"I'm sorry." Shana mumbled. She was excited that she saw Taylor again. It had been too long since she'd hugged him, or him kissing her. Way too long.
"Hurry up girls." Rob yelled pounding on their door. "You're doing a triple set tonight!"
"So we have two more to do after this?!" Shana whined.
"No!" Rob shouted back. "I mean you have three more sets to do!" Then he started laughing and they could hear his heavy footsteps pound down the small hallway out their door.
Shannon sighed and slumped in her chair.
"What's for dinner?" Shana asked in a small girl's voice. She wasn't trying to be funny or cute or anything. She just wanted to know.
"The same thing we had last night and the night before." Shannon said as she closed her eyes. "And the night before that."
Her stomach was growling. And she could hear Shana's growling also. They hadn't eaten all day. The last time they ate was yesterday morning, when someone bought them a doughnut each for playing well.
"Here." Shannon said as she slowly handed Shana her water bottle. "It stops the hunger pains." She said softly.
That wasn't even her water bottle. She had stolen it from the kitchen. No one saw her and she needed it for her and Shana. Especially when they had no food to eat. They needed something in their stomachs. So water became their number one drink and most of the time their only meal.
Shana greedily took it and swallowed half of it. "Thanks." She said gratefully as she wiped away the water that drizzled down her chin.
Shannon stood up and grabbed Shana's hand to help her up also. "C'mon we have to play again."
When they walked out they could hear Rob introducing them again. But as he introduced them he told the audience that Bria and Danny had a few new songs to play for them.
"Oh, no." Shana said looking at Shannon in panic. "We don't have anything new."
Shannon placed her hand on Shana's shoulder. "Yes, we do. We'll do what we did when we first started off. You'll sing a few lines, then I'll sing a few lines, and we'll do that for about three minutes for three songs. It won't be hard." She assured her sister.
Shana looked up at her. "So we'll be playing 'tell me a story' type thing?'"
"Exactly." Shannon said nodding her head smiling. This was one of their favorite games to play.
"Coolness." Shana said as they started to run out onto the stage after Rob had called their names. Shana quickly scanned the audience and saw that the Hanson family was still at their table. She smiled as she grabbed her tambourine.
Shannon walked out slowly and confidently behind Shana. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Hanson's were still there at their table eating. 'God, what did we do?' She asked looking at the heavens. Quickly, she picked up her hand held maracas. She shook them out into a cool new beat that pounded in her mind.
Then she sang first. "I knew you quite a long time ago. You're my best friend you know. I smile looking at our happy days. Oh, those care-free days." Shannon sang as she looked over at Shana.
Shana smiled back. "It hurt when you went away. Now you're back, and I hope you stay. I missed you." She sang softly as she looked at Taylor. "I missed you." She sang again.
Shannon picked up on this though. "You said you'd listen, I believed it myself. But then you listened to someone else." She sang giving Shana a pointed look. "I needed someone. But when I looked for you, you were gone."
Shana didn't catch onto it. And if she did, she ignored it. "I miss you." She sang still looking at Taylor. "Oh, I need you by side. I'll need you until I die." She sang with such emotion that she even slightly shocked Shannon.
Deciding to help out, Shannon added on for her. "And how I miss you. How am I to get through the days. I spend the hours in this frustrated haze. Oh, and how I miss you."
Shana looked at Shannon for a moment and smiled happily. "Ohhhh, how I miss you." She sang softly as she carried the last note. "How I miss a-you."
Slowly they drifted off with their small instruments and smiled at diners. They did a small bow, before they started on their next new creation.
"They look tired, Mommy." Jessica said to Mrs. Hanson as she watched Shannon and Shana perform on the small stage surrounded by bright-lighted steps.
Mrs. Hanson stared at the two girls on the stage. "They probably are, sweetie." She said as she buttered Avery's biscuit.
"They look more than tired." Zac commented. "It looks like the taller one is about to fall off the stage."
Isaac and Taylor, along with the rest of the family stared at the two performing girls. They both looked tired indeed.
"I wonder why they are doing another set." Taylor thought out loud. "It's very rare that that happens."
"Shh." Isaac said placing his index finger to his lips to silence his family. "Listen to the words." He instructed.
The family quieted down some to listen as Isaac had told them to do.
'You said you'd listen, I believed it myself. But you listened to someone else.' The words jabbed at him painfully. He slumped in his chair and stared at his plate of fries. 'I needed someone. And when I looked for you, you were gone.' The words stung bad as old memories flooded his mind.
"Hey, Ike." Zac said tying to get his attention. He was sitting on the other side of Taylor, and Taylor was between them.
"What Zac?" Isaac asked tiredly.
"Maybe since they do look tired and all, on their next break we can invite them to sit and eat with us." He suggested smiling.
Isaac just shrugged his shoulders. "If mom and dad say it's alright."
Zac looked at his parents with pleading eyes. "Pweease." He asked sticking out his lower lip.
Mr. and Mrs. Hanson looked at each other and shrugged. "If they want to, and if they can. That Rob fellow doesn't look all too kind." Mrs. Hanson answered.
Zac climbed underneath the table and shot out after the stage. He was waiting at one side for Bria and Danny to finish a song. He liked the beat but didn't really pay attention to the words.
'Oh, dear God.' Shannon thought as she watched Zac walk towards the stage. 'Please, let him be going to the bathroom. Please, let him be going to the bathroom.' She prayed silently.
He stopped right at the side of the stage. He was waiting for them to finish their song.
'Damn.' Shannon cursed at herself. And the song was almost over. 'A few more seconds of freedom.' She thought, just then Shana stopped shaking her tambourine, which meant she had to stop shaking the mini maracas.
"Hey." Zac called to them.
Shana rushed over to him. "Hi." She said smiling cheerfully.
"My family and I were wondering if you would like to join us for a while. Maybe have a bite to eat or something." Zac said smiling brightly at Shana's cheerfulness.
At the thought of food in her stomach Shana eagerly agreed. Too eagerly in a way.
Shannon groaned to herself. "Well, we have two more songs to do. Then we have about a twenty-minute break. But after that we have to perform again." She said as she started to climb behind her drum set.
Shana kneeled down on one knee so that she could look Zac in the face. 'Don't you remember me?' She silently asked him.
"Okay." Zac said nodding. "After that are you two done for the night?" He asked.
Shannon slowly shook her head. "Nope. We have to do another one after that."
"Then we are done for the night." Shana said as she kneeled on her other knee.
"Wow. You two work too much." Zac commented giving a low whistle.
"Hey, I'm sorry but you have to let Raven get back to work now." Rob said in an even voice as he started to push Zac away from the stage. "I'll show you back to your table sir." His voice as tight, which meant that he was angry. Which meant that if he didn't calm down, Shannon and possibly Shana were going to feel his wrath.
