"No way."
Nancy folded her arms obstinately, shaking her head. "There is no way
under the sun that I am having that Casey girl join our band. No way! I swear,
I'd kill her by the end of the first month!"
"Nancy, we kinda don't have a choice here." Copper sighed. "We had three
girls, Latisha and Bryony are out of it, that leaves Casey. We all know
we need a new Jewel because Topaz's bass lines really do need to be replaced.
Do you want to rewrite everything?"
"Sure, if it means I don't have to have that girl here." Nancy retorted.
"No, Copper. We said that it had to be unanimous, and when we began
all this, the option of "none of them" still applied. I'm invoking that
option now! I will not tolerate Casey Spiller in Jewel today, tomorrow,
next year or ever!"
"I think that was a fairly emphatic no." Topaz observed from where she
had been carefully painting her nails. "I feel rotten about all this, too.
I don't want you to fight because of me. It's just..." She shrugged. "I
kinda know I need the time out. Everything recently has just proved it -
I have to duck out of the band when the baby is here, probably before, so
something has to be decided."
"I don't like Casey either. She has a big mouth." Sylva observed. Nancy
snorted.
"Pot. Kettle. Black." She remarked dryly. "But Syl's right. She does.
I'm not having it, guys. No way. It's either Casey or me, because I swear
the day she moves in here is the day I move out!"
"Okay, okay." Copper grimaced. "No on the Casey front then. So what are
we going to do? We need a bass guitarist."
"And we've been through California's best with no success." Nancy grimaced.
"Guess we're picky, huh? Latisha would have been perfect, but..."
"But she was right to be honest with us about her ambitions." Copper
finished. "I hope she does get signed on by Misfit Music, Nancy. She was
nice and, well, in light of things, the best of the bunch."
"So what do we do?" Sylva demanded. "Go back to being three? Topaz, you're
quitting on us, at least give us some clue what to do next!"
"Well, perhaps you should look at these." Cynthia entered the main lounge
at that moment, a sheaf of paper in her hands. "They're Sadie's sketches
and she asked me to give them to you to choose one - she's at Misfit Music
helping finalise her paperwork. Phyllis pulled some strings to get it through
in time for her to use the sketches legally on Exotic's cover, and so from
this afternoon she's a legitimate employee of Misfits Music."
"I guess that means Aunt Phyl liked the designs she did." Nancy decided.
"Let's see, Cyn. We might as well do something productive this afternoon."
Cynthia handed the guitarist the pile of papers, taking a seat.
"At least some good has come of events recently." She observed. "Sadie's
arrival here helped you from making a mistake and trusting in Bryony too
far. And I believe we have made a new friend from it too...except Topaz,
who already had one."
"I'm glad you let Sadie stay, guys." Topaz nodded, getting down onto
the floor to examine the pictures as Nancy spread them carefully out. "Hey,
these really are fabulous! I mean the rough pictures she did were awesome
but these look so professional. I can't believe she doesn't think she can
draw!"
"Well, she can, thank God." Sylva remarked. "They're all stunning. Can
we pick just one?"
"Well, we can't pick a new Jewel so probably not." Nancy rolled her eyes.
"Guess we're hopeless."
Topaz narrowed her eyes, looking thoughtful as she eyed the pictures.
"Maybe not." She said slowly. "Look, guys, your criteria for a new member
of the band has always been that they have to get on with us, fit into
the setup we have here, and of course, play music - play guitar. Right?"
"Right." Copper nodded. "But its not proving as simple as that sounds."
"Perhaps you're looking at it wrong." Topaz responded. "I don't think
we even needed the talent sweep. If you ask me, the candidate has been here
right under our noses all the time and none of us have realised it."
"Hey, Cynthia, you're gonna be a Jewel!" Sylva quipped. Cynthia laughed,
tossing a cushion in the keyboardist's direction, which Sylva deftly caught
and tossed back.
"Oh, grow up, you two." Topaz grimaced at them. "I'm serious."
"What do you mean?" Copper looked interested.
"Simple." Topaz shrugged. "Sadie."
"Sadie?" Nancy stared, then, "Oh my God! We didn't even think...but
Sadie plays guitar, doesn't she?"
"Plays it well, too." Topaz nodded. "And most importantly she's slotted
in here like one of the crowd, almost. Okay, I grant that she and you guys
don't know each other intimitely yet, but wouldn't you say you've bonded
with her more than you did with any of our three hopefuls?"
"Yeah, I would." Nancy agreed thoughtfully. "I like Sadie. And she can
be taught bass."
"If I can, she can." Topaz agreed. "Well, what do you guys think?"
"Would she do it?" Sylva looked doubtful. "She seems kinda shy."
"She's had a hard time, but this is what she might need to spark some
self confidence in her abilities." Cynthia said. "I like Sadie too, I believe
she has integrity and I would fully endorse the idea of making her a Jewel."
"I think you might have hit on something there." Copper mused. "We all
like Sadie, and Topaz is right, she has settled in with us." She grinned.
"I'm game if everyone else is."
"The press would love it, a mysterious new member from Europe." Sylva's
eyes sparkled.
"Nah. The Misfits already stole that angle with Mom." Nancy laughed.
"But still, I think it could work. Syl, what do you think?"
"I'm with it if you are." Sylva nodded. "She draws awesome pictures that
make me look hot. She can stay."
"Then it's unanimous." Copper realised. "We...we have our new Jewel."
"I'm glad to hear it." A voice came from the doorway and they turned
to see Sadie. "So, is it the Casey girl, then? You were discussing this
when Cynthia took me to see Miss Gabor about the pictures and that was ages
ago."
"No, it's not Casey." Topaz shook her head. "By the way we love the sketches
and our next item on the agenda is picking one for the cover. Are you legitimate
now?"
