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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.

Author Note: Many of the songs that Sarah sings are "inspired" by real life songs. I'm not a songwriter, but I can tell a story. A special thanks should be given to the artists that helped shape the music that is Sarah Carerra. Embedded in this chapter are the songs that inspired this part of the concert for you to enjoy if you wish to. They are here to give you an idea of what Sarah's songs sound like.

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

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Sarah Carerra Book 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.17 - Gorge Amphitheatre

The bright, sunny sky belied everything I had heard about Seattle as we stepped out of the airport and onto my tour bus Friday evening for the last time during this concert tour. Even the trip I had made over the summer to film my makeup commercial had seen an overcast day. This time I smiled because of the beautiful day, as I settled in for the nearly three hour drive out to the Gorge Amphitheatre.

The week had been a mix of emotions as I went from the highs of Katy's party and the 'Ever After' premiere to the lows that came with thinking about the end of the concert tour. I knew this wouldn't be the last time that I would appear on stage, but it was a conclusion to one of the most amazing things that had ever happened to me.

I had been telling myself all week that there were already other concerts in the works. The performance at my school would mirror the performances of this tour. We had met yesterday to discuss my VMA appearance in two weeks, and we had even scheduled a meeting for the week after the school concert to start discussing the Christmas performance. Sarah Carerra still had a lot to look forward to.

But my heart was still heavy at what tomorrow's concert represented. Never again would there be an 'Intuition Tour' performance. It was the end of an era as far as my career was concerned. The next time I took the stage in front of a paying crowd it would be in a completely different concert tour, and that was a hard concept to grasp.

My family tried to keep my spirits up as we drove, but even they felt somewhat sad at what this trip meant.

It was dark when the bus pulled into the venue, and it was much later before I climbed into my bed. The more sleep I got tonight the better off I would be for the concert.

Saturday morning turned out to be an even nicer day than Friday. The sun lit a bright, blue sky that instantly lifted my mood. It also illuminated one of the most spectacular sights I had ever seen at a concert venue as I looked out over the Columbia River gorge. It was breathtaking to have such a background to look at as I ate breakfast, let alone to have behind me as I performed the last concert on my tour.

"Can we join you?" interrupted my thoughts, and I looked up to find the band.

"Sure!" I replied happily and moved to give them room to sit down at the picnic table I had claimed. Smiles were returned as the girls sat down next to me and the boys claimed the other side of the table. Stacy immediately reached for one of the bags of cereal and a bowl that were on the table. The others followed suit.

"You guys don't want a good breakfast?" I asked them. I knew that somewhere there was a catering truck that was making breakfast for the crew, but this picnic table was too nice to leave to find it. Besides, the cereal, bowls, milk, and spoons that my parents had brought out from my bus showed that they had already enjoyed a casual breakfast before I woke up.

"Not really," Jason said and poured some milk over his cereal. There was plenty to go around. My bus was always well stocked with food.

"Besides," Sophie added. "I'd rather spend the time here with you."

I smiled while chewing. Once I swallowed, I replied.

"I'd like that," I told them. "I’m glad you’re here too.” I sighed. “I can't believe it's over already. It feels like we just started."

There were nods around the table as everyone chewed, but Jason seemed to finish first and spoke.

"This has certainly been an interesting summer," he told me. "I've never performed a concert tour before, but I hope this isn't the last."

"Amen to that!" Connor excitedly replied. Connor was usually the quietest member of the group, so there was a bit of chuckling at his enthusiastic response.

"Well," I told them. "It definitely won't be the last if I have any say in the matter. I can't imagine how boring life is going to be over the next few months. I'm ready to start another tour!"

The chuckling that was still continuing after Connor's response turned into laughter at my own words. I joined in with them, and I noticed by the looks on each of their faces that they felt the same way.

"You know this technically isn't the last concert in the tour," Holly stated a moment later.

"Yes," I replied. "But performing at my school won’t be the same. There will still be a lot of fans there, and there are enough students to rival some of the venues we performed at. But it just won't be the same."

The band was nodding in understanding. Performing at my school was going to be fun, but there was something special about a crowd that had sacrificed something to be at one of my concerts. Most of the people here had sacrificed their money for their tickets. The students at my school were only going to be sacrificing a few hours of their school day, and that was no sacrifice for most of them.

"Any plans for another tour?" Jason asked after we had settled into a silence for a few moments.

"Nothing certain," I told them. "We've been discussing doing something at the beginning of the year, but I don’t know how much school I can miss."

"Just drop out!" Stacy suggested, instantly eliciting laughter.

"Sometimes I wish I could," I replied. "But that doesn't feel like the right answer."

I slumped at the depression this admission garnered. The mood in the air changed noticeably.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Sarah,” Holly said as she gave me a sympathetic hug. “We are willing to work around your schedule. I for one hope to be on stage with you for many years to come."

