Box of Stars

CHAPTER ONE

PRESENT DAY.

As she emerged from her car on the busy New York City street, Gemma Whitman was greeted with a sea of black umbrellas. She opened up her own, not wanting the rain to destroy her hair. There were many things in life that she could not control, however, her hair was not one of those things.

I can't believe I'm here, she thought to herself. New York wasn't the issue. Gemma had lived in New York City for the past fifteen years, ever since her family had moved there from Britain when she and her sister were teenagers. The church she stood outside of, however, was the last place she wanted to be.

"Oh my God! Is that Scott Kingsley?" A girl asked excitedly. "Scott! Scott, can I have your autograph?"

"You dumbass! That's a funeral he's about to go to! Have some respect and leave him alone!" The girl who stood with her said, smacking her friend on the back of her head.

The charming smile which appeared on the face of the handsome young man who had just emerged from a limousine and turned to face the girls confirmed that it was definitely Scott Kingsley. So did his umbrella, which was a bright shade of red in the sea of black. He politely acknowledged both girls.

"It's alright," he said softly. He then posed with both girls for selfies. They went on their way after that, and Scotty turned back toward the church, facing it with the saddest expression Gemma had ever seen on his face.

"Scotty..." Gemma called softly.

Scotty turned around to face her and the smile returned. "Gemma!" He cried out, opening his arms up and embracing her tightly. "God, Gem, I missed you! How are things?"

"Not too bad, Mr. Hollywood," Gemma teased him lightly. "Except for... Well, this, of course." She motioned toward the church.

"Right... I wish we were together for a less depressing reason." He sighed. "Is everyone else coming?"

"I don't know... I imagine they will, but who knows with some of them? It's been a long time, Scotty."

"They should be here... We all should be."

"I know." Gemma shook her head. "Come on inside before we get mobbed by your fans, luv."

Scotty grandly took her arm in his and led the way into the church. A lot of people had come out to say goodbye. Gemma only recognized some of them. She froze as she stared at the coffin at the front of the church. She knew that what remained inside was simply a shell left behind by someone she'd once loved dearly, but that didn't make it any easier to look at it as reality began to sink in.

"Gem... Come on," Scotty said softly. He led her toward one of the pews in the front of the church.

"Scotty... I don't know if I can do this," Gemma whispered as she sat down, trying to hold back tears. She was usually so good at that. She cursed the fact that today, it was impossible.

"I know, Gem... But we don't have a choice," Scotty replied. "You're not alone, okay? I'm right here with you."

Gemma nodded and rested her head on his shoulder, finding the smallest bit of comfort in feeling him beside her. You can do this, Gemma. Just breathe, she told herself. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths as flashes from the past began to flood her memories...

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO.

The building in front of them was hardly impressive. Gemma knew that it wouldn't give them any difficulty. She smiled at her twin sister Alice, who stared at the school with terror in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Alice," Gemma said. "We're going to make this place our bitch in no time."

"I miss London already," Alice said softly, her nerves clear as she adjusted her glasses.

"Everything will be fine, sis," Gemma promised. "It's just secondary school."

"High school," Alice corrected her automatically.

"Same thing."

Gemma spotted a boy walking up the stairs in front of them. As he passed by another boy, the second boy watched him and tripped, dropping all of his belongings on the floor. The first boy turned back around at the sound of textbooks hitting the floor and bent down beside him to help. The two boys locked eyes for a minute before smiling at each other.

Gemma had rushed toward the clumsy boy to help him gather his belongings, too, so Alice followed her. "Drop something, luv?" Gemma teased him.

This seemed to make the boy realize that the twins had joined him. "Yeah, I'm sort of a hopeless klutz," he replied with a charming and adorably sweet smile. "I'm Scotty. I love your accent!"

"Gemma. And thank you," Gemma said. She pointed to her sister and said, "This is Alice. We just moved here from London."

"Ah, new girls!" The other boy said cheerfully. "Hi, Ladies. I'm Dylan. It's nice to meet you." He turned back to Scotty, handing him a notebook. "Are you alright, Scotty?"

"I'm great," Scotty replied, looking into Dylan's eyes again. He took a deep breath and blinked before adding, "Just a bit embarrassed."

"Don't be," Dylan said. "Although it's kind of funny to watch you blush... So, since you girls are new in town and probably don't know anyone, are you nervous?"

"No way! We're going to be running this place in no time," Gemma said confidently. "We're cute girls with British accents. Everyone will want to be our friends."

"Absolutely! What brings you two to New York?" Dylan asked.

