Featured Music:

1. "I Got Nerve" by Hannah Montana

2. "Rhythm of Love" by The Plain White T's

Note: In this story, there is a bit of talk regarding people who are deaf. This story is not meant to offend anyone who is deaf. I am not deaf myself, but I have heard many stories about people who struggled with it because of people's ignorance, and I think they deserve more respect, as well as to be treated like anyone else. There have been lots of deaf people who did great things with their lives, such as Beethoven, the famous composer. Or Helen Keller, who was both deaf and blind, yet became an accomplished author and activist.

I do know, also, that the story is different for everyone who is deaf or has a disability of any kind, but one thing I know that is the same is none of them are ever truly alone, and that's a message I want to spread to everyone, disabled or not. None of us are ever truly alone.

The next day, everyone was so excited to head to the make-up All Kingdom's Gala. This time, the guards were tripled, security was tighter, and because it wasn't a masquerade this time, there would be no chance of criminals sneaking in this time.

Anakin woke up earlier than usual to go to Gabby's room and see how she was doing. She looked a little more peaceful as she lay sleeping as the sun rose up. Anakin gently stroked the hair on her head, just like he did when he watched her sleep when she was smaller. And then her eyes fluttered open, her father being the first thing she saw when she woke up.

"Good morning, Baby Girl." Anakin said. "How you feeling?"

"I don't know." Gabby said, stretching out.

Anakin just smiled at his daughter.

"Hey, it's a new day today. And you know what today is?"

That was when Gabby realized what day it was.

"The make-up gala!" Gabby said. "I gotta get dressed!"

Gabby immediately got out of bed and rushed to her closet, eager to get ready for the ball.

"Where's my piano ribbon?"

"Gabby, relax. You have time to eat some breakfast first." Anakin chuckled. "You don't wanna miss out on apple fritters, do you?"

Gabby popped out of the closet, still in her pajamas when she heard 'fritters'.

"No way! Save some for me!"

And Gabby sped out of her room, ready for breakfast. Anakin laughed at how adorable his daughter was now. It looked like she was feeling better.

Gabby looked even happier as she spun around in the magenta gown she was wearing, all decked out with black and white patterns of piano keys, which she topped off with her piano hair ribbon in a pretty bow, like she'd done since she was little.

Gabby's family was very happy to see her smiling again. Carousella nuzzled Gabby just to be sure she was fine. But, Gabby wasn't worried at all.

"If anything was bothering you, Gabby…. You know you can always talk to us." Carousella said.

"I'm fine, Carousella. I just wanna have a good time tonight." Gabby looked at herself in the mirror. "Wow… is that really me?"

"It sure is. You look beautiful."

"You really think so?"

"Of course." Padme said, also looking at her daughter's reflection. "I look into this mirror, and I see a strong, capable, confident, and beautiful young woman. And look, I'm there too."

Padme kissed Gabby's cheek, and Gabby started to giggle from the affection she was getting.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Shmi asked.

"Ready!" said all the girls.

But then, Gabby realized she was missing something.

"Has anyone seen my phone?" Gabby asked.

Artoo beeped, rolling in with Gabby's phone.

"Oh! Thanks, Artoo." Gabby said, taking the phone and heading to join the others to get to their transport.

When Gabby wasn't looking, Qui-Gon asked Artoo if he'd found any clues on Gabby's phone, but Artoo didn't find any text messages or emails that held anything remotely bad; nothing that could've upset her really… unless a picture where her thumb was in front of the lens was considered upsetting.

Qui-Gon was still concerned for his granddaughter, and so was everyone else. But then Qui-Gon thought again, and recalled one of the times Gabby was upset, she'd been on her computer. Thus, whatever was upsetting Gabby, it had to be something on social media that was bothering her. But the question was, which platform was it? Maybe he could worry about it later though; it was time to head to the gala.

The newly musical themed All Kingdom's Gala was in full swing. Everyone was once again at the Commission Castle, all dressed to look their best. The decorations looked great; all of them looking like musical notes or instruments.

"Wow! Look at this place!" Omega gasped.

"Looks even better than the last gala." said Hunter, walking in with Indira by his side.

