The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 35- Starstruck

This scene doesn't take place in the dark...
but this looked too cool not to use for the screenshot

            After Emilia’s departure, Amber spent the next several minutes readying the stage for her own rehearsal. Emilia took her suitcase and clothes with her, leaving Amber to place everything else back in storage. While doing so, she deliberately kept her eyes on what she was doing. Alejandro’s smile moments earlier was fresh in her mind. It was hard not to consider the possibility he was still watching her. Her heart thudded in her chest and her palms started gathering beads of sweat. Despite this, she kept her hands and her breathing steady as to not give anything away.
            She finally allowed herself a glance in his direction when she reached the final item (the partition) to remove from the stage. In predictable fashion, his eyes were firmly on his work arranging the bottles behind the bar. He’d moved some of the more expensive spirits into the back and replaced them with a legion of cheap flavored vodkas. She mumbled, “Of course”… before shutting herself inside the storage unit.
            Amber rested her back against the wall and sighed heavily. It was extremely rare to be alone at Calypso with Alejandro. But as much as she wanted to tell him everything she’d held back over the years, she knew the timing wasn’t right. Through a series of texts, Vanessa had brought her up to speed regarding Talia and the current state of affairs. A lot of uncertainty about the club’s future hung in the balance and it was up to the rest of them to make sure things didn’t end up in shambles. Amber could only laugh at the irony. “If Talia did her job as our fearless leader, we wouldn’t have to question whether or not we can stand on our own without her.”
            Roughly 10 minutes later, Amber returned to center stage. The props she brought forward included a large pair of headphones and a makeshift DJ turntable. She was still figuring out the outfit for this particular number, so she just wore the black camisole, stilettos and tights from her duet with Vanessa. As she focused on what she needed to do, the echo of Alejandro’s feet up the steps made her heart skip a beat.
            “What’ve you got happening up here, Amber?”
            Coolly, she flipped her hair and walked past him to the stereo to set up her music. “A little idea I’d been brainstorming for my theme night… but I only have a vague idea of how this would fit into the storyline.”
            “So, what? You’re thinking of something like a play or a musical?”
            She sifted through the sleeve of CDs to keep her hands steady and her mind focused. “Something like that. The goal is that at the end of the night, the audience will learn something new about each of us they didn’t know before.”
            “Ah, very nice. Do you mind giving me a little preview?”
            Her breath caught. She mentally berated herself into snapping out of it, but kept the façade intact. “Don’t you have paperwork or inventory to take care of?”
            “I’m good for a little while. Besides, my eyes need something a little more interesting to look at than just numbers and labels.”
            Amber bit her lip but managed to hold back the growing blush in her cheeks in time to respond. “Sure, do what you want. Could you at least get off the stage so I can work?”
            “Sure, can’t wait to see what’s next.” She met his gaze, which paired with another pleasant smile, before turning away and finishing her setup. Deep down, she wished she had something more concrete to show off for Alejandro but she wasn’t about to let this opportunity go to waste.
            To kick it off, she strutted back toward the turntable with the slightest bit of wiggle in her hips. Once behind the table, she mimed some record scratches while holding the headphones to her ear with the opposite hand. One of the verses in the song rattle through terminology any DJ worth their salt would know. All the while, the lines dripped with cheesy innuendos. For the chorus, she broke away and brought out her inner sex kitten with lots of shimmies and hair flips. She kept an allure in her eyes and her lips locked into a flirtatious smile.
            Meanwhile, the back of her mind tripped through a series of fantasies before settling on the one that had become her favorite as of late. She imagined being on stage alone with Alejandro with only a single spotlight above them for a light source. He was sitting in the café chair from her routine with Vanessa. At one point, she sits across his lap and gives him the sexiest lap dance a person could manage while keeping sex barely out of reach. His eyes and smile would marvel at the beauty of her curves and his hands would slowly reach out to wrap around her ribs. In her chats with Vanessa, she revealed how fantasizing helped keep her sane as the siren lifestyle wore on her more over the years. She never went into full detail on what they were about. She only revealed how they helped her cope on the nights she dreaded going to work and thanks to the blindfold, her clients were none the wiser that her attention wasn’t fully with them.
            By the time Amber willed herself back into reality, the song had reached its end. She spied Alejandro over by the stereo hitting the stop button before the album progressed to the next song. Her heart sank when she realized not an ounce of excitement registered on his face. In fact, he seemed hesitant as he approached her. Was it concern or disapproval? Neither option was particularly appealing. As he inhaled to speak, she answered for him, “Let me guess… you didn’t like it?” She swallowed upon recognizing the smallest break in her voice.
            He’d clearly noticed because his facial features softened in an effort to cushion the blow. “It’s not that I didn’t like it. I just don’t think this sort of thing is you.”
            She rolled her eyes yet the amount of disdain she’d normally give was half its typical intensity. “It’d be good enough if it was Talia, but not for me…”
            “Hold on, that’s not what I mean. Here…” He jumped off the stage and brought one of the chairs from the main floor up with him.
            A glimpse of the fantasy flashed through Amber’s subconscious before she shoved it into the back of her mind. Over and over, she lectured herself, “knock it off, you have to hold yourself together.” Clarity of mind resumed, but with each passing second, she feared her façade was fading away.
            “Sit down for a minute and catch your breath.” Amber wordlessly obeyed. By a stroke of luck, Alejandro took the reins of the conversation so all she had to do was nod. As he spoke, he paced back and forth with his hands folded behind his back while occasionally making eye contact with her. This new dynamic was similar to that of a teacher meeting with a student after class to explain how they weren’t living up to their potential. “This has nothing to do with Talia, I promise. This is about how you want to present yourself. What I just saw, I’m sure I’d seen half a dozen times before. I thought the whole point of this thing was to stretch into new territory. Give the audience something they hadn’t seen before.”
            She stared down at the ground. “This is why it’s so frustrating spending so much time in other peoples’ shadows. It makes you forget what you want for yourself."
            “Sounds like something you and Emilia have in common. She’s told me time and again that she feels like the little sister everyone feels the need to protect. What about you?”
            Amber caught his eye then, noticing a slight raise of the eyebrow. “What?”
            “What do you feel is your role in the group?”
            “Besides always being second best?” She scoffed. She stood up and walked to the opposite side of the stage. Her arms crossed around her chest, a little tighter than she typically would to keep her composure. “Since the day I got here, I’ve always felt like an outsider. The bad girl.”
            “Hmm… now that’s the kind of routine I’d like to see from you.” She faced him again. That wonderful smile of his was back. Amber felt her chest swell up with warmth, but again managed to keep her true emotions from reaching her eyes.
            By the time Alejandro helped Amber move all of her props back into storage, it was a quarter past one. It was the first day in a long time she’d really enjoyed herself. She just had one pressing issue that needed to be resolved before she could continue forward.
            “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some unfinished business from last night I need to take care of.”
            “Unfinished…” He stuttered, “did everything not go well last night?”
            Amber couldn’t help rolling her eyes, but an odd playfulness came out of her as she reassured him, “keep your shirt on. it’s nothing I can’t handle on my own.”
            “Well, would it be all right if I asked for a little more information? I already have enough on my mind to worry about. My imagination is the last thing I need to lose control of.”
            A sarcastic laugh escaped Amber’s lips as she responded in her thoughts, ‘That makes two of us.’ Between Alejandro’s complexion and the beads of sweat forming above his brow, a familiar sight back when Calypso was on the brink of going under prior to Talia’s arrival, she took pity on him and offered as much as she could without revealing too much. For her sake and Scarlet’s. “I had to call my session short when Scarlet stopped by asking if she could spend the night.”
            “Man,” he sighed, “I knew she was taking this thing with Talia hard, but I never thought…”
            “Alejandro…” She interrupted, accentuating the seriousness in her tone.
            “Ok, I’ll let you finish.”
            “She’s ok. She just needs a little space to work through some things. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
            “What makes you so sure? It isn’t as if you spend a lot of time together.”
            “I’d say you have to trust me but that might be asking too much. If you’d rather get the full story from her, go right ahead. But in case you’ve forgotten, Scarlet isn’t Talia. None of us are. She’s overcome many things and she’ll continue to do so.”
            Alejandro slowly picked his jaw off the floor and composed himself. “I believe you… that was a pretty nice thing for you to do.”
            Her lips curled into a crooked smile. “Tsk, tell me something I don’t know.”
            Amber spent her entire walk home on that single phone call. Her client was still a little put off by the interruption, but he calmed down when she explained the details. Except in emergencies, clients were bound by confidentiality, so she conveyed some extra details Alejandro didn’t get to hear. How Scarlet’s past was now affecting her present and she needed to sleep on someone’s couch to get her head straight. The contract was finalized just as her building came into view—with Scarlet standing out front with a suitcase.
            Amber hissed and the voice on the other end called attention to it. “Tell you what… I’ll come to you. See you in 10.” She quickly hung up and trotted toward Scarlet. “Um… mind telling me what this is all about?”
            “I’m sorry,” Scarlet bowed her head, “I know I should have run this by you before I did all this. I just thought I’d crash here for a few days while I figure things out.”
            Amber averted her gaze and let out a heavy sigh as her hands found their way to her hips. “Did you talk to Javier like I asked you to?”
            “Yeah. I mean, I texted him. He and Ruby are up to speed with everything.”
            “Good…” Amber strode past her and opened the door for her. “I did say you’re welcome for as long as you need, and I hold myself to that. I just want to be sure I won’t have to worry about my door being broken down because nobody else knew where you were.” Scarlet bit her lip while Amber’s attention was elsewhere. After reading the note from that morning, she was able to recognize when Amber was using sarcasm to mask her true intentions. She may have been putting emphasis on how this would be an inconvenience, but the fact she didn’t immediately say no told her what she needed.
            “You might want to stay out of my room. It’s still a bit of a mess, but otherwise feel free to help yourself to all of the facilities. I have to go finish what I started from last night. Ugh,” she groaned as she went through her drawers to grab a few trinkets and ties, “I’m so glad this is the last time I’m doing this. I never thought I’d make another house call after what happened last time.”
            “Hey, wait…” Scarlet immediately abandoned her suitcase and ran after Amber, who was already halfway out the door. “Do you want me on standby as your wingman?”
            Amber whirled around. “What are you talking about?”
            “It’s something I do with Ruby. I may not be in the apartment when she has someone over, but she asks me to have my phone nearby in case she needs assistance. She’s never had to use it, but I always insist on it. It’s the least I could do for everything you did for me last night.”
            Amber quickly turned away to hide her blush. “Ye…yeah, sure. I’ll probably be fine. I’ve had this one a few times before, but if it’ll make you feel better, sure.” With that said, she pushed herself forward before she could respond further with a “thank you.”

