Chapter 7

To what extent did religious practices require a person to seclude herself from the rest of the world? As far as I could tell, Uno hasn't resurfaced in the land of the living for weeks. Her lockdown was still in effect. I was worried, and I wasn't the type to worry. She did eat. The tray that I continuously placed in front of her room was clean whenever I returned to retrieve it. Yet I was still worried.

What could she be doing there? Praying? Watching TV? Kneeling? The part of me that didn't like getting into other's business wanted to leave her alone. The bigger half of me that has known her to be a good person wanted to make sure that she was alright. Doctor Sanders' message also came to mind. See her at once or it was going to get worse. Add that to the hidden door in Uno's room and the message behind the picture, and I've got myself the world's biggest mystery next to the Loch Ness monster and Big Foot.

I pounded my fist on Uno's door. "Open up," I said. "What are you doing there?" Like yesterday, and the numerous days before that, there was nothing but the sound of my breathing. I pounded harder. "Have you spoken to Doctor Sanders? You need to see her." I pressed my ear on her door. If only I could hear something- a television game show or the sound of an instrument. Then at least I'd know that she was alright. "If you don't open this door, I will call the police. This has been going on for too long."

Footsteps. Those were definitely footsteps. I took a step back as the door opened a crack. I could see her blue eyes peeking at me from the dark room. "Are you alright?" I asked. "You haven't come out in days."

"I'm good," she said in a raspy voice. The kind of voice that said she hasn't been speaking for a long time. "I'd really appreciate it if you tone it down a notch. I'm trying to rest." It was unsettling to just see half of her face, mostly her eyes, and not the other parts of her because of the darkness.

My caring instinct kicked in. "Are you sick? I can take you to the doctor if you are. Tell me what's wrong so I can help you." I attempted to move closer. The crack on the door became narrower, making me stop on my heels. "You want me to be your manager right? I think it's the manager's duty to make sure her talent is ok." What was I saying? I had no experience with this. Fake it till you make it?

"I'm feeling under the weather," she said. "I'll come around soon. Why don't you take the time to visit your friends. Think of it as a vacation. My treat." She cleared her throat. "There's a wallet in the glove compartment of the truck. Use the money there to buy grocery for the house and other stuff you need. You can also treat yourself to new clothes."

"It feels like I'm being bribed," I said uncertainly.

"Then consider it a command from your employer. If you're serious about this as you said, you can't say no to my request. And trust me, I'm fine." As an afterthought she said, "Manager Chance did this for me too. She gave me an alone time whenever I needed it. Can you do that for me?"

I shifted my weight on the other leg. I wanted nothing more than to kick the door open, but that would be too much. "Is this for religion?"

"Nothing to do with that. It's a personal journey."

"Okay then." I sighed. "You know my number. Call me."

I was driving the truck on the way to buy food and stock for the pantry when my phone vibrated. Thinking that it was Uno needing something from me, I didn't hesitate to push the speaker button. This would be quick, I promised myself. "Hello, I'm driving. Hurry up or I'll go to jail for this. I'm not even allowed to drive alone yet."

"Sheesh, talk about uptight," Carter said. "You're turning eighteen soon. And guess what I have for you?"

"I don't know. I'm stopping this call."

"Wait!" he said before I could end it. I focused on the road. What did he want? "Stop by the boba shop today. It needs to be today or these tickets will go to waste. I just got it."

I slowed down the car. "What ticket? I don't have money." My own money. The wallet in the glove compartment had a generous amount of hundred dollar bills that I wouldn't touch unless absolutely necessary. I'd hate myself if I did. Riri, never spend the money you didn't work for, mom would say. She was a woman who kept her secrets, but her guidelines were on point.

Carter chuckled. I could hear people laughing in the background. He was already in the milk tea shop. "The tickets are free. Drop by and I'll explain everything."

"Okay. Got to go, bye." We both hang up. The road that would take me to Carter was three blocks from me. This better be important, I thought as I maneuvered the car.

"What's up homie?" Carter said when I entered the boba shop. He was in his usual corner, smiling like an idiot.

