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Last time on Starry
Love Dream! Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “My name is Melanie!
I’m 9 years old and I attend Grade 5 and I’ve become a famous
idol pop singer!” Hazel: “And I’m her number one
fan, Hazel!” Justin: “And I’m Justin, her
other number one fan.” Hazel: “Hey, Melanie, what’s
wrong? You don’t look too happy. Are you okay?” Melanie: “I’m okay. It’s just that…well, my Mama and my Papa had
to go away again, after coming to visit me at home.” Justin: “I see. You must’ve been happy seeing them, and I’m
sure they were happy to see you, too.” Melanie: “I was, and they were
happy, but the reason why they came was to ask me to stop singing. They were worried about what it might do to
me and to them, when it comes to the politics.” Hazel: “That’s a really lame
reason for them to say that to you!
I hope you didn’t agree with it.” Melanie: “I didn’t. There’s no way I can stop singing now. I’m the child pop singer, Starry~en~Luv! I’m fulfilling my dreams and sharing my feelings
through my songs and touching people’s hearts. That’s what I am and that’s what I do. Nothing is going to change that anymore.” Justin: “That’s good, Melanie.” Melanie: “Oh, and to me, the
worst part was the fact that Grandma and Papa are always arguing all
the time. I wish they could just
get along. I wonder why they’re
always arguing anyway. We’re
supposed to be a family but they don’t act like they’re family.” Hazel: “It’s one of those mysteries
again, huh?” Justin: “That’s for sure. I hope you find a way to bring them together,
Melanie.” Melanie: “I hope so, too. Starry Love Dream! I wonder what’s going to happen next! Stay tuned!” Opening theme song “Starry Love Dream”
by Starry~en~Luv (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) A dream can’t just stay a dream in my mind It would just be a waste and I would be
in a bind No matter where and how far you have to
go You’ve got to chase your dream so much so Never ever lose sight of the love, of the
dream Let your dream flow like the never-ending
stream I know things are tough and it’s easy to
get sad But as long as we’re together, even if things
go bad I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dreamy love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream Hold my hand tight and always stay by my
side Let’s hold onto the dream as we go along
the ride Stay with me, my love, and don’t try to
look back If we lose our way, we’ll always try get
back on track There are so many obstacles to fight your
way through But as long as you believe, your dream will
come true Oh, my love, even if things don’t always
go right We have our love, our dream, never lose
our sight I want to sing like a lovebird and touch
your heart (touch my heart) Please stay with me and stay close to my
heart (close to my heart) Starry love dream! I wanna be your
happy dreamy love I wanna spread
my wings like a dove Fly with me all the way to the starry night
Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light I wanna be your
happy dreamy love (happy dream love) I wanna spread
my wings like a dove (wings like a dove) Fly with me all the way to the starry night
(to the starry night) Fly to the sky and bask in the starry light
(in the starry light) Starry love dream (Happy dreamy love, wings like a dove) (To the starry night, in the starry light) Starry love dream, I love you! The Prologue Alex Rowe was notorious for capturing controversial
images of celebrities in their most embarrassing moments. The kinds of images that he captured with his
camera were the kinds that the tabloid magazines feasted on because
they drove the sales of their magazines through the roof.
In some cases, they’re even used to destroy the lives of celebrities,
including pop singers, causing their sales to increase even more. Mr.
Rowe was standing in front of a desk in the office of a tabloid magazine
editor, in a large building somewhere in downtown “Mr.
Rowe, this would be very interesting.
If we could show these pictures on the magazine, it’s certainly
going to catch a lot of attention,” said the editor. Mr.
Rowe chuckled and sat down on a chair.
“I knew you would think so. These
are definitely one of the most controversial sets of pictures that I’ve
ever taken of an unsuspecting celebrity, despite the fact that it has
nothing to do with the sometimes out-of-control sex drives of some actors
and singers.” The
editor began to laugh and Mr. Rowe just smiled, in an ominous way. “You’re right about that. You’re so right. Despite that, I think we can still use these,
because of her incredible increase in popularity that practically happened
overnight.” “I’m
glad that you think that way, Mr. Gatehouse.
Something like this…can make or break the career of a gossip
columnist.” “That’s
right. And I’m leaning towards the first option, of course. There is no law in Mr.
Rowe began to laugh at that. “I
have a feeling that they will try to pass a law about that after this.” “They
probably will, and that, my friend, is the reason why we must act quickly.”
Mr. Gatehouse went around his desk, holding the photographs in
his hand and showed them to Mr. Rowe. “We are going to make a lot of money out of
this. That’s a guarantee. And why are we going to make a lot of money?” Mr. Rowe smiled in a sinister way as he looked
down at the photographs. “People
like to buy magazines that spill the beans on the juiciest gossip about
their favorite celebrities. This
little girl probably has over a million fans already, and they are going
to love to find out certain things about her, things that will make
her look…very…very…bad.” The
photos were that of Starry~en~Luv singing in her first public concert
and her and her friends helping someone put luggage into their car. Mr. Gatehouse continued speaking his evil, sinister
way. “Starry~en~Luv
will be the fresh new victim of the harsh realities of showbiz.” Starry Love Dream Episode 23: Gossip
photographer? The reality of
showbiz Melanie just finished talking to Christina
on her cell phone during lunch period. She and Hazel and Justin were all out in the
school park, wearing light jackets because the weather was starting
to cool down on this late October day.
Hazel and Justin were both looking at her as if they were waiting
for something. “So
what was that all about?” asked Hazel.
“That was a long conversation.
And I could tell Christina’s really happy that she doesn’t have
to deal with your grandmother anymore, too.” Melanie
smiled. “Oh, that’s right.” “You
were talking about a schedule, right?” asked Justin. “What are you doing after school today?” “Oh,
let’s see now,” said Melanie, as she thought about what Christina just
told her. “Interview at 4 pm
with someone from the newspapers at a really fancy restaurant, live
radio interview at KISS 92 FM and I’d love it if you can listen to it
tonight because it’s at 6 pm, and a video shoot at Regal Records at
8 pm.” Hazel
looked really surprised. “Oh,
my goodness, that’s a lot!” she exclaimed. “It’s
amazing how you can keep up with all of that,” said Justin. Melanie
giggled softly. “I’ve just become
used to it.” After Melanie was picked up from school
by Christina, they headed to a famous Italian restaurant that was just
outside the city limits. She
wore her complete school uniform at its best appearance.
