The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 49- Crimson Smiles

Rodrigo awaiting his "sentence"

            Later that same day, Alejandro sent the location Rodrigo was being held to Talia’s phone. A subsequent text read “let me know when you plan to arrive and I will meet you there.”
            Amber marveled, reading Talia’s reply over her shoulder as she wrote it. “So you’re finally giving him the time of day? I guess collaborating on a scheme together changes things, huh?”

            Talia scoffed but otherwise offered no further comment. Once the text exchange concluded, she sighed, staring down at the location’s coordinates, “I just hope I find the place. I’m not familiar with this side of town.”
            “Let me see…” Amber leaned forward and read carefully. “Yeah, this is a rough section, but I know a couple of shortcuts.”
            “All right, you will lead the way then.”
            With Amber’s guidance, she and Talia arrived at the row of abandoned warehouses that marked the east wall of The Underground. Their destination had an old sewage treatment plant next-door. If the broken-down buildings with boarded-up windows and doors ripped off the hinges weren’t indicative enough of where they were, the stench that hung in the air made that painfully clear.
            Talia coughed, holding her nose. “How can you stand to be down here?”
            “It may seem impossible, but you actually do get used to the smell. The mix of sewage and every body fluid you can think of… believe it or not, our bosses make the most money in this part of town. Only because the people who live here don’t know any better… or they couldn’t leave if they wanted to. They’re either steeped in debt with their pimps or they’re so addicted they can’t bear to leave when they know they’ll get a steady supply.”
            Anticipating an angry retort, Amber turned back toward Talia and braced for impact. It stunned her to discover that wasn’t the case. Talia reached for the crook of her right arm, making herself look smaller in the process.
            “Hey…” Amber called over to snap her out of her head. “Don’t forget, we still have a job to do.”

            “We have a job?” Talia regained her composure in an instant. “This is my fault. It should be my responsibility…”
            “Listen, I didn’t offer my services just to be your escort. I have just as much stake in this as you do.”
            “That goes for me as well.” Alejandro strolled toward them, completely unscathed by the journey. A camouflage green vest sat atop his white shirt. The slight bulge under the right side caught Amber’s eye. The two of them made eye contact before Talia noticed he was there. He brought his pointer finger to his lips and she nodded in agreement. “Are you ready for this, Talia? I can go alone and finish this right now. You just say…”
            “Fine. Fine. Let’s get this over with.” She stopped short of the door before adding one last comment absent of any nuance, “If we’re not back in fifteen minutes, follow after us. Otherwise stay here until I say you can come down.”
            “Sure, I can do that.”
            Talia went inside but Amber lingered behind. She bit her lip, sparing Alejandro a few glances, but no words came out.
            He quickly filled the void with a sigh. “This is only my second time doing this… doesn’t matter who the scumbag is. It doesn’t get any easier. It’s the reason my uncles didn’t want me anywhere near their business.”
            “So why not leave it to us?”
            He hissed, skeptical, “I know the horrors all you girls have had in your lives. It’s easy enough for you to act this out on stage but that is nothing compared to living with this on your conscience. I wouldn’t recommend it.”
            “Have you ever regretted it?”
            “Saving your life? Nah, I’d do it again if I had to.”
            “Why? You barely even knew me.”
            “But I saw how hard you worked. Like you had something to prove. It’s a feeling I knew very well. But the way you never gave up and kept pushing to get what you wanted, I always admired that about you. I still do.”
            “Wow…” Amber blushed, automatically turning away to hide it.
            Talia peeked her head out of the door. “Are you coming or not?”
            “Yeah, I’m coming.” Amber brushed her off, partially distracted. She waited until she was gone before exhaling. “Almost forgot why we were here,” she chastised herself.
            “Hey,” Alejandro patted her shoulder, a calm solidarity in his eyes. “This will all be over soon, ok?”
            “Right.”
            It was impossible to know what was going through Talia’s head as she made her way to the stairwell across the room. Whether she dreaded what had to be done, reflected on her many regrets or looked forward to ending this whole affair. For Amber, the same walk felt like it took forever. Her heart thumped against her ribcage while each breath proved more stifling than the next. Despite it being midafternoon, it was dark enough inside to pass for nighttime. Several of the overhead lights had fallen from the ceiling. Various sizes of shards from broken bulbs lay scattered underneath them. Those that remained intact, their brightness had significantly faded. Some crackled and flickered, ready to give out at any minute.
            Meanwhile, the lighting inside the stairwell remained a steady but eerily unnatural dusty yellow. The echo of the rusted metal staircases carried all the way down, each step louder and more purposeful than the next. Their final destination was two stories below the surface. The basement was empty except for the blindfolded occupant bound to a chair bolted to the floor and positioned so that his back was to the door. A single lightbulb was suspended over his head; its shine revealed the water damage that’d accumulated on the floor and the walls.
            As Amber prepared to follow Talia’s lead, she held out a hand to stop her. The open palm transitioned to a single finger, indicating she needed one minute on her own. A request Talia was more than happy to grant. The reason behind it wouldn’t become clear until the whole affair concluded.

Talia’s heels clacked against the concrete and carried through the entire floor. Inclining his head over his right shoulder, Rodrigo smirked, “you cannot fool me, Talia. I know that perfume anywhere.”
            She said nothing in response as she circled around before facing him head on. Right away, she noticed the scar on the side of his neck that’d barely begun to heal. The reminder of Juan Paulo’s heroic act produced a smile, but now wasn’t the time for ruminating. Crossing her arms and shifting her weight to her back leg, she said, “I just want to know why. You were to only deal with me. Instead, you hurt the one most precious to me.” She shook her head. “There is no forgiving for this.”
            Even without his sight, Rodrigo remained arrogant. “You were the one that backed out of our commitment. I had no choice but to take my business elsewhere. I was the greatest pleasure you ever had. So when you find yourself alone because no man can satisfy you like I can, just remember the reason why is the one looking back at you in the mirror.”
            The mix of horror and disgust on Talia’s face drained away all of the beauty the rest of her body naturally exuded. Her glare was so intense, it could have peeled the paint off the walls if any was left after the deterioration that’d already taken place. Once she recomposed herself, Talia beckoned Amber to her side and motioned to Rodrigo’s hands. She made her approach with more vigor and determination. Time now felt like it was racing.
            Noticing the change in the atmosphere, Rodrigo grimaced, “wait, there’s someone else here?” Amber and Talia shared a glance and a nod. This whole setup was to catch Rodrigo off guard and they had succeeded.
            Stopping at his back, Amber knelt down and pulled a knife from the sheath on the side of her right boot. She located his wrists under the ropes holding his hands firmly behind his back. Mustering up all of the courage and seething sarcasm she’d been keeping inside for this moment, she demanded, “in case you need reminding, my safe word was ‘Alejandro’ and that means you STOP!!” Two quick slashes later, blood trickled down Rodrigo’s wrists. A jaw breaking right hook was Talia’s sole contribution but it was all she needed. Rodrigo cursed both of them out at the top of his voice but it was all in vain. The two women raced back up the stairs in silence. It wasn’t until they were back on the ground floor and Alejandro passed by them Talia said, “finish the job, Alejandro. Then we can put all this behind us.”
            Two consecutive gunshots rang out five minutes later, by which time they were already headed toward their final destination for the night.

*     *     *

            After a little back and forth, Talia and Amber agreed that Emilia deserved to know the whole truth about Rodrigo’s connection to all three of them. They invited her to Amber’s apartment and sat on both sides of her as they walked her through the details. Emilia showed maturity beyond her years as she took it all in stride. When one was speaking, she’d spare a few seconds looking at the other. In both cases, there was nothing but strength and sincerity. This conversation was almost a bigger victory than Rodrigo’s fate. Emilia had come to regard both women on either side of her as sisters. The fact they found a way to form a united front for her sake, throwing their differences to the wayside, meant the world to her.

***

The title comes from the Carrie Underwood song "2 Black Cadillacs".

Originally, it was going to be another twin routine for Scarlet and Ruby, but like many other ideas I had, I couldn't fit it into the final sequence of the story. 

More on that at the end of the next chapter... 

