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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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Sarah Carerra Book 2: Summer Medley

Chapter 2.05 - Wake Up!

The rest of the weekend was generally uneventful. I had strained my relationship with James, but we were still getting along. I even performed some of my songs for them, and we enjoyed each other’s company.

With the exception of Dad and Madison, who were going to accompany me to the 'Wake Up!' show, everyone was going to Disneyland on Monday. I wanted to go with them, and I hoped to catch up with them sometime later in the day because it was the last day I was going to be out of bed for nearly a week. By the time I was back on my feet after the surgery, they would be getting ready to return to Montana. But I was also supposed to meet Tracy, one of my cousins from Mom's side of the family, for lunch. We'd been trying to set up a time since the Monday after the concert.

Monday morning turned out to be hectic. I had to share a bathroom with Madison while getting ready, since we both needed to be ready early. Fortunately, she let me go first so that I would be ready when Stephanie arrived to do my makeup.

'Wake Up!' was broadcast live from 6:00 to 9:00 Pacific Time, with my interview occurring during the 8:00-8:30 timeframe. I needed to be there by 7:30 and ready to go on stage by 7:45.

After showering, I let Madison into the bathroom while I stepped back into Sarah's room to get ready. Julia had come by the day before, and together we had picked out an outfit for today. She wanted me to look more feminine, and today I was going to be wearing a dress.

The dress was pink with white vertical pinstripes. It fit close to my body and had a halter-style strap that went around my neck. The skirt was made up of three different ruffled layers, ending a few inches above my knees. A small, silver band highlighted my waist, and a pair of white open-toed heeled sandals adorned my feet.

I was in the process of pinning the wig in place when the door to Sarah's room opened, and I heard laughter. Turning to see who was there, I was happy to see Emily come in, dressed as Chloe, and followed by Madison. Before Madison had moved to Montana, the three of us would often hang out together. Madison hadn't lived close enough to come over every day, but when she did, the three of us were always together. It was nice to see the two of them together again.

"Morning, girls," I told them before picking up another pin to put in place.

"Morning, Megan," Emily said. Madison's face lit up with excitement when she saw me.

"I still can't believe this is happening," she beamed. I hadn't touched the wigs again since my ill-fated attempt to convince James I was Sarah Carerra. This was the first time she'd seen me dressed up.

I smiled back to her. I was glad that she would get the chance to step into Sarah's life, even if it was for only a brief time. My dad only had one sibling, and Madison was the closest cousin I had on his side of the family.

I stood up from the seat in front of my vanity. I was hoping to get some breakfast before Stephanie showed up.

"What are you wearing?" Madison gushed. "That dress is beautiful!"

"Get used to it," Emily stated. "She gets all the good clothes, while we get to do nothing but watch."

I laughed at her. We'd bought some really nice clothes for Emily when we purchased Chloe's wardrobe, but Emily was right. They weren't quite up to the caliber of what Julia and I had picked out for Sarah. I couldn't help that, though. We were working on completely different budgets. I vowed privately that someday I would make it up to both of them. I'd get them something extra nice.

"Come on," I said to change the subject. "Let's get some breakfast."

Mom was making waffles when we entered the kitchen. Most of the family was already up. They were going to leave right after my performance, and had already started to get ready.

"Morning, Sarah," Mom said to me, causing the few members of the family in the room to look up from their food. Unfortunately, James was one of them, and he looked up at me with a mixture of awe and regret. I smiled at him, but we didn't say anything to each other.

"I have something for you," Mom continued with a smile before stepping over to the table and picking up a small, wrapped box. "I hope you like them."

"What are they?" I asked, taking the box from her with appreciation.

"Just a small token of appreciation from your father and me," she said. "We're so proud of you, honey."

I smiled back at her before I turned my attention to the gift. I unwrapped it, and inside was a small, black jewelry box. With wonder, I slowly raised the lid, and then gasped.

"Mom! You shouldn't have!" I exclaimed at the sight of the silver drop earrings. They looked like they were expensive, and they were very beautiful.

