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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 3.07 - The Great Allentown Fair

A small jolt jarred me awake on Saturday morning. I rolled over and looked at my alarm clock; it was only 7:36. For a moment I wondered what was going on until I realized that the bus was moving. I sighed, and resigned myself to getting ready for the day. I would have liked to sleep longer since I never make it to bed early on concert nights, but there was no way that I would be able to fall back asleep now.

I threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. I then undressed and stepped into the shower. Showering in a moving bus had been a challenging experience the first time I had tried it, but it wasn't much of a problem anymore. Having a large water heater and plenty of water on my expensive tour bus also helped to make the experience better.

As the water poured over my body I reflected on what today would hold for me. We had flown into Allentown last night and made our way straight to the bus. I learned a lesson last night when the bus pulled into an RV park instead of a hotel parking lot later that evening. Dad and Amy had finally decided that it was a waste of money to rent hotel rooms when I had my bus with me. It had nearly as many amenities and it was very comfortable to sleep and live in, but it wasn't the same as a hotel room. I couldn't complain too much, though, because I was the only one in the caravan of busses and tractor-trailers who had my own room with a queen-size bed. Nearly everyone else slept and lived out of a bunk, and they didn’t complain.

There was a show the night before mine at the Fair, so we had to find another place to spend the night. The band and crew had been staying in the RV park for two days now, but they still seemed to be in good spirits when I arrived. My bus and the images of me that adorned the trailers were enough to have people waiting for me. I was able to spend a half hour with fans before Dad, Mason, and Cole had shooed them away. Every time I looked out the window of my bus, there were always people hanging around hoping I'd come out again. Unfortunately, I didn't make it out a second time. Instead I was stuck doing homework for most of the evening. Between everything that went into putting on the concert and the fact that I would be sleeping much of Sunday meant that I wouldn’t have any other time to finish my homework. I was able to spend some time with the band and dancers for a while, but it was much less than I would have liked.

I had awakened briefly during the middle of the night when most of the stage crew and the tractor-trailers had left when they had received permission to move into the backstage area. I knew that they were probably still working hard to get the stage set up for the concert tonight. Then they'd have to work just as tirelessly to get everything back out because there was another show at the Fair tomorrow. I didn't envy their jobs, but I was sincerely thankful for all that they did for me.

I shut off the water and reached for my towel before drying off quickly and stepping out. I already had an outfit laid out waiting for me, which Julia had picked out and Amy had placed on the dresser the night before. As I started to get dressed there was a knock on the door to my room.

"Yes?" I called out. The door cracked open, and I saw my mom standing there.

"Are you dressed?" she asked. I was decent enough so I nodded and she opened the door further. Amy was with her. She was staying in one of the bunks on my bus.

"We're on our way to the Fairgrounds," Amy said, unnecessarily. "We should be there in a few minutes. We still have a couple of hours before the sound check, though."

I nodded. That didn't mean that I didn't have obligations, however. The Starshine meeting was taking place this morning just before the sound check. Then I had most of the day free before the evening’s concert. I still hated all the waiting that was involved in being famous. I knew that Amy would try to fill it with media requests or some other such things that she always wanted me to participate in, but I just wanted to have some fun today.

"I'll be up front when you're ready," Amy said. I nodded and she closed the door as she stepped out of the room, leaving Mom and me alone. Mom still needed to shower and get ready for the day, but Amy had showered last night. When I finished getting dressed and joined her and my dad, I had a smile on my face. I loved concert days.

Even though we weren't at home, Mom had decided to make me a good breakfast. Starting a concert day with one of Mom's breakfasts wasn't something I normally received, but it was a great start to the day. I filled a plate and took a seat in the small dining booth where I could look out the window as we continued to drive. Dad was already on his phone and computer, finishing whatever work he was required to do for the day. Amy was waiting in one of the chairs, but she stood up as I sat down to join me on the opposite side of the booth. Austin was probably still asleep in his bunk.

While I ate, I split my time between listening to the details that Amy insisted she go over with me, and watching as the bus made its way into the infield area at the Fairgrounds and then into a fenced off area behind the stage. The band's and dancers' bus was already there waiting for us and would act as our dressing rooms for the day. The smaller bus used by 'Poptacular' was also in view, but my bus pulled into a prime spot right next to the stage. There was also a large tent set up nearby. I knew that it was the portable version of the Observatory, but it looked much bigger than the room we had used at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I was excited to see what they had done with it.

