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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 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.34 - Rechordus

The rest of the weekend went by quickly. Mom and I did some Christmas shopping on Friday, and then again on Saturday after Emily returned home. 'Ever After' fell to #13 in the countdown that weekend, but 'Your Time Will Come' debuted at #1! Having millions of people watch me perform the song on live television had definitely helped to make sure it made it into the top ten, though I hadn't expected it to debut in the top spot!

When I woke up on Monday I was excited for what both the day, and the rest of the week would bring. I was going to be in the studio with members of the Chorus for the next two days, I had some special things planned for my band, and the Grammy nominations were being announced on Wednesday. And it was all topped off with Austin's birthday on Saturday.

Once more I donned Sarah's clothes for the day instead of slipping into what I would normally wear as Megan. Today and tomorrow the Chorus and I would be in the recording studio, and during school hours! Anything that got me excused from class was definitely a plus in my book, and being in the recording studio was icing on the cake.

Once I had finished getting ready, I walked outside with Emily, Ethan, and Austin. Instead of driving them in my car, we all made our way out to the very long stretch limousine that was parked out front. It was very nice, though it wasn't quite as nice as what I usually rented. But it was far bigger than any limousine that I had ever been in. It would work for today's purpose.

When we reached the school the limo pulled up next to an identical limo. I bid my friends farewell and they got out of the car. I, on the other hand, had been instructed to wait for Cole and Mason. It wasn't until after the bell rang - indicating classes had started - that my two security guys came out of the school and approached the limo. I opened the door and they helped me out before we started for the school.

I found the Chorus waiting inside with Mr. Benson and Principal Hall. I had spent an afternoon with them every week for the last four weeks, so they didn't start screaming excitedly like most people usually did. But they were still excited to see me.

"Hi everyone," I greeted them happily. "Are you ready to see how an album is made?"

There were greetings, shouts of “yeah!” and nods all around, and I knew that they were looking forward to being in the recording studio. I just hoped their energy lasted through multiple takes on each song.

"Welcome, Sarah," Mr. Benson said, taking charge. Then he turned back to the Chorus. "Today will be a lot of hard work, but it will be worthwhile. The school, and the Chorus in particular, will receive a portion of the proceeds of each album that is sold, so you should be proud of your work today and give it your all. Isn't that right, Sarah?"

"Yes," I agreed. "Recording a song isn't nearly as easy as they portray it in the movies. But it isn't anything to be afraid of either. Each of you has sung the songs we will be recording many times, and I know how well you can sing them. Singing in the recording studio will be no different than singing in the classroom. Do what you've been doing and everything will turn out perfectly."

I could see nervous glances coming from some of the Chorus members now, but I knew what I had told them was true.

"Sarah has kindly brought some limos for us to use today," Mr. Benson continued. "In order to prevent any jealousy, we will be splitting you into two groups. Sarah will ride to the studio with one group and return with the other group. If I call your name please follow Sarah out to the first limo. If I don't call your name, please head to the second limo. Ethan, Jane, Paul..."

I lost track of the other names as Mason, Cole, and I led the still forming group out to the limo I had ridden in earlier. I climbed in and took a seat in the middle of one of the long benches and those riding to the studio with me started entering and finding their own seats. Mason and Cole slid in last, seemingly out of place among the teenagers.

The ride down to Olympic Records didn't seem nearly as long as it normally did because I chatted with the members of Chorus. Before I knew it we were pulling into the parking lot and entering the building. Scott met us in the lobby, and after the introductions were made he led us down to the recording studio that we would be using for the day.

The studio itself was pretty spartan compared to the other studios that I'd used in the building. But part of the reason for that was the fact that it needed to accommodate the 30 members of the Chorus as we sang. We filtered into the studio and Mr. Benson lined everyone up where they would be standing at the concert.

The band had already recorded the music for the Christmas Concert. The next two days were all about the vocals. After everyone was in place I turned to Sophie and Holly, who were waiting nearby. They had been practicing some of the songs with the Chorus members over the past few weeks, so I didn't need to introduce them. Scott directed the three of us to our places, and soon Scott got us working.

We started with the eight songs that required the full Chorus to perform. I knew that Scott was hoping to get through all of them today so that we didn't have to bring the whole Chorus back again tomorrow.

To the Chorus' credit they did a great job. There was some nervousness and trepidation in the room when we started, but Scott was just as good at calming down the 30 students in the room as he had been calming me down over the many sessions we'd had together in a recording studio.