"Don't call me that," I said after I settled down. "I'm not a dude, and you don't like guy friends anyway. If you did then you wouldn't need me."

"Except you're not my friend, but an honorary sister," he corrected. He placed his elbows on the table. Excitement was written all over his face. "You know how sometimes my sister would get tickets?"

I nodded. Carter's sisters were all around the city. They could make friends easily. Sometimes a friend of a friend would give them perks like concert tickets or free passes to a show. Though it didn't happen as often as they liked, it was still exciting when it did. There was a time when Carter and I were able to attend a Christmas special event because of his sister's friend. We tagged along and had a really fun night.

"So? Which concert is it?" I asked with apt interest. "When is she attending?"

"It's not a concert this time Ri." He whipped out the tickets from his back pocket and dangled it in front of me like it was cash. "It's a ticket to a TV show." He handed it to me. There was a time and date written on it, as well as the word Kellen.

"But the date on the ticket says it's for today."

"Exactly," he answered with a smile. "My sister and her friend can't go because something came up. She gave us these instead." I handed the tickets back to him. "Let's go to the show," he begged. "I've been dying to see inside a studio."

"You're dying to access forbidden parts of the studio you mean," I said.

"That too," he admitted. "Don't you think this is a good opportunity to see the guests and the artist?" He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you can study a manager from afar if we happen to see one. It can help you with your problem, and you'll know what a studio looks like. Uno will be proud."

I slapped his arm. "Stop shouting her name."

"I will if you come with me. It's time you get acquainted to those places. You'll practically live there anyway when she starts with another project. When is it?"

"No idea." I took a sip from his drink. It was lukewarm and didn't have ice anymore. Bleurgh! "We haven't discussed it yet. But you're right. Might as well check the studio."

"Of course I am. Are you excited?"

"As if you don't know the answer to that question.”

I wasn't sure if Uno would like it if I let Carter drive her truck, so I sat behind the wheel even though Carter was better at driving. Now that I thought about it, I should be used to all these things because I'd be doing it for Uno in the near future. I'd be doing a lot of things for her. The question was, would I stay after my eighteenth birthday when I was legal enough to live on my own? We'll see.

With Carter's direction and consulting the map application on my phone, we managed to arrive in the right place. There was a long line outside the building. "You sure that's it?" I asked as I pulled the truck to a stop.

"Maps said so."

After being frisked for any weapons, we surrendered our tickets to the guard. They placed a stamp on our wrist before letting us inside the building. I glanced around. It was just like any other building with a large enough air-conditioned lobby. There were signs for directions, and people wearing all manners of clothing, from corporate to a more subtle jeans and shirt. Mom must have entered this building at one point. She saw everything I was seeing. It made me tingly all over.

"This way please," said a tall female with a self-important smile and an ID that said Audience Coordinator. Carter and I, together with the other people who lined up for the show, were led to another smaller room. We waited there a couple of minutes before we were shown to the main studio. Where all the magic happened.

Carter was squeezing my hand the entire time, but I didn't really mind since I was too busy taking everything in. The stage, the lights, the seats. It was exactly what I saw on TV. Carter handed me his mobile phone. "Quick, take a picture of me," he demanded. I obediently snapped shot after shot of him pointing to the stage, doing wacky poses, and laughing with the other audience. In turn, I had to do the obligatory poses as well.

"Boasting rights", he said. Pictures or it didn't happen. I didn't know who I'd show it to anyway. College was weeks from now. I had no known cousin or relatives. Carter and his sisters were my only real friends. And Uno was so used to this that she'd probably laugh at me if she saw the pictures.

The audience coordinator gave us some guidelines before the main show started. After settling in our seats, the host of the show was all smiles as she introduced herself to us. It was a good show overall. What I liked about it was they included the audience with the questions, and even gave us a little souvenir from the guest, which was a book she was promoting called Starstruck.

"That was so cool," I said as the show ended. "Tell your sister I said thank you." We lined up on one side so we could exit the studio with the audience.

"Isn't it?" Carter said. "I'll ask her if she has more tickets." He showed me the book we received earlier. "And we got this for free. It's a lesbian book."