Indira, naturally, felt uncertain about the make-up gala, but with a little convincing, she decided to go. After all, now that she and Hunter were married, going to a ball seemed like a good honeymoon, and a real date for the two of them since this time it wasn't a mission.

"What do you say we hit the dance floor, Husband?" Indira caressed Hunter's cheek.

"I say, let's go." Hunter went with his wife to go and dance.

"I wonder if Roya made it," said Boba, looking around, when he bumped into another guest.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, you little brat!" said a familiar voice.

Boba was shocked when he looked at the owner of the voice.

"You?!" exclaimed Boba. "What are you doing here?"

The owner of the voice turned out to be none other than Ms. Surlei, the very woman who embarrassed Boba's family and many of their friends.

"I'm a guest here, much like you." Surlei said. "I'm surprised they let brats like you in here."

"More surprising than you being let in here?" Anakin said, walking up. "Stay away from my kids."

"Watch your step, boys." said Surlei. "You never know who may be watching."

"Priscilla! Leave them alone." said another familiar voice. That one belonged to Shera Nova, one of the Republic's most famous newswomen.

Ms. Nova approached the two princes, wanting to speak with them.

"We're not here for interviews." Anakin said.

"Oh, it's not work-related. I just wanted to apologize for Priscilla's behavior." said the reporter. "I would've thought she would clean up her act by now."

"How do you know each other exactly?"

Shera seemed embarrassed to admit it, but….

"She's my stepsister."

Shera Nova grew up wanting to work in the news business. Her father Ramar Nova was a great reporter before her, and after he retired, his oldest daughter decided she wanted to continue on his legacy. But before that, Ramar married a woman named Madeline Surlei, who had a daughter Shera's age named Priscilla, who was far from pleasant from a young age. When Shera was a little girl, she made a bunch of cardboard boxes into a makeshift TV and pretended to be a news woman, and she would make up fun stories with her dolls and pretend to conduct interviews. Her father thought it was the most adorable thing ever. But Priscilla, she was always seeking fame, and she was willing to claw her way to the top if it meant scratching others out.

As teenagers, the two girls got internships together at a local news network. Shera liked to share real stories, but Priscilla was always trying to one-up her stepsister, mostly by making up stories and posting them as true news stories. Except, that resulted in a lot of calls and lawsuits being threatened against the network for defamation and false statements. Priscilla begged her stepsister to testify on her behalf, but instead Shera ratted her out, telling her she needed to learn that words could hurt.

"I had no idea you had a stepsister." Anakin said.

"I know. I'm a reporter with secrets of my own. Be glad you didn't see how my stepmother responded to that Jedi Gossip site she started. But now, I'm stuck with her as a roommate."

"That's gotta be a nightmare." Boba said.

"It's not so bad. I grew up with her, so I'm pretty much used to it. But I've made it clear that she's not allowed near a computer if she's going to keep cyberbullying. Deep down, I keep hoping she'll realize fame isn't everything, and that words can hurt."

Meanwhile, Myra walked up onto the stage where the musical guests were set to perform their songs.

Vince walked with his dad as it was about time for Myra to go on.

"Trust me, Dad. You're really gonna love her." Vince said. "This girl's a rock star."

"I'll be the judge of that, as a producer. But as your father, I do trust your testimony."

Myra looked so cool in the sparkling red dress and black leather jacket she wore, her hair done up in a high ponytail. And she had her guitar up and ready to go.

"Good evening, everyone." Myra said into the microphone. "My name is Myra Windu. Some of you may know me as the daughter of Jedi Master Mace Windu. Tonight, I'm here to play a rockin' song I wrote myself. So, get ready to rock! This is gonna be called 'I Got Nerve.'"

Myra played her guitar, looking so confident as she began to sing.

Myra:

We haven't met, and that's OK

'Cause you will be asking for me one day

Don't wanna wait in line

The moment is mine believe me

Don't close, your eyes

Cause it's a chance worth takin'

And I think that I can shake you

I know where I stand

I know who I am

I would never run away when life gets bad, it's

Everything I see

Every part of me

Gonna get what I deserve

I got nerve

So far, music producers heard Myra, and thought she was good, including Mr. Hall. Myra definitely had a great voice and clear confidence.

