AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The door creaks ever-so-slightly, and I creep closer. Marvin follows behind me.
Zayan (The Actor)
Farah?
Anushka
She’s going inside.
Nur
Of course she’s going inside.
Ben
This is like a horror movie.
David
Why would you even say that? I can feel Zayan’s heart palpitations all the way from here.
My phone starts buzzing, and I see Zayan’s name flash across the screen, but I ignore his call and walk fully into the theatre instead.
A horrified gasp gets stuck in my throat. I stare at the destroyed sets, paint cans left open on the stage and – no. Nur’s costumes. They’re shredded, utterly desecrated in the worst way possible.
I rush to the stage, leaving Marvin in the doorway to gape at the destruction. I bend down to touch the ripped threads of Nur’s costumes, the haphazard shards of meticulously painted sets, the scuff marks of shoes against the wooden stage floor. During my investigation of the wreckage, I find a yellow square of notepad paper. Scribbled on it is a message.
CONSIDER THIS A FAVOUR AND GO BACK HOME, FARAH. YOUR SO-CALLED TALENT DOESN’T BELONG ON THIS STAGE.
Bile crawls up my throat, and my hands start to shake – a cocktail of fear and anger burns through me. I tear my eyes away from the paper, surveying the ruined stage again, until my vision begins to blur.
‘Those ingrates,’ Marvin seethes behind me. ‘I can’t even call the police – what will I say? “I let them in”?’
I look at Marvin, and whatever emotion is scrawled on my face makes his expression soften. ‘I apologize, child. I should’ve been more vigilant.’
I shake my head. ‘This isn’t your fault. All you’ve done is look after us, after the theatre.’ I look back at the wreckage of the stage, and my body suddenly feels incredibly heavy.
Useless.
I feel useless.
My heart squeezes, squeezes so hard I’m afraid it’s going to burst. Everything we’ve worked for. Everything we’ve done. Gone in one moment. Two months obliterated.
My phone is buzzing again and again. But none of it matters.
My eyes fall back to the note, and just the sight of those words makes my stomach clench with nausea. Whenever the LSDCATS launched an attack before, it always felt like it was us – all of The Tragedies – against them. But this note is personal. It’s targeted. It’s a message for me.
All of this started as a way to bring to light what The Tragedies had gone through. They’ve risked so much by trusting me, helping me orchestrate this PR relationship with Zayan, allowing me to be the lead. I don’t want to ruin this for them. I don’t want the LSDCATS to target them because of me. I want them to win. To live their dreams. And maybe there was a time when I could’ve been a part of that, but it feels like I’m doing more damage than good.
They deserve better.
A chill sweeps through me once more, tears drying on my skin. I know what I have to do.
I fold up the note and tuck it into my purse – there’s no need for The Tragedies to see that vitriol. It’s a battle for me to handle alone. I take a picture of the destroyed sets, of the ruin in front of me, and text The Tragedies.
Anushka
NO. What happened??
