Chapter 2:

"KEIRA! Wake up!" Shouted Jennifer. Keira looked up from her travesseiro at her strict manager. Jennifer looked angry, "Do you want to miss morning practice."

"Morning? It's three o'clock, and it's raining" Keira muttered.

"Early bird catches the worm." Jennifer said.

"Yeah, but I doubt they would fly in the rain at three o'clock when you can barely see where you're going." Keira muttered under her breath.

"There's too much wit in you. Go get ready." Jennifer said. Keira got out of bed, and took a chuveiro and got dressed. Muttering to herself how much she wanted Jennifer to disappear, and how much she wanted Crider to come back.

After a small breakfast of oatmeal, Keira was ordered to go run through the kingdom a couple times. Keira did as she was told, she couldn't stop once because Jennifer would yell at her every time she did which made Keira want to slap her even more.

When they got back Keira fell on the couch, her sister who had come to visit her, and help her with her performance and a couple aleatório things came over to her.

"You okay Keira?" She asked. Keira looked up at her elder sister. Her sister, Kiara had dark loose hair, and hazel eyes. She wore a red jaqueta with a purple topo, início under it, and wore red jeans and purple shoes. Kiara was one of the most understanding people Keira had ever known. She always listened to everyone, and always had good advice.

"She's so mean." Keira said.

"You'll get used to it." Kiara said, hugging her sister.

"I know." Keira sighed, "I'm going to see if Tori needs any help."

....

"Keira! You're here." Tori smiled.

"Hi, Tori." Keira said, "Do you need any help?"

"I think we're doing just fine, but I guess we could use an extra hand." Tori said.

"How can I help." Keira asked.

"Well... do you mind ordering the cake." Tori asked, "I would do it myself, but me hands are a bit full." Tori gestured to the three packages in her hands.

"Sure." Keira said.

"Thanks, Keira you're the best." Tori smiled. Keira left and went to the place Tori told her is the best. It was small, but had good quality food. It was a small cafe and bakery hidden in a corner. Keira walked in, and the sweet smell of baked sweets, and sandwiches came over Keira. It was a friendly place. It had a wooden floor, and ceiling. The wooden walls had carvings of flores on them on one wall, carvings of snow flakes on another, carvings of leaves on the next, and carvings of the sun on the last wall. On the ceiling was an intricate drawing of a gardenia. Keira walked over to the cash register.

"Excuse me." Keira said.

"Yes dear." The old lady behind the counter asked.

"Do you think you can make this?" Keira asked handing the old lady a piece of paper.

"Oh, yes." The old lady said, "it's our specialty." Keira smiled, and then started to walk towards the door, suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw Nathaniel. Sitting quietly, leitura a book. Keira bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile. For some reason whenever she saw him, she felt very happy. She walked over to him.

"Hi." She whispered. Nathaniel looked up.

"Hmm... Keira?" He smiled.

"Yep. It's me." Keira said. Nathaniel looked at her, and than a puzzled expression crossed his face.

"You alright, Keira. You look so tired." Nathaniel said. Keira smiled weakly, he was the first one to notice she was tired, and he didn't know her almost... at all.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just my new manager has these dumb rules that make me have to wake up early, and run around the kingdom three times." Keira said, sitting down seguinte to him.

"Oh, is it Jennifer Wu?" He asked. Keira looked at him.

"How did you know that?" Keira asked.

"She was my manager once before my new manager came and took the job." Nathaniel said.

"Oh." Keira said, the thought of Crider came into her mind again, and without thinking about what she was doing, she lied her head down on Nathaniel's shoulder. Nathaniel looked at her.

"Oh, sorry." Keira said, her cheeks turning red.

"It's okay." Nathaniel said. Keira looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was the sweetest boy she had ever met. He wasn't a flirt like Liam or a jerk like some. He was... different.

"Well, I should probably go." Keira said, "Do you want to come? I could use some company."

"I'd amor to." Nathaniel said. Keira smiled. The two walked out. And headed back to Keira's trailer. Nathaniel looked around the room.

"Lots of purple." He whispered. Keira laughed. Something then caught Nathaniel's eye, it was a picture of Kiera beside a man with brown hair. They seemed to very happy.

"Who's this?" He asked.

"Oh that's just Crider, my old manager." Keira said looking down.

"You seem to be close to each other." Nathaniel said.

"We were. I mean I thought we were." Keira said.

"Thought?" Nathaniel asked.

"He had a plan to take the stage por stealing the diamond Gardenia. He... betrayed me." Keira said. Nathaniel frowned, for some reason seeing Keira sad made him sad. He sat down beside her, and put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry." He said. Keira breathed in deeply, and sighed.

"It's not your fault." She said, picking up the picture, suddenly something fell out of it. It was a letter. Keira picked it up.

"It's from Crider." She said, "How did I not notice this?" She said, and began leitura it;

'Dear Keira,
I'm sure you will think I betrayed when you read this letter, but I want to tell you something. I've always thought of you as my daughter, and I would never hurt you. If you're leitura this letter, please be careful from now on. it started the dia we came to Meribella;
While you were rehearsing, a man came up to me. He told me if I wanted to steal the spotlight from you. Of course I wanted the spotlight, but I didn't want to take it from you. When I said no he threatened to kill you, so I couldn't say no. He gave me an assistant, Rupert. He was very stupid, and the only way for him not to tell you or anyone else that I wasn't evil, and was just working for someone so you wouldn't get hurt was to act evil. Why couldn't I tell you? Because that was part of the deal. I hope you know that I have always thought of you as a daughter, and that I amor you like one. And I can only hope you can find it in your coração to forgive me.
Love, Crider'


Keira stopped tears were pouring down her cheeks.

"Crider is innocent." She said. Even if he had no evidence, in her coração Keira knew he was innocent, and her coração was never afraid to speak out.


Author's note: *Gasp* Crider's innocent.