Unsure of whether or not Talia was following her, Emilia rushed through the backstage door. Luckily she’d arrived in between performances so no one saw her as she ran behind the curtain to the dressing room. After some rapid-fire knocking, she realized she was out of breath and started hyperventilating.
Vanessa answered, her jaw dropping with astonishment. “Emilia? What are you doing here?”
She only gasped, “Talia...” before letting herself in. Reapplying her makeup at one of the vanities, Ruby immediately stopped what she was doing as she watched the events unfold.
“She’s not here. She...” Vanessa stopped short when she noticed Emilia wasn’t paying her any attention.
Emilia paced the room half a dozen times, each step more unsteady as the next. Finally, she grabbed the back of the chair next to Ruby for balance. Observing how quickly her knuckles bleached from grasping so tight, Ruby asked “Emilia, what happened?”
Shaking her head, she sniffled, “JP deserved so much better than this. I can’t tell him that I couldn’t… now I’ve let him down too.” The other two looked at each other, equally hesitant to be the one to go first. Emilia quickly made their decision for them. “Vanessa, can you call Amber? I need to talk to her about something.” She wiped away the watery residue, one cheek at a time.
“Sure, but first you need to sit down and tell me exactly what happened.”
She nodded and obeyed without any further comment.
Ruby quietly slipped outside the door to give them some privacy and dialed Amber. She must not have read the caller ID because she picked up right away. “Hey Vanessa, can I call you back later? I’m already running late for…”
Ruby sighed, “Amber, it’s Ruby.” She quickly added, “Don’t hang up. Emilia’s here and she’s asking for you.”
She paused long enough for an inhale and exhale. “Go on…”
“Wait, what are you running late for?”
“None of your business! What’s this about Emilia?”
Had this been their typical argument, Ruby would’ve called Amber out on her attitude. But time was of the essence, so she stuck to her primary objective, “Apparently she and Talia had a huge falling out. Vanessa’s still getting the details. Whatever happened, she’s really shaken up.”
There was a long thoughtful pause. “It must be hard… learning someone you idolized isn’t as perfect you think they are.”
Picking up the hint of smugness in her voice, Ruby cut to the chase. “Are you coming or not? Unless there’s somewhere more important you have to be…”
After a pause half the length of the previous one, she relented, “Yeah, yeah, just give me a few minutes to get my shit together. I’m going to blow the roof off Calypso with a brand-new routine. No pyrotechnics required.” The line was dead barely a second later.
Emilia came out of the dressing room, still rubbing her eyes as Vanessa lightly patted her on the back. “Go splash some water on your face and take a breather. We’ll get through this together, ok?” She nodded as her slow dejected stride took her into the restroom.
Once she was inside, Vanessa’s entire body exhaled. “Is she coming?” She rested her back against the dressing room door next to Ruby.
“Yeah, I’m sure she has a happy dance to get out of her system but she’s on her way to close for us tonight. She also let it slip about running late for some other commitment. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” Vanessa shook her head, too crestfallen to offer a theory. Chewing her bottom lip for a brief moment, Ruby finally asked the burning question. “How bad is it?”
She groaned, rolling her eyes, “Talia didn’t just break up with JP. When Emilia tracked her down to talk some sense into her, she walked in on her getting hot and heavy with another guy. She didn’t get a good look at him, but it sounded pretty intense.”
“Oh God...”
“Yeah and that’s not even the worst of it.”
“How is that even possible?” Ruby threw up her arms, exasperated.
“Talia finally told her everything she’d been keeping from her. About what we used to do here to bring in extra revenue.” She leaned her head back and inclined it toward the restroom. “Obviously it’s been a lot to take in.”
“Yeah, no kidding...”
* * *
It didn’t take long for Emilia to compose herself, but she took full advantage of the privacy the others had given her to collect her thoughts. Her talk with Vanessa more or less confirmed something she’d suspected for a while. Since the beginning, the others treaded lightly around certain matters of conversation whenever she was in the room. She knew they saw her as this fragile virgin, but just because she was inexperienced didn’t mean she had to be shielded from the harsher realities of the world.
