She waived one of the camera guys over. “Close up on my eyes please.” She instructed. “You see, I was once someone else.”
She turned away, removing her contacts, then turned back into the camera, her eyes blazing like spotlights on all the monitors. Many in the crowd gasped, recognizing the trademark, piercing white eyes of a woman, dead now for just over 10 years.
“I was ‘Dark Angel’ and this is my story.”
The song recounted the abuse, her despair and suicidal thoughts, but also the hope found in true love and the healing it can bring if allowed to happen. How she truly was a phoenix, risen from the ashes to live again.
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Epilogue
After the last song, the crowd went berserk, screaming and cheering, chanting ‘Dark Angel’. Reyna was floored, sobbing openly at the love pouring from the audience. By then I’d run onto the stage and held her as she tried, once again to quiet the crowd.
“Thank you all for that.” She sniffled. “But ‘Dark Angel’ is dead, I’m Reyna, pleased to meet you all.”
Her triumphant return was fodder for the media for weeks to come. True to her word, she and the band turned down a world tour, but did settle on an eight city US tour, playing three consecutive nights in each, one set of concerts a month. It allowed the band to be well rested and pretty much assured sell outs, as fans could attend in multiple cities. A surprising number of Mass Mayhem fans followed her, seemingly the change in her musical style wasn’t a problem, still, seeing Death Metal fans at the concerts was, well, somewhat comical. Reyna donated all of her part of the proceeds to women’s programs in each of the respective cities, setting up legal and financial help for the victims. They will do it again next year, if there’s demand. I’m pretty sure there will be.
She coaches the guys on how to handle the fame and money, reminding them that many have fallen to the siren song of celebrity. Yes, they could tour more and get rich in a hurry, but she reminds them they will become financially independent, just be patient. It will mean so much more if it’s worked for and appreciated. Fame is fleeting, play the long game. She serves as a perfect example to that mindset.
Disneyland with the family was surreal. While many people recognized Reyna, especially as she hadn’t worn her contacts since the show, only a few approached her. I guess with the proximity to Hollywood, celebrity sightings are fairly common. I was impressed and relieved they allowed us to enjoy our private time.
The real icing on the cake was when Reyna found out what happened to her old manager when she was with Mass Mayhem. Apparently he decided to fuck the wrong girl. Her daddy was quite wealthy and with the help of a stellar legal team, got him tossed in prison for a variety of disgusting and deviant acts and permanently branded as a sex offender. It didn’t hurt that she testified at that same trial, recounting all the horrors he put her through all those years ago. He died while incarcerated from a ruptured colon. Who knew so many convicted felons were fans. Poetic justice as far as I was concerned.