05.
[LILY SINCLAIR'S SACRIFICE]
—
LILY SINCLAIR WAS a soft soul.
She saw the best in people, and foolishly, she believed in the good in people. Unfortunately, it was this exact optimism that led her victim to a pair of psychopaths' trickery.
Lily was a quiet dreamer who admired Reed Monaro with all her heart. But she was one of many admirers that night, a tiny speck lost in the huge crowd of his sold-out show.
Unlucky for her, there was a guardian angel determined to befriend her that night.
They met in the bathroom where her new friend gave the offer of a lifetime – the chance to meet Reed Monaro.
"Holy shit, are you kidding?" Lily whispered, her eyes wide from shock.
"Seriously, I'm on the team! I can get you backstage. You said you saved up for months for this concert," the girl said. "It's the least I can do to make sure you get your money's worth."
Lily was unable to contain her excitement, "You have no idea what this means to me. He's my inspiration. I started making music because of him – dropped everything to pursue my dream!"
"That's amazing! You look like a talented one, I bet you're making it big right now!"
Lily's happiness faltered for a second. "Thanks," she smiled weakly. "But uh, actually, not really. I just moved here a few weeks ago hoping to get signed, but...no luck so far." Dejection flooded into those bright eyes.
"Oh honey..." her new friend sympathized. "Listen, I can't make any promises, but maybe you could show your work to Reed and he might be able to help out?"
"You're amazing," Lily breathed, sparkles and dreams returning to her beautiful bright eyes. "Seriously, I can't thank you enough. I'm Lily."
"Nice to meet you Lily. I'm Quinn," Charlotte said. "How many in your party? I'll get you and your friends backstage passes."
"Oh, it's just me. I haven't really gotten to making any friends besides my sister yet."
"Lovely," Charlotte noted with a smile. "Just lovely. See you at the back gate after the show."
With a wink, she left the bathroom, her hands stained with the blood that was yet to come.
Funny how a simple promise could make a foolish girl look forward to the moment of her own death.
Lily could barely enjoy the concert as the thought of meeting her idol plagued her mind. She fluttered to the back gate with her heart on her sleeve and her life on a string. When she saw Reed, it was like all her dreams came true. The pop star greeted her with a light kiss on the cheek and smiled at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
He had that effect on people. His smile tore down all their defenses and laid beautiful flowers on their souls – flowers that died and burned along with his cleaved kindness.
Upon Quinn's encouragement, Lily played some of her original music for them.
"Written, produced, and sung by me," she said, shy as her idol listened to her songs. "You guys are the first people I've shown this to." She smiled at her new friend Quinn, eternally grateful for the opportunity.
Lily's music was a deeply personal piece of artwork to her. There were stories hidden in her lyrics and untold emotions lined in her voice. Lily bared her soul to them when she chose to share her work.
"I love it," Reed said quietly, his electric celebrity smile making Lily blush.
It was probably the highlight of the poor girl's entire life. For the first time in her entire life, Lily felt like she was finally accomplishing something.
But all artists knew: to create, one must sacrifice.
YOU ARE READING
The Games We Play | ✓
Mystery / Thriller"Life is a game and everyone's playing it. Some more serious than others. It's just a constant game of people playing each other, and if you're unlucky, you get eliminated." Two psychopaths are playing to win. #1 - deranged / insanity