*      *     *

            Amber’s session went as planned. She even enjoyed herself despite the fact all of her limbs were restrained. The payout made the whole ordeal worth it. She called Scarlet to reassure her everything went fine. Once that was out of the way, she ran through her plans for the day with an amendment or two. “You’re on your own for lunch, but I can bring back dinner. Is there anything special you want?”
            “As long as it’s nothing spicy, I’m good with anything, thanks.”
            “Oh, and Emilia is supposed to stop by later tonight. If I’m not back by then, accommodate her however she needs, even if it’s just giving her feedback.”
            “Ok, ok, you got it. You’re really excited for this, aren’t you?”
            “No offense, but any chance I get to do something that doesn’t involve your sister is exciting. Later.” She abruptly hung up then. The smile that stayed behind was impossible to shake off until she returned to Calypso. Part of her even wished it and her upbeat attitude could stay forever, but she knew they couldn’t. Not until she was absolutely ready.
            Alejandro looked up when Amber reentered the building. He called over, “I got what I needed from Scarlet. The story checks out.”
            “Great… now if you don’t mind, I have work to do.” She avoided his gaze when she said this, but she missed the knowing smirk he wore in doing so. Scarlet wasn’t the only person that day who found the secret code for her signature sarcasm. As the album played over the speakers, she laid on the stage on her stomach, her feet crossed in the air, as she jotted down notes. But while the ideas flowed seamlessly, the transitions proved elusive. Frustrated, she left without a word to Alejandro, who’d disappeared back into the office.
            He did however leave a note at the bar reading: “Great job today. Looking forward to seeing more tomorrow. P.S. Emilia’s favorite is tandoori chicken from the Currying Favor food truck.” She rested her hand on her heart. Today felt like a dream and she hoped with everything in her that she wouldn’t wake up for a while.
            Food in hand, she started the trip home. A few blocks away, she heard a vibration that built as she drew closer. It was obviously music, but typically Calypso was the only place where it played that loud. Her apartment came into view a minute later. Light peeked through the closed curtains. Her door was open by the smallest crack.
            “That’s strange,” Amber wondered as she tiptoed closer, “why does this feel like a scene from a movie where all this anticipation builds up…” She slowly poked her head inside and she was stunned almost beyond description.
            The music in question came from a stereo Emilia had brought over with an MP3 player nestled in its holder. In a flash, she did another costume change. This time, pulling two ribbons apart changed her schoolgirl uniform into her vest from the start of her previous routine. The whole set up was an even feistier version of the cheerleader routine, but Emilia took her notes about not smiling and embodying the essence of the song’s message. The chorus had footwork Amber could only describe as Riverdance meets Swan Lake, Irish step fused with ballet.
            Amber stood in the doorway completely unnoticed for the entire song. She was tempted to interrupt somewhere to say that was good for now, but she honestly didn’t want it to end. So she waited until Scarlet turned off the stereo before she gave herself away with slow applause. “Now that’s more like it. I think we have our starting point.”

***

Music: "Starstruck" by Lady Gaga (feat. Space Cowboy and Flo Rida)

    -What took place in the fantasy sequence was my original plan for the scene. I decided maybe a year after I originally wrote it that it was the wrong move. It'd be way too forward for Amber's character to literally give Alejandro a lap dance- especially when she's biding her time to come forward about everything

The song at the end of the chapter- that'll be a surprise. But it's from someone from American Idol I bought an EP from on iTunes.

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 34- Picking up the Pieces

 

"I can be good..."

"...unless you wanna be bad."

