Hey, Everyone. I'm new to the board. Someone suggested that I post to the Introduce Yourself Board. 

I've already published a book here on Book Country, but I never really got any reviews from it. It's called 

"The PEACE PAK - The Beginning" written and illustrated by myself (TaShara B. Lee). It's the first book of the series. 

It's available as an ebook ($4.99 and cheaper, depending on where you buy it from....I don't know if it's worth that much,

yet, though) and in paperback (Create Space, it's cheaper as an ebook, though). Here's the description of what The Peace Pak 

is about: 

"The PEACE PAK finds new-found success, as a new music super group. They also find new-found super powers that they have to prevent the world from

 learning about. How in the WORLD... can they manage to do this, when there is also a new-found enemy causing public destruction? How in the world...can 

a successful, new music group, bask in the glory of their new-found fame with so much going on? One group member's dream girl falls in love with his cousin, 

instead of him. Another group member copes with a loss. In the midst of all of this, they still have to manage their busy schedule. Will The PEACE PAK keep the 

peace within the group, with all of this new-found drama? There's only one way to find out. Order "The PEACE PAK: The Beginning", part one of TaShara B. Lee's series, today."

    The Peace Pak is my baby, man... I've been writing stories about them my entire life. I've always wanted for them to someday 

become a cartoon series. I would love to do their voices if that dream comes true. I would like to post the first 2 chapters up...and hopefully gain some

type of feedback, to hopefully improve on in the future. I guess I'll warn you: One character has a very southern / country dialect. I hope that you can understand him (Michael).

"The PEACE PAK - The Beginning" By: TaShara B. Lee (first 2 chapters)

CHAPTER 1

    Live, in Madison Square Garden, the Search for Talent competition begins as the arena lights are shut off and the stage lights are turned on. The crowd, mostly of girls, began screaming at the top of their lungs, because they know that their favorite celebrity is in the building. Backstage, undiscovered talent waits, anxiously and nervously. Fifteen year old Michael, a long, haired brown eyed guy with a golden complexion, grips the strong right hand of his older brother, eighteen year old Tucrant for support. Seventeen year old Ashley grips Tucrant’s hand as she stands to his left. 

"It’s starting," Ashley whispers over to Tucrant. 

Tucrant, has brown eyes, short, brown dreadlocks that stick outward, the same golden complexion as Michael’s and is the tallest of the three, looks down at Ashley, and takes a breath, 

"It’ll be cool, Ashley. Are you ready?"  Tucrant asks her.

Ashley stood a little taller than Michael. She had deep, blue, sparkly eyes, with long lashes, and a small beauty mole over the right side of her red lips. Her complexion was lighter than Michael and Tucrant’s. She had long, thick-layered, bright, red hair that stopped at her ankles, and a bang that partially covered her left eye. She was also blessed with a really pretty shape. 

"Yeah, I’m ready, but is he?" Ashley asks Tucrant looking behind him at Michael. 

"He’s the lead. Not to mention the scariest person alive." 

Michael hears Ashley’s statement, and begins to defend himself. 

"I ain’t sce’d," Michael lies, with his dirty southern-fried dialect. And lack of usage of the correct English, although he has the knowledge to know better.  " I’ma do ‘dis. ‘Duh question ee-is, whet abot Tucrent? He duh one who sce’d." 

"No, I’m not, Michael," Tucrant begins, in his usually serious, but comedically deep tone, "Just tell me this…you’re gonna sing the song clearly, right? So that the audience will understand what the heck you’re saying, right?" 

" Boy, I sang the way I feel. You cain’t propuh-size soul. I’ma do whet I do." 

"Yeah!" Tucrant strongly agreed, "We didn’t come all the way up here from Thomson, Georgia for nothin!...Dag gone it. We have to win this. If we win this, we win a recording contract with Journey to the Skye Records, man. Journey to the Skye. And if we lose, that would be some bull-jive. We don’t want bull-jive. We want pure entertainment. So, Ashley, you better work it. You better swing the mess out of that red hair, Ashley, do the Beyonce walk around that stage, girl. Michael, you better sing with so much soul, that if you don’t, you might lose your soul, boy. But don’t forget the choreography, or the words, either. Are you hungry for this, Ashley?" 

"Yeah, Tucrant," Ashley answered, while looking at Tucrant as though he were crazy. 