"You deserve them, honey," she said while wrapping me in a hug. When she let go, she took the box from me. "Would you like me to put them in for you?"

"Can I?" I nearly gasped the question. It had been more than four weeks since I'd had my ears pierced, and I was still wearing the starter studs. Finally being able to wear something else would make my day even better.

"Yes," Mom replied. "I think you'll probably be okay removing the studs. Come here and let's see."

I stepped closer, and she reached up to my right earlobe and started turning the earring, much like I had been doing every day for the last four weeks. I didn't feel anything other than the post turning in my earlobe.

"How does that feel?" she asked. "Any pain or catching?"

"No," I replied. "It just feels like they’re turning around."

She repeated the steps on my left ear with the same results before pulling out the stud. She then repeated the step on my right lobe before reaching for a bottle of peroxide that was also sitting on the table. She dabbed a cotton ball with the peroxide and proceeded to clean my ears and then the earrings.

"Ready?" she asked me, and I nodded excitedly. She then reached back up to my ear and slipped the earring into the hole. I knew I was beaming when she repeated the process for the other one. Once it was in, she stepped back, smiling back at me. "Take a look," she said and pointed toward the small decorative mirror that was hanging in our hallway. I walked over and looked at my reflection.

I looked so different with the earrings dangling from my ears, and they certainly felt completely different than anything else I'd worn! But for some reason, they also made me feel more feminine, and I was happy to finally be rid of those starter studs. I turned back to Mom.

"Thank you," I told her, and hugged her with all my might.

"You're welcome, honey," she said, returning the hug. "Now come and get some breakfast."

*  *  *

An hour and a half later I was standing just off the set, waiting for my cue. Dad, Emily, and Madison had all been given seats in the audience, and I was alone. I'd done a quick sound check with the band during a commercial break, and the only thing left for me to do was walk out there for my first interview.

I was nervous. For the first time since before the concert, I was nervous.

"Please welcome Sarah Carerra!" I heard a male voice say. I knew that it was the voice of Matt Donaldson, one of the co-hosts of 'Wake Up!'.

I stepped forward and into view of the clapping studio audience and continued toward the center of the set, where a few soft chairs were arranged around a circular table. Matt and his co-host, Aubrey Smith, were already standing. Once I reached the two of them, I embraced Aubrey in a short hug before shaking hands with Matt and then moving over to the seat that I had been told to sit in. I smoothed my skirt before slowly lowering myself down and crossing my legs.

Once the clapping had died down, Aubrey was the first to speak.

"Welcome to 'Wake Up!' Sarah," she greeted me.

"Thank you," I replied to her. "I'm honored to be here."

"Let's start with the big question," Aubrey continued. "What is your life like now that you have a number one hit?"

"Oh," I said, surprised that she was asking such a big question. "Well, I'm still amazed at how popular I've become. A month ago I was a nobody, and now I'm recognized nearly everywhere I go. It's a lot to get used to."

"How did you get your break?" Matt asked me next. I smiled at him while remembering that fateful night at Johnny's party.

"My best friends Chloe and Xander dragged me to a party where a karaoke machine had been set up," I related to them. "They managed to get me up on stage where I was heard by a scout for Olympic Records." It never hurt to mention the company's name. "He persuaded me to record a demo of 'Intuition' the very next day, and I was signed within a week."

"That's pretty impressive," Aubrey stated. "Was this the same Chloe that you dedicated a song to during your concert last Saturday?"

"Yes," I said, smiling at the memory of that moment. I'd thought for sure that Emily wasn't there that night. "I've known her since I was two. We met Xander in Kindergarten. Xander isn't here today, but Chloe is in the audience." I looked out at where she was sitting and smiled at her.

"Oh!" Aubrey said in surprise. Then she turned toward the audience. "Well, we're going to have to meet her then. Chloe, could you stand up for us?"

I watched Emily sink down into her seat for a moment before Dad gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. I knew she was even more timid than I had been to get up in front of an audience, but she managed to take a moment and stand up, and some of the cameras turned to catch her.