            After several hours of dreamless sleep, Scarlet woke with a start around 9 o’clock the following morning. Several questions arose from her initial panic when it wasn’t immediately clear where she was and how she came to be there. She quickly reached for her phone on the nearby end table and the pieces slowly fit back into place. “Right… I’m on Amber’s couch because Javi…” The rims of her eyes itched with tears upon seeing “1 new voicemail” on the display along with 2 texts, the most recent one reading “text me if you need me, mi amor.” She wiped her eyes and the moisture that’d begun to accumulate under her nose. “He’s too good for me…”
            Not wasting another moment, she listened closely to the voicemail. “Hi Scarlet, I’m just calling to see you arrived home safe. Listen, if you don’t want to talk and just need time alone to think, that’s ok. Just promise me you’ll try to take care of yourself. I’m always here if you need me for anything. With love, your Javi.”

Again, Scarlet mumbled, “he really is too good for me. Maybe I should tell him everything’s ok.” But after going through all the steps to call him back, she stopped short of hitting ‘dial’. If she talked to him, it’d be difficult to keep from crying and she didn’t want him to see any more of that side of her. Texting, she decided, would be a lot easier. After all, that’s how their relationship started in the first place.

Hi Javi- I’m fine.

Amber offered me a place to stay the night.

Sorry for leaving so fast.

            A few seconds of staring at her screen later, he replied.

Glad to hear you are all right

            Once that was cleared up, she made several attempts to elaborate on her apology, but never successfully sent out an explanation. He finally messaged her back, apparently noticing that her typing was going nowhere fast.

You don’t have to worry about an apology.

I understood why you had to leave.

            She swallowed back the lump in her throat and forced herself to send another response.

I don’t deserve you. But thank you. I’ll stay in touch.

            She put down her phone on the coffee table and heaved an exhale as she bent in half. Things have become such a struggle and she was finally able to lighten the load off her shoulders. When she picked herself back up, she found a piece of paper on the table she’d completely missed.
            The note read:

Scarlet,

My casa is yours for as long as you need it.

From Amber

P.S.
Your boyfriend kept waking me up with his calls. You should let him know you got here all right. Just because Talia lets her past get in her way doesn’t mean you should too.


            “Hmm…” Scarlet studied the letter, somewhat bemused. “Amber’s comments almost sounded like friendly advice…”
            Her phone rang before she could think on it any further. It was her sister. “Hey Ruby…”
            “Where the hell are you, Scarlet? Javi came by last night looking for you. He said you ran off and you weren’t picking up his calls. I tried you a bunch of times after he left, and you didn’t…” Ruby ran out of air mid-sentence and had to catch her breath.
            Scarlet seized this opportunity to skim through her call history because her home screen had no mention of Ruby’s calls. Not including the call accompanied by the voicemail, there was a record of five missed calls after midnight, two from Javier and three from Ruby. A third call from Javier was accepted after a temporary break in the action. That conversation went on for exactly five minutes. Before she could compare the time stamps of his voicemail and the text she replied to, another text from Javier appeared and it gave Amber’s note context Scarlet hadn’t anticipated.

Tell Amber hi for me.

I feel like I still owe her for the Rumba routine she taught me the other day.

Of all our work on stage it’s the one I’m most proud of.

It showed the audience what I saw in you from the start.

            “Scarlet?!” Ruby shouted, trying to regain her sister’s attention. “Damn it, Scarlet, answer me! Are you ok?”
            Although her mind was still submerged in confusion, Scarlet recognized in the first few seconds of her answer that she was still stuck in a haze.
            “Yeah, yeah I’m ok… hang on, I’m on my way back.”

*     *      *

            After touching base with Amber, Emilia arrived at Calypso two days after their previous meeting with an old-fashioned tan suitcase by her side. She wore a white collared shirt with a navy vest and matching skirt. Her black ankle boots rested at the bottom of fishnet stockings. She swallowed hard before pushing the door open. Part of her expected Talia to be waiting for her and any hope of starting a new chapter immediately extinguished.
            Once inside, that wound up not being the case. The only other soul in the building was Alejandro, sitting at his usual place behind the bar with ledgers spread out in front of him. However, in Talia’s stead lingered a sadness that made her absence more final than she’d anticipated.
            “Hey Alejandro, do you need any help?” She asked as she approached the counter.
            “Emilia! It’s good to see you. No, I’m fine, thanks. It’s very sweet of you to offer… what do you have going on over here?” He pointed to the suitcase, his voice breaking with a newfound intrigue.
            “I’m going to show Amber what I’ve been working on and I wanted to come prepared.” After thinking for a moment, she added, “you don’t have any other props I could use by any chance?"

            He quickly closed the books and locked them in the office. “Sure, tell me what you need and I’ll get it out of storage for you.”
            “Are you sure it’s not too much trouble? You seem a little busy.”
            “No problem at all. Besides, I’d been at work since sunrise. I could use the break anyway. So what should I look for?”
            Emilia listed a handful of items as they walked side by side to the back storage unit. His eyes were red around the edges, so his previous statement hadn’t been an exaggeration. Despite this, his good-natured demeanor remained intact. “I’m sorry you have all this extra work to do…”
            “Emilia, you don’t need to worry about me. All this is just part of the job. Vanessa already offered to help with the scheduling, so we’ll be fine.”
            “Ok. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to lie to protect me.”
            “Understood. That’s a promise.”
            The two of them emerged 10 minutes later with a hospital room partition, a small table to lay the suitcase open and a small easel with a dry erase board. As Alejandro helped her set everything in place, Emilia mentally recalled the part of her conversation with Amber involving Alejandro. As casual as she could manage, she asked, “So what’d you think of Amber’s show the other night? Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing a lot of the same routines at rehearsal lately, but it felt like the best thing I’d seen in a while.”
            “I really don’t like last minute changes like that. Talia and Amber might enjoy the unpredictability. But as the Americans say, ‘it could turn into a logistical nightmare.’” Catching Emilia’s bewildered expression, he explained, “Sometimes you can’t help but overhear some of the conversations from the tourists that come in here.” Returning to her original question, he said, “It’s almost like… something about you being here brought out that spark in her. And a few weeks before that, when you did that number with the twins. You have that spark that makes everyone want to do better.”
            “Except Talia… if what happened the other day is any indication, nothing I could do will ever change who she is.”
            “Eh,” he playfully nudged her shoulder “I wouldn’t sell myself so short. You talked her into bringing me into a performance, remember? It may have been short-lived but at least it was something.” Just as quickly, his optimism dissipated. He stared into space with the kind of seriousness Emilia had only seen in him a couple times. “It’s a sad truth about life. As much as you wish people can change, they have to be the ones to make that choice.”
            Emilia used the temporary silence to consider her new partnership with Amber, but also her perpetual refusal to work with Ruby despite the time they spent together. She paused halfway through scribbling her title on the dry erase board and thought aloud, “what if that happens with Amber? Will things be different with me and her than they are with her and the others?”

