It was very late, but the summer-night air was still quite warm. Judge Jim had driven the minibus right up to the door of the girls’ dorm, but Chloe paused before she got off.
“That song,” she said to the boys. “The one we sang first tonight. Can we try it for real tomorrow?”
“‘Summer Lightning?’” asked Zil. “You’d rather do that than the one you know?”
Chloe nodded. “I realize there isn’t much time, but I think we could really make it our own. I felt . . .” She blushed uncomfortably. “Inspired...you know?”
Danny nodded. “I know,” he said. “Okay, so we didn’t have our instruments with us, but Chloe’s right. I think we could do great things with that song. It wouldn’t just be a simple cover. For a start, Chloe’s voice does things Abe’s doesn’t.”
“That’s true!” said Zil with a laugh.
“Your voice was awesome,” said Jeff. “Especially when you skimmed over those words.”
“That was because I couldn’t remember them!” Chloe admitted.
“Well, it was still awesome,” Jeff insisted. “If you can do that at the concert, it’ll be so cool.”
“Can you have your band meetin’ in the morning instead of now?” complained Judge Jim with a wry smile. “It’s really late and I want to get home!”
“Sorry!” said Chloe, and she jumped off the bus so he could take the boys back to their dorm. When she turned to wave good night, Judge Jim gave her a grin and lowered his window.
“Reckon tonight has been a success in more ways than one,” he told her through the open window.
“I guess it has,” she agreed. “Thank you for taking us on such an incredible trip.”
Chloe crept upstairs and into her room. The light was off and she thought everyone was asleep, but as she got into bed, Pop sat up.
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yes,” said Chloe. “It was amazing.”
Soon, the light was on and all three girls were listening to Chloe’s description of the evening.
“Was the bassist playing his old Fender Precision?” asked Tara.
“Um. . . I don’t know,” admitted Chloe. “Sorry. It was a red guitar. That’s all I remember.”
“Huh!” snorted Tara. “Typical! Singers never notice instruments.”
“Do you know what the best part of the whole evening was?” Chloe went on, ignoring Tara’s comment. “Coming back on the bus we were singing and stuff, and we all got along really well. I felt totally relaxed with the boys for the first time since we’ve been rehearsing together. It was great! We’re going to try a different song tomorrow and I think it might just work!”
“That’s wonderful,” said Lolly. “I know how worried you’ve been about the concert, but maybe you’ll be all right now.”
“Don’t get too relaxed or you’ll make mistakes,” Tara warned darkly.
“That’s not very helpful,” Pop complained. “Just as Chloe is starting to feel a little better.”
“Well, I think I am, but I still need all the help I can get,” said Chloe. “So what do you think the key is to gelling with them if it’s not relaxing? You should know, Tara. You play in a band.”
Tara sniffed. “It’s not relaxing. Or at least not totally,” she said. “That’s part of it, but the most important thing is trust. You have to trust that everyone else is with you and that they’ll back you up whatever happens. That way, you’re free to perform at your best.”
Chloe nodded. “Yes,” she agreed. “I think maybe you’re right.”
“Of course I am,” said Tara. “I bet you find it hard to trust Zil and the others because you don’t know them very well and you aren’t totally convinced they know what they’re doing. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, I guess so,” agreed Chloe. “They all make mistakes but somehow they just keep on going, and I find it hard to do that. I trust Danny, though,” she added.
“But you need to trust them all, or the whole thing falls apart,” Tara explained.
“I suppose,” Chloe mused.
“And there’s another thing,” added Tara, yawning hugely. “Just as important.”
“What?”
“They have to trust you,” she said.
“Yes,” Chloe agreed slowly, biting her lip. “They do, don’t they?”
Over the next few days, every member of the band made a huge effort. Choosing a new song had been a really good idea and Chloe had taken Tara’s advice to heart and worked hard to gain their trust. Now, at last, they were really working as a team and things started to improve dramatically. When Judge Jim dropped in on a rehearsal, he was very pleased at their progress.
