Meanwhile at Francisco Records
"it is as bad as your father says Miss Vega" asks label manager Dean Francisco
"that and so much worse, the last time Tori was on this medication it was during a psych hold after dad misunderstood the relationship between Catarina and Tori and broke them up, dad walked in on the doctors groping her, her underwear was on the floor and her bra was at her feet, they'd paid off the security guard for that shift, he'd turned her hospital room security camera off so they got away with it, this time Andre, her boyfriend had temporarily broke up with her because she has issues with his rough skin, she'd used VV's money to buy him everything he needed, our psych doctor aunt Sabrína Vega made the mistake of telling him the truth, that Tori could only pay for his body wash, shampoo and conditioner so many times before he'd be expected to pay for it himself, like me he was racially profiled and given wages that can't even pay for his gas, he owes his dad money, he didn't want to make Tori put up with things that mentally she can't handle, Tori as a result checked into the psych ward for the weekend as she didn't trust herself alone and hoped that by Monday Andre would have changed his mind about dating her, thankfully he did but the damage was done, this medication is destroying her" says Trina
"Destroying her how" asks Dean Francisco
"she can barely speak, it's affecting her voice, when she does speak it's baby talk, if you don't take action you might as well drop her because the damage could be permanent, she doesn't have the disorder or condition the medication is supposed to be prescribed for, on top of the voice issues her comprehension is way down, she no longer understands when teachers are asking her a question unless they say her name first, the teacher could be looking right at her when they ask the question and she just stares blankly, her reputation is crumbling, teachers think this dumbed down version of Tori is the real Tori when that's not even close to the truth" says Trina
"my dad loves her music, you're certain we'd have to drop her if they choose not to sue the doctors" says Dean Francisco
"yes you'd have to drop her, those doctors want to rape Tori, it's been made clear they can't get away with it at the hospital, too much red tape, unfortunately they prescribed her the medications by force, in her current condition if she's left alone for any amount of time they could show up and she'd be powerless to resist them, unless a court says the medications were prescribed with criminal intent, she's forced to be on this medication for several months, with the option to make her take it for the rest of her life, Victoria Whimsical Vega is a fast rising star, since she started just over a year ago she's made you in excess of four million dollars with an expectation of doubling that this coming year, are you really willing to lose that kind of money, Victoria is a massive income seed for you, you're a small record label with very few artists, Tori's the only artist that immediately hit big, are you really willing to risk everything" says Trina
"I suppose not, though there is the issue of perception, she's made it clear that she doesn't want people knowing she's Victoria Whimsical Vega, something about having privacy, how could we explain our suing on Tori's behalf" says Dean Francisco
"that's for you to figure out, I'd explain it away if I were her Public relations person but you haven't interviewed me as you'd promised yet" says Trina
"you seem to be an advocate for your sister, I can manage to get you a month trial as Tori's PR person, if we are satisfied with your work we can discuss long term employment, the people I have doing the job can't seem to find a way in which us suing doesn't reveal Tori as Victoria Whimsical Vega" says Dean Francisco
"Tori has a twin sister, her name is Marissa, she lives with Sabrína, our doctor aunt who managed to partially protect Tori the first time, she's been dying to be VV's stunt double since Tori signed with you, they aren't currently close unfortunately however that's because Marissa hit Tori pretty hard when they were younger, it caused a cracked rib or two for Tori, they've been separated ever since but they are very similar in many ways, including voice and shape of their bodies, Marissa could easily pass as VV for a short press briefing, in fact VV's signature hair style was based off of Marisa's favorite style" says Trina
"how soon can a press briefing be set up" asks Dean Francisco
"it would have to be at the hospital, Marissa is constantly in and out of there, she has issues and our aunt is the only doctor she's ever been to that believes her, all I need to do is find an explanation for the difference in hair color, VV has highlights and Marissa doesn't, also I'd have to fill Marissa in on the situation, she has mentioned that doctors in the psychiatric ward where Sabrína works have touched her inappropriately before when she's been in for evaluation and adjustment of meds, I'm fairly certain that it's the same group of doctors, I can maybe have her up to speed in an hour or so" says Trina
"you're sure Tori would be ok with this" asks Dean Francisco looking over at David
"don't look at me Dean, she didn't talk to me about what happened last time, she only told Trina" says David
"Trina, do you fully believe that Tori would be ok with this plan" asks Dean
