21 Counting Stars

Another week passed and I was called in to do another interview. I had recorded a couple more songs for my album, so we would definitely make it before the end of next month. Honestly, we would probably make it a week into the month, but I wouldn't publish the album until a week before the end of the month at most.

My curiosity got the better of me so I decided to go online and see how many views my performance of 'Troublemaker' had earned the studio that I did the first interview with. To my surprise it was over 5 million views.

I looked at some of the other videos that studio had brought out with other celebrities or artists that performed on the show and the most views they had gotten was just under 1 million.

I didn't know what to think about that. Maybe it was because I was such a young artist that caught people by surprise and they wanted to see if I really had talent, or if it's because the songs I play are just actually that good.

Either way I was sure that I would bump up this studio's numbers as well. I found out from one of the workers here that they had to expand the number of seats they had in to allow for more people to attend after some of the public camped outside the building.

There were certainly more seats than in the last studio, and there were already people filling them up. There was still an hour before my interview started but already 3 quarters of the seats were filled up.

I decided to search the crowd a bit longer, maybe I could spot some people that had attended my last interview. I did spot some people, but then I saw someone that I recognized, not because they were at my last interview, but because they were part of the canon of this world.

A girl with purple hair with ear lobes that ended in earphone jacks was sitting in the crowd next to a woman that looked like an older version of the girl, just with glasses and a man with golden hair that reached to his shoulders.

They were the Jiro family, I recognized them because Jiro was going to be in 1-A in the future with the other champion that God chose, but also because in this world the Jiro's were part of a band overseas.

The band was pretty popular overseas, but I didn't understand the lyrics so I couldn't understand what the song was about. Kyotoku Jiro (Kyoka Jiro's father) was the drummer in that band and he was pretty good.

I wasn't going to get involved with them if I could though, I didn't need people asking me to come to other countries just yet or trying to meet their kids. If they wanted to meet me I would, but I wouldn't go out of my way to meet them.

I went back to waiting for the interview to start, having a drink of juice from the provided items. Finally I was called onto stage with Ms. Portman, and we began the interview.

(I'm not going to bore you with another interview, just assume that it went similar to what the last one was like.)

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back from the break. If you missed out on what is about to happen you are in for a treat. Shawn Mendes is about to play his new song, 'Counting Stars' live right now!"

With that welcome back to the show it was my turn to put on another show.

(For more immersion listen to 'Counting Stars' by OneRepublic)

Me and my guitar playing clone came in first, the other clones waiting for their cue.

♪Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard

Said, "No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars"

Yeah, we'll be counting stars♪

The other instruments came in and I did a bit of dancing to the beat.

♪I see this life, like a swinging vine

Swing my heart across the line

And in my face is flashing signs

Seek it out and ye shall find♪

♪Old, but I'm not that old

Young, but I'm not that bold

And I don't think the world is sold

On just doing what we're told♪

♪I feel something so right

Doing the wrong thing

And I feel something so wrong

Doing the right thing

I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive♪

Some of my clones joined in, singing in the background.

♪Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard

Said, "No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars"♪

♪Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard

Said, "No more counting dollars, we'll be, we'll be counting stars"♪

♪Yeah, yeah♪

♪I feel your love, and I feel it burn

Down this river, every turn

Hope is our four-letter word

Make that money, watch it burn♪

More of my clone joined in then stopped.

♪Old, but I'm not that old

Young, but I'm not that bold

And I don't think the world is sold

On just doing what we're told♪

♪And I feel something so wrong

Doing the right thing

I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie

Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly♪

♪Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard

Said, "No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars"♪

♪Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard

Said, "No more counting dollars, we'll be, we'll be counting stars"♪

Me and my clones stopped playing instruments and began clapping our hands to the beat.

♪Oh, take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive♪

♪Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard

Said, "No more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars"♪

♪Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard

Said, "No more counting dollars, we'll be, we'll be counting stars"♪

♪Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned

Take that money, watch it burn

Sink in the river the lessons I've learned♪

The crowd erupted into applause once again, cheers and whistles piercing through the cacophony of noise. I did a bow and fused with my clones once again, taking my seat by the host of the show.

"Wow! Just, wow!" The host seemed too stunned to say anything else, I just did another bow and the crowd cheered once again. "Shawn, this is the third song that you've performed, not including the songs that are going to be in your album, but already you're an international star."

"Honestly, even I'm amazed by that. I just wanted to make some music one day and all of a sudden everything just came rushing and boom, here we are." I didn't tell them that I had been planning to make music since I was 4, no need to go too deep.

"I have to ask though, are you not worried that some villain is going to kidnap you and hold you for ransom or something similar?" I just chuckled, it doesn't matter what happens to me, as long as I have a clone I'll continue living, but I won't tell them that.

"You know, I've been thinking about that as well, but then I realized something." I paused and let the audience stew in anticipation.

"What did you realize?" The host was even shaking with anticipation.

"That I'm friends with the strongest woman on the planet." I let the crowd sink what I had just said in before continuing. "I am completely serious, I am friends with Star and Stripe. She was actually the one that introduced me to my recording studio."

"What in the... How did you even meet her?" The audience and the host were all stunned, they would've never thought that I would have known the No. 1 hero of America.

"You remember the Cuba attack a while back, the one that Star stopped?" The host nodded his head. "Well, a bunch of kids were orphaned in that attack and Star was the person who dropped them off at the orphanage I live in. It was a complete coincidence."

The red light to signal that we would be ending soon came on and the host ended the show there. I walked off the stage waving to the crowd before a staff member pulled me and Ms. Portman aside. He said that someone wanted to meet with me, I agreed and he lead me to a room where I would wait for the person.

It took a couple of minutes, but finally, walking into the room was the Jiro family. I should have seen this coming.