She thought it might be perfect to dress that way for the interview,
because she was, after all, an elementary school student who was very
quickly becoming a famous singer. When
they arrived at the restaurant, Melanie and Christina were led by the
usher through the restaurant. A
few people did double takes as they looked at Melanie, because they
were recognizing her. At
the table that was located in one of the private areas of the restaurant,
Christina introduced Melanie to the writer named Kelly Watson, from
Toronto Daily. “Pleased
to meet you, Miss Watson,” said Melanie, with a very polite voice as
she bowed down slightly. Miss
Watson smiled as well and offered a handshake and Melanie shook hands
with her. “I’m
very pleased to meet you, too, Starry~en~Luv,” said Miss Watson. “Please do have a seat.” Christina,
Melanie, and Miss Watson all sat down at the table. There was a sign just a short distance away
that said “Interview in progress. Please
do not disturb. Toronto Daily”
and there was an usher there standing guard to make sure that no one
disturbs them. After
some pleasantries and some appetizers that were served, Miss Watson
decided that it was time to formally begin the interview. “I’m really thankful to both of you for granting
me this interview. I know it
must be hard because of your busy schedules,” said Miss Watson. “Oh,
it was no trouble at all, Miss Watson,” said Christina. “I’m
glad.” Miss Watson turned to
Melanie. “So, Starry~en~Luv,
it must be like a dream come true, finding yourself in the world of
showbiz all of a sudden.” Melanie
smiled at her. “Oh, yes, it is
a dream, one that I fulfilled with a lot of help from people.” “Great! Who helped you become a singer?” “Christina
is definitely one of them. She’s
not just my manager, she’s also my friend,” said Melanie, and it made
Christina smile and blush. “There’s
also my producer, Mr. Joseph King at Regal Records.
He’s helped me so much already.
Everyone at Regal Records helped me a lot. And also, there’s Mr. John Wilkins, who lives
close to my home. He’s the one
who helped me first get into the audition at Regal Records. He used to work with them, so he was able to
help me very easily.” “That’s
really wonderful, having so many people to help you. I’ll bet they’re very proud of you, too,” said
Miss Watson cheerfully. Melanie
nodded. “I’m sure they are. I’m very grateful to them.” “You
must have a lot of friends at school now then, because of your smash
hit concert a short time ago. Do
you have a lot of best friends now?” “You
mean at the school that I’m at right now, right?” Melanie asked, and
Miss Watson nodded. “At my school
right now, I have two friends who I feel very close to, Hazel Callaway
and Justin Lagazo. They’ve been with me for several months and
they were always there for me. I
have two other best friends who live in “Oh,
my, that’s so sweet, Starry~en~Luv.
That must be one of the biggest reasons why a lot of people are
really enjoying your being a rising star.
You’re not just a very good singer, you also have a very sweet
personality,” said Miss Watson. Melanie
blushed at that. “Thank you,”
she said softly. Miss
Watson smiled at Melanie blushing like that.
“Why don’t you tell me about how all this started? Have you always wanted to be a singer when you
were very small?” “Oh,
yes, ma’am,” said Melanie. “I
think I’ve always liked singing. When
I was very small, I was always singing songs to people and I would practice
all the time and try to be better at it.
Sometimes, if I ran out of songs to sing, I would make some up.” Miss
Watson seemed pleasantly surprised.
“Is that so?” “Yes. And then I started getting vocal lessons from
a music school in Miss
Watson was quite surprised by what Melanie was saying. “That’s a really lovely story, Starry~en~Luv.
You have such a lovely voice and your reasons for singing are
probably the purest ones I’ve ever heard.” “Oh,
thank you so much,” said Melanie, smiling delightfully. After
the interview and the early dinner, Melanie and Christina left the restaurant
and they headed for the car in the parking lot. “Okay,
that was really good, Melanie!” said Christina.
“That was your first interview!
I’m so proud of you.” Melanie
giggled at that. “If it weren’t
for you, I’d be so nervous and I’d mess up everything and I wouldn’t
know what to say.” “Oh,
no, I just gave you the courage, that’s all.
You already knew how to do it.”
She looked at her watch. “Looks
like we’re right on schedule. Let’s
go to the radio station now.” “Great!”
Melanie said sweetly and with a bright smile. Christina and Melanie had arrived at the
radio station a little early. Inside
the building of the KISS 92 FM radio station, there was a room where
Melanie was sitting and in front of her was a microphone.
Across the table was a young lady wearing very casual clothes,
and there was also a microphone in front of her.
They were in a quiet broadcast room that was divided into two. The first half was where Melanie and the radio
show hostess were in. The second
half was where the broadcast studio staff was working and Christina
was there watching Melanie. Melanie
was having her live radio interview in the show of the very cool, very
hip, and very sweet Kim Sweet. Melanie
wondered if that last name was for real and if it was just there to
match her personality, but she did not want to ask about it, because
she didn’t want to embarrass the famous hostess on live radio. There
were people gathered around outside, looking through the glass windows
that were between them and the broadcast studio.
They were mostly young people, watching the famous new pop singer
Starry~en~Luv interviewing with the famous Kim Sweet. Some of them were taking pictures. Outside, there were speakers above that broadcasted
what Melanie and Kim were saying on the radio. “Okay,
Starry~en~Luv, I’d really like to ask you about some of your favorite
things,” said Kim. “For instance,
what’s your favorite color?” “My
favorite colors, they’re pink, blue, and white,” said Melanie, smiling
sweetly. “Really? That’s so cool!
Pink is my favorite color, too!” said Kim, and she started to
giggle. “Is
that so? I have a lot of pink
stuff at home in my room.” “Oh, good for you! Every
girlie girl has to have something pink in their room, right?” Melanie
giggled at that. “Oh, yeah, I
think you’re right. Or anything
that’s pretty and cute. It doesn’t
always have to be pink. It can
be baby colors like light blue or yellow.”
The fans outside were so star-struck.
Some of the girls were giggling, too.