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 48- Coming up Strong

            Talia knew a big shift was on the horizon the following day when she planned to schedule a business meeting and the brothers beat her to the punch. She arrived at noon at the same boardroom they’d met with their clients and associates two weeks prior.
            First on the docket for this particular meeting: the policy of trading business transactions for sexual favors was suspended indefinitely. Despite Talia’s impassioned objections, laced with obscenities in both English and Spanish, this was nonnegotiable. One small concession was granted; what she did with her personal life was her prerogative and no one else’s. She was also shocked to learn that she was the last participant left in the program she’d created over a decade ago. Vanessa stopped after a first year while Ruby’s last time had been at the beginning of the summer season. She couldn’t have cared less about Amber’s record so she didn’t ask. She could only wonder why the others hadn’t told her themselves and what other things they hadn’t told her. While it wouldn’t have changed how she conducted herself, it was unnerving being the last to know for once.
            The second order of business: the pressing matter of Rodrigo. He was currently being held in an undisclosed location. With or without her visitation, he would be “handled” by the end of the week. She gave a vague response (“I will think about it”) before making her way to the door.
            Finally, the younger of the two brothers asked one question. “Do you fully understand why this decision has been made?”
            She scoffed, “all I know is Alejandro made this decision, not me. He never liked Rodrigo. Now he will hold the fact he was right about him over my head forever.”
            He held firm. “Alejandro may not be perfect. None of us are. But he is every bit the man our sister hoped he would be. He enabled Calypso to be a success, keeping detailed records of its finances. More importantly, he cares about his coworkers very much. So when he told us this Rodrigo had harmed one of the sirens prior to the assault two weeks ago, it left us no other choice but to ensure he hurts no one again.”
            “What?” Talia gasped at almost a whisper but found her voice properly after clearing her throat. “Did… did he say who?”
            “No. When we asked about this, he wanted us to remind you that keeping such information private was your policy.” Talia rolled her eyes but offered no further objections. “He did however say that another siren working on her shift reported physical evidence an assault had taken place. But again she asked for privacy and it was honored.”
            It took Talia less than a second to piece it all together. She left the premises with a self-loathing she’d never experienced before in her life. The whole walk to her next destination, she spent berating herself. “It’s all my fault. They were right. They were always right.”

*      *      *

            “What do you want?” Amber leaned against her doorframe, sizing up Talia with eyes puffy with lack of sleep. She’d braced herself for a more hostile reception, but Talia didn’t know whether or not to feel relieved when she found she was getting the opposite.
            “Can I come in or are you still busy assassinating my character with the others?”
            “This might be hard to believe, but not every conversation is about you.” Amber waved Talia inside and shut the door. “Me and Emilia are the only ones here. Everyone else left to catch up on sleep. We kinda had a long night.”
            “So everyone knows everything about you, Carmen or what name you go by now, except me?”
            “Doesn’t feel very good, does it?” Emilia responded from the other side of the room. Her eyes were equally as tired and angry as Amber’s were.
            “I’m still keeping one or two tidbits for myself but otherwise that’s a fair statement. ‘Amber’ has become synonymous with my theatrical style on stage so I think I’ll hold onto that. I also like to think ‘Carmen’ died the day Evangeline gave me my new name “
            “Evangeline?”
            “My mentor during my self-imposed exile. She’s the one who taught me about becoming a character when I perform.” She offered with an apathetic candidness. “She also encouraged me to rectify things here. Her final words before she bled out.”
            Talia gasped, covering her mouth. But when she gauged Emilia’s reaction, she was astonished to find no hint of surprise in her posture.
            Amber sighed, “all right, tell me why you’re really here so we can put all this behind us. Just because I’m suddenly all open and honest about myself doesn’t mean I want to be all the time.”
            “Right… I just came from a meeting with the brothers and I have some news. And some questions.”
            “Ah, a direct order from the top. That’s not something that happens very often.” Amber regained her trademark sarcasm, which sounded like it’d just returned from a marathon sprint. “So what have we got this time?”
            “Actually, something that might concern you. If my hunch is right. They did not name any names.” She quickly added, “would you like Emilia to hear?”
            “So you’re giving me a choice now? We have control of our destinies again?” Talia raised an eyebrow and Amber backed off. “I think I might have an idea what this is about. You should probably go, Emilia.”
            “Are you sure?” She asked as she stood up.
            “I think so. Anything I haven’t told you, let’s just say it’s a lot just for one person to handle.” Emilia agreed. She said her goodbyes and left without looking at anyone.
            Once she was gone, the Amber Talia came expecting manifested. “All right, start talking!” She demanded.
            “Show me the scars…”

            “Unbelievable! You think Alejandro lied about this too so now you need to see the evidence? It wasn’t enough what he did to Emilia?!”
            “I am actually amazed you sent her away. Depriving her of another weapon to use against me. Was that not what you’ve wanted this whole time?” Talia settled into the sofa cushion recently vacated by Emilia.
            “Do you really think she needs to hear that the same man that hurt her hurt me first? If you had any idea, would you have done anything that could’ve prevented all this? And people think I’m the heartless bitch of this group.” Sensing Talia’s hesitation, she rolled her eyes. “That’s what I thought.”
            Unprompted, Amber came to sit by Talia and flipped over her arms. Both wrists still had a hairline of a scar. “Not as vivid as they were but they singed for weeks. Zip ties aren’t exactly the best restraints for this.” She shook her head in disgust. “I really hate myself for not making him sign a contract first but even if he saw that I’d bolded and underlined my one rule three times, he wouldn’t have honored it. Bastard had no sense of humor.”
            “What’s the one rule?”
            “The hallmark of S&M. If I say the safe word, stop immediately. He gladly settled for me when you were unavailable, but he was livid when I said the word. He screwed me so hard like he had a personal score to settle.”
            Talia nodded. “Yeah I can see why hearing that name being screamed out would bruise his ego.”
            “Anyway, now you know.” Amber drew her arms back into herself.
            “You said you ran away when you were 14. What were you running away from?”
            An uncomfortable groan escaped Amber as she preemptively wiped her eyes. “My mom was held in a rundown apartment complex in The Underground with several other women. One of the men she serviced wound up being my father. She wanted to run but they kept her addicted so she couldn’t leave. She finally overdosed so she could finally escape. Then her captors turned their attention to me.”
            Amber stopped briefly to grab hold of her legs and pull them into her chest. Talia eyed her warily, recognizing her body language as the same Scarlet used whenever she talked about what her father did to her. Squeezing her eyes shut, she moaned, “the others swore that talking about it would get easier every time and it feels worse than before…” But when she looked back at Talia, she saw something in her she never had before: sympathy. She nodded and that gave her the strength to finish.
            “Having an S&M specialty helped get me this job… Unfortunately, that choice was made for me way back then. They didn’t want to ruin my youthfulness with drugs so I was constantly bound when someone wanted to use me. I can only feel aroused when I’m tied up. As much as I hate it, my body doesn’t know any better.”
            “How old when you started?”
            “My body ‘matured’ when I was 11. I was only able to get away three years later because one of the men felt sorry for me. He snuck me out and pointed me toward what ultimately became Calypso.”
            “Did you ever see him again?”
            “Who knows? You might have seen him at some point… not sure how he knew the brothers would take care of me but he did have some sort of connection with them, I’m sure.“