"Our father's law firm opened up a branch in the States and they asked him to run it. He accepted."

"How'd your mom feel about that?" Scotty asked.

"I don't know. If you have a Ouija board, I'll be sure to ask her."

Scotty looked horrified. Dylan was silent for a moment. "Sorry," Scotty managed to say. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't, luv. We just moved here," Gemma replied kindly. She didn't know the boy, but she'd already decided that she didn't like to see him looking sad. "It's fine, really. Our mum died when we were three. We don't really remember her."

"How did she die?" Dylan asked softly. Gemma was impressed, because she suspected that Dylan didn't really know how to be quiet.

Gemma shrugged as Alice seemed to shrink into herself. "She was murdered," she replied casually.

"Wait... Are you serious?" Dylan asked.

"Not always, but when it comes to talking about Mum... Yes. Mum worked in the courts, and some lowlife shot a bunch of people on the steps of the courthouse. She didn't make it."

"Jeez, Gemma... I'm sorry," Dylan said.

"That's horrible," Scotty added.

"Yes, but it happened. We can't change it, so we don't dwell on it," Gemma replied. "So, what's a less depressing subject?"

"Do you two have any hobbies? You could join a club or a sports team and get to know people," Dylan suggested.

"I like acting," Gemma replied. "Do you have a theater club?"

"Drama club, sure! I'm planning on auditioning, too! I mean, I don't act much, but I love singing, and they do an original musical every year." Dylan sounded excited now.

"I love acting," Scotty added. "And singing, and dancing, and everything about theater in general, actually!"

"You boys sound like my sort of people," Gemma said. "Aren't you glad we met them, Alice?"

"Sure..." Alice replied softly.

"She speaks!" Dylan said with a grin. "I thought you were mute! Do you like the theater, too, Alice?"

"I'm a bit too shy to perform," Alice replied, staring at her feet.

"Alice sings," Gemma said. "In church, anyway. But she's got a brilliant voice! More than that, though, she is very good with working behind the scenes. She's a writer, and she's tried her hand at being a stage manager before. Also, she loves art and is an amazing artist."

"Oh, Gemma, they don't want to hear about all of that..." Alice said quickly.

"Sure we do! We want to get to know you girls," Scotty said. He wrapped an arm around Alice's shoulder like she was his new best friend. "Everyone needs friends, right? We'll be yours."

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Gemma asked the boys.

"Us? We literally just met," Dylan replied.

"Seriously? The way you look at each other, it's like..."

"Like what?" Scotty asked.

"Like you've known each other for your entire lives." She didn't want to come out and say that it seemed like the boys were in love with each other. If she was reading too much into it, that might offend them. Still, she knew that Alice was thinking the same thing. In London, boys didn't get lost in each other's eyes and stare at each other like no one else existed in the world unless they were in love.

"I guess we're meant to be friends," Dylan said with a laugh. "You girls should come to drama club today. They'll include you in the writing process that way. The auditions come later. Are you freshmen?"

"We are."

"So am I... And you, Scotty?"

"Yep, fresh meat right here," Scotty replied with a grin. The way Dylan looked at him with a naughty smirk, Gemma suspected that he was reading more into that than she was.

"Gemma... We're going to be late," Alice said softly.

"Never fear, Ladies! We'll show you the way," Dylan said cheerfully. He offered Alice his hand to guide her up the stairs.

"Shall we?" Scotty asked grandly. He took Gemma's arm in his own and led her into the hallway of the high school.

