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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 38 - The Sound of Music

Disembarking was much better than boarding. I think we were off the plane and at the baggage claim before the coach passengers were even finished standing up. Amanda and I were the only people in our group who had checked bags, but Dad and Josh graciously stepped forward to retrieve them while Amanda and I stood close to the door where we had a limo waiting to whisk us away to the venue. The two of us were less than inconspicuous, but thankfully nobody approached us.

Once Dad had returned with my bag and Josh had returned with Amanda's, we quickly stepped outside and into the waiting limo. The quiet atmosphere was relaxing.

We talked lightly during the drive, but Josh and I avoided any talk about our feelings for one another. He was still a nice guy, and my heart ached at the loss of someone I was only starting to have feelings for.

After about 20-25 minutes we pulled into the venue. The Usana Amphitheater turned out to be an outdoor amphitheater on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. The limo pulled into a gated area and stopped in front of a building behind the actual amphitheater. We exited the car just in time for a man wearing a Usana shirt to exit the building and approach us. He introduced himself as Jack the show coordinator before leading us into the building and showing us where our dressing rooms would be.

"Wow," Amanda said from behind me when I entered my assigned dressing room. She had decided to follow me instead of Josh.

The room was pink and very feminine. I wondered if there were ever any male artists who had been forced to suffer by being placed in this room. To me, it was perfect.

"This is much better than the one they usually give Josh," Amanda supplied a second later. "His is more...neutral."

"It is really nice," I said with a smile. In truth, it was about the best I could ask for in my first dressing room. There was a small bathroom off to one side, a nice couch against one wall facing a large flat-screen TV, and a table on the other side of the room where it looked like they were going to provide me with food later in the evening. The table was barren for the time being, reminding me that I hadn't had any lunch yet.

"Mom's bringing sandwiches," Amanda said, either reading my mind or understanding what I was looking at. "She should be here soon. I'm pretty sure she was bringing enough for you and Don, too."

"That would be great," I turned toward her and gave her a smile. "I'm starving."

"Not what you expected to be eating as a star, is it?" she asked with a bit of humor in her voice.

I laughed at her words. There had been plenty of those moments today: changing in the car, walking into the airport from the parking structure, and now, eating sandwiches made by Josh and Amanda's mom. It definitely wasn't how I expected my first concert to be, but it felt right for some reason. I didn't want the attention and the glamour that Josh seemed to revel in at times. These everyday occurrences would help me to remember who I really was when I was dressed up as Sarah Carerra.

"No," I replied to Amanda's question. "But I wouldn't want it any other way."

"Really?" she asked in a tone that seemed to indicate she thought I had lost my mind. I laughed again. Josh had an amazing little sister.

Dad stepped into the room at that point, and I saw him shudder slightly at the decorations. "Nice room," he said, but I knew he didn't mean it. Just like at Aphrodite Image Consulting, or even Sarah's room at home, he looked uncomfortable. He was also holding my baby.

"It's perfect," I replied, taking the guitar case from him and setting it down on the couch and peeking inside to make sure it was okay. Dad hadn't wanted to fly with my guitar, so he had it hitch a ride on the bus. I was just happy that it was safe and sound.

He nodded at my statement, but it didn't help change the look on his face at all.

"Come on," he said. "Josh's mom is here, and she brought sandwiches for lunch."

He then turned and walked out of the room, and Amanda and I followed him. Amanda was giddy once again, and it took me a second to realize she hadn't seen her mom in over a week. I'd probably be just as excited to see my mom after that amount of time away from her.

Dad led us down the hall in the opposite direction of where we entered the building, and we eventually reached a set of double doors at the end. Dad opened one of the doors and held it open for Amanda and me. On the other side was a covered walkway that led to an entrance at the back of the amphitheater.

"That is where you'll go to enter the stage," Dad said while pointing out the entrance at the end of the walkway. "We'll show you where to go after lunch. For now, hop on."

He then stepped into a golf cart driven by Jack. Amanda and I were forced to sit on the back seat as he took off, drove to the end of the walkway, turned the opposite way from the amphitheater, and through a gate in a fence.