            For a while, neither said anything. Amber studied Talia as she stared off into space, contemplating. The sympathetic look in her eyes remained but with the silence, it started to become annoying. “Well, go ahead. Convince me why yours is the winning sob story. So you can go back to feeling sorry for yourself and the rest of us can just screw ourselves.”
            “No… I was just thinking about my stepfather. He insisted on taking care of me while my mother worked to support us. As I got older, our relationship changed. I had my first experience of heartbreak, so he said to me, ‘no boy will ever be good enough for my princess.’ I believed him. He was so kind, always giving me gifts, saying I was beautiful and no one deserved me.”
            Amber scoffed, “right, because the rest of the world is evil and Princess Talia is just a victim. Excuse me while I throw up…” But when she returned her attention back to Talia, something seemed off. She showed no evidence she’d heard her. Her eyes were crazed as if she was disbelieving her own words.
            “I didn’t think too much of it when he asked me to come into bed with him. He was a gentle lover, let me get comfortable and never went too fast. I loved that ecstasy so much.” She sighed before nervously rubbing the back of her neck. “He and my mother had problems. She said how he never loved her anymore and he said she worked so hard she was unable to make love when she came home. She found us in bed together. I was so in love with him I couldn’t bear to leave him so she abandoned both of us, saying how we deserved each other. I should have realized the truth… before he took everything else from me.”
            Self-consciously, Talia held onto her right elbow, squeezing down hard. Despite being on the brink of hyperventilation, her left hand was the steadiest part of her as she pulled off what appeared to be flesh colored tape running along the underside of her elbow. Sardonically, she explained, “you could say this is my cross to bear… I have not showed this to anyone. While the brothers had me in their care those six months, most of the damage vanished. But some scars never fade.”
            The veins in her right arm were darkened and corroded, particularly in her elbow joint. Talia tugged her arm against her body, just short of collapsing into herself. All of the remaining anger and resentment Amber felt toward Talia extinguished. “Those marks on your arm… my mom had them as long as I can remember. He got you hooked on drugs, didn’t he? Her stepfather?”
            She nodded. All the anger and tears came out as her accent became muddled from grief. “It was the only other thing we regularly did together. It got even worse after my mother left. The brothers found me searching his pockets for one last packet of coke. I struggled to break my addiction and they looked after me. In my recovery, I remembered one thing he always said to me. Sex is the best way to make money in a place like this. And the only thing in life that satisfied me like coke was sex. I overheard the brothers talk about money problems at one of their businesses. So I came up with the idea—I prostitute myself to find that high and I’d give them my earnings to make up for the money he took from them for the drugs. They refused at first until I showed them what I could do. They didn’t like it, but what choice did I have? I didn’t have any other skills, no way to make a living.”
            As she told the story, Amber rubbed Talia’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Once she was done, they were both besides themselves. Amber finally found the perfect way to sum everything up, “We did what we had to survive.”
            Talia sighed, admitting, “I could never admit this to Vanessa but she was right. I have not been myself for some time because I realized that’s all I do. I survive. Juan Paulo made me question everything I thought I knew about myself but the short time we were together, I cannot remember being happier… The other night with Emilia, it reminded me he was a good man. But the way he looked at me, even if I wanted to fix the damage I did, I don’t know if I can.”
            “What are you gonna do?”
            “Nothing now… first, I want to hear your ideas for dancing.”
            “Really? You’re finally letting me do something new?”
            “It’s the least I can do. You told me your story and you let me tell mine.”
            “Sure, uh,” her forehead crinkled as she said the first thing that came to mind, “each of us could pick a song that tells a story from the troubles in our pasts. Just for ourselves. Then, if we want to share it with the public, we can.”
            Talia nodded, tears dried under her eyes. “I think I know just the one. But first, we have one important matter to finish.”

***

I originally had another generic title for this chapter, but recently I changed it to what it is now.

It's funny looking back on how I came up with Amber's complicated backstory because the songs from Karmin's debut LP sounded like their own storyline... and I wound up not using any of those songs in the final story. Fully-fleshed ideas I couldn't find a place for.

"Coming up strong" was the only ballad of the 6 songs and the only one where the guy in the duo sings lead. Looking at the lyrics for the first time ever, I might have had the meaning completely wrong. I'd always heard it as the breaking point in a relationship and a reconcilation happens where they decide they're not going to give up on each other. (The actual lyrics sorta say the opposite... I hate when that happens :/ )
I had it in mind during a backstory. Carmen does a slow rumba dance for Scarlet after she miscarries to reaffirm she has her back. (This is going back maybe 10 years before the main story takes place- Their last nice little moment together before Talia comes into the picture). And I thought maybe I'd bring it into the final chapters of the story but instead it would be a smooth hip-hop routine like what NappyTab did with "Bleeding Love" on "so you think you can dance"

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 47- Monster Aftermath

            Talia saw the crowd off with a smile and a heartfelt thanks. Alejandro kept himself busy clearing the stage of props and equipment, but he did so with a shifty expression that made the lump in Amber’s throat throb uncomfortably. His attention was clearly on Talia and what she had planned next for him.
            Once the venue was empty, Talia launched into her tirade. “You’re through, Alejandro. Now you will pay the consequences for your actions.”
            “Oh no…” Amber barked in a threatening tone and rushed up the steps. “I don’t know what you think Alejandro did this time but…”
            “Glad you could finally make it, Amber. Some of us were worried you wouldn’t show.” She threw a knowing look at Alejandro, who could only shrug and roll his eyes.
            “Yeah because the last thing I had any interest in was seeing you give another smug performance like that. The act’s really getting old, Talia.”
            “The response from the audience tells me something else. They welcomed me back as if I’d never left.”
            “Tsk,” Amber scoffed, “they come for a good show but don’t get to see the meaning behind it. Now cut the bullshit!”
            “Hmm, Alejandro claims you have changed but you are still selfish as before.”
            “That’s rich, calling me the selfish one here!”
            Despite Amber becoming more agitated by the second, Talia kept her flawless composure as she shifted the conversation elsewhere. “Yet you waste your time attacking me… don’t you even care about Emilia? Is she not the reason you came tonight?”
            “Emilia…” Amber’s bravado vanished and the unevenness of her tone reflected that.
            Talia cocked an eyebrow. “Remember starting that fight with Ruby when she interrupted your big night? Alejandro was too busy intervening he wasn’t paying attention to Emilia and she had no choice but to walk home alone. It’s fortune for her Juan Paulo was there to save her from her attacker. Or far worse would’ve happened.”
            “Shit…” Amber gasped. She almost lost her footing in her half inch boots. Alejandro quickly rushed over to catch her before she completely lost her balance.
            Talia ignored this and urged, “do you not agree that his negligence is punishable?”
            Alejandro rubbed Amber’s back in an effort to calm her breathing so she could speak. She closed her eyes tight and concentrated hard. “No… that’s not what happened at all. Vanessa and I both gave her the option to leave and she did. I never thought…” She opened her eyes and her train of thought screeched to a halt.
            Emilia, who’d heard all the shouting through the door decided she’d had enough. She warily analyzed the situation. Based on everyone’s expressions, no one anticipated the possibility she’d been listening to any of it. They’d been equally caught up in the excitement of the argument.
            Amber took a step away from Alejandro toward her. “Emilia, are you okay? I just heard...”
            “Yeah… all things considered, yeah, I am ok.” Then, in a move that drew a gasp from Talia, Emilia crossed the room to stand by Amber. She didn’t make eye contact with anyone until she dug in her heels. “You know what I just realized? When I joined the sirens, I was told repeatedly about our code and our rules. The big one was always ‘our past traumas are for us to tell.’ You are literally breaking your own rule just so you can win this stupid fight over me. This needs to stop now!”
            Somehow when Emilia shouted at the peak of her vocal range, the echo of her voice bounced off every corner of the building. It was enough to draw Scarlet and Vanessa out of the dressing room. Both were as stone-faced as the rest of them. Scarlet, after the pin drop moment passed, abruptly ended her conversation, “I’ll see you later, sis,” and hung up.
            Talia sized everyone up individually before addressing Alejandro, “well, you were right, Alejandro. Amber took responsibility like you said she would.”
            “As I’ve told you many times, it is not my fault you do not trust my judgment. Now can we drop this ruse? No one is getting fired today.”
            “Wait, what?” Amber gulped as her relief bled into her anger. “This whole thing was just an act?!”
            On the other side of the room, Scarlet and Vanessa shook her heads with disgust. Too exhausted from all the drama to start into a rant of her own, Vanessa simply stated, “Why doesn’t this surprise me?”
            Emilia echoed their sentiments to Amber. “Unbelievable… I really thought after what I went through that Talia could be honest with me. Yet here I am hearing her undervalue me behind my back. Again.”
            “I’d say ‘welcome to the club’ but honestly this is just sad. Not even Talia’s own protege is safe from her scheming.”
            Continuing the ongoing trend, Talia shifted the narrative once more. “So strange… you never take a risk for anyone else, Amber. Why now? And why was my act with Alejandro so distracting you forgot why you even came here tonight?”
            Amber blushed but ground her teeth to hold herself together. “I bet you’ve wanted to get rid of him for years but couldn’t find a way to do it. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time you’ve done something like this.”
            “And what is that supposed to mean?”
            “You have no use for men besides sleeping with them. Meanwhile, Alejandro is willing to do everything for you and you don’t even care. But he’s done a lot for the rest of us.” She looked around the room and received nods from the other girls. When Amber turned back to Talia, she was staring at her feet, not looking at anyone. It was becoming clearer by the minute she was losing ground and running out of options.
            Then she thought of something. In her view, it was ludicrous but for Amber, it might not be. “So this isn’t because you have some silly schoolgirl crush on Alejandro or anything?”
            “That’s… that’s beside the point.” She spared him a glance but not long enough to gauge his reaction. “You just can’t accept the possibility that there’s more to Alejandro than you’re willing to see. When you disappeared into your shell, did you even say thank you to him for making sure Calypso didn’t go under? No. You took him for granted like you always have.”
            Exhaling, Amber clenched both of her hands into fists at her sides. There was no way around it. “But I never did… even when I first came here as a 14-year old runaway. We were never more than friends or coworkers, but I knew I could rely on him. And yes, I developed feelings for him but by the time he was finally single and I worked up the courage to tell him the truth, I’d already lost my chance because of you.” In one final outburst of anger, she concluded, “you came and took everything I cared about. You fired Michel and Misha because you couldn’t have any men on your staff. You stole my idea to put on shows using dance and denied me a spot because I wasn’t sexy enough for your vision. But Ruby fit it perfectly. Scarlet finally had her sister back but there wasn’t a place left for me. I had no choice but to leave and start a new life somewhere else. It’s not like anyone would miss me, anyway.”
            “Wait a minute…” Scarlet gasped, immediately drawing everyone else’s attention to her. “Carmen?”
            “What!” Alejandro met the revelation with even more shock. “How did I not see this all this time…”
            Amber furiously wiped her eyes so she could see through her tears. By the time she regained her focus, Scarlet was all she could see as she threw her arms around her. She sobbed, “The night I had that nightmare and you stayed up with me… I thought that reminded me of someone I knew years ago but it was you this whole time.” She let go but held onto her arms with an iron grip. “This is why you always kept me at arm’s length? You didn’t want me to figure out who you really were?”
            “I know how much having your sister back meant to you, but I was so jealous she outshined me at every opportunity... I didn’t want to be remembered that way.” Thinking it over for an extra moment, she decided, “It sounds so stupid now… I practically became the worst version of myself just so Talia would accept me into the sirens. And I went out of my way to not have any friends because I couldn’t handle that amount of rejection a second time.”
            Scarlet shook her head, still processing, “I missed you so much. I didn’t just lose my best friend. I lost a sister.”
            “Except sisters tell each other everything… I never told you everything about myself. You were always an open book, but I feel bad I couldn’t find the strength to do the same.” Amber swallowed hard, bowing her head, “But… maybe now that the flood gates are open, maybe I finally can.”
            “Are you sure? You don’t need to rush into this. We have all the time in the world.”
            Amber shut eyes and took several deep breaths; she hadn’t realized how fast her heart was racing in her chest. Finally, she nodded. “Yeah but not here.” She briefly exchanged glances with Emilia and Vanessa and wordlessly invited them to accompany her on the way out. For a multitude of reasons, she couldn’t bring herself to invite Talia and Alejandro along. She wasn’t ready for those conversations quite yet.
            “Amber?” Alejandro called out to her when she had her hand on the main entrance door. She turned back towards him, unsure what she’d find. Her heart fluttered when she saw nothing but sincerity in his countenance. “We’ll talk about everything later, ok? I’ll make this right.”
            “Thanks, Alejandro. I’d like that.”
            The moment she left, Alejandro planned to turn on Talia to ask if she was satisfied with how everything went. Not surprisingly, the last sound he heard was the backstage door slamming shut.