            “Nothing is for sure, Emilia. Personally, I’d stay out of the gossip. I’m sure you’ve heard rumors from the others but the important thing I want you to worry about is making your own choices. She has her relationship with the others and she’s wanted this partnership with you for a long time.” He looked up toward the entrance just as Amber arrived, the main door squeaking closed behind her.
            He smiled and raised a hand to wave hi to her. She quickly nodded when she met his eye, immediately turning her attention back to the vast display on stage. “I’ll just get out of your way then.” Alejandro hopped off stage. “Room’s all yours, Amber. I’ll be in the office if you need anything.”
            “Sure, thanks.” Without another word, he crossed the room and promptly shut the office door behind him.
            Loud enough for only herself to hear, Amber grumbled as she shook her head, “unbelievable… Talia’s out of the way and it’s still like she owns this place.” After that brief lapse, she composed herself as she approached. “How’s it going over there?”
            “Hey Amber!” While she put the finishing touches on her setup, Emilia unloaded every little idea about this routine that had accumulated in her brain over the past two days. “Just imagine a smoke machine going on the side of the stage and I emerge from the mist as the song kicks into gear. I was also thinking instead of a curtain, I’d come out of a magician’s box—dark blue but adorned with stars. The rest of the stuff here was all I could manage on short notice. I really want to start getting things together.”
            Amber’s eyes skimmed over the props present on stage. In addition to the curtain was a small table, which held an open suitcase full of clothes, and a large white board that read: “MAGIC SHOW! Starring…” in print. In script beneath, it read: “Whoever you want me to be.”
            “Huh,” Amber mused with a smirk creeping on the right side of her face, “Such eagerness… sounds like this will be quite the show.”
            Emilia began the music and immediately got into character. In the same three seconds it took Amber to recognize which song it was, she slowly covered her mouth with her right hand to hide her reaction. She’d only spent a few hours with Emilia in the time she’d known her, but she never imagined anything like this.
            Despite the suggestive lyrics, the routine began innocently enough. Emilia employed all of the tricks she’d acquired from her jazz training. A lot of quick turns and spins. Leg extensions where her legs went up so high, the rest of her body had to lean at a 45-degree angle to keep its balance. Half the time, her fedora (bejeweled in a band around the middle) served as an extension of her lines and the other half, it was a prop she tossed in the air or rolled down her arm. Each time, she caught it long before there was any danger of it hitting the ground. All of this happened in the first 45 seconds and Amber marveled at every second.
            Then things took an interesting turn. For a brief second, Emilia disappeared behind the partition and emerged in a form-fitting lacy white corset. She did another leg extension and a spin. During which, the top of her garment flopped away from her and a flicker of black was briefly visible under the bow. The lyrics dabbled back and forth through opposing phrases. Again, for a brief instant, Emilia went behind the curtain and emerged in something new. This time, it was a black flapper dress with a line of shimmering fringe draping from the bottom. More staccato jazz nuances followed. The only difference was the way Emilia batted her eyelashes and pursed her lips. Amber succeeded in keeping her face neutral as the performance continued. In the confines of her mind, meanwhile, a flurry of activity took place for the remainder of its duration.

*      *      *

            “Scarlet!” Ruby shot up from the sofa in the living quarters when her sister slipped inside their apartment.
            Seeing Ruby’s anxious approach with arms open wide, Scarlet’s back hit the wall and she cringed into herself. “Please don’t…” Recognizing this guarded position from yesterday, Ruby immediately backed away. “I’m sorry. I’ve just been so worried…”
            “I know… I just couldn’t come back here last night after…”
            “What? What happened?”
            Scarlet quickly wiped her eyes in case the tears started coming up again. “I dreamt that he found me… Javi was lying in a pool of blood… it seemed so real.” She covered her mouth to muffle any screams that might come up. Instead, all she found was hyperventilating.
            “Maybe you should sit down before…” Ruby tried again to approach, but even slowing her pace wasn’t good enough.
            “Don’t tell me what I should do! Every time this happens, we go through the same thing and it never helps me. That’s another reason I went over to see Amber instead of coming back here.”
            “You stayed over at Amber’s? Hey, wait…” Scarlet brushed past her so fast, it took a few extra seconds for it to register in her brain.
            To keep herself busy and out of her sister’s line of sight, Scarlet spent the next several minutes washing her face and rummaging through her clothes.
            Ruby leaned against the door frame, slowly taking it all in. “Amber let you crash on her couch last night? That was nice of her… if it was me, she probably would’ve slammed the door in my face.” She didn’t know whether she meant that as a joke or a savage opinion; regardless of the motivation, Scarlet offered nothing in return. She redirected, “What are you going to do about Javi? I understand Talia ditching JP, but Javi has been really good to you. I don’t want to see you lose that because of our bastard of a father.”
            “I know,” Scarlet exhaled, “I’m still figuring that out too. He did leave me a voicemail and a text… so I texted him back. We’re still going to stay in touch, but I don’t know if I can…”
            Scarlet stared down at the mass of clothes she’d piled on her bed and took a few deep breaths. Slowly, Ruby reached toward her arms and rubbed them to ease the shaking. “It’s ok… we can figure this out together.”
            Scarlet sniffled, swallowing back her tears. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Ruby, but don’t you think we would’ve figured it out already if we could?”
            Ruby thought over what this implied and she didn’t like it any better than the current situation. But for her sister’s sake, she was willing to do anything to help. “I think it might be good for you to take a long hot shower. And if you still want to go through with whatever you’re thinking once you’re done, I’ll support you all the way. Even if it’s something I can’t be part of.”
            Scarlet spun around and hugged her sister tight. There was no verbal “thank you” but Ruby accepted it as a substitute. In one sweeping motion, Scarlet grabbed her towel and a change of clothes and disappeared into the bathroom.

