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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 2.30 - Hidden Inspiration

I was startled awake by the blaring of my phone Monday morning. I didn't know what it was doing, because I had never heard it make that sound before! I scrambled in vain to reach where it was charging on my nightstand, knocking it off the table in the process.

Screaming slightly in frustration, I threw my covers back and scrambled out of bed to retrieve the annoying device. I yanked out the power cord, and then turned it over so that I could see the screen.

Great, just great. Dad had found some way to get my appointments onto my phone. This particular alarm was telling me that I needed to wake up.

Sighing, I dismissed the alarm and then opened the calendar. I had a whole week’s worth of appointments sitting there waiting for me. My last week before preparing for the concert tour full-time was not going to be a restful one. Today I was shooting another commercial, this one for the Jive. Wednesday I apparently had a number of radio interviews and a magazine interview. Thursday I had a meeting to decide what songs we were going to sing for the tour. Friday I was...

"The Tonight Show?" I asked out loud. I was going back on the Tonight Show? I wondered if I was just singing or if I was actually going to be interviewed.

The rest of the week was free. I had Tuesday open, and I already knew that Emily wasn't working. Saturday was free after my appointment with Mary and a photo shoot for the perfume I was endorsing. Then I had time to relax on Sunday before I had to start rehearsing for the tour. It was going to be nearly non-stop work from now until the time school started.

Sighing, I threw my phone back onto the bed and grabbed my robe before heading for the shower. I didn't want to be awake this early, but there was no use climbing back into bed.

When I finally made it to the kitchen for breakfast, I found my dad waiting for me. He had a sly grin on his face, so I returned his look with a cold one.

"Morning, Princess," he said. "Nice to see you up so early."

"As if I had a choice," I threw back at him. He started laughing softly to himself. I didn't share his amusement as I grabbed a bowl and some cereal.

"Just, don't abuse the power, okay?" I asked him kindly.

"I promise I won't," he said. "I'll only put friendly reminders about work on there."

I nodded, hoping he was telling me the truth.

*  *  *

Photo shoots and commercial shoots were starting to feel routine to me. I never would have expected that to happen before the summer started. But now, as we pulled up to the studio where the Jive commercial was going to be shot, I realized that it was just another part of the job.

Dad said that he had been told that I wouldn't actually have any lines of dialog in the commercial, but that they wanted to use my image and there would be a part where I was singing 'You Can't Hurt Me'. I was truly intrigued to see what they had come up with.

We were directed into a large room, and I noticed that it was broken up into two distinct sections. The first section was all white, with a small table in the middle. The second section was surrounded by green and had something inside of it that put a huge smile on my face: my band.

I made my way over to them with excitement. "Hi, guys!" I greeted them. A chorus of greetings and smiles was returned from them.

"How have you been?" Jason asked me.

"Great!" I told them. "I've got another song that I'd like to work on with you guys if we can find the time. I'd like to use it on the tour."

Jason smiled back at me. "That sounds like a plan. We actually have five songs for you too. If you're willing to use them, we'll play them for you."

I was surprised at that revelation. I knew that they wrote songs, but I never thought that they would write any for me. But the thought of singing songs that they wrote was intriguing.

"I would love to hear them," I told him with a large smile. The rest of the band and the girls all smiled in return. At that point, I realized they were afraid I would turn them down. I would never do anything like that.

Before we could say anything else, we were interrupted by a representative for the Jive, and we had to get to work.

*  *  *

The shoots went really well, and by the time we were getting ready to leave, I was excited to see where the advertising campaign went. This wasn't the only commercial I would be making for the Jive, but it was going to be a powerful one, I was told.

We had started out the day by taking pictures in the white room. I had the distinctive ear buds that came with the Jive in my ears, and they took many beauty shots of me with different emotions on my face.

The commercial shoot was next, and it too started in the white room. Even after finishing the shoot, I still didn't know exactly what they were doing. They had me walk in, pick up a Jive, put the earphones in my ears, and smile before replacing the Jive on the table and walking off the screen. Then they filmed us performing 'You Can't Hurt Me' while I was listening to a Jive in front of the green screen.

It made no sense to me, but Dad said that he liked what they were doing. I would just have to wait until I saw the finished commercial to fully understand, it seemed.

