A Night in the Life Of…

Pizzazz & Stormer

Family History

By Nick Maro

Stormer stood next to her older brother Craig. She leaned against him and looked at the headstone before her sadly. "I'm glad you were able to make it out, Craig," she said softly. "I was worried that you wouldn't because of your European tour."

Craig tightened his arm around his sister's shoulders. "I haven't missed an anniversary of Mom's death yet have I, Mary?" He spoke just as quiet. "Seems longer than five years doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does. The scary part is that she invited me along to the store. I-If I had gone, I'd be dead too," Stormer said feeling a chill go up her spine at the thought. "I guess I should stop looking at things in what could have been and start looking at them for what they are. How was I supposed to know the store had a gas leak? Strange accidents happen."

Craig looked down at his sister. "You seem much more confident than the last time I saw you. Are you dating someone?" he asked not in concern but in curiosity.

She blushed slightly. "No, just been inspired by a good friend. Before I drop you off at the airport, I'll take you by to meet him, okay?"

"That would be great. I can't wait to see what this David guy is like. All you've said to me about him is that he's someone special to you. I just assumed he was a new boyfriend."

"Nope, definitely not a boyfriend, but I do love him dearly. You'll understand later."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it now but we have to go. I want see if I can catch Aja while I'm in town." Craig put some flowers on his mother's headstone. Stormer followed his lead. "I love you, Mom," he whispered.

Stormer kissed her mother's name on the headstone that read Vanessa Phillips. "I miss you and I love you, Mom. I hope you're proud of me," Stormer said quietly wiping a tear from under her sunglasses. She stood up and walked away with her brother's arm around her.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before Craig broke the silence. "Mary, why the hair style change? It's so short."

"New look for the band. You don't like it?" She tried not to sound too self conscious.

Craig let out a short laugh. "No, I was just thinking. You look so much like mom now."

Stormer couldn't hide her grin. "You really think so?" Craig nodded and she hugged him as they walked to the car.

Evelyn Gabor walked past her son's room and peeked inside. It was in perfect order. She went in and sat on his bed letting the mid-afternoon sun warm her face. She loved how David had embraced Japanese culture. It really suited his personality. Over his desk was the knife she left him at the Tokyo Dome. Evelyn moved to the chair in front of his desk and carefully lifted the knife from its mountings. This knife was a favorite of hers. It was about eight inches long and came with its own sheath. The handle was wrapped with a thick black and red cord. There was a small golden metal Japanese dragon set into the handle.

"Are you the one who gave him that, Mom?" Pizzazz asked while startling her mother.

Evelyn motioned for her daughter to enter. "Yes I was, Phyllis. It was a gift so he wouldn't forget me."

"I highly doubt he'd have trouble doing that. He does have your engagement ring," Pizzazz told her as she crouched down next to her looking at the knife David cherished so much.

"What do you mean David has my engagement ring? I lost that when I was separated from him in the earthquake."

Pizzazz looked up at her mother in confusion. "You mean he never told you?" Evelyn slowly shook her head no. "Oh. He said when the quake hit he was holding your hand. As he fell he grabbed the ring off your finger. He kept the ring close to him always. In fact he did give it to Kimber to hold on to. He's pretty serious about her."

"I'm relieved that it's okay. I'm also happy that he's had it all this time. Guess it would be too much to ask for it back. I guess I could let Kimber hold on to it for now." She handed the knife to Pizzazz to look at. She held it very carefully like it could break any second.

"I'm sorry I never told you about the ring before, Mom. It was my only reminder of the last time I saw you," David said entering his room. Pizzazz started to hand the knife back to him but he let her know it was okay by putting his hand up. "I was looking for you to say I'm off to the television studio. I have to pick up Kimber then head over there. Wish me luck." He said as he kissed his mother on the cheek. They both wished him luck and David left for his interview on the Lindsey Pierce Show.

Evelyn took the knife from Pizzazz and put it back on the mountings. "It's funny, Phyllis," she said quietly. "You and David are so much alike, yet so different. I think we should leave his room. I feel like I'm invading his privacy." Pizzazz agreed and they left together.