Electrified, I'm on a wire

Gettin' together and we're on fire

What I said, you heard

Now I got you spinnin'

Don't close, your mind

The words I use are open

I think that I can show you

Vince couldn't help finding it hot when Myra literally let her hair down and tossed it back and forth as the beat sped up and Myra really let herself feel the music.

I know where I stand

I know who I am

I would never run away when life gets bad, it's

Everything I see

Every part of me

I know I can change the world yeah, yeah, yeah

I know what you like

I know what you think

Not afraid to stare you down until you blink, it's

Everything I see

Every part of me

Gonna get what I deserve

I got nerve

"Yeah, Myra!" Round n' Round cheered.

"That's my big sister!" Kade shouted.

Myra's style of music definitely grabbed the attention of many of the younger guests at the gala, namely tweens and teenagers.

You, you need to discover

Who can make you feel free

And I, need to uncover

The part of you that's reaching out for me, hey!

I know where I stand

I know who I am

I would never run away when life gets bad, it's

Everything I see

Every part of me

I know I can change the world yeah, yeah, yeah

I know what you like

I know what you think

Not afraid to stare you down until you blink, it's

Everything I see

Every part of me

Gonna get what I deserve

I got nerve!

Myra never felt so alive being on stage. She'd initially felt sick to her stomach seeing so many people in front of her, but now she was really rocking out like nobody was around

I know what you like

I know what you think

Not afraid to stare you down until you blink, it's

Everything I see

Every part of me

Gonna get what I deserve

I got, I got nerve!

And Myra finished off with a toss of her hair back. The crowd went wild as she finished her song. If that wasn't enough to show that Myra was a natural born rock star, she didn't know what was.

Myra felt so much adrenaline running through her veins as people cheered her on.

Myra even hugged Vince when she came across him, which had the boy's face turning red.

"You did amazing up there." Vince said dreamily, finding it amazing to feel the girl of his dreams hugging him.

Mr. Hall decided it was time to have a little talk with Myra's parents.

"My son wasn't kidding when he said your daughter has real talent." Mr. Hall said, giving Brenda one of his business cards. "She has a real future in the music industry if she gets the right help. Give me a call if she's interested."

Myra's parents could hardly believe this. Myra was going to be so excited when she learned of this; this was her dream, and she'd worked so hard for this very moment.

Kara, on the other hand, was happy when she found Elliot again. He might not be able to hear the music, but he could feel the vibration from the beat of the music, and the visual effects were definitely impressive.

Elliot was very happy to see Kara again, and of course her family looked interested in meeting him.

"Is that you're new boyfriend, Kara?" Wrecker teased. "Hi! I'm Wrecker."

Elliot didn't seem too responsive at first because Wrecker moved around a little quickly, making it harder for him to read his lips.

"Wrecker, he can't hear you." Kara said.

"Oh." so Wrecker spoke louder. "I said my name's Wrecker!"

"That's not what I meant, Wrecker. Elliot's deaf."

Kara introduced Elliot to Wrecker using sign language. Then, she introduced him to her parents.

Qui-Gon knew enough sign language to tell Elliot that he better treat his daughter well if he wanted to court her.

"Father, this is only our second meeting." Kara said.

"Nonetheless, Kara. I won't have just any man thinking he's good enough for you."

Kara just rolled her eyes and decided to walk with Elliot again and get better acquainted. They'd done plenty of holo-chats, but it felt nice to be together in person again.

And for another musical act, The Red Hot T's came up to play a song for everyone to dance too.

My head is stuck in the clouds

She begs me to come down

Says, "Boy, quit foolin' around"

I told her, "I love the view from up here

Warm sun and wind in my ear

We'll watch the world from above

As it turns to the rhythm of love"

Lots of couples went to the dance floor to dance to this pretty song. Kara and Elliot were dancing very well together and having a good time, and each of Kara's brothers was having a good time dancing with their wives. Tech with Mila, Qui-Gon with Shmi, and Boba with Roya. One teen boy guest even asked Omega to dance

We may only have tonight

But 'til the morning sun you're mine, all mine

Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love

Well, my heart beats like a drum

A guitar string to the strum

A beautiful song to be sung

She's got blue eyes deep like the sea

That roll back when she's laughing at me

She rises up like the tide

The moment her lips meet mine

We may only have tonight

But till the morning sun you're mine, all mine

Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love

Indira was definitely having a great time tonight just letting loose and having a fun time with Hunter. And this time, when they kissed during their dance, they weren't interrupted.

