"I think I'm going to throw up." Kat shake's her open finger's in the air, fighting to gulp down much needed oxygen. I grab her hand's to steady them, "Breathe, you're going to do great." I assure her, popping a look through the stage door at the packed house, I gulp at the thought of all of those eye's on me. I turn back to, Kat, "Just...imagine they're all naked." I lighten the tension, "You sing to an audience all the time!" I smile.

She roll's her eye's, "Those are small audience's, this is Broadway!" We look around at the scurrying stage hand's, the group as a whole is like a buzzing beehive. Hipster mid-twenty-something's scooting from stage left to right, barking into mic's strapped to their head's. It's thrilling, the big time show will begin in a few minutes, and, Kat couldn't be more nervous. Someone slander into my back, I fly into, Kat as a small person dressed as a monkey zooms past me in search of their cell phone.

"How do I look? Be honest..." Kat presses her lip's together.
"You look. . .Like a flower...Like a big pretty flower." I pet the big flower petal's beaming around her head, and boop her nose playfully. Her face is smushed, poking through a face hole in the center of the flower. Comical, and cute.
"Five minutes!" A bossy overweight woman shout's to the cast. The brewing energy seaping through the thick velvet of the curtain is building.

I quickly hug, Kat, "Break a leg." I say into her ear, she laugh's, "I have to go find my seat, I'll come back after the show." I leave her looking helpless, like a small child left at their first day of school; lost in a new world, intimidated by the unknown. I rush through the darkening theatre, in search of my row. I squint my eye's and find, Ava and, Travis sitting on either side of my assigned seat. "Sorry!" I whisper to a man as my knee's knock into his. The infamous side-scoot down an aisle is equally embarrasing, and awkward.

"Where have you been? It's about to start!" Ava question's, while I sit beside her and, Travis. The light's dim, and a proper applause bellow's around the row's. Under the flattering lighting all I can see are people's head's. Formal salon-done hair across every row, I suddenly feel underdressed peering down at my fifty dollar mall dress, and second hand heel's.
"Do people usually dress so...fancy? To this sort of thing?" I whisper in, Ava's direction. An annoyed woman behind us gives a sharp shush as, Ava snort's, "Yeah, it's kind of a big deal." She whisper's back, eyeing the shushing woman behind her.

Dramatic orchestrated music sound's in front below the stage, and I zone in on the curtain smoothly drawing to either side. The show musters on, thirty minute's in I cut my attention to, Travis by nudging my elbow into his side.
"Sorry." He sit's up, and wipe's drool from his chin, "Never been that into musical's." He yawn's. I shake my head smiling at his tired, and bored face.
"She's about to come on." Ava rub's her hand's together, the same annoyed woman smack's, Ava's seat with her Playbill. Ava whip's around in her seat, "I will end you, granny." She glares at the middle aged woman, she scoff's turning her nose upward and goes back to watching the performance.

I sit up straight to get a better look. Kat come's on stage for no more than two minute's; prancing, singing in the background, completely blended into the cast. If we hadn't been searching for her, we would've never noticed her. I glance back and forth between, Ava and, Travis, "Nobody mention's it. Got it?" I tell them, "She's a beautiful flower tonight. It's her night." The three of us nod in agreement, that no matter how miniscule her part was, she deserves a Tony Award. The show come's to a close, and I realize that, Kat never mentioned her parent's coming. Something in my gut tell's me not to ask. It could ruin her night.

The cast take's a bow to the standing audience, roaring and clapping their hand's together. The volume of the applause could be heard from the street outside. It really was an outstanding performance. The oversized curtain's slowly meet center stage, swallowing the troupe behind it whole. Navigating in the thick of the leaving crowd is worse than New York street traffic. Nothing but irritated face's, tipsy belly grabbing laughter, and shuffled footing. I keep a firm grip on, Ava's hand, as does, Travis. Forming an unbreakable chain of fan's of the dainty little flower.

I flash my backstage pass to the swollen chested security men at the stage door. He inspect's our passes, then let's us through. Backstage is more crowded than before the show, with doting fan's in line for autograph's and photo's. I stand taller on my toe's scanning for, Kat. Ava find's her in a corner pulling the petal's from her head, and shaking her hair free. Travis tap's an excited finger on, Kat's shoulder. Her face glow's when she see's him, then Ava, and me.
"You were amazing!" Ava shine's, "We should celebrate!" She hop's, clasping, Kat's hand's.
"Thank you, Ava," Kat smile's, "I feel like my blood is made of electricity right now, it was such a rush!" Kat beam's.

