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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from Istockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Chapter 35 - Image is Everything

We were late, but we finally arrived at the lobby of Aphrodite Image Consulting at about 10:15. Julia was standing there, waiting for us.

"Morning, Julia," Dad said happily.

"Morning, Don," Julia replied. I was afraid that she would be upset about us being late, but she didn't appear to be. Instead, she came over and gave me a small welcoming hug. It was unexpected, but it hinted at a friendship that I hadn't realized had formed between the two of us.

"I'm sorry," I told her after she had let me go. "I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and it ran late."

"It was my fault," Dad added. "I should have pushed this appointment back a bit when I found out she was going to the doctor this morning."

"That's not a problem," Julia said with a smile. "It's going to be a slow day today. I have plenty of time for my number one client."

I laughed lightly. I wasn't sure I believed her, but the sentiment was appreciated.

"This is Chloe," I said while turning toward Emily. "I think you met her a couple of weeks ago when you came by the house?"

"Oh, yes," Julia said warmly, but I still got the impression that she didn't remember Emily at all. I didn't blame her for that, because she probably had lots of clients. "It's good to see you again."

She gave Emily a quick welcoming hug too before turning to my dad. I was afraid she was going to hug him also, which wouldn't bode well for my relationship with her, but she spoke instead.

"You're welcome to join us, Don, if you can handle the stash." Her wide grin had my dad feeling uncomfortable almost immediately.

"I, uh…" he stammered. "I would like to see what you have planned."

"Okay," she said. "If you will all follow me, we can get started."

We followed Julia down the hall to the double doors that led into the stash. She pushed them open and I followed her inside.

I heard Emily gasp behind me. "Whoa," also escaped her lips a moment later. I knew what she meant. All those clothes in one room was an impressive display for any girl. A glance at Dad proved that it wasn't a universal feeling across the genders.

"Amazing, huh?" Julia said, addressing Emily this time. Emily could only nod in wonder as her eyes continued to dart around the room.

Julia led us over to a small, clear section that had two sheets draped over what appeared to be two human shaped blobs.

"I've got two different ideas for you," Julia said while stepping up to one of the sheet-covered mannequins. "If you don't like either of these, we can look around the stash for other ideas. We'll find you something that works."

"Great!" I said. I was sure the excitement in my voice was apparent to everyone in the room. I couldn't wait to see what she would suggest.

Julia promptly pulled the sheet off the first mannequin. Underneath was something that I immediately fell in love with. It was a light pink dress, and it was sparkling. The dress was cut tight, hugging the curves that the mannequin showed. It also showed more cleavage than I would have liked, or felt comfortable showing, but it was still decent for a girl my age. It didn't look obscene in any way, just provided a hint of what I had to offer. The dress also had spaghetti straps, leaving the shoulders bare. That was something I had yet to experience, and I was concerned with how much skin would be on display.

The bottom of the dress was just as interesting. The hem of the skirt fell below the left knee, but was raised to a couple of inches above the right knee. The asymmetrical design seemed to catch the eye, and the sparkles danced around in my vision. The mannequin also had on a silver pendant of some sort, a silver bracelet, and a pair of heels that matched the dress were sitting next to it.

"It's beautiful!" I said almost immediately. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to wear it!

"You're going to make me jealous," was Emily's awed response to my own description of the dress. Dad grimaced. I could see him trying to imagine me in that dress, and I was certain that it made him uncomfortable.

"This is Option 1," Julia said once she was able to determine that we would be able to hear her description, even if we weren't looking at her. "The dress is sophisticated and glamorous. It shouldn't be too sexy, thus keeping the moms happy, but it should give a glimpse of the seductive side of Sarah Carerra."

She then stepped over to the other mannequin, and I had to pull my eyes away from the dress.

"This is Option 2," she said before pulling the sheet off the second mannequin. This mannequin was dressed completely different.

The second mannequin was wearing a pair of light blue jeans. The left knee was partially destroyed, and they looked distressed in a couple of other places. They also sparkled. A number of sequins had been attached to the jeans in random places that caused the sparkles when they caught the light.