Gemma looked at him and smiled before looking at Alice and saying, "Don't worry, Alice... This is going to be great. You'll see."

~~~*~~~

Scotty was in love. He'd just barely met the boy, but that hardly mattered. Dylan Reid was gorgeous, and he had the most mischievous, adorable smile...

"Stop it, Scotty... He's probably not even interested in boys," he scolded himself. Still, Dylan had looked at him with eyes that said otherwise. Maybe he had a chance after all.

He snapped out of his head as he slammed into someone. "Hey! I know I'm short, but I'm pretty sure I'm not invisible," the girl protested. Scotty finally noticed the girl with her red hair in pigtails and an annoyed expression on her face as she looked back up at him from the floor.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry! I'm hopeless..." Scotty said before extending his hand toward her to help her back onto her feet. "Are you okay?"

The girl examined herself and shrugged. "No harm done," she replied. "What the heck were you thinking about that had you so distracted?"

"Um... Nothing," Scotty said quickly.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Right. What's her name, Romeo?"

Scotty's eyes must have betrayed that she was onto something. She giggled. "Come on, you can tell me. I'd like to know who's responsible for me getting knocked to the ground. She must be pretty impressive," she said, winking at him.

"I'm really sorry... I'm Scotty, by the way," he said, still not answering her question.

"Kitty Quinn. I know that makes me sound like I'm either a porn star or a cartoon character, but I promise I'm neither."

Scotty laughed at the way she said that so casually. "Nice to meet you."

"So... Who was it, Scotty? Come on, I don't forget things that easily."

He sighed. "There's no girl, Kitty. Really."

"Oh! Oh, I get it! Who is he?" Now, she seemed excited. "Don't worry, Scotty. I won't tell anyone. I'm super supportive." She was practically bouncing off of the walls.

"Are you okay over there, Kitty? You're vibrating."

Kitty laughed and pulled out a soda. She began chugging it before saying, "This is to chase my breakfast, which was a chocolate bar and a package of pop-tarts."

Scotty started laughing. "Do you ever consume anything besides sugar?"

"Not if I can help it. Want some?" She pulled out a bag of candy and offered it to him.

Scotty shrugged and accepted a piece of candy. "Thanks," he said with another laugh.

"Okay, I gave you sweets... Now tell me about your sweetheart!"

"Okay, okay... Fine. His name's Dylan, and he's got amazing eyes, and I think I'm in love."

"Aw! Good for you. How long have you been together?"

"We haven't. In fact, I met him because I tripped up the stairs watching him walk by."

"Well, we're just going to have to get you boys together somehow! Oh, and maybe we should put some bubble wrap around you before you injure yourself." She smirked at him.

"You're unusual, Kitty."

"I pride myself on it. See you around, Scotty!" She hurried off, presumably toward her class, and Scotty shook his head. He decided that he kind of liked her as he smiled to himself and headed to his own classroom.

~~~*~~~

Kitty hated math class, but seeing as how she was only fourteen, she was still legally required to attend it. She sat down in her seat and began plotting ways to prank her teacher and get kicked out of class. Kitty loved playing pranks on people, and it wouldn't be the first time that one of her teachers fell victim to her antics.

She watched as someone came into class even later than she had. It was only a week into the start of school, so she was still learning names, but the teacher saved her the trouble of remembering this girl's as he looked at the note she handed to him.

"Alright... Have a seat, Lia," he said before turning back to the board and writing notes on it.

Lia sat beside Kitty, and Kitty realized how completely stunning the girl actually was. She was tall, with legs for days, and had long curly black hair that framed her face perfectly. Her skin was light brown and as smooth as silk. She was probably a little too thin, but the loose clothing she wore distracted from that.

"What's with the note?" Kitty asked curiously.

Lia looked at her in confusion. "Excuse me?" She asked.

"I'm just wondering what the note you gave to Mr. Redford said."

"I'm sorry... Who are you?"

"I'm Kitty. We've been sitting next to each other for a week. We're practically best friends, right? So, what did it say?"

Lia shook her head, but decided to answer anyway. "I need to be excused from class early. I have a doctor's appointment."

"Are you sick?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm a curious Kitty. So, is everything okay?"

"Didn't curiosity kill the cat?"

"Not this kitty. Yet, anyway." Kitty grinned at her and Lia finally dropped her guard and smiled back.

"Okay, fine. I'm not sick. I injured my foot a few months ago and I just need to follow-up and make sure it's still healing well. I'll be back for my afternoon classes."

"Oh... So-"

"Let me guess," Lia said. "You want to know how I hurt my foot."

"Are you saying that I'm predictable?"

"No, I'm just psychic. I know all before it happens," Lia replied dryly.

"Did you just crack a joke? Nice!"

"I'm a dancer. I messed up a Grand Jete because the stage was wet and I fractured my foot."

"Ouch! Sounds brutal," Kitty said with a grimace.

"Yeah, but I'm okay... I'm already training again."

"That's the spirit! Hey, if you dance, are you joining the drama club this year? I'm going to do it."

"I don't really have time-"

"Oh, come on... It'll be fun! Besides, what harm will coming to one meeting to check it out do?"

"Rehearsal and dance class take up a lot of time..."

"When is it?"

"Three times a week after school, and every morning."

"Wow. That's intense."

"Dance is my life," Lia replied with a shrug.

"Do you have to rehearse or go to class tonight?" Kitty asked.

"No, this is one of my days off."

"So come!" Kitty wasn't sure why she wanted Lia to join the club so badly. It just seemed like a good idea. The girl clearly needed to relax once in a while.

