No reviews :( But that's kind of expected, I updated six months ago.

Kim

When we got home that night, we were met by a very worried Mom and Dad. Dad was behind Mom, rubbing her shoulders as she sat at the counter, looking at her tablet.

"Where were you?" Mom asked. "What did you four get into?"

"What are you talking about?" I lied unconvincingly, my voice coming out high pitched. I never could lie to my parents.

In response, Mom held up her tablet. On the screen in big words were:

BREAKING NEWS: CRAWFORD SISTERS IMPLICATED IN DOJO SABOTAGE PLOT

"Good going, Kim," Jemma said sarcastically, nudging my shoulder. "Way to lie to your parents."

"Your parents? Our parents!" I corrected.

"Does it really matter?" Macy interrupted.

"Ahem!" Mom coughed to get our attention. "Care to explain?"

We all looked at each other before sitting down across from her, even Melody, as the time she spent with us made her an honorary member of the family. "It's a long story," Melody warned.

"We've got time," Mom said, somewhat sternly. "Now stop stalling and tell us what happened."

"And don't skip a single word," Dad said finally. "Your mother and I have been very worried. So are your parents, Melody," he added, looking directly at a very guilty Melody.

"It happened when Jack and his friends came to Swarthmore Academy..." Jemma began, twiddling with her fingers.

One week later...

"Singing, acting superstars Jemma and Macy Crawford, along with their previously-unrecognized sister, Kimberly Crawford, were involved in a dojo-school sabotage scandal that happened last week..." Click.

"The Black Dragons, a prestigious dojo, was accused of conspiring with Swarthmore Academy, an equally prestigious school, to shut down the Wasabi Warriors and Seaford High, respectfully..." Click.

"The Crawford Sisters and their close band member, Melody Brewer, have not made any statement regarding their involvement; However, according to some anonymous students, there were some suspicious activity concerning the four..." Click. Throw. SMASH.

"ARGH!" I screamed in complete frustration.

"Nothing good on TV?" Melody asked, coming down the stairs.

"Of course not!" I said, throwing my hands up. "It's bad enough that we're on house arrest, but nothing good on TV? Blasphemy!"

Melody only laughed and sat down next to me as Jemma walked in with a bowl of cereal. "Sucks to be a celebrity," my sister smirked. "How do you feel now?"

"Shut up," I mumbled, folding my arms and looking away.

After news got out about our involvement in the "Black Dragon/Swarthmore Academy Sabotage Plot," we'd been put on house arrest by our parents as well as Macy and Jemma's publicists-and all for good reason too; we were just implicated in a sabotage plot between a big, prestigious private school and an equally if not more qualified and renowned karate dojo. Greaaat. I already googled us. It's on our Wikipedia page, all over our Twitter and Facebook feeds, and every biography page of us that we had no control over. I even got a notice from the board of judges who were judging my Pearl of Seaford competition, saying that they were considering retracting my award. It would have been okay if I didn't get an email from Claire right after, rubbing my loss in my face already. (Let's just say, Mom and Dad are not happy with the "accidental bump into the nearby vase that somehow broke a few yards away and left quite a few scrapes on the wall")

"Stop acting like a baby," Jemma said. "Now you know how we feel. On the bright side, I know what we can do to pass the time."

"What?" I said skeptically.

"Let's make music," she said, sitting down on the table across from us. "Like, an EP."

Her words hung in the air longer than I thought they would. An EP? Macy has recorded a few songs and so has Gemma, but never together. People speculated whether it was because we hated each other, but in reality, we had very different opinions: Macy was a more acoustic, somewhat traditional person, while Gemma was a little more electronic and modern when it came to music.

As if she read my mind, Melody said, "Like, all four of us? Making six songs? As a band?"

"Sure," Jemma nodded. "Macy and I have been planning on merging for a while. Well, half-merging; we'd write music for our band and ourselves, if you know what I mean."

Melody and I looked at each other, probably thinking the same thing: Are we good enough?

"And before you start to doubt yourself: yes, you guys are good enough," Macy interrupted our mental conversation as she walked into the room. "And we're serious."

"Where do you guys come from?" I asked, looking around.

"Upstairs," Macy and Melody said simultaneously.

"Look, we're bored, we're feeling strong emotions, we've been through things together, why not make that into something great?" Gemma pressed.

