Swans Crossing: The Return
©1997 by Stephanie Blydenburgh
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Chapter Nine
Garrett's stomach lurched as the shocking news he had just heard began to sink in.
"Then we really are brother and sister!" Sydney said in a raspy voice.
His head spun. "No!" he shouted. "It can't be true!" Garrett looked at her, his eyes flashing with anger. "You're lying!"
"Why would I lie about this?" she scoffed violently.
"I'll tell you why! You're trying to destroy my dad's campaign!" he yelled. The people sitting in the bleachers turned to stare at him.
"Would you shut up? Everyone is staring at you!" Sydney hissed between clenched teeth.
Garrett rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the arm. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? Well, you made up this horrible, vicious lie so your mother could win the campaign and so you could get back at me for telling you that you were switched at birth with Sandy!"
Sydney’s eyes watered as he continued to squeeze her arm tightly. "Garrett, stop it," she pleaded.
He let go of her arm and pushed her out of the way. "You make me sick!" he growled.
"I didn't make this up!" she protested, rubbing her arm. She could already see a small bruise emerging on her skin. "And I'll prove it!"
He stepped up to her. "You're not going to do anything, you got that?" Garrett told her threateningly.
"And what are you going to do about it?" Sydney challenged.
"I can, and will, make your life a living hell," Garrett answered, his eyes narrowing. "So you're going to keep this information a secret... or else."
"Or else what?"
He laughed in spite of himself. "You don't even want to know." Garrett then pushed past her. "Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go watch my girlfriend."
Sydney stomped her foot into the soft soil in frustration, and the tears began to fall.
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"Ready? Okay! S-U-C-C-E-S-S that's the way you spell 'success', S-W-A-N-S that's the way to spell 'the best'! Swans! Swans! Go-ooo Swans!" Mila yelled with a bright smile. After the cheer she did a cartwheel, then a roundoff, and ended by doing an impressive flip. She landed perfectly, her arms high in the air, a toothy smile on her face.
"Oh no," breathed Glory, who was standing on the sidelines. "I can't go on after that."
J.T., who was standing with Glory, didn't hear her. Instead, he was clapping for Mila enthusiastically. Glory frowned at him.
"Thank you, Mila," Ms. Seymore, the cheerleading advisor, remarked with an expression that displayed obvious admiration for Mila's routine. "Next up is," she looked at her clipboard. "Glory Booth!"
Panic washed over Glory. I can't do this, she thought, her feet firm on the ground.
"Glory, it's your turn," J.T. told her, nudging her out onto the field.
Glory put on a phony, nervous smile and began to recite the same cheer Mila had done. All of the girls were to use the same cheer.
"Mila!" J.T. called as he watched Glory, who had choreographed dance moves into her cheer instead of gymnastic maneuvers like Mila.
"Hi J.T.," she replied, jogging up to him.
"You were really great you know," he complimented her with a smile. "Where'd you learn to flip like that?"
Mila laughed. "Oh, I took a few years of gymnastics as a kid," she remarked casually.
"Well, it was really, really terrific," he said again.
"Thanks," she answered sincerely.
As the two were talking, Garrett approached them.
"Garrett," Mila said, hurrying to her boyfriend’s side.
"Excuse us Rocket-boy," Garrett told J.T. coldly, leading Mila away from him.
"Garrett, that wasn't very nice," Mila said as they retreated.
He rolled his eyes when she turned around to glance back at J.T. "Well, I wanted you all to myself," Garrett remarked with a romantic smile.
"Oh!" she sighed happily.
"You were amazing out there," he commented, giving her a hug.
"Thanks Garrett."
"Well, are you done here?"
Mila nodded. "I'll find out if I made the squad on Monday."
"You'll make it. There's no doubt about that," he assured her, draping his arm around her shoulder. The two made their way off the field. "You were a star out there, you know."
Mila blushed, and Garrett continued.
"And I know you'll be a star at the concert tomorrow night."
Mila's face clouded over. "No," she said in a low voice. "I'm not singing tomorrow."
"What? Why not?"
Mila sighed. "Because Owen Fowler is a jerk, that's why."
Garrett looked away. "Oh," he replied, hoping she didn't notice his voice sounded strange. "What did he do?"
She pulled out her ponytail and her blond hair fell to her shoulders. "He filmed me in the video, and then dubbed Sandy's voice over my singing," Mila explained, twisting her scrunchie in anger.
"Hmm," Garrett said hollowly. "I think that you should still sing. I mean, it's your one shot."
She shrugged. "I'll think about it."
"Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?" Garrett asked, eager to change the subject.
A smile appeared on her face. "Well, since you get to stay in town, your writer’s block must be over with." She snuggled up against him. "Do you think you could write me another poem... Chandler?"
Garrett groaned inwardly. Again with the "Chandler"! "Yeah, I guess I could do that," he replied slowly. Inside, his mind was racing. What am I going to do? Sydney knows the truth now, so I can't blackmail her into getting poems for me!
"When will you have one for me?" Mila prompted him.
"Um, uh," he stuttered.
"Tomorrow morning?" she asked hopefully.
"I guess so," Garrett mumbled. They strolled off the field, Mila wearing a look of unsuspecting content.
---------
Cautiously, Callie pulled the sliding door of the Tool n' Die open. She stepped into the garage, and Jimmy looked up from the fuel pump he was working on.
"Hey, Walker woman! I’m glad you made it over here so fast," he greeted her.
Callie smiled and set her canvas backpack on the dusty floor. "So what did you want to show me?" she asked. "What's the big surprise?"
Jimmy took her gently by the arm. "You hear that?"
She paused. "No, I don't hear anything."
He nodded. "Exactly. We're all alone here. No Barek."
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Callie. "Hey, now that Barek's gone, who's going to be the manager of this place?"
"Well, that's the surprise. After Barek was arrested, Fats called my house," Jimmy began. Fats Wellman was the original owner of the Tool n' Die, and went away to ride his motorcycle around the country. When he left, he had hired Barek to watch the shop.
"Oh yeah? What he say?" Callie inquired.
"Fats told me that he’s in Tucson right now. He’ll be back in a few months, he says he still has some more states to see."
"So what happens until then?" she asked.
Jimmy grinned widely. "Say ‘hello’ to your new manager!" he announced.
Callie raised her eyebrows. "Are you serious?"
He nodded. "Sure am!" he studied her face. "You're not mad are you?"
"Mad? Of course I'm not mad," she assured him, placing her hand over his.
"Well, I just thought that maybe you know, you would have wanted to be manager," he explained tentatively.
Callie shook her head. "No, you've been here much longer than I have." She looked into Jimmy’s eyes, and smiled shyly. "You deserve it." She gave him a hug. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, Walker woman," he replied softly.
"But," she said teasingly, "I hope that you're not going to be too much of a dictator."
Jimmy laughed. "Me?" he retorted in mock disbelief. Then his expression turned serious. "I'm just here to make sure the work gets done, but I consider you my equal, not my employee."
"That's good to hear," she remarked.