*      *      *

            With a huge smile on her face, Emilia panted, “so, what’d you think?”
            The anticipation made Emilia’s entire body shake with excitement like an overzealous puppy. “How’d I do? Did you like it?”
            Trying to let her down easy, Amber let her trademark sarcasm take over as she came on stage, “Well, if your goal was to make something that’d make Talia freak out, I think you made your point. I swear, the two of you have this weird mother-daughter dynamic going on and this felt like a teenager getting back at their parents for not extending their curfew.”
            Emilia ground her teeth. “You’re right. She’d never let me do anything like this. I just thought that’d be a fun showcase for your production.”
            “Yeah, but…” Amber sighed, slowly crossing her arms, “what do you want people to know about you after watching this? The point of this show is for us to show who we really are. Just by watching this, I wouldn’t know who you are. This either says you are still trying to find yourself or you’re trying to be mysterious and trust me, you’re not seasoned enough to make mysterious work.”
            “Ugh,” Emilia threw up her arms and started pacing. “Honestly, I thought this was the kind of thing you wanted. Between the lingerie and The Underground… I’m always doing what other people want, but they never want to hear what I want to say. Why did Talia hire me at all if I’m not allowed to have a voice?”
            Amber nodded, thoughtfully. “Trust me, I know it’s frustrating to have your creativity stifled.” She walked behind the partition, finding a tearaway of the vest and skirt from the first verse. The suitcase was full of different costumes, including a schoolgirl uniform and a sexy nurse’s outfit.
            “I figured I’d do different costumes every show to keep people on their toes.”
            “I mean, it’s a cute idea, but I don’t think it’s the best thing for you. Maybe for Scarlet and Ruby… I set them up with a routine a little while ago, but I never imagined anything like this where they’re doing that whole Gemini thing.”
            “Which one?”
            “The one with the jewel thieves.” Amber quickly turned the conversation around before follow-up questions arose. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Not everyone gets it right the first few times. And just from watching your other routine with the twins, it’s clear they believe in your ideas. You’re not alone in this.”
            “So now what? What do you think I should do?”
            Amber raced over to the stereo and picked up the sleeve of CD’s on the nearby shelf. “We might need to start from scratch. If that album doesn’t work for you, we’ll have to find something else that will.” As Amber slowly flipped through pages, it didn’t take long for Emilia to realize some sleeves were empty. Each had a note stating the album title, artist and the track listing attached, but also had in bold lotters FOR AMBER’S USE ONLY- DO NOT TOUCH. Emilia looked at her with an inquisitive expression and Amber quickly added, “Talia has stolen some of my songs over the years. I finally decided to take back the music I’m super attached to so she doesn’t turn it into something so good anything I do will come up short. The alien routine I did the other night came about after she stole another song with the same idea behind it… it didn’t even work the way she wanted it. So, I lost that song for nothing.”
            Emilia acknowledged her plight with a nod and they continued forward. She recognized the next two albums from her own collection. As she traced her fingers over them, Amber noted, “Vanessa wanted to use some of these for her birthday, so I left these for her.”
            “I have these too, but I haven’t listened to them in years.” Her eyebrows crinkled for a moment before she said, “Track 2 on this one has an interesting title. I kinda wanna see what that one’s about.”
            Amber followed her line of sight and murmured, “Huh, not sure if I remember this one… sure, put it in and we’ll find out.”
            As Emilia set everything up, Amber’s chest swelled with warmth and she reached her heart to keep calm. Even if this was another mistake, she was ecstatic that her vision of working with Emilia was finally becoming a reality. The song began with a monologue, giving Emilia a little extra time to take center stage and revert her wardrobe to the white corset. She closed her eyes and let the music move her. Her arms spread apart, but there was very little movement below the waist. There was a bang-bang-bang just before the chorus hit and Emilia braced her right hip and shook it on the beat. Slow motion cha-cha followed and became the mainstay of the dance. The lyrics, astonishingly enough, fit Emilia’s life at Calypso and how everyone had been so overprotective.
            Once the song ended, Amber clapped. Emilia blushed, rubbing her neck. “I mean, it’s probably not a good fit for the show but…”
            “It’s a perfect fit for you. That’s good enough for now. After we’re done with all this, that’s the first thing we’ll work on.”
            “But we still don’t have a number for the show…”
            Amber started pacing, letting whatever came to mind be spoken. “I still think you need to do something that’ll endear you to the audience, give them something to root for. If there was maybe something like your cheerleader routine, but instead of playing the victim, you’re taking ownership of your life. I’m guessing it was about an ex-boyfriend?”
            “Yeah, we were going to move in together. Then he found someone else. After I caught him cheating, he tried to win me back, but it was too late. I was so done with him at that point…” Suddenly, she gasped, “Oh my god, I think I have a song that’ll work. But it’s by an indie artist so…”
            “So what? Talia isn’t here to disapprove, is she? No, that’s exactly what we need to pump some new blood into this place.” She quickly checked the clock in the back of the room. It was well past noon by this point. “Tell you what. Tonight, we’ll listen together, and we’ll figure out the next step.”
            “Cool, awesome!” Emilia rushed over and threw her arms around Amber. “Thank you.”
            Amber let her stay in the moment for a second before breaking her grip. “Yeah, ok, that’s enough touchy-feely stuff. I’ll see you later.”
            “Ok, thanks again.” She gathered her articles of clothing back into the suitcase and ran down the steps. Halfway down the floor, she looked to her right, “see you tomorrow, Alejandro!”
            “You too, Emilia. Glad it worked out for you today.”
            Amber froze and turned in the direction of his voice. It was hard to be sure from so far away, but it looked like he was smiling.

***

Music: 

"Government Hooker" by Lady Gaga

        -I'd originally planned to use this song for Emilia's number in Amber's show and ultimately changed my mind. I couldn't in good conscience make it work for someone as young and inexperienced as she is. 

        -Also, the whole idea of quick changing between outfits was loosely inspired by the movie "Chicago." Roxie always wore white and was the innocent girl. Velma was the one with the edge and wore a lot of black. Part of me can see them being two sides of the same coin. 

"Overprotected" by Britney Spears
        -The paragraph in the story before this song is played was true. I picked up that album for the first time in years to play all the way through. I didn't remember anything about the song itself but the title sparked my interest. No joke- it was a perfect fit. I do something with it later in the story but I wish I did better. If only there was a way to download what I visualize in my head exactly as it is so other people could experience it with me.

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 33- Give Your Heart a Break

            It was still in the middle of the night, but Scarlet felt well rested when she awoke. It had been such a trying day and the security of being in a lover’s arms made it feel inconsequential.
            She turned into Javier, stroking the bangs away from his forehead. He looked so serene and peaceful, just as she felt. But as those absentminded seconds turned into minutes, she realized something was out of place. There was no rise and fall in his chest. She blinked. Shakily reaching her hand over, she shook his shoulder. “Javi? Javi, wake up.” Her chest tightened; the warm feeling displaced by icicles forming in her veins. Her breathing became harsher with each failed attempt. “Javi, c’mon, wake up. Please wake up.”
            “Your precious Javi can’t hear you now.” Scarlet’s throat had become so dry, she coughed after gasping in horror. Although it had been years, there was no mistaking him.
            “No… no… please.” Moving back as far as she could, the headboard left her with nowhere to go. Her vision blurred as she fought all temptation to look him in the eye. She thrust her hands over her face, scrunching her body into a ball, as the heavy footsteps raced towards her. His hand grabbed hers and she thrashed, fighting with all her strength to break loose. “No! Let me go!”
            “Scarlet! Scarlet, wake up! You’re having a nightmare.” Her throat rasped painfully, thanks to the blood curdling scream that followed. “Scarlet, baby, it’s okay.” Javier carefully peeled her hands off her face. “I’m here. It’s okay.”
            Panting, Scarlet arched her neck to scan every angle of the room without turning the rest of her body. The door was closed. Nothing appeared to be out of place. Outside, nothing of consequence—just the usual street noise of chatter and rustling garbage bins. Scarlet managed a gulp, knowing she couldn’t avoid it anymore. She peeked through her eyelashes at Javier. Eyes wide with concern, he hesitantly reached a hand toward her back, which she immediately slapped away. “No, don’t touch me!”
            “Okay,” he inched away as far as the bed’s width allowed. Scarlet hugged her bended knees to her chest. Not caring that she wasn’t alone, she allowed herself to break into a fit of hyperventilation while her body convulsed against her will. “Do you want to talk about it?”
            She gasped, tears starting to leak through the corners. “I really don’t. I thought… I thought I wasn’t going to have this happen anymore.”
            “When was the last time this happened? These night terrors about your father?”
            “A long time, I don’t even…” She shoved the covers off and jumped out of bed. “I have to go. He can’t find me here.”
            “Why would he?” Her tone quickly changed from worried to paranoid. “Is he stalking you?”
            “No,” she barely managed to zip herself back into her dress, shaking from head to toe, “Ruby said she took care of things, so he’d never come after us. But I saw him here just now. He killed you so he could have me to himself. It’s the only way he’d ever let it.”
            “Scarlet, that was nothing but a dream. Please don’t go.” Seeing her go through the motions, refusing to look at him when she gathered her things, it hit him that she wasn’t going to listen. “At least let me walk you back home.” He put his jeans back on, leaving his shirt on the floor. Slowly, he caressed her cheek. “He really did a number on you, didn’t he?”
            She sniffled, a whine lingering in her throat, “You have no idea. The last time he raped me, the night Ruby helped get me out… he knocked me up. I lost the baby weeks later and I still hate myself for it. If he ever found out, he’d kill me.” She collapsed into Javier’s arms, sobbing. He tried again to wrap his arms around her and for a few seconds, he succeeded. “Don’t,” she pulled away, “please just leave me alone. I’m too broken. Nobody will ever love me.”
            “I do, Scarlet. So much. It was your spirit that I fell in love with, not where you came from.”
            She nodded, but held fast to the decision she’d made, “I’m sorry, I have to go,” before shutting the door behind her. With so many flashes of her distant past coming back to her so quickly, Scarlet knew there was only one place she could go—somewhere that would never remind her of any of it.