"Are you hungry for this, Michael?" Tucrant asks Michael. 

Michael looks at Tucrant, "Like I said, boy, I’ma do whet I do." 

Trey Songz walks out onto the stage. The audience loses it. 

"Whet the flipside is gawin own?" Michael asks, as he tries to peek onto the stage. 

"Trey Songz?!" Tucrant asks out of shock. 

"Whet ‘duh..." Michael begins, looking at Ashley. 

Ashley nods at Michael, "Trey Songz." 

Michael panics. "I CAIN’T PUH-FAWM DET GOOD WIT HIM WATCHIN! NOW I’M SCE’D! WE GONE LOSE!!" 

Tucrant grabs Michael and shakes him, "Don’t say that, man!! Now I need you to calm down. He’s just hosting. You got it? He’s used to seeing talent all over the country, it’ll be okay!!" 

"I would like to welcome everybody to the Search for Talent Competition, live from New York City!" Trey Songz announces. "Journey to the Skye Records is looking for new talent for their record label, and we hope that it’s here in the building, tonight! The winner of this competition will receive a recording contract with Journey to the Skye Records, and a shot at fame and fortune! Now it’s time for you to show us at Journey to the Sky what you workin’ with! Are you ready?!" 

The cheers of the audience grow even louder. Trey calls out the first competitors to perform. Michael, Ashley and Tucrant pace around backstage, warming up their vocal cords. Ashley focuses on choreography as she sings. Michael watches Ashley practice. He feels like going to sleep, because her voice is so soothing to his ears. He doesn’t want Ashley to think that he’s afraid of everything. He wants to show her that he really can put on a show. Michael really wants to impress Ashley, so he decides that it might be best for him to practice, also. Tucrant sees Michael and Ashley practicing, so he joins in on the singing and dancing. 

A few competitors have already gone up and performed, and Michael, Ashley and Tucrant still haven’t gone up yet. Nervously, they keep practicing. Michael begins to feel restless. 

"I’m readeh tuh git ‘dis ova wit," Michael says, trying to see what the current competitors onstage are doing. Distracted, Tucrant soon stops singing and dancing. Someone catches his eye across the room. 

"Dag, man. That dude can dance," Tucrant says to Ashley. 

Ashley stops and watches what Tucrant is watching. 

"Ooh, he can dance! And he is so cute!" she says. 

Michael looks at Ashley really quickly in confusion, "Who?!" 

"Mike Jones." Tucrant answered, smiling, looking at Michael. 

"Him!" Ashley said to Michael, pointing at the guy singing and dancing across from them. Michael sees the guy that Tucrant and Ashley are watching. Michael’s heart stops, when he sees Tucrant walk over to the talented dancer. 

"Hey! I’m Tucrant. I just had to tell you that you can dance your behind off, man. What is your name?" 

The guy stood about an inch or two shorter than Michael. He was about the same complexion as Michael and Tucrant, except he looked part Asian. He looked about sixteen years old and had cornrows from the front of his head, halfway to the back. The rest of his hair was pulled into a spiky ponytail that flipped up. He had brown hair with aqua colored highlights. When he looked at Tucrant, he had "lime" green and orange eyes, two colors! He also had a tiny mole over his lip. 

"A pretteh boy. He thank he all ‘det." Michael thought. 

"I’m Dwayne...What did you say your name was?" 

"Tucrant."  Tucrant told Dwayne.

"Tu - rant?" Dwayne asked, looking confused, laughing. 

"Okay, no, it’s Tucrant. I know my name is weird, okay. So, are you performing with a group?" 

"No, I’m just performing by myself. Are y’all a group?" Dwayne asks Tucrant. 

"Yeah. This is Michael, my brother,” says Tucrant, waving an arm at Michael. 

"Hey," Michael greeted in a sorry fashion to Dwayne. 

"And this is Ashley," Tucrant said, waving an arm at Ashley. 

Dwayne stared at Ashley in astonishment with his bottom jaw dropped. Then he covered his mouth, smiling. 

"Hey, Ashley. You’re really pretty," Dwayne macked. 

"WHEN you go own stage?!" Michael butts in asking Dwayne in a hostile fashion. Ashley looks at Michael as though he had lost his mind. 

