A Mafia's Nightmare

Man from the shadows

My eyes try not to judge the fidgeting girls around me. My right leg is crossed over my left leg, my arms crossed across my chest. I seem to be the only calm person in the large, bright room.

Every other girl is either pacing around, chatting loudly and nervously, or swaying their legs repeatedly.

Quite sad if you ask me.

I don't understand why they're so antsy. It's almost funny. Actually, it is funny, and I've laughed a couple of times. I didn't mean for them to notice but they did.

It's why no one has said any words to me since I walked in.

I could care less anyway, I'm not here to make friends.

Like them, I'm here to get picked, but unlike them, I know exactly what I am being picked for.

Everyone thinks they're here to be cast as models. It's what the internet ad promised. It's what drew all of them here, bringing with them visions of glamour and fame.

Not me though. I know why I'm here.

It also says that if we're picked, we'll be immediately flown abroad. It's why everybody else, including me, has their bags packed in hopes to get selected.

It makes no sense and it makes me wonder why there's so many girls in the room with me.

Some random company wants to whisk you away, an unnamed company, with no government affiliations, yet, every once in a while, actually, every year, they host a runway as such and the “selected" girls are never seen again.

It's why I'm here.

That's why I clicked the ad.

It's why I hacked their website and added my picture to the list of applicants.

It's why I have a small duffel bag packed beside me.

“Rachelle Kurt"

Someone bursts through the door calling the name.

Almost immediately I hear a shrill scream from the far right corner behind me. I know that scream anywhere. I sound like that when I see my brown, fluffy puppy, Rodger.

An excited scream.

I look behind me just in time to see Rachelle picking up her bag. From the way she's handling it, she must have packed a lot.

It almost makes me laugh again but this time I control my tongue.

Quietly, I watch her move her short feet. I know I'm taller than her. Way taller.

They lead her to the door, where the strange looking man with really dark shades stands. I fail to understand why he's wearing that when it's already dark out but he's not my business.

I watch Rachelle turn around just before she steps out. She gives a short wave with her eyes focused behind me. Her smile is as broad as my little sister's when our parents return from work.

I do not care to look behind me. A second later, the sound of the door fills the air. She's gone, with the quiet man shutting it behind her.

Everyone goes back to the way they were before. She's the first to leave and that seems to put everyone else in an even more nervous mood.

I let out a sigh loud enough for just me to hear. I take out my phone from the brown purse on my naked thighs.

I decided to wear some very short shorts, although against my roommate's advice. She believes a big, green sweatshirt and white shorts isn't the proper outfit to meet rich people.

I couldn't care any less about what she or any wealthy motherfucker out there thinks. It's my body and I'll wear what I want.

I take a moment to unlock my phone then find my way to my favorite messaging app. w******p.

There's a message from Irene already. A smile tugs on my lips before I even open her chat. She's the most dramatic roommate ever.

“Elara Wills”

My jaw pushes my head up when I hear my name. My eyes fall on the same strange man from just minutes ago.

I can't see his eyes but I know he's looking at me. I haven't been nervous all the while but suddenly my stomach is in knots.

Oh God.

Oh God

Oh God

My heart races as I pick up my bag. It's heavier than usual. So are my legs. So is my entire body.

I can feel the razor sharp eyes of everyone around me placing small cuts on my skin. They're not enough to make me bleed, but they're enough to make me want to scream.

And that's exactly what I'm doing. In my head.

The closer I get to the man in dark glasses, my throat becomes dry. I swallow, hoping to bring some moisture.

It doesn't work.

My legs keep moving though. I'm not sure at what pace, but they do and soon enough I get to the door.

Like for Rachelle, he moves aside. I quietly walk in front of him. Unlike Rachelle, I have no one to wave goodbye to.

I swallow the lump in my throat when I hear the door close behind me. It's a dampening sound.

“So you're the one who got his attention."

I turn when I hear his hoarse, slightly repulsive voice. I find his dark shades in his left hand. His bloodshot red eyes are checking me out.

Ew

I instantly look away, returning my gaze ahead of me. The last thing I want is to lose my temper. At least not yet.

“You seem pretty normal to me,"

I grit my teeth when I hear his voice again. It seems like he's bent on forcing a reaction out of me.

“What did he even see in you?"

He means it in a very degrading way but there's a tint of lust in his voice. It irritates me, even more than the giggling girls in the room I just left.

It's almost enough to make me shoot him a hate glare, but I keep moving.

Save your energy Elara

Thankfully he doesn't speak to me again. Just then, he walks ahead of me.

Finally,

I let out a soundless sigh of relief.

My eyes rest on his back for a second before taking note of the dark halls. It's almost as dark as the shades the ugly man has returned to his face.

The lights above us don't make it any better to see. They're dim. Very dim. it almost feels intentional.

It's a different route from when we came in.

Maybe it's a back entrance

I say to myself as I follow behind him quietly. It becomes clearer that my assumptions are correct when my eyes spot a small, black door ahead of us.

I start to become hesitant, especially since there's no doors around us. It's one long, lonely hallway.

I take a quick look behind me, to be mentally aware of how far I would need to run if it came to that.

It looks far, maybe because we've been walking. I'm certain it'll be shorter if I'm running.

My eyes return to the man in front of me. I clutch the straps of my duffel bag tighter. The closer we get to the door, the louder my heart pounds.

It takes everything in me to stop my legs from bolting in the opposite direction.

Thankfully, I don't struggle for long. Once again, he stops and moves aside, like a gentleman, while he holds the door open for me.

I make sure not to acknowledge his presence when I walk past him. He snickers, loudly and intentionally when I walk past.

My eyes roll but they stay forward. There's a car just inches away from the door and it looks like that's where I'm being led.

Hesitation washes over me again.

Like a big girl, I keep walking. I don't hear the footsteps of the annoying man anymore. Out of curiosity, I turn to look behind me.

He's nowhere to be found.

For a second I feel relieved, but when the second passes, I'm stricken with fear. It causes me to freeze.

While I contemplate running, and in which direction, the black window glass of the rearseat, complimenting the color of the car itself, slowly lowers.

My stomach lowers with it.

“Elara Wills."

I hear my name but in the most chilling, husky voice ever. I don't see a face though, the backseat is as dark as the night and whoever is inside, is sitting on the far end.

"Who's asking?”

Regardless of how much I want to s**t my white shorts, my voice remains unbothered, emotionless, rude.

"I wasn't asking.”

The voice says again, this time it's deeper, gravelly, almost like he's angry. I know it's a man. A dreadful man by the tone of his voice.

I open my mouth to say something sassy but I hear his voice instead. "I paid a lot of money for you,"

While he speaks, the passenger door of the SUV opens. A big, actually, gigantic man, with the scariest eyes I have ever seen, steps out.

He goes ahead to open the backseat door, all while keeping his frightening eyes on me.

I look into the car. I can see black shiny shoes, some part of his black pants, but that's all the night light allows me to see.

“Don't make me regret it."