“Good job, all of you,” he said with a smile in Chloe’s direction. “You’re really beginnin’ to rock. You spendin’ much time together out of rehearsals?”
“I was going to suggest that we all have our meals together from now until the concert,” said Zil.
“The more you can act like family, the better,” Judge Jim told them approvingly. “Zil’s idea is good. You get inside each other’s head and you’ll perform amazingly. If I were you, I’d go for it.”
One evening, shortly before the big day, Judge Jim and Mr. Player got all the Rising Stars performers together so they could watch a recording of last year’s performances.
“If you know what to expect, it might calm your nerves a little,” said Mr. Player. “Of course, this is the finished recording, and the shots you will see of the individual performers were taken during the day and edited in later, but it will give you an idea of the set and the way you’ll be presented.”
They all watched as the DVD played. Afterward, there were lots of comments.
“It was so slick,” said Zil.
“And everyone looked so glamorous!” Chloe added admiringly.
“It is slick,” said Mr. Player. “But you’re all professionals and will do very well. Every one of you is more than capable of producing performances just as good as last year’s stars.”
“I hope so,” said Danny fervently.
“And as for looking glamorous, the TV company is very good at making the students look fantastic,” he added.
“So we don’t get to decide what to wear?” asked Isla, looking rather disappointed.
“You do,” said Mr. Player. “But then their wardrobe department looks at you and makes suggestions. Sometimes clothes that look great in real life can look very different on television.”
“Someone told me that television can make you look fatter,” said Zil.
“I thought it was thinner,” said Chloe.
“Well, whichever it is, you don’t need to worry,” said Mr. Player. “By the time wardrobe and makeup have finished with you, you’ll all look wonderful. Just wear whatever you’re comfortable in, and they’ll do the rest.”
But when Chloe reported back to Pop and Lolly, they wanted to get involved in what she was going to wear.
“Come on,” said Pop. “We’re professional models. Look at all the things we’ve got that you can borrow.” She threw open her closet door dramatically. She was right, of course. She and Lolly had been given lots of cool clothes by famous designers. And the twins were very generous with them.
“We might as well make an effort with what you wear,” said Lolly. “It’ll be fun.”
“Why not layer your red dress with my silk shirt? That would look cute,” suggested Pop.
“Yes, it might work. Come on,” Lolly urged, opening her closet door as well. “The studio people will have their own ideas, but we should definitely send you off looking your best.”
“All right,” Chloe agreed. “Maybe doing that will take my mind off being nervous.”
“You don’t need to be nervous,” said Pop. “You’ll be fine now that you and the band have gelled.”
“We’re not free and clear yet,” admitted Chloe. “The new song is better, but Lenny is having trouble with his riff. It’s a really tricky one. And because it leads into
Zil’s solo, Zil can come unstuck, too.”
“It’ll be fine on the day,” said Pop. “I’m sure it will. Zil and Lenny will figure it out.”
“I hope so,” said Chloe. “Because if they don’t, I’m very likely to go wrong, too!”
6. Concert Day
On the evening before the Rising Stars Concert, Chloe tried to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t have time to be too nervous. She finished all her homework, even parts that didn’t need handing in right away, and played Ping-Pong with Pop for ages, but nothing could keep her from thinking of the big day.
Even so, Lolly was the first to spy the letter on Chloe’s bed that night.
“What is it?” asked Pop as Chloe opened the envelope.
“It’s a letter from the principal,” said Chloe in surprise. She scanned it quickly and then read it out loud: “‘On behalf of the staff, I would like to wish you good luck for the Rising Stars Concert tomorrow. You have worked very hard to get this far and I hear great things about the act you have prepared. I hope everything goes well for you and that you enjoy the day. Best wishes, Mrs. Janet Sharkey.’”
“I didn’t know the principal’s name was Janet,” said Pop with a giggle.