"This is nice," sighed Indira, kissing Hunter again.

When the moon is low

We can dance in slow motion

And all your tears will subside

All your tears will dry

Kara definitely felt like a princess when Elliot twirled her

Bop-ba (bop-ba), bop-ba

Bop-ba (bop-ba), bop-ba

Da-da-da-dum, da-da-dum

Bop-ba (bop-ba), bop-ba

Bop-ba (bop-ba), bop-ba

Da-da-da-dum, da-da-dum

And long after I've gone

You'll still be humming along

And I will keep you in my mind

The way you make love so fine

We may only have tonight

But till the morning sun you're mine, all mine

Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love

(Oh-oh-oh) play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love

Yeah, sway to the rhythm of love

And Kara found herself held in a dip for a finish. Elliot smiled at Kara, blushing a little as he got a glimpse into her blue and gold eyes.

"You… have pretty eyes." Elliot said, finally speaking, though he spoke pretty quietly.

Kara had never heard Elliot speak before. But according to his sister Daphne, he could speak, he just didn't most of the time, probably because he was afraid people would judge him for having taken longer to learn how to speak when he was younger. Having lost his hearing when he was barely two years old, it was a little harder for him to learn to talk. His father told him he was doing well, but kids at school teased him. He didn't need to be able to hear what they were saying to know when he was being teased. Kids placing their hands by their ears like they couldn't hear clearly and laughing was kind of hard to misinterpret.

It turned out, Elliot spent a lot of his life feeling like he might as well spend his whole life hiding. He dropped out of his old prep school just to get away from all the bullies, and instead switched to a school specifically for students who were deaf or hard of hearing. He felt like he fit in better among kids with the same disability, but at the same time, it also felt lonely that people who weren't deaf didn't understand him. He tried to explain to others that just because he was deaf didn't mean he couldn't do important things with his life. It didn't help that his own mother gave up on him when he lost his hearing either. So, he decided to prove himself by doing something people were always saying would be impossible for a deaf person to do.

The Albinets had a piano in their house. It was the only thing Elliot and Daphne's mother left behind when she abandoned the family

Elliot couldn't hear the music, but he could feel the vibration of music, so using that, he learned to play the piano, and got pretty good over the years. He played beautiful music whenever his father hosted a gathering at their house, and he played just for fun at times too. And all the while, he had his big sister Daphne there to help him with whatever else he needed, and she spent every moment she could learning sign language and teaching Elliot new ways to communicate as he grew up, helping him practice reading lips, practicing sign language in various forms, and even using touch signals on his shoulder or his hands if she needed to get his attention from behind without startling him.

Elliot accomplished a lot since he was small, but socially, he still struggled because he was terrified of being rejected again, which was why he hadn't really had any girlfriends. His own mother had abandoned him, and he mentally told himself that had to be a sign he wasn't meant to find a woman in the future, as much as that hurt. But Daphne told him he deserved to find a special girl as much as any guy did; he just hadn't met the right one yet. Until tonight, possibly.

"You have a pretty voice." Kara said. Elliot spoke quietly, but he definitely sounded friendly, and sweet.

Elliot seemed surprised by that response. He'd expected Kara to laugh at him or something, but when he read her lips and the look on her face, she turned out to be happy to hear from him.

"You don't think I sound weird?" Elliot said.

"No. You speak very well, and you have a nice voice." Kara said.

Elliot was sure Kara was just being polite, especially since he'd told her (in sign language) that he lost his hearing at a very young age, which was why he didn't speak most of the time despite having gone to speech therapy and had his father and sister around to teach him to speak with his mouth. He'd seen some of his friends who were deaf get made fun of for talking, and he was scared of the same thing happening to him, so he usually kept quiet.

Kara honestly couldn't believe how shy Elliot actually was. When she first met him, he was insistent on meeting a pretty girl himself, without his sister helping him. But, now that he was getting a little closer to her, the real him came out more and more. Something about Kara was just… different from any other girl Elliot met or his family set him up with. She was beautiful, kind, a good listener, and for someone with super speed, she was perfectly fine taking it slow. And he'd seen her interacting with her nieces and nephews. He didn't need to be able to hear to tell that Kara's natural gift with children said a lot about who she was as a person.