"So, what do you want to do, now that we don't have Barek around to worry about?" he asked.
Callie shrugged. "You're the manager. What do you think we should do?" she replied with a laugh.
He smiled and a romantic look crossed his face. "Well..." he cupped her chin and leaned closer to her. "There's always this." Jimmy kissed her lightly on the lips. When they parted, Callie sighed and looked up into his eyes.
"Whatever you say, boss," she answered breathlessly as they leaned towards each other for another kiss.
---------
Saja strolled down the empty halls of Swans Crossing High, happy that there was no school the next day, and even happier he was caught up on his Geometry assignment. As he was walking, he spotted Sandy at her locker, struggling to stuff some books inside.
"Sandy," he called. Sandy glanced up and waved. "Hey, have you happened to have seen my partners in crime?" Saja questioned her.
Sandy looked puzzled. "Who?"
"Jimmy and Callie," he explained.
She shook her head. "Sorry, I haven't seen them," she replied distractedly.
Saja looked at Sandy’s face, which was wearing a troubled expression. "Are you okay? Your ‘aura’ seems a bit off today."
She sighed and buried her head in her hands. "It is."
"Do you wish to indulge me?" he asked. "I've been told I'm a pretty good listener."
She shrugged. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"
He nodded. "Of course."
Sandy took a deep breath. "Well, I spoke with Owen today. He said that he had sent the video in to some record producers, and they loved it."
"Well, what's wrong with that?" he asked.
"We never shot the video!" Sandy cried in frustration. "He filmed Mila!"
"Mila?" Saja asked incredulously. "And the record producers loved Mila?"
She shook her head. "No, they loved me."
"I'm not following you," he admitted.
"Owen dubbed my voice over Mila's image, and then sent it in," she explained with a groan.
"Oh," he said with realization. "Geez, that's really rough."
"I know." she paused, and looked down the hall, away from Saja. "I quit the band," she said in a low voice.
"You what?" he asked in disbelief. "You quit the band?"
"Yeah," she replied glumly. "I had to. There's no way I could go up on that stage with such a liar, such a backstabber."
Saja raised an eyebrow. She was speaking with quite a bit of venom. "Well, I don't know Sandy, maybe you should still sing."
"Why?"
"Because you're such a great singer. You shouldn't let Owen Fowler ruin your chance at making it big. Once you go to the concert, the record producers will see that you are the one with the beautiful voice, then they'll sign you, not Mila, your backup singer," he assured her.
She looked at him skeptically. "But I know Owen did this because Mila is so pretty, and her looks would sell records. I'm no match for her."
Saja looked down at his shoes shyly. "Yes you are," he said quietly. "You're very pretty Sandy."
Sandy felt her heart skip a beat. No one but my family has ever called me pretty before! she thought to herself. She smiled. "Thanks Saja."
"Well you're welcome. Now are you going to sing tomorrow night?"
She chewed on her bottom lip in thought. He's right! Why should I let Owen and Mila ruin my shot at the big time? This is my band, if anyone should quit it should be the two of them! She thought to herself. Sandy then looked up at Saja with a smile. "Under one condition."
"What's that?" he asked.
Sandy grinned even wider. "I'll sing as long as you meet me at Swans for lunch before the concert."
"We were going to meet afterward I thought," he reminded her, smiling back, and marveling at the fact that she had just asked him out.
"We can do that too," Sandy suggested.
"You've got a deal," Saja said happily. The two grinned at each other, and then walked out the door together.
---------
Sydney dried the tears off her cheeks with her sleeve, and then began plodding off the field. I don't even believe this! Garrett thinks I made this up! Why would I make this up? It's ruining my life....
"Sydney-o!" Nancy called from the other side of the field, interrupting Sydney's thoughts.
Sydney groaned. Great, just who I need to see, she thought morosely.
"So, are you ready for the concert tomorrow night?" Nancy asked when she approached her.
Sydney shrugged. "I guess, what do you mean?"
Nancy rolled her eyes. "Boy, do you have a short term memory. If I recall correctly, we had this conversation about a week ago. You know, the big speech you have to make?" she reminded her.
"Oh no!" Sydney exclaimed. "I haven't even started on it!"
"What a shame, Sydney-o. I don't think there's any way you can finish it now," Nancy folded her arms in front of her, wearing a smug and superior look on her face.
Sydney began to walk away. "I’d better go start it," she mumbled, and took off quickly in the other direction.
"Nice to see you too, Sydney," Nancy muttered to her friend’s retreating figure.
---------
"Thank you, Glory," Ms. Seymore said, making notes on her clipboard. She called the next person in line, and Glory walked off the field.
"Glory!" J.T. called. She barely looked up. He ran to catch up with her. "Why so glum?" he asked. He put his arm around her, and they walked towards the building.
"I was terrible!" Glory groaned.
J.T. looked puzzled. "I thought you did fine." He saw her wince at those words. "I mean, great," he corrected himself quickly. "You were great!"
"Yeah, right!" she responded, with much more force than she had intended. "I mean, next to Mila I must have looked like such a klutz!"
J.T. glanced away. He remembered clapping enthusiastically at Mila's incredible routine, while Glory looked on, frowning. "Glory, you were really, really good. Don't worry about it, I'm sure everything is going to be fine. You'll make the squad."
Glory pulled away from him to go into the locker room to change. "I don't even care anymore."
---------
Jimmy and Callie ended their kiss and stared into each others eyes, smiling.
"If you keep that up, boss, we're never going to get any work done in here anymore," Callie remarked teasingly.
Jimmy grinned back at her. "And that's a bad thing?"
At that moment, the door to the Tool n’ Die creaked open, and Saja stepped in.
"Hi Saja!" Callie greeted him brightly.
Jimmy sighed. Leave it to Saja to always interrupt, he thought to himself.
"I can't stay long," Saja told them. "But I wanted to come over and talk to you guys about the trial."
"What about it?" Jimmy asked.
"Well, you guys have been summoned to the court, right?" Saja began, jumping up to sit on the table.
The boys continued talking, while Callie was lost in thought. She saw Barek, the bald men, and the gun...
"Callie?" She jumped when Saja brought her back to reality. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she replied, almost inaudibly. "I'm fine."
"Well, I guess I'll see you guys in the morning at the court house," Saja concluded.
Jimmy nodded. "We'll be there."
Saja leapt off the table and proceeded to leave the shop. "Oh!" he said suddenly, turning back. "I almost forgot! I was wondering if you guys would like to have lunch with Sandy and me at Swans tomorrow, before the concert and after the trial?"
Jimmy smiled and punched his friend playfully on the arm. "Sandy?"
Saja grinned, embarrassed. "Well..."
"Sure, we'll go," Callie answered for both Jimmy and herself.
"Great! See you then!" he said, and bounced out of the shop.
"We will?" Jimmy asked when Saja was gone.
"I don't know, it sounds like fun," Callie replied. Jimmy looked at her skeptically. "Why don't you want to go?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I guess it's okay, but..."