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 46- Alejandro

 

            Vanessa knocked twice on the dressing room door before letting herself in. “Emilia?”
            She and Scarlet were seated by two of the vanities with their chairs angled toward one another. Scarlet massaged her arm. In her opposite hand, Emilia had a plastic water bottle pressed to her cheek. “Vanessa,” she smiled over at her.
            Vanessa grabbed another of the chairs and moved it across from her. “How are you feeling?”
            “A little better… I’d been pushing so hard to have this dance ready for showtime. I guess I just overdid it.”
            “Amber will be sorry she missed it. She’s on her way now.”
            “That’s good,” Scarlet replied, her attention still with Emilia.
            Hoping to lighten the mood, Vanessa asked, “Do you think this is something you’ll pursue in the future? Bringing fairy tale characters to life?”
            “Maybe.” She shrugged, taking a large swig of her water. “Right now, I just want to put that night behind me and move on.”
            “Wait, what are you talking about?” Vanessa turned to Scarlet and back to Emilia. Both deliberately avoided her eye. “Something happened, didn’t it? That’s why we were shut out this whole time?”
            “Talia probably separated us for her own selfish reasons, but I’m equally responsible. I wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.” Emilia admitted, the remaining color draining from her face. Vanessa held her breath as she waited for her to elaborate. Squeezing her eyes shut, Emilia finally explained, “When I left that night after you and Amber said I could go, Talia’s sex partner, Rodrigo…”
            “He didn’t… oh God, Emilia, tell me he didn’t…” Her lip trembled, tears already pouring down her cheeks.
            “He didn’t, but he almost did.” Emilia wiped away her own tear. “JP was nearby and saved me before anything could happen. The bruises have all faded, but I still feel like I lost something.”
            Vanessa turned to Scarlet, livid, “that bastard, Rodrigo. I’m going to murder him!”
            She calmly interrupted, “According to Alejandro, the brothers now have him in their custody. I think he even said his own family turned him in. Something about a business dispute that hinged on him no longer having a seat at the table. It’ll be up to Talia what his punishment will be.”
            “Why doesn’t that make me feel any better?” Vanessa hung her head, muttering behind clenched teeth, “Talia has the worst judgment when it comes to that guy, I swear to God.”
            The increase in volume outside the room thrust everyone back into reality as did Scarlet’s phone ringing.
            “Hey little sis, how are you feeling?” She quickly switched the setting to speaker phone. “I’m in the dressing room with Vanessa and Emilia.“
            “Hey… yeah, I’m feeling a little better. I took some pills and made a hot bath for myself. That seems to be helping. So how was your routine, Emilia? Did it go well?”
            The music fully kicked in at that moment. Emilia’s ears pricked up upon recognizing the song. As if in a trance, she walked to the door and pressed her ear against it to listen in. The other two picked up the slack in the conversation and explained what happened in little detail. They took turns looking at her, waiting for some sort of response, but she was completely distracted by the world outside the door. A quiet conflict brewed in her heart as it slowly sank. Whatever comfort she’d received from Talia after her routine suddenly felt lightyears away. Her eyebrows crinkled and she whispered, “what are you up to now?”

*      *     *

            The reception Amber received when she arrived at Calypso was the last thing she expected. Half the room erupted in applause. Several people patted her on the back and at least a dozen offered to buy her drinks. It wasn’t until she agreed and took a bar stool, she realized what she was being congratulated on.
            She mouthed ‘wow’ as Alejandro took the order and slid a blue margarita in her direction. “I can’t believe people liked the show that much…” she trailed off as she took a big sip of her drink.
            “It was a great show, Amber. You deserve a lot of credit.” Alejandro crossed his arms and rested them on the counter. As he watched her take tentative sips, it dawned on him that he wouldn’t need to do much to detain her. Unlike Vanessa, Amber was in no hurry to get backstage. “Is everything all right? You are a little distracted tonight.”
            “I wonder… did Emilia enjoy doing the show with me or did I screw that up? Why else wouldn’t she answer my calls?”
            Alejandro tilted his head. “Where’s the Amber I know? Putting all this hard work in to get where you are. Giving up isn’t in your blood.”
            “Funny,” she managed a chuckle, “Vanessa said the same thing earlier. But what’s the point anymore? She’s back with Talia. She won.”
            “That’s the one thing I’ve always hated about this business. You girls always feel like you have to compete. All of you have overcome a lot in your lives. That alone is something to be proud of.” He reached over and patted the hand closest to him. Before she could control it, a gasp escaped her lips. One look in his eyes and every inch of her body quivered and was consumed by flames. Afraid he’d see right through her, she turned away. “If you’re thinking about leaving us because you don’t think we appreciate you, you couldn’t be more wrong. Your last night here may not have been perfect but everyone still talks about how amazing it was.”
            “Even Emilia?”
            “Especially Emilia.” Despite how furiously she was blushing, Amber searched his eyes and found nothing but truth in his words. Both began opening their mouths to speak when a new song started playing on the speakers. Alejandro slowly backed away, his body rigid as a board. Amber followed his line of sight to the stage. He groaned, “Talia, on the other hand, she may have a few choice words to add. Excuse me.”
            He abruptly departed for the stage to work all the special effects. Amber’s heart sank when she also recognized the song playing over the speakers. As the number progressed, her uneasiness and insecurities were quickly overtaken by rage. She could only think to herself over and over. “She can’t do this… I won’t let her do this to him.”

