Cascade

Chapter 1 (Part 2)

I look down at my lap, where Binnia rests her head. I stroke her light brown hair out of her face. I would kill for these girls. If any one of them got infected, I'd tear the world apart for a cure. Dal-Rae might be my best friend, but it's different for Binnia. The world is a cruel place, and Binnia should not be at this point. She's young, only sixteen this month, and is the ray of sunshine in the group. I feel the need to protect her. If something happened to her, I don't know what I would do. But I do know, that if someone hurt her, it would be their last day on this earth, that's for sure. She's just so gentle. Yesterday, Binnia cried because she saw an edit of herself online, but when she opened the comments, all she could see when haters or pedophiles.

As we pull into the airport, I nudge Binnia. "Wake up, we're here."

Binnia sits up with a yawn as Del-Rae, Seon, and Yeosin do the same. We tie up our hair and put on hats and sunglasses to accompany our incognito outfits of sweatshirts and sweatpants.

Security sounds at us as we step out of the bus, protecting us from eager paparazzi. The Gimpo International Airport is crowded with snapping cameras and bright flashes, not only from the paparazzi, but from eager fans, and normal people just at the airport for their flights. Once we're on the plane, we instantly relax. Hats and glasses are thrown off. Now we can sleep.

After the plane lands the next morning, and we dodge paparazzi again, we are escorted to our separate hotel suites. Inside waiting for me are four or five people waiting to slip me into my dress and make sure it fits. They lead me into a separate room and help me into the dress.

The dress is made by Taylor Verssesi Outfitters, who we are representing tomorrow night. The dress is red and black, dripping with black diamonds and red rubies to look like rain. The skirt twists at the waist and extends outwards. It was a strapless top, curving into a sweetheart neckline. You can barely see the corset wrapping around my middle and ending in the back with laces. I will be decorated with silver jewelry on my ears, wrists, and neckline. I have elegant, above-the-elbow, black and red, jewel-encrusted gloves to match. Tomorrow night, my hair will be up in an elegant twist with a silver and diamond hairpiece.

I will match the other members, as we will all be wearing red, black, and silver, as these are the Taylor Verssesi colors.

I slip out of the finished dress and hand it to the designers. They take it and quickly leave the room, leaving me all alone at last. I slip on a white bathrobe. I want to just flop on my bed and go to sleep, but if I do, I will look like trash tomorrow. I take a shower and do my skincare routine. Once my hair is dry I twist it into a simple braid and tuck it into a silk hair bonnet. I mix water, green tea, lemon, and a pinch of sugar and flop on the bed with my drink. I flick on the TV and scroll through the channels. I land on the news channel. If this were Seoul, last night's music awards would have been plastered all over the screen, but Americans don't seem to care about anyone but themselves. Jeez, the New York News is depressing.

Twenty-five people were found today with the Blue Fever in New York City, but is that on the news? No. What is on the news? Fourteen people died in a school shooting, an alleged drunk driver killed two police officers, a cop shot a kid because he was jokingly robbing a bank with a water gun, an Uber driver got stabbed because he refused to drive a man dressed as Ronald McDonald, and an American plane exploding over the Atlantic Ocean just an hour after departure.

I shake my head and turn off the news. I take a sip of my drink. America is like a whole other world. Never have I seen a country so disconnected from the rest of the world. No one seems to care about the raging virus outside in the streets.

I put my drink on the nightstand and tuck myself under the sheets. Tomorrow is a big day and I need my sleep.