They were commenting on how cute Starry~en~Luv was. “What
about hobbies? Do you have any
hobbies? Other than singing,
of course, because I think everyone would know that you like singing,
right?” “Well,
yeah,” said Melanie. “That
would be a silly question.” Kim
laughed. “Anyways, what other
hobbies do you have?” “I
like reading. I like to read
a lot, actually. I have a lot
of books at home.” “Cool! Do you have a favorite book to read?” asked
Kim. “There’s
this book I like and it’s called ‘Mayaru’s Gift’,” said Melanie. “Oh, ‘Mayaru’s Gift’? What’s
it about?” “It’s
about this little fairy named Mayaru and she lived alone in the forest
because she lost her memory. Then
a girl came and they became friends and they played happily together
for a while, and she also called her other friends and they played with
Mayaru. But Mayaru wasn’t human so she didn’t age, while
the children grew up and forgot about Mayaru. Eventually, the girl that Mayaru first met was
the last one, but she grew up and wouldn’t play with her anymore. Still, the girl couldn’t forget Mayaru so she
came back and Mayaru gave her a gift.” “What
was the gift?” “Words of farewell.” Kim
was taken aback. “Oh, words of
farewell?” “Yes. Until then, people didn’t know about the words
of farewell. Mayaru was a farewell
fairy. She forgot about that
because it’s painful to have nothing but farewells.
The grown-up girl learned the words from Mayaru. And that girl who learned the words of farewell…she
became the world’s kindest person.” Kim
gasped slowly with amazement and awe.
“Oh, wow, that’s a really sweet story!
I’ll want to read that story.
I wonder if they sell it in the book store near here.” Melanie
smiled. “They should have it. It was a really nice story. I cried when I read it.” “Oh,
yeah, that would make me cry, too.”
The two of them giggled together.
And then, Kim thought of a very interesting question that she’s
always wanted to ask. Actually,
she always asks. “So, Starry~en~Luv, I’d really like to know
and I’m sure a lot of people would really like to know.” “What
is it?” asked Melanie. “Is
there someone that you like right now?
Like maybe a boyfriend?” Melanie
was startled by that and she looked up at Christina at the other side
of the room. Christina looked
like she was trying hard to hide the fact that she wanted to laugh. Melanie was blushing as she smiled and looked
down. “Oh, no, I don’t have a
boyfriend. There isn’t anyone
that I like right now.” “Are
you sure? You’re blushing!” said
Kim. Melanie
looked uncomfortable and she began to laugh in an uncomfortable way. “Oh, no, really, I don’t like anyone like that
right now. Maybe later on, but
I don’t have anyone like that.” “Well…okay,”
said Kim, giving a wink. “But
when you do get a boyfriend, tell us about him, okay?” Melanie
was blushing some more. “Oh,
um, yeah, sure, I’ll try,” she said slightly and she giggled. Unknown
to Melanie and Christina, someone was holding a camera from the side
of the crowd that was outside. It
was Alex Rowe, taking pictures of Melanie as she was having her interview
with Kim Sweet. When he was finished
taking pictures, he smiled with satisfaction, and it was not a very
friendly smile either, but a rather sinister one. At the video shoot at Regal Records, Melanie
was posing in front of a white background. Christina was standing some distance away watching. “Okay,
Starry~en~Luv, just stand there like you’re day-dreaming of something
really nice. The camera’s going
to go around you.” “Like
this?” Melanie asked as she clasped her hands together at her heart
and she tilted her head slightly down and closed her eyes. “That’s
perfect!” There
was a large fan a short distance away and it was blowing through the
set, making Melanie’s hair wave in the air as she stood there, looking
like she was day-dreaming. She
was still in her school uniform. They
had decided with her that it was the perfect costume for this shoot
so she could convey the image of an elementary school girl, which she
was. The camera that was mounted above began to move
through the set and it went around her. “Okay,
cut. That was brilliant! You did a very good job, Melanie,” said the
director. Melanie
smiled. “Thank you so much,”
she said. “Why
don’t we all take a break? Let’s
take a break for 15 minutes.” The
staff went on break, and Melanie skipped over to Christina. Christina looked like she was in heaven as she
screamed with delight like a happy school girl and Melanie was so surprised
that she stopped suddenly with wide eyes and put her arms up as if to
protect herself. “Melanie,
that was way too cool!” Christina exclaimed. Melanie
started to laugh. “Christina,
you sound like a star-struck fan,” she said. “That’s
because I am. I may be your manager,
but I’m also a big fan of yours, you know.”
Christina laughed at that. “Say,
while we’re on that subject, maybe I should get your autograph, too.” Melanie
looked at Christina with a puzzled face, and then she started giggling. “You’re so funny.” Christina
looked up, a little disappointed. “Hey,
I was serious!” Melanie turned
around and she looked at the cameras that were setup in the studio for
a while. Christina just kept on talking to herself.
“Oh, you know, maybe I should get one of those really cute agenda
books from the gift shop at the mall, the ones with the cute characters,
and then ask you to sign every single page for me, front and back.
I think that would be really cool.
Don’t you think so? Melanie? Hey,
what are you staring at?” Melanie
turned to face Christina. “I’m
sorry. I was staring at the cameras,”
she said. “What? Why?” “It
kind of reminded me of someone that we hope we don’t run into again.” Christina
knew what she was talking about immediately and she settled down and
looked a little serious. “Oh,
that’s right. Alex Rowe. He’s
a really creepy guy. I hope he
doesn’t come after you again with that camera of his.” “Does
it matter anymore, do you think, if he takes
pictures of me? I mean, by now,
everyone knows that I’m Starry~en~Luv.” “Of
course, it matters, but not for the same reason as before. It matters because tabloid photographers like
him don’t have the right to intrude upon other people’s privacy. It doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity and
everyone wants to know every single little thing about you, even the
stuff that you don’t want to share.
Private matters should be kept private, no matter what.” Melanie
thought about that for a moment and could see clearly that Christina
was very right about that. “Oh,
I see. I guess we still have to be careful then, right?” “That’s
right.” “Well,
as long as you’re with me, then there’s nothing to worry about,” said
Melanie, smiling very delightfully and Christina smiled, too. It was the weekend. Christina was very glad that there were no appointments
today so she and Melanie decided that they would spend some quality
time together. Christina and
Melanie were both dressed casually.