"But what?" she prompted.
"But sometimes I want to be alone with you. It's hard for a guy to share his girlfriend," he admitted sheepishly.
Callie felt her breath catch in her throat. Girlfriend? It’s finally happened! I really am Jimmy’s girlfriend! she thought to herself happily.
"Selfish, huh?" he asked with a laugh.
"It's okay," Callie replied in a shaky voice. Her heart was still thumping from how he had just called her his girlfriend. "Don’t worry, we’ll be able to spend plenty of time alone together after the trial tomorrow."
"Right," Jimmy agreed happily. "After tomorrow, we’ll have all the time in the world."
---------
Captain Walker was lying in bed in his hotel room at the Swans Crossing Inn. He hadn’t left his room ever since he checked in. He was still mourning over the awful destruction of the submarine, which had been his beloved home for so many years and was the only place he ever truly felt comfortable in. Now it was gone and he felt as if his life would never be the same again.
Suddenly, the telephone rang. Captain Walker picked it up. "Hello?" he answered groggily.
"Hello, is this Captain Elia Walker?" a professional sounding female voice on the other line asked.
Captain Walker, who had been moping in the dark, flicked on the lights. "Yes, this is he," he replied, rubbing his eyes.
"Well Captain Walker, we are familiar with your work on bioluminescence and the extensive study you have done on nudibranchs," the woman told him.
"And?" he prompted, annoyed.
"And we are interested in hiring you to work in our research lab at our university," she continued.
"Where is this university?" Captain Walker asked.
There was a pause on the other line. "Brazil."
---------
Sydney pushed the door open to her mansion and flung herself inside. I only have one day! I have to write my speech in one evening! she silently panicked.
"What am I going to do?" she asked herself out loud.
Ralph rode into the room on the voice-automated skateboard that he had won at a benefit J.T. and Neil held several weeks ago. "Whoa, cease!" he commanded his skakeboard and stepped off. "Good afternoon, Miss Sydney."
Sydney rolled her eyes. "Ralph, I can't be bothered now. I have a lot of work to do."
"Well, your mother has instructed me to give this to you." Ralph handed her a sheet of paper.
Sydney glanced at it. "'Dear Sydney,'" she read. "'I'm sorry I can't be home for dinner tonight, it's yet another campaign meeting.'" Sydney looked up from the letter. "It always is," she commented, and then continued reading. "'I will be at the concert tomorrow night to hear your speech. If you can, Dear, will you say something favorable for the campaign? We could certainly use the help. Thank you, Dear. Love, Mother'." Sydney sighed and tossed the note on the floor. "Everyone has a request."
"Yes, indeed," agreed Ralph. "Well, I will leave you alone Miss."
"Thank you, Ralph."
He got back on his skateboard. "Yo, kick it!" he commanded, and tolled out of the room.
"Great. The concert is in 24 hours and nothing's done!" Sydney picked up her checklist from the table. "Entertainment?" she asked herself. "No, we don't have any entertainment! They all quit!" She moved her finger down the list. "Revolving concert stage? Who knows, it's been so long since I’ve talked to Callie and Jimmy! Speech?" She laughed out loud in answer to this question. "Billy Gunn?" Sydney paused. "Well, things have taken a turn over the past couple of weeks. I guess we don't even need him anymore."
Sydney flopped down on the sofa amongst the dozens of boxes littering the room and tugged helplessly at her brown hair. "This concert is going to be a disaster!"
---------
Sandy walked down the stairs to the studio, where Owen was sitting in the dark.
"Owen, what are you doing?" she asked him as she turned on the lights. He was sitting with his back to her, his face buried in his hands.
"Well, I'm sure not practicing for the concert," he answered mournfully.
Sandy picked up a microphone. "Well, maybe we should start."
Owen looked up at her with a confused expression. "What do you mean? I thought you hated me now."
A faint smile played upon her lips. "Oh, I do," she teased, "but I still want to sing in the concert."
"You do?" he cried, jumping from his spot on the chair.
"What you did was wrong, and it won't be easy to forget, but we've worked all summer for this, and we shouldn't miss it. Besides, we can't leave Sydney without a band to play at the concert," Sandy explained.
Owen sat down at his keyboard with an enthusiastic grin. "Then let's do this!" He began to play the tune to their song, "I Gotta Grow Up" and Sandy immediately started singing.
"'Don't know where I'm going, my head is feelin' strange, my heart is beating over time, my bodies goin' through a radical change, I'm feeling new emotions, I can't turn back now'," she sang in her beautiful voice. "'Standing at the crossroads, I'll get though somehow, I guess I gotta grow up, oh, I gotta'...."
"Sandy! Owen!" MiIa’s voice suddenly called from the stairs. She pulled the studio door open and stepped into the room.
Sandy stopped singing and set her microphone down, annoyed. "Hello Mila," she greeted her coldly.
"Hi guys! I've changed my mind, I want to sing," Mila told them, panting heavily. Apparently, she had run all the way to the studio and was now out of breath.
"Great," Sandy said, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. As usual, Mila didn't seem to notice.
"All right! Then the whole band is back together!" Owen exclaimed happily, putting his arms around the two girls.
"Owen, can we work on my song now? You know, the one based on the poem?" Mila asked.
"Sure, why not?" he answered.
Sandy glared at them. "Wait a minute! We were working on our other song!"
"Well, we've practiced that song a lot and we know it really well already. We should work on our new stuff now," Owen replied simply. Mila nodded.
"Look Owen, I am the singer in this band. Without me, there is no band. So," Sandy handed Mila and Owen a copy of the music to the song she had written a week before, the one that Saja had inspired her to write. "here's the one we're going to work on now. I wrote it and here's the sheet music. Got it?"
Both Owen and Mila stared at her with stunned expressions on their faces. They had never really even seen Sandy raise her voice before, let alone stand up for herself. They were so taken aback that they didn’t bother to argue with her.
Owen and Mila mumbled agreements, and Owen started playing the new song. Sandy smiled triumphantly. For once, things were finally going her way.
---------
Sydney was seated on her couch, a pen in hand. "'Good evening, Swans Crossing'," she read aloud. "Gee, what a start," she muttered to herself sarcastically.
At that moment, the phone rang and Sydney grabbed it. She knew that Ralph was probably getting ready to go jet skiing with Mr. Han, the town librarian.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Sydney, this is Callie," Callie said on the phone at the Tool n' Die.
Sydney sighed. She had a lot of work to finish and she couldn't afford to be interrupted now. "What's up?"
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that Jimmy and I will be at the concert site bright and early tomorrow morning to install the motor for the revolving stage."
Sydney smiled with relief. "Really? Well, that's one thing I can scratch off my list."
"Is the planning getting to you?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah. It seems like absolutely nothing is getting done. And I am already stressed out enough as it is."
"Let me guess, Garrett?" Callie said.
Sydney rolled her eyes. "You’ve got it."
"Did you ever talk to him about the thing with your parents?" she asked.
"What thing with their parents?" Sydney could hear Jimmy ask in the background.
