hurt my cheeks. Me being me, I made a whole list of everything I'd need, as well as a bunch of things I probably didn't need. I started packing as much as I could.

I packed toiletries, shoes, undergarments, and a decent amount of clothing. When I went to pack bedding, I froze.

Wait, where am I gonna be staying?

I grabbed my phone and went to Instagram DMs. I found Sam's profile and sent her a message.

Got your email, I'm so excited! Next week will be the best time to fly for me. Where am I going to be staying?

She messaged back in a matter of minutes.

Yay! I can't wait for you to come! I'll see
what dates and times they have for flights
next week. You can stay at our house.
That way, you don't have to spend a
month in a hotel.

Really? Thanks! That'll save me a lot of money.

No problem! Plus, that way, I can take
you places without driving to a hotel to
pick you up.

That makes a lot of sense. Well, I have to finish packing. I'll see you in a week!!

Ok, and I need to look at some flights.
See ya!!

I smiled and continued packing. After I had most of my things packed, I paused. If I'm staying at her house, than I'll have access to a washer and dryer. So I shouldn't need to bring my entire wardrobe. But I also decided that I wanted some new clothes to wear.

I grabbed my wallet and car keys from my nightstand. I slipped into my converses and walked out into the living room once again.

"Hey mom, I'm going to the mall." I said, walking toward the garage.

"Don't you think you'll need a jacket?" She asked.

"It's Florida. I think I'll be ok." I replied with a chuckle.

"Ok, love you, be safe!" She said as I grabbed a granola bar from the pantry.

"Love you too!" I called to her as I walked out and opened the garage door.

It's kinda funny how a garages main purpose is to hold a car, and yet we have everything but a car in there. We had our washer, dryer, and utility sink, as well as the most random assortment of stuff. Baking things rarely used, crafting equipment from when we were younger, slime kits and ingredients from my sisters slime phase. We also had a weight rack, a giant mirror from my parents bedroom, and a little workout area next to my dad's drop saw and work table. Again, the most random assortment.

I walked outside and unlocked my car door. I got my license this year on my 16th birthday, and with it, I was able to get my own car, thanks to my YouTube career. It wasn't the most modern or technologically advanced, but it had everything I needed in a car. A 5-seater car with Bluetooth, a good sound system, a charger port, and a sunroof. I even got it painted a light purple color because, why not?

I drove to the mall and went to a couple different clothing stores, never leaving without something in my hands. Several people recognized me and asked for a picture, to which I gratefully obliged. After a few hours of shopping, I went home with a trunk full of clothes. I brought everything into my room in one trip and packed it all in my suitcases. This was going to be great!