They drove from Grandma’s house and then stopped by at Hazel’s
house, because Melanie had invited her to come with them. Hazel
waved goodbye to her mother Isabelle who waved back. “See you later, Mom!” she called out. “Have
fun!” said Isabelle. Hazel
went to Christina’s car. “Hey! Thank you for inviting me, Melanie, “Come
in, Hazel,” said Melanie, smiling delightfully.
Hazel got in the car. “You
know, Hazel,” said Christina, quite cheerfully.
“You could also call me Christina.
I’ve seen you two or three times and that’s probably enough for
you to start calling me that.” “Really? Thanks a lot!”
said Hazel. “Let’s
go pick up Justin,” said Melanie. “Okay,
let’s go!” Christina drove away
down the streets of this neighborhood.
Eventually, they came upon Justin’s house. Justin was waiting outside, leaning against
a lamp post and wearing cool sunglasses. “Well,
he’s being very cool, isn’t he?” said Hazel. “He’s
always cool,” said Melanie, and she and Hazel began to laugh. The car stopped and Justin walked towards the
car. “Hi, Justin!” “Hello. Please thank your manager for having me today,”
said Justin. “Why
are you sounding so formal all of a sudden?” said Hazel. “Yeah,
there’s no need for that. Get
inside,” said Christina. “Thanks,”
said Justin, and he got in the car and sat beside Hazel in the back
seat. After that, Christina drove the car away. ”Hey,
Melanie,” Hazel called out. “What
is it?” asked Melanie. “I
heard you on the radio the other day.
It was so cool! And it
was funny, too. You were so cute having that live radio interview
with Kim Sweet! I wish I was
there to actually see it.” Melanie
looked back on the interview she had, her first live radio interview. “Thank you so much. If you were there, I think you’d love it.
I hope I can take both of you to one of those interviews someday.
I think you’d really enjoy it.
I want to show you everything that I’m doing.” “That
would be fun!” Hazel looked over
at Justin, who was very quiet. “Don’t
you think so, Justin?” Justin
looked up and was as calm as always.
“Yeah, it would,” he said quietly. Hazel
frowned at him. “That doesn’t
sound very sincere!” “What
do you mean? I was serious.” Hazel
was surprised by that. “Oh. You were? You
don’t look like it. You did listen
to Melanie’s live interview, didn’t you?
If you didn’t, I’m going to strangle you.” “I
listened to it.” Justin turned
towards Melanie. “It was very
good.” Melanie
smiled brightly. “Thanks, Justin!” There
was something on his mind, but since he was very, very good at hiding
his true feelings, Hazel and Melanie didn’t notice anything unusual. Hazel certainly wouldn’t notice. Justin was so good at hiding his feelings and
thoughts that even someone as perceptive as Melanie would not be able
to notice anything, not even a hint.
While the girls talked, he stayed quiet. They arrived at the plaza that was close
to Melanie’s house. There was
a convenience store there that Melanie and Hazel wanted to go to because
they wanted to get some sweets. Justin
wasn’t really interested in sweets but he wanted to tag along anyway. Hazel
and Melanie were looking at the area where there were a lot of candies
and chocolates. “It’s so hard
to choose!” said Hazel. “There’s
too many of them.” Melanie
looked at the candies for a moment.
“What about the ones up there?” “No,
those ones have too little sugar.” “Okay,
how about these ones?” “No,
those ones have too much sugar.” Christina
was looking around for a small agenda book.
She really was thinking of getting a cute one and asking Melanie
to autograph every page. Justin
was with her as she looked around. “Hmmm,
do they even have any agenda books, even a small one?” said Christina. “I
don’t think so,” said Justin. “It’s
just a regular convenience store. I
think you have to go the shopping mall to find them.” “I
know that, but…I was kind of hoping that I didn’t have to. There are so many people at the mall today.
But maybe we should anyway. It might be fun. We get to shop all day, right?” she said excitedly. Justin
looked calm as always. “Yes,
it would.” Christina
was puzzled. “Are you always
this calm? I’ve never seen you
smile and never heard you raise your voice yet.” Justin
thought about that for a moment. “I
guess I am. I think the last time I raised my voice was when I was a
baby, but my mother said to me that even that was rare back then. But it doesn’t mean that I don’t ever feel happy
or sad.” Christina
just smiled, understanding what Justin was saying. “I guess you have your own way of showing it.
But you do keep your feelings hidden most of the time.” All
four of them met near the front. Justin
was holding a drink and Christina did manage to find a small agenda
book that had cute designs on them.
Melanie and Hazel were able to get some candies. “Everyone
got something! Good!” Hazel exclaimed,
and then she noticed something to the side.
There was a stand there that contained newspapers and magazines,
mostly entertainment magazines. “Hey,
look at these. Maybe there’s
news about you, Melanie.” All
four of them stood by the magazines.
Christina looked at one of the small daily newspapers and she
saw that there was a story related to Starry~en~Luv in it. “More articles about your concert last weekend,
Melanie,” she said with a smile. “It’s
so cool. They’re still talking
about it even though it’s been a week now. I think they’re going to keep talking about
it for a while.” “You
really think so?” said Melanie, tilting her head with a great deal of
curiosity. “Oh,
for sure,” said Christina. “I
mean, they even said that you’re the youngest pop singer in history! That’s one of the things they’re talking about.” Hazel
saw another article in a small magazine.
“Here’s another one about you, Melanie,” she said excitedly,
and then she lost her smile and looked disappointed.
“Oh, but this one sucks, because all they’re talking about is
that Starry~en~Luv is the daughter of the Premiere of Ontario, Mark
Thompson, who is being accused of defrauding the Ontario province and
there are rumors that he might get kicked out of office and stand trial.
I don’t really understand what I just said. Do you understand, Melanie?” Melanie
thought about that for a moment. She
remembered what her Papa was saying to her last time, when he was here,
just a few days ago. He did mention
that there was a possibility that he might be ousted from his office
and a trial might be setup, but there was no absolute truth in it.
She shook her head. “No,
I don’t really understand it either,” said Melanie. Justin
was looking at a tabloid magazine and he was puzzled by what it said
on the front cover. “What’s with
this magazine?” he said. He took
it from the stand and looked at it and for a second, his eyes went wide
open. “Hey, look at this.” Melanie,
Hazel, and Christina looked. The
tabloid magazine was called “Eye on The Stars”.