"Our next competitor hails from Tokyo, Japan, but is now living here in the N.Y.C! Y’all give it up for my boy, Dwayne!" Trey Songz announced, suddenly. Michael, Ashley and Tucrant all gasped, and looked at Dwayne. 

"I guess I go on, now, uh...” Dwayne tried to remember Michael’s name. 

"Michael," Michael told Dwayne. 

"Yeah," Dwayne said as he walked past Michael to take the stage. 

Michael looks at Tucrant, "He blew me off jest ‘den…wonna-be balla." 

Dwayne goes onto the stage and stands with his legs apart, and his back facing the audience. Dwayne is sporting light brown and aqua-blue "street" gear. Soon, the song “Say Aah” by none other than Trey Songz blares from the speakers. 

Backstage, Michael is on looking Dwayne’s performance with his bottom jaw on the floor, "Ah heeeck n’all," he thought aloud.

 Dwayne danced and sang the chorus of the song, also adding his own add-libs making the song his own. He sure enough danced his "behind off", and didn’t miss a beat. He went up to the edge of the stage and sung to some girls, whom all began screaming for him. 

"Now ‘det don’t make no since." Michael commented. 

"Stop hating," Tucrant suggested. 

Tucrant looked to the other end of the stage and saw Trey, himself, nodding, smiling, acting as though he were enjoying the performance. 

"Man, we have competition. Did Dwayne know that Trey Songz was hosting?" Tucrant asked Ashley. 

"I don’t know,’ Ashley told him as she watched Dwayne continue to perform. She could tell that performing came natural for him. Dwayne really looked as though he were having fun, which motivated her to start dancing to the music. He surely had the stage presence that record labels usually look for, as well as the talent. Michael looked to his side, and saw Ashley dancing. This heated Michael under the collar. Dwayne saw Ashley looking from backstage, so he really tried to sing this song as though singing it right would win Ashley’s heart. The audience began to chant "ohs" to amplify Dwayne’s energy as he danced. When he finished the song, the audience screamed and cheered, as did Trey. 

"Dang," was Tucrant’s description of how well Dwayne’s performance went. 

Dwayne came off of the stage and came up to Michael, Ashley and Tucrant who were waiting backstage. 

"How did I do?" Dwayne asked Ashley.

Ashley had stars in her eyes when Dwayne looked at her. "What did you say?" 

"How did I do?" Dwayne repeated. 

"You’ve already won the contest if you ask me," was Ashley’s answer. 

Michael butted in once again, "’Et lease until we get up de’uh’," Michael boasted, looking at Dwayne.

 Then, Michael looked at Tucrant, "Ain’t ‘det right, Tucrent?" 

There was a silence. Michael and Ashley continued to look at Tucrant. Tucrant is biting his lip, looking out at the stage. 

"Tucrant?" Ashley asks, looking at Tucrant, confused.

 "I don’t know, y’all. I mean… we have an original song. Compare that to a hit like ‘Say Aah’, and… man, I don’t know." 

"Now, our last competitors of the night hail all the way from Thomson, Georgia," Trey began. 

"Ahh junk…" slips Michael. 

"They came a long way, so I want y’all to give it up as they perform their original song, ‘Introducing The Peace Pak"... The PEACE PAAAAAAK!" Trey Songz had just introduced The Peace Pak, Michael, Ashley and Tucrant. 

Michael, Ashley and Tucrant run out onto the stage. Ashley stands in the middle, Tucrant to the left and Michael to the right. They are all wearing matching attire. They have on t-shirts under orange and sky-blue jackets, and matching wide-legged pants. Ashley wore sky-blue suspenders, and an orange cut-off t-shirt. The music began with the drop of pure bass. Michael began the song with a hum, followed by three-part harmony.

“PEACE PAK! PEACE PAK! PEACE PAK PEACE PAK!”

The beat drops. All three Peace Pak members jump up, and when they land they face the audience. The Peace Pak dances. The audience actually likes it so far! 

Michael walked out in front, and began to sing. 

"YEAH we comin’ at-chyall!”

Tucrant - “AIN'T no need to call!”

Michael - “It's The Peace Pak up in this peace!”

Ashley - “So all you others need to seize!”

Michael - “Kickin’ other group's behinds!”

Tucrant - “Doin’ this every time!”

Michael - “Every time some junk goes down,”

Ashley - “Because they think they run this town,”

Michael - “Well dey don't run dis’ town, or any town around the whole world, and dey know duh reason why!”