            Talia had half a dozen routines in her repertoire for whenever Alejandro had done something to make her mad. However, this time was different in one significant way. She gave him a more direct role in her performance.
            A thin fog covered the stage. Talia was surrounded by replicas of famous Greek and Roman statues. All of which depicted angels or men. She wore her favorite rhinestone studded red dress. A cape similar to the one Emilia wore in the previous number hung off her shoulders. Behind a gothic iron gate hung a large projection screen draping inches above the floor. During the verses, it showed footage that had been filmed years ago. They featured Emilia wearing a white blouse and cutoff denim shorts. One scene simply showed her from the back, slipping her hands into her pockets and searching as if waiting for someone to arrive. The other, she and Alejandro were huddled together. She looked down, blushing and laughing after he’d told her a joke and she settled into the comfort of his embrace. Both were night shoots where hazy spotlights were the only light source.
            Meanwhile, Talia was in the foreground doing what she did best- speaking through her dance. When she wasn’t exuding sexuality with her scintillating belly rolls, every other step was tinged with attitude and self-assurance. The glares she occasionally threw off stage were accusatory; a crime had been committed and she was going to right the wrong. For an interesting twist, the lyrics, not the melody, determined the pacing of her footwork. The chorus switched back and forth between slow slinky samba walks and rapid cha-cha movements, accentuating every syllable of the song’s title.
            The climax of the piece caught everyone by surprise except for the parties involved. Alejandro joined Talia on stage. She circled him a few times and his head followed her steps carefully. The story was all about goodbye yet when the chorus returned, both of them entered a hold and danced together. They stepped forward and back, ending each line with a hip wiggle, and repeated. On the third line, it was another quick cha-cha. Then they crossed the stage, dancing in three large circles. He attempted to lead her in more cha-cha but she forced him away from her so hard he fell. It was at the point in the music where everything suddenly stopped for three seconds before continuing where it’d left off. Talia belly-danced in front of him as he silently begged for her forgiveness. In the end, she gave her answer. She took off the cape and threw it on top of him. It was in the same manner matadors finished bullfights, except their capes draped over the corpses of the bulls they’d slain.
***

Song: "Alejandro" by Lady Gaga

...I should note that I had the idea in my head for Alejandro before I decided that'd be the perfect name for him.
He'd changed a lot over time. He used to be the jealous ex-boyfriend or Talia's boss and at the end of the story, he decides to let her go and be happy. Somewhere along the way, he became who he is now. 
And canonically, Fernando and Roberto (two other names mentioned in the song) are the names of his uncles but actually adding it in print would've made the reference to the song a little too obvious.

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 45- Devoured Heart

            When Alejandro gave the date and time of Calypso’s next big showcase over a group text, the remaining sirens immediately responded to confirm they’d be in the audience for support. Naturally, there was one exception. Rather than being “on call” to make an appearance of a patron, Amber decided her time was better spent elsewhere.
            Amber spent most of her time at Evangeline’s, occasionally with Ruby and Vanessa on site. Thanks to the revenue from her last show, Michel and Misha had the remaining funds they required to gain full ownership. They planned to host their own show to celebrate and she offered her assistance wherever it was needed. But as busy as she was, it was a secret to no one where she’d rather be.
            On the date of Calypso’s reopening, Vanessa noticed a significant change in the marquee and rushed to tell Amber. They’d had this conversation numerous times already so Amber quickly shut her down the moment she arrived. “I know what you’re gonna say, but I told you a hundred times. I’ve seen it all before. I have no interest in seeing Talia take a victory lap now that she has everything she wants. Again.”
            Still panting to catch her breath, Vanessa urged her, “Check your phone. The marquee changed this morning. Emilia is going to be debuting a new routine.”
            “What?” Amber looked at the screen on her phone and her heart sank. “I’ve already made a commitment to appear in a couple routines tonight. I can’t. Besides, it’s not like Emilia wants to see me. Pretty much given me the silent treatment since I had that stupid fight with Ruby.”
            “Yeah, but you know how Talia works. When she has something big planned, it’s all about secrecy. It creates a bigger impact.”
            “The Emilia I spent a month working with, she would’ve told me what’s going on. She stopped giving a damn about what Talia wants or needs. The fact I’ve heard nothing is all the confirmation I need.”
            “What happened to the Amber I know? She fought hard to get what she wanted and it was amazing once she did.” Amber only shrugged and resumed the busy work she’d been doing before her arrival—going down a list, making sure that bar was stocked, and all the lights and electronics worked. All the while, she went out of her way to avoid eye contact.
            Vanessa let this go on for five minutes before she could formulate the perfect response. “So that’s it, then. You’re just going back to being Carmen, the girl that ran away. Who’d rather hide out here instead of fighting for what she spent five years working for.” Amber shot her a “if looks could kill” glare but said nothing to confirm or deny her comments.
            Exhausted, Vanessa threw up her arms. “Fine… I’ll go. But do yourself a favor before your big show tonight. Take a good long look at the name in lights at the top of the building and remember what that person enabled you to be. I’m proud of her and I think she would be too.”
            After Vanessa left, Michel and Misha positioned themselves on either side of Amber. It was several moments before that fact registered with her. Focusing hard on the empty doorway to keep the tears locked behind her eyes, she responded, “I get what she’s saying but my mind’s made up.” She clapped her hands together and changed the subject. “Let’s get back to rehearsing. I have an old routine I want to bring back. I just hope I can remember how it goes.”

*      *     *

            Vanessa wound up being the only siren in the audience. After leaving Amber to her business, she contacted Ruby, who declined to come for reasons outside of her control. She’d already passed the word onto her sister.
            By the time she arrived, Calypso was half full. Some of the patrons that’d already been supplied with drinks broke away from their conversations and applauded her as she passed through. She offered a couple of smiles and nods as she made her way toward the staircase. Alejandro quickly finished his current drink order and rushed over to intercept her.
            “Really? We’re still keeping up the closed rehearsal pretense?”
            Alejandro extended his right arm to block her progress as well as escort her back to the counter. As he jostled a martini shaker and poured its contents over a line of four glasses, he explained, “this is actually more about Emilia than Talia. She was thrilled when we told her she’d be getting top billing tonight. Then nerves started getting the better of her when people started showing up.” He slid the glasses toward the anxious patrons at the far end of the bar and went right into Vanessa’s to-go margarita. “So I’m guessing it’s just you tonight?”
            “Yeah… Ruby is indisposed… at least for tonight, and Amber…” She hesitated to get the right words together. “I told her about the marquee change, but I don’t know… I can understand JP never wanting to come back here with what he’s been through with Talia, but she’d fought for Emilia for so long. It’s just strange that she’d give up like this. She’s so fixated on the fact Emilia hasn’t talked to her since the other night. It finally cleared the air between her and Ruby, but she still feels bad about the way she left things.”
            Her head still swimming with their last conversation, Vanessa absentmindedly took a sip of her drink. It was perfectly tart like always. Then she looked up to find Alejandro slightly hunched over the bar, staring at a random spot on the counter with his fists clenched until his knuckles bleached. More patrons were calling out drink orders and started to get irate when he didn’t acknowledge them.
            “Alejandro?” Vanessa eased her hand over his. When he finally met her eye, she asked, “what’s wrong?”
            “Nothing…” He shook his head and filled a rocks glass with ice. “Emilia will be disappointed that the others couldn’t make it. Especially Amber. Just before I came out here, she was saying she was super excited to show it to her.”
            “Do you want me to try calling her again?” She already started rummaging through her purse when he stopped her, “right now what I need you to do for me is fill the rest of these drink orders. Starting with this vodka tonic. I need to go back there to make sure everything is ready to go.” Vanessa slipped into her role as second string bartender as seamlessly as she’d done every other occasion she was asked. But even while her hands kept busy and the customers happy, her mind buzzed with numerous questions that would remain unanswered until the end of the night.
            To Alejandro’s amazement, the stage was completely set and ready to go by the time he arrived. The only job left to him was turning on the music and the smoke machine and operating the overhead projector, a new apparatus required for the night’s two main routines. Talia was the only one there to greet him. Behind the closed door, Emilia paced the dressing room, occasionally shaking her hands hoping to rid herself of the jitters as Scarlet responded to whatever concerns she spoke aloud.
            “How’s the house looking tonight?”
            “Lively.” He winced before adding, “Vanessa was the only one who came. Ruby isn’t well and Amber…”
            “Unbelievable.” Talia scoffed and started pacing herself. “I thought changing the marquee would do it, but she still treats this job like it’s a competition.”
            “Are you really making this about you right now?” His voice briefly reached a higher octave, unable to contain his disdain. Talia hissed, urging him to keep his voice down. He sighed, collecting himself, “so what’s the plan after Emilia goes out there?”
            She resumed her pacing. “Amber needs to be present for this to work. I can put off this new routine until then.”
            He considered mentioning how Vanessa offered to try calling again but thought better of it. “Fine, when this is done, let me know what you want to do, and we’ll work something out.”
            Alejandro glimpsed Emilia from across the stage. Her “deer-in-the-headlights” expression was gone. Through the curtains, she scanned the audience for the other sirens and sighed when she was only able to find Vanessa. Scarlet, who was waiting with her on the same side of the stage, squeezed her hand. They exchanged a few words that were inaudible over the crowd’s anticipation, but they were the last bits of encouragement she needed. She beamed up at her and caught Alejandro’s attention with a solemn nod. It was time.
            Once the hype track faded out and the crowd was all warmed up, Alejandro announced into the microphone. “All right, everyone. Bring your hands together and give a warm welcome to the bright new star of our company, Emilia de la Rosa!”
            Emilia closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and breathed out. “All right, this is it… time to finally put this behind me forever.”

