Shannon looked at Shana and shrugged. "We're doing fine, ma'am." She replied smiling brightly.
"Not to be rude, but why do you ask?" Shana asked curiously.
Mrs. Hanson shrugged. "Jessie here pointed out how tired you two looked when you were up on stage. And now up close you look even more tired."
"Oh, we are a bit tired. We spent a good part of our night watching videos." Shannon said as she winced from hearing the lie pierce through the air. She sighed softly.
They all ordered and Shana was about to cram all of the food into her mouth, when after a few bites she wasn't hungry anymore. She sighed to herself as she pushed the remainder of her food around.
"That song you sang..." Isaac started.
"We sang quite a few songs, Isaac." Shannon pointed out.
Isaac shook his head. "Let me finish." He said as he gave Shannon a strange look. "The first one that you sang for your second set."
"Oh, what about it?" Shana questioned as she leaned forward slightly. Which meant she brushed Taylor's arm. Electricity jolted throughout her body.
"What was it about?" Isaac asked looking at his napkin. He kept folding and unfolding it.
Shannon was about ready to strangle him with his napkin when she decided to answer his question. "Well, it's about this guy and girl. They could be a couple or just best friends. The guy had promised her to listen to her when it came down to listening to someone. And when it came down to listening to her the guy listened to someone else. She felt that when she looked for him to listen to her that he was gone."
"But she misses him still." Shana commented as she let her mind concentrate a little bit on the conversation and not what Taylor smelled or looked like.
"Yeah." Shannon whispered. "She still misses him."
"So who is Bria and who is Danny?" Mr. Hanson asked breaking the awkward silence that drifted above their table.
Shana laughed and pointed at Shannon. "She is Bria. I'm Danny."
Shannon grinned evilly at Shana. 'Hmm, do I smell revenge?' She asked herself. Then she nodded her head. 'Yep, I do.' She spoke up. "Actually her real name is Jordan. And Danny is just short for it." She said smiling at Shana innocently.
"That's Tay's first name too!" Zac said laughing.
Jessica and Avery laughed also, while Mackie looked at them like they were crazy. He didn't see the big deal of having the same name.
"So what do you have against the name Jordan?" Taylor asked looking at Shana for the second time since she sat down.
Shana tossed Shannon a small glare. "I don't have anything against the name Jordan. I just like Danny better." She said shrugging.
When she looked up she saw Rob glaring at them, and she shrank low in her seat.
Shannon turned around to see what had spooked Shana. Then she saw it. Or she should she say him? Nope it would do just fine for Rob. He was an it. Not being of the human race.
"I think we should go now." Shannon said standing up.
"But you haven't even been here for ten minutes!" Zac protested.
Shana looked at him and at Rob. She felt torn. She wanted to say. Only God knew how much, but she knew if she did, Rob would give a severe beating to Shannon and her. She shuddered. "I'm awfully sorry Zac, but our boss is getting angry."
"So?" He questioned.
"Zac let 'em go. They have a life too, you know?" Taylor said as he stood up.
Isaac did too. They shook hands and said their good-byes.
Quickly Shana and Shannon rushed back stage to their dressing room. Shannon counted down. 'Five-four-three-two…' She pointed at the door and Rob burst in.
"What the hell were you two doing?" He questioned harshly.
"They offered a small dinner and to talk." Shana said calmly.
"If we would have refused, they would've become suspicious." Shannon added. She knew she won this battle. She just didn't know if she was going to suffer any wounds.
Surprisingly, Rob only lightly slapped her cheek before he left. Rapidly, Shannon covered yet another red mark that was bruising, compliments from Rob.
"Tell me again why we are with him still?" Shana muttered.
"Umm, just the fact that he can turn us in and we probably can't runaway for a third time. They'd have more security on us then Fort Knox." Shannon said angrily.
"C'mon girls. Time to go on!" Rob shouted as he pounded on their door.
This time Shannon and Shana both walked out slowly. They were more than tired. Their bodies ached from all the strain that they had put themselves through, the sleepless nights, the nightmares, and the constant not being able to eat.
Carefully they picked up their instruments and sat on the lighted steps. Shannon gave the audience a winning smile before she started to shake a beat out on her maracas. Shana joined later with her tambourine.
Shana smiled this time she was taking control and she shook out a pretty fast beat. "I love you. You have know it's true. You see me, but I'm not really there. But know that I still care."
Shannon laughed to herself. "You thought I was one person, when really I was another. You loved them both, but could you love yet another."
"Cause you'll see me than I'm gone. I can never stay too long. I'm on the go; I'm on the run. Tell me are we just starting, or have we already begun." Shana said as she got a small glimpse of the Hanson family.
"I always seem stand out above the crowd, I don't even to shout out loud." Shannon added. "I worry if it's me that you see. Do you even know me."
They continued on and when they finished everyone clapped like they usually did. Shannon took a big breath and stood up. She climbed behind her drums, while Shana went behind her keyboards. Their friend Thomas sometimes played the slide guitar, but he was home sick. Which really made it hard to do their songs. They couldn't do most of them with Thomas.
When they were done with that set, Shannon and Shana had twenty minutes to relax and get ready for their last set for the night. It was already way passed midnight. "God, I'm so tired." Shannon said as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
A soft knock landed on their door and Shannike jumped. Shana was nervous but she opened the door anyway. They were expecting Rob, when Mrs. Hanson came in.
"Mrs. Hanson." Shannon squeaked unexpectedly.
"Mrs. Hanson smiled at their shocked faces. When she first walked in she saw how scared they were. They were expecting someone whom probably hurt them or frightened them a lot. "I'd like to ask a few questions." She said as she sat down on a small stool.
It was a very tiny dressing room and having three people in it only made it seem smaller.
"Yes?" Shana asked as she sat on her stool.
"I was wondering why you work so much, and why are you working in a place like this?" Mrs. Hanson asked gently.
Shannon wanted to burst into tears and hug Mrs. Hanson for being so kind. But she couldn't. "Well, we love singing, and we have a small contract with the owner." She explained softly as she avoided Mrs. Hanson's eyes.
Mrs. Hanson only nodded and stood. "I assume your parents know that you are under the age to legally sign a contract that binds you?"
"We don't have parent's, Mrs. Hanson." Shana said as she let one tear fall slowly down her cheek.
"Our father left when we were five, and our mother died last year." Shana explained. "Bria was eighteen last year, and she was able to be signed as my legal guardian. With me barely going on fifteen ma'am, I need her." Shana said as she looked at Shannon.
Shannon smiled weakly at her and Mrs. Hanson gave them both a small hug. "I'm so sorry. If I would've known, I would've kept quiet."
Shannon shrugged Mrs. Hanson off. "You couldn't have known. We never tell people."
Rob knocked on their door telling them to get ready again. Shannon and Shana sighed at the same time. "Duty calls." Shana said as she stood up.
Shannon stood up also. "Thank you Mrs. Hanson, for caring. But everything with us is just fine." She said stiffly as she walked out the door.
Shana followed to the side of the stage. Just waiting to go on.
Mrs. Hanson knew they were covering up something, or someone. She just didn't know for sure what or whom.