Tucrant - “Cause we'll egg ‘em in their faces, we'll keep 'em in their places...and y'all know that's no lie...”

Michael and Ashley - “Peace Pak won’t stop til’ the day we die!”

The Peace Pak break into a dance sequence that seems to be appreciated by the audience. Trey actually appears to like their performance as well. Michael and Tucrant goes into the chorus again, as Ashley stands in front and sings ad-libs to end the song. The audience cheers Ashley on, as Ashley continues to sing her heart out. The music stops, but The Peace Pak continues to sing. The audience claps along, keeping the beat, and supporting Michael, Ashley and Tucrant. When the song ended, the crowd roared. Tucrant’s jaw had dropped, as did Michael’s. Ashley quickly looks back at Trey, and he’s clapping, too! 

"Say what?!" Ashley finds herself shouting behind the crowd’s cheers.

 Then Ashley looks offstage to see Dwayne clapping and cheering, also. Michael, Ashley and Tucrant bow to the audience and began to walk offstage. 

"The PEACE PAK is IN tha BUILDING! GIVE it up, y’all!" Trey shouts out to the screaming crowd. 

When they make it offstage, The Peace Pak also finds everyone backstage cheering for them. Michael, Ashley and Tucrant’s jaw drops at the same second. 

"Man, y’all did real good!" Dwayne enthusiastically informs Michael, Ashley and Tucrant, whom all still have shocked expressions on their faces. People continue to come up and commend them for how well they performed. 

"Alright, Madison Square Garden! It’s about that time! It’s time to reveal the winners!" Trey announces. 

"Winners?" Ashley asks. 

"Yeah. There are 2nd and 3rd place winners in this contest, also. The 2nd place winner wins 500 dollars and an I-Phone, and the 3rd place winner wins 100 dollars and concert tickets," Dwayne informs the group. 

"Oh," Ashley says, "well, at least two more talented acts get to leave with something." 

"Our 3rd place winner is... Jenna Murphy! Jenna will receive 100 dollars, and concert tickets to see T.I.! Congratulations, Jenna!" Trey announces.

 Jenna comes up and thanks Trey while taking her prize money and tickets. 

"Our 2nd place winner is…Dwayne! Dwayne will receive 500 dollars and an I-Phone! Congratulations, Dwayne!" Trey announces. 

Dwayne, shocked, but glad, goes up to get his rewards. Michael, Ashley and Tucrant cheer him on. 

"And our 1st place winner, whom will be receiving a recording contract with Journey to the Skye Records, and a shot at fame and fortune, is…THE PEACE PAK!! CONGRATULATIONS!" 

Did Trey Songz just say that? The Peace Pak won? All three of them gasp in confusion. 

"Did she say what it sounded like, or do my ears need checking?" Tucrant asks aloud with a confused expression on his face. 

Dwayne pushes Tucrant, "GET out there, man, and get that record deal!" 

Tucrant signals Michael and Ashley to follow him on stage, and even though it seems as though they are all dreaming, Michael and Ashley proceed in following him. The Peace Pak goes out onstage, and bows to the audience. Tucrant looks at Michael, and then at Ashley. 

Then Tucrant says to Trey, "May I make a suggestion, Trey? If  it’s okay?" 

"Okay, what is it?" Trey asks Tucrant. 

"We would like to ask Dwayne to join our group. We can’t just let pure talent go to waste. Could Journey to the Skye Records allow one more member to be added to The Peace Pak? That is, if Dwayne accepts," is Tucrant’s suggestion. 

"Well, Dwayne? Do you accept the offer? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, man," Trey asks Dwayne, who is listening from backstage. Dwayne walks out onto the stage, in a daze. 

"You really want me to be apart of the group? We just met. Are you sure?" Dwayne asks Tucrant. 

"Yes, we do. I like you, Dwayne. It’s like we’ve already met. Please join our group," Tucrant encourages Dwayne. 

"You’ll have to give up your prize to a new 2nd place winner, Dwayne. Are you okay with that?" Trey asks Dwayne. Dwayne’s done thinking this over. 

"I’m cool with that! I’ll join the group!" Dwayne shouts. 

