Plain Fame Read Online Free Page B

out his pair of sunglasses. It didn’t make a difference that it was nighttime. He pushed them over the bridge of his nose, tossing a casual wink at her before his eyes disappeared behind the dark lenses. “You get some sleep, and I’ll stop by in the morning, Princesa.” And with that, he slipped through the door, smiling at the nurse who paused to let him pass, looking back at him with awe.
    “So your special visitor was back again, I see,” the nurse said as she walked in with two cups in her hands. She handed Amanda the smaller of the two. “Painkillers. You’ll need them. Trust me.”
    “Who is that man?” Amanda asked, obediently taking the little cup, which held two blue pills. The other cup, larger in size, was filled with water.
    The nurse shook her head. “I forgot that you wouldn’t possibly know,” she said. “That’s Alejandro Diaz, otherwise known as Viper. I’m told he’s one of the most popular music stars these days. The other nurses have been going crazy, fighting to take your case so that they could have a chance to meet him. Can’t say that I know his music personally, but I sure do know that he’s one of the most polite and gentlemanly celebrities that I’ve ever met.” She smiled at Amanda. “He’s certainly been concerned about you.” The nurse waited until Amanda swallowed the medicine before she took both cups from her. “Now get some sleep, dear. It’s going to be a long day for you tomorrow, and with any luck, the doctor will give you the green light to go home soon.”
    When the nurse left the room, Amanda turned her head to look out the window again. The lights were twinkling in the tall buildings, and she could hear the noise from the streets. New York City, she thought. She couldn’t believe that she was lying in a hospital bed in Manhattan with a broken leg. What bad luck, she told herself. But to have been hit by a famous music star who was now visiting her! That certainly offered an interesting twist to the accident.
    She had never heard of anyone named Viper. In fact, she had never heard rock music. She knew that other Amish youth liked to meet in school yards at night, listening to battery-operated music boxes or iPods, but she had never been interested in that. Her time was spent with her family, helping her mamm and daed . She liked to work in the fields, to tend to the cows, and to work the garden. She didn’t mind the lengthy church services or the singings afterward. But she was perfectly content to be at home and to follow the Ordnung. Her rumschpringe was not anything worthy of talking about, she thought. Not like some other Amish youth who went to movies or dated Mennonites or even drove cars for a year or more before deciding whether to join through baptism. Taking one’s vows was a very serious decision. It involved renouncing anything that had to do with the Englischers’ way of life and deciding to abide by the Ordnung forever.
    The medicine must have started to kick in as she began to feel drowsy. It was a sensation she was not used to, and she certainly was not comfortable with the feeling. New York City, the accident, this mysterious man . . . She let her mind wander more. She’d sort all this out in the morning, she thought. Figure out exactly what had happened and how to get home. But, for now, she wanted to sleep. Despite feeling uncomfortable because of the cast on her leg and the even more uncomfortable surroundings, she shut her eyes and allowed herself to drift into sleep.

Chapter Three
    “What do you mean you’re taking the girl back to Lee-tatz?”
    The man’s voice boomed, loud and clear, as he shouted at Alejandro. Several people glanced over their shoulders at the two men who were sitting at a large round table, enjoying lunch at an outdoor restaurant in Bryant Park. Both were dressed in suits, one in gray and the other in black. Clearly, they were businessmen and the lunch was not a social one. In fact, the men looked out of