Chapter 2

Los Angeles, California. November 30, 2008

"It's not true!"

"What's not true?" the frumpy woman reporter asked, leaning close to the burly middle-aged actor she was interviewing on the TV screen.

"Evan Rachel Wood and I are not dating!" Mickey Rourke snarled. The former boxer's brown hair was sparse and disheveled. He wore a black leather jacket, white T-shirt and denim jeans. "Evan's a good friend, that's it. Tell that [bleep] wit who wrote that [bleep] in the paper I'd like to break his [bleep]-ing legs."

The well-dressed man seated behind the office desk clicked off the television. He then turned to the blond weasel-faced man in the gray suit in front of him. "Well, Gary, do you want to explain yourself?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Pink," Gary Parker replied carefully. "I forgot Mickey Rourke had emotional problems. The source who told me about him and Evan Rachel Wood seemed plausible. I guess they weren't speaking truthfully."

"Maybe they were," Ted Pinkerton said with a shrug. His long curly black mullet shook as he laughed. "I've been a celebrity tabloid editor five years now, Gary. These people lie about their relationships all the time. Did you forget? You've been doing this longer than I have."

"I guess I did forget, T.P.," Gary answered, smiling. "Thanks for reminding me."

"No problem. Nadine, did you think Mickey Rourke was lying?"

"Maybe," said the plain brunette woman in the tan cardigan and slacks sitting next to Gary. Nadine Holliday pushed up her glasses and looked at the middle-aged hippie leaning against the wall beside her chair. "I really couldn't tell, though. Baxter, what about you?"

"Don't ask me," Baxter Page said. "You know I don't like to speculate about celebrities' personal lives."

"Come on, Nadine," Ted said. "You used to work for Weekly World News. Baxter, you were an embedded photographer for the military. I know you've both dealt with false stories."

"Yes," Baxter agreed. "I couldn't tell whether Mickey Rourke was telling the truth or not, though. I guess I'm out of practice."

"I never made up any of my reports for WWN," Nadine answered Ted's inquiry. "I checked my sources and avoided liars."

Gary frowned. "Nadine, I've read some of your articles. 'Benevolent Secret Society Runs the World'?"

"The Friendship doesn't run the world, Gary. They just try to influence it and inspire people to share knowledge, charity and freedom. They have members who are politicians, teachers, priests, doctors, even celebrities. There may be one of them sitting in this room right now."

"Nadine, your other stories can't be real," Baxter said. "What about your series on 'Living Stone Gargoyles'? Living stone gargoyles fight crime in London, Austin, San Francisco, Tokyo and New York City? Yeah right."

"They do. They're also hunting pirates in Southeast Asia."

"Why didn't you add that they were guarding the Amazon rain forests?"

"I heard rumors about the Amazon. I couldn't verify them."

"You want to believe that, fine. I don't though." Baxter hoped she would not catch the lie in his voice. "What about the story you did right before WWN went out of print? 'Descendants of Ancient Chinese Heroes Re-enact their Ancestors' Greatest Deeds'. Are you sure that wasn't just live action role-playing?"

"Yes. I've also interviewed aliens, Bigfoot, Bat Boy and the Loch Ness Monster. They're all real. I get my copy by letting controversial figures sell themselves and being nice."

"Wow," Gary said. "Hard to believe WWN folded with all your intrepid journalism."

"The other reporters used to call me 'Nutso Nadine'," his opposite replied with another sigh and adjustment to her spectacles. "They preferred to make up their articles. I have to say, though, that I've encountered more phony stories since I got into celebrity tabloids than in all my seven years at WWN."

"They could be true," Ted said. "They attract readers. That's why we print them. Whether they are real or not doesn't matter. Do you actually think Mickey Rourke should be seeing someone like Evan Rachel Wood?"

"No! He's almost three times her age! I agree we should discourage them. Is it real, though? I know Evan and Mickey just did a movie together called 'The Wrestler' but I thought Evan was dating Marilyn Manson!"

"She was until a week or two ago," Ted replied. "Our agency has heard conflicting rumors about their split. Some say Evan's brother Ira was living with them but Manson kicked him out for rent delinquency. Others say Manson was abusive towards Evan and tried to get her hooked on crack and heroin. Then there's this Rourke thing. Evan herself says the breakup was amicable, but is that going to sell?"