"I have a work permit and residence permit and the right to stay in California."
Sadie's blue eyes sparkled. "It rocks."
"Well, come sit down then." Sylva indicated the empty seat on the sofa.
"You came back at a good time, actually."
"I did?" Sadie looked startled. "Why, is the new Jewel here? Can I meet
her?"
"Well, she is here...if she agrees to take it on." Nancy agreed.
"Why wouldn't she? It'd be a dream come true, surely?"
"Maybe." Topaz grinned. "We'll see what she thinks about it."
"So who is she?" Sadie glanced around her. "And where is she?
Hiding behind the curtain or something?"
"Nope." Copper shook her head. "She's right here."
"I don't..."
"It's you, Sadie." Sylva told her, laughing at the expression
of utter shock which filled her companion's blue eyes. "We decided that
you fit into our world best of all the people we've seen recently and we
all know you can play guitar and play it just fine."
"But...I'm no way good enough!" Finally Sadie found her voice. "I thought
you wanted a professional! And I can't...I can't replace Topaz! She..."
"It was my idea." Topaz interrupted her gently. "I think you'd be perfect.
And none of us were professional before we joined Jewel. You're no different
from us."
"I might be more different than you think." Sadie looked wistful. "I
don't know. You come from such a different world, and..."
"We want you to be part of our world, though." Copper told her gently.
"Will you, Sadie?"
"You...really want me to be?"
"Yes. All of us do. We voted unanimously to make you the new Jewel, if
you wanted to take it on."
"Really?" Sadie stared, then a tiny smile touched her lips. "Then...I
don't suppose I can repay you by refusing, can I? So long as Topaz knows
that, if she ever wants to come back I'll gladly make way for her...I'll do
it."
"Welcome to the gang, Sadie." Nancy grinned. "Though we have to find
you a stage name, you know. Sadie isn't very Jewellish."
"A stage name? Ooh, no, I'd get so muddled up!" Sadie shook her head.
"Well, you could do what Nancy does and use it for press. We know you
as Sadie, anyway, so that won't change." Topaz assured her.
"What should we call her?" Sylva wondered. "Sadie can't be corrupted
into a gemstone or precious metal the way that Sylvina can into Sylva."
"Well, try another tack." Nancy suggested. "Sadie, when is your birthday?"
"My birthday? January the nineteenth. Why?"
"Syl, what stone is January?" Nancy asked.
"Um...the garnet." Sylva remembered. "Ooh! I see where you're going.
Like Topaz and November?"
"That was the idea." Nancy nodded. "Sadie, could you stick being called
Garnet by the press and by fans?"
"Fans? Me? That alone blows my mind." Sadie admitted. "But I...I could
try."
"What colour is garnet? Reddish, isn't it? Pinky red?" Copper asked.
"Yes." Topaz nodded her head. "So that means you'll have to become a
red girl, Sadie, since it's part of the look."
"Red isn't really my colour." Sadie looked doubtful.
"Besides, Sirena did the red thing already." Nancy pointed out.
"Well, we could cheat a little and make it pink. Copper did say pinky
red." Sylva pointed out. "And pink is your colour, Sadie, you can't
argue with that."
"I could dye pink into your hair, like I did yellow into Nancy's, too."
Copper offered. Sadie pursed her lips.
"It's been a long time since I dyed my hair. It sounds like fun." She
admitted. "Wow, a whole new Sadie Monahue, with a new look, a new lifestyle,
a new hairdo..." She grinned. "You know what? I'm glad I came to California.
And I swear that I'll do my level best to be a good Jewel and make you glad
you asked me to join...whatever it takes!"
Chapter One: Conference
Chapter Two: An Unexpected Houseguest
Chapter Three: The Wannabes
Chapter Four: Sadie Confides
Sadie's Diary: September 6th, 2013
Chapter Five: A Spy
Chapter Six: Inspiration
Sadie's Diary: September 7th, 2013
Chapter Seven: Cynthia Lends A Hand
Sadie's Diary: September 8th, 2013
Chapter Eight: Into The Lion's Den
Sadie's Diary: September 9th, 2013
Chapter Nine: Latisha Admits
Chapter Ten: Dinner At The Starlight
Chapter Eleven: Truth Will Out
Chapter Twelve: The Newest Jewel
DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE
Copper, Nancy, Sylva, Anna, Blade, Raesha, Sirena, Topaz, Aaron,
Sophie, Justin, Elliot, Rosita, Luis and any other characters in this fiction
which do not appear in the animated Jem series are copyrighted to me (E.A
Woolley) as of January 2002 <unless otherwise specified> and are
not to be reproduced without permission ANYWHERE. Jetta, Pizzazz, Stormer,
Roxy, Raya and all other original Jem characters are the copyright of Hasbro
Inc, Sunbow, Christy Marx and the other writers of the Jem series. The future
world of Pizzazz, Raya, Jetta, Roxy, Stormer, Clash, Synergy, the fate of
Jem and her memorial are all copyrighted to me. The future world of Kimber
and Shana is copyrighted jointly to myself and Gemma Dawn.
The concept of 'Jewel' is entirely my own, and any apparent link
with any fictional or actual person or persons of this name is entirely
coincidental. Equally the characters in this fiction are not based on any
real life individual.
The concept behind the future world of Danse, Aja and Craig, the
idea behind Jerrica's futureworld and the split of the Holograms is copyrighted
to Gemma Dawn, whose Teenangel
Outsiders fiction is directly twinned with Just a Dream. The character
Sammi and any of the other Teenangel Outsider characters mentioned in this
fiction are entirely copyright to Gemma Dawn and appear here only with
her permission.
Pay her page a visit!