Callie put her hand over the receiver. "Shh!" she hissed at him.
"Yes," Sydney replied softly.
"And?"
"And he didn't believe it at all. He called me a liar, and what's worse is that he did make the whole thing up about me being switched at birth with Sandy. It was all a cruel joke for what I did to him at Mila's slumber party. So we really are brother and sister!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding wavery.
"I'm really sorry Sydney," Callie told her. "But at least the war between you and Garrett is over."
Sydney tapped her finger against her cheek in thought. "Maybe not," she replied slowly, an idea coming to her.
"What, Sydney?" Callie asked, sensing that her friend was cooking up another scheme against Garrett. And if she knew Sydney, this scheme would hurt him in the worst way.
"Nothing, I’ve gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow morning," she said quickly.
"Sydney!" Callie protested.
Sydney hung up the phone. She grabbed her pen and a vindictive smile began to spread across her face. "Good evening, Swans Crossing..."
Chapter Ten
Glory stood in front of the Swans Crossing court house at eight o' clock that morning, shivering even though it was fairly warm outside. She was very nervous about having to testify in front of most of the town, especially since what she might have to say could get J.T. into trouble.
I just hope they don't bring up my kidnapping, she thought to herself, feeling uneasy just remembering how the bald men had taken her over the summer. J.T. told me not to tell anyone about what really happened that night, and I promised him I wouldn't.
"Glory," a voice called suddenly. Glory glanced up to see Callie walking up the sidewalk to meet her.
"Hi Callie," Glory said.
Callie stood with her arms crossed in front of her. She was wearing a floral dress that she had borrowed from Glory earlier that morning, and was feeling a bit uncomfortable in it. "I feel sort of nervous."
"I know. So do I," Glory admitted.
Callie stared up at the brick building. "You know what? I'm more nervous about seeing my dad than anything."
Glory looked at her with concern. "Oh, Callie, he's your dad. It's not going to be uncomfortable. Maybe you two can move into a house or something now."
Callie shook her head. "I don't think Dad even wants me to live with him anymore."
"Callie! Come on, you're always the logical one. Your father is not going to send you into exile," Glory assured her.
Callie sighed. "Well, I certainly can't stay at your house forever."
"You are welcome in my house for as long as you want. I love having you stay over," Glory told her with a smile.
"Thanks Glory." Callie glanced at her watch. "Well, should we go inside?"
Glory looked up the street, which was deserted since it was so early in the morning. "Well, I had told J.T. I was going to meet him outside."
"Actually, I told the same to Jimmy," Callie replied. She rubbed her arms with her hands. "But it feels really cold out here!"
Sydney woke up that morning and realized that she had fallen asleep in her clothes. She stumbled off of the couch, smoothing down her now wrinkled black miniskirt. Her index cards fell to the floor. She bent to pick them up, and glanced at what she had written.
"Oh wow, how am I ever going to say that out loud?" Sydney asked herself, almost shocked at what was written on the cards. It was as if she had composed her entire speech in a vengeful trance. She looked at the clock, which read eight a.m. "Well, there's no time to rewrite it now."
Sydney threw on a clean shirt and a pair of black pants. She slipped into her black shoes and gathered her things. She had to get down to the stage. There were so many things to be done before the concert at six o' clock that evening. She had to make sure Jimmy and Callie had installed the stage motor and that it worked, she had to make sure the bunting and the backdrop were hung, she had to do a sound check, and she needed to speak to Sandy. Sandy had called the night before and told Sydney that she, Owen, and Mila had decided to sing together again, but Sydney still needed to make sure that they were prepared. Also, for some reason, Sandy had never even named her band. They needed to have a name before the concert.
There's so much to do! Sydney thought as she headed out the door, hoping her hair didn't look too bad. She supposed that she'd come back to the house and change before the concert. She shut and locked the front door behind her. After she had left, the phone rang.
"Hello, you have reached the Rutledge residence. We are unable to take your call, but leave your name and number, and we will get back to you when we can," Mayor Rutledge said on the answering machine. It beeped, and the caller began to leave his message.
"Hello Sydney, this is Billy Gunn. I arrived in town last night. I suppose I will see you at the concert tonight," said Billy in his thick British accent. "I'm looking forward to it."
Mila walked over to the Booth house and caught Garrett stepping out on the front porch.
"'Morning Garrett!" she greeted him perkily, giving him a big hug.
"You seem happy. What's going on?" he asked, returning her hug.
"I decided to sing tonight after all. And," she began coyly, "I have a surprise for you."
"What is it?"
Mila smiled mysteriously. "You'll have to wait until tonight to see."
Garrett took her hand, and they began to walk down the street together. "All right, all right," he agreed reluctantly.
"So, did you write me a poem?" she questioned him.
Garrett sighed. He had been up half the night trying to compose a poem for her. It had been quite a task, but he had come up with something. "I sure did," he replied proudly. He reached into his pocket and took out a crumpled piece of paper that was smudged with ink.
"Oh, Chandler!" Mila exclaimed. Garrett looked at her crossly. "I mean, Garrett," she corrected herself. "I can't wait to read it!"
He handed it to her and grinned. "Well, wait no longer."
Eagerly, Mila began to read the poem out loud. "'A shiny star up in the sky, a tasty piece of apple pie. A warm sunny, summer day, a really awesome football play. A cool movie with lots of guns, and doing something really fun," she read, the smile on her face slowly beginning to fade. "But none of this compares to how I feel-a, about the beautiful and lovely Mila!'"
Garrett beamed triumphantly, feeling proud of his work. "So, what do you think?"
Mila stared up at him, with wide eyes. "I um," she stuttered. "I'm speechless."
Neil tugged at his tie nervously as he approached the courthouse.
"Bucky ball!" J.T. called, jogging to catch up to his friend.
"Ready for the death of UB2B?" Neil asked glumly.
"Come on Neil, this doesn't have to mean death. I mean, I know we'll end up having to show the court our research and everything we did for UB2B, but maybe then everyone will see what a good idea it was, and let us have the go-ahead with the project. All we need to finish UB2B is that last element that went down with Captain Walker's sub."
Neil nodded. "True, but we're still underage. They won't let us work with those kind of materials if we're not twenty-one."
"I was thinking, maybe we could have it patented so that in a few years we can show it to the public," J.T. suggested. He opened the door to the courthouse and stepped inside.
"But someone will probably have already discovered it by then," Neil protested.
Glory, who was standing in the hall in front of the courtroom with Callie and Jimmy, walked over to the boys. "J.T.!" she exclaimed, enveloping him in a hug.
"Hi Glory," he greeted her softly.
Neil rolled his eyes. "Girls," he muttered under his breath.
"I'm so nervous about this," Glory told J.T.
"I know," he replied comfortingly. "I am too."
Callie and Jimmy approached them. "I think we all are, Glory," Jimmy said.
The five teenagers stood there silently for several moments, all feeling apprehensive about the trial.