"I believe Evan, not the gossip," Nadine said. "Unlike Mickey Rourke, Marilyn Manson has never been in jail for intoxication or assault. Manson lives the role of a Satanic cardinal, but it's all an act to get attention. He's really an okay person."

"That's not what I've heard," Gary countered. "Manson has had two divorces and most of his fans' parents hate him. Religions dislike him also. Even I can't stand the man."

"Well, too bad," Ted inserted himself. "I have a new job for the three of you. Gary, TMZ loved the series you did on Evan and Manson. Nadine, they think the way you got Rourke to deny Gary's story about him and Evan was great too. I'm putting both of you on the Evan-Manson breakup. Find out what's really going on with that couple. Baxter, you're their chaperone."

"Excuse me, sir, but I don't think this is a good idea," Baxter said. "Manson doesn't like speaking to the press. We've handled his divorces very badly. Evan may not talk to us either. She's been saying she and Manson are taking some time apart to concentrate on their work. Gary's source was no longer an insider in Evan's life and he was very bitter. Evan described him as desperate and selfish. I think we should back off from her. She deserves her privacy."

"The heck with that!" Gary said. "This story is great! Baxter, tell Ted who our source on Manson and Evan was."

"I can't, Gary. Remember how he asked us not to identify him?"

"Come on, Baxter, we're free agent tabloid reporters! Who says we have to be ethical?"

"Why don't you do it then?" Baxter glared at Gary and mouthed the words "Eliza Dushku".

"Never mind," Gary said. He turned from Baxter and looked towards Ted. "What do you want us to do, Mr. Pink?"

"Manson is having a party at his Beverly Hills home tonight," the editor answered. "Evan should be there. The three of you will infiltrate and get some footage with these hidden cameras." He took three small devices out of a drawer and put them on the desk. They consisted of tiny microphones and lenses disguised as mirrored buttons. Hair thin wires connected them to small batteries and flash memory drives.

"Whoa," Nadine said. "Spying on people like this is illegal."

"We do it all the time, Nadine. I used to work with the Pelican before I started this agency. He was the famous private investigator who covered tabloid stories and celebrity divorces."

"Yes, and now Anthony Pellicano is in federal prison."

"So don't get caught," Ted told her with a shrug. "You do want to keep your job, right? You need more seasoning, Nadine. You can't get celebrities to give you the real dirt by being nice to them. Right, Gary?"

"Hell no, boss," Gary replied. "I've been trying to teach Nadine that. She disagrees, though."

"Is this true, Nadine?"

"Yes. I've found that people treat you better if you're respectful and don't put words in their mouths. I acted that way with WWN and it got me many good contacts."

"Well, I need you to tone it down some. You're going to work with Gary and learn to be different."

"On this Manson thing? Ted, are you sure it will profit? The print tabloids are sick of Manson and they think the Evan Rachel Wood story is over for now."

"Well, TMZ thinks otherwise. Harvey Levin wants us to examine it further."

"May I interject?" Baxter asked. "I read the Enquirer a few days ago that Evan is dating Joseph Gordon-Levitt now."

The editor shook his head. "I checked into that. They're just friends, it's not yet serious. You know how the Enquirer likes to amp things out of proportion. Can the complaints, people. If you don't want to do this, I'm getting someone else." Ted made an odd gesture at Baxter and then waved at the microphones. "Sound department assures me that these work fine. If the worst should happen, you can press this button here and erase all data recorded on the flash drives. I trust that won't be necessary. I have arranged for you all to have invitations with phony names and costumes so you can enter the party. I'll pay double your usual fee if you grab something good."

"That would be great, Ted," said Baxter, who had recognized the gesture. "But what if the wrong person spots us? Mickey Rourke knows Gary's face and byline."

"If he's there, you better avoid him. I don't want any confrontations. Get one on tape if you can't get out."

"What about Manson?" Nadine asked. "I tried to interview him last Monday and he started lecturing me before I could ask the first question."

"Let Gary coach you on that. He's great with religious nut-balls. Did you see him interview Kirk Cameron on Friday's TMZ?"

"Yes, but..."

