Nashville Nights #4

“Music Row!” Jim said as he drove Aly and AJ through Nashville the next morning. “The home of country music.”

AJ looked up from the guidebook of Nashville she was reading. “It says here that Music Row is the heart of Nashville’s music industry. It is home to record labels, recording studios, video production houses, and radio stations,” she said.

Aly took a large gulp from the coffee she was holding in her hand. “I need caffeine this morning. We got to bed a little late, although I’m glad we went out with Faith and Hope.”

“We have so much in common,” AJ said. “They’ve both been singing since they were little, just like us. And we like a lot of the same music, too. It will be a blast to shoot this video with them.”

Aly and AJ hopped out of the car and were greeted by Faith and Hope, who had walked out to welcome them.

“We are going to have so much fun today,” Hope said as she gave Aly and AJ a hug. “Let me show you where we are filming. The studio is huge—it’s like a maze!”

Just then, a large black limousine pulled up behind Jim’s car. A chauffeur wearing a black suit and hat sprung out of the driver’s side and walked around the car to the rear passenger door. He opened it with a flourish, and three tall, beautiful young women stepped out of the car. They all looked a lot alike, with their long brown hair, dark skin, and high cheekbones.

Aly grabbed AJ’s sleeve and tugged. “Do you know who that is?” she hissed in a loud whisper. “It’s HeavenSent!”

AJ recognized the sister group right away. The R & B singers were superhot. Last month their single “Spotlight” had hit number one. AJ wondered if the sisters were going to be in Faith and Hope’s video. But instead of walking toward Nashville Star, they turned and headed for the building next door. They disappeared inside as the girls watched.

“Wow!” Aly said. “Holly, Sabrina, and Eve in person. I’ve seen so much of them on TV and in magazines the last few months. Hey—they’re a sister group! Did you ask them to be in your video?”

“From what I’ve heard, HeavenSent is one of the hardest working groups in the business. It seems all they do is practice, tour, record, and do publicity,” AJ said.

“Right, but you need to make time for other things, too,” Hope said. “If I didn’t see my friends and family every few weeks, I’d be too sad to sing.”

“True,” Aly agreed. “And a little chill time now and then is important, too. I mean, we’re musicians, but we’re people, too.”

“Well, whatever HeavenSent is doing, it’s working,” Faith chimed in. “I’m sure they’ll clean up at the National Music Awards. I’ve heard they’re very competitive.”

“Let’s get going,” Hope said. “Lionel is eager to get started. He’s the video director.”

Aly and AJ followed Faith and Hope inside the studio building. They walked through a maze of hallways until they came to the soundstage where the video would be shot. It was a huge room with a high ceiling that had a network of lights hanging from it. A balding man with a beard was holding a clipboard as he talked into a phone. When he saw Faith and Hope approaching, he smiled and ended his call.

“You must be Aly and AJ,” he said. He held out his hand. “I’m Lionel, the video director. It’s great to be working with you.”

“And I’m sure you’ll want to meet the other sisters appearing in the video,” Lionel said. “Let me introduce you to Cadence and Calista.”

Faith let out a giggle. “We wanted to surprise you. They’re in town for a month, recording a new album. Isn’t it great that they agreed to do the video?”

“Great—it’s awesome!” Aly chimed in. “We loved their TV show when we were little.” She began to sing. “Welcome to the Fun House. We’re gonna laugh and giggle the day away.”

AJ rolled her eyes. “Oh, no. Now she’ll be singing the theme song to Fun House all day! But seriously, we watched that show every Friday night.”

“We did, too,” Hope said, smiling. “All of America did. Imagine growing up on TV like that? I think they were six when they started the show, and it lasted for ten years.”

AJ nodded. “They were so funny on that show. And when they started their music career—remember how we bugged Mom to get us their album?”

“It’s amazing how they transformed their careers,” Hope said. “They started out as child stars, then formed one of the hottest pop duos around. They’re on a different magazine cover every week. I couldn’t believe it when they agreed to do the video with us.”

“It blew my mind,” Faith agreed. “We’re really lucky. Not only are they megastar sisters, but they’re twins, too. This video is going to be fantastic.”

“Twintastic!” Aly said. “Remember—that’s what Cadence and Calista used to say on Fun House.”

Lionel smiled at the girls’ excitement. “Come with me and we’ll make your dreams come true!”

He led Aly and AJ toward the far wall of the soundstage as Hope and Faith went to get into costume. Two chairs were placed against the wall. In one chair sat a woman in her late twenties with a sleek blond bob with bangs cut in a straight line right over her eyes. She was talking on her pink cell phone. Next to her sat a woman who looked to be around the same age and build. She had her long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail and wore large, dark sunglasses and a baseball cap.

“Excuse me, Calista, Cadence. I’d like to introduce you to Aly and AJ. They’ll be appearing in the video today, too,” Lionel said. “This is Calista.” He gestured toward the girl wearing the baseball cap. “And this is Cadence.”

Cadence gave a curt nod. She was still talking on the phone. In a quiet voice, Calista said, “Hi.”

“I’ve got to get back to work,” Lionel said. “I’ll let you guys chat. We’ll let you know when your scenes will be shot.” He walked off.

Aly was so excited that the words just poured out of her. “Until Cadence got her hair cut, it was so easy to get you two mixed up—I mean you look so much alike. You even have identical heart-shaped birthmarks, right? On your shoulders? I know all this because I used to get your fan club newsletter. I’m sorry, I must be totally babbling!”

Cadence let out a sigh. “I’ll have to call you back,” she said into her cell phone. She looked at Aly, and it wasn’t in a friendly way. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Aly blushed. “I’m sorry; I know I was going on and on. It’s just we loved your show so much. It’s really a thrill to meet you both.”

“Thanks,” Cadence said. But she didn’t smile or say anything else, and Calista just sat next to her, not saying a word.

AJ tried to break the silence. “Calista, I loved the dress you wore to that movie premiere a couple of months ago. You know, the one that you said you designed yourself? It was so pretty.”

“Listen,” Cadence said. “I don’t mean to be rude, but Calista isn’t feeling well right now. So if you don’t mind, we’d really like some privacy.”

Aly and AJ walked away from the sisters. When they were out of earshot, AJ said to Aly, “That didn’t go so well.”