I looked at Melody one last time before shrugging. "Alright."

"I'm in," Melody said, leaning in. "What's our band name?"

"Phoenix Light," Macy smirked. "Because we're the life that comes from death, the light that breaks darkness, and the good times that come out of the bad."

I leaned back, physically moved. So did Mel. "Phoenix Light," I breathed. "I like it."

"Then let's get started."

Gemma, Macy, Kim and Melody,

This Extended Play is amazing! The emotion, the message, and the talent that was poured into this beautiful little CD you sent me! It's wonderful, amazing, breathtaking... it moved everyone on the board. To think you made six songs in only two months! We should put you on house arrest more often! And the name! Phoenix Light... what an attractive, bold, and powerful name to use!

We'll release the EP soon. You need to decide what songs are the singles, of course. We've always trusted your judgement in these matters, but we only request one thing: Keep the cover you have. Macy, you did a wonderful job on it. It's perfect.

Jen Reynolds

"Singer-songwriters Jemma and Macy Crawford have finally joined together to create one of the most popular EPs on the internet, with their sister Kimberly, and their close friend, Melody Brewer. In the aftermath of the Swarthmore-Black Dragon scandal, these four, now known as Phoenix Light, have turned their roles into music."

"The entire EP has surprising twists and turns, especially when it comes to its backstory. Their first single, 'Bad Blood', refers to an apparent betrayal by none other than Jemma Crawford, when the two of them were threatened into compliance and secrecy by Swarthmore Academy. The EP features a mix of acoustic and electronic influences to suit Jemma and Macy's contrasting tastes, which are both appreciated by Kim and Melody. For example, 'I Know Places' has electronic influences, while 'Fight Song' has more acoustic influences."

"Phoenix Light is planning on going on a tour with their EP. Rumor has it they will be booking extra opening acts to open people up to more up-and-coming artists. Another rumor is that they will prepare six cover songs to perform on tour."

"In the Ashes" by Phoenix Light.

'Bad Blood'

'I Know Places'

'Fight Song'

'Cool Kids' feat. Katherine Mullen

'Fix You'

'Red Lights'

Jemma, Macy, Melody and I pulled up into a parking lot, where hundreds of students were parking and heading to school. We got out, ignoring the stares, and headed into the school, losing ourselves in the blue-clad crowd of students.

After getting some necessary documents from the main office, we were setting up our locker when we heard a loud squeal. "Kim!"

I turned around before I was practically tackled by a brown-haired blur. Some of the students nearby slowed to a halt at the audacity of this one girl. But she wasn't a fan.

"Kat!" I laughed as she pulled away, her hair everywhere.

"You guys transferred!" She squealed. "I thought it would just be Brody and his friends because he didn't say anything about you!"

"Of course we'd transfer!" Jemma said, hugging the girl quickly. "Why would we stay at Swarthmore?"

"I don't know!" Kat said. "Oh my gosh! I have to show you guys the best places on campus! Remind me to show you after school!"

With that, we dispersed, ready to start our first day at Westwright Academy.

"Next up, these girls were the victim and forced culprits of a failed sabotage attempt on a school and local dojo. Now, they have turned their experiences into music. Here now, Phoenix Light!" The host, Kelly Nobles announced as we walked on stage, waving and high fiving anyone. Our single, "Bad Blood" played as we entered.

"Hello, hello!" Kelly grinned as we sat down on a couch. "Wow, you guys sure know how to make the most of a bad day."

"Well, it was more than a few bad days," Macy said lightly, making everyone chuckle a little bit. "But here we are."

"Here you are," Kelly agreed. "So, you two have finally formed a little group. And you brought in two equally amazing artists! Kim, Melody, what was it like to make music with your sister and friends?"

"Amazing," I said calmly. "I'm glad Jem and Macy know what they're doing, otherwise I would have accidentally wrecked their studio." More laughs.

"And if you think she can somehow wreck her sisters' studio, imagine me in the studio," Melody added. "I would have accidentally set their house on fire."

"Which is why she's the drummer," Jemma joked. "Because she can get all her pent up energy out on the drums and be too exhausted to set our house on fire."

"Speaking of fire, the name of your group is very inspiring," Kelly said, putting us back on track. "Phoenix Light. Mind explaining?"

