As usual, red lipstick.

Not just any red. A bright, flirty red lip color that sends a blush to a man's face when my smirk forms. Black eyeliner, to highlight the laughing sparkle in my cornflower eyes. A fitted black jumpsuit with stilettos that would break the average woman's ankles. Yes, this is the person I have carefully crafted for myself to step into in mere seconds.

This isn't who I am. This isn't who I want to be. I'm not a flirt by nature and I'm not a heartbreaker by choice. The golden bangles around my wrists are handcuffs in reality, trapping me in servitude. Marking my life as anything but mine. I hate it. But to be who I want to be, this is the persona I must adopt. For now. My time is coming, I can feel it. Soon I'll shake this crummy planet off of my leather jacket and fly away to anywhere but here. I'm not sure where I'll go. Maybe back to Terra, or to another planet. Anything is better than stinking Sakaar, the home for the 'lost.'

I might not be found, but I'm not too lost.

I grip the microphone and stare at the closed curtain, waiting for them to slide open. Even though my personality is a bit of an act, I do love performing. Always have. There's a certain thrill I associate with singing, especially in the way my voice carries through the dinner halls of the Grandmaster's home. And everyone seems to really like the music from the eighties and nineties, something they never really knew before. My sets range in music depending on the day.

"Good evening, citizens of Sakaar!" The Grandmaster roars like my performance is a football game, and everyone cheers like it, too. I roll my eyes but straighten up and fluff my hair one more time. "Tonight I have a real treat for you, I really do. Please join me in welcoming Halley Andress, the heartbreak of Sakaar!" The audience goes wild as the curtains part to reveal me. I put on my most dazzling smile and wink at a few men. Ugh.

"Hey there," I say flirtatiously. They all go wild again. It's been a few weeks since I've been here yet they all know me, whether it's because of my talent or my reputation. Either way, I'm glad. That means more money. "It's great to be back here in Sakaar." I've always been a good liar. My mom used to rebuke me for it, but it comes in handy here. "Mind if I play a few songs for you?"

The response is deafening. People scream, clap, and stomp. I grin. "Alrighty then." I pick up the guitar at the corner of the stage and let my fingers take over.  The crowd cheers when they recognize the familiar tune of 'Escape,' one of my personal favorites to play.

"If you like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain," I sing, motioning for everyone to join in. "Come with me and escape." After that, I quickly follow up with other favorites like 'I Will Always Love You,' 'It's My Life,' 'Friday I'm in Love,' 'Dancing Queen,' and 'Closing Time.'

The performance lasts about a half an hour, where I play around ten songs. As the curtain closes, I snag the flowers and coins people threw at me. I greedily count the money, but sigh when I realize it was less than I had hoped. I don't make enough singing. It's why I'm never here. I sneak into the dressing room and chug an entire bottle of water, staining the rim red with lipstick.

"Nice job," a female voice says. I spin around and give my best friend, Val, a high five. I say best friend because the scrapper is usually hanging around here and hasn't turned me in to the authorities yet. I'm positive her name isn't even Val, but it's fun to be Val and Hal. "You had them on their knees, I'm telling you."

"I haven't seen you in a while," I greet, slipping out my super heavy earrings before they rip my earlobes off.

"I know. Are you joining the party? Drinks are on the house!" She holds up a bottle in triumph, but I merely shake my head and laugh.

"Not me. I don't feel like men drooling over me when I'm off duty."

"You're no fun!" She grumbles, but there's a sparkle in her dark eyes. "Make anything off of your last adventure?"

"Not enough," I admit, glancing down at the fitted gold bangles on my wrists, the ones that symbolize my service to the Grandmaster. I haven't been able to get them off for fourteen years. "I'm not going to make it in time." There's a dull ache in my heart as that reality settles in. I will never see the places I want to. I will never go back to Terra and find my family. I will be doomed to sing for the Grandmaster for his stupid games forever.

"Don't be so glum, I may have found a solution for you." My head shoots up so fast that my neck hurts. I rub it but keep my eyes on Val.

"What is it?" I whisper eagerly.

"This one's dangerous," she warns me.

"I don't care. I'll do anything." I've done dangerous before. I'm no stranger to jail, and I can use a gun like an extension of my arm.

She lowers her voice. "There's a man at this party tonight named Norman Ranx. Big shot, bit of an airhead. He's at the bar right now."

"Val-" I start, a dangerous edge to my voice. 

"It's not what you think," she rushes, trying to cover up the misconception. "He likes things that make him look powerful. He's searching for this weapon they call the Power Stone."

I shake my head. "Never heard of it."

"Me either, but it holds immense power. And it's worth a lot of money." She glances at me and laughs. "I can literally see the dollar signs in your eyes."

"Don't stop! Keep going!" I beg. "What do I need to do?"

"He wants someone to retrieve it for him. And I may or may not have recommended you for the job."

"Thank you so much!" I'm over the moon. A job like this could be exactly what I need.

"Don't get mushy. I only offered your name because I don't have time to do it myself," she replies.

"All the same," I mutter. I run over to the mirror and comb my fingers through my hair. "How do I look? In case I need to charm him."

"You won't, but you look hotter than Surtur."

I squint. "Who's that?"

She sighs. "Never mind. I forgot that you're not from Asgard. You look fine." She gives me a push towards the door. "Go get em."

"Don't worry. I will."

I'm not a criminal at heart, but I am willing to do anything to free myself. That's what some people call drive and what I call desperation. It's all the same. As I shut the door behind me, a lyric comes to my head.

You give love a bad name.

Yes. I absolutely do.

First chapter! Thoughts?