On the very front cover was a strange picture, and a line that
said “Starry~en~Luv, the Thief Helper!” All
of them, except Justin, screamed! Christina
grabbed the magazine from Justin’s hands. Melanie and Hazel were very shocked. Justin was shocked, too, but he was not one
to show what he feels that much, so he still looked quite calm. “Oh,
my God, what is this?!” Christina exclaimed.
She grabbed the rest of the “Eye on The Stars” magazines from
the magazine stand, all 10 of them, and she quickly walked over to the
front cashier. “Excuse me! I’m buying all of these!” The
store clerk was very surprised as Christina slammed the magazines down
on the counter. She looked quite
irritated. “Ma’am, you’re buying
all of them? But they’re all
the same kind,” he said. “I
don’t care! I’ll pay you however
much they cost! And please hurry
up!” Christina shouted. “Um,
yes, ma’am, right away!” He started
using the cash register to add up the prices. Christina
included the agenda book she wanted to get, Justin’s drink, and Hazel
and Melanie’s candies. The total
was pretty high. Hazel gasped
when she saw the price go past $100.
Christina drew out some money and paid.
She took out a pen and she signed her name on the receipt when
she got it. When
they were done, Christina, Melanie, Hazel, and Justin stormed out of
the convenience store. All of
them got in the car and Christina quickly started the engine and drove
away, cutting of another car that was trying to find a parking spot. Melanie was quiet but she had a shocked
look on her face. Hazel had her
hand over her mouth and she looked around her. “That
wasn’t my imagination, was it? That
was us! All three of us on the
front cover of that magazine!” Hazel exclaimed.
She took a copy of the magazine and looked at it.
“Oh, gosh, it really is!” “Hazel,
that’s a picture of us helping that thief called the Shadow Burglar
a little while back,” said Justin. “Remember?” “Yeah,
I remember. Someone took pictures
of all of us.” Melanie
looked back at them. “I remember
that, too. There was that man
who was very polite but no one knew he was actually that infamous thief
that the police were trying to go after for so long.
He’s in jail now…but someone was there taking pictures…” Justin
thought back to that time. “I
remember something else, too. There
was this red car parked a little farther away.
When the Shadow Burglar drove away, the red car drove away, too.” “A
red car?” said Melanie. Melanie
and Christina looked at each other with shock.
“Alex Rowe!” they both exclaimed. “He
was there! He was taking pictures
of you while you were helping a stranger.
That stranger just happened to be a thief,” said Christina. “A new rising star pop singer helping a thief
get away is sure to cause a major scandal!” Melanie
leaned back in her chair and she covered her eyes. “Oh, gosh…what a scary person he is. I thought we got away from him, but he got me
after all. And he got my friends,
too.” She took her hands away
from her face and she looked worried and maybe even slightly annoyed. “Who’s
this Alex Rowe?” asked Justin. Christina
took out her cell phone as she drove and was starting to dial a phone
number. “He’s a photographer. He takes pictures of celebrities in their most
embarrassing moments and sells them to tabloid magazines for them to
use to make lots of money. And
this is surely going to make them lots of money.
He would do anything to get what he wants, even if it means destroying
the career of a celebrity. He’s
done that many times in the past.” “Who
are you calling?” asked Melanie. “Mr.
King. We have to meet with him. It’s an emergency.” Hazel and Justin didn’t really feel like
being in awe or amazed right now just because they were at Regal Records
for the first time. It was not
under good circumstances. There
was no reason for them to be here either, but since it was an emergency,
Christina did not have the time to drop them off at home. Mr.
King was dressed in business casual clothes since it was the weekend. He was in a small boardroom with Christina,
Melanie, Hazel, and Justin. There
were others there as well, including Mr. King’s secretary Laura. He looked at the magazines in front of him, brought
in by Christina. “So
they’ve decided that it’s perfectly alright to do this to a rising star,”
said Mr. King as he shook his head.
“Unbelievable.” “What
are we going to do, Mr. King? This
will hurt Starry~en~Luv’s career!” said Christina. “So
these pictures were taken by the infamous Alex Rowe?” asked Mr. King. Melanie
nodded. “Yes, sir,” she said
softly. Mr.
King saw Melanie’s two friends, Justin and Hazel, and he sighed again. “And I see that you’re not the only victim of
this. He did this to your friends,
too. This is a very uncomfortable
situation, let me tell you that. I’m
not going to lie to you and say that it’s not.
I’m very sorry that this has happened.” Hazel
didn’t really say anything, because she didn’t know what to say, so
she looked at Justin. “That’s
alright, Mr. King. I wish we
met you in a better situation,” said Justin, very calmly. Mr.
King smiled slightly. “You’re
a very mature young man, Justin,” he said.
He stood up from the chair he was sitting on and he turned to
his secretary. “Laura?” “Yes,
Mr. King?” said Laura. “You
and I need to make some phone calls.
We need to talk to our lawyers as well.” “Sure
thing, Mr. King,” she said. Mr.
King turned to Melanie and Christina.
“The company will do everything it can to protect Starry~en~Luv. That is more than just a promise. That is also a fact.” “Can
Mr. Rowe do this kind of stuff and get away with it? Isn’t it against the law or something?” Christina was quiet upset and she was doing
her best not to raise her voice too much.
“Alex Rowe has destroyed many lives!
I’m not going to let him do that to Starry~en~Luv! There’s no way! And as for that tabloid magazine! Everyone in the company that produces that magazine
should be arrested for causing something like this happen!” “It’s
not against the law, but we will definitely try to make sure that it
becomes against the law,” Mr. King said with great and serious determination. “Starry~en~Luv is 9 years old. She is a child pop music star who’s climbing
her way to the top. I will not
allow some shady publisher and a dangerous photographer to ruin her
career so soon after it has started.” Everyone
was silent in the room for a while, especially Melanie. Melanie looked up at Mr. King as he approached
her and put his hands on her shoulders. “We’ll
do everything in our power to make things right, Melanie. Don’t worry too much. Have faith.” Melanie
sighed and nodded her head. Of
course, she believed him. He
was the producer. “I believe
in you, Mr. King, and in everyone at Regal Records.” “Good,”
he said as he smiled at her. “In
the meantime, act like everything is normal, like you always do. Things are still normal in the world. You can trust me on that. If people start asking you about this, and they
will, just tell them the truth. Tell
them that you didn’t know that the person you and your friends were
helping back then was actually a thief.” “Yes,
Mr. King…” Melanie whispered. Mr.