            A light fog coats the floor, adding to the ominous undertones of the dark forest backdrop. On either side, barren trees, their branches curved toward one other, form a nightmarish cage. Emilia meets with a howl when she enters from stage left. She lowers her red hood, unties her cape and drapes the garment over her arm. Underneath, she is barefoot, donning a white lace gown. The wear and tear of her journey shows in her white stockings, full of snags and holes. She places her basket on the floor and her cape on top before approaching the brick wall. A pair of glowing yellow eyes appears and she jolts backwards. Just as quickly, they vanish and the howl reappears.
            Bewildered, she observes her surroundings. In time with the music, the other girls enter from opposite sides. They linger in the background—where they will remain until their presence becomes necessary—to give Emilia full use of the floor. At the same time, a disfigured shadow appears in place of the evil eyes, mirroring Emilia’s flexing from her torso outward and back again. She addresses the audience, drawing attention to the creepy shadow and her unease about its movements. Her footsteps soft, she treads lightly towards the brick wall as if drawn to it. The shadow’s fingers stretch toward her and roll backwards, eliciting a trance. Emilia’s progress stops on her left foot, but her body continues forward into an arabesque, her raised right leg forming a straight line with her left.
            Emilia feints losing her balance, only to fall back into the safety of Talia’s arms. Talia then lifts Emilia over her head, her legs pointing outward. With Scarlet’s aid, she helps her right herself at center stage. Taking hold of her raised left leg, Emilia rotates once clockwise before coming down on her right knee with her opposite leg jutting sideways. She lays down parallel to the audience and arches her back upward with her hand grasping her chest. Talia grabs her hands, pulling her off the ground to face the crowd again. Together, they dash backwards and gyrate their bodies accordingly when the adrenaline of the chorus hits them. Their movements are identical, but the flourishes Emilia attained through her jazz dance training make it impossible to look at anyone else.
            Swaying to the beat, the other girls retreat into the background for the duration of the second verse. Emilia engages the shadow in avid conversation. She braces herself against the brick wall. Her face lights up with joy and ecstasy. But this time when the shadow reaches for her, she backs away and runs off in the opposite direction. Her friends surround her once more.

            As the routine progressed, Emilia began to feel the magnitude of the subject matter. Her sculpted eyebrows and light blue eyeshadow became less visible to the crowd as she dropped her gaze. Even her favorite bit of choreography—her hand clasped over her heart and her chest pulsating in time with a particular line of lyrics—had become less impactful. She drew backwards, her friends following her lead. Shakily, she looked to them in an attempt to ground herself. The change in her composure hadn’t registered with any of them. She inhaled, but her chest tightened up, allowing little oxygen through.
            “Am I having a panic attack?” she whispered. Incidentally, the jazz steps and pirouettes she planned for this verse omitted themselves from her memory. Talia took notice then and asked if she was all right. Between the droning of the music and the growing buzzing in her ears, Emilia didn’t hear her. Talia broke from the supporting ranks and rushed to block Emilia from continuing. As if in slow motion, Emilia fainted. Scarlet reached forward to help break her fall.
            A hush broke over the crowd, their concern more palpable after Alejandro rushed to the console to pause the music. Emilia revived within seconds of blacking out. “Emilia, are you all right?” Talia ran her fingers through her hair, frantic.
            Emilia took inventory of her surroundings, the concern on her friends’ faces. She caught her breath now that her chest had loosened up. “I’m fine,” she exhaled and leaned forward.
            “Emilia, I cannot allow this to continue. I really think…”
            “Talia, please, I need to finish this final minute.”
            Talia shook her head and opened her mouth to speak when Scarlet interrupted, “She’s right, Talia. Let her finish this. I can look after her while you perform your solo.” Her arm wrapped around Emilia’s back, Scarlet helped her to her feet. The rigidity in her stance, Talia quickly realized, couldn’t be argued with.
            “Just one more thing…” Running a finger down the front of her dress, Emilia undid the three buttons. The hidden layer of fabric underneath had a large starburst of red symbolizing a heart that had been ripped out. “Ok, I’m ready. Let’s finish this.” Both of them helped her to her feet. Talia eyed Alejandro and nodded. He sighed but returned her nod with the bravest smile he could muster before pushing play. The rest of the routine was flawless and ended with such a bang, the brief intermission was all but forgotten by everyone but the Calypso collective.

            Without missing another beat, the dance resumes. Their fingers curling to mimic claws, everyone throws themselves into the animalistic choreography to become monsters in their own right. At times, acting as if they’d lost their minds, but the sick beats of the music could easily be blamed.
            For the grand finale, Emilia replaces her red hood and cape and removes a hammer from her basket. The creepy shadow wavers upon seeing it. Small chunks of cardboard fly everywhere as Emilia exacts her revenge. The hole left behind is the size of a softball. She takes one side, Talia the other, and together, they kick the prop, knocking it to the ground.

            Even from behind the velvet curtain, the warm reception of the crowd reigned for several moments. Emilia panted, her hands on her knees, “I guess I’m not quite ready yet. I started having flashbacks and I just froze…”
            “Hey,” Talia put her hands on her shoulders, “I’m very proud of you, Emilia. You handled this with great courage. You should be very pleased with yourself.”
            She nodded, smiling, but had trouble getting more words to come out. Scarlet quickly interceded, anticipating another fainting spell. “Come on, Emilia, let’s get you some water. Break a leg, Talia.”
            “Thank you. See you two after.”
            Alejandro turned off all of the electronics and effects and rushed back to Vanessa. She was on her cell phone, but her body language indicated it wasn’t going as well as she’d hoped. Her eyebrows knit together and her hands were shaking as she lowered it to her side. “Amber still isn’t picking up. Hopefully one of the people she’s with will give her the message.” She turned her attention back to Alejandro. “What happened up there? Is she ok?”
            “Yeah, she’s fine now.” He stroked the back of his neck. “That caught all of us by surprise… Talia kept saying Emilia was rushing into this but she was insistent it had to be done tonight.”
            Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “Alejandro… what’s going on? Why am I getting the feeling there’s more to this than Talia wanting to keep her plans top secret until showtime?”
            He sighed. “Here, I’ll contact Amber. Maybe she’ll answer to me.” He dug for his phone behind the bar and dialed. “I can’t go into every detail but Talia isn’t happy with Amber after the way she left things the other night.”

*     *     *

            Amber just finished the dance she choreographed in Evangeline’s memory when her cell phone started ringing. She ignored it, focusing her attention on changing into the outfit for her next number. A short time later, Michel banged on the dressing room door. “Amber, Vanessa called both of our phones. She wouldn’t tell us what’s going on but it sounds like there’s been an emergency.”
            Her phone began ringing again and she finally relented. “Ok, fine.” She froze when she saw the new name on the caller ID. “Alejandro…” She answered, almost dropping it from her hands shaking. “Alejandro, what’s going on? Vanessa has been blowing up my phone. Something about an emergency?”
            “Yeah, Emilia passed out on stage. She’s ok but you need to get here. Now!”
            All of her bravado and the barriers she’d built up vanished in an instant. She put the phone on speaker as she finished getting dressed, trading her off the shoulder knit shirt and cutoff jeans for a leather skirt and a rhinestone studded black denim vest to match her boots.
            “Oh god… how’d that even… never mind. I’m coming, I need to tie up some loose ends here and I’ll be right there.”

