Prom Night

A while ago, I told you guys that Kady's friend, Terry, finally got up the courage to ask her to the prom.

And would you believe she said YES!

On the weekend she said yes to Terry taking her to the prom, she was over at Bassy's visiting her dad, stepmom, and her baby brother.  And she couldn't resist taking in a little of Halls of History.  That's her idea of a guilty pleasure.

A few moments later, she said, my brother walked in and interrupted her, asking her about her fave TV shows.

He talked about sports...

...while she talked about movies...

...and, proving she's every inch his kid, revealed she likes watching cooking shows, too.

A few hours later, after she'd changed into her prom dress, Bassy had told her that she looked like her mother.  Which she does.

She stepped outside, waiting for the limousine to arrive.  Her dress is in her favorite color.

It was a dreary evening in Sunset Valley as the limo arrived.

Terry and Kaydence sat in silence as they pulled away from Bassy's rental home.

They dodged light misty raindrops as they entered the school building.  Kady says Terry grabbed her hand and held it.

Kaydence walked in several hours later.  Her expression as she'd walked in said it all.  She'd had the time of her life.

She was greeted, she said, by her stepmother.  "Did you have fun, dear?" Cherise had asked.

Kaydence decided to tell her all about it.  She'd told me she'd had rather have had her real mom there at that moment, but since Cherise was there, she told her instead.

Aww, such a cute couple.

On top of everything else, she even won prom queen.

Secondary guardian

Nearly seven years ago, when Sebastian and Madison finally split, I went to court in Hidden Springs and helped him get custody of his daughter, Kaydence. 
Back then, the judge did something that was highly unusual in these types of cases.  When he awarded custody to my brother, he also made me a 'secondary guardian.' 

Of course, since he was living in Starlight Shores and I was in Hidden Springs and Moonlight Falls at the time, I wasn't able to really keep in tabs with the situation.
But apparently, when the judge made the unusual step of assigning a secondary guardian, he had access to information that I didn't, he knew things about the case that I didn't.
Knowing what I know now about the situation through the court papers and from Kaydence herself, not only was the assignment of the secondary guardian prudent, but necessary.  

And so, after Kaydence ran away following an argument with Sebastian and was found three days later in the cemetery next to my dad's grave, I used my powers as secondary guardian to get custody of her.  It was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do... but damn it, one of the most satisfying, too.
This girl went through six years of hell with Madison, then six more years with Sebastian.
Her hell is over.   For good.

In a way, this was seven years in the making. 
I never talked about this, but the very night before we even went to court, there was a formal dinner party at Sebastian's rental house in Hidden Springs.  I was reading over the publisher's draft of my book at the time (Alys in Wonderland) and I looked out of the corner of my eye and there was a little girl beside me, reading a thick book.
It was Kaydence.
Keep in mind, I'd only talked to her once before, that day before, when I'd actually seen her in person for the very first time. 
When I saw this tiny little girl, blocking everything out with her nose in a book, I couldn't do anything but laugh to myself.  We were communicating without saying a word.  There was already an instant connection.

Not a lot's changed, actually... except instead of books, we're reading on tablets.   Madison used to straighten Kaydence's hair, but Kaydence stopped straightening it and prefers to wear it long and curly. 

Ever since I got custody she's been much happier.  She's even got a boyfriend - well, sort of, but so far she's managed to keep the fella at arm's length.  I don't know how much longer she can, though.  He seems rather persistent. 

Sit-down chat

The other night, I had my first real sit-down, face-to-face chat with my one and only baby brother since he left town to start work on his TV series.  He's back briefly, mostly because his wife Cherise gave birth to their son, Jazz Lyric.

Bassy still hasn't quite relented on my parental rights demand.  But it still stands, despite the birth of Jazz. 
"I told you you'd love her, Vanna," Bassy says with his disarming grin.  "Kady is just like you."
"She's not just like me, Bassy," I reminded him, "she's actually a lot more like you than you realize."

The one thing I cannot forgive Bassy for, is standing there and allowing Madison to abuse and neglect his daughter.  It's one thing for Madison to steamroll him, but she steamrolled his daughter, too, while he was standing and watching.

