Just A Dream...
The Jem Memorial

Chapter Six: Sirena's Plan

"I don't believe this!" Sirena paced across Rory's office, a dark scowl on her face. "I don't believe it! How could you let Jewel become number one? You're meant to be representing me and promoting my career! What's the deal?"
"Emily, my dear, no song can be number one forever." Rory responded tiredly. "You must know that with Misfit Music's limitless funding they have the capabilities to outstrip us in PR. I don't know what you're complaining about, in any case. You've had a hit - a huge hit - and with the Jem Memorial coming up you're perfectly poised to strike. Every news rag in the country will be there."
"True." A look of determination crossed Sirena's features. "But I don't want Jewel playing there. I'm not going to have them become stars - they're nothing more than children and they don't deserve to be famous! If you're not going to help me, I'll make sure myself that things go my way!"
Rory rolled his eyes, tired with the conversation.
"If you think it's necessary, by all means." He said slowly. "But bear in mind that Rebel Records will not foot the bill for any reckless acts of vandalism or violence, you understand me?"
"I am not my mother." Sirena eyed him coldly. "I have no intention of lowering myself to violence, thank you. Nor do I intend to wreck anything. I have a better idea. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
With that she swept out of the room, storming down the stairs and out into the parking lot. It had, she mused as she got into her car, annoyed her greatly that her attempt to mess up Jewel's video had failed, and her opinion was in no way improved by that afternoon's news of them usurping her top spot. Sirena was clever enough to know that this would only be the first step in a generous and strongly backed publicity campaign, and that if she did not stem it now, Jewel would merely go from strength to strength. That was definitely not part of her agenda.
"Things need to be in their rightful place." She muttered, as she pulled out of the parking lot, screeching onto the road and taking the turning that led to Misfit Music. "I know precisely how to do it, too. If you wanna do something properly then start right at the top - go straight for the jugular!"
She pulled to a halt outside the music company, locking her car and heading inside, glancing around her as she did so. A security guard approached her, an amiable smile on his face, and Sirena adopted her most innocent and friendly guise, convincing him that she had an urgent appointment with Miss Gabor. The guard let her through, charmed by her manner, and she slipped into the lift before he could change his mind, allowing herself a smirk of victorious triumph as the doors slid closed.
"I'm gonna assume that her office is on the top floor." She murmured to herself, jabbing the top floor button and waiting with some impatience for it to reach it's destination. She let out a hollow laugh.
"Ironic that of all people I've never been inside here."
The lift came to a stop with the minimum of juddering, and Sirena stepped out, eying the name labels on the doors as she made her way along the pleasantly decorated corridor. She recognised Jetta's name on one of the doors and frowned. Despite her childhood allegiance to the group, in her mind now Jetta and her family were the usurpers.
If Sirena had paused to examine her motives in more detail, she would have been both surprised and displeased by what she found. Inside of her resentment and her hate was buried deep a desire for a mother, a gap that she'd never had someone to fill, for substitutes were never an option in her mind. She wanted the real thing, or nothing at all, and it was partly this which kept drawing her attention and her anger towards Misfit Music. Beneath her feeling of loathing for the mother who had abandoned her was a certain amount of curiosity to know more about the woman who had given her life, and even deeper lay a faintly nurtured wish to repair those broken bonds somehow, and create a real family for herself. But Sirena did not realise the reasons for her feelings of indignation and disgust, and even if they had been pointed out to her she would have most likely shunned them with a scornful laugh.
As she headed along the long walkway, a feeling of slight and inexplicable unease settled inside her stomach. This would be the first time in twenty years that she would see her mother, and, jealously possessive over who the woman favoured, she had no idea what kind of reception to expect.
Phyllis' office was at the end of the corridor, the door slightly ajar, and Sirena could hear her on the phone. Determined to take her mother by surprise, she swung open the door fully, heading inside and shutting it with a bang that made Phyllis jump, glancing up in annoyance.
"Who are you?" She demanded, once she had hastily ended her call, setting her phone down on her desk. "And how did you get up here? I'll have security..."
"I don't think that you will." Sirena interrupted her. "Not when you hear exactly what business I'm here on...Mother."
Colour drained from Phyllis' face.
"Emily?" She whispered.
"Oh, so you do remember who I am." Sirena let out a bitter laugh. "I did wonder if you would. After all, it has been twenty years, hasn't it?"
"What do you want from me?" Phyllis demanded.