*      *     *

            Alejandro looked up just as he was ending the call. Talia was standing at the top of the stage steps with her arms crossed. Based on her smirk, she’d overheard the whole thing.
            “How’s Emilia?” Vanessa didn’t wait for an answer as she spoke those words. Finally having the opening she needed, she rushed up the stairs and left her coworkers behind.
            Both stood in place for several seconds, staring each other down. Alejandro finally threw up his arms, exasperated, “Go ahead. Say I overstepped. But Emilia is still hurting and whether you approve or not, she needs all of her friends at her side.”
            Coolly, she replied, “I am just surprised. You were against me doing this from the start. Now it’s thanks to you I get the chance to do it tonight.”
            ”Maybe I decided that I have had enough of your keeping secrets and all the competitiveness. The only way we can move forward from this is to do it together.”
            “Hmm, meaning you would rather, how they say, rip off the Band-Aid than wait for the truth to come out later?”
            ”Something like that.” He shrugged it off. “All right, time to get all your props out of storage. But it has to be quick if I need to keep Amber occupied when she gets here.”

***

Music: "Monster" by Lady Gaga

If I could get anyone to choreograph this number, it would be Sonya Tayeh. She always did these cutting edge quirky jazz numbers on "So you think you can dance" that brought out the monster in everyone who worked with her-- and that's the ultimate compliment.

Sonya (left)
Courtney and Mark dancing her routine "The Garden" (right)

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 44- A Monster Undertaking

            Through her habitual check-ins, Talia had grown accustomed to Emilia lying still in bed. So it was a genuine shock when she found her one morning not only awake and alert but sitting up. Her arms wrapped around her legs like a protective cage and her chin rested atop the gap between them. Her eyes were red and puffy; clearly she’d been up for a while, crying.
            “Emilia, thank goodness you’re finally awake. I was so…” She meant to rush to her side to embrace but Emilia’s shaky tone stopped her immediately.
            “Don’t! Just stay away from me.” She recoiled like she’d just been struck and inched a few inches back.
            “Emilia…”
            She promptly turned her back to her. “I have nothing to say to you. The whole reason he hurt me was because of you.”
            Talia gaped, opening and closing her mouth multiple times but she couldn’t get any words to come out. Before she could appeal to Alejandro, he was already two steps ahead of her.
            Alejandro crossed the room in front of her and knelt down in front of Emilia on the other side of the bed. The tiniest of shivers ran down every inch of her body. Her eyes squeezed shut as tears poured down her cheeks and soft sobs vibrated in her throat.
            “Hey Emilia…”
            “If you’re only here to defend her, I don’t want to hear it!” Her voice broke. She buried her face between her knees to muffle the sobs. Talia stood crying in the doorway, one hand covering her mouth while the other braced the wall for support.

            “I feel that some of the responsibility is mine. One of us should have been there to look out for you.” He paused in anticipation of another retort. When only sobs penetrated the silence, he added, “I also thought you should know that Rodrigo won’t be able to hurt you anymore. My uncles have him in their custody while he waits for his punishment.”
            “How do I know Talia isn’t going to just screw him again and get him off?” She rasped between sobs. A gasp escaped Talia’s lips as she flinched at the insinuation.
            Alejandro took a deep breath, doing all he could to remain the calmest person in the room. “Listen, I’ve known this guy for a long time. There will be a line of people on standby to give him what’s coming.”
            With an abundance of caution, he reached to lay a hand on the one nearest him. This time, Emilia didn’t flinch or move away. She lifted her head, revealing streaks of dried up makeup. She sniffled, “You promise?”

            “Cross my heart.” He raised his other hand to rest on hers and gently squeezed for a half a second. “We really are glad you’re ok.”
            “We?” She asked without an ounce of break.
            He nodded, letting go before standing up and facing the open doorway. “Scarlet, if you’re awake out there, could you come in and help Emilia?”
            “Scarlet?” Emilia’s tone colored with newfound confusion. All of the questions that bubbled up in her mind were dashed when she saw Scarlet.
            “Emilia,” she wrapped her arms around her shoulders, “I’m so glad you’re finally back.”
            “What are you doing here?”
            “It’s a long story. Come on,” she slowly helped Emilia to her feet and lent herself as a crutch, “let’s get you cleaned up.”
            Surmising the situation, Talia exited the room and stood out of the path leading to the bathroom. Neither of the two women spared her a backwards glance as they passed through.
            Scarlet started the hot water in the shower while Emilia looked herself over in the mirror. The bruises on her arms and face had faded but aches and soreness remained. She removed the bandage on her forehead. The cut left behind by Rodrigo’s ring was gone. She ran her palm over the surface and couldn’t even feel a trace of it. Scarlet reached over to help her undress, but Emilia shrugged away. “I can handle it, thank you.”
            Scarlet got comfortable on the toilet seat lid; her fingers intertwined as she stared at the ground. “None of this would’ve happened if I’d been there. I left in the middle of JP’s set to come here…” She trailed off, not sure how to continue.
            Emilia stepped into the shower and closed the curtain, but she spent several minutes leaning against the wall as the hot water ran down her back. By the time she was ready to start washing up, Scarlet relayed as many details as she could while keeping her secret out of it. Giving Talia grief about JP, suddenly falling ill and giving a blow by blow of what Amber had planned for her show. The theatricality of Scarlet’s retelling made Emilia smile for the first time since she’d woken up, but an undercurrent of conflict remained. She couldn’t find her voice to speak it aloud, but she repeated in her head over and over. “That was the best night of my life. That monster is not going to take that away from me.”

            Slowly, the reality around her dissolves and she finds herself in the vision of Scarlet’s narrative. At the end of the final number, she exits the backstage and arrives in a haunted graveyard. Wolves howl. Long shadows cast over tombstones. Walking past all that, she enters the dilapidated side of town tourists aren’t meant to see. Buildings are in disrepair, walls of concrete in various stages of crumbling. The moonlight lighting her way is snuffed out by the shadow of her attacker but as she looks to either side of her, she’s relieved to discover she is no longer alone.

            “How you want to handle this is your choice, Emilia.” Emilia shuddered with a gasp. She’d forgotten Scarlet was there or where she was for that matter. “You can take as much time as you need. There’s no rush to come back… that is, if you want to.”
            With a newfound vigor, Emilia finished up. She stretched an arm outside the curtain to request a towel. She wrapped it tight across her body, emerging with remnants of her vision swirling through her head. Scarlet called for her attention several times, succeeding on the 4th attempt. She spared her a grateful smile and a nod before walking out. Talia and Alejandro jumped to their feet when she entered the sitting room.
            Against her better judgment, Talia tried to speak, “Emilia, I…” and stopped after she backed away, wrapping the towel tighter around her.
            “I won’t forgive you… but I know what I want to do.” She allowed herself a deep breath and exhale to get her head straight. “I want to do a dance and I want you and Scarlet to do it with me.”
            “I don’t know, Emilia, it’s too soon…”
            “No, it has to be now. While all of this is fresh in my head.” She quickly added for good measure, “before I do anything else for you, I need you to do this for me.”
            Talia looked around the room to gauge everyone else’s feelings on this. She didn’t have to say a word. Scarlet and Alejandro both held themselves rigidly with no signs of flinching; she was outnumbered. “All right. Tell me what you need and I’ll make it happen.”

