Crystal Melody

Chapter 5: Hanging On The Telephone

Crystal stared inquisitively at the phone sitting on the coffee table in front of her. As she sipped her herbal jasmine tea, she pushed it side to side with her left foot, careful not to push it over the edge.

The late afternoon sunlight sneaking through the blinds into her living room was just enough light so she could concentrate without blinding distraction.

Mellow 70s music and hints of lemongrass filled the room, comforting her as she played footsie with the phone.

She listened as the front door flew open and slammed shut: heard keys dropping in the hallway: listened as shoes were kicked against the wall near the front of the house.

“CRYSTAL!" Amber's voice rang out, echoing through the walls, into the living room, and disturbing Crystal's momentary peace of mind.

There were random thuds, and occasional shaking of walls, as Amber made her way through to the living room.

“CRYSTA… there you are," Amber noted with slight surprise, half undressing herself, then tip-toeing toward her sister and throwing herself onto the oversized lounge next to her.

Crystal barely moved, and merely continued pushing the phone with her bare toes.

“I feel soooo much better," Amber slurred through the lounge cushion.

“Better than what?" Crystal asked.

Amber lifted her head and looked over toward Crystal. “I went to this Pilates class after lunch, and then I threw up in the locker room."

“Sounds positively therapeutic."

“Oh," Amber continued, “and then I just kinda passed out in the hot tub for a while. Why don't we go to that gym more often?"

“Too many drunk girls," Crystal replied, “throwing up in the locker rooms, remember?"

“Oh yeah. That's right," Amber said as she attempted to process the comment, “I hate that about that place."

Crystal half-noticed Amber as she continued sipping her tea and playing with the phone in front of her.

“Where have you been anyway?" Amber asked. “Did you go to that photoshoot?"

“That was yesterday, darling. Remember?"

“Oh yeah," Amber replied, only half sure she did remember. “Isn't there another one this week? The one for that magazine we talked to?"

“Interview magazine: that one's on Friday. It's on your calendar on your phone, remember?"

“Oh yeah," she said, shaking off the remnants of her liquid lunch a few hours prior. Then she noticed the phone Crystal was playing with. “Is that my phone, the one on the table?"

“No, darling," Crystal mused, “this is definitely not your phone."

Amber had sobered up on the drive back from the gym, and she was quite aware of her surroundings, but she often over-played to her audience just to see how far she could extend the performance, and Crystal was all too willing to oblige her.

“Is that your phone? The one under your foot?" Amber asked.

“No, darling. Not mine either."

“Then who's is it?"

“Duke Chambers'."

Amber sat up and began to truly take notice.

“That's Duke Chamber's phone?"

“It most certainly is," Crystal replied as a devilish grin overtook her angelic face.

“He gave you his phone?"

“He didn't exactly give it to me," Crystal answered, “it's more like I borrowed it from him."

“You stole his phone? How did you…" Amber asked as she attempted to process the idea.

“It was just laying there," Crystal continued, “and I didn't want some random stranger to find it, so I picked it up." She said as she turned toward Amber. “And now it's here."

“Did you look through it? Did you go through his photos and his messages and…" A flurry of ideas suddenly raced through Amber's brain as she considered the possibilities and opportunities living and breathing inside the electronic cornucopia a mere two feet from her.

“Haven't touched it," Crystal replied.

“What?!" exclaimed Amber, as she lunged for the phone and began scrolling through menus, searching for lost treasures.

“Amber, darling," Crystal began, “I don't think that's considered ethical, if there is such a thing in the music industry."

But Amber wasn't listening, she was too busy searching through Duke's personal files in a desperate attempt to find something she could use that would sway him in their direction.

“Amber," Crystal said again, almost to herself: her half-sister completely hypnotized by the layers of information inside Duke's phone. But Amber couldn't hear Crystal's plea, so she snatched it back from her.

“Hey!" shouted Amber, as the phone vanished from her grip.

“That's not how we do things," Crystal said as she slid the phone underneath her leg.

“Then what are you doing with it?" Amber asked. “Why do you have Duke's phone?"

“He dropped it after he left, and I was trying to figure out the best way to get it back to him," Crystal answered in her own very vague way.

Amber smiled. She knew Crystal was up to something, and she quickly wondered how she could take part in it.

“What do you know, Amber darling," Crystal inquired, “about this Nicolette Manning person?"

“You mean Duke's on-again-off-again pseudo girlfriend?"

“That's her," Crystal replied, “the one he can't seem to shake free of."

“Do you mean we should give his phone to her?"

“What a good idea, Amber. How'd you like to take a little drive and run a little errand for me?" Crystal asked as the fading light behind her illuminated her angelic features.