Zora's POV
"Why do you choose to be such a freak show?" she yelled.
"Why do you choose to be an brat?" I retorted. "Just because you got the goods with Dad doesn't mean that I'm no more his kid then you are!"
"Face it, Zora, all you are to him is a cast member of your little comedy freak show!" she retaliated.
I couldn't even speak after that, because all together, I knew that it was true.
Wait a sec, you guys have no idea what's happening… maybe I should back up a few… oh I don't know… years?
It started as an ordinary day in my home in Portland, Oregon. I had just finished uploading a new video to my YouTube page, and was now checking my comments… when the phone rang.
"I got it, mom!" I called into the open house.
I picked up the phone and looked at the number which had a… California area code?
"Lancaster residence." I answered. "May I ask who's calling?"
"Hello, this is Marshall Pike, executive producer of So Random!. The tween comedy show on Disney Channel." the man answered. "Is this Charlotte?"
"What one?" I asked simply.
Marshall laughed. "The one that's got two million hits on one of her YouTube videos as of today." he paused. "Also known as… crazyEgyptianElf, your YouTube username? Or Zora, as you like to be called because it's a shorter version of your middle name, Lazora; which you love very much?"
"Um, that's me." I said, wondering why this Marshall dude was even talking to me.
"I'm aware." Marshall said. "Listen Zora, I've been following your YouTube videos for awhile, and you seem to have a pretty good fan base do you not?"
"Well I just hit 90,000 subscribers, if that's what you mean by fan base?" I answered, more in the form of a question.
"That is exactly what I mean… and you're just the person we need here on So Random!." Marshall offered.
I was in total shock… me? On So Random!
Oh. My. God.
"Well I'm only eleven…" I managed to stutter out.
"Which would make you the youngest member to ever be on the show." Marshall replied.
"And what about Aimee? And Nico, and Grady, and Tawni, and Mandy?" I asked. "There's always only been five members of the cast."
"Well Aimee has decided to move on to… better things." Marshall said simply.
"I see…"
"So Zora, are we in business?" he questioned.
I paused. "Well I can't just go on a TV show without asking my mom's permission, I mean, I'm eleven…"
"Don't even worry about your mom, I talked to her about this a few days ago. All I need is your consent, and we're all set." Marshall continued.
"Well how does this whole thing work?" I asked.
It seemed as if the longer the conversation went on, the more questions I had.
"Well, we'll fly you and your mom out here to California, and then we'll do a little sketch read through with the other cast members, the owner of our studios Mr. Condor will sit in, and then if he likes you, then you're hired." he explained.
My mind did a flashback to when I was three years old.
"Daddy! Daddy!" I laughed hysterically.
"Charlie, Charlie!" he laughed back. "Oh I love you, princess."
"Da-ddyyy!" I replied to his sappy comment.
He smiled and kissed me on the forehead. "Miss Charlotte Lazora Condor, you are one crazy little girl."
"Zora? Zora?" Marshall called into the phone.
"Oh, sorry Mr. Williams," I said quickly.
"It's alright, Zora." he laughed.
"So this Mr. Condor guy, he's the owner of the studios?" I asked.
"Yes, Mr. Samuel Condor." Marshall said.
I took in a gulp. All that came to mind was that simple flashback from when I was three… and him calling me by my full name; Charlotte Lazora Condor… and how now I was Charlotte Lazora Lancaster, because it was my mother's maiden name.
"Is he a tough guy?" I finally asked.
"Well," he paused. "He can be tough… but deep down he has a heart of gold."
In my mind, I scoffed. If he had such a heart of gold, why did he leave me and Mom four years ago?
