Only Zoe and Zac new about what had happened that morning. Everyone else had slept through the whole thing.
Zoe couldn't look at Zac, the way she had behaved was so childish it made her blush each time she thought about it. What was worse, she had heard every thing, from
'...I have to protect Zoe'
To the
'I love you' bit.
She diddn't know what hurt more, the fact that he could fall in love and think she was so selfish that she wouldn't handel it, or that he had fallen in love and she WAS so selfish she couldn't handel it. Now he silently followed the rest of the family's lead as they rushed around trying to get ready to go to the awards ceremony that night.
"Zac?" Zoe said as she knocked on the door.
"Come in..."
"Hi..." Zoe crossed the room to were Zac was standing in front of the mirror trying to get his tie to look right.
"Want a hand..?" She asked, taking the tie from him. He quickly grabbed it back.
"No, thanks. I can do it..." Zoe stood back and watched as he struggeled with it. Her heart sank, he always let her help with his tie.
"Zac...about this morning..." She begane.
"What about this morning?" he said interrupting her.
"Im sorry about the way I acted... It was selfish...childish and rude..." Zac abruptly turned to look at her.
"Yeah it was Zoe... But forget it okay, its over, move on..."
"No, Your angry at me, and with good reason, but I..."
"Zoe will you drop it already? Go on, get ready..."
"But..."
"Zoe we are leaving in twenty minute's, so you better get ready!" Zac repeated. This time Zoe diddn't try to say any thing again, just turned and walked out.
"Zoe honey, come have your medicine..." Mrs Hanson said as she came into the kitchen.
"No, Im okay..."Zoe protested.
"Oh no you dont young lady, you heard what the docter said, you have to have three of these pill's a day, or you will just get sicker..." Zoe sighed and held out her hand.
"Okay fine, Ill have it in a second..." Mrs Hanson smiled and placed the littl pill in Zoes palm.
Zoe looked at it for a moment, then, with out any more hesitation, pushed it down the sink in the bathroom before climbing into the shower...
*************************************************************************
"Ladys and Gentelmen!" The presenter called over the loud specker, filling the glamorouse concert hall with his voice.
"Welcome to the 2013's Grammy awards! Im your host for this evening, Will Smith!" The crowd clapped as the ageing rapper bowed.
"Tonight for your veiwing plesure we had such telented artists as, Heat! Love rings! Jupdt! Hanson! And those ever youthfull, SPICE GIRLS!" The first act, being Heat, a well know 'Clink' band, began to play, there were five other bands scheduled for that night other than the ones introdused, so Hanson had a while to wait.
"Excuse me love, I couldn't help but notise...Your Zoe Hanson right?" A round, balding man in his forty's stood before Zoe, holding a clip bord in one hand, and a pen in the other.
"Yeah I am...Is there some thing wrong?" he shook his head and smiled.
"No love, not at all, Im just serprised, and TRILLED to see YOU here! We Rang Dust Brothers to try and get you on the show tonight, but they said you were buisy!"
"They never told me anyone rang..." Zoe said trailing off.
"Thats the way these record companie's are, love, like to keep you under their thumb they do, but seems you are here, would you consider..." Before he could finish Taylor, Isaac, and Zac, all came down the hall way heading to the stage. The show was nearly over, and Hanson were the last act, so they were getting ready to go on.
"Hello boys, all ready are you?" They nodded.
"I was just talking to your sister here, and was going to say it would be lovly if she would do a number for us tonight as well!"
"Realy? You want me to be on the Grammys show?"Zoe asked exitedly.
"Of course love, everyone has been trying to get you on their shows, or to interviews, but like I said, these record companie's..." Zac suddenly interrupted.
"Zoe are you sure your up to this? I mean, you haven't sung in front of a crowd before and..."
"I would love to be in your show sir, just tell me were and when!" She said ignouring Zac.
"Well...We could extend the show... The sposers will be a bit pissed this being live and all...but..."
"Why dont you go on instead of us Zoe..." Zac said, interrupting again.
"Instead of you...? I couldn't do that..." Taylor and Ike smiled.
"They would rather see you than us washed up has beens Zo, go on..." Taylor added for him.
"You...you dont mind? I mean, this is a big show!One of the biggest...maybe people dont want to see me..."
"Of course they want to see you! Everyone wants to see you!" The man said laughing "Now, have we got a deal?" They all nodded, and a message was quickly passed to Will Smith to introdused this unplaned act.
