Snow White and the Seven Popstars

Chapter One

     "WHITNEY!"

     The rude voice crashed through Whitney's thoughts. She shot straight up, banging her head on the table above her. Ouch. She gently touched the tender spot on the back of her head and winced. Hope that doesn't turn into a bump, she thought and turned to the source of the voice.

     Her stepmother's assistant, Corvina, glared down at her with her black high-heel clad feet tapping impatiently. Something about her always got on Whitney's nerves. Perhaps it was the way her glare seemed to say that Whitney was an offensive delinquent who did nothing but purposefully try to make trouble for her perfect stepmother.

     Biting back sharp words, Whitney faked a smile at her. "Yes, Corvina?"

     "Mrs. Carlin has been trying to get in touch with you all morning." Her pouty lips were in a disapproving frown. "Why haven't you answered her messages?"

     Of course. Today is the day Gina needs something from me. Whitney closed her eyes and took a deep breath, schooling her thoughts and emotions until she could almost sound sincere when she said: "I'm sorry for inconveniencing you and Gina." She sighed and tucked a dark curl that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear. "I didn't mean to ignore her. It's just... my phone... " She trailed off and looked across the room to where her phone sat in a bowl of rice on the counter. 

     Corvina's eyes followed. Once she realized what she was looking at, she sighed deeply and brought a hand to her forehead as though the sight had given her a migraine.

     "It sort of... fell. Into my bucket of soapy water. While it was charging." Whitney smiled sheepishly. "I was going to tell you guys, but I was busy." She held up the scrubbing brush and cleaning rag in her hands.

     Corvina turned back to fix Whitney with another one of her signature glares. Whitney decided right then and there that the glare was definitely the reason she didn't like her.

     "Well, come on. Mrs. Carlin is still waiting." Corvina spun around and left the room.

     "Wait! I'm not-" 

     She was already gone.

     Whitney looked down at her dirty work clothes and debated making Corvina wait while she changed but decided against it.

     After all, she was only going to see her stepmother.

* * * * * * * * * * 

     They arrived at Carlin Enterprises not too long after. As Whitney looked up at the tall building glowing in the sunlight, she felt the familiar pang in her heart as she was reminded of her father. She hadn't been to the building since he died. It looked rather different than it had when he was CEO.

     Her stepmother had clearly been expanding the building. Construction workers buzzed about like bees around a hive, moving tools and materials this way and that as if in a complicated dance. Corvina seemed fine with it though and expertly wove her way through the chaos. 

     Whitney took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and began trying to follow Corvina while staying as far out of the way as possible. She tried to shrink as she passed one person and then another. When she finally walked through the door, the crowded feeling set in. Her anxiety always seemed to act up when she was in a crowd. She focused on breathing deeply and putting one foot in front of the other. She looked up to see a path through the people to the elevators where Corvina was waiting and practically sprinted into the elevator. As the doors closed, she felt her tense muscles relaxing.

     I hate crowds, she thought as her breathing became less shaky and her heart rate slowed.

     Corvina didn't even bother to look up from her phone.

* * * * * * * * * *

     Gina Carlin sat in her office as her secretary recited her schedule. Her mind wasn't really on what her secretary was saying. She kept checking her phone for a message from her precious stepdaughter. Still nothing. She sighed and tapped her fingernails against her desk to get some of her nervous energy out. She had to get this deal through. The future of her company depended on it. Meaning the future of her company depended on her unpredictable stepdaughter.

     Whenever scolded or in some way offended, Whitney had the annoying tendency to not become ashamed, feel guilty, burst into tears, or do any of that sort, but would instead become colder, harder, and more headstrong and uncooperative. It was like she had retreated into an impenetrable shell. This made it particularly difficult to discipline her. Sometimes, for fun, Gina wondered just how hard she would have to push and what pain she would have to inflict on Whitney to get her shell to break. Permanently.

     Finally, a notification popped up on her phone. She snatched her phone up from the desk. It was a text from Corvina saying they were in the elevator. She sighed a sigh of relief. 

     "You may leave." She spoke to her secretary without looking up.

     "But Mrs. Carlin!"

     Gina's eyes turned to her, one immaculately carved eyebrow raised. The girl immediately deflated, gathered her things, and scurried out.

     Straightening out the contract on her desk, Gina went through her plan in her head one more time. In order to get her darling stepdaughter to sign it, a great deal of tact and caution must be used. One false step and she could refuse. That would mean the end of the company. No, Gina reminded herself. There are backup plans. They're just a lot messier. 

     As if summoned by her thoughts, Corvina entered the room followed by Whitney, who looked guarded and wary as ever but this time was covered from head to toe in dust. 

     "What is this?" Gina hissed as she stood. 

     Whitney froze and seemed shocked that Gina's anger was directed at her. 

     "How dare you disrespect me by coming here looking like that? Honestly, did you roll here instead of using a car? Do you have any idea how poorly this reflects on not only you, but myself and the company? If anyone got a picture of you..." Gina trailed off as worst-case scenarios ran through her brain. Whitney's face on the news, in magazines. Worse still, if anyone related to this new deal saw her like this... they could pull the plug. Then it wouldn't matter if Whitney had signed or not.

     Instead of being ashamed or sorry as she should, each word seemed to only harden Whitney. "I was doing the chores you assigned for me, Gina," she practically spat, "when your pet here forced me to--"

     "Don't drag me into this!" Corvina screeched. "I was only doing my job--"

     "Silence!" Gina quickly realized she was losing control of the situation, and she had to redirect it to the more pressing matter. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to her stepdaughter with a smile on her face. "Whitney, dear," she began slowly, "I need your help with something very important."

     If Whitney looked wary before, she looked downright distrustful now. "What... do you need my help with?" she asked, looking skeptically between the two other women in the room.

     "I need you to sign this contract," Gina stated, gently sliding it across the desk.

     "What does it say?" Whitney picked up the contract and began to scan it.

     "It's mostly legal stuff, nothing you need to concern yourself with too much. The part you need to know is... once you sign it, you're engaged."