A man walked up to the group. He was carrying a briefcase and wearing an expensive-looking three piece suit.
"Oh, Mr. Harding!" Neil greeted the man, going over to him and shaking his hand. He turned to J.T. "J.T., this is Aaron Harding. He's my father's lawyer, and for the trial he's ours, too."
"Hi, Mr. Harding. I'm J.T. Adams, and these are our friends, Glory Booth, Callie Walker, and Jimmy Clayton."
The man nodded in acknowledgment. "Hello," he said in a smooth voice. "Well, I want you all to know that this is just a preliminary hearing. We're going to hear testimony from all of you and the other witnesses, and then Mr. Adams and Atwater will testify, and so will Barek and his partners," he explained.
Callie turned away at the mention of Barek. She was nervous enough about her father and didn't want the awful memories of Barek and his gun flooding back to her now.
Mr. Harding continued. "It will last about three or four hours, and then will more than likely continue at another date. I know that Swans Crossing has canceled school today because of this trial, and also because of the concert. So I promise that this will be quick and relatively painless. Okay?"
The teenagers nodded silently in agreement.
"I am going to go in, and J.T. and Neil need to come with me. I will see you guys later. The trial begins in about twenty minutes," Mr. Harding told them. He, Neil, and J.T. proceeded to enter the courtroom.
"I think I should go in there with them," Glory said, and excused herself from Jimmy and Callie.
"I wonder where my dad is," Callie commented. She looked down the hall, trying to see if he was in the building yet.
"Well, he has to come. You can't get out of testifying," Jimmy remarked lightly, trying to ease her anxiousness. Callie didn't meet his eyes. She was still looking for her father, standing on her toes to see over the crowd that was forming in front of the courtroom door. "You're really spooked about seeing him, aren't you?" Jimmy asked her.
Callie looked back at him, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "Yeah, I am. I'm worried about seeing my dad, and seeing Barek..." her voice trailed off. From beyond the crowd, she could see her father entering the building.
"Speechless?" Garrett repeated, tossing his head arrogantly. "Speechless is good."
"Um, yeah," Mila lied. "Good." She quickly stuffed the poem into her purse, not wanting to look at it a minute longer. That was so bad! she thought to herself. How could he have written such beautiful, meaningful poetry during the summer, and write something so juvenile now?
Garrett took her by the arm and they walked across the street, towards the courthouse. "Well, I'm glad you liked it. I worked really hard on it last night."
On this?! Mila thought incredulously. However, she gave her boyfriend a bright, phony smile. "Thanks Garrett."
Garrett grinned back at her, completely clueless.
"No! That goes over there!" Sydney yelled at some of the workers who were moving the colored and strobe lights around the stage. "You think I would really want the lights all on one side of the stage?" she snapped. The men didn't answer her and simply moved the lights to where she had instructed them.
Sydney shook her head in despair. Working with the help is so difficult, she thought. She marched up the stage, and one of the workers came up to her. "Excuse me Miss Rutledge, this message was left for you."
Sydney swiped the piece of paper from his hand and began to read it out loud. "'Sydney, we were here early this morning, installing the motor for the stage. It's all done, and we'll be at the courthouse until this afternoon. Call later if you need us, or else we'll see you at the concert tonight.'" It was signed by Callie and Jimmy.
"Thanks," Sydney told the man quickly, and went backstage to the control panel. "So, how does this thing work?" she asked herself, searching for the button to turn on the revolving stage. She pressed a button, and the strobe lights went on.
"Hey! What are you doing?" one of the workers shouted at her.
Sydney giggled and switched the lights off. "Nothing!" she replied. She pulled a lever, which activated the revolving stage. She stood back and watched in awe as the stage rotated slowly. "Well, what do you know? They actually did it."
Sydney pulled on the lever again to stop the stage, and stepped back a moment to observe what was going on. A sense of pride washed over her as she saw all the last minute preparations coming into place. "No, I did it. I actually got this concert to happen," Sydney remarked proudly, and for the first time in a week, she was able to smile sincerely.
"Order, order. Court is now in session," Judge Rider announced, tapping her gavel against the table. "We will begin with the opening statement for the prosecution. This is a strange trial in that we have two defenses. The first defense is the group of terrorists who are being arraigned for the hostage situation on Monday. We also have the situation of Mr. J.T. Adams and Mr. Neil Atwater and their ordering radioactive chemicals illegally from the Rodavian Institute in the Ukraine."
J.T. and Neil exchanged anxious glances.
The judge continued. "The reason we are going to be hearing the testimonies in the same court is because the cases are interrelated in that the boys who ordered the chemicals were the ones the WTO held hostage. So, now, we would like to hear the opening arguments from the prosecution."
The woman who was representing the prosecution team stood up. "Thank you, your Honor," she said, and began to state her case.
"So what do you think J.T., ten years to life?" Neil whispered.
"Neil, come on! We're not going to go to prison. You heard Mr. Harding. We're getting a great trial. It's in our favor to have the terrorists in here, too. The jury is going to see what creeps they are and our crime will look like a misdemeanor," J.T. protested. Mr. Harding gave the boys a cross look, silently scolding them to keep quiet.
Meanwhile, across the room, Callie was fidgeting in her seat. She could see her father sitting in the front row, staring straight ahead.
"What's wrong?" Jimmy asked her.
She swallowed, and tried to answer him, but her voice was strangled.
"Her dad's over there," Glory whispered, answering for Callie. Jimmy nodded, and reached for Callie's hand.
"And I see Barek, too," Callie muttered. Her heart was beating quickly, and her palms were so sweaty that she had to let go of Jimmy's hand and wipe her hands on her dress. At that moment, Barek turned around and looked directly into Callie's eyes.
"Oh, my God," she gasped loudly. Barek quickly turned back to the front of the room.
"What?" Saja asked.
"Barek!" she hissed. "Barek was staring right at me."
Callie's heart continued pounding, and in her ears she could hear the gun shot, and her scream, and the water rushing into the sub. She could see the evil look Barek had in his eyes just a moment ago, as if to say, "You'll pay for this, Callie Walker."
"... and now I would like to call Barek to the stand," the prosecutor said.
Barek stood up, and he turned to Callie, Jimmy, Glory, Saja, Garrett, and Mila who were all sitting in a group against the wall. He smirked at them, and then approached the witness stand.
"Raise your right hand," the prosecutor ordered him, and Barek obliged. "Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you?" she asked.
"Yes," Barek answered. He sat down on the stand, and adjusted the microphone.
"Thank you. Now, will you please state and spell your name to the court?"
"Barek. B-A-R-E-K."
The woman scowled at him. "No, your real name."
Barek swallowed, and nervously tugged at his tie.
Jimmy and Callie leaned forward in their seats, anxiously waiting to hear their boss' true identity for the very first time.
Sandy hurried to the site of the concert stage, Owen in tow with his keyboard. Behind them were some of Sydney's workers carrying the drum set and the amplifiers. Sandy was carrying a dry cleaning bag which contained her and Mila's outfits.