The jeans were paired with a white tank top. Sequins also dotted the tank top. There were quite a few of them around the neckline, but fewer and fewer the further down your eyes traveled. From a short distance, you could barely see the sequins. From the audience, my guess was that the jeans and tank would look like any normal clothes a girl my age might wear, but the glittering would add the glam that Julia was always adamant about having.

A pair of white tennis shoes sat next to the mannequin. A couple of small bracelets and a watch adorned the wrists, and draped around the neck was a necklace in the shape of a star. It too was glittering in the light.

I made my decision immediately. The dress was beautiful, but the jeans and tank seemed so normal, yet so glamorous. And they looked a lot more comfortable to wear! I was drawn to them in a way that the dress couldn't compete with.

"Option 2," I blurted before I had even realized that I had firmly made my decision. The smile on Julia's face seemed to indicate I had made the right decision, the relieved look on Dad's face made me chuckle, and the frown on Emily's face indicated she'd rather see me in the dress.

"But Megan," Emily whined. Then she caught herself and realized what she had said. "Sarah! I mean Sarah!"

I laughed outright. This was the first time that Emily had ever accidently called me ‘Megan’ while I was dressed as Sarah. She'd had a whole week to slip up, and hadn't done it once. I was just happy that Julia knew the truth and there was nobody else in the room. Dad, on the other hand, looked really upset.

"Sorry," she said apologetically. I smiled to let her know it wasn't a problem, and her face brightened a bit. "But you really should wear the dress. It's beautiful!"

"I agree," I told her. "But there's something about the jeans and tank that just feels right."

I wasn't sure how to describe it to her, but Julia seemed to understand what I was saying. Her nod seemed to indicate she understood.

"Let's try them on," Julia said and started to undress the mannequin. It didn't take her long to strip the clothes and she was soon pushing me into one of the changing rooms.

As I changed I discovered that a white belt with silver studs on it was included with the jeans, but stayed hidden under the tank top. Once I had the tank and jeans on, I fastened the belt, slipped on the shoes, and stepped outside to get the accessories.

"Wow," Emily said immediately. "Okay, I was wrong."

"What?" I had to ask. She wasn't making any sense.

"You were right," she explained. "You look amazing in those. I don't think the dress would compare anymore."

I slipped on the necklace, wrapped the watch around my wrist, and donned the bracelets before turning toward the mirror.

Emily was right. I did look amazing.

I'd been dressed up in a lot of amazing looking clothes since my debut as Sarah, but nothing quite like this. It was obvious to me that these were stage clothes. I'd get some odd looks if I wore them walking down the street, but these clothes would rock on stage.

I think it was the sparkles. The clothes looked so normal...until I moved. Every time I moved, a shimmer of sparkles would rush across my body as the sequins caught the light. It wasn't anything overwhelming, but it was enough to catch your eye in wonder.

"Try this on," Julia broke my reverie. She was holding a denim vest the same color as the jeans out for me to slip my arms into. Once I had it on I turned back to the mirror for a glimpse before turning back toward her for her opinion.

"No," she said. "I didn't think so."

I turned back toward the mirror, and agreed. The vest looked nice, but it diminished the look somehow. I think it was because people don't often wear vests, and it made the outfit look less normal. She helped me take it off again, and I stared into the mirror once more.

"Do you want to try on the dress?" Julia asked, but I think she already knew the answer.

"No," was my reply. "But wrap it up, I'll take it too."

The choke that my dad emitted was enough to let me know that he thought I was spending too much money.

*  *  *

We decided to stop and get some lunch before making our way over to the studio for the afternoon's recording session. Emily was unhappy to learn that we couldn’t get her home and still make it to the studio on time, and she had resigned herself to joining us. I hoped it would be more fun for her today.

Dad pulled into the parking lot of Granny's Diner. Despite the name, it was actually a pretty upscale restaurant that my family often frequented when we wanted to eat some good food without going to a high end restaurant. It was clean, the service was good, and the food was amazing.

As we stood at the entrance waiting to be seated, I realized something that I was going to have to start getting used to.

People were staring at me.