Bassy should have taken that little girl and ran, as fast as he could, far away from that evil woman.  Make the hell sure she never lays eyes on her again.

Last I heard, she wanted to join the criminal career.  Tells you something about her. 

I thought about telling him about Kady's alter ego character but decided against it; that she's basically created this utopia, this alternate universe, to give herself a childhood she never had.

 But I had to address his son.  Yes, that one.  The little terror he bestowed the name Jazz Lyric upon.  I will love him with everything I have, but something has to be done. 

He's terrorized the entire family, even Kaydence's bot. 

"What are you going to do to get your son under control?" I asked.
Bassy shrugged off my concerns.  "He's just high strung and will probably grow out of it."
As usual, he thinks everything is a joke.  But Jazz Lyric is not a joke. 

 

The only person who even seems to remotely be able to deal with him is Kaydence. 

 

 

There are signs, though, that Jazz Lyric may be living up to his name.  He appears to be musically inclined. 

 

 

Poor Cherise is going to end up in the mental ward before he turns teen. 

Give me a few days with him and I'll whip him into shape. 

The Vaughan Prize - Part Two

Guess what guys?  I won!

Andy says anybody with a pulse knew I was going to win.  I disagree.  I wasn't so sure because I was up against books by several excellent writers, all with a lot more gravitas than me. 
So I went to make my speech at the luncheon and pretty much drew a blank.  I hadn't prepared anything.
I hate those award shows where the winners are so disingenuous and know they've won ahead of time and prepare these long drawn-out speeches thanking everyone and their brother - and not meaning any of it... but I digress.
This time the winners were not notified in advance, only the nominees.  That's the way it should be. 

 

 

The Vaughan Prize is Simland's highest literary award.  Every year only a few books even get considered.  My Aunt Maggie had been nominated twice but never won, so in a sense winning it - finally - was as much for her as it was for me.  After all, she'd taught me everything I know about telling a story.  Which explains why the award now sits on my writing desk, right next to Maggie's picture.

The protagonist of my prize-winning book is named Mairead O'Connell.  Mairead is the Irish form of Margaret. 

 

 

Now, I get to pass those very same lessons on to another eager student.  My own niece, Kaydence (Bassy's daughter by pop star Madison Avenue), has said she wants to write (among other things) and in fact is at work putting the finishing touches on her debut novel. 

For perspective, I didn't start writing seriously until I was in Egypt, well after high school.  She's going to have me beat by several years. 

13 Going on 30

I made Kady an appointment to see Sierra's therapist, Dr. Bill.  I figured that with her history of abuse and neglect (and make no mistake, she was abused and neglected), she needed to talk to someone about it.

Bassy and Madison's daughter walked into the room and owned it.  Seriously.  She sat in there and faced the therapists, her hands and legs primly crossed.  She's the daughter and granddaughter of performers on both sides of her family.  If she is not a consummate performer, then I don't know what is. 

"Good morning, Kaydence," Dr. Bill greeted her as he walked in.

At first Kaydence eyed him with suspicion.  It seemed as though she was trying to determine whether or not to warm up to this stranger.

But Dr. Bill, through his years of experience with adolescent clients, eased her in.  "Before I begin, I read through your record and through the court papers, and I want to say, I am so, so sorry for what happened to you."

"What happened to you should not have happened to any child, and you've seen things that no child should ever see. It changed who you are and who you've become.  You did not deserve it and it was not your fault in any way."

Dr. Bill's comforting words seemed to be what Kaydence needed to hear, because she warmed up to him after that.

Remember I told you guys that she was actually looking forward to spilling her beans on the couch?  Well, unlike when my daughter Sierra went in there and basically gave Dr. Bill a staredown for an hour, it was, drop the mic, Kaydence is motoring a mile a minute, everybody shut up.
Let's face it, the girl could talk your head off if you let her. Especially if it's about something she's interested in. 