As startling as Talia’s undignified display was, what upset her the most was all of the lies. Everyone else had done so to protect her, but Talia had clearly acted out of selfishness. This also wasn’t the first time someone she’d put her faith in let her down. Her grip on the sink tightened. “How could I be foolish enough to let this happen again?”
All of a sudden, a flurry of excitement erupted outside. Realizing she still wasn’t ready to rejoin the others, Emilia immediately shut herself in one of the stalls. The distinct clacker of stilettos entered the room a second later, stopping in front of the row of sinks. Through the cracks on either side of the door, Emilia saw Amber putting the final touches on her makeup. She was dressed completely in pale pink with the exception of her white thigh-high boots. The texture of the synthetic fabric and how sections of it extended past her body reminded her of an alien race she once saw in a movie. As she turned her heel to leave, she said, “after you finish up in here, come and watch the show. You just might learn something.” Emilia peeked her head out the moment she left. Amber’s tone may have reeked of arrogance but deep down, she picked up on the slightest hint of elation.
* * *
Emilia took her place in the wings backstage next to Ruby and Vanessa as soon as the music started. Instead of a poppy melody with Latin flair, the beat of this song was mechanical and involved a lot more bass. In other words, it was the type of music Talia would never allow in the set list. Taking further inventory of the stage, Emilia covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. At center stage was the cardboard cutout of a rocket; between that and the smoke machines rigged on either side of the stage, her impression of Amber’s clothing was surprisingly accurate. Her face betrayed no emotion and her hips had a slight sway to them. Otherwise, the majority of the movement was in her arms, which contorted robotically in different directions to add dimension to the beat and act out the lyrics.
At its peak, Amber slowly approached the front of the stage to stand under a ghostly blue spotlight. She allowed herself the smallest smile as she addressed her audience through lip syncing. Then she turned her head in Emilia’s direction. The Egyptian-inspired lilac makeup that framed her eyes, much easier to see in this light, was stunning. In midst of admiring them, Emilia’s heart skipped when Amber winked at her. Then for the finale, she revealed a pair of glow sticks from behind her back and tossed them in the air as she’d previously done with her flaming batons.
Emilia didn’t realize it at the time, but Vanessa and Ruby were taking turns looking her way because her gasps and cries of surprise were almost louder than the music. After feeling so deflated about the night’s events, her lungs swelled with the anticipation her life as a siren was truly about to begin.
* * *
The roars of the crowd faded into the night, but their tremors echoed for miles. Amber stood unwavering at center stage, soaking it all in. The applause was invigorating, not because of the attention but because it was reassurance the audience was receptive to something new and unexpected from her. It made her more determined than ever to make this new project a reality. She shifted her glance stage right toward her colleagues. Emilia being present to see her work made it all the sweeter. After flashing them a smile, she searched the bar area for Alejandro’s reaction. To her dismay, his serious expression as he ran up the stage steps revealed he had business on his mind instead of the accolades she longed for. Suddenly she remembered her own bit of unfinished business for the night and disappeared into the dressing room to address it.
“I must say, it’s been a long time since I’d seen Amber so carefree on this stage.” Vanessa and Ruby stiffened in unison, whirling around to find Alejandro bemused with his arms crossed. “Maybe I’m wrong here but was she not on the roster for tonight?”
Emilia interceded, stepping out from behind the others, “it was my idea, Alejandro. I wanted to talk to her about something and she…”
“Emilia?!” Alejandro stuttered as if someone had punched him in the diaphragm but was quick to regain himself. “Ok, someone better start explaining what’s going on here. If Talia finds out…”
“She already knows.” Emilia interjected. “But with everything she has going at the moment, I’m probably the last thing she’s worrying about.”
Not quite getting the message, Alejandro said, “Emilia, Talia adores you. Surely by now you must know this.”