Walking in silence Pizzazz followed her mother down the stairs. "Mom, when do I get to meet Yuji?" she asked entering the kitchen.

"Soon enough, he's been busy finding someone to cover my store," Evelyn said pouring her a glass of lemonade. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"Thanks. No, I'm not. I finally have a free night and I was actually going to try and clean up some of the crap in my room. Maybe I'll find my self-respect up there," Pizzazz said half joking after taking a sip.

Evelyn sat at the table across from her daughter. "I was going to clean the attic a bit. Go through a few of your father's things and I was hoping you'd join me," she asked hopefully. Pizzazz's face brightened when her mother asked that. "I'll take that grin as a yes. We can start after David's interview on that show Lindsey Pierced or what not."

"Lindsey Pierce, Mom." Pizzazz laughed. "If you're going to help run Misfits Music, you've gotta learn this stuff. I'll help you tonight, okay?"

"Deal, I'll even tell you more about Yuji. Now let's see what we can do about your room. I'm sure it's not that bad," Evelyn told Pizzazz who shook her head no.

"It's not bad, it's worse!" Pizzazz said laughing again. Her mother smiled and laughed with her.

"Are you sure you don't mind waiting?" Stormer asked her brother. She sat in the recliner and turned on the television.

"I have time still before I have to leave. Besides if I can't meet David in person the least I can do is see him on television. It's better than nothing." Craig sat on the couch with his legs propped up on the coffee table. He moved a throw pillow from behind his back. On the television the Lindsey Pierce show had resumed. Craig and Stormer watched it in silence. Afterwards he turned to his sister. "Wow, a lot really has happened. David seems very nice. You didn't tell me he was your new manager or that Kimber quit The Holograms."

Stormer grabbed a can of cola for herself and Craig. "I thought you knew about both and before you ask, Kimber was shot saving David and Jetta's lives. It happened in England while I was still in Scotland dealing with the castle. I was so scared when I got the call that Kimber had flat lined. That was a strange adventure though. Kimber is my best friend and I'm really happy she's living with me."

"Kimber seems different, though. Changed, then again, almost dying will do that a person." Craig set his drink on the coffee table then put it on coaster when Stormer cleared her throat. "I'm really happy to see you doing so well, Mary. I thought The Misfits were keeping you down before. Guess I was wrong."

"No, you were right in a way, The Misfits were keeping me down but it was only under the influence of Eric Raymond they did so," she began explaining how she saw things. "Eric kept pushing his vendetta against Jerrica Benton through Pizzazz and the rest of The Misfits. He was bitter that Jerrica had brought Jem onto the scene. Pizzazz was the most heavily influenced by him and she decided that the Misfits should be number one. Meanwhile, Eric used us as pawns against Jerrica. I wonder how differently things would have been if we never signed with Eric."

Craig took a drink from his can. "Interesting perspective, so what changed it all?"

Stormer fiddled with her fingernails in thought. "I dunno. Things started to change when David came along. I mean, out of the blue he comes back into Pizzazz's life. All that rage at the world she had almost vanished. At the time she wouldn't admit it but she really missed him. I was so happy for her. I always figured that she had something or someone missing in her life. Never would I have guessed it was a twin brother."

"What about Roxy and Jetta? They always seemed to have it in for Jem."

"Roxy is a whole different story. She was trying to prove herself. Her childhood was very rough. I don't know how she survived the way she did. She wanted to prove how strong she was against emotional torment. But the thing is she kept her pain hidden. What she didn't know was that to be strong was also to admit you're in pain. She never told anyone about her parent's death or her time with her aunt and uncle. It was Eric's fault that it came out into the open. Eric actually helped us become closer with that stunt. Roxy told David and me the full story. She's really one of my closest friends now."

"What about Jetta? She always seemed to just have a mean streak for no reason."

Stormer smiled to herself. "Jetta just wanted acceptance. The reason why she and Roxy didn't get along was that they were afraid to get to know each other. Roxy was afraid that Jetta was better than her. Jetta was afraid that Roxy would turn her back on her. At least, that's how I saw it. Jetta isn't a bad person, just the most unknown. She's insanely smart and very clever too. I like her. Deep down I always have."

