Starlight is for Always

Chapter 16: "Deception"

The Church of the Christian Ministries Network

Crowds of religious followers poured into the church owned by Eric and Phyllis Raymond. The woman once known as Pizzazz wore a pink Chanel suit as she greeted everyone and politely wished all the attendees well with her prayers.

Eric prepared his sermon for the evening's Sunday mass as the make-up artist and his producer went over the final details of his speech. The corporate CEO displayed no nervousness as he shooed everyone away and headed toward his daughter who pouted in the corner.

"What's wrong princess?" Eric asked Desiree.

"It's not fair!" The blond rich girl frowned. "That no talent Starlight came in fourth and now through a process of elimination are going to compete with us in the semi-finals! The Devil has been playing his hand in all of this! Where's the justice?"

"Don't worry, Desiree." Eric smirked. "Daddy will fix everything. The Rioters will win Pop Factor fair and square. I want you to play close attention to my sermon."

Desiree's eyes widened with delight. "You mean it, Daddy? You'll make sure that The Rioters won't be eligible to compete in the semi-finals?"

The CEO shook his head. "I can't prevent them from competing, but I can make sure that don't win Pop Factor!"

Folding her arms, Desiree scowled. "What do you mean by that? They're still going to go against us!"

"Yes, but will they be able make it the finals?" Eric emphasized. "That's the real question." He began to laugh maniacally as his wife sauntered up backstage.

"What's the delay?" Phyllis Raymond inquired. "The audience is getting restless. They want to hear about God's plan!" She clutched her Bible as her augmented face tried to form an expression, but years of tight skin stretching, and Botox prevented her from smiling.

"I'm ready to start, Phyllis." Eric agreed. "Let's take to the stage."

The music swelled as Eric and Phyllis took to the stage in their Sunday finest. The cameras rolled and broadcasted the program to billions of people in the world. The audience cheered and applauded as the wealthy preacher took to the pulpit and began spouting the word of God.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, and followers of God! Thank you for attending Christian Ministries Sunday Sermon. I'm Pastor Eric Raymond, and this is my lovely wife, Phyllis. It pains to me to reveal this, but we have the serpent making His way around homes, our havens, and our television sets. That serpent is Satan and He's rearing his slithering tongue in the path of deception and lies. Satan, Lord of Lies and Falsehoods, has made His presence known in the eyes of the Lord!"

Phyllis raised her hand to the sky. "Amen! May the Lord shine down his children!"

"That's right!" Eric continued.

"God's children are saved because we can see through the lies and deception! This falsehood that I speak of is the reality competition show Pop Factor! My own blessed child, Desiree, is a competitor on that show and she is an unwilling pawn in the Devil's agenda. It seems that the musical gifts blessed to her by God are being exploited in favor the minions of Satan! I'm speaking of her competition, this so-called band called Starlight."

Phyllis Raymond shouted out another religious remark. "Amen! May the Lord smite down the deceivers!"

The preacher kept releasing his spiteful venom. "This group Starlight are in league with the Devil! Their lead singer, Jax, streaks her hair in pink and wears the clothes of a harlot to attract and ensnare Lord Satan so she too can be a concubine like the succubus Lilith! Jax is concealing a secret by not revealing her true identity, and this seems to influence our children into believing that lying and deceiving our parents is okay and such sins are permissible! I say that it's not! Who is this Jax? What is she hiding? Only God knows the truth and as children of the Lord, we demand that she reveal her true nature to us! Applaud if you agree?"