An Enchanted Night

10*Walls of Insincerity

Shortly after their encounter with the mysterious motorcyclist, things return to normal in the purple sedan. Abigail starts talking a mile a minute, always keen to dominate the conversation, and Taylor doesn't have any objections.

Abigail eventually pulls the car into a make-shift parking lot at the end of a dirt road. There's a few people milling around their cars, grabbing last minute items out of trunks. "Everyone else should be here already," Abigail says as she puts the car into park, referring to Selena and a few of Abigail's other friends. Taylor nods and the two get out of the car.

She's glancing around as she waits for Abigail to grab something from the back seat when something red and familiar catches the corner of her eye. The motorcycle. Her shoes crunch against the gravel as she races over to it, leaving Abigail to catch up later. It makes sense that it's here, after learning it's driver might sing tonight, but her mind had half-convinced her that she'd imagined the whole thing. She reaches up to softly touch it, needing to feel proof that it was there. She's still studying the motorcycle when Abigail stops next to her, announcing that she's ready.

"That guy did come," Taylor comments as the two begin to follow other attendees farther into the woods.

"I'll have to ask Selena if she remembers his name," Abigail decides.

When the girls walk out into the clearing, Taylor's comfort and confidence begin to shrink as she realizes how many people are here tonight. It's overwhelming. There are hundreds of people standing in groups talking, waiting for the show to start. She's panicking internally, trying to act nonchalant externally, as Abigail leads them over to where Selena is standing with a few people.

"Hey girl hey!" Abigail shouts as she runs up behind Selena, jumping onto her back from behind.

"Ow, Abigail!" Selena says as she tries to keep her balance. Taylor catches up, a few paces slower.

Abigail hops off her back and gives her a quick hug before turning to Taylor, pulling her into the huddle. "Guess who we saw on the drive over," she teases.

The group looks at her expectantly, eager for the gossip. When she doesn't give it up quickly, someone asks, "Well?"

"Okay, so I don't know his name," she answers as everyone groans, "but, but, but," she holds a finger up, "it was that guy whose twin died last year."

"Wait, is he coming tonight?" Selena raises her brows.

"Yeah, we saw his motorcycle in the lot. And he nearly shoved us off the road on the way here," Abigail grumpily mutters.

"What do you mean?" someone asks.

"He sped by us and howled at the Moon," Taylor chimes in.

"Interesting," Selena comments. "I think I heard about a tribute tonight. I wonder if he'll be the one singing."

"I'm not sure, but I know someone else who is singing tonight," Abigail grins as she looks around the group.

"Yeah, and I can't wait to absolutely knock everyone else's performances out of the park, or more appropriately, the woods," Selena smirks as she mimics swinging a baseball bat.

"Not you," Abigail rolls her eyes, "I'm talking about Taylor." She jumps up and down as she gestures to Taylor.

All the eyes in the group flash to Taylor as someone asks, "Really?"

Abigail excitedly nods and says, "Yes, and not as a joke like Selena. Taylor is such a good singer. Y'all are going to be shook."

Taylor forces out a fake smile to try and calm her nerves, feeling uneasy with so much attention focused on her. "Yeah, good luck knocking my performance out of the park," she says and follows it with a forced laugh.

Nobody sees through her façade as they laugh and move onto the subject of song choices. Even though she's standing in a circle of people, surrounded by other circles of people, Taylor feels incredibly lonely. She can feel her confidence retreating and the anxiety taking over. With Abigail's glowing review, people will be expecting a lot. And who knows how many other people she told?

Looking for a place to hide out, Taylor takes quick note of her options. There's a concession stand, of sorts, with a small seating area for people to sit down and eat. All the tables are full, each one encircled with people, so it isn't really a good option. The Porta Potty would be an easy option if the line wasn't a mile long. And the make-shift photo booth area was not a place to go to be alone.

As she begins to conclude the only option is to stay put, Taylor spots an unlit path next to the stage. It's dark, but clearly worn down. Taylor slowly shy's away from the group, and heads for the path.