Tale of two sisters

Episode two

The evening air was thick with anticipation as Olivia cloaked in a sense of sisterly duty, allowed herself to be drawn into the vibrant chaos of the city's nightlife. Natalia's relentless persuasion had finally worn down her defenses, and with a promise to return by 11 PM, they slipped away into the night, leaving the unsuspecting Ximena in the quiet of the Whitemore duplex.

Their taxi comes to a stop at a coffee shop beside a T-junction. Olivia feels uneasy with nervous shivers down her spine. The night was bustling with life, something she had seen only on TV. Experiencing it was such a beautiful moment. Suddenly, flashes of evil actions she had watched in the movies flashed before her eyes. Her hand rattled the more with fear. Her armpit began to itch.

“Natalia are you sure we will be back by 11, I have to study for my test tomorrow. It's my first and I wouldn't want to be late or too tired for—”

“You know what Olivia, if you don't want to come, You can just leave now. So I'll know you can never support me or maybe, anyone else. It's that simple!” breathed Natalia harshly.

“No, no. I don't want to go back. I'll support you, it's fine.”

Olivia wants desperately to go back. The thought of getting back home alone made her brush off the feeling.

* * * * *

Earlier that day:

“Helena, I'm telling you the truth. It was Natalia. She came into my room asking if I would support her as a sister at her performance today”

Helena was on the other end of the call. She had always been Olivia's confidant as young as kindergarten. They were best friends and each other's resting shoulders.

Helena didn't live In a duplex and wasn't as high as the financial status of Olivia Whitemore. She was a Spaniard living in the US. Her nativity was preserved by her Spanish-speaking father who spoke English to her a bit more often than never.

Her mother, being English speaks Spanish rather fluently too.

When Helena spoke, you couldn't help but notice the tint of Spanish in her tonation and pronunciation. Her 'ths' were pronounced to sound like the letter, t,'; blending syllables in a way that reflects Spanish phonetics.

“Mañana, mejor amiga” Olivia would say once they got to talk. It turned out to be their normal salutation, accompanied by a wide smile that does a great job of showing off her perfectly white teeth.

Then with a raised tone of her thin voice, Helena would return running towards her with arms wide open, coming in for a hug.

“Mi amor, te he echado de menos!.”

Helena was shorter than Olivia. While they hugged, her head rested on Olivia's burst. But she doesn't mind. They hugged tightly and laughed, looking to go into their amazing adventures. You can think of Helena as that Supportive, energetic friend who sticks around and stands up for her bestie.

“Olivia, do you think she isn't planning something evil? Your Sister won't just invite you like that, or don't you think?”

“I don't think so, Helena. She's my sister, and I want to support her. It'll bring us closer, I'm sure”

“Should I come with you, then? Just to make sure you're okay?”

“I don't feel it necessary. I'll get some time to bond with her” Olivia insisted.

“Alright, just keep in touch with me, yeah?”

“Thank you, Helena. Graçias Mi Amor”

“Anytime Mejor Amiga”

“I don't feel like going to this club” Olivia mumbles to herself.

“She could have just invited me to a restaurant, instead. Oh my. But I just have to. Just for support”

She searches for pictures of the club on the internet and finds out about the high class of individuals that troop in and out every night.

A lump in her throat suddenly refuses to go away as she gets shocked at the pictures of dancers and Alcohol found on the net.

“Hope for the best, Prepare for the worst”

She ends her day drifting into a quick nap, and studying a bit before evening.

Six hours later, there she was, sitting in a taxi, anticipating her next experience.

Things take a turn, unexpectedly when she's accompanied by two other ladies identified as Natalia's friends.

They had awkward looks that startled Olivia a bit. Their perfumes had a choking effect, which made the taxi feel tight and uncomfortable.

They also dressed like Natalia. This time not in her usual ragged jeans and crop top, but in a long mermaid dress, just of a different color. Natalie had the sequence laid in a beautiful pattern of her red dress. It's an armless sleeve and deep neckline showed off all parts of her arms and cleavage, coupled with her thick perfume and heavily powdered face. It looked effortlessly gorgeous.

