Paper Princess

Chapter One: House of the Rising Sun

Kayla Brody Evans drew a deep breath as she saw a number she hadn't seen in years. She had just dropped off her twin daughters, Layla and Emma at her in law's house when her phone began its calling tune. She pulled over to answer the call.

"Hello Eric," she spoke with a cold tone.

"Good morning Miss Bro-"

Of course it was none other than Eric Parks, her parents' attorney. What could he possibly want? Especially after all this time.

"I believe I sent you a notice last year stating I got married. You will refer to me as Mrs. Evans."

Eric sighed. "Yes, of course, my mistake."

"To what I owe the displeasure of having you call me?"

Understandably, Kayla wasn't in the mood of having to deal with anything involving her past, including her parents and older sister, who she has been estranged from since she was 17 years old. She was content with having the life she wanted.

Sure, becoming parents at 18 years old wasn't part of the plan, but Kayla and her beloved husband, Shawn, wouldn't have it any other way. People look at Shawn and they're still in amazement that he managed to get with the girl of his dreams, the extra bonus being that she used to be famous.

As Kayla continued her conversation with Eric, her face kept looking blank and numb. She felt like she was being pulled into a different universe, without managing to scream for help.

"...are you able to do that?" Eric questioned.

"I....I don't know, " Kayla stumbled, "-I-I would have to speak with my husband and my brothers. Let me get back with you soon."

She hung up with the phone, immediately driving back to home.

As she pulled into the driveway, she was trying to make her mindset focus in the reality that she's in. The Brody Mansion has become one of the most significant places to stop and view in all of St. Berry, Indiana. The exterior makes it look modest, but the interior is where it was really at. And people could have that type of experience; Kayla would always host parties every now and then. If not her, then it would be up to her older brother, Gannon and his wife, Tara, who remained the glee club instructor at St. Berry High. Gannon found success at St. Berry Middle School being the music teacher, much to the dismay of their younger brother, Jonas. 

After the birth of Emma and Layla, Shawn thought it would be best to just move in earlier than planned to help Kayla out after her heart episode. Bobby Thinnes, Shawn's best friend and lover of Kayla's former bandmate and best friend, Elizabeth, or Liz, Stevens, moved in right after graduation. Harvey, the former bus driver of Mystify, remained a beloved member of the family while being a butler. Months after the Evans girls were born, along came Bobby and Liz's pride and joy, Aaliyah Jade. Everyone has been their doing their own grind since then, and they all couldn't be more proud of how far they all have come.

As Kayla approached the door, she drew a deep breath, muttering profanities underneath. She fished her key out of her pocket, turned it and entered to the sight of Shawn and Bobby helping Harvey find a missing item.

"Hey guys," she spoke.

"Hey," they replied.

Shawn turned around to look over at his beloved wife. He didn't quite fancy the sight of it; still pale and numb looking.

"Baby, what's up," he spoke, "is everything alright? Are the girls okay? Why aren't you at school?"

"The girls are fine. I'm okay. C-c-can you ask everyone to come to the living room? But not Jonas. Not yet."

He nodded, giving a kiss to Kayla before walking away.

In a matter of seconds, every adult that lived in the mansion appeared in the living room. The clamor was filled with bit of concern and curiosity. Everyone sat down and began to look at Kayla.

"The floor's all yours sis," piped Gannon, "what's going on?"

Better now than never, Kayla thought.

"After I dropped off the girls, I received a call from Eric Parks,"

"Your parents attorney?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah."

"What scheme are he and those pathetic people trying to concoct?" Gannon replied with a sneer.

The former pop princess kept looking like she was about to have a panic attack. How was she going to relay the message without looking stupid?

"Eric had the unfortunate responsibility to let me know that there was an accident. A drunk driver struck our father's vehicle."

"Pfft. Yeah right. What does he need? A kidney? A heart? More money? Cause Lord knows he don't any of that shit. Whatever it is, he deserves it." 

Gannon had every right to be upset. He always felt like he was only brought into the world to just be a scapegoat. He did everything in his will power to try to win over his parents, yet it wasn't enough. It was always focused on Kayla, but he never faulted her. In his eyes, she was as much of a victim as he was. She was the moneymaker, she was the vision. Finally getting away from their parents' toxicity and taking Jonas with them was the best day of Gannon's life, besides marrying Tara. 

Kayla knew her older brother like the back of her hand, but she also knew that she was about to unintentionally make him look like a total bag of dicks. 

"Our father's dead Gannon."