“Yeah but not enough to be honest with me about what I was signing up for. What kind of business Calypso was founded on. Or that’d I only do the dances she approved of and I wasn’t allowed to explore ideas of my own.”
Alejandro found himself lost for words but before he caught his mouth hanging open too long, he redirected to the others. “Now I really feel like I missed something.”
Emilia threw up her arms, expressing something halfway between a sigh and a groan. “Go ahead. Ask me to leave the room so the ‘grown ups’ can talk. Talia told me everything, although I didn’t exactly give her a choice!” Suddenly she clutched her chest and started gasping for air.
“Ok, Emilia,” Vanessa rubbed her back, “deep breaths. Come with me this way.” Spreading her arm across her shoulders, she angled her toward the dressing room. Over her shoulder, both Alejandro and Ruby were wide eyed with panic. “Ruby, do me a huge favor and get Alejandro up to speed.”
“Sure, of course. Do what you need to do.”
Shaking his head, Alejandro wondered with a wry wit, “Is this seriously the first time Emilia is spending time with Amber? Because she’s already mastered her brand of sarcasm.”
“I’m sorry, Alejandro.” Emilia gasped between shuddered breaths, “it’s been a crazy night. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. God knows you’ve heard this kind of talk from Talia hundreds of times already.”
“No worries. But just so you know, everyone else wanted you to know everything up front. But Talia’s the boss so…”
“Yeah, yeah I get it.” She offered him a gracious nod before going into the dressing room with Vanessa. Amber didn’t turn to face them directly but followed their reflections in her mirror as she applied a new coat of lip gloss. “How’d you like the show, Emilia? A little different than what you’re used to, huh.”
“It definitely wasn’t something Talia would like but I loved it. I was also kinda surprised it wasn’t particularly risqué.”
“Well,” Amber shrugged, “the rumors about my kinds of performances may have been exaggerated. But not without merit.”
“Well, I may not be as experienced as everyone else here but that doesn’t mean I can’t handle everything that’s dished out.”
Studying her more closely in the mirror, Amber observed, “Your body is telling me another story. Trust me, the kinds of things you see inside the Calypso bubble, that’s nothing compared to what else is out there. The people from my old neck of the woods would smell the virgin on you in seconds and eat you alive.”
“Amber…” Vanessa warned.
“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. And I won’t be asking her to do anything on stage she’s not comfortable with. But now that the flood gates are open, she needs to grow a thicker skin so anything that lies ahead won’t be as jarring.”
Anticipating another ‘don’t talk about me like I’m not in the room’ type of outburst, Vanessa espied Emilia at the vanity next to her. She still seemed a little shaken up, but she was also on the edge of her seat hanging on Amber’s every word.
“Listen, I have a gig on the other side of town I needed to be at half an hour ago. If you don’t mind staying up past your bedtime, I’d like you to come see it.”
Vanessa hissed, “Amber, Emilia’s been through a lot tonight already. Don’t you think a trip through The Underground is pushing it a little too far?”
“What’s The Underground?” Emilia asked, not sure if she should be excited or nervous.
“It’s the part of the island tourists aren’t supposed to see. Not exactly the friendliest of neighborhoods. But if you can make the journey with your sanity intact, I know you’re ready to commit to working on this project with me.”
Vanessa leaned over. “Emilia, you don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to. Amber’s wanted to work with you for so long I’m sure she’ll still take you on even if…”
“No, I want to do it. Everything with Talia has been a lot to take in, but I don’t want anyone else to get the impression I can’t handle what’s out there.”
A smirk crossed Amber’s face as she spun around. “I like your attitude. So, here’s what we’re gonna do.”
***
Music: "E.T." by Katy Perry
...my original plan for this part of the story was Vanessa talking to Emilia alone and later escorting her to see Amber on the other side of town. Then I decided that it'd be asking a little too much of her without more dialogue and a proper meet and greet.
It's another of those songs that came to mind out of nowhere, I ran with it and this is where it ended up.
It's another of those songs that came to mind out of nowhere, I ran with it and this is where it ended up.
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