I Love You No Matter What

Chapter 2: Charles

My siblings don't know how to listen. Our mother said to stop our other hobbies. Hope still snuck out to take dance classes. Miracle would take one of us with her to take pictures, so Mom wouldn't notice. Ben is still filming everything and writing scripts. Faith cautiously asks our stepdad to hand her movie scripts to audition for. She hasn't been brave enough to actually audition. Me on the other hand, I follow Mom's rules. Sure I don't want to sing, but I want to be able to write and produce music.

"Are you paying attention to me?"

I turn back to Faith. "Sorry. I was lost in thought," I apologize.

"I was saying that we need to band together and tell Mom how we feel," Faith says.

I sigh and sit back in my chair. "It will break her heart," I argue.

"Didn't you hear? Mom is setting up meetings with record labels. We're about to get in too deep," she says.

"I guess you're right," I say. "I'm afraid of what she'll say."

"It's not like she will disown us," Faith says uncertainly.

I laugh nervously. "Scott wouldn't let her."

"Yeah. We should go gather everyone."

"You get Miracle. I'll get Ben and Hope," I suggest.

We leave my room. I go knock on Ben's door. He comes out with his camera and a bag of scripts. Ben doesn't say anything as he passes me. "Hello Ben," I say.

"Hello Charles," he says before turning the corner.

I move to knock on Hope's door. "Come in." I walk in to find Hope on her bed. She is stuffing her pointe shoes in a backpack. She stands up and walks over to me. "I'm so glad you and Faith agreed to this."

"We've got to stick together," I say.

Hope smiles. "C'mon," she says.

We go downstairs to the living room on the first floor. Mom is sitting in a chair. The couch next to her seats Faith, Miracle, and Ben. Hope and I sit across from Mom on a couch. We all face a glass table. "Now, we can get started," Miracle says.

"What do you want to tell me?" Mom asks.

"We are done with the group. To convince you, we will show you our art," Hope says confidently. She's the only one. She looks at me.

I clear my throat and stand. "I don't like singing. I want to write and produce," I say nervously. I walk over to her and hand her my blue notebook.

Mom scans through it. Her face is unreadable. I gulp when she closes the book. "These are good. Your lyrics speak from the heart. Your father would be proud," she says bluntly.

"Thank you," I say slowly.

I take my book back and sit down. Faith stands up. She brushes her hair behind her ear. "I want to act. I always have. I can't show you anything because I can't audition for jobs since your voice is stuck in the back of my head," Faith says shakily.

Mom nods. "Okay," she says calmly.

Faith sits back down with relief all over her face. Miracle stands with a binder in hand. "Singing isn't the talent I'm good at. I have to work too hard for a hobby I don't like. I love to capture moments in life. The pictures I take open my mind," Miracle says dreamily.

She gives Mom her binder of photos. Mom flips through the binder. Miracle shifts from side to side. "You took these here?" Mom asks as she hands Miracle back the binder.

"Yes," she answers, sitting down.

Ben hands Mom his bag. "I would like to write and direct movies. My voice isn't strong anyway. You've been wasting our time with me," he says. Mom takes out a few of his scripts and reads over them.

"You write like your father," Mom says.

Ben takes his bag and happily sits down. Hope boldly stands with her backpack. She moves to the TV and puts in a DVD. She turns on the TV. "I hate singing. Dancing is what makes me feel unstoppable," Hope says.

A video appears on the TV of Hope dancing to some instrumental music. She moves very powerfully and strong. I never noticed, but Hope is muscular. She normally covers herself. Hope has always been the confident and brave one, though she can be very self-conscious. I can see none of her insecurities while she dances.

"You are a very good dancer," Mom comments when the video is done.

"Thank you," Hope says, sitting down. "Can we quit the group then?"

"Yes," Mom says.

We all widen our eyes. "Seriously?" I ask in shock.

She nods. "I had a talk with Scott. He reminded me that my siblings and I were forced into the ' The Star Sisters '. We were successful, but it drove us apart. I don't want to lose you any of you because I forced you away. If it's a mistake, I will let you make it and learn from it," she explains.

We all look at her in disbelief. I cannot believe it is this easy to convince her. I am going to have to thank Scott for whatever he said.

"I will support you as you take your paths. Go on now," Mom says with a smile.

We stand up and walk away. "Did that just happen? Harmony Andrews just said those things," Faith says.

"I'm loving the new Mom," Hope says. She looks down at her watch. " I have to go. See you later."

"I'm going to the woods," Miracle announces.

"Faith, do you want to go see Dad with me?" Ben asks.

"Sure," Faith says.

"I'll be in the music room," I tell them.

I move up the stairs. I can't stop smiling. None of us have to worry about disappointing our mother anymore. We can pursue our dreams. I hope it's not too late for us. What if we fail? What if people expect us to sing when we go public? I take a deep breath. I need to focus on my work. If I fail, then I'll keep trying.