Dwayne runs to Michael, Ashley and Tucrant, and they all share a group hug. Michael, who is standing beside Dwayne during the group hug, casts a glare toward Dwayne‘s direction. The audience cheers as Dwayne is "welcomed" into The Peace Pak. 

CHAPTER 2

After leaving Madison Square Garden, a limousine takes Dwayne, Michael, Ashley and Tucrant to Dwayne’s apartment. Dwayne thought that it would be wise for them to meet his mother, and tell her the good news before they move on any further as a music group. The limo waited for the group as they went inside. 

"Mom, this is Michael, Ashley and Tucrant. I just joined their group, and were all signed with Journey to the Skye Records," Dwayne explained. "Were The Peace Pak. I thought you all should meet so that you would know who I’m going to be traveling with when I leave." 

Dwayne’s mother smiled and greeted them. 

"Hi. I’m Yoichi. It’s nice to meet you all. We recently moved here from Tokyo, Japan." 

"Whoa, you’re from Tokyo?" Tucrant asked, with his eyes full of enthusiasm.

"Yes. I’m Japanese. Dwayne is Japanese and Jamaican," Yoichi told Tucrant. 

Tucrant looked at Dwayne in shock, "You’re half Jamaican?" 

"Yeah. My dad lives in Jamaica," Dwayne informed Tucrant. 

"Japanese and Jamaican. That’s a cool combination, Dwayne! You know, Michael and I am half Jamaican, too!" Tucrant told Dwayne. 

"Really?" Yoichi asked Tucrant. Michael folded his arms and looked off to the ceiling. 

"Yeah. Our mama is Jamaican and our daddy is Cherokee Indian. Our mama’s name is Monica," Tucrant continued to inform Yoichi and Dwayne. 

"Monica?" Dwayne asked, looking confused. 

"Yeah! Do you know a Monica?" Tucrant asked Dwayne. 

"I have an aunt named Monica. She’s Jamaican, too. My dad’s sister. Does your mom have blue hair?" 

Michael’s heart skipped, and his eyes widened. Ashley heard Michael gasp and quickly looked over at him, because she was wondering if he was experiencing a heart attack. 

"Yes, she does," Tucrant stated, staring at Dwayne as though he were attempting to burn a hole in Dwayne’s forehead with his eyes. 

"I have a cousin down there named KiTanya," Dwayne decided to mention. 

"THAT’S MY SISTER’S NAME!!’ Tucrant exclaimed. 

"Whaaat?!" Dwayne looked at Tucrant with his head tilted sideways, in confusion. 

"You two are cousins," Yoichi told Tucrant. Ashley smiled while shaking her head. 

"Michael here is my brother, so that means that were both Dwayne’s cousins!" Tucrant explained enthusiastically to Yoichi, as he put his arm around his little brother, Michael.

 Michael smiled at Yoichi as though he were afraid of her. "Hey, aunt Yoycheh."

Yoichi decided that it was best for her son to go back down south with Michael, Ashley and Tucrant, to finish off the school year. That way, they would all be together when the label wants them to work on something, and Dwayne could still get his education. After Dwayne packed his things, the limousine took them to the airport, and they flew back to Georgia. 

When they get back to Thomson, Dwayne is introduced to Michael, Ashley and Tucrant’s family and friends. Dwayne gets to meet Monica, who is indeed his aunt, he also meets his uncle. Dwayne got to meet Ashley’s mother, sister and brother, also. Then, Dwayne was introduced to Fenetica and NaTaiya, whom are sisters, and TaShara and Janika, whom are also sisters. Dwayne gets to meet Jase, Journey, Mr. and Mrs. Lee, and more members of the family. Dwayne realizes that he is very much welcomed in Thomson, Georgia. Dwayne uses no hesitation to unpack and to make himself at home. 

After a few days had passed, Michael noticed that Dwayne and Ashley had been spending a lot of time together. At school, Michael had seen Dwayne and Ashley playing around, flirting with each other. 

Friday night, Michael had gone into the kitchen to get something to eat, when he saw Dwayne and Ashley sitting on the floor in the den. They were cuddled up under a blanket watching a movie, and eating popcorn. As Michael opened the refrigerator, Dwayne and Ashley looked back to see who was in the kitchen. 

"Hey, Michael," Ashley greeted with friendliness. 

"Hey, Ashleh," Michael returned the greeting. He ignored Dwayne. Dwayne just turned back around and put his arm back around Ashley. Michael went back to his room with nothing to eat. 