"I just know what she said the experience was like, she said it was like she had no control over her body, she'd fall asleep randomly, she'd drool, she'd struggle to understand people, she told me that she never wanted to experience that again and here she is experiencing it again on an even higher dose, the doctors got away with it last time because there was no video evidence and she was still under the influence of the medication several days after being forcefully released from the hospital by Sabrína to protect her, she couldn't explain to the cops about what happened to her, she couldn't form sentences, she gave me permission to do whatever I had to so that if it happened again it could be dealt with, so are you in or out" says Trina
"my dad and I will talk, given the possible outcome if he does nothing I don't see him saying no but it would have to be believable, and Tori would have to use some of VV's money to pay for the lawyer so it doesn't look like we're paying for it" says Dean
"she's been helping the less fortunate money wise at school, that and her paying the last of Dad's medical bills, she had just enough left for her psych hold weekend, now she has almost nothing left, she was expecting the promised advance on her latest song this week, is it enough to cover it" says Trina
"the weekend was a massive boost to the advance, it tripled the income she was getting, however if she is helping her fellow students with this money I will talk to my dad about adjusting the amount she gets so it's more, selfless contributions like that is part of who we want all our artists to be like" says Dean
"when will we know what the decision is" asks David
"my dad and I should have a plan later tonight but we should give Trina time to get Marissa up to speed, either way I don't see my dad saying no, the difference might just be how much the lawyer is paid to fight the case, Trina you have one month to prove you can handle the job" says Dean Francisco
At Sabrina's later that night
"ugh again, I hate those doctors, I should have killed them when I had a chance, so I get to play as her famous self to get revenge" says Marissa
"yes, here is what you have to say if I get a text in the morning "I am pressing charges against four doctors in this hospital for forcefully medicating my cousin for a condition she doesn't have, I will have more news later about the details of the lawsuit', that's it, short and sweet, you can't sustain her level of tone for an extended time rissa, VV doesn't say much anyway but you have a waver in your voice that Tori doesn't, if it's too long people will notice" says Trina
"will this mean I can end my exile and come back to dads house, I swear I'm on medication for my anger issues, Tori means the world to me" says Marissa
"to be quite honest Tori deserved that punch, she knew you were short tempered, what she didn't realize was how much she meant to you as your sister, she didn't fully understand that talking about the school bully bullying her would set you off, however having said that Dad made the right decision, it's up to Tori to say whether you can return or not and at the moment I'm not sure exactly how much she understands, she might watch the press briefing and think she's out there in your defense, her fate depends on what the judge says and if he issues a warrant for their immediate arrest, the thing the judge will want to know is how many more girls they've violated" says Trina
"every girl in that psych ward has been touched by them, when they touched me they sedated me so I couldn't scream, I don't know what the drug was, I just know it made me tired, auntie says they shut off the security cameras, saying they didn't want the patient changing to be on camera, stating that it could be classified as p*n, she's tried to fight back but can't do anything without solid proof" says Marissa
"would you be willing to talk to the judge, as in tell them what happened to you, it might sway him in Tori's favor" says Trina
"if it will help Tori and the other girls yes" says Marissa
The next day at the hospital after the briefing
"Trina this is the lawyer Valerie Gibbons, you said Marissa had a story for her" says Dean Francisco
"yes, rissa is in getting her meds, she will be back in a few minutes, how did she do Valerie, was it believable" says Trina
"believable yes, however some of the reporters had their doubts, I said to one of them that VV was also hit initially by the same doctors but that she was recovering, that the person in front of them was VV's sister" says Valerie Gibbons as Marissa walks out from a hospital room
"rissa, this is the label lawyer, she's on the case, you said you wanted to tell the lawyer your story" says Trina as Marissa nods
"they touch us inappropriately, they rape some of us" says Marissa
"how hasn't word gotten out about this" asks Valerie
"they sedate us or something, whatever the drug is it makes us tired to the point that we can barely talk let alone scream, I'm their favorite, they turn off the security cameras so there is no proof, only my aunt Sabrína believes us but because we have no proof and we're patients in a psychiatric ward police don't believe us" says Marissa
"you said you were their favorite, does that mean they rape you" asks Valerie
"by the time they get to me they can't stay stiff so they use toys, they torture me, they hit me to pull me away from climax so they can continue longer, sometimes it lasts an hour, one time was over an hour and a half, I only know because I have a health watch, I was up over a hundred beats per minute for an average of almost an hour per time, that's why I avoid coming here for my medication when aunt Sabrína isn't working" says Marissa
"do you know if they've raped Tori" asks Valerie