On the other side was the concession area. Shops and tents were being set up for the night's concert as we passed through the area and into the seating on the other side. Jack continued to drive a short way until we reached a small section that was separated from the rest of the seating areas. There were a few small tables in this section and a couple of rows of seats. One of the tables had a big umbrella in the middle providing shade for Josh and a woman who I assumed was his mother.

The golf cart came to a stop and Dad and I stepped off while Amanda jumped off and ran for the woman, who engulfed her in a hug.

"Welcome home, Amanda," the woman said. "Did you have a fun time?"

"Yes!" she said excitedly before turning to me. Before she had a chance to speak, Josh laid a hand on her shoulder, and she let him do the introductions.

"Mom," Josh said before gesturing my way. "This is Sarah Carerra. Sarah, this is my mom."

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Josh's mom said before wrapping me in a friendly hug. "Josh has told us so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Holliday," I replied when she had let me go.

"Please, call me Annie," she said with a smile. "Mrs. Holliday sounds too formal."

"It's nice to meet you then, Annie," I replied, returning her smile. She then turned toward my dad.

"Don, what brings you out this way?" she asked curiously. Apparently, most pop stars didn't travel with their agents. But my agent was special to me, and people were going to have to get used to him being around. Besides, he was also my manager, something he had never fully been for any of his other clients. He might help guide their careers, but there was usually another person from his company involved during the day-to-day activities. He held that role for me.

"I'm just here to see this talented young girl’s first show," he said with a smile that seemed slightly odd for an agent to give to one of his artists. That's because it was the type of smile that a dad would give to his daughter if he was in this position. I smiled back. "Besides, I am her manager too."

Josh's mother caught the smile, and she had an odd look on her face. I didn't know what she was thinking, but it didn't look like happy thoughts.

"I've known Don and his family all my life," I tried to explain. "He, Linda, and my parents are about as close as anyone can get to one another. He's like a dad to me."

"Oh," Annie replied. Relief flashed through her eyes at my explanation. It appeared she was assuming the worst. "Well, it's nice to see you again."

"It's good to be here," he told her. "Linda will be flying in with my son Austin later this evening, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you again too."

"That would be lovely," Annie said, her face brightening a bit at that thought. I had no idea my parents and Josh's parents were friends. "Don't you have two boys?" Annie asked a moment later.

"No," Dad quickly replied. "A boy and a girl. Megan is my daughter's name."

I smiled again at my dad's words while Amanda leaned over to her mother.

"She's the one Josh has the hots for now," she whispered, but I was certain that everyone heard her anyway. Amanda blushed after seeing the shock on Josh's face, the confusion on her mother's face, the frown on my face, and the humorous grin on my dad's. She obviously hadn't meant for us to hear her statement.

"Is she not coming?" Annie asked my dad, breaking the short silence we had fallen into.

"I'm afraid not," Dad replied. "She had other commitments this evening."

"That's too bad," Josh's mom stated before turning back to the table. "Please, sit down and have a sandwich. You guys must be starved."

I grinned and we sat down to eat.

Josh's family was really cool, at least those members whom I had met. They seemed really down to earth, and Josh seemed different when he was around them. He seemed relaxed and more down to earth, and less likely to forget his humble beginnings.

Not long after we started eating, the music started up. Josh's band was up on the stage to start the sound checks for tonight. They played through a couple of songs before Jack returned with the golf cart to collect Josh. A few minutes later Josh was on stage with his band performing a couple more songs to help calibrate the settings they would need to use for tonight's performance.

He looked amazing up there. I once again found myself looking at him dreamily. He seemed like even another person while on stage. I'd seen the stuck up Hollywood side of him, the laid back real person, and now I was seeing the performer for the first time. I couldn't believe how each side of his personality seemed to be so different from the others. He truly was amazing.

After Josh had completed his sound check, his band started breaking down their equipment, and I saw Pop Fly moving their things out onto the stage. I smiled at the sight of the three buff guys moving their trunks out on stage to replace the ones Josh's band were packing away.