"Do you like Michael?" Dwayne asked Ashley. 

"Yeah, he’s my friend,’ Ashley answered, and kept eating popcorn. 

"No...like, have you dated him?" Dwayne asked Ashley. 

"No," 

"So, you don’t have a boyfriend?" Dwayne asked. 

Michael was not in his room. He was in the halfway bathroom listening to the conversation. 

"No, I guess I don’t," was Ashley’s answer. 

"Okay," was all Dwayne had left to say. Ashley blushed. She obviously liked Dwayne. Michael saw that Dwayne still had his arm around Ashley, and then he snuck back into his room. He was no longer hungry. 

The next Friday night in Atlanta, GA, a party was being hosted by Journey to the Skye Records to celebrate their next big group, the Peace Pak. There was music, high profiled musicians, and non-alcoholic beverages because all members of the Peace Pak are under 21. NaTaiya and Fenetica became backup dancers for The Peace Pak, as did Michael and Tucrant’s sister, KiTanya. They were also invited to the party. The Peace Pak awaited in a back room behind the party scene for their cue to make their entrance. 

Dwayne and Ashley sat together on a loveseat. Tucrant and Michael sat across from them. Michael frowned, listening to Dwayne and Ashley laugh and talk. When Dwayne and Ashley stopped talking, Dwayne looked across the room and saw Michael frowning at him. 

"What’s wrong, Michael?" Dwayne asked. 

"Nuthin’. Why?" Michael replied with a little hostility. 

"You’re looking at me as though you have a problem. That’s why," Dwayne honestly replied to Michael. 

"N’all. Do you have a problem?" Michael asked Dwayne, sarcastically. Dwayne frowned in confusion. 

"Yeah. I have a problem with being lied to. Did I do anything to you? If I did, just tell me what I did wrong instead of creating all this tension. That’s all,’ Dwayne told Michael. 

"A-ight. I’ll tell you whet’s wrawng. If you ain’t noticed, I like Ashleh. Eeh-thang was cool, until you jaw-end duh group. I ain’ ask you tuh be in duh group. ‘Den you git in duh group and steal my gull. And I’own appreciate ‘det," was Michael’s problem.

"Ah, Good Michael Jackson..." was Tucrant’s remark, as he propped up his head on the arm of the sofa he was sitting on. 

"Your girl?! I’m not your girl, Michael!" Ashley clarified.

"Well, my bad, I didn’t know you liked Ashley! She’s not even claiming you, so how is she your girl?! At least Ashley knows I like her! I’m not afraid of letting her know. You see, I take action. I ain’t no punk. I ain’t scared! If I see something I want, I go for it," Dwayne began. 

"So, you callin’ me a punk now? Boy, you don’t know me! How ‘bout I punk you upside yo’ head?! We’ll see who duh punk is!’ Michael said, getting up, walking over to Dwayne.

Tucrant jumped up, reaching out to Michael, "Michael, sit down. If he did call you a punk, it’s not like he said anything about our mama. The word ‘punk’ is not something you should be fighting over." 

Dwayne jumped up and started walking toward Michael when he saw Michael jump up. Ashley stood up with an expression of disbelief. 

"So what if I am callin’ you a punk? What’cha gon’ do about it?! You ain’t gon’ do nothin’!" Dwayne began, once again, walking up to Michael.

 Michael jumped past Tucrant and began beating on Dwayne. "MICHAEL!!" Tucrant and Ashley shouted. Dwayne beat on Michael, kicked Michael and pinned him to the ground. Michael beat on Dwayne’s back, and Dwayne gave Michael a couple of right hooks. Michael tried to kick Dwayne off of him, but it didn’t work until Michael rocked himself up enough to push Dwayne off. Dwayne leaped up and pushed Michael back down, causing them to slide across the room. 

"IT’S NOT THAT SERIOUS!!" Ashley shouted at Dwayne and Michael. Tucrant leaped into the tussle and tried to separate the two.

"Y’ALL! STOP FIGHTING! They’re going to call us out soon!" Tucrant pulled Dwayne off of Michael, and held Michael back. 

"STOP IT!! MICHAEL! You sit over THERE! And Dwayne! You sit over THERE, NOW!!" Tucrant screamed. 