"Nadine, loosen up," Gary said. "These guys make it so easy for you to crucify them before the world it's laughable. I could feel Kirk handing me the hammer and putting his hands in place on the cross while I pounded in holes."

"Gary, I don't like being mean to people."

"Get to like it," Ted ordered. "You're in a different industry now. Are you all free tonight? Can you do this?"

Baxter frowned. "Um, yeah. I just need to make one phone call."

"Gary? Nadine?"

"Sure, T.P.," Gary said. "You had me at 'well, too bad'."

"I guess I'll do it too," Nadine said. "It's not like I have a date or anything." She sighed, hoping more than she bargained for in getting into celebrity journalism was not waiting in the wings.

"Oh yeah," Evan Rachel Wood moaned, pushing her plastic stake harder into her loins. "Oh!"

The actress was tossing and turning on a bed, her nude body the one spot of color against the black sheets. Her pale skin and pink nipples shone in the room's dim light. Evan's limbs were long and firm, her muscles tight after the years of martial arts training she had undergone in adolescence. She still practiced and kept herself fit in the present. A scar on her belly was the one obvious flaw in Evan's perfection. Her pussy was shaven with a very prominent clitoris. Long waves of ash blonde hair fell about her beautiful face.

"Oh!" Evan hissed again as she jilled herself with the stake. Her other hand was roaming over her torso in pattern, pinching her nipples and tracing spirals on her chest and belly. Just over twenty years of age, exercise and experience showed in her movements. Evan's pale blue eyes stood wide open in her cherub's face as she approached orgasm. Her mind ran rampant, meditating on her past and current circumstances.

Since age twelve, Evan had slept naked and masturbated to orgasm upon awakening almost every morning. She liked to get up in the early afternoon now but there was no other difference in her resting and rising practices. Her ritual helped Evan steel her heart for the challenges she faced each day and remind herself that life was not all about pain. There was so much agony in Evan's world.

Evan had been involved in acting since childhood. Her parents owned a theater and she found her career there watching the people on stage. When she joined the theater's casts and Hollywood talent scouts in the audience noticed, a stream of film roles soon followed for Evan. She wowed fans and critics alike in movies including "Thirteen" and TV shows such as "Once and Again". It was known in the film industry that if you wanted a beautiful troubled teenager with a twist, Evan Rachel Wood was among your best cast choices. Evan took to her roles with relish, not caring about their repetitive nature. Performing was something she wanted to do.

Sex was also something she wanted to do. Her parents had grown up during the sexual revolution and continued it into the modern day. The Woods took Evan to a private camp called "The Pines" every summer where nudity and swinging were very much in evidence. Evan watched the people there with fascination, feeling both thankful and jealous as they left her out of their tantalizing activities because of her youth. At age twelve, things altered when all of a sudden Evan's newly awakened hormones overwhelmed her. Now she was clearly able to identify what she wanted from the gorgeous naked bodies she saw around her each day. However, she still could not achieve it.

People avoided Evan because her body was not yet fully developed and they were intimidated by her movie star status and precocious wisdom. Evan was attracted to a pair of Pines regular families named Hughes and Coulter, but all their interesting boys and girls failed to notice her attraction. They were too busy settling each other's urges. The same was true of all the other Pines patrons. Evan's adolescent yearnings constantly lit a fire under her loins and she was forced to satisfy it herself. She also researched sex heavily at libraries, wanting to know as much about it as possible when her time to have it came.

When she was cast in the TV drama "Once and Again", Evan was exposed to many concepts most shows about teens deemed too radical to explore. Divorce, sex, drugs — "Once and Again" depicted everything. Evan longed for real experiences to mirror her character's scripts and was frustrated when no one wanted to help her out. Then the third season arrived.

Mischa Barton, another young actress, arrived on the show to play a new love interest for Evan's character. The network executives wanted a ratings rise and figured putting in a bisexual teenage relationship was a good idea. The stunt did not work as well as hoped. Even so, Evan and Mischa still found themselves fascinated by the concept. Mischa had enjoyed a childhood like Evan's and starred in three foreign films that explored sexuality among teens. She was not innocent with either sex and was ready to show Evan all she knew. Evan was a very eager pupil.