We stand in our corner while we go over the detail's of the show, and Kat's performace when I see a familiar face in the crowd. "Hey," I nudge my friend's, "Who's that man? I think I know him." I try to think of where I've seen him before. His greying hair, sleek and oiled to the side, his strong imprinted dimple on a single cheek. It all come's flooding back as, Avery step's to the man's side. A wide smile on his face as he entends his hand to the producer.
"Guy's," I say over my shoulder, unable to turn away from, Avery, "Guy's!" I shout to them, I grab their attention. "We've gotta get out of here. Now." My voice start's to shake. They catch on to my urgency, and spot, Avery across the room chatting up the cast with his father. Kat hurries to her duffle bag and begin's stuffing her clothes and makeup inside. I peek over my shoulder, becoming impatient, spying to make sure he hasn't noticed us.

"Chloe?" I hear behind me. I flinch at the growl in his voice, and turn on my heel to face him. His mouth smile's, but his eye's are furious. Darkened with an anger that could rip me apart, "I'd like you to meet my father, Miles Duncan."

I stare at him in shock, and weakly stretch my arm to shake the man's hand. A light, feather shake. I swallow hard, and take a step back toward my friend's who've frozen in place, too scared to speak or move.

"Can I speak with you in private for a moment?" Avery ask's through a false smile, his jaw clenched with every word. His way of getting me alone, out of the public eye. I feel, Ava's hand on my back to comfort me.
"We were just leaving." I glare.
"Just a few minute's." He glare's back, continuing his clenched smile. A warning, I hold the key to his future prison cell, and he's vulnerable. Scared.
"Fine." I snap, and look back to, Ava. "It's okay." I mouth to her, and walk away with, Avery. He guides me to a hallway, and into a broom closet. The smell of chemical cleaner burns at my nose.

He follow's me inside and slam's the door shut, "Where is it?" He pushes my back into the wall with a thump.
"Where's what?" I challenge.
"Don't play with me, Chloe. Unless you want to fall from the top of the nearest highrise." He warn's, pressing his forearm into my chest. Fear flood's my eye's, "The basement. Midnight. Be there, or I will come get you myself." He hisses, shoving his arm from my crushing lung's. I cough, and rub at my chest. Avery take's a long look at me before leaving the broom closet. I lock the door when it closes, and slide down the safe side of the door. My head meet's my hand's.

What have I done? He's going to kill me. I think. A rapid knock pound's outside, I open the door to see my friend's drowned in concern.
"What happened, are you okay?" Kat, cup's my cheek's.
"Nothing. He want's his stuff back." I can't ruin her night, so I lie, "He's scared. I think."
"He should be." Travis sniff's.
"Let's celebrate." I throw my arm around, Kat walking out of the hall.

We throw a small party in the booth of the diner down the street from Lava's. The table has been covered with burger's, fries, and ice cream. We laugh as, Ava tell's, Kat the story of the shushing woman at the show.
I'm reminded of the cafe back home, I imagine, Zen waiting table's, growing irritated by the demanding local's fussing over their egg's and morning coffee. Zen, slinging a hand towel over his shoulder, wisping to the kitchen to fix an order, wishing he were anywhere but the cafe. Trudging home, wallowing in boredom.

At the corner, before crossing the street to the dorm Kat, and I say goodbye to, Ava and, Travis. Ava makes her way in one direction, Travis the opposite.

Kat and myself fall into bed, drained from the night's excitment. I glance at her. She lies on her back, hand rested at her diaphram, staring into nothing. I can only imagine the pride she is feeling while she slip's into a peaceful sleep still wearing her jean's. The city is awake, and busy outside. The complex seem's more silent than usual, I'm alone.

I look to the clock, he want's me there. Again. The healing wound's under the fabric of my clothes, across my body start to sting. Burning, begging me to lock myself on my dorm room, and hide. But I'm done hiding. I get out of bed and lightly walk out of the building, into the cold.

***

I heave the heavy messenger bag crossed over my body through double door's. Wooden with frosted glass. I step curiously to the first desk I see, "I need to report an attack. Or. . . Attacks." I tell the man sitting at a desk. He rub's sleep from his eye's turning his attention away from his computer screen.
"Okay? Have a seat. What's your name?" He ask's, clicking a pen by bopping it on a notepad.
"Chloe, but I want to be anonymous."
"Okay? Tell me what happened." He lean's forward, resting his elbow's on his knee's. His pant's rise just a little to reveal his polka dot sock's. I open my bag and pull out the flash drive lighter, and journal. I place them on the yellow notepad, and eye the detective. He look's to them, and pick's up the flash drive.
"What's this?" He open's the lighter.
"Pull it." He pull's and pop's the hidden drive from the lighter. His eye's widen, and plug's it into his computer tower. The small icon pop's on his screen, he click's it. I watch as the detective sit's back into his chair quickly. The chair creak's, his mouth is covered by his finger's with horror, as the sound of screaming, and grunting waves from the small computer speaker's. He unplug's the drive and shove's the evidence into a drawer. I wait for him to stand, round up his fellow officer's to go bust down, Avery's door.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I'll bring this to the captain first thing tomorrow morning, we'll get this guy." He gulps.