"I... I'll think about it, okay?" Lia finally replied. "I mean, I can tell that you won't take no for an answer, so..."

"You're right about that! The sign said the first meeting's in room two-twenty-two after last period. I'll see you there!" She had to stop speaking after that because Mr. Redford began teaching, but she decided that recruiting Lia to the drama club counted as her good deed for the week.

~~~*~~~

The last thing that Josh Samad had expected to do that afternoon was to join a club. Group activities weren't really his thing, although he did like theater. Maybe the drama club wouldn't be so bad, and his mother had insisted that he join an after school activity for the sake of his college applications. He was a freshman, so college was a long way off, but that didn't matter to his parents.

The girl who walked into the classroom behind him immediately drew his eye. She seemed nervous, and she took a seat by herself toward the back of the classroom. Josh continued to watch her as a hyperactive girl with her hair in pigtails bounced over to her and sat down on her right.

"Damn, she's beautiful..." A boy said casually as he sat beside Josh.

"Yeah," Josh agreed. He looked at the boy and recognized him. "You're Matt Hilton, right?" The kid had become a legend after winning a talent contest over the summer. He had a hell of a singing voice.

"The one and only," Matt replied, shaking his hand. "And you are...?"

"Josh. Josh Samad."

"What brings you to the drama club, Josh?"

"Blackmail, mostly."

Matt raised an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"My mom told me that it was this, or she was going to show the world some pretty embarrassing videos of me as a kid," Josh replied with an amused grin.

"Savage."

"Completely. My mom's hardcore when it comes to academic stuff."

"Greetings, Theater People!" A boy said grandly as he entered the classroom with another boy and two girls. "Never fear, the talent has arrived!"

"Right you are, Young Scotty! Feast your eyes upon the stars!" The other boy added.

"Oh, I love these two," one of the girls said, giggling. She had a British accent. The other girl looked just enough like the first that it was clear they were sisters. She blushed and hid her face in her hands.

Josh noticed a boy sitting in the back of the classroom with a peaceful smile on his face. He pulled out a guitar and began strumming casually, then started to sing. Everyone watched him, clearly wondering who this mysterious young man was.

"Sweet, man!" The boy called Scotty declared.

"You're really good," the boy with him added, apparently forgetting about talking himself and his friends up.

"Thanks," the guitar player said cheerfully. "Name's Ian. Ian Kennedy."

"Do I detect a slight Irish brogue?" The chatty British girl asked.

"My family's from Dublin," Ian confirmed. "We moved here when I was five, so I picked up the local accent, but sometimes the Irish slips out."

"See, Alice? We're not the only transplants. Ian, I'm Gemma, and this is my twin sister, Alice. We just moved here from London."

"Well, it's lovely ta meet ya, Gemma an' Alice," he said, easily letting his natural accent out.

"Nice to meet you, too," Alice replied softly, blushing slightly as she looked at Ian.

"And these goofs are Scotty and Dylan," Gemma said as she pointed to them.

"Greetings, thespians, and welcome to the drama club!" A dark-skinned woman greeted them cheerfully. "I'm Ms. Winters, but unless you're in my English classroom, you may call me Ebony. Now... Who's new to the school?"

Exactly nine people raised their hands. This included the stunning girl who'd caught Josh and Matt's eyes, her pigtailed friend, Scotty, Dylan, Ian, Gemma, Alice, Matt, and Josh. "Excellent! Welcome, freshmen. We're happy to have you. I recognize everyone else, so your group is going to be doing a lot together. This way, you can learn the ropes without feeling alone. We're in this together, my little ones. Today, we're breaking up into groups entirely based on grade to come up with ideas to pitch for our production this year. So, my dears, come here. Freshmen get to work with me directly. Sophomores, over here... Juniors there... And seniors... You know where you belong, darlings."

Josh and Matt exchanged a glance before shrugging and joining Ebony where she stood. "Have a seat," she told the freshmen. "We're going to go around quick and introduce ourselves. I'll start. My name is Ebony Winters, as I said, and I'm a Leo, a dreamer, a lover, an extremely dedicated theater buff, a visionary, and the most eccentric person you'll meet at this school. I spent well over a decade working on and off Broadway before transitioning to teaching the future stars of our fine city. Now... Who'd like to go next?"

"I'm Kitty!" The pigtailed girl said. "Kitty Quinn, to be more specific. I love musical theater, and I live off of sugar. Pixy stix are my favorite food group."

"Lovely!" Ebony declared. "Next?"