Gabby was with the other kids when she saw her aunt having a good time with Elliot.

"Look at Aunt Kara." Gabby told Lamenta.

Lamenta looked at her aunt with her date and saw she definitely looked happy, and so did Elliot.

"I think they really like each other."

"I wonder if they'll ever get married."

"We'd both have another uncle."

Mona, however, was a little more interested in getting Hunter's attention. He was getting Indira some punch when Mona walked over and hugged him from the side like she always did.

"Oh! Mona. Good to see you." Hunter patted the girl's head. "You want some punch too?"

Mona looked at Hunter with a cute look in her eyes she'd seen Gabby use on Anakin before. Hunter took that as a yes and got Mona some punch, and then he went back to hanging with his wife, to Mona's chagrin. Ever since the wedding, Hunter had been spending more and more time with Indira, and didn't seem like he had much time for Mona. She wasn't used to dealing with big changes. Sure, a new home was a big change, but that one, she quickly learned, was a good change. Someone she loved not having as much time for her, she was pretty sure that was a bad change. So, Mona decided she would try to get Hunter's attention again, this time jumping on him like she'd seen the other kids do with Qui-Gon sometimes. But she only succeeded in knocking him down to the floor, and startling Indira into pegasus form.

"Mona! What are you doing?" Hunter said.

"Playing Tigger Tag?" said Mona, embarrassed.

"Come here, you little rascal." Garrett said, picking Mona up so Indira could help her husband up.

"Are you alright, Love?" Indira said, lowering her head to help Hunter.

"I'm fine."

Indira changed back to a human then.

"Mona, I know it's fun to play Tigger Tag, but you can't be playing so roughly at a gala." Garrett said.

"I just wanted Hunter to notice me." Mona said.

"Mona, I know Hunter's been a little… preoccupied with Indira, but it doesn't mean he loves you any less. Right now, he needs space to be with his wife."

"But he's lived with Indira for a long time."

"Yes, as friends. Not as a couple. Romantic relationships are different from friendships. You'll understand it better when you find a boyfriend someday… not that there's much of a chance I'd allow it."

Mona had heard Anakin say that many times about his daughters. And Omega looked pretty annoyed when Anakin practically had Benni against the wall when Omega got him as her date at the Temple dance. Mona couldn't help wondering if that's what it would be like when she became a teenager.

Meanwhile, Myra joined Vince in mingling at the party.

"Yeah, I've been to my dad's studio a few times." Vince said. "It's not what I wanna do for work, but it's pretty cool. Except when I was little, Dad always had to keep me from pushing his buttons, literally. I wonder what it is that makes us so fascinated with buttons when we're little kids."

"Something about a sense of power, I think." Myra said. "We just got to child development in psychology class."

"Now if only psychology class could teach me how to get through to Jacob."

"He's still being a jerk to you?"

"Yup. I'm not sure if he takes more after Derek or my now former stepmother. But either way, he doesn't seem to want to listen to me or to Dad. It's honestly driving me crazy. How do you get your brother to listen to you?"

"I'm not really sure. Kade just listens to me. Maybe 'cause Mom's just good at her job. She's always had this kind of superpower for getting people to do as they're told and behave."

"Maybe your mom can talk a little sense into him. Or maybe I can ask Luminara. She did look after me just fine, even when I kept pushing people away."

"She's patient like that. Maybe that's what Jacob needs. Little kids are hard work, even the well-behaved ones."

Surlei, meanwhile, managed to escape from her stepsister and took some pics of Myra and Vince together. As you may have guessed, she did not stray from gossip. Knowing Vince was the son of one of the most successful music producers in the galaxy and how his father tried to set him up with other girls, Surlei hypothesized that Vince having a successful date with a girl would be all over the holo-net. But, she figured she would need more than pictures for this story.

"Vincent Hall." Surlei said, approaching the two teens. "I see you have a lady beside you. Who has your father set you up with this time?"

Vince looked a bit offended by that.

