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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 2.12 - Album Art

I awoke the next morning excited to step into Sarah's shoes once again. I knew that Scott and Dad had hired a creative director to help us find the right image for the album, and I couldn't wait to find out what ideas he had.

I got up and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. Once I was undressed, I stepped in front of the mirror.

I was still amazed at how great I looked. Not only did I look beautiful, but I completely looked like a girl now! There was still some bruising around the surgical site, and it was a little tender when I used the restroom, but there was no denying what I was now.

Without a doubt, I was a girl. I don’t think there was a single person in the world who would look at me and think otherwise. The surgeon had done a masterful job, and I had absolutely no regrets about going through with the surgery. I was finally complete. I was finally the person I was meant to be.

Once I was done with my shower I headed for Sarah’s room to get dressed and put on my makeup. Then I pinned my wig in place and went to eat some breakfast. While I ate my cereal, I wished that I had someone to go to the photo shoot with me. Sure, Dad would be there, but that wasn't the same. Emily was working again, and Ethan was still at that stupid summer camp that he had run off to. I hoped that he was okay. I knew that he had gone there to figure out what was going on between us. That was something that I hadn't had the time, or the desire, to figure out myself.

I didn't know what my kiss had meant. I certainly didn't feel like I was ready to run off and marry him. But something was certainly different between us. That was inevitable; we had been normal teenage best friends, until one day we were told that anatomically I was a girl. Sure, it wasn't something I would have been able to avoid, but it was still a huge surprise to both of us.

Now we had to deal with all of that. But I had made it even worse by kissing him. I didn't know what that kiss meant. I thought that my heart belonged to Josh right now, but there was more to the kiss I had given Ethan than just a friendly kiss on the cheek. Did I have feelings for him or was it something more like sisterly love?

A knock on our front door kept me from pondering the answer to that question. I wasn't sure who was there, but I knew that answering it would be a bad idea while I was dressed as Sarah. Fortunately, Dad came out of his office and answered it for me. It turned out that I didn't have anything to worry about.

"Morning, Sarah," Julia said brightly when she entered the kitchen. I hadn't seen Julia for a while, and I smiled at her while putting my spoon down. Then I stood up and gave her a hug. I did the same thing for Stephanie who had followed her into the room.

"Morning," I finally replied. "What are you two doing here this morning? I thought we would be meeting up at the shoot."

"We'll be there," Julia replied. "But we have some exciting things to try this morning. Are you done eating?"

I looked back at my cereal bowl. It was nearly empty.

"Yeah," I replied. "Just let me clean up quickly."

They smiled and watched as I took the bowl over to the sink and washed it out before placing it in the dishwasher. Then I led them down the hall to Sarah's room.

"First of all, take off that wig," Julia said. "It's time to show the world a different look. You're a young woman now, and we want to show the world that you can handle the pressure that is being thrown at you, especially after last Saturday. Okay?"

"Okay," I replied and started unpinning the wig. I was really curious about what she had planned. It definitely wasn't what I had been expecting this morning. Once I had the wig off, I opened the armoire and placed it back on its foam head before stepping back and letting Julia have a look inside.

She started perusing the contents, looking at each wig that we had purchased to find the right one to fit her desired image. Eventually, she pulled one out and handed it to me.

"Put this on," she said. I took the wig from her and placed it on my head before turning back to where I had put the pins. Once the new wig was pinned in place, I stepped over to the mirror.

I looked totally different. The wig that Julia had selected was the same color as the one that I had been wearing up to this point. But instead of the soft curls and waves that had flowed down my back, I now had long, straight hair. I looked fantastic!

I turned back to Julia to allow her to see what I looked like. She smiled at my image. "That's the one," she said. "Now sit down and let Stephanie do her thing."

I sat down on the seat in front of my vanity, and let Stephanie get to work. She didn't tell me what she was doing, but I watched mesmerized as she did my makeup subtlety different than what she had been doing. It didn't take much, but I looked slightly older than I had the last time she had done my makeup.

When the two of them were done with me, I looked gorgeous! I couldn't believe what a different hairstyle and makeup could do!

"Perfect," Julia declared. "You still look young, but you look more mature now. Come on, let's show your dad."

I stood up and followed Julia out of Sarah's room. I knew Dad was in his office, but we were intercepted by Austin in the hallway before we got there.

