I zipped up my mouth and lay on the headrest, avoiding any contact. My heart was in my stomach by now, thumping against the walls, because I have never faced any situation like this before. I am a cyber-fairy, working day and night, I've never encountered people, forget about vulnerability.
With nothing to do, and the silence looming upon us like a dark shadow, I fell asleep, again.
...
A screeching sound of the tyres rubbing against the road woke me up after hours.
I sprang up and looked outside.
The roof was open again. It had gotten very dark, stars were probably out by now, moonlight softly laying upon the dark dashboard of the car. There was a familiar chatter outside, something telling me I reached home.
I stretched my limbs, leaned on the window and rubbed my eyes, smiling a little as the breeze hit my dense hair.
Through my blurry eyes, I could see distinct tyre lines created on the road, stopping right where the car was parked. I peeked at him, as he was shutting off the engine. I gathered all my energy to speak, again.
"Thanks a lo–"
Thunk.
He got out and shut the door behind me, walking straight to the boot.
No response, no courtesy.
With no way to convey my gratitude through words, I took out my pink sticky note pad and scribbled a 'Thank You" on it in black ink. I ripped off the sheet and folded it into double folds.
I jumped out of the car as he was unloading my luggage, with my stomach now almost up through my esophagus. Running towards the boot, I quickly grabbed the handles of both the bags, throwing the note at him. I then ran towards my building, without looking back.
'Now this is getting out of hand.'
It was probably the first time in ages that I felt something good while entering the hellhole. I was welcomed by the familiar musty smell of the mold, dust in the air and the gloomy atmosphere due to lack of windows. It was ten times better than whatever I had going on the past two days.
Is it just me or wherever some goes to a place outside home, no matter how luxurious, coming to home still relaxes you in ways you can't imagine?
Like It's the feeling that your body finally lets loose once it realises it is in a safe place.
Whatever it maybe, my eyelids were killing me, not ready to stay up a single moment. Without wasting a single moment, I threw myself on the bed, falling into a deep slumber.
...
I woke up around early dawn, this time as fresh as a rooster in the morning. Taking a quick shower and rinsing off the tiredness, I picked my phone, which was flooded by messages once the network was working again. Half of them were from Margie.
"You have auditions today."
"I came to know you found an actor."
"I heard you passed out, all good?"
"Please get full night's sleep so you don't do this again."
I rolled my eyes, knowing it's all rubbish corporate jargon.
However, as I scrolled, one of the messages caught my eye among hundred sloppy ones.
"The room in Swan Lake is yours, please shift there as soon as possible."
A smile dawned on my face, almost extending up to my ears.
Swan Lake was the most coveted tier of the staff accommodation. If Margie were to allot it to you, it meant that you have become more than important for her, almost an equal. If she's giving me an apartment there, it means I'm here to stay.
I sprung up, more awake than before, and gelled my hair into place. Putting on an oversized tee and cargo pants, I walked out, taking in a deep breath before shutting the door.
'Guess I won't be smelling this anytime soon again.'
Hopping through the corridor, I got out of the building and walked towards the theatre hall, entering inside.
The theatre was super dark, with only the shiny velvet creating silhouette of the seats. As I tip-toed my way in, I could hear every breath of mine echoing against the walls. I took out my flashlight and pointed it towards the floor, to see where I was heading to.
I stopped in front of the stage, looking back at the expanse of the hall, which seemed to shrink when it was filled with the audience. I shut off the flashlight and sat on one of the seats, basking in the darkness.
Whish...
These sounds suddenly graced my ears. I got up from my seat and glanced around, my ears to perked up, filtering every sound I heard. Now I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or the messed up state of my mind, but I was hearing things.
Of something being flipped, like paper?
Flip...
"Who is it?" I asked, but only received echoes in response.
With my hands shaking and sweaty palms, I took out my phone and switched on the flashlight and began to scan around towards the audience, checking if someone was messing with me.
No one.
There was no one.
Rustle...
I quickly turned back, and I saw it.
A figure standing behind a screen, flipping pages. A dark shadow formed the silhouette, still as a mannequin. There was no motion or movement.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
I screamed, collapsing backwards and onto the ground, with my phone still facing the stage.
The figure gained momentum. It began to run towards me, down the stairs. I covered my eyes with my arms, trying to calm down my heart that was hammering against my ribs and began to whisper prayers as I felt the shadow loom closer.
Tap.
I felt a tap on my shoulder.
"Please let me go!"
"I didn't see anything!"
I screamed.
SMACK!
Only to be hit hard on the same shoulder.
I uncovered my eyes, only to realise it was Ben, and he was out for midnight adventures like me.
Since he was dressed in all-black hoodie and sweats, he looked like a shadow back there. My heartbeat began to slow down.
"It's...me...," he said, throwing a flat smile and shaking his head.
Now, I knew a sarcastic laugh is coming next.
But there was none.
Instead, a pause dawned.
A long pause, where we looked at each other, hoping someone breaks it.
"What..." I said, gasping, breaking the bout of silence, "are you doing here?" I thumped on my chest a few times, glaring into his eyes.
"I was testing out scrims," he said, pointing towards the screens, "I thought you'd know about it."
I didn't.
"Of course I do hahaha..." I threw in an empty laugh.
"Yeah, pretty cool stuff," he said, taking out his flashlight, "only when you point light, you can see what's behind!" His eyes were deadpan but words said otherwise.
'Maybe he's forgotten he tried to drug me? But still, he brought me home right?'
"Thanks for the ride today," I said, propping myself to get up, grabbing the nearest seat.
For some reason, the expression on his face changed, back to the unreadable expression since back then.
"There's a surprise waiting for you today, I bet it'll make you happy," he threw a forceful smile before he got down the stairs.
"What do you mean?"
"What surprise!" I screamed.
But he didn't respond. Not to a single question. He simply walked back to the stage, disappearing behind the now darkened scrim.