Lights! Camera! Christmas!
Author: MoonStarDutchess and Rinoaebastel
Chapter 2: Those Not Famous
Disclaimer: We do not own Fullmetal Alchemist and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than needed writing practice and enjoyment.
Martina Hawkeye sat cross-legged on the floor in front of a large television, staring up at the screen like a child looking forward to their morning cartoons. "Riza's going to be on the news up next."
"What'd she do? Blow something up?" her older sister said.
"She's on the entertainment segment. I just saw it on a preview," she replied, refusing to let her sister's comment get to her. "It said something about her breaking some records." Even though she didn't expect any excitement from the people in the room with her, she wanted to gloat for Riza. Perhaps see if she could draw even a modicum of interest from her family.
As expected. She got nothing.
Her father was sitting in a plush chair behind her, his eyes focused on a science magazine. Her older sister, Lauren, sat in a chair next to him. She would occasionally comment about something on the news, but otherwise her focus was on painting her nails the signature purple she always donned.
Her mother, the one she figured would have the most interest of anyone other than herself, looked up from her knitting. Hope blossomed in her that she might acknowledge Riza, but it faded immediately when she said, "Don't sit too close to the television. You'll ruin your eyes."
"Maybe on the old CRT televisions, but not on that kind," Berthold said without looking up. "Besides, she's at a good distance."
"A college student shouldn't be sitting cross-legged on the floor watching television anyway," Lauren said.
Martina rolled her eyes. "Lighten up, Lauren." Her grandfather always used to sit on the floor with her and Riza as they watched movies at his house. She wondered if her mother would be the same if not for her father and Lauren. If they were more like Riza, the house would be much happier. Though she was quiet and stern, and could be serious, Riza was far less uptight. In fact, when Riza lived there her family members were less priggish.
Though she'd texted Riza a week ago, she hadn't seen her in person since last Christmas at their grandfather's ski lodge. Her attention darted back to the television as the intro music played, signifying an end to the commercials. A woman with long dark-brown hair came onto the screen. She had a serious expression, but there was a twinkle in her brown eyes.
"Hello, I'm Riri Zerez with tonight's entertainment rundown. Triple threat Riza Grumman has broken records again with her single Shattered Minds. The video on Metube has hit 320 million views in a week."
"That's awesome, they'll be talking about her at scho—"
"Turn it off," Lauren said. "It's bad enough we'll hear about it from Riza."
"What do you mean? Riza never tells us what happens in her career, and she hasn't talked to you since last year," Martina snapped at her as Zerez continued with the details behind the views. "Go back to painting your ugly nails."
"The video is also trending on DingDong, Growler, Nosebook, and is even being spoken about on the male model site, Instaman. The song has sold a record-breaking one million copies in Creta and Xing. That makes her the first Amestrian artist to sell that many copies of a single in any foreign market. She is also the first artist to go number one on the countries' charts," Zerez said.
"Goodness! Riza is quite popular," her mother stated. "Her music is that good?"
A bit of hope blossomed in her upon hearing the question. Martina found it sad her family never once listened to anything Riza put out.
"What good does that kind of popularity do, Serena?" Berthold said. "She's selling herself just short of being a whore, and god only knows how she acts behind the scenes. If she didn't use your father's influence, she must have done other things to get where she is. "
Martina bit her lip to keep from yelling at her father, and she redirected her focus back on what Zerez was saying.
"Riza Grumman's tour has just wrapped up and there have been no announcements of planned holiday activities. The moment anything is announced we hope you depend on us as your source. I'm Riri Zerez for tonight's entertainment rundown. Up next we have Kristine Dublin with the updates in the fashion industry."
"Now, Berthold," Serena said. "All of us know that she didn't use my father's influence. She's proven that. She's heard that from everyone else, she doesn't need it from her family too."
Martina almost fell over at hearing her mother defend Riza. Her shock turned to anger when her father spoke once again.
"I don't see her here to hear it."
Martina almost wanted to cry on Riza's behalf. To beg her father to just go to a concert or listen to a song, but he was far too stubborn to grant that request. She knew it would make Riza happy to see their parents and Lauren in the audience, but Riza held no expectations of that ever happening.
She admired Riza for working hard and getting what she wanted regardless of what their parents tried to force onto her. She didn't want to walk her current path either, but she didn't have the strong will that Riza did. If her father found out she were secretly taking art classes, he'd lay a dozen eggs and fry them with his rage.
Her father didn't tend to lose his temper often, but that would certainly do it. She'd only been a child when he and Riza fought. Riza was fifteen and she was seven when their father told her to either give up or get out. Thankfully, their grandfather took her in the moment the situation escalated, and she was still able to see Riza. That is, until her fame took off into the stratosphere.
She knew their father's overbearing manner was due to pure concern for their futures. It was just that he went about it the wrong way and was not willing to compromise in the slightest. Riza had gotten a degree in engineering, but that wasn't good enough. As long as she was still a singer, it was meaningless to him.
His distaste for her career didn't mean he didn't miss Riza. Even Lauren had to admit that Riza had always been their father's favorite daughter, though not in a way that made them feel lesser or slighted. There were times when she mentioned Riza, or when he saw clips of her on television, that she saw a hint of pain on his face. He didn't want this distance, but his pride refused to let him fix it. Riza, knowing the way their father was, didn't try hard either. It wasn't pride or stubbornness in her case. She merely didn't have the time to worry about it anymore.
She wanted nothing more than for her family to get along, but even if her father made up with Riza, the hostility in Lauren would still be there. She still didn't know what caused that, and Lauren wouldn't tell her why.
She began flipping through the channels when the game show, Cube of Wealth, started playing. She stopped on the music channel when Riza came on the screen. Before Riza could begin singing, the remote was snatched from her hand and the TV clicked off. "I don't want to hear her screeching," Lauren said.
"Give that back," Martina demanded.
"You've been watching it for an hour," Lauren said. "Do something more productive.
"Oh, that's rich coming from you."
"If you spent more time emulating me than idolizing Riza, you might get somewhere."
"I'd get my nails painted and that's it." Martina got to her feet. "Fine, I'll watch it upstairs," she said and walked out of the room.
"No TV upstairs anymore," she heard Lauren say, the joy in her voice evident. Someday she was going to find out what happened to make Lauren such a bitter bitch.
Martina walked upstairs, stormed into her room, and grabbed the bag she'd yet to unpack for her break. She moved down the stairs to the door.
"Where are you going?"
She froze at hearing her father's voice, and turned. She'd hoped he wouldn't know she left. She didn't want to hurt him, but she didn't want to stay there either.
"I'm going to go spend break at grandfather's house," she said. "It's less hostile there."
"Nonsense, put your luggage away," he said.
"I'm not a teenager anymore," she said. "I'm twenty years old."
"Then act like it," he said. "Quit this silliness about —"
She left through the door and shut it before she could hear the rest of his sentence.
RW: 2022