The Fairgrounds had not yet opened for the day, so nobody was waiting for me to arrive. Instead I got to actually watch some TV for the next hour as I waited for the Starshine meeting to start. From where I was seated I could see the girls begin to arrive and be escorted to the tent. I knew it was only a matter of time before the day really started to get interesting.

Eventually the time came and Amy, Stephanie and I made our way over to the Observatory. The extra space in the tent meant that the room had been set up differently than it had at Red Rocks, but all of the same pieces were still there. The couches, the pool, ping pong and foosball tables were all there. More TV’s filled the walls displaying images and videos of me. Yet the entire thing was still recognizable and I immediately felt comfortable with the surroundings.

The girls who had been invited to the Starshine party were just as happy as any other fans to see me. We had a lot of fun together as I peddled the makeup I endorsed and then let them help me write another song, just like we had done in Denver. Then they were all allowed to join us for the sound check. By the time I had said goodbye to them I once again hoped that I could call each of them a friend and I had a lot more pictures to add to my Starshine scrapbook.

By the time I returned to my bus the Fairgrounds had been opened for the day and Dad and Austin had already gone off to enjoy what was being offered. But Mom was waiting for me, and she gave me one of the best presents someone could give me that day.

"Go take off the wig," she said. "I've been looking at the schedule of events for the Fair today, and I was hoping you wanted to go with me."

I hope the smile that I gave my mom was enough of an answer! If it wasn't, the speed at which I sped down to my room to change probably was. I had wanted to do something fun today, and now I was going to get that chance. Spending time with my mom always led to a good time.

When I reached my room I quickly took off the wig, changed into a pair of jeans and a nondescript tee, and swapped out Sarah's security badge for Megan's. The badge was supposed to give me access to the Fair. I adjusted my makeup to be less "flashy", and then I returned to the front of the bus where I saw Mom waiting with Cole. He looked surprised to see me without the wig, so I knew Mom hadn't told him what we were doing.

"Break time," I told Cole. "I'm going to spend some time exploring the Fair with my mom. Sarah won't need any security for most of the afternoon."

"That’s great to hear!" he said, with a large smile spread across his face. Both Cole and Mason worked way too long on concert days to help keep me safe. I was grateful for what they did for me, so it was nice to give them some time off too. "I'm going to find Mason and tell him," he said while standing up from where he had been seated on the couch. "Give us a call when you are on your way back."

"Okay," I nodded and he was out the door of the bus almost immediately. I turned toward my mom.

"He looked happy," she said, causing me to chuckle. She stood up and motioned toward the door. I took a step past her to lead the way off the bus. Once we were outside we made our way toward the gate that would lead us toward the Midway where we could continue through to the other areas of the Fair.

Mom took the lead as soon as we passed through the security checkpoint around the grandstand, and I knew that she had something in mind for us to see. But she wouldn’t say where we were going. We turned right and started walking toward the large Agri~Plex and the area where the animals were kept.

"Where are we going?" I asked her.

"I have some ideas," was her cryptic response. The grin she flashed at me let me know that I wasn't going to get anything else out of her.

I sighed, but I didn't really care where we went. I reached my arm through hers and rested my head on her shoulder for a moment as we walked. It was enough to tell her how much I loved her.

Mom continued to lead me through a myriad of crowds, stalls, and smells before we appeared to be reaching our destination. She led me into a tent that smelled like animals. My nose crinkled, but my eyes lit up when I saw what was inside.

"Mom!" I said excitedly and moved to get as close as I could. There was a pen that had a small pool inside, and a number of little ducklings were paddling around in the water. There were other ducklings waddling and moving around the area. Some were eating. Some walked up the ramp out of the water, and then jumped back in and paddled around again. Others were just exploring their new world. But each of them was so cute! My heart melted as I watched them!