"He didn't set me up. I picked her, and Myra-"

"Isn't interested in interviews. And neither is Vince." Myra said, taking Vince's hand and pulling him away. "Let's get away from this woman."

But Myra didn't see Surlei taking another picture. And the woman just approached them again.

"The galaxy does have a right to know more about your new girlfriend, Vince." said Surlei.

"Myra isn't my girlfriend. Even if she was, it's none of your business."

"What he said." Myra said. "So why don't you mind your own beeswax?"

"Oh, but the news is my beeswax. And with your brother in jail, Vince, doesn't it fall to you to be sole heir to Hall of Fame Records?"

"Leave my family out of this."

"So it's true your brother is in jail. Is the rumor also true that your father is seeing one of the ladies of the Jedi?"

Vince was really not in the mood for this.

"Dad!"

"Vince, what is it?" Mr. Hall then recognized the woman. "Oh, it's you again."

"Again?" Myra looked at Vince.

"Long story." Vince rolled his eyes.

"Ms. Surlei. I thought I told you what would happen if you came near my family again." Mr. Hall scolded while his son and Myra took their chance to run off and get away from that Surlei woman.

"You never told me you knew Ms. Surlei." Myra said.

"It's not something I like to talk about. But long story short, she tried to dig dirt on my family when my mom was alive, but Mom chewed her out. Then after Mom died, Surlei tried coming after us again, and then Dad threatened a huge lawsuit against the network if they didn't fire that woman and do a new story confessing the truths."

"No wonder some celebrities hide their faces all the time."

"You said it. I've met quite a few in my day, including Count Crescendo." Vince said. "I wanted him to sing at my sixteenth birthday."

"And you couldn't get him?"

"Well, no. Partially 'cause I pretended to be sick 'cause I didn't feel in the mood for partying. Like I hadn't for at least the last seven years."

"You haven't celebrated your birthday in seven years?"

"Nope. You're seven months older than me, shouldn't you know more about the importance of a birthday kid's mood?"

"You're a former football captain. Shouldn't you be used to getting tackled?"

Vince rolled his eyes and said, "It's kinda hard to wanna celebrate your birthday when you're living with people who see you as a bane of existence and you don't have real friends to celebrate with."

Mr. Hall threatened Surlei with another lawsuit and to get a restraining order if she didn't stay away from his children. But, that didn't stop her from spying on the other guests and taking pictures of them when they weren't looking.

Ever since Memoria fired her over a livestream, it was very difficult for Surlei to find work in the news industry. She couldn't find work as a talent manager anywhere either. Not even gossip columns would hire her. But, she figured if she could get a really big scoop, it would place her back on top. So far, not really much to work with based on the pictures she took. But, she figured with all the musical acts there, maybe Count Crescendo would perform, and she could get the one story every single reporter in the galaxy had been trying to get for years, but all failed: the identity of famous singer Count Crescendo.

Ever since Count Crescendo won Coruscant's Got Talent and went on his first tour, reporters were all eager to know who he really was. You know how paparazzi love to follow celebrities everywhere they go? But can you honestly say you'd wanna live like that? People with cameras following you everywhere, not letting you have a moment's peace, and you can't even enjoy your lunch at a cafe or hang with your friends at the mall without someone flashing a camera in your face? Count Crescendo managed to avoid that because nobody knew who he was under the hair that covered his face. And people tried all kinds of ways to see his face.

They tried to pull his hair off during an interview, only to find he wasn't wearing a wig, and that really hurt the poor guy's head, and landed the attacker in jail for assault. Then other reporters tried sending gift baskets with hidden cameras embedded, hoping Crescendo would show his face in his dressing room, but Lamenta got her truth powers and discovered the cameras, prompting her mother to destroy them. Some reporters even tried stalking the pop star after a concert, but then got arrested, and they didn't know that Crescendo could run really fast and get to someplace dark to magically change his hair and clothes so he could pass as an ordinary person, leaving them to walk right past him.