"no but they want to, they know Tori and I are twins but fail to grasp that me being her twin means we have the same father, dad always takes time out of his day to visit when she's in here after the first time he caught them groping her, they keep saying he's ruining their plans" says Marissa
"so you've heard them say that" asks Valerie
"heard them, they've outright told me stuff like that, they've also told me that more than half the girls here are medically cleared to leave but they keep them here as rape meat, they keep 'finding' reasons to keep them here, now their families are too far in debt to afford the bill when they are finally released, thus extending their stay nearly indefinitely" says Marissa
"so, why do you keep coming back here" asks Valerie
"because they told the hospital I couldn't be trusted not to overdose on the meds if I was allowed to take my medication in a medication bottle home with me like every other human being can, in doing so they keep me coming back, thankfully they aren't here today, this is usually their shift, I don't know why they aren't here, normally I'd be sedated and sexually tortured by now" says Marissa
"they were arrested this morning though we have to prove to a judge that they're dangerous and should remain in custody until trial, your story might just be enough, Trina I should probably be informed about Tori's mental health problems, it will help make my case that she was forcefully put on these meds" says Valerie
"she has a mood disorder, linked to it is something she calls the connection curse, when she dates someone she connects with them on a level deeper than you or I would experience, her first boyfriend cheated on her, causing a depression spike, her next prospective boyfriend tried to use her for a good grade, next was Cat, who our dad believed was trying to coerce Tori to have sex with her before Tori was ready and the current relationship is with Andre, thankfully he is back with her now, anyway in each case she fell victim to her moods, usually deep depression that came in waves, along with serious self doubt and suicidal thoughts, however she then would spend some time here taking her mood stabilizers, at first it was a few hours, with Cat it became an entire weekend, which is when those doctors first took advantage of her situation, before that she was never here long enough to need their 'checkups', the thing about this medication is that since Tori doesn't have the disorder they're supposed to be prescribed for it will do damage to her brain if she isn't taken off of them as soon as possible" says Trina
"you said she gets suicidal thoughts when these depression waves hit, has she ever tried to take her life" asks Valerie as Sabrína sets down her notes
"the thoughts are intrusive not impulsive and can be directly linked to the self doubt that comes along with the depression, she'll talk about ending her life but has never had intent behind her words, besides she was on mood stabilizers that cut out the massive depression dives that cause it" says Sabrína
"what do you mean was on" asks Valerie
"for one they're incompatible with the medication those doctors forced her to take, another reason why she's not on them is the medication manufacturing facilities across the country were bombed, with radon bombs to be exact, their production capabilities were cut by nearly ninety percent, her mood stabilizers are one of the meds affected, meaning that they can't send enough medicine to hospitals let alone every person in the country that needs it, the only country that has excess capacity and shops to LA is Germany, unfortunately even if VV's bank account had enough money to import it, it's Tori that needs the medication so unless Tori suddenly legally changes her name back to Victoria it can't legally be done" says Sabrína
"tell me your best guess as to how many victims of the touching or rape there is in this ward because of them" says Valerie
"out of fifty beds, forty of them are girls currently in the beds, all but one are currently being either touched, raped or having sexual toys used on them, that single young lady has schizophrenia but she was originally admitted because she'd been raped, that rapist gave her an STD, in turn she gave it to them so they leave her alone, it's a sad story really, everyone in her family has a job so they can make her life comfortable and safe, unfortunately because she's been here for so long they can't afford what we charge" says Sabrína
"was she already diagnosed as schizophrenic or was that something done here" asks Valerie wanting as much detail as she can get
"she was already diagnosed, the ER was prepping a rape kit when the well meaning head doctor told them to stop, that she was schizophrenic and that I Sabrína would know how best to perform the rape kit so they sent her to me, they're lucky they did as she would have gone nuts if they did it, I had to explain exactly what I was doing and why, the ER docs just glance over it expecting the patient receiving the rape kit understands what a rape kit is, even with me explaining what I was doing she still freaked out a little" says Sabrína
"how much does the family owe because of them" asks Valerie
"at minimum they're expectated to pay half of the two hundred grand bill, they're lucky if they can pay five grand, why are you so interested" says Sabrína
"Marissa's story gives us enough to ask for Tori's forced medication to be stopped, keeping patients in the hospital when they're medically cleared so that they could get a bigger paycheck is definitely grounds to keep them in jail until the trial" says Valerie