*     *     *

            Standing at the ground floor of her complex, she took a deep breath, wiping away residual tears and rapped on the door. “Amber, it’s Scarlet! Please…” Before she could finish, a barrage of noise erupted from within, including a slamming door and the jingling of metal chains.
            The door cracked open enough for Amber to peek around the corner, one door chain still in its stopper. Incredulous, she shifted her eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”
            “Can I come in?”
            Regaining her composure, Amber said, “Hang on.” She turned her head around and the rest of her body followed suit. The door slammed shut. The last chain was undone and another door, most likely the bedroom door, slammed against a wall. Scarlet gasped, leaping backward when the entry door flung open and a tan-skinned man with stubble, likely in his early 40’s, stumbled out. Annoyance reflected in his eyes as he fumbled to pull up his zipper.
            “Come on,” Amber escorted Scarlet inside with a slight hand on her shoulder, hoping to distract her from her latest sex partner. She noticed not a moment later that Amber’s wrist still had handcuffs dangling off it.
            “I’m sorry if I came at a bad time,” she started as Amber made her take a seat on the common room sofa. She wrapped her robe around her body tight to keep her black lingerie from peeking through.
            Not wasting any time, Amber demanded, “What did he do to you?”
            “What?”
            “What did he do to you?” Amber crossed her arms. “If he hurt you, I swear I’ll kill him.”
            “Oh, no,” Scarlet reached a hand toward her, “Javi didn’t hurt me. That’s where I came from, but this has nothing to do with him.”
            “Then what is it? And why come here instead of back at your sister?” She still had her arms crossed, but she slackened her overall stance. Expecting Scarlet to look up from the ground in her direction, she averted her gaze to avoid locking eyes. Using her peripheral vision, however, she realized with the bottom falling out of her stomach that that wasn’t the case. Scarlet pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, shaking. Sobbing soon followed.
            “It just feels like no matter how many years go by… or how far I run, I’m never going to get away from him.”
            “Shit…” Amber cursed under her breath. Scarlet raised her head to find Amber staring off into the distance. “Hold on a minute.” She rushed into the other room and returned with a couple pillows and a heavy off-white blanket. “It’s not much, but they’re the best I can do on short notice.”
            “Thank you.” She wiped her eyes as Amber draped the blanket over her shoulders. Meanwhile, she took a seat on the adjacent chair.
            “I guess you don’t want them to see you like this after all this time.”
            “It’s the one place I know his memory can’t find me. Also, I don’t want to scare Emilia. She’d been through a lot lately and I don’t want to add to that.”
            “Yes, of course.” Amber nodded, staring at the ground with her hands knit together.
            “Are you going to take care of that?”
            “Of what?” She looked up just enough to spy Scarlet pointing at her wrist with the handcuff still attached. “Oh, right.” She pulled a pin out from behind her ear and used it to jimmy open the lock.
            “Is this a normal thing for you?”
            “I’m just too lazy to look for the key.” She caught the cuffs before they could hit the floor. “Do you need anything? Do you want to talk some more? Or something to drink?”
            “I think I’m just going to get some rest… if the nightmares don’t come back and wake me again.” Scarlet added with a sigh, “I mean, I’d understand if you said no, but would you do me a huge favor? Stay up with me? At least until I fall asleep.”
            Taking a deep breath, Amber allowed herself a glance. Scarlet’s eyebrows arched upward, professing innocence. “I guess if it’ll make you feel better.” She shrugged it off with a monotone response. However, there was a completely different story unfolding on the inside once she moved her chair closer to Scarlet. On the one hand, she was so happy. She’d missed the days when she still went by the name of Carmen and Scarlet was her best friend. But at the same time, she hated that it could only be temporary and that it had to arise from such a terrible situation.
            Scarlet’s shaking finally stopped when she drifted off to sleep and her breathing leveled off. Hesitantly, Amber reached over and rested a hand on the blanket covering Scarlet’s arm. If she noticed any difference, there was no indication, but considering how complicated her situation was, it was probably for the best Scarlet didn’t learn the truth just yet.

***

The chapter title derives from my favorite Demi Levato song but only because I was struggling for a title. 
Too bad because it's a good song that would fit pretty well in the story. Maybe not for this character, though.

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 32- Contingency Plans

 

            Scarlet didn’t waste any time knocking. She pushed through the door Ruby left ajar in her distraction, nearly colliding with Talia’s latest conquest. A gasp involuntarily escaping her lips, she cringed into herself and stumbled to the side so he could pass. She didn’t get a proper look at him but his height and the amount of hair on his arms made her think of her father. An illusion she fought to extinguish.
            “Scarlet?” Ruby stood up to go to her, but Vanessa placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “What?” She murmured back to her, slightly annoyed.
            “Just give her a minute…” Vanessa reassured her. Ruby turned back toward her sister, seeing her countenance more clearly and reluctantly nodded. For several moments, Scarlet rubbed her arms as they crossed tightly around her ribs. She took a few deep breaths, each one feeling like an eternity, until her shaking ceased. After receiving a soothing pat from Vanessa, Ruby asked, “are you ok?”
            Scarlet nodded, slowly collecting herself. “I’m sorry, I thought he… you were right. I shouldn’t have come…”
            “Hang on, I’ll come with you. Call me if anything changes, Vanessa?”
            “Sure, of course. Thanks for checking on us.” She offered a smile, but her tone was completely devoid of enthusiasm.
            Suddenly, Alejandro came charging up the stairs, catching all of them off guard. “Where is she? In there?” His rhetorical query hung in the air as he raced down the hall and started pounding on the closed bedroom door. Out of nowhere, he kicked into a flurry of Spanish. Whether he was irate or highly concerned, no one had any clue, but they noticed one curious irregularity—he’d referred to her as “Natalia,” something only his uncles or her clients did. Vanessa warily faced the twins, pointing behind her back with her lips forming a question mark. Both of them shook their heads, equally as perplexed as she was.
            Continuing on his dizzying tirade, Alejandro read off his phone as he scrolled through multiple screens. Supposedly, a few of Talia’s clients had contacted him and voiced various concerns, so this visit was a welfare check more than anything else.
            A menacing groan reverberated from inside the room. The door opened for half a second before slamming shut. Out of the temporary opening flew Talia’s bedside table lamp, which would have smacked Alejandro in the face if he hadn’t ducked. She spouted an array of obscenities in Spanish back at him. At one point, Vanessa gasped and covered her mouth, drawing glances from everyone else in the room. She bit her lip and clarified for the twins how it was essentially a threat of bodily harm to Alejandro that would permanently make bathroom functionality extra difficult for him. Her reaction made him roll his eyes and mumbled his reasoning behind the gesture to himself.
            Rubbing the back of his neck and assessing the situation further, he took extra care with his phrasing as to not escalate the tension any further, “Ok, I will take care of Calypso for as long as you need the time away. And if I make any mistake, you can tell me about it later. Sound fair?”
            Her response was muffled, but she accepted his offer.
            “Just do me a favor and make sure you order in food every now and then. However you do that, I leave for you to decide. I brought you a little something for breakfast so if you just open up for a second…” In the chaos, the girls completely missed the fact he’d brought a takeout bag with him. He held it up to the door, being careful to stand far back for his own safety. Once again, the door opened for a split second. Her hand grabbed the straps of the bag and she hastily pulled it inside before shutting the door.
            Alejandro exhaled and promptly brushed himself off. “And don’t leave your front door unlocked all night. Do what you want with your life, but that doesn’t mean it’s ok to risk everyone else’s lives with that type of carelessness.” More Spanish followed, but it appeared Talia had calmed down as well and agreed to Alejandro’s suggestions. The distinct squeak of mattress springs confirmed she’d settled back into bed.
            Turning back toward the other three, he said, “let’s go. We need to work out a plan for the upcoming Calypso shows.” The response wasn’t immediate, so he introduced more sternness to his tone, “Now!” One by one, all of them agreed. He held the door for Ruby and Vanessa but noticed how Scarlet was still rooted in place. Her eyes lingered on the door, hoping to see Talia emerge despite knowing deep down it wasn’t going to happen today.
            “Scarlet?” He asked. She turned his way, quickly noticing his face had softened as much as his tone. “Come on, you can’t do any good here. Not when Talia isn’t ready to listen and face herself.” She nodded, unable to say a word, as she let Alejandro escort her and the others back to Calypso.