By lunch we had managed to finish the first four songs, including my two duets with Ethan, and then we were led to a conference room where a catered lunch was being served. I made it a point during lunch to try to get to know some of the Chorus members whom I didn't know very well. I sat with them and talked with them. Some of my friends, especially those who knew my secret, seemed somewhat perturbed that I wasn't spending as much time with them as usual, but I knew they understood why.

After lunch we filtered back into the studio to work on the remaining four songs for the day. These songs were somewhat easier to record than the earlier four because the Chorus was relegated to the background vocals instead of taking more of the spotlight on most of them. Nevertheless they still seemed to enjoy the work. Jane was smiling as she had the opportunity to shine for the first time in the duet that I was singing with her for the concert. I smiled widely when we recorded 'O Holy Night'; it was my favorite Christmas carol and the one I really wanted to be spectacular.

When we left the studio and climbed into the limos for the ride back home we had managed to finish over half of the songs for the concert.

I drove myself to the record company on Tuesday morning. There were two different groups of Chorus members coming in to record songs today. When I entered the smaller recording studio that we would be using I found a group of boys already hard at work. Scott was in the studio discussing something with them so I settled on the soft couch to wait. I wouldn't be needed until the next group came, but since this song was going to be on my Christmas album I wanted to make sure that Mark was up to the standard I needed.

"Alright, let's give it another try," Scott told them before appearing in the control room once more. He smiled when he saw me sitting there. "Good morning, Sarah," he told me.

"Morning, Scott," I replied. "How is Mark?"

"He is a pretty good singer," Scott said, and he looked pleased. "Not quite good enough for Olympic Records, but he might have a chance somewhere else."

I nodded, though I was very happy to hear that Mark Corbin was not good enough to get a recording deal with my record company. Every day that I had attended Chorus as Megan he would brag incessantly about how much better of a singer he was than me. Scott had just decided that battle for good, but I already knew that I was better.

Scott did something to the control board, and I stood up and stepped toward the window between the control room and the studio. Mark Corbin looked up at me, and his eyes widened. My presence had definitely affected him, but I hoped it would drive him to sing better.

"Alright, here we go," Scott said into his microphone, and there were nods from Mark Corbin, Ethan, Paul, and two other male Chorus members. The music started to filter throughout the room and Mark started singing the solo I had given him. The other four provided the background and harmony.

I had to admit that Mr. Benson had been right. Mark was an excellent singer. And including him in the Christmas Concert would be a good thing. But I was still glad that he was singing without me. I would never permit him to sing with me on stage in a duet.

Ethan, however, was another matter. I turned my gaze over to where he was standing and caught his eye. He smiled, and I smiled back.

I watched them work for the next hour and a half. They had been practicing the song in Chorus and Scott didn't have very many corrections for them, but he did tweak the song several times to get more from Mark. I saw Mark becoming slightly frustrated with each take, but he channeled it back into his work and he improved each time.

The boys looked exhausted by the time that Scott was finally happy, but the session hadn't been very intense. I had experienced much worse in my short recording career.

The boys stepped into the control room a few moments later, and they were looking at me eagerly.

"That was excellent!" I told them all. Their faces washed with relief that I liked what they had performed, causing me to smile. "Mark, you have an excellent voice," I found myself saying. "I'm glad you have a solo piece to showcase it."

The smile that crossed Mark's face was large, and I knew that my comment had cemented his acceptance that we weren't singing together. He seemed to understand that I was telling him he sounded better without me. I knew that playing up to his ego would help him overcome the disappointment I knew he still felt about not singing a duet with me.

The boys were then escorted out of the room toward the limo that would return them to school. It wasn't long afterward that the door to the recording studio opened again and seven wonderful girls entered. I had been lounging on the couch toying with song ideas, but I immediately stood up to greet them.

"Hi everyone!" I said and promptly greeted each of them with a hug. Jane smiled back at me, but the three other Chorus girls nearly squealed at the friendly hug. Sophie and Holly, the last two girls, were giggling softly at their antics. "This is what I call the ‘powerhouse group’," I told them. "Each of you was hand-picked by me to be a part of this elite group, and I can't wait to work with you."

"We've got a lot to do," Scott chimed in. "But you have all done this before, and you know what I'm looking for. Take your places and we'll get started."

I led the girls into the studio proper and helped them to line up in the order that Scott and I had worked out while we waited for them to arrive. Then I took my place, and we got to work.

There were two songs to sing with the entire group, and we started with those. The first song gave each girl - except Sophie and Holly - a chance to sing part of the song solo, which I knew would make them happy. The rest of us would provide background vocals while the soloist was singing. When Scott replayed the song for us the final time, I knew it was going to be one of my favorite songs on the album.