King straightened up and he turned to Hazel and Justin. “The same thing goes for you, too. I probably don’t have the right to lecture you
because you’re not my kids, but…it’s important that you do what Melanie
does to deal with this situation. You’ve
been dragged into this mess by someone who is very conniving. You didn’t even do anything. You didn’t do anything wrong and Melanie didn’t
do anything wrong. Remember that.” “Yes
Mr. King…” said Hazel, while Justin nodded with agreement. “Mr.
King?” Mr.
King turned around and faced Melanie.
“Yes, Melanie?” Melanie
suddenly smiled slightly and that surprised Mr. King and Christina. Hazel and Justin were also surprised. “You’re taking this very well, aren’t you?” “I
was just thinking. I’m the pop
star singer Starry~en~Luv and my dream is to sing and touch the hearts
of many people and share my feelings.
Mr. Rowe is trying to make money by taking awful pictures of
me, trying to catch me while I’m making a very big mistake.
He wants to embarrass me in front of the whole country. But that’s not going to happen.” Christina
was puzzled by that. “Melanie?” Melanie
glanced at everyone who was with her.
“I’m just saying that…I’m not going to let someone like him ruin
my day. If I stand up and always
tell the truth and always be positive, no matter what kinds of things
he does to make me look bad, I will never be sad and I will never feel
down. In fact…I won’t even think bad things about
him. I’ll just say that he’s
just trying to make a living and he probably doesn’t have a choice right
now when it comes to the way he makes money.” Everyone
was very surprised by that. They
were very wise words coming from the young pop star.
They were all staring at Melanie, who suddenly felt slightly
uncomfortable because they were doing that.
She clasped her hands together in front of her and looked down. “I
mean…well, that’s just how I feel about it…” Mr.
King smiled and started to laugh slightly.
“Melanie, you’re an even greater celebrity than you’ve already
become. You’re learning many
things and I’m glad that Christina is there to help you every step of
the way. That’s one of the greatest things that a celebrity
can learn, and very few of them have actually learned that. Only the finest have.” “That’s
a very good attitude to have, Melanie.
I’ll be with you no matter what.
I am, after all, your manager and your friend,” said Christina. Hazel
smiled, too, and she went to Melanie and put a hand on her shoulder. “Melanie, that makes me feel a lot better.
I’ll do just that.” “You’re
doing very well, Melanie,” said Justin.
“That’s the perfect attitude to have.” Melanie
looked at everyone and she smiled cheerfully.
“Thank you so much!” she said out loud and very happily. “It’s not the end of the world!” A few days later, Melanie was having another
live radio interview at the KISS 92 FM radio station. She was interviewing with Kim Sweet in the same
broadcasting studio as before. There
were young people outside looking in, most of them happy, but some of
them looked disappointed. Christina
knew that and she could tell that this was one of the effects of the
tabloid magazines. “So,
Starry~en~Luv, I’m so glad that you were able to come to my show again. We talked about so many things last time that
we ran out of time, so I’m happy you came back so we can really finish
things off. There were lots of
questions I wanted to ask you,” said Kim Sweet, who seemed to be in
a good mood. “Oh,
thank you. I’m really happy,
too,” said Melanie, and she smiled cheerfully. “But
before we get to everything, I’d really like to ask you about that thing
in the Eye on the Stars magazine. What
was that all about?” Melanie
felt slightly uncomfortable but she tried her best to hide it. Christina was listening intently through headphones.
Her eyes told Melanie to be careful, and Melanie saw that when
she looked up at her. “I heard about that. I was in the store one day and saw this magazine.
I guess someone was taking pictures when I was helping this man
who was having trouble with his luggage.” “That’s
really nice of you. When I saw
the picture, it did look like he was really having trouble. But did you think for a moment that maybe he
was doing something really bad? I
heard he was actually that thief that was robbing houses in Thornhill.” “I
didn’t know that back then. I
just thought he was some person who needed help.” Kim
smiled and she sighed slightly. “Are
people bothering you about this?” “There
were some people who asked me about it.
I guess some of them thought I was really stupid, but there was
no way that I could have known he was a thief.” “Hmmm…that’s
true. People are so judgmental
these days. Sometimes it just
ticks me off. They see something
and then they jump to all sorts of conclusions.
You’re just a kid, Starry~en~Luv.
You’re not the one who did anything wrong.
I hope that you think that way.” Melanie
smiled. “I do. My friends and I just thought we were helping
someone.” “That’s
right. It doesn’t matter what
people think. All that matters
is the truth, right?” Melanie
and Kim both giggled at the same time.
“That’s right!” she said cheerfully.
“They’re always doing that kind of stuff to celebrities, I guess. They’re trying to make money out of it. That’s what my producer told me.” “That’s
true. But, hey, you know, I don’t
care what anyone says. You’re
an innocent girl, Starry~en~Luv!” said Kim.
“You did nothing wrong. And
I happen to be very popular so if I say this is the truth, that’s how
it’s going to be!” The
two of them started to laugh. Christina
smiled, too, while she was listening through headphones. Joseph King, Melanie’s producer, was dictating
a letter. Laura Tanner was busy
typing what he was saying on her computer at her desk. After he finished dictating it, the two of them
looked at the letter that was on the computer screen. “What
do you think, Laura?” asked Mr. King. Laura
thought about it for a moment as she read some parts of the letter. “It looks great. I think it’s going to be very influential.” Mr.
King smiled. “You’re right. Our lawyers are writing the same letter to him.
We do have a huge advantage, don’t you think so?” Laura
smiled, too. “Oh, yes, a very
big advantage, Mr. King. We are
very fortunate.” Mr.
King straightened up and he took a deep breath, putting his hands in
his pockets. “Let’s show it to
our lawyers and have them make the final decision.
I’ve done all I can and it’s up to them starting from here. But, of course, our advantage will definitely
win out this one.” “That’s
true.” “It
doesn’t matter this time if he has a bad reputation among half the population
of Sarah Thompson was in Premiere Mark Thompson’s
office in the City Hall at downtown “I
was afraid this would happen,” said Mark.
