SUPERSTAR’S SUMMER OF DISGUISE
Queen Bee closes summer tour in Barcelona
The Pop Source
August 20th
The music industry’s international It girl is closing her monumental summer tour of Europe this Saturday at Barcelona’s famed Palau Sant Jordi. Since June, the stunning and mysterious Queen Bee – whose real name and identity have not yet been disclosed – has intoxicated fans in each sold out arena with her voice as well as her signature jaw-dropping outfits. Her standout performance is no doubt the blockbuster single “Tell The World,” during which she sports a fine veil of beads and a stunning feather and pearl dress designed by Balenciaga.
Queen Bee, always traveling with members of her entourage and makeup team, has been spotted at all of Europe’s hottest shopping destinations in the past three months, including Milan’s Via della Spiga and Paris’s Avenue Montaigne. Recently, however, the megastar’s team has been forced to up her security due to the legions of fans who mob her upon sight, many of them desperate to uncover her true identity. Despite the drama, Bee is undeterred. “I love my fans and have nothing but gratitude for them. They give me my strength and without them, Queen Bee could never exist.”
“Sweetheart, you were so perfect last night,” Emily pulled her daughter close to plant a big kiss on the top of her head. Gemma instinctively rolled her eyes the way she always had as a child. It was a reflex despite the fact that she enjoyed the affection. She didn’t get to see her parents often. “Tell her Malcolm! We were just saying throughout the entire show how perfect it was, weren’t we?”
“Yes, you were fantastic, Gemma,” her father said.
Gemma took a break from her chocolate dipped churro to rub her sore ankle. “Well, aside from me tripping on my heels backstage and falling on my face, I guess it was.”
“If nobody saw, it doesn’t count,” Malcolm said.
Gemma laughed as they got up from their chairs to head to their next destination. It had been ages since she had spent quality time with her parents, and months since they had even seen her out of costume. They had decided to catch her final show in Barcelona and take her shopping and sightseeing in a city they knew well from visits to friends in Spain. They were reunited for the first time since flying into London together – Gemma so she could begin work on her tour and her parents so that they could move in with Gemma’s ailing grandmother in her Kensington and Chelsea flat. Their hope was to bring her home to live with them in their Upper East Side townhouse by the time of Gavin’s high school graduation. Grandma Audrey however, was very much attached to the home that she had lived in with Gemma’s grandfather before he passed.
“So,” Malcolm changed the subject to something that he was much more interested in. “Are you excited to go to school with Gavin?”
After only half a year at The Browning School, a private all boys academy, Gavin had gotten himself expelled for pulling an elaborate prank on a teacher who had humiliated his friend. Gavin never revealed the details of the prank to his parents, but they knew that following his expulsion, the school posted a large bulletin reminding students that exotic animals brought onto school grounds was not just a breach of their conduct code but a violation of New York State Law. Since other schools refused to take Gavin after what became known in the Upper East Side as “Capybara-gate,” he chose to live with their Aunt Mira in Beauford, New Jersey and attend Beauford High School. Mira had plenty of room and had recently remodeled her house, which previously belonged to Gemma’s grandparents on her father’s side. The small, affluent town was known for its exceptional education system and athletics – something that was important to Gavin as an outstanding shooting guard. The change proved to be what he needed to refrain from disruptive mischief, although everyone knew that that side of him would never be completely gone.
“Of course I’m excited,” Gemma replied. “We haven’t hung out in forever.”
The concept of hanging out had become foreign to her – not just in the past few months, but the past few years. Around the time of Gavin’s second year at Beauford, Gemma’s career took off. After organizing an intricate performance complete with original song, dance and costume for her parents’ charity event, a friend of Mira’s took notice and shortly after, cultivated Gemma’s talent into the creation of Queen Bee. Queen Bee quickly found a devoted following in Europe, Asia and Australia while the United States had shown very little interest until her most recent tour. Emily was continually impressed and pleased with her daughter’s burgeoning career while Malcolm, who had not been born into his fortune, wished for his daughter to live a more conventional teenaged life.
And now that the tour was over, she could. Gemma finally had a chance to breathe and remember life outside of her disguise. She rarely got to actually see the cities that she toured in because most of her time was put towards rehearsal. When she did get to make the occasional public appearance, her publicity team pushed for her to appear as Queen Bee. They reasoned that with fashion houses like Jean Paul Gaultier and Issey Miyake frequently sending her free clothing, she had to wear them somewhere to show her gratitude. Gemma couldn’t say those outings weren’t enjoyable, but with her five-inch heels and protective security team, she could never go very far.
Now in her leggings, silk-blend T-shirt and linen Prada sneakers, she felt prepared to comfortably explore the city. All she had to do was fight the occasional feeling that she was naked or exposed somehow. Without the weight of headpieces and beaded fabrics, she constantly felt as if she were missing something, the way people feel when they leave behind a wallet or cell phone.
Enjoy Barcelona, she told herself. You’re not in school yet.
At the Mercat de la Boqueria, freshly squeezed juices of every combination were laid out in a patchwork of multi-colored cups stuck with multi-colored straws. The open market boasted bright splashes of reds, pinks, oranges, greens, purples – every color was represented in some form, whether in flowers or exotic fruits or candies. Gemma marveled as she sipped on a fresh cup of kiwi, strawberry and coconut juice.
Later that night, they wandered through the city’s narrow roads and alleys before settling on a cozy bar where they stood elbow to elbow with strangers. They paired glasses and flutes of xampenet and cava with cheeses, olives, tomato-garlic toast, smoked fishes, jamon, and chorizo.
Music floated in from the streets. The golden hue of the antique space coupled with the buzz she felt from downing too much carbonated alcohol made her wish she weren’t with her parents, but perhaps a boyfriend. As the private Queen Bee, there was never a chance to even entertain the thought of a relationship. But as Gemma, it could happen for her soon. It would be her first, and sixteen was the perfect age for that, wasn’t it?
Suddenly, she couldn’t wait for Beauford.
~
Gemma was thankful that Mira’s friends arranged for a private jet to take her back to New Jersey. For some reason, she felt less alone when completely alone.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor with all her Louis Vuitton luggage open, she sifted through the souvenirs that she had bought for Gavin and Mira. For Gavin, she bought a miniature replica of the mosaic lizard in Parc Güell – and about fifteen sticks of chorizo. Despite being so tall already, he constantly claimed that he was “a growing boy” and needed as much food as possible. “Don’t worry, Mom,” he always said. “My metabolism is a beast.” And it was true. He never lost his lean muscles no matter how much junk he inhaled.
For Mira, Gemma bought a print of their favorite painting from the Dali museum, Museo Picasso and the Fundació Joan Miró – even though Mira probably had friends who could buy her the real things.
The final minutes of the flight felt the longest. Her feet tapped in her jelly Burberry flip-flops, anticipating the feeling of the jet touching ground. To pass the time, she scrolled through her digital camera and smiled at her pictures of Penelope and Armand. They were her best friends while touring, the only ones her family trusted to keep a secret. All the other friends Gemma made didn’t truly belong to her. They belonged to Queen Bee.
Before she could wallow in the sorrow of missing Penelope and Armand, she felt the slightly bumpy landing of the jet onto the strip. The moment that she had imagined for so long had finally arrived. Before then, it had always felt like a faraway dream. Or nightmare. But now there was no turning back. It was time to be abandon Queen Bee for now and become Gemma Hunter again.