La Mia Stella-( My Star )

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Rome, Italy

I found myself in a crowd full of hormonal girls crying, sweating and screaming. I had to book the first flight from Paris to Rome to make sure I would be one of the first ones waiting for Maneskin, the band that won the Eurovision. I, myself, am not a big fan of Eurovision. Actually, I can't remember when and if I ever watched the contest. It was cold outside, where I was standing the wind was blowing in my face, I had to quickly pull my hairband to somehow figure out how to make a decent bun to make sure I would notice straight away when the band will arrive.

My mission was to figure out, investigate, find out if the band was doing drugs. That footage was the only evidence of the use of illegal substances. If I was to discover anything else that could get the authority to investigate maybe, maybe France would win. All that pressure, it's only on my shoulders. I wasn't going to give up so easily but fuck sake it's cold.

I looked at my phone, it was vibrating. My mother was calling.

« I'm telling you they are doing drugs. » She was talking to my father next to me until she realized I picked up the phone she followed by: « Hello? Hello? My darling, you don't get too close to those lunatics, I'm telling you they are doing drugs. Did you see the footages? Did you see their performance, they're running around and jumping around the stage, they're on coke. I know it. »

I sighed as I couldn't even talk or make one syllable before she babbled on about how she knows... but did anyone know what really happened? Apart from Damiano David himself, I mean.

I hang up as she lost herself in her argument. I lit a cigarette hiding it away from the security guard. Italy had it hard last year with the pandemic, I'm pretty sure it is illegal for me to be out of my hotel room and I must be in quarantine or something, but I'm so close to figuring out the truth, I can't be sent home now.

I took a drag discreetly holding my lighter in my left hand slowly sliding it in my pocket. Suddenly I get thrown about, I tried shielding my ears from the piercing screams. I look up the bus just arrived, the band is already coming out. I cursed under my breath as I try to follow the movement and yet wiggle my way out to make myself noticeable.

« For fuck sake! » I groaned as I dropped my cigarette on the floor and burnt my finger along the way. I quickly suck the tip out of it trying to ease the pain and hope the cold doesn't burn any more of it.

« Take mine » Someone with a deep voice whispered. I looked up, Damiano David.

I gasped taking away my finger out of my mouth. I felt his hand in mine giving me his already half-smoked cigarette.

« S..stt... Stella, from Closer, France... what do you have to say from the accusation that you and your band are doing drugs? »

« Stella, mia Bellissima Stella, tu sei la mia Stella » He laughed and walked away.

The band was now surrounded by multiple security agents as they entered the airport. I watched them walk away holding back a few tears realizing I was doomed to fail. This wasn't where I was going to have the big interview and their reveal, all the cameramen and journalists were at the front gathered all together at the exit door. They sent me here to fail, they had to give me a reason why I was going to get fired.

I looked down at my hand holding his cigarette, I put it around my mouth laying softly my lips on it, inhaling the smoke softly. The doors closed behind them and the crowd of girls followed them like lost dogs.

«You're blushing » My colleague smirked.

I snapped out of my thoughts « Oh shut up, it's the cold. » I brushed him off, finishing the cigarette quickly. « Let's go back to the hotel » I mumbled ashamed of myself.

We gathered our things and set back to the car. My stomach became all twisted and my throat kinda dry at the idea of admitting to my boss I didn't have the big reveal. The car wasn't far off, we hurried to get inside away from all the cameras.

« Excuse me, you dropped something. » Someone called out. I turned around and a big and tall guy in a black suit handed me over a box of Camel cigarette.

« Those aren't mi... »

« He wants to see you, only you at the address written inside. Come alone. » He left quickly

It took me a while to process what just happened and by the time I snapped out of it, I was standing in the middle of the airport holding a packet of Camel cigarettes that I don't even smoke. Wait, who's he? I frowned looking inside the packet. There was the address of the hotel written in badly rushed handwriting. Then on the cover, the packet was signed. I quickly put it in my pocket.

« Mia Stella » shouted my colleague

« Shut up » I groaned rushing into the car.

My colleague laughed, he loved teasing me and I love being rude.