Craig sat in silence thinking about what his sister told him. "What about you? You were always too good for The Misfits, you could've left and joined The Holograms or formed or your own group. I still don't understand why you stayed with them after all of their abuse."

"Because The Misfits were my friends, sure they were mean and cruel to me. But they were each hurting in their own way and I guess I picked up on that. I saw that they were good people under it all. So I stuck by them and they stuck by me. But now we're not just friends we're a family. I wish I could explain it better, but I can't," she said quietly.

The doorbell rang and Stormer got up to answer it. "Craig, it's for you. Rick and Mel are here," she called from the front door.

Craig greeted his old friends. "Mary, I'm going to hang out with them for a bit. Meet you after your Misfits Music meeting?" he asked grabbing his jacket.

"Okay, meet me back here around nine?" she asked while throwing out their cans. Craig agreed and left with his old friends. She shut the door and leaned against it with a little smile thinking of how she had explained her relationship with her best friends in the band. She went into her room to get changed for the meeting at Misfits Music.

Pizzazz and Stormer left the meeting together. "So, what are you doing tonight?" Stormer asked her half sister as they walked to the stairs.

"Helping my mother go through some junk in the attic. She's going to tell me about Yuji while we sort things." Pizzazz held the door open for her.

Stormer led Pizzazz down the stairs to the skywalk. "Oh, I was going to invite you with to take Craig to the airport, but it's okay," Stormer said while unlocking her car with the key fob. "See you at Flash Studios tomorrow and say hello to Evelyn for me."

"I will. Say hi to Craig for me," Pizzazz called back while getting into her van. She pulled out of her parking space and saw Techrat and Clash walking to Clash's car. Pizzazz honked and waved to them as she passed by. In the rearview mirror she saw them wave back. She exited the parking garage and headed home. Once there she drove through the gates and parked in her spot.

The yard lights were on and Pizzazz saw her mother in the pool house. She opened the door to the pool house and took her boots off. After removing her socks, Pizzazz rolled her jeans up and put her feet into the pool. "How'd it go?" Evelyn asked as she stopped from swimming laps.

"It went pretty well. Jetta might switch from the sax to drums. Give The Misfits a new sound. Clash wants to lay down a few test tracks first to see if it works. I have to agree with her. So we're meeting at Flash tomorrow." Pizzazz enjoyed the water on her feet. They were aching from breaking in her new boots. "Water feels so good."

Evelyn slowly waded over to her daughter. "Well, it sounds like you have everything under control on that front. So what was Mary doing tonight?" She pushed herself up and out of the water. She sat on the edge next to her long estranged daughter.

"Craig's in town but only for tonight. It's the, uhh, anniversary of their, uhh, mother's death." Pizzazz looked away. She was clearly uncomfortable talking about the woman who her father had cheated on her mother with. "No matter what, they always get together and meet to visit her gravesite on the anniversary." She kicked her feet in the water trying to ease her discomfort.

Evelyn was quiet while trying to choose the right words. "I didn't know she passed away. How did it happen?" she asked quietly. The pool house walls echoed her words slightly.

"It was five years ago. She died in an explosion. A department store exploded from a gas leak. It was a complete freak accident. Stormer was devastated, mostly because her mother invited her to come along to go shopping. For a long time afterward Stormer said she should've died with her mother." Pizzazz watched the water ripple.

"I never wished harm on her mother. Mary is a wonderful young woman and I think highly of her. I'd love to get to know her better. Anyway, do you want to delay cleaning out the attic for another time?" she asked seeing how the mood had shifted.

"Sure, but I'm hungry. Tell me about Yuji over dinner?" Pizzazz asked standing up while grabbing her boots and socks. She helped her mother with her free hand.

"Dinner sounds good to me. I'll make the stir fry I made for Yuji the first time I cooked for him. Good way to spark memories." Evelyn winked at her daughter. They left the pool house and went through the back entrance of the mansion.