"Well, like the phoenix, we were born from the ashes of a scandal. If we weren't coerced to do what we were supposed to do, then maybe Kim would still be in the shadows, and Melody would just be our friend. Music was our escape from our... task," Macy explained.

"Even more inspiring. After this break, we'll chat more with new group, Phoenix Light, and they'll perform their latest single, 'Bad Blood!' Don't go away!"

7 AM on a beautiful June morning, Mom and Dad were packing the last of our things on the tour bus. The entirety of the Wasabi Dojo and former Black Dragon girls were here, ready to wish us good luck on our tour.

I was so caught up in saying goodbye to all my friends that I was startled when a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned to find Jack, smiling gently at me. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Turning back to who I was talking to, I sent her inquiring look. "Sure," Alexa said. "Have fun!" She called loudly as Jack led me away. "Jack and Kimmy, sitting in a tree." I turned red as Jack led me out of sight from the rest of the group.

"So..." I said, when Jack didn't say anything. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," he said wryly, looking at me. "You're going on tour."

"No, I'm running away to elope with Brody," I said sarcastically, making him chuckle a bit. Then I was concerned. "Hey, are you okay?"

"It's just..." he looked lost for a few moments before saying, "I haven't been able to spend much time with you, with your house arrest and your transfer and school and your interviews... and now you're going on tour."

"I know," I sighed despondently. Even with all the great things that were happening to me, the lack of time I could spend with Jack was a dark spot in my life, regardless of how trivial some people might see it. "But don't worry. It's just a short summer tour. Three months and I'll be back."

"Will you?" I was taken back by the bluntness. "When you come back, you'll be back to school, and probably going back and forth from Hollywood to Seaford to LA and back for acting and interviews and whatever. Where will I fit in this?"

"Where will you fit in this?" I repeated. "Do you really want to know? Everything! You're in everything! Do you know why I wrote 'I Know Places'? Because I needed to protect you from all this. It's one of the reasons why I didn't want you to know in the first place. Did you realize you never were mentioned, despite your almost direct involvement in this? Because I needed to hide you from the public eye. You saw how they tried to tear apart Macy and Jemma's careers. I didn't want it to ruin any prospects you may have in your future."

Jack began to tremble with emotion. Gently, I reached up and cupped his face. "I've known you for what, a few months? Yet I feel like I've known you forever. Jack... I think I love you. And I need you to know that."

A tear leaked out of his eye, and I could feel tears in my eyes as well. Before I could blink, he was kissing me, full of emotion and yet with gentleness, a movie-perfect kiss.

"I think I love you too."

"How are you guys doing?" I called out to the crowd. They roared back.

I was in Seaford, holding a concert especially for the town. It had been three months, and it was the last concert of the tour.

"I have a song I'm going to perform for you guys," I told them. "To be honest, I debated singing this a while back. It's about love... my love for my actual boyfriend, not Brody." I paused. "No offense, Brody."

"None taken!" Brody called back, making everyone laugh. His arms were around Kat, who had gone to join him after she performed her song with us.

"Anyway, my boyfriend's name is Jack Brewer, who some of you know. And... he persuaded me to sing this song, even though he doesn't know it at all. So here we go."

I sat down a stool, guitar in hand. I looked out at the crowd, stopping on a pair of familiar brown eyes. They were full of encouragement and love. "This song is called 'This Love,'" I said into the microphone. I began to strum my guitar.

Clear blue water
High tide came and brought you in
And I could go on and on, on and on
And I will

Skies grew darker
Currents swept you out again
And you are just gone and gone, gone and gone

In silent screams
In wildest dreams
I never dreamed of this

This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me, oh

Tossing, turning
Struggled through the night with someone new
And I could go on and on, on and on

Lantern, burning
Flickered in my mind for only you
But you're still gone, gone, gone

Through losing grip
On sinking ships
You showed up just time

This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me, oh

This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me, oh

This love

Your kiss, my cheek
I watched you leave
Your smile, my ghost
I fell to my knees
When you're young
You just run
But you come back
To what you need

This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me, oh

This love left a permanent mark
This love is glowing in the dark, oh
These hands had to let it go free
And this love came back to me, oh

This love

This is the last chapter! :( What a great journey! Little less romance than I thought there'd be, but in all, I like it. If you couldn't tell, I was listening to Taylor Swift's 1989 album while writing this. Hope the songs I picked for the EP make sense!

~squirmyorchid.