*      *     *

            Much to the surprise of all the parties involved, Emilia’s vision for her next performance came together in a matter of days. She approached each rehearsal with a fervor Talia had never seen in her protege before. It was, however, an attitude Scarlet had a lot of experience between Emilia’s time with Amber and the routine she’d previously proposed to her and her sister. This laser-focused determined version of her that only showed up when Talia wasn’t running the show— it appeared she was here to stay. While unsure about what this meant for the future, both parties agreed on one thing. Work provided Emilia the perfect distraction from what she’d endured and neither of them wanted to disrupt the state of calm it gave her.
            Even during her downtime, Emilia left the texts and voicemails that had accumulated in her absence unchecked and unanswered. She didn’t know how much the others knew, but she was positive that she wasn’t ready to discuss it with anyone else. As much as this routine was about working through her pain, she needed it to explain those complicated emotions so she wouldn’t have to revisit every unpleasant detail.
            After the first day, Emilia returned to her apartment with Scarlet in tow. Talia agreed to this without argument. Emilia required time away from her if she had any chance of being forgiven. But more importantly, her apartment was full of unpleasant reminders of that traumatic night and the sooner Emilia put it behind her, the better.
            This also allowed Talia more freedom to rehearse her own routine in secrecy. Alejandro hung around to observe but otherwise had nothing to contribute. As further details came together, he finally asked how this next show was to be promoted. Talia replied, “call it a comeback but make Emilia’s name the biggest on the marquee.”
            In Emilia’s constant company, Scarlet found herself waiting on pins and needles. Everyone’s healing process was different, but she couldn’t help dreading the possibility Emilia couldn’t cope with her trauma and wound up quitting because of it.
            Outside work, Emilia went about her day as if nothing had changed. The one exception was whenever she noticed the house Juan Paulo shared with Javier. She’d bite her left thumbnail and pace two or three times in front of it before proceeding onto her next destination. When Scarlet finally asked her about it at the end of their third day of nonstop rehearsal, Emilia shot back with an unexpected query. “Have you and Javi talked at all since you broke up with him?”

            “I didn’t break up with him. Things just got complicated and I needed space to think about some things…” She quickly added, “Javi knows all about what I went through and he knows I’ll come back when I’m ready.“
            “Ok, good. I’d just hate for him to go through the same heartache JP went through with Talia.”
            “He’s been worried about you, you know. JP. I went to see him the day after to let him know you were on the mend.”
            She graciously nodded but continued her pacing. “I really want to go over there and thank him. I’m just afraid I’ll fall apart again if I do. And that I might not be able to stop.”
            “Emilia,” Scarlet reached to comb a lock of her hair behind her ear, “you’ve shown us how strong you are these past few days. You’re capable of more than you think.” She reached into her purse and typed a quick text on her phone.
            Hesitantly, Emilia asked, “what are you doing? You didn’t just…”
            After hitting send and putting her phone away, Scarlet said, “You know, I was always so self-conscious about overstepping or making decisions for people without their permission. It’s about time I changed that.”
            “Emilia?!” A familiar male voice called into the street. Emilia spun around to meet it and her jaw dropped. She spared Scarlet a glance. Once the initial shock wore off, she flashed her a grateful smile. Juan Paulo peeked his head out of the door and the rest of his body followed. “How… how are you?”
            She blushed, taking the first step. “Doing better… thanks to you.”
            Both cautiously continued forward until they were an arm’s length apart. Then in a blink, they entered a long-awaited embrace. Emilia nestled her head against Juan Paulo’s chest, wrapping both arms around his waist. His arms lingered elsewhere, one around her back to pull her body into his and the other behind her head as he rested his chin on her part.
            Her voice quivered as she cried her thank you’s. To her amazement, she only had a few sobs in her throat and spent the rest of this time soaking his t-shirt with silent tears. Once everything that had built up in her system ran its course, she found herself taken aback by Juan Paulo’s feelings about the whole affair. Thin layers of clothing separated their hearts and she felt his beating rapidly in his chest. His upper body, particularly his shoulders and the arm around her back, was trembling. This affected his breathing, which was shaky and the occasional indiscernible groan resonated in his throat.
            “JP?”
            He stuttered, “I’m just so glad you’re ok.” He squeezed tighter for a moment before releasing her. He rubbed her shoulders, staring at his feet to gather himself for a moment before explaining further. His throat tightened, making his voice sound hoarse. “When I saw you lying there, I was so afraid that…” He swallowed and forced himself to meet her eye. He wasn’t crying but the redness around the edges suggested he hadn’t had the best quality of sleep since they last met. “Maybe it’d be better if I just showed you.”
            Emilia didn’t get his meaning, but she nodded and accepted his suggestion. Draping an arm around her shoulders, he said to Scarlet, “I promise this will only take a minute.”
            “No, it’s fine. Take as long as you need.” Emilia looked to both of them as Juan Paulo escorted her inside. It dawned on her that both of them knew something she didn’t, but she wouldn’t be in the dark much longer.

*     *      *

            Emilia emerged from the house five minutes later. Juan Paulo braced her shoulder and squeezed before letting her go. “Thanks for hearing me out, Emilia. Don’t be a stranger, ok?”
            “Ok.” Emilia got halfway between him and Scarlet before adding, “promise me you’ll at least think about coming. The show should be soon.”
            Leaning against the open doorway, he forced a smile and gave a diplomatic response. “We’ll see. With everything that’s happened, I’m still not sure I’ll be able to go back there. But I promise I will think about it. Goodnight, Emilia. Scarlet.” He turned his back and closed the door behind him.
            Emilia went through her nightly routine without saying a word. This caused Scarlet to keep a closer eye on her, once again anticipating an emotional breakdown of some sort. It was only when Emilia sat up in bed with her arms wrapped around her legs she finally spoke her thoughts aloud. “How does he do it?”
            “Do what?”
            “How does he carry that weight with him? He just carries on with his life without letting it hold him back.”
            “I’m not sure if he gave you the same spiel but when he told me, he said that he wanted to live life as the person his sister looked up to, not the person that let her down.”
            “Tsk, Talia would probably call that self-righteous BS.” Emilia hugged herself tighter. “But I have to admire how he’s handled that. I’ve treated this routine as another job so I can get to the other side of this. But what if I can’t? What if I go through what happened to you? One day I wake up screaming from the nightmare of it all.”
            Scarlet sat next to Emilia and rubbed her shoulder. “Look, the best advice I could give is to take things one day at a time. You can’t let fear keep you from doing what you love. And you can always lean on your friends to help you whenever you need it. That’s always helped me.”
            Beaming, Emilia leaned her head on Scarlet’s shoulder. “Thanks, Scarlet. I’m grateful I have you here with me. You’ve been so calm about all this and I need that right now. When I’m still figuring things out. I still haven’t been able to bring myself to check all the messages on my phone.”
            “The wonderful thing about being a siren— at the end of the day, it’s your choice which scars you show and which you hide. No one can take that away from you, not even Talia.”

*     *      *

            “I really think it’s ready, Talia.” One final day of rehearsals was all Emilia needed to bring her vision to life. Everyone else had left for the day, leaving the two of them in the girls’ bathroom where they removed their stage make-up. “Could you pass it on to the others to come see the show tomorrow night?”
            “I’ll have Alejandro take care of it before I leave.” She deliberately avoided her line of sight, focusing on her reflection in the mirror. “Listen, Emilia,” Talia added with a clear air of caution in her tone, “if you reach tomorrow night and decide it’s too much, you can always cancel. Everyone would understand.”
            She sighed, resting her hands on her hips. “Talia, you promised you would help me do this. Why do you insist on doubting me?” She rolled her eyes and returned to her reflection. “I’m not the porcelain babydoll you think I am.”
            “No, it’s…” She took a moment to collect herself. “It happened to Scarlet when she wanted to do her first solo. She panicked and walked out at the last minute. I just want you to know—whatever you decide, it will be supported.”
            Although not fully accepting that explanation, Emilia nodded. “I know. Scarlet still says it’s one of her biggest regrets not going through with that. But I’m not Scarlet, I’m not you, I’m not anyone but me. I have to do things my way. And right now, my way is pushing through this so I can put it behind me.” She leaned over her sink, holding tight with one hand with the other pasted to her forehead. Her breathing became more deliberate with each passing second as she shut her eyes. “I know what I went through was nothing compared to everyone else. He didn’t… but he would have if JP wasn’t there to save me. I’d been living with this for over a week to put every ounce of my pain in this routine. And when it’s done, I never want to feel this way ever again.” Her embrace with Juan Paulo flashed through her head when she found herself in the same headspace he was—feeling weak but yearning to stay strong in despite of it.
            Emilia opened her eyes to Talia reaching to brace her shoulder and she immediately flinched away. “Don’t touch me!” Her ankles almost buckled under her, but she saved herself. “Look, I appreciate what you’ve done, but I’m not ready to forgive you. I still don’t know if I ever will.” She couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud, but the whole time she walked home, Emilia could only think about how much she would’ve loved Juan Paulo to be present tomorrow night and how it was Talia’s fault if he didn’t come.