My Only Hope

Chapter 1

A month later

"Lex, where are you?" My uncle's voice boomed across the stadium over the speakers. I flinched.

"I just can't catch a break," I grumbled.

I raced through the backstage hallway, dodging workers and electricians. I finally made it to the stage. My uncle, the owner of this enormous concert venue, was on the stage looking down into the rising platform in the floor.

I ran up to him, slightly out of breath.

"There you are! Why isn't your headset on?" He shouted.

"You told me to give it to Brian, the guy working the lights, remember?" I said, trying not to sound annoyed.

He glared at me. "Watch how you talk to me. I could have you fired and sent back to Oklahoma like that!" He snapped.

I swallowed my angry response. "Yes, uncle."

"Whatever. Now. I need you to stand on this platform and test it."

I looked down at the platform. "What's wrong with it?"

My uncle, a very big Italian man with an even bigger attitude, pointed at the mechanism that would raise and lower that part of the floor. "It was making some strange noises and it got stuck earlier. I had the mechanic guy take a look at it but I need to test it. We absolutely can't have anything go wrong with this platform when the performers get here. Obviously, I'm too heavy to test it. Muscle weighs a lot, you know."

"I'm sure it does, uncle," I said. But I had a bad feeling about this. "You're sure they got it fixed?"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll be fine. Just stand on the platform and we'll lower it down and then back up." He pressed a button and the platform rose silently to become level with the stage. Nervously, I stepped onto it and went to my happy place- an imaginary forest retreat listening to Beethoven.

My uncle pressed the button and down I went, slow as a snail, with the platform. It hit the bottom gently and I stumbled just a little. He peered over the edge of the hole in the stage down at me and nodded, satisfied. Then I saw him hit the button again.

As the platform started to rise again, I heard voices from the stage above me. Distracted by the newcomers, my uncle vanished from view.

Slowly, the platform went up, when suddenly, a creaking groan reached my ears. I held my breath, knowing something was terribly wrong. The noise got louder and louder and louder. I was almost at the top, just a little further...

BANG! A loud mechanical crack sounded from the platform. I barely had time to think before I felt myself falling. Desperately, wildly, I reached my hands out-

And someone caught my arms. Somehow, I knew who had saved me. I felt those hands-on mine before. But how could he be here? Now?

With a powerful grunt, he pulled me to safety and I collapsed on top of a warm, muscular chest on the stage. Breathing heavily, neither of us moved for what felt like an eternity. And then he brushed my hair out of my face. I looked up into those familiar, beautiful, smiling eyes. "Hello, Lex," he murmured softly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him breathlessly.

He laughed. "I'm working. Technically."

My eyebrows furrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Hey, Hope, are you going to lie down all day or..." one of his friends from before called to him. I finally looked away from his eyes to see them all crowded around us. My uncle was somewhere behind us, yelling into the hole where the platform had collapsed.

Looking up at all of the gorgeous Korean men around me, I became very aware that I was still lying on top of a man whose name I didn't even know.

I scrambled to my feet, and he kept up, as graceful as a gazelle. He reached out a hand to steady me. I shyly brushed him off, feeling deeply embarrassed under the curious stares of his friends.

"Are you okay?" One of the taller ones asked.

"Yes, I'm okay, thank you."

One of the other men clapped my savior on the shoulder and said "Good job at being a hero, Hobi!" He said. He sounded light and playful, but it was obvious to me that there was relief in his eyes. It occurred to me that these men were brothers- not necessarily by blood but definitely by bond.

So his name was Hobi. I doubted it was his real name, probably just a nickname. But it fit him. It was fun and playful and cute. Just like him, even though I would never admit it.

Hobi came over to me. "You look a little pale, are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should sit down," he said with a concerned look on his flawless face.

"We don't have time for her to sit down! She's just fine! We need to get you boys hooked up to microphones for a soundcheck and I need to fire some people for messing up my stage. If this isn't fixed, we'll have to change your whole show!" said my uncle.

Wait, what?

"Your whole show?" I asked Hobi, confused. He smiled.

My uncle was not as amused. "You stupid..." he turned back to the group. "Ignore her. She didn't mean to offend you. She's just been living under a rock so she hasn't heard about you guys yet." He tried to usher me away, but now I was curious. I dug my heels in.

"Who are you guys?" I asked the whole group, but my eyes stayed fixed on Hobi's. He lifted an arm to push his hair sheepishly out of his eyes.

"We are BTS."