Josh joined us again a few minutes later, and I couldn't help but blush deeply when he looked straight at me and asked, "What did you think?"

"You were amazing," I finally found my voice and supplied him with an answer. I couldn't believe that I was starting to crush harder on him now! He was lost to Sarah! He only had eyes for Megan, the real me! The despair brought on by that thought was nearly as overwhelming as the feelings of admiration and...whatever else I was feeling!

Before we were able to say anything else to each other, Dad interrupted the moment.

"Come on, Sarah," he said. "Jack and I will show you around backstage before your sound check."

"Okay," I said with a tinge of regret. I didn't really want to leave Josh again, but I knew that I had things to do if we were going to be ready for tonight. I stepped into the golf cart and took a seat, and Jack drove us back through the concession area to the end of the covered walkway we had seen earlier.

"Right this way, Ms. Carerra," he said while exiting the cart and walking toward an open door nearby. I got out and followed him, with Dad right behind me.

On the other side of the door was a backstage area. There were many props and other things stored throughout, but Jack led us quickly through the clutter to where we could enter the stage from the right.

"Hi girls!" I said excitedly when I saw Sophie and Holly sitting on a small couch off stage. It looked like they were waiting for their turn to join in on the sound check.

"Hi, Sarah," Sophie said with a smile. Holly also gave me a "Hi."

"How was the trip?" I asked them. I hoped riding on the bus wasn't too bad.

"It was great!" Holly said immediately. "The guys were really fun, and sleeping on the bus wasn't that bad. It was actually a lot of fun!"

"That's good," I said and smiled at them. "I was worried about the two of you."

"Aww," Holly continued. "Thanks for the thought at least, but everything turned out fine."

"Sarah!" I heard Stacy yell from the stage where he was setting up his drums. "You made it!"

He stood up, and I noticed that the rest of the band stopped setting up their equipment and turned toward where I was standing. Each of them had a happy grin on their faces.

"Hi guys," I yelled back. "All set for tonight?"

"Almost," Jason said, walking closer to where I was standing. "We were about to start sound checks, and then we'll be ready. How are you holding up?"

"Pretty good, so far," I said with a chuckle. "I don't think I'm really going to be nervous until this place is crowded."

He chuckled with me. "Don't worry, Sarah. You're a natural performer, you'll do alright."

"Thanks, Jason," I smiled back at him. "I just hope you're right."

"I am," he said confidently. "Just ask the others. I'm always right."

There were a chorus of groans and sighs from the other two band members, which had the girls and me giggling. Jason just stood there with a large smile on his face.

"Ok, ok," I said with a last laugh. "You guys certainly are making this fun."

"Well, it should be fun," Jason said again. "Just wait, you'll learn."

"Are you guys ready?" someone asked from nearby. I turned and there was a heavyset man standing there looking at us. He didn't look happy with our delay.

"One second, Henry," Jason said and then with a small grin turned back to finish setting up his equipment.

"Good," Henry said. "We're on a timetable here, you know,"

"We know," Jason shot back. "Heaven forbid we get to welcome Sarah to your glorious stage."

Everyone but Henry chuckled at Jason's quip. Henry turned red with anger before turning and walking out of sight into the backstage area.

"Who was that?" I asked after he had left.

"Henry something, I forget his last name," Stacy said from where he was attaching his cymbals. "He's our communication with Jose, the sound technician for tonight. Jose is cool, but Henry needs to be taken down a peg."

"Oh," I replied.

"Are you guys all set?" Jason asked a moment later.

"Yeah," Stacy said before playing a beat on his drums, followed by a similar response from Connor.

"Good," Jason stated. "'Intuition' on 3...1, 2, 3."

I stood there and watched the three of them playing my song for a moment. They were like a well oiled machine. Right off the top they were in sync and on beat. Not a mistake to be heard.

"Sarah!" I heard my dad yell over the noise behind me about halfway through the song. I turned to look for him. He was standing so that he was half hidden behind the wall to the backstage area. "Come here, I've got something for you."

