“She’s not half bad,” I whispered to Claire. She nodded.

“She’s part of Alex’s family,” she said. “Blood or no blood, that family has always had a talent for music.”

“True,” I said. Smiling, I leaned back against Justin, who wrapped his arm around my shoulders, kissing the top of my head. I sighed and continued listening to Amanda’s song. She was standing in front of Claire, Nick, Brian, Justin, and me, auditioning for the new opening in our group. Star was out with Alex, so I’d volunteered to listen to Amanda. Anyway, Star had already heard her sing before.

“Mand, that was awesome,” Claire said once she had finished. Amanda blushed.

“Really?” she asked. “Thanks.”

“That was incredible,” Nick said, reaching out for her hand. She smiled coyly and took it, sitting down next to him on the floor.

“I’m still gonna have to talk to the others, but I have a feeling you’re our new replacement,” I said. “I don’t think we’ll even need a 5th person.”

“I have a feeling my mom’s not gonna like this too much,” she said, truthfully. “I mean, I was accepted into Boston University and she’s always wanted me to go there.”

“Well, it’s really up to you,” Brian said, truthfully. “I’m sure Alex could talk your mom into it either way. Do you want to sing or go to school?”

“Sing, definitely,” was her immediate answer.

“Alex’ll talk to your mom,” Justin said. “No problem.”

“Not today, though,” Claire said, quickly. We all looked at her, confused. “She just went to tell Elis the news. Leave her be for today. She doesn’t need anymore to deal with.”

“How do you think that went, anyway?” Brian asked. Mel, Amanda, and Claire shrugged.

“Elis is extremely unpredictable,” Amanda said.

“How do you know her?” Nick asked.

“I met her at my uncle’s - Alex’s dad’s - New Years party. She was there almost every year and a few other times I went over Alex’s.”

“She’s right,” Claire agreed. “If there’s anyone who can actually guess what Elis is going to do, it’s Alex. Right now, I think she was too nervous to even think about it. All she wanted to do is get it done with.”

“I don’t blame her,” Nick said. “ I didn’t get the feeling that she was the nicest person in the world.”

“Far from it,” Claire agreed, “but they were close. There’s no denying that. The three of us were. Kinda like the Three Musketeers. We fit the descriptions of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis almost to a tee.”

“Aramis?” Brian asked, indicating to Claire while he took a sip of his drink. She nodded.

“Who else?” I asked, laughing. “I mean, look at her. Maybe she’s not the most religious, but she’s the mild mannered peace maker with the logic.”

“Dare I ask who was Porthos?” Nick laughed.

“That was kind of a toss up between Elis and Lex,” Claire said. “I think it was mainly Alex, though, since Athos didn’t have very good people skills when he was mad.” She giggled softly, then looked at us. “Elisbeph and Alex were almost identical except when it came down to people skills. Alex was always more mild mannered, more open, and much more polite. She knew how to handle people. Both of them had sharp tongues, but Alex knew when to put a leash on hers. Elis didn’t care the least bit who thought what about her or what she said or did. Alex was pretty self-conscious.”

“How can she be self-conscious with the clothes she wears?” Justin asked. Claire laughed.

“She as self-conscious about what people thought when they got to know her, not about their first impression. She dressed how she wanted to. Everyone respected that, and those who didn’t got what was coming to them.”

Brian grinned. He knew what Claire was talking about. He’d had some sort of attachment to Alex since she was born. They both knew it, yet neither could explain it. She gave him confidence at a young age while he gave her hope. Through that, they had both survived the rough times.

“Anyway, back to the singing,” I said, clearing my throat. I turned to Amanda. “Girl, that was amazing. I can tell you I’m almost 99% sure you’re in.” The girl beamed.