Dr. Bill wasn't alone, either.  He'd brought a friend of his with him, celebrity new-age counselor and head of Bridgeport's department of children and family services, Ayanna Coopersmith.  She specializes in abuse cases, particularly in abuse cases involving the children of celebrities - and Kady is definitely the child of celebrities.  
So after Kaydence finished talking to him, and he took copious notes, he decided to bring in Ms. Coopersmith. 

Kaydence was initially suspicious of Ms. Coopersmith, too, but eventually she warmed up to her. One thing about Kaydence, and I think this is a by-product of what happened to her, is that she is suspicious of strangers, but eventually after they prove that she can trust them, she warms up to them.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk to me about, Kaydence?" Ms. Coopersmith began, raising her eyebrows.
Kaydence looked at Ms. Coopersmith and didn't say anything.

"Dr. Bill has briefed me on your history, you were born in Starlight Shores, your parents are the actor Sebastian "Bassy" Plumb and the vocal legend Madison Avenue.  Your parents were very busy with their showbiz lives, so you spent a good deal of your childhood alone.  Your mother said to your face that she did not want you.  They argued constantly throughout your childhood, and they split just after your sixth birthday.  They were in court for the better part of a year wrangling over custody of you, which was won by your father, who himself proved to be quite unstable especially with money.  For the last couple of years, before his surprise wedding to Cherise Hall, you, Kaydence, attempted to handle his financial matters.  Then, your father after basically being broke, having mostly blown through his entire fortune, got a role on an internet TV show, and you were sent to live with your aunt, Savannah Plumb Cheesman, where you have been for the most part ever since.  Do I have the story correct?"

Kaydence nodded.
"That's some story, Kaydence.  That's some story for such a young girl.  Have I left anything out?"
Kaydence shook her head no.
"Enough about your history.  According to your records, you seem to be very bright.  You held down an acting job, you had many extracurricular activities in high school, drama club, music club, debate club, newspaper club, and you still managed to make straight A's. You're in college after scoring a 2045 out of a possible 2400 on the university aptitude test.  You became the youngest recipient of the university's prestigious honors scholarship.  Have you declared a major yet?"

"No, I haven't."

"Your aunt tells me that you like to write.  She tells me about this imaginary world you created, very elaborate, I'm told."

When Kaydence started talking about her utopia, she started smiling.  "It's a beautiful place," she began, "with pastel skies, rainbows, a special dew that emanates from life-size flowers, and the bluest, cleanest water you'll ever see or drink.  Absolutely no pollution whatsoever.  The dew makes your skin change colors for a few hours.  And everyone walks around hugging each other, so very friendly and happy.  It takes place in a dimension a hundred years into the future, so a lot of the residents are actually technically advanced robots that have a lot of different functions."

As Kaydence continued articulating her vision of a technological utopia, with her alter ego Astra Blythe as its ruler, Dr. Coopersmith listened with decided interest.  She realized, as I had, that she was not dealing with an ordinary girl.  She would be extraordinary even if she wasn't who she is.
What she didn't tell Dr. Coopersmith was that she'd already taken the steps to try to make her 'special place' tangible and real, that she'd already sought the services of one Emit Relevart and gone time-traveling.  I'm not sure this experienced therapist would be able to believe that one.

"When did you start creating this place in your mind?" Dr. Coopersmith asked.
"I think I was five," Kaydence replied.

"So right around the time your parents were splitting up.  Basically it was a means of escape for you.  Sometimes when traumatic things happen to kids, they cope by escaping into fantasy.  This sounds exactly like what's happened here.  It sounds like what you have is called a paracosm, an elaborate, detailed fantasy world that you began creating as a child and you've continued to add to over the years.  Have you been writing about this place?"

Kaydence admitted that yes, she had begun a novel and was planning a series of novels based on her utopia.
"How far are you into writing it?"
"I'm almost done with the first book," she replied proudly. 

When she'd finished talking with Kaydence, she raved to me about how bright, poised, and articulate she is - but she also said that it was evident to her that Kaydence - a consummate actress - was masking her pain through work and accomplishment.   

Apparently she's inherited my brother's chameleon-like talent.
 
"I'd like to see her again next week," Ms. Coopersmith said.