insomnia

two | a mystery

SHAY

When my plane landed and I went to my audition, I thought moving here was a terrible idea.

That was until I ran into Devi Rey on the street.

The first thing that captivated me about Devi was her eyes, even though they were glossy, the dark brown of her eyes consumed me.

One minute I was walking towards the gross sticky subways and then the next I was in the back of the cab with Devi.

That's how I find myself in my current position.

I'm standing in a nursery. A very expensive nursery. One suited for a princess.

I feel like this entire room is more than my entire life's worth.

Athena, Devi's older sister, is beside the crib, making funny faces to her daughter.

I introduced myself to Selene and I even let her touch my hand but I can't picture myself spending the next few hours babysitting her.

It seems impossible.

I'm not the biggest fan of children. But I can stand them enough to be in the same room for a couple hours.

It's just, the mess and the slobbering and the vomit. It sends shivers down my spine.

So as I stare at Athena and Selene as they talk to each other, in Selene's case she's just babbling.

"So Shay," Athena starts after picking her daughter up and holding Selene on her hip. "are you new to the city?"

I nod. "Yeah, it's actually my first day here."

"Oh, so your new new." She smiles which eases my nerves. "How are you liking it so far?"

"I really like it here. The busy streets are comforting, I like all the chaos." I shrug.

I'm trying my best not to over-share. I tend to do that a lot.

I don't mention that I used to live in Maine. I don't mention the part of my parents disowning me. I don't mention the part where I had to touch a rat for some cash, I met some weird people and instead of a favor they made me touch a rat.

Worst moment of my life.

I washed my hands like fifty times after that. Literally, I counted.

"I see." She eyes me. "Why are you here Shay?"

"Excuse me?" I ask, confused.

"Why'd you come to New York? You have dreams, right? Aspirations? Tell me them." She responds.

"I've always wanted to be famous, I had an audition before I met Devi. It's a small role in a movie but I was just happy to even get an audition for anything. If acting doesn't work out then I plan to model." I explain, forming my mouth into a thin line out of nervousness.

She stares at me, most likely processing the information before she smiles, a genuine small smile.

"I think you'll get a callback. I have a feeling." She states, adjusting Selene on her hip.