No one knew anything about Crescendo outside of his musical career. No one knew if he was married, had kids, had a girlfriend, where he lived, where he was from, how old he was, or what he did before he was famous. But, many newspapers, bloggers, and new networks were willing to pay a handsome amount of money for anyone who could confirm the identity of this reclusive singer. Except, when people couldn't get a picture of the real Count Crescendo unmasking himself, they hired an impersonator or came out saying they were Count Crescendo, but the truth was quickly found when none of them could do all of his dance moves or sing like him, or the fakers forgot to check Crescendo's status update, and it was revealed Count Crescendo was doing a concert far away while the impersonators attempted to sell the story themselves.

Over the years, Carmine got better and better at hiding his secret, from strategizing escapes to using illusion spells to make it look like he and Count Crescendo were in the same room. Garrett even taught him bits and pieces of his old disappearing acts from his big top magician days. Count Crescendo started out as a persona to treat Carmine's anxiety when he was on stage, but it also became a way for him to protect his family. He didn't want his baby Lamenta to grow up being scared of the paparazzi her whole life, or for them to harass his wife. And now that he had a bigger family, he felt he needed to protect them too. How many royal people do you know who spend their time on a stage in colorful costumes, singing pop music and going to parties with celebrities famous for trashing hotel rooms and being gossiped about on the news? Carmine didn't want to make the royal family look bad in any way, not that Count Crescendo was a bad role model. But nonetheless, Carmine didn't want the paparazzi to be swarming his family, especially the kids. It was already hard enough for them to have normal lives since they were royalty.

Surlei noted the presence of the Chairwoman.

"Excuse me, Chairwoman Laverne is it? May I say you have a great selection of musical guests tonight." said Surlei.

"Why thank you, Miss…"

"Surlei. Priscilla Surlei. Would that list of performers happen to include Count Crescendo, by any chance?"

"I'm afraid not. We tried to book him, but he had a previous engagement." said the chairwoman.

Surlei groaned. The gala would've been the perfect place to catch Crescendo somehow.

Meanwhile, Gabby was having a good time with her family too, when she got an update on her phone. She tapped something on it to look at, but she quickly had a look of shock on her face and she was upset again, and she went to hide under one of the tables, but she didn't realize she'd dropped her phone in the process.

Meanwhile, Surlei kept stalking guests until Shera swiped her phone.

"Shera! How dare you?" Surlei said. "Give me that!"

"No, how dare you! This is the kind of behavior that got you fired in the first place." Shera said.

"Last time I checked, I'm four months older than you, which makes me the boss of you."

"And last time I checked, I'm the one who actually has a job and owns the house you're crashing in. I can just as easily send you out into the streets if you don't clean up your act!"

"I would get a job if you just give back my phone!"

"So you can just go on and destroy people's lives and land in court all over again? I'm not letting you do that."

And Shera deleted all the pictures and such Surlei took, and from recently deleted too.

"Hey! That was my ticket back into the news!"

"No, that was a ticket to another defamation suit. Don't you remember how Mom and Dad disowned you the last time this happened?"

"Stop calling my mother your mom, she's not your mother."

"Well, unlike you, I appreciate the things she's done for the family."

"Oh, here we go again. No one buys this Goodie Two-Shoes act of yours."

"I'm not acting. Unlike you, I report real news. I don't profit off of making up defamatory stories about innocent families and ruining people's lives just to sell a story. You want to make up stories, write a fictional novel. People buy those."

"Real stories sell better, especially when they draw up a fight."

"What is it with you and making others miserable? You know what? Maybe it's time I found out. When we get back, you're packing your things, because I'm done."

"What?!"

"I said I'm done. I'm done with you and your verbal abuse, your bossy attitude, and your conceited, vain, vapid behavior! Until you can fix your reputation and learn that words hurt, don't even think about calling me again."

Surlei exclaimed in frustration.

Gabby, on the other hand, was under the table, crying, when her big brother came under to see if she was okay.

"Gabby, what's wrong?" Boba asked.

Gabby just turned away and cried into her knees. Boba got close to Gabby and hugged her.

"Gabby, don't cry. It's gonna be okay."

"No it's not!" Gabby said. "I can't do anything right. My art's no good, my writing sucks, and I'm growing up and not cute anymore!"

"Says who? You're still cute. Hair bows don't work for just anyone. You make 'em look amazing. And you're the most creative person I know."

"Of course you'd say that. You're my brother."