I quickly glanced around the table, and all of them nodded in agreement. I smiled broadly.

"That’s the best thing I’ve heard you say!" I told them. "Because I want you all to be there for that long. It wouldn't be the same without you."

It was their turn to smile, and I was grateful for their support. I glanced back at the vista now partially hidden by the large men at my table.

I wouldn't change this for the world.

* * *

The lights slowly dimmed as 'Ever After' came to a close, bringing the venue into complete darkness. I felt a tug around my waist and heard the pop of the clasps that kept the fairytale skirt attached to my dress. Two more seconds and then Jason’s and Connor's guitars filled the air once again. Stacy joined in with a drum beat, and soon after the stage was awash with light once more as I began singing.

A cheer rang out from the crowd once again as they noticed the fairytale dress that I had been wearing had transformed in the dark into a more modern dress. But then some of the crowd recognized the song I was singing, and the energy in the venue transformed slightly and took on a melancholy feel. That feeling always occurred during the concert at this point, but tonight it felt like it had been compounded.

This song had been written by my band, but it perfectly described the emotions and feelings that I wanted to impart to the crowd now. 'Goodbye' was written about a girl leaving her boyfriend, but the upbeat song had a happy quality to it that helped to convey how it was a good thing.

I sang through the first verse about how hard it was going to be to not have him in my life. But it was when we ramped up into the first chorus that the rest of the crowd understood what this unreleased song actually meant. Stacy's drums came to a stop for a moment as I sang the word "Goodbye" for the first time. Immediately the crowd knew that the end of the concert was upon us.

The second verse talked about how happy I was when I was around the boy I was leaving. It talked about how much fun that we had together. But it also talked about how the relationship wasn't going anywhere. It wasn't enough to keep us together, but there wasn't anything to pull us apart. It ramped up into the chorus once more as I became the catalyst to ending the relationship, allowing both of us to move on.

The third verse was forlorn, as it talked about how hard it was to maintain the pretense of the relationship when both of us knew there was no love involved. We would always be friends, but we couldn't be more. I nearly screamed with frustration as I ended the verse and we jumped back into the chorus.

The second verse then repeated before we went through the chorus one last time, ending with a small solo from the band before I gave one last "Goodbye!"

Silence enveloped everyone as we finished for a moment. Most of the crowd didn't want to believe that it was over. But I felt even worse. Then a roar overwhelmed me as the crowd started clapping and screaming.

I looked out at the thousands of faces staring down at me. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I realized that the end had finally come. My emotions were in turmoil at the happiness I felt to be able to perform and the sadness it brought to know that it was ending for the time being. I knew that there would be other performances, but this was the end of an era because it was the end of my very first tour.

"Thank you, everyone!" I told the crowd, though their roar was likely too loud for many of them to hear me. The noise softened somewhat, though, as I stepped backward, allowing the many dancers who had been on the stage throughout the night to enter. The clapping continued as the spotlight lit them, and they bowed for the crowd. Then they stepped to the side and Sophie and Holly came to center stage and took their turns bowing. The cheering continued as the spotlight shone down on Stacy as he stood up and bowed for the crowd. Then Connor. Then Jason.

Finally the light shone down upon me once more, and I too bowed for the crowd, causing the volume in the venue to increase before the lights dimmed once again while all of us waved to the crowd.

I heard the crowd continuing to clap and cheer as darkness enveloped us. I was moving quickly. I still had one more song to perform as an encore, and it required another costume change. As I reached the edge of the stage I was ushered once again into the changing room. One dress came off, another went on. My mind wandered - I hoped that I would get to do this again someday. I hoped this wasn't the last concert tour that Sarah performed. I knew it was unlikely that this would be the end, but there was always a chance that something could prevent it.

Once I was redressed I made my way back to the edge of the stage. The crowd was still cheering, hoping for more. It was pretty standard to have an encore these days and most of them knew that I had left a very important song out of my concert up until this point. It didn't take a genius to know what was coming next.

The lights came back on, bathing the stage. The roar of the crowd increased as I stepped back out onto the stage. Then it increased again as people caught sight of what I was wearing. The white, fitted dress exposed most of my shoulders, with only a thin strip of the white satiny material holding it over my shoulder. From my waist down three layers of skirts fell to the middle of my thigh. The thin, feathery layer attached to the top of each skirt was what really caught the eyes of everyone who was watching me. I knew that the fabric acted like a prism and caused a myriad of colors to dance around the skirts as I moved.

It wasn't the first time that most of my fans had seen the dress. This was the dress that I had worn during the filming of my first music video. This was the dress that confirmed to everyone in the audience that 'You Can't Hurt Me' was the last song on the schedule for the evening.

