"This place is huge."
Sylvina Martescu gazed around the bright, spacious salon, a look of approval on her face. "Super huge, even. Wow, can you guys believe that we're actually going to live here? Just us three?"
"Aunt Phyl's place is bigger." Nancy Pelligrini observed idly from the doorway. "But sure, it's nice."
"Nice? It's fab!" Sylva settled herself on the sofa, a look of contentment on her face. "This is what I call celebrity accomodation!"
"Well, it used to belong to Jem and the Holograms, so I guess it really is star-studded." Eliza Santiago or 'Copper', the third member of the trio put in, looking amused. It was three weeks now since she had arrived in Los Angeles, looking for a music contract and now she, along with Sylvina and Nancy were preparing to make their first foray into real stardom. They had played a few clubs and locally they were a big hit already, but 'Jewel', as they were known had yet to issue their first single. That big day was not far off, for their backers, Misfit Music intended them to play at the Jem Memorial Concert in just over eight weeks time with a little success behind them. Jem had been a  popular and controversial figure in her day, and her memorial was the perfect place to showcase new talent to the rest of not only America, but the world at large.
It was a daunting thought, but an exciting one too.
"It makes sense for us to have a base here in L.A." Copper added now, coming to sit down. "I mean, I'm from Detroit, Syl's from Washington DC...we can hardly commute to LA every time Phyllis or Jetta want to talk to us." She grinned. "I've never lived away from home before. It's kinda exciting."
"None of us have, but I reckon it'll be okay." Sylva decided. "I've spent the last few weeks at Nancy's house anyway, and that's been enough of an adventure to prepare me for this. And don't forget, Phyllis has made sure that we got someone coming in to clean and cook and all that stuff, even to see to the pool, so it shouldn't be too overwhelming. I think we're gonna live the life of luxury! If we need a helping hand, too, there's always Aaron." Aaron was Nancy's elder brother. Though close, they were diametrically opposite in character, for Nancy was sharp-tongued, defensive and insular, while Aaron was laid back and gregarious. Both had music in their blood, for they were the children of former Misfit Jetta, but Aaron was more technical than musical, while Nancy's creative and compositional gifts verged on true genius.
Sylva and Copper too came of good musical pedigree, for Sylva was the eldest daughter of another former Misfit, Mary Martescu, or 'Stormer' as her former bandmates still affectionately labelled her, while Copper was the child of Jem and the Holograms' ace percussionist, Raya Alonso. Raya had long since exchanged her music for acting, but she had taught her eldest daughter all she knew and Copper had soon proved a natural with the drumkit. It was, therefore, especially exciting for Copper to be moving into this new house, since it was the same house that her mother had lived in and worked from many years ago.
There was some excuse, therefore, for Phyllis Gabor's assertion that they were onto something big. Another former Misfit of wealthy stock, Misfit Music belonged to Phyllis lock, stock and barrel, though Jetta was considered in most ways to be her business equal - certainly Phyllis herself tended to treat her friend as such. Twenty years or more in the industry had taught her enough to know a good thing when she saw it, and saw it she had the moment she had first heard Nancy play piano, at the age of twelve.
"Sylva's got her stuff already settled, and I can move mine in anytime." Nancy said. "Aaron said he'd give me a hand. When are you gonna check out of the hotel and join the party, Copper? If I'm honest, I don't fancy sharing a house that's just me and her..." She jerked her head in Sylva's direction. "I think it would drive me batty. I'm not moving in here properly till you do."
"Charming." Sylva rolled her eyes. "I love you too, Nance."
"C'mon, you two. You called a truce, remember?" Copper rolled her eyes. Total opposites, the two girls had not hit it off at all on their first meeting, and even now were not all that fond of each other, although for the good of the band Copper had managed to coax them into a peace agreement. Nancy saw Sylva as an empty headed flirt, while Sylva claimed Nancy was repressed and freakish, and Copper, who at nineteen was the eldest of the trio, was beginning to despair of ever making them friends. Nancy was not given easily to niceties as it was, and she did not seem at all disposed to extend the same fragile arm of friendship to Sylvina as she'd begun to forge with Copper herself.
Living together, she mused now, might just make or break the band.