“What a nice letter,” said Lolly.
“She wants to encourage you so you don’t let the school down,” growled Tara.
Chloe put the letter back in the envelope. She would keep it forever. If she never did anything else, at least she had this to prove that she’d been a Rising Star in her first year at Rockley Park. And that was really something to be proud of!
When it was lights-out, Chloe didn’t want to keep on talking like the girls usually did. She wanted a few minutes alone with her thoughts before she went to sleep . . . if she could actually get to sleep.
She lay down and felt the envelope crackle under her pillow. Mrs. Sharkey had heard “great things” about their act!
Rock would never be Chloe’s favorite sort of music, but she had really gotten into the band and was thoroughly enjoying singing like a rocker for a change. It was fun, and she hoped that the fun would shine through in her performance.
The boys were great musicians. And they had given the song a more lighthearted feel to complement Chloe’s approach. She hoped it worked. They all thought it did and it seemed the teachers did, too. If only Lenny could get his riff right. That was the scariest thing, because if he couldn’t, Chloe wasn’t sure that she would be able to go on without faltering. Everything hinged on that.
Chloe tried to get to sleep but the riff was going around and around in her head, keeping her awake. If Lenny did falter, Chloe hoped with all her heart that she’d be able to keep on, that she wouldn’t let the band down. She turned over and sighed. It would all be over by this time tomorrow.
The envelope crackled under her pillow once more, but she didn’t hear it. At last, she had fallen asleep.
In the morning, Chloe was up early. She washed her hair, and Pop dried it for her and put some wax in it.
“There!” said Pop, standing back and looking at Chloe with satisfaction. “Your hair looks really cool and it should stay that way all day. That’s one less thing to worry about.”
“Thanks, Pop,” said Chloe.
“Break a leg,” said Lolly when it was time to go. “We’ll be thinking of you. I’m sure you’ll have a terrific time.” She gave her a hug and Pop joined in.
“I’m really jealous,” Pop told her. “But you deserve your place, so enjoy!”
Chloe had been told to have her performance clothes in a bag and to wear something comfortable for rehearsals during the day, so she was in her usual jeans and T-shirt as she reached the main school building to wait for the minibus that was taking them to the studio. Several of the other Rising Stars students were there already and Chloe joined them, her face pale with mingled fear and excitement.
“Did you manage to eat any breakfast?” asked Zil, who was usually totally unflappable.
“No,” admitted Chloe. “I couldn’t.”
“Me neither,” Zil confessed. “But I brought a banana with me in case I get hungry on the bus.”
“I didn’t think it was a very long ride,” said Chloe.
“It isn’t,” he said. “I don’t know why I bothered really. It’s just nerves, I guess. I’ve been trying to make sure I don’t forget anything and a banana seemed like a good idea, but I’m sure they’ll feed us!” He laughed. “I think I’m even more nervous now than I was when I came for my audition to get into this school.”
“Oh. I hope I’m never that nervous again,” said Chloe, and she immediately began to feel a little better.
Judge Jim and Mr. Player pulled up in the bus.
“We’ll be with you every step of the way,” Mr. Player told the students as they loaded their instruments. “So if you have any worries or problems, we’ll be there to help.”
“Where’s Danny?” asked Judge Jim.
“I don’t know,” said Lenny. “He was in the Rock Department when I was collecting my guitar. I thought he was on his way.”
Judge Jim looked at his watch. “I wouldn’t have thought Danny would be the one to hold us up,” he said. Zil and Lenny exchanged glances, and Chloe felt her stomach beginning to knot. Surely things weren’t going to go wrong before they’d even left for the studio!
But then one of the older girls said, “Isn’t that him?”
To everyone’s relief, Danny was jogging along the path clutching his backpack. “Sorry,” he puffed when he reached them. “I just realized that I had my most worn-out drumsticks with me instead of my best ones and I had to go back for them. You’re sure I don’t need to take my drum set, aren’t you?” he added to Judge Jim.