"It's nice to meet you, Chloe," Matt said while waving at her. Chloe waved back before sitting back down.

"Did she at least get to see the replay of the concert?" Aubrey asked next.

"Chloe got to see more than that," I replied. "I didn't know it at the time, but my manager had actually flown both her and Xander to see the concert. I was so happy when I met up with them afterward."

"Aww," the crowd said together, causing me to blush slightly. I don't know if it was real or studio prompted, but it wasn't what I was expecting them to do.

"Let's talk some more about the concert and your music," Matt went on. "'Intuition' is not your song - you've already said that." He stopped talking for a moment and I nodded my assent. "But I understand that you do write some of your own music?"

"Yes," I replied. "The record company gave me 'Intuition' as a platform to launch my career. I only wrote one of the songs that I sang at the concert, 'Ever After'. Actually, Chloe and I wrote it together, which is why I wanted her there so badly to hear it. I have one other song that has been recorded, and quite a few more that I'm currently working on. I know the record company wants me to come up with quite a few for the CD."

"What do you write about?" Aubrey asked. "Anything in particular?"

"I usually write about what's in my heart at the time," I stated. "'Ever After' is a fairy tale that we came up with one afternoon. This week I've been working on a song that’s all about some of the amazing things that have happened to me over the last month. Saturday I sat down and wrote a song about my feelings for..." I blushed immediately when I realized I had almost told a nationwide audience that I had written a love song about Josh.

"Oh!" Aubrey exclaimed immediately. "So there is a relationship in Sarah's life!"

I knew I was turning red, but there wasn't much I could do to stop it.

"Is it Josh?" Matt added, increasing the burning sensation in my cheeks.

"No!" I insisted, but I'm pretty sure that my deep color betrayed my lie. Now everyone knew my feelings about Josh Holliday! I just hoped he wasn't watching.

The audience was laughing with me now, chuckling at my reaction to the question.

"How is Josh, by the way?" Matt pushed the subject even more. "We haven't had him on the program in a while."

"I don't know," I told them honestly. "I haven't seen or talked to him since the concert.”

"Men never call, do they?" Aubrey said with a straight face. Her reaction just made me blush and the audience started laughing again. The last thing in the world I wanted to do was promote the idea that Josh and I were a couple! That certainly wasn't what he wanted!

"I honestly haven't tried to call him," I told them once things had calmed down. "Josh and I are good friends, that's all."

I was afraid that they were going to take that opening and run with it some more, but I got the feeling that they could feel my distress and wanted to change the subject.

"Speaking of the concert," Matt came to my rescue. "The reviews have been really good. I think one even went as far as saying, "Sarah's ability to change her sound for each song makes her a talent among many." I hadn't read that one, but it certainly made me smile.

"I just try to sing the songs the way they feel to me," I told them. "I don't know what else to say."

Both Aubrey and Matt chuckled for a moment before moving on to the next subject.

"What does the future hold for Sarah Carerra?" Aubrey asked. "Any plans?"

This one I could answer better. I'd talked to Dad about what was planned for the summer.

"Well, I'm supposed to finish the album in the next few weeks," I told them. "I know that we plan to make a video for 'Intuition' and a second single, and then we'll be preparing for a short tour at the end of the summer. Things are just happening so fast, I sometimes don't know what all is going on."

"Your album is scheduled to go on sale July 8th, correct?" Matt asked.

"Yes," I told them. I had found out the date last week. It meant spending a lot of time in the studio finishing it after my surgery if we wanted to get it out on time. "It's entitled 'Intuition', but it will contain a number of other songs that I hope my fans will enjoy just as much."

"What are your favorite songs on the album?" Aubrey asked.

"Well, we've only got about half the songs finished," I replied. "It's kind of hard to pick favorites, because I like all of them. But if I had to choose, I would definitely have to say 'Ever After' and probably 'Love?'. But there are so many that I would mention too, like 'Open Your Eyes' and 'I Just Wanna Have Fun'."

"I don't think I've heard 'Love?'. Did you sing it at the concert?" Aubrey asked.