The ladies get into the Taxi and chat to the club, laughing hilariously in an uncultured manner. One would term them as escaped mental health patients.

* * * * *

The club, a pulsating heart in the center of the city, was a world away from the tranquility of Olivia's studies. The moment she stepped through the doors, a wave of sensory overload washed over her. The air was heavy with the scent of alcohol and the heat of too many bodies moving in unison. Strobe lights cut through the darkness, casting brief snapshots of revelers lost in the rhythm. Olivia's eyes widened as she took in the sight of dancers, their bodies entwined in a hypnotic display of freedom and abandon. She felt sickened.

Despite the shock that tingled through her veins, Olivia mustered a smile, as a mask of bravery to support her sister.

Natalia, radiant under the spotlight, seemed to belong to this world—a stark contrast to Olivia's discomfort. As Natalia twirled and leaped on stage, Olivia's admiration for her sister's talent was tinged with a growing unease, she felt sweat beads roll down her powdered face, premonition that the night would not unfold as innocently as promised.

As the night deepened, men at the bar sent advances Olivia's way, their intentions as clear as the glasses they clinked in her direction. She dodged their words with polite refusals, her resolve to remain untouched by the club's seductions as firm as the grip she kept on her drink. But as one figure approached, his confidence bordering on intrusion, Olivia's composure began to fray with irritation, one man after the other.

"Enjoying the show?" he asked, his voice smooth as the liquor he offered.

"I'm just here for my sister," Olivia replied, her eyes darting around for an escape.

The man's hand found its way to her arm, his touch uninvited and lingering. Panic fluttered in her chest, a trapped bird desperate for release. It was then, in her moment of vulnerability, that Natalia reappeared, her timing impeccable. With a protective fierceness, she pulled Olivia away from the man's grasp, her role as the protective elder sister never more convincing.

"Are you okay?" Natalia's concern was a balm to Olivia's rattled nerves.

“Yes, thanks to you," Olivia breathed, her gratitude genuine.

Natalia offered her a drink, a peace offering in a glass. "Here, this will help calm your nerves," she said, her smile as warm as the stage lights.

Olivia, her trust in her sister momentarily restored, accepted the drink, unaware of the shadows that played across Natalia's eyes—a glint of something dark, something that turned the protective embrace into the subtle weaving of a trap.

The music continued, uninterrupted and deafening until Natalia was called up on stage to perform solely.

Olivia claps to support her sister but refuses to shout deafeningly like every other human around her.

Natalie gets up to perform on stage, leaving with winks and smiles with joy at Olivia.

“Hello!” A shaky voice from behind called. Olivia turned to set her eyes on a petite blondie whose makeup you'll think was done professionally by a cobbler. The lipstick and blush were just overwhelming.

“Hi.”

“Remember me? I'm Your sister's friend.” Continued the voice getting Olivia to recall.

“We came in together earlier, you know now?”

“oh, yeah. I do. Hello, but my sister's not here right now, she's on stage already”

“Yes...!” laughed the lady.

“We're your sister's best friends you know, and we want this to be special to her”

“We? You and Who?” Olivia raised a brow.

“Yes, we. Hey come in already” she said calling out to another lady that had the same makeup frame but with black hair.

“We need to distribute fliers for her next performance while the people watch this one. We need a hand, so you're her sister right ?”

Olivia stared blankly at her while she spoke while the other shook and nodded her head numerous times like she had no bones in her neck.

“You should help out as well, okay? “

“uh... I'm —”

“Great, we'll get it from the back, come on”

Olivia seeks to decline, but she follows regardless. They moved from the swelling sounds of the club backstage that had rooms to accommodate probably performers and VIPs.

The girls walk fast, she tries to keep up with their pace. Olivia gets knocked down by a drunk Man. He holds on to her hair.

“Help!”...she screams, startled