Evan continued to find lovers among her co-stars as her career progressed. "Once and Again" was canceled and she split from Mischa, but then came "Thirteen" and Nikki Reed took over. Evan was shocked by the depths of the other teenage actress's fetishes and depraved mind. Soon she was open to and captivated by almost any sort of sex. The fact that she had yet to lose her heterosexual virginity was no concern. Evan knew she wanted boys as well as girls. Her role in "Pretty Persuasion" taught her much about manipulation and she entered her next film intent on seducing every cast member who drew her eye.

After an intense day of getting to know her and each other, Evan's fellow "Upside of Anger" actresses Keri Russell, Alicia Witt and Erika Christensen succumbed to Evan's advances. Their male co-star Dane Christensen followed a few weeks later. The discoveries that Alicia was holding back her own bisexual desires and that Erika and Dane were both flexible swingers despite being part of a controversial repressive religion added spice. Keri also taught Evan many new fucking techniques, learned through a maturing process similar to Evan's own.

Erika introduced Evan to a London nightclub called "Inside Out" and it was there that Evan met her first serious boyfriend. Jamie Bell was a young English actor who starred in the dance drama "Billy Elliot" and several other films. Evan already had a huge crush on him before they met. Finding out Jamie had a similar attraction to her incited their relationship. Erika and Inside Out's owner Doug Ramsay tried but failed to keep Evan and Jamie from taking things too far too fast. Both were over-eager, Jamie in particular since he was still a virgin. He was scouting the Soho dating scene trying to find someone worthy of being his first sexual partner. Evan was thrilled at Jamie's choice of her and gave him her heterosexual virginity in exchange.

They dated for nearly three years after "Upside" ended, traveling back and forth between England and the United States. Their couplings remained passionate as Evan matured and her mind expanded further with her continuing sexual research. Evan loved Jamie, her friends from "Upside", and many other people. In 2006, Evan got bored with Jamie, finding him no longer interesting. He was also quite possessive of Evan even though they had enjoyed many threesomes with Erika and other girls. This upset Evan and she finally left him. After the split, Evan looked hard for a different person she could love as much.

Memories of the older man she found came into her thoughts and her self-stroking increased in fervor. Evan squeezed her breasts hard and pushed the stake deep into her pussy, imagining it was Marilyn Manson's dick. The stake was much wider and longer than that organ, but it was still a good image. Evan breathed heavy as a tide of lust swelled under her skin.

Evan met the Gothic rock star Marilyn Manson at a Los Angeles nightspot named "Tech Noir" as she looked for a new mate. He was friendly towards her and disproved many of her preconceived notions about him. Evan had enjoyed Manson's music in the past, yet the public image of the man himself bothered her a bit.

"I am the Anti-Christ Superstar!" Manson told the world. "Be like me! Bow down to me! Fuck me!" He put out similar themes in his music and other work. Teenagers and college students cheered at Manson's homilies and entered the Goth culture to their parents' dismay. The press regularly swamped Manson with rumors about kinky sex, drugs and other indignities, increasing his infamy as the rock star refused to deny anything. He also appeared to ignore the scandals' other effects on his life.

"I've been engaged twice and married once," Manson told Evan when she asked after he bought her a drink at Tech Noir. "Both my wives were very kinky and in love with me. They couldn't take my lifestyle and reputation, though. Rose found her desires going in other directions. I was too much for her and being with me was hurting her career. I let her go before we even got married and now she's with some famous director in Texas. I'm told he has the same sexual preferences I do but he's not watched by the press as much. I've also heard gossip about a mansion in Malibu where Rose hangs out with other women. I don't know how true that is. I've never been invited to the place, nor do I know any man who has."

"What about your second wife?" Evan asked, enthralled.

"Dita and I are still married," Manson admitted. Then he held up two fingers an inch apart. "It's this close to breaking up, though. I try to keep things open but she only wants me for herself. I don't want that. She also wishes I would give up this whole persona." He indicated his leather pants and jacket and his long black hair and white-painted skin. "Dita forgot this is what made her fall in love with me in the first place. I don't get her anymore. Divorce will happen as soon as one of us finds someone new."