"No. I sat down and wrote it on Saturday..." I trailed off. How had I steered the topic back to what I had been dying to put behind me?

"Ah," Matt said. "So it is a love song about Josh Holliday."

"No!" I replied again. "I thought we already determined this!" I had started to blush again, and I knew I wasn't any more believable now then I had been earlier.

Everyone in the studio was laughing again, and all I could do is sit there in embarrassment. I couldn't believe that I had brought this on myself a second time!

"Alright," Matt said with a chuckle. "If you aren't going out with Josh Holliday, are there any other boys in your life right now?"

I smirked. Of course there were other boys in my life. There was something going on between Ethan and me, and I know that I was ogled all the time when I was out as Sarah Carerra. But there wasn't anyone that I had my eye on. Anyone other than Josh, that was.

"No," I told him. "Not at the present time."

"There you are, guys," Matt said while turning toward the camera and the studio audience. "Sarah Carerra is single. Mail your applications today."

There was some light-hearted laughter around the studio for a moment. When it calmed down, they steered the conversation in another direction.

"Seriously though," Aubrey started. "You have an excellent voice."

"Thank you," I replied when she paused for my response.

"What did you do with it before you were discovered," she continued. "Choir, theater, anything?"

I smirked again. I knew how my next answer was going to be received. "Honestly, I hadn't done anything. I was always trying to hide my voice. I was slightly ashamed of it."

"But you never had to be!" I heard someone yell from the crowd. I knew who it was.

"Thanks, Chloe," I replied through the laughter. "The truth is I never thought I was any good. I loved to sing, but other than Chloe and Xander, and a few times with my family, I didn't really let other people hear me."

"Really?" Aubrey said. "I find that hard to believe."

It was my turn to laugh now. I had been ashamed of my voice because it had never broken and lowered like the other boys. The accident had seen to that. Although if I truly was a girl my voice probably wouldn't have lowered even if I hadn't been in an accident. But either way, I had thought that I was a boy, and a nice alto is not the type of voice that boys desired.

"What about now?" Matt asked next. "Do you still feel ashamed of it?"

"Oh, no," I replied truthfully and without a doubt. "I really love my voice now. It took getting signed to a record deal and singing in a concert, but I finally see it for what it is. I hope that people will continue to like my voice, and that I get the chance to use it for a long time to come."

"So you want to continue making more albums?" Aubrey asked.

"I really hope I get the chance," I replied to her. "I've realized that I've become addicted to performing now. The adrenaline rush you get when you step out on stage is something that I had never felt before in my life. I hope that I get to experience it for many, many years."

"I hope you get that chance," Aubrey told me with sincerity. "In the meantime, perhaps we can give you a taste of that now. Are you going to perform a song for us?"

"Yeah," I replied immediately. "You guys want to hear 'Intuition' again?" I had sung this song so many times over the last month that I was starting to get bored with it, but I was contractually obligated to continue promoting it, especially while it was sitting on the top of the charts.

"That would be great," Aubrey said, and Matt was nodding his head in agreement. "Sarah Carerra, everybody."

As the cheering started again, I stood up and walked over to the area of the set where the band was waiting for me. I stepped up to my microphone, and waited for the song to begin once again. The rush was already flowing through me.

Jason started through the intro, and like clockwork I joined in right on time. Despite my feelings for this song, I still enjoyed performing it, and I made sure to give the fans tuned in to the show a great rendition. They deserved nothing less.

As I started in to the second verse, I felt my voice catch slightly. I didn't know if anyone else noticed, but something started to feel off. Halfway through the second verse, I was hit with a stabbing pain in my stomach.

Immediately, I fell to my knees, unable to continue singing through the pain. I heard a gasp run through the crowd, and the band stopped playing. Sophie was at my side nearly instantly.

"Sarah, are you okay?" she asked. The pain started to subside, and I felt myself start to blush at the embarrassment I had just caused.

"Yeah," I replied, and started to stand back up. "I'm fine."

I don't think she believed me, though. Then I felt the pain rush through my gut again.

The second time I fell to the ground, I was met with nothing but darkness.

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