"Whoa!" he said when he saw me.

"Morning, Austin," I told him. "Do you like my new look?"

Austin gave me a look that I never thought that I would see from him. He was checking me out! He was my brother, for crying out loud! I frowned, and he noticed immediately.

"I'm sorry, Megan," he said. I think he unconsciously used my real name to separate the thoughts that he'd been having from his sister. I guess everybody does love Sarah Carerra. "It's just...you're so pretty!"

That turned my frown upside down. I smiled back at him, happy that he wasn't looking at me the way he had been anymore. I knew I was attractive, and this new wig and makeup only emphasized those features, but it still felt weird to have guys staring at me, especially when it was my brother.

Dad stepped out of his office and into the hallway at that point, and he gave me a completely different look. He grimaced. I instantly laughed at his reaction. I knew that he saw how much more attractive I was now, and I knew that he was thinking he would have to protect me that much more.

"You've outdone yourself again, Julia," Dad said, but he never took his eyes off me. "Sarah, you look fantastic! Your fans are going to eat this new look up."

"Thanks, Dad," I replied, and I could feel myself blushing again.

"Shall we head out?" he asked next. I was ready if Julia and Stephanie were done with my makeover. They were both nodding, so I did too.

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It took us about an hour to get to our destination. When we pulled up to a beach, I was worried about what they were going to try to get me to wear. I definitely didn't want to pose in a bikini for my album cover.

As I stepped out of the car, I started to feel nervous. It looked like there was an area cordoned off for the shoot, but there were still many people milling about preparing for a day at the beach. I hadn't really been seen in public since the press conference, and this photo shoot might give me more exposure than I was ready for.

"It'll be okay, Sarah," Dad said from beside me as we walked. I smiled up at him. I truly was glad that he was my agent. Having a friendly face at all of my engagements was a blessing.

"I know," I replied. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to be nervous about it."

He chuckled at my reply, and we continued to walk the few steps toward the cordoned off area at the end of the parking lot. I noticed that they even had a police car parked nearby. Was I that important that we had the police at my photo shoot?

I saw a number of people watching us as we walked, and I began to worry that someone would recognize me. My only hope that I could make it to safety without anyone approaching me was the fact that I had a different hairstyle. But alas, it wasn't enough.

"Sarah Carerra!" I heard someone scream, and I turned to look. There was a young girl pointing at me from the sand. A number of other girls nearby also turned to look at me. I put a smile on my face and waved at them, causing the girls to squeal and look around for their parents. By the time that it took them to find their parents, Dad and I had stepped inside the cordoned off area. I sighed in relief.

Dad pointed to a group of people, and then steered me toward them. I noticed that Max was among them. Max was my marketing agent with the record company, and I knew that he would be involved in all of the art decisions surrounding my album.

"Sarah!" Max greeted me as we approached. We shook hands, and then he turned toward the group to start the introductions.

"Sarah, this is Jay Eon, your creative director for today," he said while pointing toward a short man who looked very athletic. I wouldn't be surprised if he ran marathons when he wasn't directing photo shoots.

"Pleased to meet you," I told Jay and took his outstretched hand.

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Carerra," he replied.

Max then turned toward the other guy who had been standing nearby. I smiled immediately at him. "Sarah, I believe you've met your photographer already?"

"Yes," I replied. "It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Gunthrie."

"Please," he said with a wide grin. "Call me Greg. It will be my honor to photograph you this morning, Sarah."

Greg Gunthrie had been the photographer on my second photo shoot, the shoot where we had made the posters and other marketing material to start my career. The shoot had started out terribly, with Greg yelling at everyone to get everything done. But after a while, he realized that he could get more out of me by being nice, and had shown that his mean side was just an act. He really had turned out to be a good guy, and a great photographer.

"Now that everyone has met," Max stated. "Let's get you off to wardrobe. We've got two locations that we are going to be shooting at today, so we need to get moving."

"Okay," I replied. I could see Julia waving at me from a large tent. I gave the guys that I had been talking to a smile and then walked over to Julia.

"Jay wants us to try two different concepts today," Julia said once she had me inside the tent. There were all kinds of clothes hanging around. I smirked at the thought of someone dragging all of these clothes up here for me. "He wants us to try a glam shot, and then we'll be doing some simple shots at the other location. I'm not sure that I like the idea of no glam for your album cover, but he thinks that you'll be able to provide the glam yourself. Either way, start with that outfit." She pointed to a small rack that had some clothes hanging from it and some shoes on the ground beside it. "I'll be outside when you are dressed."