It didn't take too much longer for us to finish the second song. As we left the studio, I gave each of them a hug to thank them for their hard work. Then we had to split up. Jane, Sophie, Holly, and I had three more songs to record, so we headed for the cafeteria while the three other Chorus members were shuttled back to the school.

I had told all of the girls that I was looking forward to working with them earlier this morning, but it was this smaller group of three that would make singing in the afternoon special.

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I became very nervous as we filed back into the recording studio. I'd tried to eat my lunch slowly to delay what I was going to do next, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

Scott was there waiting for us, and I saw his excitement. It was mirrored in Sophie’s and Holly's smiles too. But it was the three guys in the room who surprised Jane the most. My band had been absent for most of the work that had been done with the Chorus up to this point; they weren't needed for the recording session this afternoon since their part had already been recorded. But I knew they wanted to be part of this.

"Jane, have you met my band?" I asked her as she stared hungrily at the handsome guys who shared the stage with me.

"Not officially," she replied.

"Well, this is Jason," I told her pointing to my lead guitarist.

"It's nice to meet you, Jane," he said, flashing a smile that made her breath catch. I giggled with Sophie and Holly, and then I turned to Connor.

"Connor plays bass," I told Jane. Connor, he of few words, just nodded. But his smile was just as enticing. "And Stacy is the drum master," I told Jane.

"It's a pleasure," Stacy told Jane, though his smile was more reserved. I knew that he wanted to have the same effect on Jane as his counterparts, but Holly, who was his girlfriend, probably would have killed him.

"I'm thrilled to meet each of you," Jane said, and she was smiling while she took a deep breath.

"Jane," I said, and she looked over at me, somewhat reluctantly. I knew that staring at my band members was something that a lot of girls did. Even I could appreciate how good looking they were.

"Yes?" she asked, sensing there was something I wanted to tell her.

I took a deep breath of my own.

"I know how disappointed you were to not get your own recording contract," I told her and saw her stiffen slightly. "I can't do anything about that," I continued, and her shoulders sagged. "But I would be honored if you would join us on stage. I mean...if you want to!"

Jane looked confused as she stared at me for a few seconds, trying to comprehend what I had said.

"Of course I'll join you!" she eventually exclaimed, and she sounded confused. "But I'll be there for the Christmas Concert."

"No," I said immediately, chagrined at my inability to explain this right. "I mean, we want you to join us permanently. I want you on the stage with me, with Sophie and Holly."

She stared at me for another moment, this time with her eyes wide open.

"You mean..." she started, but never finished.

"Yes," I replied. "I'm offering you a job. But not just a job, it'll be an experience you won't soon forget."

"I...” she started again. "I don't know what to say!"

"Say ‘yes’!" Holly exclaimed.

We broke out into laughter at her words. When we settled down I looked back at Jane.

"Yes!" she said excitedly, "But I have to ask my parents first."

I was worried for a moment, but then she squealed with delight and I knew she wanted to accept my offer wholeheartedly.

"I understand," I told her. "It's a big decision and I don't expect you to answer today. But I want you to know how much I want you to be up there with me."

I paused, and took another deep breath.

"There's more," I said a moment later. Jane looked on with a mixture of curiosity and confusion while I gathered the courage to tell her. I trusted Jane, but this was still something I guarded as best I could, and I didn't know how she would react.

"What is it?" she finally asked when I had taken longer than I wanted to continue.

"My real name is not Sarah Carerra," I finally told her. "Sarah is a legal identity, but a fabricated one, that I perform under."

Jane looked shocked again, and I could see a number of possible identities of who I really was cross through her mind. Then her whole body stiffened as she thought of someone, and her eyes widened even further.

"Megan?!" she nearly screamed, and I was so glad that only the band, Scott and I were there.

"Yes," I replied, and she started squealing again before she wrapped me in a huge hug.

"I can't believe it!" she screamed, right into my ear as she hugged me. Then she stepped back and looked at me again. Now that she knew the truth I knew she was seeing the similarities between Sarah and me. "I knew you were too good not to have gotten a recording contract!"

I laughed wholeheartedly, and the others joined me quickly.

After I had gathered myself once more I smiled at Jane.

"I really do think you are a wonderful singer," I told her. "And other than the people in this room I can't think of a single other person I would want to have on stage with me."

Jane was smiling back at me, and I saw tears rolling down her cheeks before she hugged me again.

Eventually Scott was able to get us working on the remaining three songs for the album. Working with Jane had been fun up to this point, but now that I had made my offer, and it had been pretty much accepted, she sang even better.

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