He was addressing the people who were in his office. Sarah looked up at him with a slightly worried
face. “However…my daughter’s
words had a powerful impact on me when we were visiting her.” Sarah
was slightly puzzled now. “Mark? Are you saying that you’re going to do something
about it?” she asked him. “Of
course, I am.” Mark turned to
Sarah and he smiled at her. “We’re
her parents. We must do something. Any parent would. The only difference is that we are granted a
lot more power than most parents are.” Sarah
began to smile at him. “Thank
you, Mark.” Mark
turned towards the administrators, especially Grace Liu, who was taking
down notes. “Ladies and gentleman,
I thank you for offering your support regarding this matter. Part of the reason why we must help is that
I am her father. But there are
other reasons as well. For any
child who wishes to make their dreams come true in this wonderful province,
we must ensure that they are protected from the harsher realities of
showbiz. Everyone, here is a list of things that I want
to see accomplished as soon as possible.
Please pass it on to Members of Parliament.” “Ready
when you are, Mr. Thompson,” said Grace. “I
want to see a law passed that will ban all paparazzi from taking photographs
of celebrities under the age of 16 years for the purpose of discrediting
them. The tabloid magazines must not be allowed to
publish any materials that pertain to celebrities in that age group
for that same purpose. I want
the practices of the company that published this one particular magazine
to be investigated and also the practices of the gentleman who took
those pictures.” As
Mark continued to give instructions, Sarah felt warmth in her heart. She was very glad that even though they felt
so far away from their daughter Melanie, they could at least do something
to help her even from this far away. “After just 2 weeks, the Federal Government
has issued a new Bill banning tabloid magazine companies from publishing
stories and images of celebrities who are under the age of 16 years
and banning their hired paparazzi from taking photographs of celebrities
in this age group regarding the private lives of these young celebrities. In the modern history of That
was on the evening news late at night, while Melanie was already sleeping
in her bedroom. Grandma Annabelle
was watching the late evening news and she was particularly interested
in this news story. She closed
her eyes and she smiled slightly. “Well…Melanie
Thompson…looks like you just made another big impact on the entire country,
one that is even bigger than your first public concert,” said Grandma. “Thank you, Sarah, for getting this done very
quickly. And, I suppose…I must
thank Mark as well, for doing something smart for once.” Jack Gatehouse, editor of the Eye on The
Stars magazine, was in deep trouble.
People were quitting their jobs in the company he worked left,
right, and center. The sales
of his magazine went down to nearly zero.
People were outraged against the company that he worked in. Mr.
Gatehouse looked at the newspaper while he was in his office and saw
a picture of Starry~en~Luv, smiling happily while having an interview
with a newspaper columnist named Kelly Watson, from the newspaper called
Toronto Daily. “Damn! I can’t believe this little girl is still in
such high spirits after what we did!” he shouted angrily. “And she’s turning the entire country against
us!” Alex
Rowe was in his office as well, and he was packing up some of his belongings. Mr.
Gatehouse looked up and saw what he was doing.
“Don’t tell me you’re bailing out!” he shouted. “If
I stick around you and this magazine of yours, I’m going to lose a lot
more money than what I gained, Mr. Gatehouse,” said Mr. Rowe. “I’m not going to let something like that happen
to me. My photography skills
are way beyond your league. I’m
just too good for you.” “Mr.
Rowe, you bastard! You knew that
this would happen, didn’t you?” Mr.
Rowe started to laugh, with a sinister look on his face. “Didn’t you hear what I said a while back?
I told you that something like this could make or break a gossip
columnist’s career. And I also said that I had a feeling that a
law would be passed banning us from doing what we just did. Luck was not on your side in this case, Mr.
Gatehouse. But I guess, in any
business, you sometimes have to take big risks, right?
But this time, you lost. I
don’t know what you’re going to do, but I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to take my camera somewhere else,
one that will pay more money than you ever can and won’t get me into
this kind of trouble either.” After
that, he closed his bag and he slung it over his back. He started to walk away towards the door.
He was about to exit Mr. Gatehouse’s office when he heard something
peculiar. Mr. Gatehouse was laughing and Mr. Rowe turned
around to face him with a puzzled expression. “What’s
so funny?” he asked. “I
may be going down along with our magazine and our company, Mr. Rowe. But I’m taking you with me. I’m sure the news agencies will be making a
lot of sales…hearing about your involvement in this matter.” Mr.
Rowe gritted his teeth with anger. He
realized that it was true very quickly. “There’s
nothing you can do now anyway. Go
ahead and walk out of that door. Whether
or not you want to side with me, you are not welcomed to this company
anymore. Goodbye, Mr. Rowe.” Mr.
Rowe did not say anything anymore as he walked out of the office, but
not before glaring at Mr. Gatehouse.
He walked out of the building and was on his way to his red car
that was in the parking lot. He
put his bag in the trunk and he went inside his car.
Then he saw a folder on the passenger seat.
He hesitated before reaching for it and looking inside. Of
course, he already knew what was inside it.
It was a legal document that told him that he was being sued
by Regal Records. Inside
the building, Mr. Gatehouse was no longer smiling. He looked at the folder that was on his desk
and he reached for it. He opened
the folder and held the legal document that was inside. The legal document, just like the one that Mr.
Rowe received, was one that told him that he was being sued by Regal
Records. Their
documents were identical. Both
were being ordered to pay $5,000,000 by the same judge, at the request
of the lawyers of Regal Records, each for what they did, and if they
didn’t, they would face jail time. Starry~en~Luv
was the clear winner, for she had enormous powers that were backing
her up. It was not something that they could compete
with. Melanie was at the recording studio at Regal
Records and she was singing into the microphone. The recording studio was divided into 2 halves
separated by a soundproof wall with a large glass window that was also
soundproof. Melanie was on the
perfectly quiet side where all she could hear was the music in her headphones
and her own voice as she sang with it.
On the other side were recording studio staff members Steve and
Jason, and with them were Mr. King and Christina and Mr. Wilkins. Wake
up from your comfortable and peaceful sleep Remember
the dream you had while you slept deep Let
the warm golden sunshine through your window (sunshine through the window) The
first thing to do is smile while you hug your pillow (hug your pillow) And
today, the most important thing that you should do (you should do) Will
be to come closer to making your dream come true (make your dream come
true) Dreaming
a dream, make a wish upon a star Just
dream! Dreaming
a dream, make your dream come true! (Just dream) Dreaming
a dream, make a wish upon a star (Just dream) Dreaming
a dream (dreaming a dream) Just
dream! Mr.