“Don’t worry,” the teacher replied. “The studio set is really good and it’ll be ready for you. All you need are your sticks.”
Chloe gave her friend a sympathetic smile. Even Danny, one of the calmest people she knew, must be feeling the tension.
The television studios were in the next town, which was only a short drive away. When the Rising Stars students arrived, they lugged their instruments into the reception area. They didn’t have long to wait. A friendly-looking girl came through the swinging doors and approached them.
“Hi, I’m Julie,” she said, shaking Judge Jim’s hand and then Mr. Player’s. “I’m the researcher for the program and will be looking after you today. If there’s anything you need, just ask me and I’ll do my best to help.” She smiled at them all, and Chloe felt encouraged. It wasn’t as scary here as she’d feared it might be.
Julie led the students down a hallway and into a large room with a table and chairs at one end. Several amps were already plugged in, and there was a simple drum set, too. “This is your rehearsal room,” she told them. “You should all have time for at least one run-through here before you go down to do your sound checks in the studio. Sam will be here in a while to film some informal shots of you all. They will be edited into the final program between your acts to add interest for the viewers,” she explained. “Drinks and cookies are there, and we’ll be bringing in some light snacks for lunch. Oh, and later I’ll be asking for some interesting snippets of information about each of you for the voice-over.”
Chloe wondered what sort of information Julie would want. She couldn’t think of anything interesting she’d done before today. Then she told herself not to worry. There were more important things to think about, like concentrating on making her performance the best she could. To do that, she would need to keep her energy levels up, so she went with the boys to investigate the cookies. She and Zil ate one each and Chloe began to feel a little more relaxed. The producer came to see them and, with the teachers’ help, worked out the order in which they would perform.
“I’m glad we’re not on first,” Chloe whispered to Danny when Judge Jim announced the running order. “Third is just about perfect.”
Sam the cameraman showed up as well.
“I need to get some
general shots of everyone chatting and rehearsing, and then some individual ones, too,” he explained. “The audience today won’t see any of the film, but afterward the recorded performances will be edited together with the shots I take and a voice-over will be scripted for the program.”
“When will the program air?” asked Danny.
“It’s usually shown as a Christmas special,” said Sam.
“That’s a long time away,” said Chloe in disappointment. She’d been hoping to watch it with her family and friends over the summer break.
“That’s TV for you.” Sam smiled. “The school will get a copy of the program well before it goes out, so I think you’ll get to see it very soon. But you should be pleased! Winter programs get a lot more viewers than summer ones. Haven’t you noticed that they show a lot of repeats over the summer?”
Sam busied himself checking his camera, and Danny and Chloe exchanged glances. Chloe couldn’t help being excited. The program might not be seen for absolutely forever, but it would eventually be shown and they were here now, in a TV studio! That was what really mattered. Then she thought about their song. No . . . what really mattered was for them to perform at their best. Suddenly all her doubts came flooding back, and her stomach did an enormous flip. They had to make the song perfect. It seemed impossible, but they simply had to.
7. An Exciting Time
At first, it was really difficult being filmed by Sam. He wanted lots of natural shots of the students, but with all the excitement in the air, it was very hard not to giggle when he pointed his camera in their direction. Danny dropped half a cookie into his drink by accident and everyone went into hysterics. They couldn’t stop laughing for a while. But Sam was very patient, and eventually the students stopped being self-conscious and learned to ignore the camera.
When the first band got their instruments out and began to rehearse, everyone became much more businesslike. It might be a lot of fun being at a TV studio, but they had work to do and it would be a relief to get on with the job. Chloe and the rest of her band waited impatiently until it was their turn to do a run-through. Chloe was feeling really jittery now and there were still several hours to go until the audience would arrive. She was sure she’d feel better once she had a microphone in her hand, and she heaved a sigh of relief when it was their turn to rehearse.
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