I didn’t know how long I stared into the pen before my mom started tugging on my arm until I was in front of a bubble that was lit by a light bulb. At first I didn't know what I was looking at until I saw the eggs scattered around inside. There were some that had little beaks sticking out, others that had a gooey, icky looking thing next to a cracked-open egg, and a few small chicks running around the rest of the area. I stared at them just as long as I had the ducklings before I heard my mom chuckle and drag me onward. I asked a volunteer how old the chicks were that were running around.

“They were probably born yesterday,” she replied. I was amazed! Like the ducklings, these chicks were yellow. But they were only one day old, and they were already running around!

We spent a lot of time in that tent. I got to pet rabbits, goats, piglets, and even a cute little lamb! I had never done anything like this before and I felt like a little girl again. I felt like I did on those days that were in my special photo album at home. The album that held pictures of the best days of my life inside. The album of the pictures of Mom and me together alone.

As we exited the tent I turned to Mom and wrapped her in a hug. I was always so caught up in preparations during concert days that I always missed the small things in my life. I missed having my mom with me. I couldn't hug her and spend time with her while wearing the wig like I could now. Sarah didn't have any family with her, and I was beginning to realize how much that hurt.

We saw another building with a sign that read “Cavies”.

“What are cavies?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” my mom smiled. “Let’s find out.”

We walked inside and found that ‘cavies’ meant ‘rabbits’, and there were hundreds of them! There were different varieties, sizes, and colors. I was surprised to see that some rabbits had ears that didn’t stand up straight; they flopped down like the dog that lived down the street from us. There were white, black, brown, and spotted rabbits. I fell in love with them just like I had the ducklings and chicks!

Mom and I continued around the Fair. We saw cows, sheep and pigs. I even saw a baby calf that was less than two weeks old! I almost threw up around the pig stalls, and Mom finally relented and led us away when she realized I wasn't going to stop dry heaving at the smell. But even so, spending time with her was worth it.

We wandered through the Agri-Plex; there must have been thousands of baked goods, flowers, crafts, and other items on display! Some of the items had even won some type of award according to the ribbons that accompanied them. We spent almost as long in there as we had at the Petting Zoo. When we finally exited we even had time to see the racing pigs before we had to start our return to the backstage area. That was a sight to see!

We detoured through the other end of the Fairgrounds on our way back to the bus, and found a tent where the musicians were playing polkas, and an older crowd was dancing to them. The music was quite different from my music, but it was lively and the crowd obviously liked dancing to the songs. The dancers reminded me of the birthday party we’d had for Gran a couple of years ago.

I wanted to spend more time with Mom, but I had to let her go as we boarded the bus and I headed back into my room to once again put Sarah on. I wanted to be Megan for a while longer and spend some more time with my mom, but that was no longer an option.

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The red light that had been bathing me as I exacted my revenge once more was abruptly turned off on schedule, throwing the stage into darkness. The crowd started cheering, but I didn't get to enjoy it the way I usually did after a song because I had to rush off stage for another costume change.

When I reached the changing booth I was ushered inside and the women started working on me immediately. One of them pulled the red dress I had only worn for one song over my head. Once the dress was off I heard the crowd settle down in the darkness of the stage. The music started up immediately in the blackness. Connor was playing a low, soft melody for the waiting crowd.

Without dropping my arms a new dress was pulled on. This dress was one of my favorite dresses. It was a bit short, but it looked like a million dollars. It didn't have the shiny "glam" that most of the other dresses had, instead relying on a high-fashion, haute couture look. It wasn't the type of dress that Sarah usually wore, but it still totally fit her personality.

As Connor finished playing his intro a soft, yellowish-white spotlight illuminated Stacy as he joined Connor with a steady beat of his drums. They continued to play together; Stacy remained illuminated while Connor was in the dark for a few more seconds. Then a soft, bluish-white spotlight began to shine down on Connor as he and Stacy moved into the next section of the song that increased the pace a bit. Stephanie was now finishing up my makeup, and I hurried to get onto the stage and into place.

As I reached my designated spot on stage, I turned to see a soft, greenish-white spotlight illuminate Jason as he joined the other two band members, bringing with him the beautiful melody that made this one of my favorite songs. This song had been written for me by the band and by Sophie and Holly. It was nice to give them a bit of recognition in the spotlight, even if it was only a distraction to give me time to change and make it back to the stage without interrupting the concert.