"I'm so excited, Owen!" she exclaimed, trotting across the grass. "I can't wait to see what the stage looks like!"
"Me neither. And I can't wait until we meet with the talent scout," Owen added.
Sandy chewed on her bottom lip. She didn't want to think about the talent scout, who was there under false pretenses. He would be expecting Mila to be singing the lead and sounding like Sandy. Sandy pushed the thought out of her mind and climbed up the stage stairs. "Sydney!" she called. "Sydney!"
Owen and the other workers began setting things up on the stage. One of the workmen walked by, and Sandy flagged him down. "Excuse me?" she asked.
The man stopped. "Yes?"
"Have you seen Sydney Rutledge?"
He rolled his eyes. "You mean Hitler? She's over there." He pointed to the backstage, where Sydney was standing, hands on her hips, and yelling at one of the employees.
"Thanks," Sandy said with a laugh. She headed up to her friend. "Sydney?"
Sydney looked up. "Sandy! You're here!"
Sandy nodded. "Yeah, I'm here."
"Oh, I'm so glad you decided to sing again. I don't think there would have been a concert without you!" she exclaimed, nearly knocking Sandy over with a big hug.
"Well, uh, no problem," she replied, wondering why Sydney was acting so strange.
"Okay, now I need to have a list of the songs, in order, that you are going to play. I also need to know the instruments being used, and who's using them, and, of course, I need the name of your band," Sydney rattled off so quickly that Sandy had a hard time catching it all.
"Well, I didn't really think of a name yet..." she answered idly.
"Sandy! Think of one! Now!" Sydney ordered. "Just say the first thing that comes to your mind."
"Even if it's stupid?" Sandy asked.
"I don't care what your name is, you just need one!"
"Okay," Sandy replied slowly. She thought of what was going on her life, besides her music. Her mind wandered back to the night that Saja walked her home....
Sandy and Saja heaved a sigh as they walked down a road in opposite directions. They were both feeling depressed because their friends had snubbed them that night. Suddenly, their paths crossed.
"Hi," Saja greeted Sandy as he approached her.
"Hey. Where are you going?" Sandy asked.
"Oh, nowhere, everywhere." he replied with a sigh. "How about you?"
"Same place."
"It's funny," Saja mused. "Sometimes you think you're the only person coming from that direction."
"Yeah," Sandy agreed. "And when you get there, you think there's only room for one."
"Right."
Sandy then observed that Saja was dressed completely in black, in a ninja-style outfit. "I like what you're wearing. Is it a costume?"
"Yeah," he responded glumly. "Tonight it's just a costume."
"I feel like I've spent the whole night getting dressed up with no where to go," Sandy commented, remembering how she had gotten dressed up that morning, assuming she would be filming her music video that day.
"Yes!" Saja exclaimed, realizing how much she understood him. "Did you ever feel like you were an extra in somebody else's movie?"
"Worse," Sandy replied. "An extra in somebody else's rock video."
"So, are you going home?" he asked.
"I suppose," she said noncommittally.
"I guess you're taking the long way then, aren't you?"
"I've been going that way all night," she answered with a faraway look on her face.
"Well, at least you're not afraid of the dark," Saja told her, thinking of Callie, and how she and Jimmy had ignored him all night.
"The dark... right."
"Well, you know, I could make the dark a little bit lighter and, uh," he paused, suddenly feeling timid. "Walk you home."
"What did you say?" Sandy asked loudly, seemingly snapping back to attention.
"Oh, I just said that I could make the dark a little bit lighter and walk you home," he repeated quickly. "I didn't mean-"
"Saja, you read my mind!" Sandy exclaimed, interrupting him.
"I did?" he asked incredulously. "I mean, I did."
"Yes, I was just thinking of that line for my new song. It was like, an inspiration!"
Saja smiled and bowed his head humbly. "Well, I am glad to be the vessel through which the light of your inspiration can shine."
"We all have our moments to shine," Sandy remarked softly.
"You want to?" Saja asked, pointing back towards the road.
"Make the dark a little bit lighter and walk you home," she repeated, placing her hand on Saja's shoulder as the two walked happily down the road together.
Sandy looked up at Sydney with a smile. Suddenly, she knew the name for her band. "Inspiration."
Barek shifted in his seat, not wanting to reveal to the entire court house his real name. "That's classified information, Ma'am," he told the prosecutor adamantly.
Callie whipped her head around and turned to Jimmy. "What does that mean?" she asked.
His eyes were wide. "I have no idea."
Saja jumped into the conversation. "So he never really was Barek?"
"I don't know," Callie replied. The three turned their attention back to the courtroom, where the prosecution and defenses were having a sidebar. They walked away from the bench.
"The FBI has said that you are ordered to release your name now that you are being charged for a criminal crime," the judge said.
Jimmy and Callie's eyes widened. "The FBI?" they whispered in unison.
"What did Barek have to do with the feds?" Saja asked. No one responded to him, since no one really knew the answer to his question.
The prosecutor walked in front of Barek. "You can answer that now."
Barek cleared his throat. "Um, my name is Jack Bailey. That is J-A-C-K B-A-I-L-E-Y."
The teenagers stared at each other with wide eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Bailey. Now on with the questioning," the prosecutor said.
Callie's mind was racing. What is going on here? she wondered.
"All right, now, why did you move to Swans Crossing?" the prosecutor asked.
"I really want to hear this," Jimmy whispered to Callie. She nodded back at him, watching the courtroom intently and biting on her lip.
"I traveled to Swans Crossing for an assignment from the FBI. I am," Barek paused. "was a federal agent."
Saja, Callie, and Jimmy gasped.
Barek continued. "I worked with the agents who arrested me, Agent Pensky and Agent Guyette. They worked in different divisions than I, they were with the CIA and the INS. I was supposed to pretend to be the head of the World Terrorist Organization. While I was working with them, I had to make everyone believe that I was just some guy who moved into town, so I called up my friend Fats Wellman. He had wanted to go on a 'ride around the world', so he was more than happy to let me take over at the Tool n' Die. While I worked at the shop, I also followed around Adams and Atwater for my colleagues in the WTO. I worked with Aleksandr Bunin and Maxim Adreyev, two members of the WTO."
"What?" Saja exclaimed. Once again, no one answered him.
"And could you point those two men out for us?" the prosecutor asked Barek.
He pointed across the room to where the two bald men sat.
"Fine, fine," Sydney said, penciling in the word "inspiration" on her index cards.
"Don't you like it?" Sandy asked, hoping that Sydney would like the name.
"It's incredibly inspiring," she replied sarcastically. "Now, we need to get on with this," Sydney pushed her way through Sandy. "I have to do a sound check," she muttered, and then looked back at Sandy. "Can you show me how to do a sound check?" she asked.
Sandy rolled her blue eyes. "Fine."
Sydney took her friend's arm and smiled brightly. "Come on, aren't you excited?"
Sandy laughed out loud. Sydney could be so flighty sometimes! "Yeah, I am, let me help you with the sound."