I could see confusion in some of the faces that I scanned, and I realized that the patrons of the diner had obviously seen my image somewhere, but they couldn't quite place who I was or where they'd seen me.

I was okay with that. I didn't think I was ready to be mobbed by fans. Having them still keep their distance was a good thing. But I knew it wouldn’t be long until I was recognized in public with the way my image was plastered everywhere.

"Three?" a waitress asked as she approached the hostess booth we were standing next to. Dad nodded and she grabbed three menus before leading us toward a booth along one wall, away from the rest of the people in the restaurant.

"Will this be okay?" she asked.

"This will be great," Dad told her and I was able to slip into one side of the booth before Emily, cutting me off from anyone who might figure out who I was and want to come over. Emily slid in next to me and my dad slipped into the other side of the booth.

"It won't be long now," Dad said after the waitress had taken our drink orders and we were alone.

"'Til what?" Emily asked. She apparently hadn't seen the looks that we were getting.

"'Til they start mobbing me in public," I sighed. "I saw it with Josh when we went out to dinner, but I don't think I'm ready for it to happen to me."

"Most celebrities never are," Dad said with a grimace. He knew more than I did about what to expect, and his reaction did not instill me with confidence about my future.

"At least I'll be able to turn it off," I replied.

"Amen to that," Emily said. She was looking around the restaurant, and she was seeing the stares for the first time. She looked uncomfortable.

The waitress returned with our drinks, and she kept glancing at me as she took our lunch orders. Like the others, it appeared that she was trying to figure out who I was. Eventually she left us alone while she placed our orders with the kitchen.

"Do you have a signature ready?" Dad asked me. We had talked the other day about coming up with a signature that I could easily scribble quickly, but still resembled my name. It had taken some work, but I had finally come up with something that I liked.

"Yeah," I said, and then took the pen he had proffered, along with a piece of paper he pulled out of his day planner. With soft, feminine strokes I signed my autograph on his paper so he could see it. Perhaps it took me longer than it should to write, but at least someone could read it. I always hated seeing a signature from a celebrity, and not knowing whose it was.

"Ooh," Emily said when she saw it. "You're going to have to sign one of my posters now."

"You bought posters?" I asked incredulously.

"Well yeah," she said like I had just asked a dumb question. "Once I found out who you were, it seemed like the prudent thing to do."

"I'd like you to sign the posters we'll hang in your room too," Dad interrupted. "Now that you have a signature."

"Okay," I agreed.

"I also need you to sign these," Dad said before producing an envelope and handing it to me.

I took the envelope from him with a confused look, and opened it. Inside were two debit cards. One had my name, Megan Campbell, on it. The other had Sarah's name.

"What are these?" I asked excitedly. Was he finally giving me access to my own money?

"These are debit cards for your trust account," he said. You can use either card, depending on how you are dressed, but they share a withdrawal limit of $500 per month."

500 dollars? That was it? Sure, it was a lot of money, but I knew I was making a lot more than that. Dad seemed to understand the look that must have crossed my face, because he chuckled slightly before speaking again.

"It's a start, Sarah," he said. "If you prove you can be responsible with this amount, we'll raise your limit, okay?"

That brightened my day. "Okay," I agreed with a smile. I guess I could see it from his side; he wouldn't want me to blow it all on clothes or something like that. I'd have to think about my earnings for a while to appreciate what they meant before I'd get to spend them.

I picked up the pen and carefully signed both cards. Then I pulled my wallet out of my purse and placed the cards into the previously unused slots next to my license. I also mentally thanked him for getting two different designs on the cards to help me tell them apart easily. It would be really bad if I tried to use the Sarah card while dressed as Megan, and a lot worse if I used the Megan card while dressed as Sarah.

"We also need to go down and get you a new license," he continued. "I talked with a friend of mine and he said he would help us keep it discreet."

"Okay," I said excitedly. It would be nice to have real identification, instead of a license that still said Brett on it. While Dad had changed my name, we still hadn't gone down to update my license.

"We'll go down and see him on Monday," Dad explained. "You should be fine without it until then. My friend also said he'd be able to get your other documents updated. Dr. Holbrook provided me with a letter that will allow us to change both your birth certificate and your driver’s license to include your new name and gender, since you are legally female. We just need to make it official. My friend will also help us get some identification for Sarah, since she is a legal alias of Megan."

