The rest of the tour went on just as well as my parents and I had expected. After my stop in San Diego, I toured as an opening act all across the country from Las Vegas all the way down to Philadelphia. Truth be told, travelling to all these different cities was the best part of the tour. I got to experience new things and meet new people. Being on the road had definitely given me new friends. I got to witness my (so far, admittedly very short) life go from something that was mundane and a bit of a bore to something I cherished and could be happy with. It was amazing.

The last stop on my tour was New York City. I wasn't sure about performing in the city I used to call home with Mom and Dad. My folks had some bittersweet memories of the place and had told me as much. I wasn't sure about performing someplace where my folks didn't have the best memories, but at the same time, I was too proud to back out of doing it; and even though I was nervous about the whole thing, I had a premonition that this would be the best thing to happen to me this year. Earl had arranged for me, my parents, and Shep and Stella to stay at the Brandenham Hotel while we got everything ready for my opening act. I'd never stayed in a hotel before, let alone someplace as fancy as the Brandenham. I felt like I was given free rein at FAO Schwarz to do whatever I pleased, both as a child and as a celebrity. Of course, Mom and Dad had to remind me that being a young celebrity wasn't all fun and games. I had to stay safe and play by the rules, and that included not leaving anything to chance when it came to public perception and image. I wanted to be somebody whom the public could be proud of, not somebody who could be taken advantage of at any given moment.

As Earl checked us all into the Brandenham Hotel, we came face to face with a lady with curly red hair that was styled into a heavy part on the right side of her face and oversized black-rimmed glasses. She seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with tall, thin white woman wearing a frumpy dark gray dress with matching leggings and flats. Her skin was white enough that it reminded me of melted marshmallows mixed with melted butter to make Rice Krispie Treats. Her black hair was done up in a messy bun with wispy tendrils.

Earl called out to the two women, and they turned to look at him.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" the red-haired woman asked him.

"Of course," Earl replied. "You know who I am, don't you?"

"You're Earl de Darkwood from Veridis Quo Records, right? Why wouldn't I know you?"

"I figured you knew me. And I know for certain that you are Bitsy Brandenham and that you own this hotel we're in."

Bitsy Brandenham... I knew that name sounded familiar. I think I heard Grandma Diamond talk about her a few times, about how they'd once been really good friends. Apparently, they had a falling out a few years before I was born. It must have been over something really bad since whenever they interacted with each other anymore, they'd just insult and demean each other with all the venom they could muster. Part of me always wondered what exactly happened between them to blow up their friendship like that. The other part of me wasn't sure I wanted to know. Maybe that was for the best.

"Yes, that's right," Bitsy replied. "I've owned this hotel for almost ten years now. I want you and the rest of your group to keep that in mind while you're staying here."

Earl nodded. "Duly noted. Can you have the lady with you show us to our rooms?"

Bitsy gave what I can only describe as kind of a smug smile. "Of course. Helen would be more than happy to do that."

I just watched Helen roll her eyes at this. I didn't know all that much about her, but I couldn't help but feel bad for her anyway. Afterwards, we followed her to the floor where our designated rooms were and retired for the night. I still couldn't believe how cool this hotel seemed to be. I got to watch as much cable TV as I wanted, and my parents and I got to help ourselves to whatever food was available in the minibar. I had a good feeling about my opening act tomorrow night.

We had about four hours to go before I was supposed to open for this band called The Hex Girls. Like with Galatea and the Galaxy Girls, I was unaware of The Hex Girls' existence. Unlike Galatea's musical group, this one seemed pretty niche (being an eco-goth-rock band and all), so I wasn't sure how they managed to get big enough to get a venue in New York City. I was curious to see what the members would be like in person, but I wasn't sure if I would get a chance to get up close with them.

Right then, my parents and I decided to leave the Brandenham with Earl, Shep, and Stella and head on down to Madison Square Garden in order to get everything ready. While down there, we met up with The Hex Girls, much to my surprise.

There were three members in this group. The first girl went by the name Dusk, and she had blonde hair done up in pigtails and wore a velvet forest green dress with matching make-up. The second girl went by the name of Thorn, and she had long dark hair that hung down to her shoulder blades and wore a sleeveless low-cut crimson dress with matching accessories and make-up. Lastly, there was the third girl, whose name was Luna. Luna had poofy, bright red hair and she wore a long-sleeved lavender dress with matching accessories and make-up.

"Whoa!" Dusk exclaimed when she saw me. "You're Sapphire Dahl, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yep, that's me."

"How are you holding up with the cancer?"

"Not good. The tumor in my eye's been growing since I got off chemotherapy."

"Bummer. At least you'll be getting surgery to treat it soon."

I nodded again. "Yeah, but I'll have to lose my eye."

Thorn shook her head solemnly. "That's awful. No child should ever have to experience something horrible like cancer."

"I know," Luna rejoined. "I actually lost my younger sister to cancer. She was right around Sapphire's age. I wish there was more my parents and I could've done for her."

Listening to Luna talk about her sister like that made me feel somewhat upset. In a way, it reminded me of my twin sister, except Luna's sister at least got a chance to live first before she died from cancer. Cynthia didn't even have that, which it made me feel like I was the only person in the world who experienced anything like it. I wasn't sure how I could just stand here and be proud to be alive when Cynthia deserved it just as much as I did. I could've dwelled on what could have been indefinitely, but I decided instead to just push the thoughts of my sister out of my mind and focus on the now.

Thirty minutes until the concert was supposed to start. I was now heading out to the stage, ready to face thousands upon thousands of screaming fans who ran the gamut from kids around my age all the way to diverse groups of families. Out into the crowd, I could see a bunch of girls who were around the same age as my parents all dressed up in black and screaming for joy and holding large paper signs proclaiming their love for The Hex Girls. I was genuinely surprised by how many of these fans had shown up to the concert, and for a band as niche as The Hex Girls no less.

I decided to actually start things up by grabbing a microphone off its stand in order to address the audience.

"Hello, New York!" I yelled out to the crowd.

I could see the crowds of people going wild, especially the Hex Girls fangirls.

"Thank you, everyone," I continued. "I'm so, so honored to be opening for The Hex Girls right here in Madison Square Garden. I love you all, and I hope that with all your support that I can get the surgery I need and be cancer-free."

The crowd went wild again, and I decided to revel in all the cheering and screaming that came my way. This was my chance, and I wanted to embrace it. Afterwards, I announced that I would be singing a new song that Shep and Stella had written for me called "Haven't You Noticed". The crowd went wild yet again, and that was when I started performing the song with all the strength and energy I could muster.

I can't help it if I make a scene,
Stepping out of my hot pink limousine.
I'm turning heads and I'm stopping traffic.
When I pose, they scream;
And when I joke, they laugh.
I've got a pair of eyes that they're getting lost in.
They're hypnotized by the way I'm walking.
I've got them dazzled like a stage magician.
When I point, they look;
And when I talk, they listen.

Well, everybody needs a friend;
And I've got you, and you, and you;
So many I can't even name them!
Can you blame me? I'm too famous!

Haven't you noticed that I'm a star?
I'm coming into view as the world is turning.
Haven't you noticed I've made it this far?
Now everyone can see me burning.
Now everyone can see me burning.
Now everyone can see me burning.

Once I was finished with my song, the crowd erupted with cheer and wild applause. I couldn't help but look out into the crowd and see how ecstatic everyone was to see me up on that stage. Was this really how it felt to be in the shoes of someone like Whitney Houston or Madonna?