Sandy walked up to the stage, a wide smile on her face, and gripped the microphone. She looked out to where the crowd would be seated later on that night. She closed her eyes, and could hear the roar of the audience. She could see the flashing lights, and all of her friends, and the fans in the front row, screaming and cheering, dancing to the music that she was making.
"Sandy? Sandy?" Sydney called, snapping her back to reality. "The sound check?" she reminded her.
"Oh, right," Sandy replied with a giggle. "Testing, one, two, three," she said into the mike.
"It sounds good from here," Sydney called out from her spot by the seats.
"Sounds good to me, too," a voice spoke up from behind her. Sydney turned around and looked right into the face of Billy Gunn.
"So, you were with the FBI, yet you held seven innocent people hostage, and tried to kill one of them? Explain this to us Mr. Bailey, because it doesn't make much sense to me," the prosecutor remarked.
Barek had a faraway look on his face. "Well, I started out just doing my job, posing as a gear-head at the Tool n' Die so I could join forces with Aleksandr and Maxim. They had traveled to Swans Crossing to follow J.T. Adams and Neil Atwater, and during my time posing as a WTO member I found out that they believed J.T. and Neil were going to bomb the Soviet Union. After awhile I realized that I didn't want to be an FBI agent anymore. I had become good friends with Aleksandr and Maxim; they really understood me. After awhile, I wasn't really pretending anymore. It had really become irritating that Callie Walker and young James Clayton were following me around town all the time," Barek said with an angry edge to his voice. He gave Jimmy and Callie a piercing glare.
Callie gulped, and Jimmy gripped her hand even tighter than he had been before.
"So, you are confessing to joining the WTO and holding J.T. Adams, Neil Atwater, Glory Booth, Jimmy Clayton, Saja DeCastro, Callie Walker, and Captain Elia Walker hostage?" the prosecutor asked.
Barek raised one eyebrow, and looked into the crowd. "Absolutely."
"Billy?" Sydney said, nearly stumbling over the chairs she was standing between. "Billy, what are you doing here?"
Billy smiled. "Well, love, you invited me, remember?" he reminded her.
Sydney blinked a few times. "Yes, I remember, but I wasn't sure if you were coming," she replied slowly.
"Sydney?" Sandy called from the stage. "Testing, one, two..."
"I got it Sandy!" Sydney yelled in an irritated tone.
"I guess I decided to show up after all. Aren't I supposed to hear Mila sing?" Billy asked.
"It doesn't matter," she replied.
"Pardon?" he said.
"Nothing," she answered, giving him a fake smile. "So, are you looking forward to seeing some of Swans Crossing's local talent?"
He shrugged. "I suppose," he responded vaguely. "So how are you, love?"
Sydney felt her skin crawl. Every time she met up with Billy, he hit on her. She could go out with him if she really wanted to, but she had always had feelings for Garrett. Guess that's not going to work, she thought mournfully. Well, since things will never be with Garrett... Sydney looked up at Billy and smiled again.
"I'm great," she told him with a flirtatious grin. She took him by the arm and began to lead him out to the parking lot. "So, do you think I can take you up on that ride you offered me the last time you were in town now?"
"Order! Order!" Judge Rider yelled, tapping her gavel. The people in the courtroom had begun to talk, gasp, and cause uproar when Barek made his "confession". The jury, who had been very quiet during Barek's testimony, were now whispering loudly. "Order!" Judge Rider demanded again.
The crowd quickly quieted down. "Judge Rider, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I don't think there is anything further to say. Mr. Bailey, or Barek as known to you, and his colleagues, Mr. Adreyev and Mr. Bunin, have obviously committed these crimes, and are admitting it to you all right here, right now." The prosecutor went back to her seat. "I rest my case."
"She's resting now?" Callie whispered to no one in particular.
"Is that bad?" Glory whispered back.
"Well, it's not good," Callie replied, biting on her lip even harder.
"I will send the jury into deliberation, and the rest of the court can break for the day. The trial of Mr. Atwater and Adams will have to be scheduled for tomorrow morning at eight o' clock. The court clerk will notify you when the verdict is in," Judge Rider read the instructions to the jury, and then they were escorted out of the courtroom. "Court is adjourned," the judge announced, and everyone stood up.
"Great," J.T. growled, walking over to his group of friends. "We have to go through this again tomorrow!"
Glory hugged him supportively. "I'm sorry J.T., I know the suspense is killing you."
"Yeah Rocket-Boy, I guess you'll just have to wait another day," Garrett remarked with a laugh. Everyone else looked at him, their mouths set in a straight line.
"It's not funny, Garrett," Glory scolded her brother.
"Yeah, and not only do they have to wait, but we all have to wait to find out whether or not Barek and his friends are going to get off free, or go to jail," Callie said with a worried look on her face.
"Like they'd go free after that!" Garrett scoffed.
"You never know! It's not a good sign that the trial was so short!" Callie snapped back.
"Hey, hey, let's stop fighting," Jimmy intervened, stepping in between them. "Come on, now the trial is over for today, and the concert is tonight. We should all put this behind us for now and try to have some fun."
The others stared at him blankly. "I don't know if I can do that," J.T. said glumly, and he, Neil, and Glory walked out of the courtroom, hanging their heads.
"Callie!" Captain Walker called to his daughter as the people were exiting the courthouse.
Callie turned around on the courthouse steps. "Dad?" she asked, her throat going dry.
Jimmy, who was holding her hand, let go of it and whispered to her, "I'll wait for you on the corner with Saja."
"Okay," she whispered back.
Captain Walker walked up to his daughter and embraced her. "Oh Callie, I have missed you so much!" he exclaimed, hugging her tightly.
Callie smiled, sighing with relief. She had been so nervous about seeing her father, but now things seemed to be back to normal. "I missed you too, Dad," she whispered, her voice catching with emotion.
"Now, I know you need to go with your friends to the concert tonight. But I have some big news for you. Will you meet me at my hotel room after the concert?" Captain Walker asked, sounding like his old self.
Callie nodded. "Well, there's a big party at Swans Soda Shop afterwards, but I will definitely stop by after that," she told him.
"Great. I have some very good news," Captain Walker mentioned again, looking anxious.
"Okay, Dad. I'll be sure to see you tonight, then." Callie hugged him good-bye.
"All right. Have fun tonight, Callie!" he told her as he watched her recede down the street to where Jimmy and the others were waiting for her. "I hope you have it while you can," Captain Walker added to himself. He watched as Callie crossed the street, took Jimmy's hand, and busily chatted with Glory, Saja, and the others. Callie seemed so at ease with all of them, as though they had been her best friends for all her life. How am I ever going to tell her? Captain Walker thought to himself apprehensively.
J.T. leaned against the uncomfortable back of his seat in the empty courtroom. He, Neil, and Glory were waiting in the courthouse for the verdict with the court clerk. They could have gone to Swans with their friends, but had decided to stay. Neil and Mr. Harding were talking strategy for Neil and J.T.'s UB2B trial, while J.T. and Glory made small talk, the tension between them very thick.