"David was here for the arrest, he shouldn't be involved in the investigation, he's too close, he might screw up evidence in an attempt to prove their guilt" says Sabrína
"he was only here because he knew their names and where to find them, I informed him that he's not to be in contact with any evidence, he can be informed of the progress but he can't be involved in the investigation, I made it quite clear that his top priority is to keep Tori and now Marissa safe, he said he's taking a few days off this week to do so" says Valerie
"does that mean I'm going home" asks Marissa
"yes, rissa it does, in the meantime aunt Sabi, is there any chance you could prescribe rissa her meds like a normal person so she doesn't have to keep coming back here" says Trina
"since the arrest those doctors are under investigation so any prescriptions are invalid as of tomorrow anyway, unfortunately as your girls aunt I can't directly prescribe the medication however I can inform the pharmacy of the situation and have them give you the rest of her prescription in a bottle, they won't give the bottle to her because like Cat, Marissa isn't trusted to have direct access to medications, are you able to do that Trina" says Sabrína
"absolutely I can but I feel that rissa can handle it all by herself, I feel like you're making her into something she isn't" says Trina
"oh I fully believe that Marissa can take medication all by herself and not take more than prescribed, unfortunately doctors here were led to believe otherwise by the four doctors in this ward that were arrested, until proven otherwise we don't have a choice, my word isn't enough, video proof would be a good start but don't stage it, maybe even have her read it because reading is one of her issues, she's on a list to be tested for dyslexia, show her reading the label and correct her if needed, after that it's up to you how the video goes, a few videos should be enough proof, now take her home Trina" says Sabrína
"you got it, you're going to be dropping off her stuff though right, stuff like clothes" says Trina
"she hasn't changed that much, her backpack has a few days worth of clothes in it, I have to take care of my sister, right now she needs more attention" says Sabrína
"ok, talk to you later then" says Trina as they head to her car
A few hours later at home
"so this is Marissa is it" asks Andre
"yes, I assume Tori watched the press briefing" says Trina
"yes, she smiled for the first time, even giggled a little bit, I haven't seen her smile once since Friday" says Andre
"yeah the medication pulls her mood down, it can make her sad but not sad enough to hurt herself" says Trina
"she was changing this morning and I noticed cut marks, can you explain them" says Andre
"she used to self harm when it got bad, that's why she would stay in the hospital under a forty-eight hour psych hold, she wanted to be monitored so she didn't have a chance to harm or stop eating, both things she does when the depression gets bad enough, you have to understand that she connected to you and Cat on a pretty deep level, deeper than you or I feel" says Trina
"explain that to me, I've never met someone who has that" says Andre
"it's like love at first sight but more intense, she chose Cat first based on their text 'dates', she got so attached to Cat that she had dreams of marrying her before she'd even met Cat in person, when dad broke them up over a misunderstanding Tori threatened to jump off a bridge and blame him for everything, thankfully it didn't last long but the feeling was there" says Trina
"what happened on Monday, she wasn't at school" asks Andre
"she spent most of the day feeling nothing because of the meds, she only got better near supper time, and even then it was only lone enough to ask me for food, she got better Tuesday morning which is why she was at school, unfortunately any feelings she has on this medication will be significantly numbed down, though having you here again definitely seems to have boosted her mood, now don't tell her rissa is here right away, I need to get her settled first, is all your stuff out of the guest room" says Trina
"yes, I'd moved my stuff out of there last night, I assume that used to be rissa's room" says Andre
"you weren't weirded out by it were you" asks Marissa
"no, I actually thought it was cute, though I think Tori repainted it over the summer" says Andre
"is it still pink and black" asks Marissa
"yes, though it was odd sleeping on a princess bed, Tori's bed is way bigger, though I don't know why" says Andre
"because Tori and I were so close we slept in the same bed and I was a hogger, before I hit her I was given my own room" says Marissa
"I have to ask, you don't like have romantic feelings for Tori do you, I know you're her sister but I need to know" says Andre
"no, Tori despite her issues was always the popular girl, I'm the nerdy sibling, if I ever got a boyfriend or girlfriend it would be because of her, I'll admit that Tori is my type, I'd go for someone like Catarina or Beck or maybe Robbie, if I ever caught feelings for Tori I'd kill myself right then and there, maybe if I had amnesia and couldn't remember that she's my sister I could see me falling in love with her but I don't see that happening like ever" says Marissa
"I just wanted to make sure, she's very vulnerable right now, I just wanted to make sure she is safe" says Andre as Trina tilts her head
"she's not naked is she" asks Trina
"yes but only because she just got out of the shower a few minutes ago, she's getting dressed right now, she insisted that she attempt to dress herself as she used to be able to do" says Andre