Evan went home with Manson that very night and his marriage ended a few weeks afterwards. Manson was very interested in Evan as a sexual partner and a person. She liked how he lived as himself without shame. From Manson Evan learned more kinks than she had ever known existed. Manson also aided her career growth by casting her in his music videos. All throughout, he stood by her side and listened to her dreams. Evan was shocked when Manson told her he was more in love with her than he had been with his wives. It didn't matter that she was half his age and they lived different lifestyles.

"You are my twin," Manson said. "You inspire me and make me long to fornicate with you. I want you in my life forever."

For a time, Evan also wanted that. Then she observed that all her friends were distancing themselves from her. None of them was interested in getting to know Manson, reviled by his infamy and the image he exuded. They accused Evan of turning into the same type of person. Evan disbelieved at first.

"Come on!" she tried to tell her friends. "I'm just in love. Manson's a great guy. It's not like I've been bitten by Dracula or possessed by the Devil!" No one listened to her. Even Erika, Evan's most tolerant girlfriend, turned away from Evan when she asked Erika to join her in Manson's bed. She grew isolated more as time passed and complained about it to the only one who would still listen.

"Never mind your friends," Manson told Evan with a strange tone in his voice. "They may be beautiful people, but if they don't like me, too bad. You want me, Evan, right? Forget them. Stay with me. I will give you everything."

Evan embraced Manson's words and allowed herself to drift far from everyone but him. She tried not to let her new closed world get to her. Manson was always there, soothing her horny body and uneasy mind.

"Oh yeah," Evan breathed, clawing her cleavage with long nails as she recalled one of Manson's favorite techniques. She stabbed her clit with the stake in the same motion, clenching her jaw and throwing back her head. Recollecting the changes in her life filled her thoughts with further joy.

Then she got to the recent developments and felt disappointment. The press became more interested in Evan than ever before when she began dating Manson. Evan had to work hard to avoid their attention. Fans took the opposite tack. "Why are you with such a weird older man?" they asked Evan. "Aren't you afraid of him?"

"No," Evan insisted. "I love Manson. He loves me. Accept us, please." Her fans turned away, shaking their heads just like her friends.

Movie producers did not follow this lead. Evan retained a strong independent film career and continued to wow critics as she picked and chose her roles. She preferred scripts that intrigued her and did not care about awards or money. Her true fans and friends would always be interested in her no matter what, Evan believed. Manson was such a person and supported her. She was content with that.

Evan's confidence was only on the surface, though. She was anxious inside, dismayed by the consequences of her new love life. Everyone but Manson saw her as a stranger now, even her own family. The press kept lampooning her too, making up rumors that Manson would not prove wrong. Soon it even affected Evan's work relations.

"You're a fascinating young actress," the Oscar winner Michael Douglas told Evan when they starred together in "King of California" and developed mutual respect. "You're perfect for your role in this film and I am certain more great parts lie ahead of you. You remind me of Erika when I first met her in 'Traffic'. You're someone whose talent can only grow. However, you need to ditch this rock star you're dating. Staying with him can only hurt you."

Evan rejected this advice and continued seeing Manson. "It's my choice," she said when asked why. "I know what I'm into and it's not as bad as it seems. I can live my life. Let me be who I want to be." Fans and friends alike continued to disregard her pleas.

It wasn't until her last movie, "The Life Before Her Eyes", that Evan found someone willing to give her sympathy. Uma Thurman and Evan were playing older and younger versions of the same character and this encouraged them to get very close to each other. They didn't sleep together since Uma was not into women, but Uma did give Evan much advice.

"Just live," Uma said. "You control who you are and where you're going, not anybody else. If you let them dictate your life for you, that's one thing, but you're not doing that. That's good. If you like Manson, stay with him and let it develop. Sooner or later people will get used to you. I've seen it myself with all my failed relationships and years of celebrity. You need to unwind and take things as they come, Evan. You didn't think fame would be that easy, did you?"

Evan smiled and quoted "Kill Bill", her favorite film of Uma's. "For a second or two, yeah, I actually did."

Settling down for a while, she resumed her enthusiastic relationship with Manson. He was happy she was with him but also seemed distressed by something. Evan probed and learned things she had never known. Manson admitted a cocaine habit. It was a rumor the press had long suspected but never been able to confirm. Manson had hidden it from Evan as well. "I'm getting off it now," he said. "I love you and I know that as someone who's performed in multiple anti-drug films, you wouldn't want to be with me if I continued doing cocaine. Therefore I'm quitting, Evan. I'm quitting for you."

