A Flair For The Dramatic

Chapter 2

Slowly, my vision blurs into focus. I am in a small room. I might be on one of the busses. Skratch that, I am on a bus. There is a bed, a small closet, a small bathroom, and a vanity. There are no items that could be used as weapons. Where are they taking me? Should I freak out? Would that change any of this at all?  My breathing begins to get heavier and my heart races.

I get up and try opening the door. It's locked, of course. I examine the vanity next. It has a drawer of cheap makeup and hair products. I throw open another drawer and it's full of perfumes and lotions. The mirror is surprisingly clean. I study my reflection. My face was dirty and my hair was greasy from sweat. The tear tracks on my cheeks are still fresh. Next up for inspection is the bathroom. The small cabinet is stocked with the usual products: toothpaste, band-aids, and feminine products. How considerate.

I exit the bathroom and open the closet. There are a couple pairs of short-shorts and a few tank tops. Most of it is lingerie. Please tell me I'm hallucinating...

I try to open the door again. This time it's open. I open the door and peak out. There's a tiny hallway leading out to a small living room. There is also another room next to mine. I slowly walked out to the living room. No one's here. I am definitely on a bus. The door leading to the driver is closed. All windows were heavily locked. Hopefully to keep people out and not in. 

I sat on the couch for a minute before exploring the door next to mine. It's locked so I knock and no one answers. Next, I try the driver's door. The driver unlocked the door. I opened it and saw none other than Hime (sitting next to an actual driver of course).

"Hello, Val," he said with his eyes on the road, "You aren't supposed to be up here but since you're new, why not," he said as if we were friends on a camping trip.

"Why am I here?" I ask quietly. I study the driver. He's a heavyset dude who has earbuds in. I look beyond him and see a gun tucked away.

"Well," he sighed, "me and my friends, we entertain. And we need new lady assistants."

"Then why not hire instead of kidnap?" I ask with clear frustration. He turns to me as if to scare me. It works for a second but I stand my ground.

"I'm not supposed to be telling you any of this. You'll just have to wait and see. We're almost to our next venue." he says before watching the road once more.

"Where is Lisa?"

"She's on another bus," he answered.

"With who?"

"Mike. You'll meet everyone later," he said hinting to go away. I back out of the small room and close the door. I feel gross after talking to Hime.

The bathroom door doesn't lock so I have to take a quick rinse off.  When I got out, I quickly threw on some clothes and found a pleasant perfume. The mall ran out of good perfume a couple months ago and I've been missing it ever since. 

"Let's go, Val!" Hime yelled. I slip on my shoes and meet him in the living room. 

"Where are we going?" I ask while looking out the windows. There are people carrying trunks and boxes into a building.

"We are at the venue and we need to go over some expectations with you and Lisa," He says rifling through a drawer by the sink.

"Okay. Let's go," I say as I walk towards the door. Just as I reach for the handle he grabs my wrist and puts a handcuff on me. He put the other on him, connecting us.

"Just in case you decide to run," he said opening the door for us. I step outside taking in the fresh air. We are in an alleyway between two large buildings. The other buses are blocking off the entrances/exits. Hime locks the door and leads me into the building. It appears to be the backstage area. We walk out to the front of the stage to meet Vic.