Moon and Sea - h2o fanfiction

14. How Emma Found Out

On one of the seediest, darkest streets in Sydney, there's a place called Sirens that has a big, neon-glowing sign on which the S is a mermaid. At night it cast a pink and blue light on its surroundings. Inside, men are entertained with all the sensuality of a female form bending and twirling and sliding on a pole.

Clad in nothing more than a glittery blue bra and a blue g-string and heels so long they could be mistaken for Jack's magic beanstalk, Emma Gilbert walked on stage. Cheering and whistling and clapping followed. She struts on the stage, stuck one hand out, grabbed the pole and walked  around it once, shaking her hips as she went. She didn't fall or trip or even twist her ankles in her ginormous heels. It took weeks of practice and painful failed attempts to get the hang of walking and performing in them but she had mastered it perfectly.

She grabbed on to the pole with her leg, the metal ending up between the back of her thigh and her calf. She spun around, she twisted and bent and lifted herself up and back down and flipped herself over, all while making it look easy. In reality, the strength and control required to perform such seductive acrobatics were exhausting. Her body twinkled with glitter and sweat as she removed her bra and threw it at the audience. A couple of drunk men began fighting over it and had to be escorted out by a security guard. She should've been pleased, the excitement over her performance was a sign that she would have a good night and earn a pretty sum off of private shows. And yet, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Like she was expecting something bad to happen.

After her show, she went backstage, to the disappoint of her audience. She sat down to catch her breath and used a towel to wipe her sweat. She took a drink of refreshing cold water and began reapplying her makeup and body glitter and searched through her bag for a nice costume to wear for the rest of the night.

-

Emma managed to make a decent amount of money early on in the night. She'd be able to pay off the club and keep a nice profit for herself. She began calculating her earnings in her head the second her customer left the area designated for private shows. It's a hallway in Sirens where the booths are separated by thin walls. She began to head back to the normal part of the club, intending to pack up and leave early, when she heard a noise coming from one of the compartments. It was like a small scream. She couldn't tell where it came from since the music from the club was loud and all the compartments are closed up so that no one could see what's happening in them. However, she heard it again and could now narrow down the direction where it came from. Then the woman started speaking.

"You KNOW you're not allowed to touch us!" She said loudly.

"Come on." A man replied. "I paid good money for this, the least you can do is let me fuck you."

"No, you paid for a private lap dance and you got it. Now, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"You can't do the thing you do and make money off of teasing men and shake your ass in my face and then expect to not get fucked. You know you want it."

"Please leave."

"That little pussy of yours is gonna love this."

Then the woman screamed again. It was muffled noise now, like he was covering her mouth. "Let me go!" She yelled, sounding out of breath. Then muffled screaming again.

Emma knew exactly what was going on. For a moment she stood there wondering what to do. She couldn't tell the manager because he doesn't really care what happens to the girls and the security guards obey the manager. All she knew was this: walking away was not an option. This woman will not get raped tonight. Not if Emma could help it.

So, before even thinking about what she would do, she marched right into the compartment the noise was coming from and walked right in through the curtain. As she expected, the disgusting man was on top of the poor woman. His back was to Emma, so he didn't see her walk in. One hand covered the woman's mouth and the other held her arms up tightly so she couldn't escape. He was kissing her neck, against her will, and humping her like an animal. Emma saw a bottle of wine on the table in the center of the compartment.