I was excited when Dad and I left the studio. The guys had invited the girls and me over to their place to work on my song and to hear what they had written for me. I had agreed, but I needed to get my guitar and drop off Dad. He wanted to come and hear the music, but he apparently had an appointment with another client this evening, so I'd be out on the town alone as Sarah for the first time. It was really exciting!

After picking up my guitar, I stepped back out into the garage and placed it in the front seat of my car. Then I walked around and got inside. I knew vaguely where the guys' house was, but I still put their address into my GPS before starting the car and heading out. I didn't get very far before I realized I needed gas, however.

I pulled into the gas station where we normally filled up without a second thought. It wasn't until I saw the little girl gradually getting closer and closer to me while I waited for the gas to flow into the car that I realized this was the first time I had stopped for gas as Sarah.

Looking up at her, I watched her freeze in place. It was apparent that she knew me, but she was also scared.

"Hi," I said with a smile. That broke the ice and she ran over to me and wrapped her arms around my legs. I couldn't help but laugh at her response.

"Jackie! You leave that girl alone!" I saw someone yell from the door of a minivan nearby. She got out and walked over to us, and pulled the girl away. "How many times have I told you to leave strangers alone?!"

She looked up at me next. "I'm sorry. I've never seen her do anything like that before." Then she really took a look at me. "Oh!"

"It's okay," I told her with a smile to emphasize my point. I heard the click that indicated my car had finished filling up. "Give me a second, because I have something for her."

I took the nozzle out of my car and replaced it on the pump before retrieving my receipt. Then I popped the trunk on my car and reached for the large box Dad had placed inside. Opening it, I found what I was looking for. I pulled out one of the press photos and a marker before searching through the other items I had made him put inside too. Finding what I wanted, I turned back to the girl.

"Jackie?" I asked her to make sure I had heard her name correctly. She nodded, but didn't say anything. I bent down to her level, and her mom let go of her. She took a step toward me, nervous that her mom would get mad again. When I smiled, she nearly rushed me again. She was staring at the items in my hand.

First, I signed the photo for her before handing it to her. She looked at it with happiness, but I knew that it wasn't what she wanted. She handed the photo to her mom before looking at the other item in my hands. I caught her eyes again and waited until she was looking at me.

"In my room at home, I have a teddy bear," I told her. "It's a special teddy bear. My dad gave it to me while I was in the hospital when I was younger. Sometimes when I feel alone or scared, I hug it until everything is better."

I handed the small soft pink bear that I was holding in my hands out to her. She took it with a large smile on her face.

"This is the same bear, just a little smaller," I told her. Dad had given me the bear the day I woke up from the accident. It had become my favorite companion when I needed someone to hug while I was alone over the following years. A couple of weeks ago I had made Dad get some smaller ones that were embroidered with Sarah's signature on them. They were for me to give out to special fans. Fans like Jackie. We had only received them a few days ago.

"Thank you!" she screamed before wrapping her arms around my neck in a hug.

I returned her hug while speaking in her ear. "You're welcome, Jackie."

I noticed that there was a man standing next to Jackie's mom now. He looked slightly bewildered at what was happening. I smiled at him while letting go of his daughter, who ran back to her mother to show her the bear. I stood up and closed the trunk of my car.

"It was nice meeting you guys," I told the family while stepping around to the driver's side of my car. I opened my door before turning back to them.

"Thank you, Sarah," the girl's mom replied. I nodded, and then with a wave to the little girl I got in and started the car.

It was moments like these that made me love being Sarah Carerra.

*  *  *

When I pulled into the driveway that my GPS directed me to, I was impressed. I had expected something smaller, but the guys actually lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. It was definitely not the kind of place I would have expected there to be a bachelor pad.

I got out and grabbed my guitar before walking toward the door. When I reached the front porch, I rang the doorbell. I didn't have long to wait before Stacy opened the door for me.

"Sarah!" he said excitedly. "I'm glad you made it!"

"Hi, Stacy," I told him. "Sorry I'm late, I had to stop and get some gas."

"It's okay," he said while stepping back to let me in. "The girls just got here too. We have some pizza on the way."

"Okay," I replied and took a look around the entrance of the house as I stepped in. The place didn't look expensive, but it did show opulence greater than what a normal bachelor’s pad would show. I knew that they had made good money as a session band. I knew that they made even more with me. It certainly showed in their house.

I expected that the place would be dirtier with three guys living alone, but it actually looked fairly clean. I wondered if they had spent some time cleaning up.

