Who Is She, Anyway?
 

Chapter Eight: Betrayal

"You're mighty quiet this afternoon, kid."
Mark shot Chimera a concerned look. "What's wrong? You not feeling good? It isn't like you to be so preoccupied. Don't say you're put off working by our little sabotage incident?"
"Huh?" Chimera stared at him. "Oh! No...nothing like that. Just thinking, that's all. How desperate must you be to pull a stunt like that?"
"Pretty desperate." Rapture came up behind her. "I have my ideas who was behind it...the handiwork is painfully familiar." She smiled at Chimera prettily. "You were going to show us your stage drops for the second set?"
"Yeah, I was." Chimera nodded. As they moved away from the supervisor, her expression became curious. "You know who sabotaged you?"
Rapture let out a peal of amused laughter.
"Of course." She purred. "I know who our rivals are, and I know which of them would stoop to a desperate trick like this. I think we both know who I mean, Chimera. You stay away from them and stick with us...you're more our type."
"Well, I don't want anything to do with them." Chimera assured her. "They're real babies to be cutting wires and stuff."
"I agree." Rapture nodded her head. She glanced around her. "Where are Minx and Riot?"
"I dunno. Haven't seen them." Chimera replied carelessly, and something in her tone alerted the Stinger to her companion's lack of fondness for her bandmates.
"They should see these too." Was all she said, however. "Wait here...I'll go find them. They can't be far."
"Okay." Chimera nodded her head, perching on the stage. If truth were told she needed a moment to put things in perspective. Despite what she'd said to Sakura her thoughts were still a little jumbled.
"I think my best option is not to say anything, and hope for the best." She decided finally. "I can only imagine what Harvey Gabor is like, if that's his daughter...I'm not going to mess with him, that's for sure."
She glanced up at the stage, admiring the bits and pieces of her work still on display. She was proud of this job. She had come away from her schoolroom dreams and multiple scoldings for not wanting to follow the curriculum the same way as the other students. She had always known that she had a special talent that was superior to anything they had been able to teach her, and now she was going to prove it.
The Stingers were her ticket to international recognition.
A strange sound startled her from her reverie,and she turned, surprise becoming dismay as she registered Sakura's presence. Though her friend was doing her best to prevent it, it was clear that the girl was both upset and near tears, and without a word Chimera beckoned for the other girl to join her.
Sakura did so, relief clear in her brown eyes as she sat down. For a moment neither girl spoke, for Sakura knew how much Chimera loathed displays of emotion and Chimera was trying to overcome her own awkwardness of the situation in order to help her friend, but finally the Japanese girl spoke.
"You are busy, I should not trouble you." she said quietly.
"You're not going anywhere if you're upset." Chimera told her firmly. "Tell me. What's the matter? What's happened? Did you blow a fuse out or something?"
"No...it is not like that." Sakura frowned, getting herself better under control. "It is silly, Chimera...I am silly. It is nothing."
"I still want to know." Chimera was unmoved. "You don't cry over nothing, Kura, you're not a baby. Did something happen between when we last spoke and now?"
"Yes...I mean, it sort of did." Sakura swallowed hard. "It is my fault, Chimera, I should not have listened to them, but I could not help it."
"Listen to who?"
"They were talking about the stage show." Sakura continued, regardless. "They said that we were mere ch...children, and that it would be a miracle if the show got off the ground under such am...amateur hands. And then..." She faltered.
"Who said this?" Chimera looked both angry and stunned. "Kura, listen to me..."
"They said something else." Sakura twisted her hands together. "The girl with the long hair, I do not know her name, she said that it was a pity that the Misfits had not been caught in their dirty work, and then the other girl, the one who has the curly hair laughed and said that they hardly needed the Misfits to cause trouble and that she had a little fun of her own planned for the...the kiddies on the stage before the show was out. She s...said that we were a pain to work with and...and...and then the man said that he knew your face from somewhere. He said you looked like St..Steven Mayor and the girl with the curly hair laughed again and said that the only way you could be related to him would be if it was very distant, since you had nothing l...like h...h...his talent."
Chimera sat silent for a moment, digesting this information. Her expression was unreadable and, afraid for her friend Sakura put a hand on the other girl's shoulder.
"I think you have great talent." She said quietly. "I think she was wrong to say those things."
That jolted Chimera back to reality, and a bolt of rage shot through her.
"How dare she!" She exclaimed, knowing all too well that it was Rapture who Sakura meant and the Stingers who had betrayed them. "How dare any of them talk like that about us, like we're children and don't know what we're doing? And how dare she mention my father like that! As if I'd want to be like him...after what he did to Mom I'm glad he's dead!"
"Chimera..."
"No, this won't do." Chimera shook her head. "Sakura, I'm not going to sit here and take any more nonsense from these singers. Roxy was right after all, they are everything she said they were and I see now why they were so keen to sabotage."
"We cannot just walk out!" Sakura's brown eyes widened.
"Yes we can." Chimera looked grim, her blue eyes flashing with fury. "If I get my hands on that Rapture I'll wring her neck for her. I have no talent, indeed? Stuck up, two-faced loser...God, what am I doing in this stupid place anyway? I'm going...are you coming?"
"Chimera, wait a moment." Sakura, always the more cautious of the two put a hand on her friend's arm. "Listen. It will reflect bad on Mark if we go, and also will make them think we truly are children. Your career, Chimera...think of that."
Chimera frowned, but she saw the sense in the other girl's words.
"Okay." She said grudgingly, sitting back down. "But I don't want to work for them, Kura. Not now."
"I shouldn't have told you."
"No, you were right to tell me." Chimera assured her. "Damn right. God, I can't believe I misjudged Rapture so badly...I'm usually so good with people!"
"I do not like them, any of them." Sakura shivered. "They are creepy to me."
Chimera looked thoughtful for a moment. Then she snapped her fingers.
"I got it." She announced. "We don't have to not work for them, Kura. In fact, we can pay them back by working for them...and throwing in a surprise or two of our own."
"What do you mean?" Sakura looked apprehensive.
"Well, you don't want them to get away with treating us like that, do you?" Chimera demanded.
"No..." Sakura did not appear at all convinced.
"Well, then. We're gonna get our own back." Chimera grabbed her friend by the hand, pulling her down off the stage with her. "We're going off set for a little while. Mark won't mind and there are people we need to see."
"People?" Sakura looked surprised. "Who do you mean? Who do we go to see?"
Chimera did not answer for a moment. Then, as they reached the door, she paused.
"Isn't that obvious?" She demanded. "The Misfits!"

Chapter One: The Misfits On Break
Chapter Two: Chimera
Chapter Three: Kimber's Proposition
Chapter Four: The Stingers' Tour
Chapter Five: Personality Clash!
Chapter Six: Writer's Block
Chapter Seven: Secrets
Chapter Eight: Betrayal
Chapter Nine: Chimera's Plan
Chapter Ten: Double Trouble
Chapter Eleven: Synergy
Chapter Twelve: As If Nothing Happened...

(The Misfits and Holograms and other animated Jem characters are copyrighted to Hasbro Inc. All characters who do not appear in Jem episodes are my own creation. This story is copyrighted to E.A Woolley (2001)