"Yeah, but I'm not related to you. And that doesn't change anything I just said about you. All that stuff, it's true. Remember that little book you made me on the first birthday I had with you?"

Gabby didn't seem interested though. Omega, on the other hand, found Gabby's phone, and she gasped when she saw what was on it.

"I can't believe this." Omega said.

Omega knew only one thing that she could do at this point: tell an adult.

"Mom! Dad!" Omega gave the phone to her mother. "Look at this."

Padme took a look at what was on Gabby's phone, and was shocked by what she saw.

Back under the table, Boba tried to get Gabby to tell him what was really bothering her, but she only cried more.

"Gabby, please tell me what's wrong." Boba said. "It's like I said before. I may have given up bounty hunting, but if someone's hurting you, I'll be glad to do one last man-hunt to teach them a lesson. You once risked everything to help me, and got me to open up about the most traumatic thing in my life. Can't you open up to me?"

"How could anyone write these kinds of things to a child?" Carmine said when he learned what had really upset Gabby.

- Your the worst writer in the history of bad writers

- That cat drawing looks like a big hair potato

- If I could choose between reading your stories and getting a tooth pulled, I'd get all my teeth pulled.

- Stop drawing your ugly blobs

- Princess of Naboo? more like Queen of Losers

- I hope someone cuts your hands off so you can never write or draw again you stupid little b****

All of those were comments on Gabby's blog Royal Page, and they were all from the same screen name CloudStar1487.

"So this is what Gabriella's been upset about?" Qui-Gon gasped.

"I can't believe anyone could be so cruel." Shmi said, and all that was coming from a former slave girl.

"Someone's been cyberbullying her." Anakin said. He took the phone. "I'm gonna have Tech and Mila see if they can pinpoint where this was sent from."

"And what do you plan to do?" Carmine said.

"Teach those bullies a lesson about picking on my daughter."

"Anakin, we get hateful comments on social media all the time. Remember?"

"Yeah, but none of them made Gabby cry and lose her sense of self. Just look at her now!"

Anakin found Gabby under the table, and sure enough, she was still crying, Boba hugging her.

"Come here, Princess." Anakin said, picking up his daughter and patting her back, like he did when she was smaller.

True to her word, Shera got all of her stepsister's things together and kicked her out of her house.

"You're making a huge mistake!" Surlei said.

"I don't think I am. And since you like stories that humiliate people, be sure to watch for tomorrow's news story about how a top gossip reporter's career went down in flames!" Shera said. "I hope the real world teaches you a lesson."

And then she shut the door.

Once again, Surlei exclaimed in frustration, dropping her box of stuff, scattering everything on the ground, leaving her to pick it up.

Of course, Mariverde saw an opportunity to clavatize someone tonight. And she had a rather devious plan in store for her current targets.

"Why didn't I think of this before? The net is the most perfect weapon of all. I just need the right virus to put in." Mariverde said, calling forth two butterflies and making them mariclavas. "Alright, my babies. You know what to do."

One mariclava flew into the Naboo Palace. No one noticed it flying in, so there was no one to stop it when it flew into one of the bedrooms where there sat a pink computer, where the mariclava landed on the mouse.

And the other mariclava flew near Surlei as she was picking up her belongings, one of which was a ruler.

"It's not fair! I'm the one with the talent, the ideas, everything! I know what sells! I only need one big juicy story to get my life back!" Surlei said, and she looked up. "Mariverde! I know you can hear me! Clavatize me!"

And the mariclava landed on Surlei's ruler.

"As you wish, Ms. Surlei." Mariverde said. "I've been watching you. I know your desires. And I can help you gain the biggest story of your life. You want to find Count Crescendo, do you not?"

"His exposure would have everyone begging on their knees to hire me."

"Then by all means. Conductor. I am Mariverde. I give you the power to make all voices heard, all of them on key, they shall sing for you with no choice in the matter. But in return, you must bring me the crown jewels of the royal family of Solaris."

"With pleasure."

And so, Surlei was placed into a rather fancy getup like she was attending a symphony or something, and the ruler she held was transformed into a baton.

"Ah. Perfect!" Surlei looked at herself. "Time for everyone to face the music… of their own voices."

Hope you guys are enjoying this story. Please review. And get ready. Next chapter, things will get a little more musical.