"Thank you all once again for joining me this evening," I told the crowd, after I had reached center stage and they had quieted down enough for me to continue. "This night marks the end of the Intuition tour. It marks the end of a part of my life I never could have dreamed would happen. I'm so very grateful for the opportunity that I have had to party with all of you, and I hope that you have enjoyed this evening as much as I have."

There was another roar from the crowd that was meant to tell me they were having fun too. I smiled.

"Before I leave you this evening I want to share with you something that means everything to me," I continued. "Despite all of the success that I've been privileged to have this summer, it has been a hard journey. From day one people have tried to dictate my life. They've tried to make me conform to Hollywood's idea of what a young singer should be. They've tried to make me somebody whom I am not. But I'm not going to let them. I'm not going to change who I am just to sell records. I'm not going to be someone I'm not. I hope each and every one of you will do the same thing."

I dropped my arm, letting the microphone fall to my side for a moment as I took a step backward. I didn't need to tell them which song I was singing next. 'You Can't Hurt Me' had become synonymous with Sarah Carerra. Even those individuals who couldn't stand my music knew this song. It had so thoroughly permeated the music scene in this country over the last few months that it was nearly impossible not to have heard it at least once.

The music started immediately and I was thrust deeply into the emotions that performing this song always brought out in me. The pain and the anguish of that fateful day my life was turned upside-down had produced a masterpiece — a masterpiece that I knew was likely to be the biggest hit I ever had in my career. It had certainly done a great job of giving me the confidence to put the ordeal behind me, and it made me strong enough to withstand the many pressures I had just talked about to the crowd.

As I sang, I was once again overwhelmed with the power of this song. If it wasn't for the earpiece I wore, I wouldn't be able to hear myself over the sound of the crowd singing along with me. Every single person whom I could see throughout the venue was on their feet clapping and singing their hearts out. I couldn't believe that someone like me could write and sing a song that touched so many lives.

But in the end, I knew that I was making a difference. That was all I could ask for. I was addicted to performing and singing in front of a crowd, but I had seen the effect that I had on people. I had seen how I could bring hope and happiness to the young girls who were able to meet me. I had been able to use my influence to help others, some perhaps even more than I would ever know.

And that was what made everything worthwhile. Not the singing. Not the paycheck. Not the rush I got on stage. But the looks in the eyes of those girls that told me how much just meeting me had changed their lives.

The crowd erupted into the loudest roar of the evening as the song came to a close. Tears streaked down my cheek as the last note played, signaling the end of my concert tour. It was gut-wrenching to know that I would be sitting at home in Los Angeles next weekend instead of singing in front of a crowd somewhere, but I knew the time would come again when I would feel that rush burning inside of me.

I couldn't wait.

* * *

I had just taken my first bite from a cookie I had grabbed for a late night snack when there was a knock on the door to my bedroom on the bus.

I swallowed and placed the glass of milk next to the small plate of cookies, and then I climbed out of my bed and walked to the door. I opened the door slightly, and I saw my mom standing and smiling at me. I returned her smile while opening the door further to let her in.

Her eyes alit on the cookies immediately before she turned to the TV that was softly playing a replay from one of my concerts.

"I thought it was you I heard in the kitchen," she replied wryly. "Can't sleep?"

My smile widened, and I sat down on my bed.

"I don't want to go to sleep," I told her truthfully. "If I go to sleep, then it's over. I don't want it to be over."

She nodded her head, and sat down next to me.

"Oh, Megan," she exclaimed while hugging me. "I am so proud of you! You are amazing, you know that?"

I caught myself chuckling at her reaction, but I leaned against her shoulder all the same.

"That still doesn't mean I should go to bed," I told her, which caused her to chuckle.

"This isn't the end," she replied. "This isn't even the end of your concert tour. You know that you have one more at your school."

"It's not the same, Mom," I told her. "The people at school won’t be paying to come to that concert."

"Honey," she started, but I interrupted her before she could continue.

"I'm not saying that they aren't fans," I said. "Most of them are. But there's something special about a crowd that gave something up to come and see me. My classmates aren't giving up anything. I'm sure I'll enjoy performing a concert for them as much as anywhere else, but it isn't the same."

She thought about that for a moment before nodding her head in understanding. Then she pointed at the TV.

"Which concert is this?" she asked.

"Red Rocks Amphitheatre," I told her. "It was one of the concerts they filmed for the tour highlight video."

I leaned back against the headboard, and my mom did the same.

"Do you mind if I watch with you?" she asked.

"I would love that," I replied and then leaned my head against her shoulder once again.

She leaned her head against mine and we both turned our attention back to the TV, my cookies temporarily forgotten.

My mom was right. This wasn't the end. Even if the concert tour was over there was so much more coming. We were already discussing options for an expanded tour starting early next year, and we had even discussed making it a world tour. Sales of my album were starting to take off in Europe, Asia, and Australia, and it would be wonderful to get to visit some of the countries in those areas.

No, this wasn't the end. This was just the beginning.

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