The Road to Fame (Hydrogen: The Origins)

Chapter 1: Get Ready to Rock (Lindsay's POV)

"1 minute until showtime, people. 1 minute!"

"Shit. I better hurry."

I groaned as my manager Cameron's voice rang throughout backstage. I was still getting ready to go out there and greet 25,000 of my closest Virginian fans. This was my biggest show yet. Not even Dallas had generated this many people. To be fair, their stadium didn't fit as many. Still, this was the first time one of my concerts had sold out.

Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lindsay Mace, famous singer. When I was 12, I was scouted at a talent show in my hometown of Los Angeles, California, by my current manager, Cameron Carpenter. He was so impressed by my talents (I had sung and played the violin to Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe") that he signed me to his label, Carpenter Productions, on the spot. From there, I started recording new songs and released my first EP when I turned 13. I released another one the same year, and I started to work on my debut album, which is titled "Now or Never". When I was 14, my debut came out and 2 months later, I started this tour. I've been on 29 dates and this is my biggest to date. Virginia really knows how to party.

I ran out to back stage left (theatre terms, sorry for confusion) and greeted Cameron.

He said, "Listen to me, Mace. There are 25,000 people out there. This is your biggest audience yet."

I said, "I'm aware."

He said, "Stay calm and get out there. I know you can pull this off."

I said, "Okay! Thanks, Cam. See you in a few hours."

Cameron and I had become pretty close in the 2 and a half years that we'd known each other. He reminded me of myself in a way. Both of us had a talent that we couldn't wait to share to the world. He would probably be my twin if he wasn't 30 years old. And if I had a twin to begin with. I only had 4 siblings. One was a troublemaker, another was an athletic fashion guru, another was a tech nerd, and the last was one of the most popular juniors in the grade. There were two girls and two boys, and I enjoyed it that way. Anyway, back to the story.

I was greeted with a large amount of screaming and waving. "Are you ready to rock, Bristow?" The response was screams. I laughed and said, "Okay, I guess that's my answer. Let's get this show on the road, then. This first song is called "Don't Tell Me." If you know the words, please sing along."

Alright

oh!
Yeah
Alright

Hey
Why should anyone tell me how to wear my hair?
They say i should try to fit in
But I don't care

I'm living my life
just the way i like
They say i get a little too loud
try to push me in a box
over analyze
But I'm never gunna turn it down
they say stop but i say go

Don't tell me
what i gotta do
cuz its up to me
its not up to you
if i wanna go crazy
no one's gunna stop me tonight

oh no
yeah

hey
why should i bend into what i'm not?
they say someday i might get a real job
i'm not about to compromise who i am
just so i can bend right in
they wanna see a cardboard cutout
well that's a fight they just can't win

They say "Yes" and i say "NO"

Don't tell me
What i gotta do
who i wanna be
its for me to choose
no wrong moves
cuz i just don't have the time

Don't tell me
what i gotta do
cuz its up to me
its not up to you
if i wanna go crazy
no one's gunna stop me tonight

They can say what they like
I don't hear it all
its my life to live it
live it just the way i want
I'm never holding back
I'm done not standing out
They say "Never" and i say "Right now!"

Don't tell me
What i gotta do
who i wanna be
its for me to choose
no wrong moves
cuz i just don't have the time

Don't tell me
what i gotta do
cuz its up to me
its not up to you
if i wanna go crazy
no one's gunna stop me tonight

oh no
Don't tell me

"Thank you, Virginia!" I screamed at the crowd and waited for my band to come out so we could take a bow. My band was the best group of people ever, besides my family. It consisted of our two backup singers, Tyra and Megan; our two guitarists, Sarah and Brad; and our drummer, Matt. All of them were older than me, but Sarah was only 17. Still pretty young, but good for her for achieving her dreams so quickly.

Matt was holding 5 drumsticks. His tradition was to throw 3 into the bottom crowd and 2 onto the lawn. Girls went crazy for them. I didn't blame them. Matt was talented, and not to mention easy on the eyes. Too old for me, but most of my fans were older so it wasn't that weird.

He ran to the lawn first, running away before girls could tackle him to the death. He ran down to the stage next. What happened next couldn't believe it. He was standing too close to the edge, and before our eyes could even process what they just saw, a group of girls pulled him into the crowd. What happened after that, was history.

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