"I don't take kindly to being tossed aside and neglected just because having a daughter was not in keeping with your precious image." Sirena's eyes narrowed and she came right up to the desk, resting her hands on it and gazing her mother full in the eyes. Startled, Phyllis realised that Jetta had been right and that this girl was, unmistakeably, her daughter, for she saw enough likeness in her face to confirm that it was no hoax.
"I signed you away. You have no right to pester me now." She said coolly, though inwardly her heart was racing. "As far as I am concerned, Emily, I have no daughter. Your father was a no-good, troublemaking sleaze and I didn't need the slur on the Gabor name of having had his child. You're a grown woman now and you're doing okay for yourself...you have no reason to be here."
Had Sirena known Phyllis better, she would have realised that much of the speech was bravado, but there was no reason for the young singer to doubt her mother's sincerity, and the words cut deep. In anger she picked up the nameplate from Phyllis' desk, glancing at it and tossing it aside.
"That's what I think of that." She said darkly. "You better take comfort in your image, Mother, because it isn't going to last much longer. That is..." She paused, adopting a falsely amiable tone and perching on the desk. "Unless you agree to help me out."
Phyllis' eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?" She asked suspiciously.
Sirena examined her nail-polish idly for chips, seemingly unconcerned.
"There is a little matter of Jewel and the Jem Memorial." She said silkily.
"What about it?"
"I don't want them playing there!" Now the niceness was gone and Sirena brought her fist down hard on the desk to illustrate her point. "You understand me, Mother? You thought you'd gotten rid of me but you were wrong...dead wrong. I don't go away or give up that easily, and I have no qualms about selling my story to the press. Why, I have nothing to lose by it. You, on the other hand..."
"You can't blackmail me!" Phyllis exclaimed. A humourless smile touched Sirena's face.
"I think I can." She replied. "And I'm as serious as can be on this one. Jewel are in my way and I won't be upstaged by them anywhere, least of all at the Jem Memorial. You'd better make sure that they pull out, else the whole of the national press will get to hear about your sordid little secret."
"Get out of my office." Phyllis' voice shook. "And don't come back here, not ever, you hear me? Jewel and my other musical acts are the concern of this company, not you. It was a long time ago, Emily, as you said yourself, and I'm not afraid of you. I don't want to see you - either now or in the future. Take your mind games back to Riot, before I call security and have you thrown off the premises."
"Oh, I'm going." Sirena slid off the desk. "But think about what I said, Mother dear. I never bluff."
With that she left, the door swinging shut behind her, and pushing past Zoe, who had been outside the door and who had heard every word of the exchange.
Inside the office, Phyllis groaned, resting her chin in her hands.
"Brilliant." She murmured. "Just brilliant. Now what do I do? If Emily reveals me as she's threatened to, then who knows where it will end? She could sue me for compensation and my reputation would be dust...God only knows what Daddy would do too if he knew I'd had a baby...and that Eric Raymond of all people was the father. But...Oh God, I can't let her control me! Jewel have to play the Memorial! Jetta would never forgive me if I messed up Nancy's career."
She got to her feet, moving over to the window, and pushing it open, allowing the breeze to ruffle through her hair. She had not expected to see her daughter at Misfit Music and the shock of it had deflated her earlier triumph of Jewel's accession to the top of the chart.
She put a hand to her forehead, her head aching as she tried to work out what to do. However she acted, she mused, she seemed likely to lose. She sank back down in her chair, retrieving her nameplate and replacing it absently on the desk, as she found her thoughts drawn back to the last time she had seen her daughter.
"She wouldn't shut up crying." She murmured to herself sadly as she remembered the tiny, screwed up face, the waving fists and her own desperate, hopeless attempts to quiet the screams. "She hated me so much then...it was such a relief to give her away to Jerrica and Kimber and know that she was out of my life forever. If I had known..." She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it back from her face, then letting it flow loose once more about her shoulders. "Dammit, how could I have known! And now I have to figure out what to do about it...else where does that leave Misfit Music?"
And as she contemplated, another thought echoed in her head.
Where would it leave Phyllis Gabor?
 
 

 PART TWO: THE JEM MEMORIAL
Chapter One: Starlight Mansion
Chapter Two: Discovery!
Chapter Three: Zoe
Chapter Four: Top Of The Charts
Chapter Five: Aaron's Secret
Chapter Six: Sirena's Plan
Chapter Seven: Reboot
Chapter Eight: Some Answers
Chapter Nine: The Jem Memorial Concert
Chapter Ten:  Revenge
Chapter Eleven: Repercussions
Chapter Twelve: A Temporary Solution
Chapter Thirteen: Wild At Heart

JEWELFIC MAIN PAGE:
Copper, Nancy, Sylvie, Anna, Blade, 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.
Sammi and the concept of Aja's future life are copyrighted to Gemma Dawn.