"You read those kinds of stuff?" I didn't really want to know the answer. What I wanted was to distract him long enough so we could leave the building without any problems. He might get an outrageous idea to go to a forbidden area and unlock the doors.

We continued to the smaller room we entered earlier, then went to a hallway. "Yes." He looked very proud saying so. "I'm an avid supporter of the LGBT."

"Why is that?" We got inside the elevator. I breathed a sigh of relief when it closed. We only needed to go through the lobby and the gates, and we were all clear.

He frowned. "Aren't you? I think the LGBT should have equal rights as straight people." The elevator doors opened. We stepped out and continued to the lobby.

I smiled nervously. Almost there. "You're right. Totally right," I said. We stopped walking. "Hey, what's the holdup?" The lobby was surprisingly jam-packed with people. There was barely any room to move. I turned to Carter. "I think we should exit through another door."

"Too late," he said wearily. We were surrounded by lots of people fast. It was impossible to turn around and go back to the elevators. Carter tapped the person standing next to him. "Miss, what's going on?" he asked.

"Something is happening in front," she explained. "I think the fans got overexcited after catching a glimpse of a famous actress." She showed us her phone. "My friends who are in line outside called to say that some of the fans managed to stream past the guard. That's why it's so crowded in here."

"Thank you," I mumbled to the woman. To Carter I said, "What are we going to do? There might be a stampede."

"I know," he said anxiously. Stampedes could easily happen when people's excitements or fear were triggered. With a crowd this large, it would be hard for security to keep them under control. "This is going to be hard, but why don't we try to make our way back to the elevator and see if we can find an alternate route?" he said.

"Sounds like a plan." Carter and I squeezed our way through the throngs of people. It was hard to distinguish if they were guests, audience, or workers there. The temperature has increased several degrees. The air conditioner was no match to the crowd. I was getting drenched in sweat. Somewhere near the elevator, I felt people pushing in all directions. "Carter?" I called desperately.

He waved from the elevator. "Riri, I'm here. Quick, get in before the door closes."

I stood on tiptoes to see past the people who were standing in front of me. "I can't. Let's meet at the car." The door closed before I heard what he said. He couldn't get out if he wanted to anyway. I calmed my nerves long enough to check where to go. If there was no escape from the lobby, I had to thread through the waves of people to get to the back. Nodding to myself, I tucked my elbows to my side so I could shield my chest with my arms and began to navigate through the crowd.

"Excuse me. Coming through," I said as continued on. Someone bumped next to me. She kept her head low and was wearing a scarf over her head, but I didn't miss her face. It was Bianca, the woman who was causing this uproar. I stared in stunned silence at her. If the fans knew she was with us, the stampede would really happen. She was heading to the direction I was trekking. I didn't know what made me take her hand and say, "If you want to get out of here, don't let go."

"Okay," she murmured uncertainly. She knew that I knew.

We battled our way through the mob together. I wasn't sure if the situation in the lobby was under control. What I was sure of however was it could get worse. I wasn't taking any chances. Her hand was sweaty, but I didn't let go once. After a few painful elbows on the ribs and one too many people stepping on my foot, I was able to break us free from the mob. Most of them anyway.

"Over here," I said as I tried to open a room on my left. It was locked. If only Carter was here, we could open it easily. Bianca was trying to open the rooms down the hall, but they were locked as well. "We can't stay here. The crowd could run this way." I stared around until my gaze landed on a window. "There's our escape route."

Bianca and I hurried to the square window. It was large enough to let us fit. I was the first one out, landing on the bushes. "Take my hand, I'll help you." Though she was hesitant at first, something in my expression made her trust me enough to make me help. We huddled near the bushes when we were out. "I can't believe that actually happened." I sucked air into my lungs. "And I can't believe I'm huddled next to you right now."

Her emerald eyes twinkled when she grinned impishly. Soft angelic features, pearly white teeth, and a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. Like Uno, Bianca was better looking in real life. "I'd like to thank you for getting me out of there," she said. "How does dinner sound?"