Evan was overjoyed by this, yet disturbed that Manson had kept it from her. She helped her rock star through his withdrawal, using techniques from several Narconon texts Erika had given Evan over the years. Manson had been in rehab before but did not want to go again because of increased press attention. He asked Evan to aid his self-therapy instead and she agreed. Evan didn't want Manson getting hooked on some other drug while he got off cocaine and she also wanted him to find and face the causes of his addiction. Evan was knowledgeable enough about "cold turkey" drug-kicking techniques to use Narconon for this and separate the Scientology aspects from the programs. Evan was tolerant of Scientology, thanks to her friendship with Erika, yet she knew she did not want it as a strong force in either her life or that of her greatest love.

Narconon worked very well for Manson, better than all his prior stints in rehab. Thanks to it, he kicked both drugs and excessive alcoholism. A doctor attended Manson throughout, monitoring him with regular physicals. After three months on the vitamin and exercise regimen, his health was restored. "How did you know about this stuff?" Manson asked. When Evan told him, Manson demanded to meet Erika. "I want to thank her." Evan rejected the idea, believing Erika detested Manson. Then she remembered someone else she hadn't talked to in a while, Erika's brother Dane.

Dane and Evan were lovers no longer. She had stopped seeing him after his exit from acting and subsequent arrests. Upon contacting Dane, Evan was surprised to learn he had recently broken up with her older brother Ira. She always knew Ira liked guys and girls but he had kept his relationships mostly secret from Evan even as they acted together in several films. "I was forlorn," Ira explained when Evan asked him about Dane. "He was fun for a while. Then Dane got into his church and met this weird woman and he didn't have time for me anymore."

Evan called Dane back and invited him to visit her and Manson. She told Dane what she had done to help Manson and he was pleased. "It's good Narconon worked for you," Dane said. "It doesn't always succeed since you have to stick with it on your own and not be turned off by its closeness to Scientology. But if you are able to manage the program, you will never touch drugs again."

Invited to visit, Dane re-entered Evan's life and brought his friend Jessica with him. Evan was shocked when she met the Scientology cleric Jessica and her vile followers. Together with Jessica and Dane, the latter trio of nasty bull-baiters personified every horror story Evan had heard about Scientologists. The fact that Evan had never before known anyone like them worsened things. Evan was terrified beyond all reason that Dane was with such people.

As she visualized them, Evan shivered. The Wicked Witch's theme from "The Wizard of Oz" had played in her mind when she first saw Jessica and now it did so again. Jessica wore a black skirted suit and had her dark hair in a bob surrounding huffy wide-mouthed features. Evan thought her voice might be hypnotic if one did not already know the things it espoused. Her hazel eyes appraised the world and found it wanting. It was unnerving in particular that Jessica's left eye did not seem to follow her right. Evan conjectured that it was glass.

Jessica's snow-white skin and looming heavyset figure might be beautiful if not for the ugliness within them. Her three fat, short and lean minions followed her like an entourage in their bright-colored coats. Dane came along as well, a stocky young man with a hangdog face and a dark buzz cut. Jessica had a black falcon with her on the first day too, but Manson asked that she leave her pet outside his house and Jessica did not bring it again.

The group of Scientologists spoke much to Evan and Manson when first they visited, pleased that they had found success in Narconon and offering further church programs. Manson turned them down flat. "I got off drugs without all this," he said. "I don't want or need any of it. Thanks, though. No offense."

Evan's reaction was more confused. "Dane, I've been your friend and Erika's for five years now. You've never approached me about joining Scientology before. Why is it necessary?"

It was difficult for Dane to answer and he looked away whenever Evan brought up Erika or the rest of his family. Jessica and her three followers — by this time Evan had learned they were brothers named Feshbach — interposed snide commentary and scripture, irritating Evan further. Evan grew bothered by these fanatics and Dane's simpering acceptance of their presence. At one point she cussed out them all and threw their literature at Dane. The group admonished each other for their attitudes, then left. Evan and Manson were certain their self-reproach was false.