"The maid was here this morning," Sophie said with a wry grin on her face. Leave it to her to know what I was thinking. I smiled as she stood up from the couch in the front room. Holly was right behind her.

"I'll have you know that we are clean guys," Stacy defended himself. "We only have the maid to help save time."

"Sure," Sophie shot back with a short laugh.

"Anyway," Stacy continued. "The other guys are down in the studio if you want to go get set up. The girls can show you the way. I'm going to wait for the pizza."

I nodded and turned to follow Sophie and Holly. We didn't get very far before the doorbell rang again. Stacy promptly answered it, and I saw the pizza delivery boy holding a large bag.

"Hi," he said while looking at the receipt he was holding. "Miller?"

"That's me," Stacy said while pulling some cash out of his pocket. The pizza guy looked up, but his eyes never made it to Stacy. They stopped on me.

"Is that..." he started, but stopped short.

"Yes," Stacy replied. I could hear the humor in his voice at the delivery boy's reaction. "It's her."

There was a large intake of breath from the door. I smiled at him and waved. "Hello," I said.

"How much do I owe you," Stacy said, trying to bring the poor boy back to his senses.

"What?" the delivery boy asked unceremoniously. "Oh, right. Forty-two fifty."

Stacy handed over the money and then took the armload of pizzas from the boy.

"Thank you," the boy said. "Um, have a nice day."

"You too," Stacy replied as the boy turned around and walked back to his car in a daze.

Sophie and Holly broke out into laughter the second the door was closed. Stacy was chuckling too.

"You are such a tease!" Sophie announced.

"I am not!" I replied while laughing along with her. She just shook her head and turned to lead me farther into the house.

We were still chuckling when we reached a large room where the band's equipment was set up. Jason and Conner were watching TV while sitting on a couch in the corner, but they stood up when we entered. Then they were quick to help Stacy with the pizzas, which they set on a nearby table next to some drinks that had already been set up. It wasn't much longer before we were all eating and talking together.

It was so nice to just hang out with the band for a while. When we got together most of the time, all we did was work. I knew we needed to have another type of relationship if we really wanted to be successful. I knew that the guys and the girls had all become close friends. I also knew that it was far more difficult for them to become friends with me than with each other. Not only was I the “star”, but I was also younger than all of them. The girls weren't much older than me, just short of 20, but the guys were a couple of years older than they were.

While I knew that I could pass as the same age as the girls, I was still the youngest one in the group. The little sister. I loved Anna, and Emily and I did everything we could to include her, but it was never quite the same with her around. I wouldn't trade my time with her for anything, but I knew there were some things we couldn't include her in. My relationship with the band was similar. We had a lot of fun together, but I knew that it was different with me around. Even so, it was nice to be included every once in a while.

When we finished eating, we turned our eyes toward the music that had gathered us together. I was excited to play my new song for them, and just as excited to hear what they had for me.

"Where should we start?" I asked.

"How about we play what we have first," Jason said. "If you like the songs we can give you the sheet music to learn them. Then we can spend most of the time finishing your song."

"Okay," I agreed. "So what do you have?"

"We wrote most of these songs a while ago, so don't think we're masters of writing music or anything," Jason explained. "But we've adapted them for you. One of them is new, and one of them the girls helped us write for you."

The girls had large smiles on their faces when I turned toward them, impressed.

"This first one is called 'Different Girl'," Jason said. "It's about adapting to overcome the challenges that are put in front of you."

He nodded to Sophie, who stood up to sing the song for me. She started to sing before the band joined in with the music, and I knew that using the songs they had written for me would definitely expand my sound. While the song was still definitely 'pop', it was a lot harder, more rock-like in tone.

I was mesmerized as they played the song for me. Clearly it was not the type of song that I would have written for myself, but I really liked it. I think they knew from my smile that we would be performing it on the tour. Chances are it would even make it onto a second album.

When the song came to a close, I saw something that I had never seen before. Sophie had the fire in her eyes that I so often felt when I performed, and the boys were breathing hard like they had just been given an adrenaline boost. I knew what I felt when I performed, but I had never seen it happen to these guys before. Of course, I usually wasn't looking at them while we were on stage, either. I was happy to know that they shared the same passion for performing that I did.

"What did you think?" Jason asked, breaking my train of thought.