Dwayne walked over to one side of the room, as Tucrant waited for Michael to walk to the other side of the room. 

"Were The PEACE PAK!! PEACE!!! You two are representing anything BUT peace! AND THIS MAKES NO SENSE! NOW STOP THIS JUNK BEFORE YOU SET A BAD EXAMPLE!" Tucrant commanded of Michael and Dwayne. 

Michael began to calm down and went to his side of the room. It’s so quiet that you could still hear the party going on outside. Ashley sits back down, and so does Tucrant. There was a knock at the door as soon as they were all seated separately. Michael answered the door. 

"It’s time for your entrance, Peace Pak! Are you all ready?" the friendly woman at the door asked. 

Michael faked a smile and said, "Yes, ma’am. We ready. Thank ya." 

Tucrant, Dwayne and Ashley got up and headed toward the door. They pretended to be happy as they walked down the hall behind Michael toward the party. 

"And here they are, Journey to the Skye’s newest recording artists, The PEACE PAAAK!" the announcer introduced to the guests. 

Everyone cheered and clapped as Michael, Dwayne, Ashley and Tucrant entered the room. The group members walked through the party, meeting and greeting the guests. They discussed contractual terms with management and they ate. They also tried to forget what happened in the room, and tried to have fun. 

Later that evening, Ashley grabs Michael and Dwayne and sits them down at one of the tables in a corner. 

"I just need to tell you two something. I never wanted to cause any trouble between you two," Ashley looks at Michael, "I kinda had a feeling that you liked me, Michael... but I like a guy that is man enough to tell me how he feels.. 

"But Ashleh, I thought det if I told you hi’ I felt, you wouldn’t feel duh same way. I didn’t won’t tuh embarrass myself," Michael told Ashley, nervously. Ashley looked at Michael and smiled. 

"Michael, you’re a nice guy. I always thought you were cute, talented, and your accent makes me laugh. You’re a good friend, and I think it should stay that way," Ashley told Michael. 

"But why?" Michael asked Ashley, shocked. 

"Because I...I want to be with Dwayne," Ashley replied as though it hurt her to say this. Michael looked down at the table top.

 Dwayne looked at Ashley with wide eyes, "What?" Dwayne gasped.

"I want to be with you," Ashley told Dwayne. 

Dwayne was in awe at what he just heard, until he looked at Michael and saw how heartbroken he was. Dwayne felt guilty of Michael’s pain. Dwayne grabbed Ashley’s hand and looked into Ashley’s eyes.

"Ashley," Dwayne began, "I can’t. I can’t do this." 

"What are you talking about, Dwayne?" Ashley asked, looking at Dwayne as though he were crazy. 

"It’s not right. I can’t be with you. My cousin really likes you. Just because I’m not afraid of telling girls how I feel, it doesn’t mean that he isn’t."

 Dwayne looked at Michael, "We shouldn’t have fought. We’re cousins. We shouldn’t be fighting. I know we’ve just met and it may not seem like were family, but, we are." Dwayne looked down and bit his lip. He looked back at Michael, "I’m sorry, Michael." 

"I’m sorreh, too, Dwayne," Michael told Dwayne. Michael reached over Ashley and hugged his cousin. Dwayne hugged Michael back. Ashley smiled at the fact that they are friends, now, but she was hurt that she wouldn’t be with Dwayne. Michael felt so much better, that he wanted to do something kind for Dwayne. 

"Hey, I won’t a slush! Dwayne, you won’t a slush?" Michael asked, jumping up from the table. 

"Yeah, get a green apple flavored one, Michael! Thank you!" Dwayne told Michael. Michael excitedly jumped up to get the slushes.

 Ashley looked at Dwayne, and put on a fake smile, "So... you don’t like me anymore?" 

"Ashley, I don’t think we should be a couple. Not at least until Michael finds someone else, so that he wouldn’t feel bad when he sees us together," 

"Dwayne, he’ll be alright. He doesn’t have a choice. I think were meant to be together. Michael would just have to accept that," Ashley continued. "I really, really like you, Dwayne. And I will not stop until we are together." 

Ashley got up from the table and walked away, smiling mischievously at Dwayne. Dwayne didn’t know what else to tell Ashley. He didn’t want to hurt his cousin anymore. 

Thank you for your time, everyone. Please..... *inhales..exhales.* Tell me what you think.