I walked over to him and he stepped back behind the wall. I followed him around the corner, Sophie and Holly right behind me. They seemed to be just as curious as I was.

Dad was holding the pole of a white microphone stand. He moved it around slightly, and it started to shimmer much like my stage outfit did. Attached to the pole was a wireless microphone, also white, and also shimmering. Dad lifted it off the stand and handed it to me. It had 'Sarah Carerra' stenciled on the side in a flowing cursive font.

"Wow," I said, taking the microphone from him and admiring it up close.

"This is yours," he said. "We'll have it everywhere you perform, waiting for you to use."

"It's beautiful, Don," I said and wrapped him in a hug. He hugged me back, but he was grimacing when we let go.

"What?" I asked before realizing that Sophie and Holly were still standing behind me. I mentally kicked myself in the head. This wasn't the type of hug that I should have been giving my agent.

I turned to them, the worry on their faces was apparent. "I've known Don my whole life," I explained for the second time that day. "Hugging him is like hugging my own dad."

"Oh," Sophie said, but she still looked concerned. I would have to be careful what I did or said around Dad for a while.

"Sarah! Girls! Where are you?" Stacy yelled from the stage. I stepped back around the wall so that he could see me. "Come on, it's time for vocals," he said.

"Okay," I replied and turned back to the small group. They all smiled, and I figured we were good, for now. I returned their smile and Dad handed me the microphone and stand.

I carried it with me as we walked out onto the stage, and I placed it down next to where Josh's microphone was.

"'Intuition' and then 'Open Your Eyes', okay?" Jason asked me and I nodded. He then started right in on his guitar.

It was funny. I wasn't performing for anyone except the small audience sitting in Josh's VIP section. But it felt like one of the most important performances of my life. Only Dad and the band had heard me sing in person before. Josh hadn't. And that was the most important part. He wouldn't be out there to see me sing later this evening, so I wanted him to enjoy this sound check like it was a concert.

I wanted him to know what he would be missing.

I sang through 'Intuition' to the best of my ability. I could see Josh and his family out in the VIP area for now, but it looked like the VIP area would be hard to spot once this place was packed. At least I now knew where to look to find my family later this evening.

Once we were done with 'Intuition' we started right in on 'Open Your Eyes'. I hadn't picked the songs for this sound check, but this one couldn't have been more perfect. Standing up there and singing about trying to make a boy notice me felt like it was tailor made for my present circumstance. Josh had eyes for another girl, and this song seemed to fit every emotion that I was feeling about that knowledge. If only he would 'see me' like the song suggested he should.

The song came to an end, and the rush overwhelmed me again. I loved this feeling, and I would do anything to have it continue.

"Good job, everyone," I said, turning toward the rest of the people on stage with me. They were more than I could have hoped for. With them at my back, I was going to rock.

Henry was standing at the edge of the stage, and he didn't look pleased.

"I have been informed," he said in a tone that indicated he really didn't care. "That there is another instrument that needs to be checked." He looked down at his clipboard. "Another guitar."

Dad came around from backstage and held up my guitar case.

"Oh," I said in surprise. I had completely forgotten about it. 'Ever After' was on the set list for tonight, and that was one of two songs that I played lead guitar for. Unfortunately, ‘Enchanted Forest’ was cut from the set list, and I was only going to get to play the instrument once tonight. I walked over to Dad and took the case from him, and set it down in a clear area on the side of the stage. I lifted the black instrument from its case and slipped the strap around my neck.

"Your plug is located next to the microphone area," Henry stated and then led me back to where my microphone was. He reached down and lifted a small access plate and then pulled a cord out and handed it to me. I quickly plugged it into the jack on my guitar.

"No vocals, just play," Henry droned before he exited the stage the way he had came.

"Okay," I replied, even though he was no longer there. I turned to Jason and the band instead. "'Ever After' then," I said before turning back toward the seats and strumming my guitar.

The song felt empty without the words, but the tone sounded really good. Purchasing an acoustic-electric guitar had certainly been a good idea.

Even if I hadn't sung any words, I still felt the same rush after we finished performing the song. It was going to be a wonderful evening.

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