"I really, really liked it," I told him. "If the others are like that, then I think we should use all of them."

He laughed, but the broad smile he returned to me told me that he was proud of the song.

We continued in that vein for a while. Sophie and Holly took turns singing the songs, and I was once again wondering why they had settled for being backup/harmony singers. They were excellent!

'Into My Eyes' was the second song they played for me. It was another pop song that had an edge to it, but the message was about finding out that my boyfriend was cheating on me and how happy I was to be getting out of the relationship with him.

'Sweet Revenge' was the next song, and was apparently the "new" song that the band had written for me. All of the other songs had been converted from some of their older work. Immediately, I didn't like it because it was too slow and melancholy. I would have rather had a fast, fun song if I was singing about exacting revenge on someone. We started throwing around ideas, and it wasn't long before we were modifying the song and lyrics together as a group. When we finished, the song was almost unrecognizable from what we had started with, but it was no longer their song - it was ours. We all had smiles on our faces at what we had come up with, and I knew those smiles would continue when they saw their names next to mine in the credits for the song.

I noticed a definite theme in the songs when they played 'Goodbye' for me. It was a really nice song that they thought would be good to end the concerts with because of the words used in the chorus. It too spoke about the end of a relationship but it had a slightly mournful tone as the singer sang about leaving her boyfriend.

"I love them, guys!" I told them excitedly when they had finished. "If Scott is okay with it, I want to use them all, and we can probably even use them on the second album."

"Awesome!" Stacy said with another crash of his drums in excitement. "I knew she'd like them!"

I smiled at his reaction. I couldn't ask for a better band than this. I was worried that they might have been upset at me for suggesting changes to 'Sweet Revenge', but instead it seems to have actually made them happier about the song.

"The last one is ours," Holly said.

"Well, ours with the help of the guys," Sophie added. She smiled as she stepped up to sing the song for me.

The guys started playing immediately. It was definitely a more instrumental piece. It also bordered on the line between pop and alternative. The song started out with a number of different sections where they added more and more to the beat that made up the song, culminating in the start of the lyrics. Sophie didn't even start singing until nearly a minute into the song. The words were very lyrical, but it talked about the feelings that Sophie and Holly ultimately felt to be up on stage. It was entitled 'Dreams' and spoke of how they were living their dreams, and how happy it made them feel.

"I don't know if I can sing that," I told them after they had finished the song. I was wiping away a tear as I spoke. "I mean, that feels so personal to you two. I don't know how I could capture that emotion."

Sophie walked over to where I was sitting and wrapped her arms around me. Holly was quickly doing the same.

"We wrote this for you, Sarah," Holly said. "This is about how you make us feel. I love being up on that stage, but I'd never want the spotlight you are always in."

"She's right," Sophie agreed. "This song isn't about us. It's about how you have brought out our true potential. I was happy doing session work. But now that I've tasted being on stage with you, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

I wiped away more tears as I hugged them back.

Eventually we were able to calm down, and they wanted to hear what I had come up with. After what I had heard tonight, and especially after the work we had put into 'Sweet Revenge', I wasn't sure the song still had the power I thought it did. But I was still willing to let them help me finish it. I pulled my guitar out of its case and sat it on my knee before speaking to them.

"I have a friend named Paul. He is very shy. He told me once that he was scared to talk to girls," I told them. "We were paired up to be lab partners in Biology last year. It took me forever to get him to open up to me. But he did. He was still scared to death to even talk to me, but he did." I wistfully remembered how innocent he seemed back then.

"Last week, he showed up at the CD signing," I continued. "He doesn't know I'm Sarah. He made the effort to overcome his fears and come down to meet me. Of all the people that I saw that night, he was the one who touched me the most."

I absently strummed my guitar as I gathered my thoughts. "When I first stepped on stage at the party where Scott discovered me, I was scared to death. When we took the stage in Salt Lake City, I wanted to run and hide. But I put myself out there. I overcame that fear just like Paul did."

I paused and took a deep breath. "Now, we're 'Fearless'."

I launched into the song immediately. This song was filled with a lot of emotion, but it was a happy song. It showed the world that there wasn't any fear that couldn't be overcome. You just had to face it and prove to yourself that it doesn't have any power over you.

They were staring at me when I finished the song. I was starting to think that they didn't like it. Eventually, Stacy was the one who spoke.

"And that, my friends, is why she is the star."

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