Waiting for her introduction at the corner of the stage, Zoe felt a tap on her sholder. When she turned around, she was suddenly pulled into some ones arms.
"Good Luck Zo..." Zac wispered into her hair.
"Zac...I thought you hated me..." He diddn't let her go, just hugged her tighter.
"I will never, ever hate you Zoe...ever...Your more important to me than any thing..."
"I know...I heard you and Meredith fighting...I cant beleive you chose me over her..."
"Of course I chose you..."
"But you love her..."
"It doesn't matter now Zo... I just wanted to tell you, good luck..." He kissed her check, then turned to walk back down the corrador.
"Were are you going?" Zoe called, panicking that he was leaving her alone when she was about to be on live television.
"Were else? Im going to go sit in the audeince so I can see my baby sister sing!" She smiled as he walked off, then heard her name being introduced.
"Alright yal, for your viewing, and lisening plesure, we have a special guest! Zoe Hanson!! Right here, right now!And she's going to sigh that song we all know and love, LULABIE!" The audience stood up and clapped, wiseled and screamed "Come on out Zoe!" Will called looking over at her from the stage.
She felt like jelly as she walked out onto the stage.
The crowd continued to clap untill she got under the spotlight, and infront of the microphone.
There was complet darkness, the only thing to be seen in the theatore was Zoes frail figger under the huge light.
The audience was silent, they couldn't beleive that the beautiful face in the video, was the same of the tiny girl on the stage.
Beside Zac, his mother reached over and took his hand.
"My poor little baby..." She wispered to him.
After a moment the music for Lulabie started, but even after her que, Zoe didn't sing, she just looked into the darkness of the crowd, then held up her hands, signaling them to stop the music.
No one in the crowd said a word, just waited for her to speck.
"I know you all wanted to hear lulabie... "She said finely
"But...it just doesn't seem right to sing today...If its all right with you, Id like to sing a song I just wrote called 'forever...'" Zac smiled. He had been right, she did have some thing left to give the world...
"I dont have any music for it...but I dont think it matters..." She said softly "Its not the kind of song that needs music yah know..." She stood before them for a moment. Feeling her checks burn as all eyes were on her.
"Yah know...." She said finely, nervously gripping the micrphone in her hand "I never thought I could stand up here, in frount of all you people and sing... I always thought I would be so sceared that I would make a mistake or fall over..." She smiled "But all I could think of when I walked out here was...Their going to laugh at me...I thought you were going to see me and laugh...I...I know I look differnt now... I am differnt I sappose...but you didn't laugh..." Zoe looked out into the darkness of the crowd. She couldn't see their face's, and they never said a word. But yet, she felt like she was sarrounded by family or friends. Not standing alone in a huge room full of strangers.
"I was so sceared... Just because of that..." She continued. Again Zoe gripped the micraphone, this time because she felt so light she thought she may faint.
"I wonder if all people with deseases think that...think that they are going to be laughed at because they are so sick they have to have tretment that ruins their bodys so much that they end up looking different... Its sad realy....that they are afraid of any thing but dieing... Im not afraid of dieing...Thats what your thinking though isn't it...? Your thinking 'Poor thing... So young...so sad..." Zoe stopped, shocked her self by what she had said "Im not afraid..." She said finely in a wisper "Im not..."
There was no way she could have seen the face's in the audience, but if she had she would have seen that not one person, there or at home watchng it being broudcasted live, had a dry face. Each person, young, old, man, woman, watched the beautiful little angel girl stand infront of them and tell them she was not afraid to die...
Then while they whiped their faces she suddenly begane to sing...
'I will remember...
The way we were...
Not now...
This will be forgotten...
Ill remember the way we laughed each day...
The way you told me truth...
Forever I swear ill be here...
With you...
There wont be a moment that pass's...
A moment wont fly by with out you...
No matter were I am I swear...
Forever together we shall be...
With or with out me...
Just wait and see...
Ill never break this promise...
You told me once that angel's live past death...
Then thats what ill be...
Please keep your trust in me...
I will be here for you...
Each night when you pray...
dont pray for me...
God has granted me the greatest wish...
And that is you...
Forever never cry...
I will never die...
Ill live on like you said...
As your angel...'
She didn't need music...Her voice alone touched the soles of everyone.
Zac watched as she stepped back from the microphone, smiled into the darkness as the audience stood and cheered....Closed her eyes, and fell...
He jumped out of his seat, past the sacurity gards who watched on with out moving, climbed onto the stage... And then amoung the shock of the confused crowd, picked up his baby sister, and carried her off the stage...