Jerrica heard a soft knock on the front door. "Now who could that be?" She put the book she was reading down and got up to answer it. "Stormer! Hi! You missed Kimber and David by a few hours," Jerrica said in a friendly tone but was still clearly surprised to see the young woman.

"I'm not here to see them. Is Aja home?"

"Yes. Please come in and I'll go get her." She opened the door wider to let her inside.

"No, I'd rather wait here for now." Stormer flashed a cunning smile. Jerrica shrugged and left to go find her oldest friend. A few minutes later Aja came to the door with Jerrica following closely behind.

"Hi, Stormer," Aja greeted her with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

Out of a shadow, Craig stepped into view. "Hi Aja, Mary wanted me to surprise you. A flair for the dramatic she has. But it's so good to see you, hon." He gave her a big hug and kiss.

"What are you doing here?! I thought you were on tour in Germany," a shocked but pleased Aja asked. She returned the hug and kiss then pulled him inside. Stormer followed but stayed back slightly.

"Personal reasons, it's the fifth anniversary of our mother's death. Mary and I visit her gravesite every year together," he told her quietly holding both of her hands. "But that's not why I'm here. I have a plane to catch in a few hours and I wanted to know if want to spend those last few with me and Mary. She can drive you home after the airport. What do you say?"

"I guess so. I was going to turn in but since you're here," she said teasing him a bit. "Of course I want to go with you two! First time I've seen you in six months. Geez!" She giggled softly hugging him. She turned to Jerrica. "I'll be home later. Night, Jerrica."

"Have fun, Aja. Nice seeing you again, Craig. I'll talk to you later, Stormer," Jerrica said walking them to the door and shutting it once they were gone. She went back into the living room and began reading her book again.

Swallowing the bite of her late dinner Pizzazz looked across the table at her mother. "This is great, Mom. No wonder why Yuji stayed with you."

"It's funny. Yuji and I make the same joke all the time. I have a feeling the two of you will get along just fine. He really wants to meet you and David. I've told him so much about you on the phone already." Evelyn put some soy sauce on her meal. "Want me to tell you about how we met?"

"Yes! Get on with it." Pizzazz sounded more impatient than she wanted.

Evelyn smiled and poured her daughter a cup of sake'. "Sip this. It's pretty potent." She warned her daughter. "Okay, after the quake struck, I search for David for years. During that search I met Yuji. He was around my age and was searching for his daughter. We became quick friends through tragedy. I learned that his wife had died of pneumonia shortly after their daughter was born. He was a young investment banker just starting his own firm. About a year after the quake we learned that his daughter had been killed by falling debris. Naturally Yuji was devastated. His daughter was the world to him. To help with the pain he helped me search for David. It was during that time we began dating.

"I quit my job as a secretary and became a CEO of his company. He knew of my business experience and hired me for it. There were rumors that I was hired only because of my relationship with him. That was quickly shot down when they saw how good I was. A year after learning of Yuji's daughter's death, I gave up on my constant search for David. Where ever he was he was either safe or dead. I had fallen deeply in love with Yuji. He asked me to marry him on my birthday and obviously I said yes. We were wed in a traditional Japanese ceremony.

"About seven months after we were wed, Yuji bought out a dying business and brought it back from the brink of extinction, where he made a fortune. We were now multimillionaires. Yuji asked me what the one thing I wanted was and I told him my own shop. So he bought me a building and I opened my store in Tokyo. It was near the site where had I lost David. I had hoped that if he ever came back he'd come into my shop. Little did I know that instinct would pay off. The shop is filled with a little bit of everything. Next time we go to Tokyo I'll take you there, Phyllis." Evelyn finished her meal after she completed her story.

"Wow, does David know?"

"Yes, everything except Yuji's daughter, I'll tell him soon," Evelyn said while putting her plate in the sink. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late." She kissed Pizzazz on the cheek. "Good night, sweetie. I love you."

Pizzazz hugged her mother good night. "I won't. I love you too, Mom." She kissed her mother on the cheek. Evelyn left the kitchen and went upstairs. Pizzazz finished her dinner while reflecting on the story her mother just told her.

