I walked into the conference room, and sat down hesitantly. I always felt alone without the others when being spoken to by my manager.
"Hi." I said, plopping down, feigning casualness.
"Hello. Now, down to business." Houton said, looking from me to his companions.
I felt like worming around in her seat, but managed to keep still. What is it? I thought.
"Since the breakup of the Spice Girls, their sales have dropped by almost half." Houton informed me.
Well, duh! I sighed inwardly.
"What we need to do is grasp this chance, and boost o- your popularity."
I raised an eyebrow. "And how do you propose that?" I asked, faintly mocking him. I saw with disappointment that he and the others frowned at this.
"A total makeover." a youngish looking blonde said, looking through me.
"Really?" I asked, faintly amused. I saw that the blonde locks on the woman were fake, and dark brown roots showed through.
"Yes. You need to become a figure people can relate to." the woman went on.
"Oh, so you mean they don't relate to me now?" I asked, sounding polite, innocent.
The blonde hesitated at this direct question, but then answered "They do in a way, but they need to even more."
"Yes?" I asked, bored.
"Yes. We feel that you should continue the redhead idea."
I cocked my head, glancing down at my wavy red hair. Even now, after my second rinse, it was fading. "I don't like it anymore. I think I may want to go blonde." I said offhandedly, my remark stinging the false blonde.
"Yes, well..." said the woman, looking to her compatriots for support.
"Red just suits you." said a pudgy man in a business suit.
"Really?" I was getting slightly annoyed. What right did they have to tell me how to act, dress, dye my hair?
"Kristen." said that voice, warning me.
"Maybe I should dye my fringe blonde, wear the Australian flag, and be called Virgo Spice!" I snapped at Houton.
"We're not saying that. It's just that a recent survey says that you're the most popular Zodiac now."
I shut my mouth. That couldn't be true. Jessie was always in the spotlight.
Houton read her mind. "It seems that since Jessica has been dating, her fans have been dropping like flies. You're next in line. You're the rebellious one, the loud one. They love you."
"Uh huh." I said, folding my arms and leaning back in my chair. "And Jamie...?"
"Well..." Houton said, clearing his throat. He looked around the washed out room, as if looking for guidance. "Fans don't really... like her. Yes, they love her because she's a part of Zodiac. But as far as it comes to herself, they don't like her."
Shock slammed into me. How dare they say Jamie was nothing but a.. a... an extra! I spluttered. "Jamie is a part of Zodiac, and nothing will ever change that. You put her down, you put us all down. You get rid of her, and man, you lose your job." With that, I shot out of my chair, and out of the room, leaving a table full of stunned executives with their own thoughts.