The Gemini: Emancipation

5 - Identity

September 19, 1996

Jody opened her eyes. Looking down she saw a sizable distance between her position and the floor. A floor littered with magazine covers and print clippings. She stood high upon an ornately carved roman pillar.

On her body a dress the color of eggshell, the softest chiffon to ever touch her skin. Peripheral sight caught the spanning of something odd. Feathered wings like that of an angel. They sourced from her, attached to her back. Overhead a ring of celestial light bathed a faint glow over her. Halo.

Test the wings? Yes. Her curiosities are confirmed, she can control them. Jody readied to test another wonder, flight, until the sound of switched on electricity tickled her ears.

Straight ahead stood a wall that she hadn't fully noticed before. Embedded within are numerous television screens, they each come to life simultaneously. One by one, individual broadcasts come to action.

Tv one presented a documentary of her life.

"Who is Jody Nelson?" an unidentifiable woman's voice questions.

Proceeding is a run through of Jody's early life. Every happy moment that she could remember played out. It brought a smile to her face.

Tv two picked up where the first left off. And so went a domino effect. Screen after screen jumping on until all were in play. The sets that weren't showcasing her life origins showed her every career venture. Generously highlighting every accolade and accomplishment. DJ, VJ, radio, host, music, movie, concert, and video.

The smile on her face remained, though in a lessened form. Joining it is a flutter of anxiousness in her chest. Jody saw her face everywhere. Steadily she became overwhelmed.

Voices echo praise. From which screen, she isn't certain. Everything is becoming a meshed blur to her ears.

"Paisley's Princess."

"A Prince's Queen."

"Royal Perfection."

"This summer's style icon."

"Music's New It Girl."

"The Most Beautiful Girl in The World Goes Hollywood."

"Jody Nelson: Sex Symbol."

Each headline splattered, resounding loudly. Title after title brought to pump through Jody's veins an intense insecurity. Words in her own voice chimed in, pinging off the walls of her mind.

Be perfect. Never fall. Weakness is not an option. Never fail! No one will want you if you're broken. Stand up straight. You gotta be better! Smile!

Wings that were light and airy before gradually became heavier, weighing her down and making it hard to stand. The glow of her halo dimming by the second. The effort to regain focus, near impossible.

Next a turn of events. Television displays ceased adulations and took a sharp turn onto scrutiny lane. Jody's youth played out the death of her mother, the abandonment from her father, the disowning from her aunt. Lonely days feeling useless and sleepless nights feeling unworthy.

Career slides careened into the rumor mills. Gossip of uncertainties, falsities, and truths. A challenge presented: decipher one from the other.