Stormer was lying on her back in bed. It had started raining as soon as she walked in the door. A flash of lightning illuminated her wall. Stormer stared at the ceiling unable to fall asleep. She thought back to her conversation with Aja in the car. Stormer was dropping Aja off at home after seeing Craig off on his flight back to Europe. She was still somewhat uncomfortable talking with her, but she quickly felt her tension ease when Aja spoke to her.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Craig has never brought it up before. Losing a parent is tough. I think we both know that." Aja was clearly trying to become better friends with her.

"Thank you. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your parents? I-I mean, why were you a foster child?" Stormer was somewhat nervous prying into Aja's past.

Aja smiled bittersweetly. "My parents were drug addicts and dealers. They were busted during a raid at a friend's house. They were arrested and sent to jail. As far as I know they're still locked up. I personally don't care if they're out or not. I know it doesn't seem like me to say that, but it is how I really feel. After they were arrested I was put into a foster home with the Leith family, who eventually they adopted me. I lived with them until there was a fire but only I got out alive. None of the relatives of the Leith's wanted to take me in, so I was brought to Starlight House. Obviously you can guess the rest. I miss the Leiths." Aja was quiet for a few minutes and then looked up at Stormer. "I'd like it for you to come with me to visit their graves, Mary." Aja offered quietly.

Stormer turned into the driveway of the Starlight Mansion, she pulled up to the steps to the door and set her car in park. "I-I think I'd like that too. I'm sorry to hear about the Leiths. I'm sure they were a wonderful family. M-Maybe you should think about seeing if your parents are still in jail or not. I-I could go with you." Stormer offered nervously.

"I'll think about it, Mary and thank you," Aja said as she began to get out of the car. "Drive carefully and tell Kimber I said hello."

Stormer nodded, gave her good bye and drove home. She pulled into her driveway and noticed that David's car was parked there. Stormer put her key in the door when a flash of lightning and boom of thunder startled her, seconds later rain began to pour down.

A boom of thunder brought Stormer back from her thoughts. "jus' go ta sleep," she mumbled quietly to her herself. She pulled the covers around herself and snuggled in for a good night's sleep. She was almost asleep when she heard a rhythmic bouncing sound. "What the hell?" She climbed out of bed and put on her robe. She walked out of her room and heard it was coming from Kimber's room where she was giggling loudly as well. A deeper laugh came from the room. It was David's laugh.

Stormer opened the door without knocking first, her anger showing on her face in her voice. "Do you two mind?!" she yelled at the couple. David was standing over Kimber, bouncing her on the mattress. "I'm trying to sleep!" Stormer snapped.

"Sorry, Mary," Kimber said trying to stop giggling.

"Yeah, sorry," David said laying back down next to Kimber. He was still laughing a bit.

Beginning to shut the door, Stormer stopped and looked at the couple. "I don't get you both. Why can't you have sex like a normal couple?" she asked the rhetorical question, then shut the door. As she walked away she heard David and Kimber burst out laughing. Stormer rolled her eyes and walked back to her room.

The door bell woke Stormer up after only a couple of hours of sleep. Once again she put on her robe and went to answer the door. The bell rang again. "I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" she said in annoyance. She opened the door and was greeted by Roxy and Jetta. "Oh, hi, is it almost noon?" Stormer asked in confusion.

Roxy laughed. "No, it's almost nine thirty. We came by to introduce a new friend." Jetta ran to Roxy's car and grabbed something out of it.

"Here, luv," Jetta said offering Stormer the squirming puppy. "This is Karma."

"He's so cute!" Stormer said in high pitched voice while letting the puppy lick her face. She was amazed at how easy a puppy could bring her out of a bad mood. She invited Roxy and Jetta in for some coffee.

CONTINUED IN

A NIGHT IN THE LIFE OF… JETTA

A NIGHT IN THE LIFE OF… ROXY

A NIGHT IN THE LIFE OF… DAVID & KIMBER

A NIGHT IN THE LIFE OF… TECHRAT & CLASH

ALL STORIES CAN BE READ IN ANY ORDER!