It was nearly 15 seconds later when the soft, pinkish-white shone down upon me as I started to sing. It had been nearly a whole minute since the first notes had sprung forth from Connor's guitar.

The crowd cheered as they got a look at me and realized that I had changed once again. They always did. But I continued to sing the soft, sweet song that the girls had written. Once I had finished singing the first verse the rest of the stage was illuminated with a soft glow. The dancers could be seen now, flowing around the stage in graceful movements.

This song, 'Dreams', talked about living your dreams and had specifically been inspired by how Sophie and Holly felt when they were up on stage with me. A soft, purple-white light illuminated the girls as I did the best job I could in singing their song. It was a departure from the type of music that I wrote myself, but it was so peaceful and beautiful.

It was a large contrast from the gritty song that I had just sung for the crowd to the soft, serene piece that followed it. The song helped to bring the emotions that 'Revenge' had poured into the air down to earth again.

This time, when the song came to an end, I remained on the stage and basked in the rush as the crowd roared its approval once again.

As the crowd’s noise started to die down I turned my attention to the man who was patiently waiting for me. I smiled at Tim as I took the proffered item from him. I had gotten to know Tim pretty well, even though he was the same age as my dad. Since he was entrusted with one of my most prized possessions, I had wanted to make sure that I could trust him.

I lifted the strap up and placed it over my head before turning back to give the crowd their first glimpse of Sparkle for the evening. Sparkle was the nickname that had been given to the guitar that my dad had commissioned for me after my cousin had accidentally smashed the first one that Sarah had owned. Sparkle had been designed to match my tour bus, of all things. The top wood was a gamut of white and creamy beige with a hint of a soft yellow interspersed throughout. That was set apart, however, by the rosette, the binding around the edge, and by my logo below the bridge that glittered in pinks and whites, giving the guitar its nickname.

"How many of you have taken the time to enjoy the Fair?" I asked the crowd. Naturally there was a cheer indicating that the majority of them had. I smiled at their reaction. "I got a chance to tour the Fair today with someone very special to me. I really enjoyed spending time at the Petting Zoo. I've never been to a petting zoo before, and it made me feel like a little girl again. It reminded me of all the days I had while growing up where I got to spend time with my mom. Those were some of the best days of my life. It's because of those days that I can call my mom, 'My Hero'."

I strummed my guitar, falling easily into the nice, peaceful chord that continued throughout the entire song. Much like the soft, serene way in which the band had played 'Dreams' moments before, I did the same with Sparkle. Even so, the songs sounded quite different since one had been written by the band, and 'My Hero' was one of the most important songs that I had ever written in my life.

As I sang through the first verse that described the first day that I remembered spending time alone with my mom I could feel the emotions that created this song wash over me once again. I had found a photo album at home with my name on it. Inside were pictures of the best days I'd ever had in my life. Each one was spent with Mom and was a 'girls day’ out together. They were the only true pictures I had of me as a little girl.

I continued to sing through the other verses. Each one depicted another of the wonderful days that I'd had with my mom and thanked her for all that she had done for me. I sang about how much that album meant to me. I sang about how it epitomized my love for her.

As I reached the last verse where I got to thank her again and tell her how much those days meant to me, I turned and looked off stage. Mom was standing in the small, cordoned off area where the sound and video techs had set up the equipment they needed to run the concert. It was from there that Mom, Amy and a few others were in charge of finding people to invite to the Star Party.

But unlike Amy and the others who were still scanning the crowd, Mom had stopped and was watching carefully. She always stopped to listen when I sang this song. I always turned my attention to her as I sang this verse. Many of my songs had emotional ties that made them great. But no other song was imbued with emotions like this song was.

I finished professing my love to her through the song and after I had strummed my guitar for the last time I formed a heart with my hands, placed it against my chest, and then pointed directly at her. From this distance I couldn't make out her expression, but I could see her repeat my motions, pointing back at me.

The crowd started cheering again, and mixed in with the rush that sound always brought to my heart was an extra serving of love from my mom. Tears beaded at my eyes, just like they did at every concert, but I did my best to hold them back. I succeeded for the most part, but after the events of earlier today it was much harder this time then it normally was.

I had to wipe a tear away.

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