"I am so nervous about this," J.T. admitted.
Glory nodded seriously. "I know J.T. But I also know they'll go easy on you. You're only fifteen, they aren't going to send you to jail!"
"Well, there are always juvenile detention centers," Neil commented sarcastically, joining their conversation.
"Neil," Glory began warningly.
"I just want to see those guys who kidnaped you and tried to hurt you pay for what they did..." J.T.'s voice suddenly trailed off, and his eyes became fixated on a point in the distance.
"What is it, Bucky Ball?" Neil asked.
J.T. pointed to a flashing light in the courtroom. "The verdict," he said. "It's in."
Callie, Jimmy and Saja walked into Swans Soda Shop, which was bursting with excitement.
"Why are so many people here?" Callie wondered out loud.
"It must be because everyone's excited about the concert," Saja answered. "I am, anyway."
Jimmy smiled. "Yeah, you're just excited because of...."
"Sandy!" Saja called, spotting her at one of the tables.
Sandy waved. "Hi guys!" she called back, and the three walked over to her table and sat down with her. "So, how did the trial go?"
Callie sighed. "The case was rested way too early, and the jury is in deliberation right now."
"Oh," Sandy said, and there was a silence. "Well, I'm sure everything will turn out okay."
At that moment, Jazz approached their table. "Hi guys! Can I get you a 'concert float'?"
"'Concert float'? What's that?" Jimmy asked.
"Well, at Mila's party this summer we had 'Mila floats' and after the Newport game we had 'victory floats'. For lack of a better name we're calling the special today 'concert floats'," she explained.
"Okay then, four 'concert floats'!" Saja exclaimed.
Jazz penciled it in on her notepad, and started heading back into the kitchen.
"Oh, Jazz!" Callie called suddenly, and Jazz turned around.
"Yeah?"
"Why weren't you at the trial today?" she asked.
Jazz's bright smile faded. Her mind wandered back to a few days earlier, when she had gone to visit Aleksandr in jail.
"May I see him?" Jazz asked, walking up to the counter at the Swans Crossing County Jail. Barek and his accomplices were being held there until their hearing the next day.
The warden nodded and took the keys off of the desk. "Right this way ma'am," he said, leading her to the jail cells.
Sitting in the cell were Barek and the two bald men.
Jazz shyly looked at the one bald man whom she knew, and he jumped from his seat on a tiny, flat bed and came over to the bars.
"Hello," he greeted her.
"Hey," Jazz said softly, holding on to the bars.
The warden turned to leave. "Just holler if you need me," he told Jazz. The bald man laced his fingers through hers. "Who is watching your soda shop?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I got someone to cover for me." She studied his face in wonder. How could someone so kind have done what he did to those kids? she asked herself.
"Will you be at the trial tomorrow?" the man asked her.
Jazz nodded. "Yes," she replied hesitantly.
"I hope you will be a good witness for us," he told her, looking into her eyes.
Why does that sound like a threat? she thought, feeling a bit uneasy. "I really don't know much."
He smiled. "That's good."
She looked up at him in confusion. "Why?"
"You can be," he paused, searching for the right word. "Good character witness."
Jazz swallowed hard. "Okay," she agreed. "I guess I have to go now."
"See you tomorrow," the man told her casually.
I guess I have no choice, she thought as she left the jail.
"I had to work," Jazz told Callie in a soft voice. She quickly walked away to retrieve their order.
The jury returned to their seats, and so did Judge Rider. J.T., Neil, and Glory anxiously leaned forward.
The jury foreman stood up, a piece of paper in his hand. Barek, Maxim, and Aleksandr also leaned forward.
"We, the jury, find Jack Bailey, Aleksandr Bunin, and Maxim Andreyev guilty of attempted murder and terrorism."
Barek narrowed his eyes at the remaining teenagers, a look of pure evil on his face. The guards began to lead the men out of the building to the prison van. Glory ran to the phone to call Swans' and tell the other teens the good news.
"Hey, everyone!" a waiter behind the counter said, holding the plastic swan phone in the air. "The verdict's in!"
The bustling diner grew quiet. Callie, Jimmy, Saja, and Jazz all listened nervously.
"Guilty!" the waiter announced. Callie, Jimmy, and Saja all jumped up and down, exclaiming happily.
Meanwhile, Jazz turned away, so that the customers wouldn't see the tears in her eyes.
Sydney's hair whipped around in her face as Billy drove the Mayor's sleek red Mercedes around Swans Crossing with the top down.
"Now, don't you wish you had ridden with me that one night?" Billy asked her over the loud roar of the wind.
Sydney laughed in reply.
"So, I trust that tonight is going to be exciting?" Billy yelled.
Sydney grinned and leaned against the seat, staring out the window. She thought of what she had written in her speech. "Yes, it should be very exciting."
"Well, here's to justice!" Saja exclaimed, raising his float.
"Here, here," Jimmy replied, raising his glass as well. He looked back at Callie, who seemed incredibly relieved and was smiling widely.
"Oh!" Callie said suddenly, jumping from her seat. "That reminds me!" She lifted her glass in the air. "I'd like to make a toast," she began, looking into Jimmy's eyes. "to the new manager of the Tool n' Die... Jimmy Clayton!"
Jimmy lowered his eyes modestly, but Callie could tell that he was flattered and touched by her gesture. The four clinked their glasses together, and even Saja had to smile widely. He had had, at one point, a fondness for or even a crush on Callie. But seeing her beaming from Jimmy's accomplishment made him realize that she only had eyes for him and that they had a very caring relationship. In fact, Callie and Jimmy's relationship seemed to be so strong now that only something major could make it crumble. And Saja realized that he didn't want it to. He was pleased that his best friends had found so much happiness with each other.
Saja looked over at Sandy, who was watching Jimmy and Callie with a romantic grin on her face. He smiled at her, and she returned the smile.
Life is good! Saja thought to himself, leaning back in his chair contentedly.
Dusk had settled upon Swans Crossing, and tons of people were filing into the open air area where the new stage was built. Excitement was in the air as mostly young people were arriving to come see the concert to celebrate the building of the new stage, the moment that many had waited all summer for.
Sitting in the front row were Garrett, J.T., Glory, Neil, Jimmy, Callie, Saja, and Nancy. All were anticipating the moment when Sydney would come out and make her speech, and then Sandy, Owen, and Mila would begin their songs.
At precisely six o'clock, Sydney walked out on stage in front of the mauve backdrop wearing a simple, but very flattering, black dress.
Garrett felt sick to his stomach again. She may or may not be my sister, but I have to admit that she looks beautiful tonight, he thought to himself, horrified that he was even thinking something like that.
Sydney walked up to the microphone wearing a dazzling smile. "Good evening, Swans Crossing...."
And a special thanks to my mom and dad for helping me with some of the legal things in this chapter, but since I don't know much about law I don't know how accurate I was! And another special thanks to Miss Swan for helping me with the Saja and Sandy flashback, and the name for Sandy's band.
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