Starlight Mansion had once belonged to the highly successful Benton sisters, Jerrica and Kimber, when it had housed the children of the original Starlight House for Foster Girls that had been begun by their mother Jacqui in the nineteen seventies. Now there were branches of what was known as the Starlight Foundation all over America, and the Los Angeles branch, which was also the main headquarters of the Foundation had moved to a larger, custom built location, the Jacqui Benton House, in order to better accomodate everyone. It was Kimber, the younger Benton who ran the Foundation these days with her husband Shawn, while her sister controlled the other Benton legacy, Starlight Music. The two were irrevocably linked together, for a proportion of the profits of the music company and the Jem Memorial Fund - also controlled by Starlight Music - went into funding the Foundation's needs.
In the melee of business and change, Starlight Mansion had been forgotten.
That was, of course, until Phyllis had decided to buy it for Jewel. Phyllis wasn't extravagantly generous with all of her music hopefuls, but Jewel were different. She had always nurtured a secret soft spot for Nancy, and had determined that this group were going to be the best.
If they were ever to be that, then they needed a place to stay, somewhere they could rehearse without having to travel across town to the old nightclub which, with her brevet aunt's financial help, Nancy had turned into her own personal studio hangout. Money was never a problem - Phyllis' accounts were plentiful, and so the beautiful mansion was to become a home once more, after more than fifteen years empty.
"Do you think that we should rename this place?" Sylva wondered. "Starlight Mansion kinda links it in with the enemy, you know, Starlight Music?"
"Well, duh. They used to be linked." Nancy retorted.
"Syl has a good point, though." Copper nodded. "We ought to think of some way of making it our own, don't you think? Make it more of a home."
"You didn't say when you were off to Detroit to pack yet." Nancy reminded her.
"Oh, this weekend." Copper dimpled. "I'm excited to see my family again, tell them everything. It's all been a major buzz."
"How about we come with you and help you out?" Sylva suggested. "It'd be kinda cool to meet your mother, since she knows Mom and Uncle Craig and Aunt Aja."
"Maybe Copper's family aren't looking to have extra houseguests." Nancy pointed out. Copper grinned.
"Mama won't mind. She likes having people to stay. I think she misses her Hologram days sometimes, when she lived in a house always bustling with people. I remember her telling me once that moving into the Starlight Mansion was never a difficult choice for her, because so much was always happening. It must be very quiet for her when she's home these days."
"Well, cool!" Sylva exclaimed. "So we can come?"
"Sure, if Jetta and Phyllis don't object. We are under contract." Copper dimpled. "Nancy, you coming along for the ride?"
"Why not?" Nancy shrugged. "I've never been to Michigan before."
"Really?" Copper looked surprised. "You've been to England and to Italy and God knows where else, but you've not been to Michigan?"
"Mom doesn't like it." Nancy shrugged again. "She has bad memories of it. Dad almost drowned in Lake Michigan once, back when they were newlyweds. I don't know the details because Mom doesn't like to talk about it and Dad says he doesn't remember much of it - but I think there was some kinda boat accident, something blew up. Three of the other people he was with died and only Dad and one other made it out alive with their injuries, but Dad was knocked unconscious and they didn't find him right away. He got caught up in bits of wreckage and was in the water ages - lucky for him he did get caught up like he did else he'd have drowned for sure. Mom's always hated boats but she won't go near them now, not for anything."
"Just think, you and Aaron might never have existed." Sylva observed.
"Aaron would've. Mom didn't know till later but she was already expecting him when the accident happened." Nancy replied. An amused look crossed her face. "Dad says her reaction when she realised she was pregnant was something to see!"
"Wow." Copper was silent for a moment, then, "I guess I understand then why your Mom doesn't like Michigan! She and your Dad always seem pretty closeknit to me. The lakes back home are real pretty, but I wouldn't like to be caught out in the middle of them like that."
"As for Jetta's reaction, if I were her, I'd've been more horrified when you turned up than Aaron." Sylva added, rather cattily. Nancy frowned.
"Shut up." She responded. "Mom's told us plenty of times that we weren't planned but weren't regretted, so leave it out."
"I'm not taking either of you to Detroit if you're gonna argue." Copper warned, laughing. "You'll scare Mama half to death!"
Sylva shrugged.
"Well, I can behave like a civilised being." She said airily. "Detroit sounds like fun. And Aaron is gonna fix us up with internet and stuff in this place over the weekend, so it's the perfect time to be away from LA. Who wants to be here with all that noise going on? Michigan, here we come!"