*      *      *

            When Scarlet returned to Calypso with her fellow sirens and Alejandro, the change in the atmosphere was immediately apparent. She’d been on the premises without Talia on numerous occasions, but the mere possibility of the club’s activities having to move forward without its leader sucked the air out of the building. Gauging everyone else’s pessimistic expressions, they were clearly experiencing similar feelings.
            The three of them brought chairs out from the storage shed out back and arranged them in a semicircle in the middle of the floor. Alejandro leaned his back against the edge of the stage as he stood across from them. Ruby and Vanessa both offered to reach out to their contacts—Vanessa with her former dance students and Ruby with the other strippers from her father’s old joint— in case they needed more group numbers to fill the void left by Talia.
            Through the course of the discussion, Scarlet stared out into space. Words and phrases flew in one ear. Her head buzzed with countless thoughts about her father and how his abuse had her convinced for years that she couldn’t love anyone, including herself. Then she met Talia, a person who’d suffered through hardship but refused to let it define them, and she believed for the first time she could put a lifetime of pain behind her. With Talia being bested by her personal demons, what was to stop the same thing from happening to her too?
            Alejandro thoughtfully nodded, considering the comments thus far, and suggested, “let’s do what we can with the dancers we already have before bringing in anyone new. Emilia already has enough to handle with Amber and whatever project she has up her sleeve.”
            The sound of Emilia’s name snapped Scarlet out of her daze. Her entire body let out a gasp before the air escaped her lips. “Wait, what about Emilia?” She turned toward her sister, her eyes wide with panic.
            “That’s the other thing I was going to tell you over the phone… Emilia knows everything. And I do mean everything.”
            “Oh God…” She slumped forward to bury her face in her hands. Ruby rubbed her back as she gave her the rundown of the previous night’s events. Vanessa filled in the blanks, eventually taking over for the journey to The Underground and the state of their apartment upon her return.
            Once she was caught up, Scarlet paced the room in what felt like slow motion to those around her. She shut her eyes tight and focused on her breathing. Although riddled with angst, she found some of the details curious and didn’t hesitate to call attention to them. “So, you were the one who called Amber? Did she thank you?”
            Ruby shrugged. “In her own way. You know her.”
            “Right… did Emilia seem like she was ready to quit if you hadn’t agreed to bring them together?”
            “Honestly, I don’t know, but I wasn’t going to take that chance. Otherwise I’d never forgive myself.”
            “And this project Amber is working on, what do you know about it?”
            Vanessa interceded, “I know the music she has picked out for it but not much more than that. But now that she has Emilia like she’s always wanted, that’ll help boost her amount of creativity for sure.”
            Circling back to the task at hand, Alejandro concluded, “in the meantime, we still need to fill in the time in the schedule. I think Amber will want Emilia to focus on her thing, so she’ll have to stay out of the sets for a while.”

*      *      *

            Despite the others’ reassurances, Scarlet found herself plagued with uncertainty for the remainder of the day. By the time she returned to Javier’s place, Juan Paulo had turned in for the night. Javier was vague about the details while the two of them rested together in bed, but it sounded like Juan Paulo spent much of the day working on the same song from that morning.
            “You’ll be moved with how much passion he brings to the ending but also… you can tell something’s broken inside him. It just isn’t the same like it was. And with the showcase coming up in a few weeks, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”
            “What showcase?”
            “We got a call about it earlier today. Apparently, someone Natalia had connections with, they have roots in the music business and want to help us possibly cut an album.”
            “Javi!” Scarlet beamed, “That’s amazing! You must be so excited.”
            “Yes. It would be amazing… if JP can get himself together in time… how’s Natalia? Did you get to talk to her?”
            “No… I wanted to but everyone seems to think it wouldn’t do any good. Once Talia makes her mind about anything, there’s not much you can do. I really thought JP was making a lot of progress, but it ended the same just like it always does. Maybe it’s just impossible for people to change.”
            Javier rolled toward Scarlet and kissed her lips a couple times in an attempt to alleviate her mood. She kissed him back, but only halfheartedly. He leaned away, softly asking as he combed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “If you’re not up for it tonight, we can just sleep. Whatever you feel like doing.”
            “No… no, I want to. I need some sort of distraction. It’s been a long day and I don’t want it to be a long night too.”
            Javier planted his lips on Scarlet’s neck, kissing repeatedly as he eased his way inside her. She gasped with pleasure before making a conscious decision to do so. Her arms reached around his back and she held on tight as his thrusts increased in momentum. Before long, she cried out in ecstasy and blood rushed to her head. The heat was so incredible her vision grew fuzzy and sleep came to her soon after.