"if it disorients her even a little that's going to be hard" says Marissa
"why is that rissa" asks Trina
"because that medication seriously messes with the brain, they use it as a chemical restraint to keep us in our beds, they figure that if we can't talk or run away without falling down that we won't be believed, for the most part they're right, just to be clear I'm talking about the doctors that got arrested not just any doctor" says Marissa
"were you affected by water because that's what's happening to her, she can't touch water without every muscle in her body contracting in some way" asks Andre
"not likely as much as Tori but yes, I would have issues with water" says Marissa
"I saw Jade's car out front, are they here, rissa head up to your room, I'll be there in a minute" says Trina as Marissa nods and heads upstairs
"yes, we wanted to watch a movie, Tori seemed ok with it, Jade thought it would help ease Tori's stress, she got confused in math class and everyone was staring at her, she barely made it to lunch today, after lunch we came home, Tori was still hyperventilating a little an hour after we got home and snuggled, Jade also believes that Tori's memory is having issues, she felt that having her and Cat here for a few days would help Tori bide time until the Judge make a decision about the medication" says Andre
"Jade made the right decision that's for sure, having Cat close will ease a lot of Tori's fears" says Trina
"you don't think Tori will kiss Cat do you, that's one of my fears" asks Andre
"not as long as you and Jade are there, you have to remember that they offered her the opportunity to date them both, as long as you make Tori feel comfortable, loved and safe it won't even occur to her that she wants to kiss Cat" says Trina
"and you're sure that applies to her when she's in this state, her decisions and fears aren't logical" says Andre
"and she won't be logical while on this medication, however she knows what's in her heart Andre, as long as you're in her life there isn't another option, yes maybe she wishes she could be with Cat and Jade but dad hasn't changed his tone on that yet, his parents were in a quad and both granddad and granny got arrested, both were black, dad isn't exactly fond of letting me, Tori or rissa let that happen to them" says Trina
"by not letting 'that' happen I assume you mean the arrest not the quad relationship, my family had participated in such relationships in the past but we're talking fifties Washington state, though Tori doesn't talk about her extended family, do you think my family and hers are connected" says Andre
"thankfully no, granny and granddad were first generation African Americans, they still mostly spoke their native language, dad says it always sounded cool, unfortunately because he saw them get arrested when he was really young he's against polyamory, meaning he's unlikely to let Tori accept Jade and Cat's offer unless the relationship with you fails and nobody else steps up to take your place" says Trina
"I'm just worried about her, I've never seen her freak out like that, it was scary" says Andre
"that's not her, it's the medication, please remember that, it changes her, it amplifies hidden things" says Trina
"so she could be autistic" asks Andre
"barely Andre, barely, like I said it amplifies things, what you saw is ten times what she normally experiences, she has been tested several times, it's barely a blip, Cat's autism is a lot more pronounced, yes sure if you took Tori in for a diagnosis today she'd be diagnosed as autistic but then she'd be on medication she doesn't need, however if the autism traits persist at this level after she's off the medication then you can see if she wants a diagnosis, Tori is going to be different after she's off the medication, she's never been forced to be on it this long, it was a weekend thing to 'stabilize' her, this is something else and I don't like it" says Trina
"may I ask how stable Marissa is, I'm worried about her freaking Tori out" asks Andre
"she's fine unless you call her Marissa, rissy, rissa or missy is preferred, she's on medication for everything else" says Trina
"why doesn't she like being called Marissa" asks Andre
"for the same reason Tori doesn't like being called Victoria, people made fun of her, they'd pronounce Marissa as Marsissa, as in mars the planet and she's so weird that she must be Martian, her classmates treated her like crap, worse than you guys treated me for my singing or acting, like five or ten times worse" says Trina
"that explains why she'd hit Tori, rissa seems like a nice person, a lot like Tori actually" says Andre
"they're identical twins, so identical that their periods have never been more than a day apart" says Trina
"is she interested in boys or girls, my cousin mentioned she had a friend named rissa Elise Vega that she'd date if she could" says Andre
"rissa doesn't have many friends, at least not many she considers friends, just one actually, is your cousin named Beatrice" says Trina
"yeah but she goes by trice or trace" says Andre
"ahh yes then it is rissa, she's bi like Tori, she's definitely thought about it but she'd be worried about how close of a cousin Trace is to you for legal reasons, she's afraid that if you were to marry Tori that she couldn't legally love Trace" says Trina
"Trace is adopted from my seventh cousin's aunt closer into the family after said aunt overdosed on drugs and alcohol so trust me it's safe" says Andre
"good because rissa really likes her, now go, keep up the good work, make Tori happy" says Trina as she heads to set Marissa up in her room