Wilkins watched with a calm amazement as Melanie was singing like an
angel. When the song was over
and the music faded away, Steve and Jason stopped the recording. “Okay, that’s it!” said Jason. “That was perfect, Melanie. You can come out of there now.” Melanie
quickly put down the headphones and she skipped to the other side of
the recording studio, going through a soundproof door. She smiled at everyone. “Thank you so much,” she said happily. “How was it, Mr. King?” “It
was excellent. You are getting
better and better, Melanie,” said Mr. King with a calm smile. Mr.
Wilkins smiled at her and patted her on the head. “You’re doing a great job, Melanie. Keep it up.” Christina
put her hands on Melanie’s shoulders and she grinned. “That was awesome, Melanie. I can just see it now! Your very first major album! I hope we can make that into a reality very
soon!” she said excitedly. “And
don’t forget to sign every single page of my agenda book later on.” Melanie
blinked a couple of times and she remembered what Christina was talking
about. She exclaimed in great
surprise. She can just imagine
it now. Her hands ready to fall
off from signing over a hundred fancy signatures just for one person. “You…you
really are serious?” said Melanie, with great surprise on her face. Christina
started giggling, and because of that, Mr. King started laughing as
well. Steve and Jason started to laugh, too, in the
background, and then Mr. Wilkins joined in the laughter as well. Melanie started to smile, and she giggled. “I’ll
use a stamp. I’ll stamp my autograph
on them,” Melanie smiled, and gave a quick wink. Christina
smiled. “Okay. Thanks, Starry~en~Luv,” she said. Melanie
smiled even more brightly. She
felt like she was in heaven. Many
people were helping her fulfill her dreams and ambitions.
It wasn’t just Christina, Mr. Wilkins, Mr. King, and her Grandma
Annabelle. It was also those
who believed in her and listened to her music. And
what made her the happiest was that, even though her father and mother,
Mark and Sarah, were far away from her right now, they were still able
to help her. It seems that even
though they did not approve at first of what she was doing, following
her dream to become a beloved idol pop singer, they still decided to
help her. When she needed them the most, they most definitely
came through, and for that, Melanie was very happy. Melanie
had touched their hearts, and for that, she was happy. The End (to be
continued) Ending theme song “Family Love” by
Starry~en~Luv The love of family (the love of family) Always be in your heart (in your heart) Forever and ever (family love forever) Good memories of fun little things Bedtime stories read while in your bed They come tuck you in with a goodnight kiss Sweet dream wishes always said If you get hurt, they will always take care Make you feel better, always be at your
side Staying with you when things get unfair Stories of wisdom from generations’ wise Old times and good times, nobody else will
know Telling the little ones unforgettable stories To be loving to you and to be caring for Times of family love, those are real treats Children who live in a very happy home (very
happy home) But for some, it’s something they can’t
have (they can’t have) If I had the power to make people happy
(make people happy) I’d show them there’s always family love
(always family love) Even if you might have done something bad They’re always going to love you Even if they think you’re bothering them They’re always going to love you Even if they say things you don’t like They’re always going to love you You can have all the friends that you want But you’ll always have one family Always be together and support each other Because you’ll always have one family For the love of family (for the love of
family) We shall always be together (we shall always
be together) Forever and ever (forever and ever) Living so far away from each other now I haven’t seen my parents for a long time They’re busy with lots of things and lots
of work I wonder how they’re doing, if they are
fine I don’t have a sister, I don’t have a brother I wish I did so I could play with them I have friends who care for me and love
me But family is different and it’s just not
the same I don’t know my grandparents because they’re
gone All that I have left is one grandmother Even if she gets mad at me for so many things That’s okay, no matter what, I’ll always
love her I must never forget them no matter what
happens (no matter what happens) Memories of togetherness that we’ll always
have (we’ll always have) If I had the power to make things better
again (make things better again) We could be together again with our family
love (with our family love) Even if you might have done something bad They’re always going to love you Even if they think you’re bothering them They’re always going to love you Even if they say things you don’t like They’re always going to love you You can have all the friends that you want But you’ll always have one family Always be together and support each other Because you’ll always have one family For the love of family (for the love of
family) We shall always be together (we shall always
be together) Forever and ever (forever and ever) (The love of family) The love of family (Always be in your heart) In your heart (Forever and ever) Family love forever Oh, we’ll always have our family love For the love of family (for the love of
family) We shall always be together (we shall always
be together) Forever and ever (forever and ever) For the love of family We shall always be together Forever and ever Preview for Next
Episode Melanie, Hazel, and Justin’s narration: Melanie: “Hi, everyone!” Hazel: “Hey, Melanie!” Justin: “Melanie, are you feeling
okay? That was a rough ride you
went through, being gossiped by so many people because of some guy who
was trying to make money off of you by taking pictures like that.” Melanie: “Oh, yes, it was, but
everything is okay now. My parents
were there for me, even though we couldn’t see each other. I’m so glad that everything turned out for the
best!” Hazel: “Thank goodness. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.” Melanie: “But, you know what,
it’s over now. The next thing
that we have to deal with now is something really big and really cool!” Hazel: “Really? What is it?” Melanie: You’re going to have
to take a wild guess on this one.” Hazel: “Oh, come on! I’m your best friend! Don’t keep secrets like that from me!” Justin: “Hazel, get a hold of
your self. You’re going to find
out anyway, so don’t worry about it.
Pretty soon, it won’t be a secret.” Hazel: “Hey, you know what it
is, Justin! Don’t you? Come on, please tell me!” Justin: “Hmmm….well, okay.
Melanie, why don’t you tell her?” Melanie: “Sure, I’ll tell you,
but you have to say the magic words first, the first part of what we
always say at the very end of the preview.” Hazel: “Oh, you mean, like this?” Hazel and Justin: “Next time
on Starry Love Dream!” Melanie: “Episode 24: Starry~en~Luv’s beautiful first album” Hazel: “So that’s what it is?
Aaaaaahhhhh! Don’t keep awesome secrets like that from me!” |
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