The Sirens of Calypso- Chapter 31- Far from Ordinary

 

            The fragments of sunlight peeking through the blinds woke Scarlet the following morning. She rolled over expecting to meet Javier for a kiss but found a sheet of paper in his place. The beautiful script read: “you looked so beautiful in your sleep it seemed a shame to wake you. Out rehearsing with JP. See you soon. With love, your Javi.”
            “Aww,” she cooed as she held the note in front of her, “he’s so romantic. I don’t deserve him…” She didn’t have to steep herself in thought too long before dismissing her skepticism. She’d never felt happier or more complete than she had the past few days and she wouldn’t trade this time with him for anything.
            As she readied herself to take on a promising new day, Scarlet perceived not one but two voices inside Juan Paulo’s bedroom. One started singing and she gasped. Since she began spending more time at the band’s rehearsals, she’d been treated to a new song from Juan Paulo nearly every morning upon her arrival. She could only shake her head, admiring how prolific he was, and wish she could one day bring the same dedication to her dancing.
            As she inched her way down the hall to hear better, her cell phone rang. She hastily picked it up on the first ring as to not give herself away. “Ruby,” she whispered so harshly she was almost hissing, “could you call back later? JP and Javi are working out a new song and I want to hear it.”
            “Scarlet, listen. You missed something major last night and I need you to…”
            “Shh! I’m moving closer. You need to hear this too.” Ruby silently agreed and listened closely.
            Scarlet slowly cracked the door open for a better look. Ocher streaks of sunlight produced an intriguing contrast with the oak furniture and pale-yellow walls. Javier sat on the edge of the bed, his hands folded on his lap and his head angled upward. It was when she panned over to Juan Paulo and noticed a distinct difference in his tone she realized something was wrong. He held his acoustic guitar across his lap and strummed it with the same fervor, but his eyes lacked focus. At first, they appeared to search for an answer he couldn’t find. As more lyrics came into being, it was clear he was the one who was lost.
            “You ran away, wish I could take back what I had to say. You were my sun, now all I have is rain. It was all for you…”
            Scarlet covered her mouth to muffle an involuntary scream and staggered backwards, reaching for the other door to catch herself. After shutting the door, far louder than she’d intended, she half whined into the phone, “Ruby… she didn’t…”
            “Yeah, she did.”
            “I don’t understand. She came to our show last night and they left together. What could have happened?”
            “What always happens, apparently… you weren’t expecting the four of you to exchange vows at a double wedding or anything, were you? I can see Emilia dreaming that up but not…”
            “No…” She fought to keep her voice as even as possible while fidgeting with the fringe at the bottom of her dress. In truth, the thought had occurred to her once or twice, but she never dwelled on it for too long. If she grew too attached to the idea, it’d be twice as devastating if it failed to manifest into reality.
            After her sister had maintained her silence for over a minute, Ruby took a deep breath before continuing, “I hate to continue the bearing of bad news but there’s more.”
            “More?” Scarlet’s voice cracked. She rubbed her cheek to scratch a tickle when she noticed she’d started crying. “Where are you? I need to hear this in person.”
            “I’m heading over to their place right now, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to be there right now. Not if Vanessa was right about fearing the worst…”
            “I don’t care! I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”
            A sudden knock on the door nearly made her jump out of her skin.
        “Scarlet? Everything ok in there?” asked a concerned Javier, his voice muffled by the door separating them.
            It dawned on her that she’d completely forgot about whispering. She quickly ended the call, “I’ll be there in a minute,” before Javier opened the door.
            “Scarlet, what is it?” She turned away to wipe her eyes, but it was already too late. “Oh, I guess you heard…”
            “Yeah, I need to see my sister for the rest of the details.” On her way out she stopped by the other room where Juan Paulo was still sitting at his desk with his guitar. “JP…”
            “Hey Scarlet,” he purposely avoided her eye, pretending to tune his guitar to keep his hands occupied.
            “Is there anything I can do?”
            “It’s sweet of you to offer but no…” He picked up his head and leaned forward. “Emilia tried to help last night. But then I heard from her this morning and she apologized up and down about how she couldn’t.” He put on a brave smile but judging by his reddened eyes and dark rings under the lids, she didn’t quite believe him when he added, “I’ll be ok. This isn’t the first time my heart’s been ripped out of my chest.” She could only respond with a nod before exiting the house.

*      *     *

            Ruby had just finished the call when she arrived at her destination. She took a deep breath, bracing for impact, as she banged on the door. “Talia, Vanessa, it’s Ruby. Open up!”
            Unsurprisingly, it was Vanessa who answered. She yawned, “Come in, Ruby. Feel free to make yourself comfortable because it might be a while… if she makes an appearance at all.”
            Ruby skimmed the place. Her purse leaned at an angle as she shifted her weight to one side. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I expected this to be a war zone. Were you up all night cleaning the mess?”
            “If I’m being honest,” she said as she had a seat on the sofa along the back wall, “I’m not quite sure what happened between midnight and when I got up this morning. There’s still scratches and dents in some of the walls, but the place is remarkably pristine compared to what it was.”
            Ruby sat on the cushion next to her and listened intently to her version of the fight she had with Talia. She nodded regularly and offered the occasional shrug; knowing Talia as she did, a tantrum wasn’t unexpected. She searched the room for any remaining shards of glass from the mirrors, but there were none. Both had been mysteriously replaced sometime in the early morning hours.
            Oddly enough, the remaining evidence that would take more than elbow grease to erase made her think about her sister. More than a decade later, Scarlet still carried invisible scars from the atrocities their father did to her, and they always resurfaced in the form of nightmares. Since she met Javier, they’d gone into remission. She shared these thoughts with Vanessa once she came to the end of her recollections. “I really haven’t been Talia’s biggest fan these past few weeks, the way her personal drama has been impacting the rest of us. But now that I’m seeing all this, I can’t help wondering about the scars she’s been hiding under the surface. It’s enough to almost make me feel sorry for her. Maybe if she had a better way of dealing with her pain than taking it out on the rest of us, I’d be more sympathetic.”
            Vanessa stifled another yawn. “Believe me, she’s dealing with it. Kept me up half the night.” Almost on cue, ravenous cries of ecstasy pealed through the closed bedroom door. Ruby’s eyes widened as she panned between Vanessa and the door. Before she could formulate a question, Vanessa replied, “how everything got cleaned up so quickly, the only person who has that answer is Talia and I doubt she’ll be forthcoming with the logistics. Since our fight, she’s kicked into full Spanish while speaking with her ‘visitors,’ so she clearly wants to keep us in the dark.                   “Yeah…” Ruby sighed, “times like this make me wish I knew the island’s native language better than I do. I think the only person at Calypso that does is Alejandro and he’s definitely the last person that needs to be brought into this situation.”
            “Agreed…” Vanessa echoed the sigh. Images flashed in her head about the fights Talia’s had with Alejandro over the years and it made her shudder. If anything could be worse than what she’d recently witnessed, it’d be the end result of yet another attempt on Alejandro’s part to fix things.
            Through the night, Talia reached deep into her black book in hopes of finding some measure of solace. Two months after that demoralizing night with Carlos, she once again found her thoughts dominated by regret and self-loathing. But since her sex drive has recovered its full stamina, she planned on using it to ease her mental anguish. Staggered apart at varying intervals of time, her “visitors” helped clear out some of the damage and tidy up the loft. In exchange, she performed whatever sexual favors they requested from her bag of tricks before parting ways.
            However, her ultimate goal for the unforeseeable future remained her own personal secret. She was too embarrassed to speak it aloud in any language. Even if she did, no one would understand it. Despite her past reservations, she accepted that Juan Paulo had been her best chance at happiness. If she ever found the nerve to apologize, she feared she’d done too much damage for him to forgive her. The only way she could conceive of fending off the pain she felt in her heart was to experience an instance of rapture so potent that she’d pass out shortly after. Not much different than an addict regularly dosing to maintain a long-lasting high, she wanted sex to be her gateway to a perpetual stupor. That way, she could sleep her life away until the hurting stopped. Even if it took forever for that goal to be realized, Talia was willing to pursue it.

***

JP's song: "I did it for you" by David Cook
(The lyrics mentioned aren't identical to what's in the song, but it fits the melody playing in my head. There weren't many songs on that album I really liked- this one was easily my favorite, followed by the opening track, "Declaration," which I see as an album opener for the band in the story)