JERRICA

The early morning light had just begun to stream through the window. Jerrica was already awake, and had been for some time. She stood in front of her dressing mirror gazing at her reflection. As she tugged at the corner of one eye she wondered who it was that she was looking at. Was it the no-nonsense business woman who had rescued her father's business from the clutches of Eric Raymond or was it the flashy, pink-haired siren whom everyone knew only as Jem?

Three years into this, she thought, three years and it only gets more confusing.. She was leading two very different, equally challenging lives. Running a foster home for girls alone was more than enough for any one person to handle. Business lunches, meetings with lawyers, press conferences, photo shoots, back to school night, parent-teacher conferences, tours, recording sessions….Sometimes she forgot who it was she was supposed to be at that moment. And that was dangerous. Not only to her but to her band mates, her boyfriend, the Starlight girls, Starlight Music, and (shudder to think) countless innocent people, should Synergy's power fall into the wrong hands.

One particular incident early last week haunted her. The Holograms had been invited to be on the Harriet Horne show. They were promoting their upcoming album and though they all had misgivings about appearing on the show they decided to do what was best for the band. About half way through the interview Jem had slipped up and referred to Kimber as her sister. Harriet, being the barracuda she is, immediately picked up on the faux pas and called Jem out. "Jem, I thought Kimber was Jerrica Benton's sister. Is there something our audience needs to know?" "We're all sisters!" Aja had interjected. "After living and working together as long as we have, it's kind of hard not to think of each other as family. It's an inside joke, I guess."

"Well there you have it, folks," a visibly irritated Harriet proclaimed. "An intimate look at The Holograms and their inside jokes. Remember, you heard it here first."

Backstage, The Holograms were quiet. Kimber fidgeted in her seat and Raya looked at the floor. "That was close, Jem!" Shana finally whispered. "A little too close. On live TV even!"

"You're right Shana. I don't know what I was thinking! But let's all thank Aja for saving our butts!" Jem said, trying to lighten the mood, and direct the attention away from her.

It was true that Aja's quick thinking had saved her on many occasions. But how many more times before Aja's wit wouldn't be there to rescue her? She needed time to think. Just a few days to get away. Figure everything out. Maybe be someone else entirely. These were her thoughts as the sun rose.

Starlight Mansion began to stir with the sounds of a new day. Mrs. Bailey bustled about in the kitchen. Somewhere there was water running. Ashley and Deirdre could be faintly heard arguing over who was to shower first. Laughter from downstairs filtered through the hallway and into Jerrica's room. She was happy to be reminded of the world outside. She began her morning routine, the previous night's terrors forgotten.

Downstairs she was greeted by Kimber. "Morning, sis! Whoa, did you get any sleep last night? You look awful!"

"Thanks a lot." Jerrica mumbled, her bad mood returning.

"Aww, Jerrica, don't take it the wrong way. You look beautiful as always, just really sleepy. Is there anything wrong?" Kimber was genuinely concerned. She was used to her sister being the strong one. Jerrica was the one who held them all together after the death of their mother. She was the one who unflinchingly assumed control of Starlight Music, and all that it entailed. She was the one who always gave Kimber the tough-love advice that she never wanted to hear but always knew was right. After what happened on the Harriet Horne show, Kimber was aware that something was going on with her big sister and wasn't really sure how to approach it.

"No. I just had some bad dreams last night. I'll be fine once I get some coffee in me. Thanks Kimber." Jerrica said wearily.

Kimber laid a hand gently on her sister's shoulder. "OK sis, but I'm always here if you ever need to talk, or anything."

As the sisters were sharing a moment, the phone rang. Mrs. Bailey called to Jerrica from the kitchen. "Jerrica? It's Joanie Stuart from Starlight Music. She says it's urgent!"

"OK Mrs. Bailey! I'll get it in the living room," Jerrica said, pulling herself from her sister's embrace. What can it be now? She thought.

"Jerrica, where have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you for two days! I understand you're under a lot of pressure, but things are happening here that require your immediate attention! Stingers Sound has just launched a hostile takeover bid on Starlight Music! The shareholders are loosing confidence in you, and everyone knows it. They think Jem should be doing more to promote the new album and they wonder why you're not here. As CEO you really need to be the one who answers to them, not me!"

"OK Joanie, I understand," Jerrica said calmly, though she could feel the panic rising, "I will be there in ten minutes." She slammed down the receiver and ran out the door, leaving her fellow Holograms to wonder she had gone in such a rush.

As Jerrica sped down Hollywood Boulevard her mind was racing. How could this have happened? The revenue from Glitter & Gold, plus the new Fifth Avenue Boys' album should have been more than enough to send Starlight Music's profits soaring, and to keep the shareholders satisfied. Yet somehow she knew she'd been neglecting her duties, both as Jem and Jerrica, and that was bound to show. A company was only as good as it's CEO, and by that logic Starlight Music was in big trouble, she thought.

She pulled up to the gleaming building, not bothering to park legally. She ran through the lobby to the elevator. Every second that the elevator took to bring her to her floor was filled with terror. The stingers taking over Starlight Music? Eric Raymond in control of Jem's music contract? It was too much. By the time Jerrica reached her office there were tears welling in her eyes.

"Jerrica!" Joanie exclaimed. "Thank God. What will we do?"

"First thing is to get the shareholders on the phone. We need to call an emergency meeting. Then get Jem's publicist on the line- I need to book a tour, schedule meet and greet at local record stores, anything to generate more buzz for the new album! At this point I'd even think about doing an interview for Cool Trash!" Jerrica said breathlessly.

"Jerrica, no!", Joannie said incredulously, "we're not that bad off yet!" She smiled at Jerrica in that motherly way that made Jerrica want to hug her. She left to make the phone calls and Jerrica sat down in her chair. She twirled to face the giant windows overlooking the street, and Stingers Sound. She wondered what scheming must be going on over there at this very minute. The truce called between the Stingers and the Holograms at Ba-Nee's going away party had not lasted very long, and had never involved Eric Raymond. She reflected on the time that she (or Jem rather) had helped Riot repair his relationship with his father, and how he in turn had played a huge roll in helping Ba-Nee find her father. She wondered how Riot could just forget the bonding that had occurred between him & Jem. But then, it was Riot after all. Any amount of attraction she felt for "Rory Llewellyn" was immediately gone when she thought of him as "Riot". However loving his true person was didn't matter when he let his alter-ego take control. But what about Jerrica's alter ego? Was Jem really that different from Jerrica? Yes, she thought with a sigh. Like night & day.

Jerrica watched the people on the street as they passed. She found herself fantasizing about what it would be like to live a day in their shoes. She saw what looked like a housewife struggle with her groceries as she hailed a cab. She wondered what it would be like to live an uncomplicated life. When your biggest worry was to make sure that you had dinner on the table by the time your husband and children got home.

The intercom interrupted her reverie. "Jerrica?"

"Yes, Joanie?"

"I have reached the stock holders. They've agreed to have an emergency meeting tomorrow at noon. Jem's publicist was in a meeting. But I think we should have something to bring to the table for the stock-holders."

"Yes, I agree Joanie. Thank You for all your help. You've done all you can. Now it's up to me." Jerrica sighed heavily and took one last look at the passersby on the street before checking her messages.