"Okay," I said and stepped over to the clothes. Julia stepped outside the tent and pulled on a string that had been holding up a strip of vinyl that acted as a door, causing it to fall over the opening and give me some privacy.

The outfit she had selected consisted of a white skirt that looked like it would be nearly see through, a pink tank top that had a number of sequins that made it shimmer much like the one I had worn at my first concert, a wide silver belt that looked like it was studded with diamonds all the way around, and a single, simple bracelet that contained a small ring of diamonds around the entire circumference. I assumed that all of the gems were fakes, but I knew I had to be careful in case they weren't.

I undressed and quickly donned the items that Julia had picked out for me. Once I had everything on, I turned to the sandals that had also been left nearby. They were simple, white with a pink strap that tied around my ankle, and thankfully without a heel. I certainly didn't want to be walking around the beach in heels, so I was grateful for that.

There was a full-length mirror in the tent, and I stepped over to it to get a look at myself. Once again Julia had done a fantastic job in clothing me. I thought I looked a little younger in the outfit than I had after my makeover this morning, but not by much. The skirt was flimsy, but it wasn't see-through at all. It had enough layers to make it light and airy, causing it to flow around me as I walked. The rest of the outfit complemented the skirt perfectly.

I stepped back outside to get her approval.

"Turn around for me," she said and twirled her fingers in a circle. I complied and slowly turned to let her see everything. "No, that isn't quite right. Come back inside."

I followed her back in, and she asked me take off the tank top and sandals and replace them with similar items in yellow.

"Okay, that looks good," she finally said. "Stephanie will touch up your makeup and then you’re free to start shooting."

"Thanks, Julia," I told her. "You have a great eye for fashion. I know that I wouldn’t be able to pick something like this out."

She laughed, before smiling at me. "You're doing pretty well yourself, Sarah. Don't sell yourself short. You've certainly come far from that tomboy I met the first day."

I smiled back at her quip. I enjoyed these clothes far more than I did my old boys clothes that she was referring to.

Once Stephanie had retouched my makeup, not making any changes to what she had done that morning, I walked back over to where Dad was still talking to Max and the other guys.

"All set?" Jay asked. I nodded. "Good, we're going to start down on the beach. We have a small area set aside where we can get some good shots with the beach, the ocean, and a small rock outcropping. Follow me."

He started walking down a small path that led from the parking lot a short way into the sand. There the cordoned area ended, but I saw a taped off area further down the beach with some camera equipment and lights set up. Unfortunately, there were also a number of families gathered in the area in between.

"Walk all the way to the area we have roped off," Max said to me when it became apparent that there were fans waiting for me on the beach. "Then you can have a few minutes with your fans before we start taking photos. But be careful, because we don't want to have to retouch your makeup or anything. Smile, sign a few autographs, shake a few hands, and then we'll get to work."

"Okay," I replied.

It didn't take us long to get into the crowd, and it wasn't much longer after that before some of the girls I had seen earlier had gathered the courage to walk beside me as I continued my trek to the photo area. I smiled at them, and they squealed again, but kept walking beside me.

"Hi," I said to them, causing another squeal from the girls. They didn't look like they could be any older than Anna, who was 10. Finally, after some of them had calmed down, I got some shy "Hi's" back. They looked like they were having a lot of fun walking next to me, so I let them follow us all the way to the photo area. By the time we had arrived, we had picked up two more girls. I turned and looked back at everyone who was following behind me. It looked like most of the girls' mothers or fathers were following, watching them. There were even a few older boys and girls who were interested in following me, but either they were embarrassed or they didn't have the courage to walk next to me.

"Who wants a picture?" I asked the girls who had been walking beside me. All of them started raising their hands and trying to get my attention. I chuckled at their reactions, but got them gathered around me so that we could all get in the shot. I watched many parents scramble to get their cameras out while we got into position. A few of the other girls who had been following even scrambled to find a place in the shot. Eventually, there were eight girls surrounding me when their parents started snapping pictures.

After they were done, I made sure to shake each girl’s hand and asked each her name. I couldn't remember any of their names after we were done, but they all had smiles on their faces when I ducked under the tape to begin my work for the day.