"Wow!" I said. I hadn't realized that I legally should be female, but it did make sense. I'd probably pass most gender tests thrown at me if someone looked at my medical history and tried to determine if I was female, but the realization that it was true had never occurred to me before.

The waitress returned with our food at that moment, interrupting any further talk on the subject. Instead, we all dug into our delicious meals and talked about more mundane stuff. I was excited about the prospect of legally becoming female, but the thought of undergoing surgery to make my body match my legal identity was still a scary proposition. I knew I needed it, and I even wanted it, but it still scared me.

When we were done eating and the waitress brought the bill, I was able to snatch it up before my dad could. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but I just smiled back at him.

"They want to know who I am, anyway," I said with a laugh as I wrote a large tip amount onto the receipt and handed it back to the waitress with my new debit card. She just chuckled at my statement, obviously realizing that her looks, and those of the other patrons, hadn't been as discreet as she thought.

She left to run the card, but returned to our table quickly.

"Thank you for coming in, Ms. Carerra," she said, smiling broadly as she handed the card and my receipt back to me. "We don't see many celebrities in here, and it's nice to have some notoriety with the other patrons."

I laughed lightly at her words, but smiled back. "I've been coming here with my family for years," I told her. "I'm not going to stop just because I've sung a few songs."

She laughed with me for a moment before speaking again. "Well, it was nice to meet you, anyway. Come back anytime."

She walked back toward the counter while Dad, Emily, and I stood up and headed for the door. As we approached, the waitress looked up with another smile.

"Thank you for coming in, Sarah Carerra," she said loud enough for all the patrons to hear. She obviously was letting everyone else know who I was at the same time she was building notoriety for her restaurant as a place that celebrities came.

I smiled back, and waved to everyone in the place before stepping through the door to the outside.

*  *  *

"That's a wrap!" Scott said over the intercom into the recording studio later that evening. "I think we're about as ready as we can be for tomorrow. Thank you, everyone."

I returned the smile that he was beaming in through the window to the control room before turning to the other people in the studio.

"Thanks, everybody," I said. "I couldn't do this without you guys. We're going to rock."

"It's our pleasure," Jason said from where he was starting to break down his guitar equipment. "Without you, we'd be stuck in the studio forever."

I laughed at his lame joke. I was sure they would have found their break with someone if I hadn't come along. There was even still a chance that they could leave me.

"Good work, everybody," Scott said after stepping into the studio. "The bus will be here at nine, so you have a few hours of free time."

"Bus?" I asked. I hadn't heard anything about a bus.

Stacy chuckled from behind me. "Only the star of the show travels first class, Sarah," he said. "The rest of us are traveling by bus."

"Oh," I replied. I hadn't thought about how they were going to get to Salt Lake City. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Jason said with his own chuckle. "We've done it before, I'm sure we'll do it again. It isn't all that bad, really. We can sleep the whole way and wake up rested in the morning."

The other guys were nodding at Jason's description, but the girls looked less than pleased at the prospect of spending the night on a bus.

"I'm sorry," I repeated, this time to the girls. They both gave me little smiles, but I could tell they were disappointed.

"They'll be well taken care of, Sarah," Scott interrupted. "I promise."

Scott had never lied to me, and he looked sincere, but I still felt bad for the girls.

"Ready to go?" Dad interrupted my thoughts. I looked around the room. Everybody was packing up their things, and nobody looked too upset about their travel arrangements. The girls might not be happy with it, but they weren't that upset either.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I guess so."

I turned back to the band. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, Sarah," Sophie said, followed by a number of farewells from the other people in the room.

"Bye, Sarah," Scott said as I turned back toward him and my dad. He then surprised me by giving me a hug. I would have been freaked out if it was anything other than the quick friendly hug he gave me. "I wish I could be there tomorrow. You're an amazing singer, and I'm glad that I have the opportunity to work with you."

"Thank you, Scott," I replied smiling. "I couldn't have done this without you."

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