"I'm Lia Foster," the beautiful girl said. Josh liked the sound of her voice. It was almost silky. "I'm an elite dancer at Mandy Mason's Dance Studio. I spend almost all of my time there, but Kitty insisted that I come here today and check this club out."

"I'm certainly glad that she did! Mandy Mason is no joke. You must be quite talented. I'm very excited that you're here," Ebony said. "Now... Next?"

"I'm Scotty Kingsley," Scotty said. "I love all things artistic and enjoy being the center of attention, but I promise I'm not as big of a jerk as you might think." He flashed them all a bright smile that put Josh at ease immediately. It seemed to affect everyone else the same way.

"Welcome, Scotty," Ebony said sweetly. "You're adorable, you know. I'm sure you'll fit in wonderfully here." She looked at Dylan.

"The name's Dylan Reid. I'm a big fan of the Arts as well, and I probably am as big of a jerk as you might think, but I promise to try not to be a jerk to you all... Unless you deserve it, of course," Dylan said with an easy grin. "I like music, soccer, and playing pranks on people."

"My soulmate!" Kitty declared. "I've finally found you, after so very long!" She made kissy faces at him. "Pranks are the reason that I live and breathe," she added.

"Oh, Kitty... We're going to have fun!" Dylan replied.

"Oh, dear, I think we're in trouble," Ebony said with a laugh. "Welcome, Dylan. It's a bit rare that we get kids who play sports here, so good for you!" She looked at Gemma. "Your turn, dear."

"I'm Gemma Whitman," she said brightly. "My sister Alice and I just moved here from London. We're fraternal twins, and we're quite different so I don't think you'll have much trouble telling us apart. She's the sweet, smart one and I'm the one who's totally mental."

"Mental sounds fun," Matt said in a way that told Josh that his new friend was definitely interested in the shiny new British girl.

"Indeed it does! Sanity is highly overrated!" Ebony said. "And in the theater, we welcome a bit of madness. Now... Alice, right? It's your turn."

Alice looked incredibly nervous to have all of that attention on her. She bit her bottom lip and took a minute before she spoke softly. "My name is Alice Whitman. I enjoy writing and art, and I spend much of my free time reading... Reading is my passion," she said.

"Excellent! It's lovely to meet you, dear," Ebony said. She looked at Ian. "And you, Mr. Guitar Superstar?"

"Name's Ian," he said. "Ian Kennedy. I love to entertain, and I taught myself to play the guitar. I'm excessively Irish, but I've lived here long enough that I'm also excessively New York."

"What a fun combination!" Ebony said cheerfully. "And I heard you playing earlier. You're very talented, especially for someone who's self-taught! Now... Your turn." She looked at Matt.

"Hi," Matt said smoothly, looking straight at Gemma. "I'm Matt Hilton. I love singing more than anything in this world. I won a talent contest over the summer and I've got a little bit of a following now, which is sort of crazy, but pretty awesome."

Gemma smiled at him and said, "Have you let all of that fame go to your head?"

"Never," he replied, flashing her a smile of his own. "But if I ever do, feel free to burst my bubble."

"Sure... Will a punch to the head do? Or would you prefer a kick to the groin?"

Matt actually laughed. Brave man... I think she's serious, Josh though with a small grin.

"Surprise me, Beautiful," Matt teased her.

"Well, we have quite the charmer here, don't we?" Ebony joked. She smiled. "I saw your performance this summer, Matt. We're very lucky to have you here. Your talent needs to be nurtured, because I believe that you will go very far." She turned toward Josh. "And, finally...?"

"I'm Joshua," he replied awkwardly. He didn't offer any other information.

"I see that you're a man of mystery, Joshua," Ebony said with a laugh. "What's your last name?"

"Samad."

"Great. And what is your story, Joshua Samad?"

"I don't know," Josh replied with a shrug. "I guess I'm still working on writing it."

To his surprise, Lia looked at him, seemingly noticing him for the first time. "That's beautiful," she said softly. Then, she looked embarrassed.

"Thanks," he said, not believing that the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen thought that anything about him was beautiful.

"She's right," Ebony said. "You may be a mysterious young man, Josh, but you're also extremely deep." She smiled at them all and said, "Welcome, my little ones, to the family. Please know that if you ever need anything, you can come to me. I'm here to help, and not just with the drama club. Now, let's start discussing some ideas about what you'd all like to see our show become."

As they began discussing their ideas, Josh noticed Lia studying him. He decided that drama club might not be completely horrible after all.

"Theater changes lives," Ebony said as the meeting wrapped up. "I sincerely hope that it changes all of yours for the better." With that, she dismissed everyone.