"Alright everyone," I heard Max say behind me. "We have a lot of work to do today. Please leave the area."

"No," I said loudly to the gathered crowd. Max turned toward me with a shocked and unhappy look on his face. "They can stay, as long as they don’t interfere" I said calmly, gaining another glare from him. "I mean, we're doing still shots. I don't mind if they watch."

"You heard her," Max told the assembled crowd, but he raised his hands in a gesture of defeat that seemed to say, "What am I going to do?"

I turned back to where Greg and Jay were adjusting the settings on their equipment. After a moment, Jay turned toward me.

"Okay, Sarah," he said. "We're looking for glamour shots on the beach. Do you know what I mean?"

"Yes," I replied. I'd been reading plenty of women's magazines with Emily over the years. I knew what he was looking for.

"Alright," he continued. "Remember, the title of the album is 'Intuition'. We're trying to capture that in a photo."

We then started taking pictures. Greg and Jay were very good at telling me what they wanted from me. Then I would try to take their direction as best as I could and incorporate it into my poses. They had me do everything from some sultry shots (that I hoped weren't too sexy) to some shots that they called 'ponderous'.

We started out against a small rock face. I'd often lean back against the rocks or try to use them in some way in the picture. We then moved down into the sand where they could get the ocean behind me. Those shots were trickier, because I didn't have anything around me to work with. But I tried to give the two guys what they wanted, and they seemed to be satisfied with my work.

During the whole shoot we had a group of people watching us from outside of where the tape was located. Soon a small crowd formed that I was sure everyone who arrived at the beach was curious about. By the time we moved the shoot down to the edge of the water, I couldn't even see the tent where I had changed clothes because of the size of the crowd.

We spent another 45 minutes taking pictures in and near the water before Jay felt that he had enough from this location. The whole shoot had taken nearly two and a half hours, and I was ready to take a break. I wasn't looking forward to doing the same thing again at another location.

I also wasn't ready for the walk back to the changing tent. There was a big crowd between the tent and me, and I knew that I was going to have to do a lot of interacting with them. That was why I was relieved to see a policeman standing next to where I had entered the taped off area. I'd at least have some protection on the way back up the beach.

"Sarah!" I heard yelled from many mouths as I approached the policeman. He looked to be in his early thirties, and he was made from a lot of muscle. I smiled at him before turning toward the crowd.

"Hi, everybody," I said with a small wave. A number of hands shot out, some holding papers, others seeking a handshake or some other touch. I stepped up to the tape and shook some of the hands before taking a few of the papers and signing my name with a pen that Dad had kindly provided me with moments later. That satisfied many people, but I knew there were a lot more behind them who would want the same.

"Are you ready?" the policeman asked me. I noticed that his name tag read Taggart. I nodded at him, and he ducked under the tape before straightening up and lifting it for me to get under. Then, he started making a path through the crowd. I followed right behind him, trying to shake as many hands as I could and give as many ‘high fives’ while walking at a slow pace back to the cordoned area in the parking lot.

I was very grateful when we arrived, and quickly ducked under the tape to get out of the crowd. Immediately, I heard someone start to cry, and the tiny feminine wail made my heart ache. I turned back around, searching for the source of the anguish, and I saw a young girl of about six years of age hugging her dad's leg and staring at where I had just crossed the line. I hadn't seen her during the walkover, and I was pretty sure that she hadn't had the chance to meet me.

I stepped back toward the tape and smiled at her dad, who took a step forward, lifting her with his foot toward me.

"Hi, sweety," I said, watching her tears start to dry up as she got closer to me. "What's your name?"

"Erin," she said through the sobs she was still trying to get under control. I smiled at her.

"That's a pretty name, Erin," I said and held my arms out. Immediately, she ran forward and under the tape and I wrapped them around her in a hug. When I let her go, she looked up at me with the brightest smile on her face. I turned back to her father who had a camera out now. With a grin I positioned Erin next to me and let him take a picture.

"Thank you," Erin said in a soft, quiet voice. I smiled at her.

"You're welcome, Erin," I replied. "Follow your dreams, okay?"

"Okay," she said and then ran back to her father. I stood up from where I had knelt to give her dad a better shot, and waved to the crowd before turning and heading for the tent.

I needed a nap.

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