This is the final chapter I'll be posting in . . . i don't know, a week?

4. New and Notorious

That day with Caleb was definitely one of my last days as member of the unknown population.

The next day, I was to be introduced to the entire country as Nessie Cullen (my choice of screen name).

"You'll be fine, Mom said, minutes before the mock signing.

"Didn't I tell you who picked your outfit?" Dad asked.

"No."

"Alice did."

Aunt Alice? She's here?

"No, we talked it over online last night," he replied.

"Figures," I muttered, looking at my very stylish ensemble.

Then, out of nowhere, Caleb appeared by my side.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"Very."

"Don't be. I've heard your voice. They'll love you."

I looked at him to make sure he was the Caleb I knew he was. It's been just a few days, but he feels like my best friend already.

Mr. Jameson was finishing his speech.

"And now, please welcome the new star of Lightning Records, Miss Nessie Cullen!" I took a deep breath and walked out to the podium. The people clapped as I entered and cameras began flashing everywhere so I forced a wide grin. The flashes stopped for a while so that I could sit down. When I began signing, the bulbs began flashing madly again. They caught a thousand more pictures of me in a shake-hands pose with Mr. Jameson. Caleb appeared during the picture taking and was in half of the pictures. That contract-signing also became m first press conference.

"Surviving so far?" Caleb asked after the whole ordeal.

"I think I'll live through," I replied. "When do we start recording?"

"Tomorrow. We'll also have to finalize your song lineup, he answered. "Be there at ten, okay?"

"Yep. Sure."

I waved goodbye as he drove away. I started looking for a cab, but a shiny silver car stopped in front of me.

It was Dad's Volvo!

"Why? How? When?" I spluttered.

"Just get in, dear," Mom merely replied. "We Cullens never run out of tricks up our sleeves."

I opened the door of the backseat and hopped in the dark interior of the car.

The next morning, I had a meeting with the Jamesons.

"Okay, so we're here to finalize your album's track list and the title so at the next press conference, we can announce it," Mr. Jameson explained.

"Can I change the title of the previous one?" I asked.

"Of course."

"And not all of the songs in Twisted Road have to be in this one?"

"If you'd like."

The meeting ended after an hour and a half. My album will have ten songs and will be called New and Notorious.

It sounded so cool.

I practiced all the songs in the studio (without touching anything, of course; Caleb wasn't there) so we could record later.

He entered the room and smiled at me crookedly as he saw me struggling on the hard stool.

"This is no place to practice, you know," he said.

"What? I didn't touch anything."

"No, I mean, you could practice in the lounge."

"Lounge? What lounge?"

He made a gesture to make me follow him outside. We went to the elevator and he pressed the number seven button.

The whole place looked like a five-star hotel. There were stars on each door and names etched on them. We walked through the hall and I saw a few familiar names.

"I have my own?" I asked incredulously, staring at my name on the star.

"Sure," Caleb replied "but it's not finished yet. We can go to my lounge if you want."

"I definitely want to do that." I replied. Funnily enough, my door was right in front of his.

It didn't look the way I expected it to. The room was straight out of an astronomer's greatest fantasy. There was a plasma screen with stacks of DVDs on the shelves beneath it. There was also a Wii placed on a table near the shelves.

In one corner, there was a bar and in another were all kinds of Star Light, Star Bright memorabilia.

I laughed at myself when I saw the actress playing Aubrey Murray standing next to Caleb in one poster.

"Something funny?" he asked.

"Nah. It's just . . . I don't know, weird to see the only girl I've ever been jealous of." Oops, not the only one.

The whole morning, Caleb helped me practice. Then we went out for lunch.

Finally, it was time to do some real business.

Today, I officially begin my career as a recording artist.

So, there you have it! I'll post as soon as i can. school's starting in about two weeks :'(