Chapter 13

 

“Mikaylah did what?”

 

“Enrolled me in boarding school,” I answered.

 

It was during Broken Arrow’s last recording session that I broke the news to the rest of the band. “So that means the band’s finished,” Cameron concluded.

 

“Not necessarily,” Taren reasoned. “Kat, what subjects are you taking next year?”

 

“English as a Second Language, Modern Greek, Music, Geology, Visual Arts and Geography.”

 

“So you can keep up your band stuff at school.” Taren paused. “Why English as a Second Language?”

 

I reeled off a whole load of fluent Greek. “English isn’t my first language. Greek is.”

 

“But your last name’s Italian!”

 

“In Cyprus, that doesn’t mean squat.”

 

“Come on, let’s practice,” Sasha interjected. “We have to have this last lot of songs down before we leave tonight.”

 

Five hours later, the last notes had been recorded. We were all exhausted. “So when’s your aunt moving in?” Tasha asked as we packed up our instruments.

 

“In a couple of weeks. I’m going to be sharing my room with Samantha.”

 

I took one final look around the studio. “I’m definitely not going to miss this place. I don’t know how Taylor can stand it.”

 

- x -

 

Christmas 1998 drew ever nearer. Time was going so quickly that, when I finally dared to look at the calendar, it was December. My band’s debut single was nearing its release date, which was scheduled as January 11. We had chosen to release Memory as our first single, and to take it from there.

 

A couple of days before Christmas, the seven of us travelled up to Brisbane for another meeting with Lisa. “Guys, meet Claire and Gavin,” she said. “Claire is your publicist and Gavin is your manager. I’ll leave you all to get acquainted.”

 

Lisa left us alone together. Claire started our conversation off. “Lisa has filled us in on your situation,” she told us. “You’ll all be starting Grade 11 in January, right?”

 

“Nope,” Taren corrected. “Only Kat will be. The rest of us have left school. Kat’s going to boarding school.”

 

“I think I could talk my aunt out of me going if we hit number one,” I said. “I don’t seriously think she’d stand in the way of my dream coming true.”

 

“She better not,” Taren said darkly.

 

We all dissolved into giggles.

 

“So when are we going to make a music video?” Sasha asked.

 

“In about two weeks,” Gavin answered. “You’ll need to think of ideas and put together a shooting plan. If the single and album do well in the first two weeks, you’ll be going on a promotional tour.”

 

“Are we releasing the single overseas as well as in Australia?” Taren asked. “I’m kinda apprehensive about flying.”

 

Claire chuckled. “No, only in Australia. Do all of you get Youth Allowance?”

 

“Yeah,” Josh answered, speaking for the rest of us. “Why?”

 

“You may need to terminate your payments, that’s all. I’m just warning you now.”

 

“Yeah, thanks in advance,” Taren muttered.

 

- x -

 

The big day rolled around. To celebrate the release of Memory, and the airing of the video on Video Hits, and Channel V on Austar, we went into Southport to hang out and see a movie. “Look!” Taren exclaimed. He beckoned us over to the Sanity outlet and picked up a CD. “It’s our single!”

 

We all started cheering. “Come on, we’re gonna miss the movie,” Cameron reminded us. We practically had to drag Taren away from the store.

 

We gathered at my place the Monday after our trip to the movies. “It’s time to find out where we’re at,” Taren announced. “Kat, will you do the honours?”

 

I logged onto the ARIA website and clicked on the singles chart.

 

“Memory is number one first week in,” I reported.

 

We started cheering loudly and high-fiving each other. Just then, my mobile rang. I answered it to find that it was Claire, our publicist.

 

“Are you guys free next week?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, I think so. Why?”

 

“Promo tour. You’ll be going all around Australia. I’ll email the details to you tomorrow.”

 

“Thanks, Claire.” I hung up. “What do you all say we call overseas and break the good news?”

 

My friends agreed. I logged off the Internet and dialled Taylor’s number. “That you, Katia?”

 

“Yeah, it’s me. I’ve got some good news for you.”

 

“Yeah?” He sounded genuinely excited. “Spill.”

 

“Well, you remember that letter you gave me after you left here last year?”

 

“I think so.”

 

“You said that we’d be a hit. Well, we are!”

 

“You’re number one? Way to go!”

 

“Yeah, thanks. We’re going on an Australia-wide promo tour next week. And get this, we debuted at number one.”

 

“Copy cats.” I knew that he was joking. “Are the others there?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Can you put Taren on?”

 

I handed the handset to Taren. “You know, Zarah, we owe most of this to Justin. My brother was the one who got us signed.”

 

Zarah looked at me. “Kat, I know that you miss Justin. Just don’t beat yourself up about it, that’s all. He wants you to be happy.”

 

“I am happy, Zarah.”

 

Zarah walked downstairs with me. “Kat, are you really happy? I want the truth.”

 

“Sure I’m happy, Zarah. This is all I ever wanted. It’s a dream come true for all of us.”

 

Zarah looked at me. “Katia, you’re not happy and you know it. You and Josh are in the same boat.” She stood in front of me and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Admit it, Katia. You’re still torturing yourself over Justin.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Katia, I probably know you better than anyone else in the band. You are the most sensitive person I know. You don’t always show your feelings, but your artwork does. I saw that painting you’re working on. It proves my point.”

 

I looked at the floor. “You’re right, Zarah.” I sighed. “I do miss Justin. Right now, I just want him to be here.”

 

“I know you do, Kat. But think of it this way. Wherever he is, I can bet that Justin is watching you, seeing how happy you are about us having the most popular song in Australia. Don’t deprive your brother of that happiness.”

 

“Easy for you to say,” I said bitterly.

 

Zarah groaned. “Come on, we’re going for a walk.”

 

And walk we did. We walked so far that we found ourselves at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church. I looked frantically at Zarah. “Katia, we won’t go inside. I know that you aren’t a Christian. I know that the last time you were here was for Justin’s funeral. I just want to show you something, okay?”

 

Zarah led me to a gravestone under a tall Moreton Bay fig tree. I knelt down and read the inscription silently. “Zarah, this is Justin’s,” I said slowly.

 

“I know, Katia.” She pulled a clear glass jar and three tall sunflowers from under her jacket. “I asked Karen to give me these. She knows just how much you’re suffering. She had to watch Justin go through the same when his sister died.”

 

She put the flowers in the jar and placed it beside the gravestone. “It’s two years this August, isn’t it?”

 

I nodded. “Two long years,” I whispered, tears spilling down my face. “Justin told me his biggest secret just before he died. I’ve kept it all these years. He couldn’t read. He was ashamed of his illiteracy so much that he wouldn’t tell anyone.”

 

“I’d be ashamed that I couldn’t read,” Zarah said.

 

“So would I,” I agreed.

 

- x -

 

That night, I realised that Zarah was right. I was torturing myself about Justin. Problem was, I refused to admit it. Nobody except Zarah had forced me to take a long, hard look at myself. The only reason I was happy was because of my band, something I’d built from the ground up. Broken Arrow was everything to me. Zarah, Cameron, Tasha, Sasha, Josh and Taren – they were my best friends in the whole wide world. I had to move on. I couldn’t let my unhappiness stop our excitement at being number one. We were the most popular band in the country, and heaven only knew what would happen next!

 

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