by L. L Hunter
“Um… are there any lights in this place?”
“Nope, it’s better for the ghosts,” said Jeff, deepening his voice and holding his flashlight up to his chin. I jumped and shuddered.
“G… ghosts?”
Raven laughed. “He’s just fucking with you. There are no ghosts.”
“Yes, there is, Raven,” said Jeff.
“Shut up, Jeffery,” she replied through gritted teeth. I looked back and forth between them, not sure who to believe. I followed them through a wooden door into another dark room.
I was about to tell someone to please turn on a light when someone answered my silent plea. The room was suddenly illuminated to reveal a room, rather a crawl space smaller than my closet at home.
“So, this is where the uniforms are kept. Pick a shirt your size. You’re allowed two. Then take a jacket, and I’ll meet you downstairs in the foyer.”
“Okay, thank you.”
There were rows of cubby holes like the ones upstairs, but these were filled with black shirts wrapped in plastic. Each cubby hole labeled a different clothing size. I took two in my size, then a red blazer from the rack. I then went upstairs to change and put the other shirt in my bag. I then put my long dark hair up in a high ponytail, applied a thin layer of red wine colored gloss in the mirror of the dressing room before making my way downstairs to join my co-workers for the beginning of my first shift at the Grand.
My new boss, Mr. Michael Booth, stood before everyone in the exquisite foyer of the Grand Theatre. He wore a gold tie with a black shirt and jacket.
“Now, ladies and gentlemen,” he began, glancing around the room at his staff. We sat on the marble stairs in the foyer. I sat next to Raven and Jeff. Raven gave me a wink when I glanced her way. I smiled. “Before we get started on our briefing for tonight’s show, I’d like you all to please welcome our new employee. Lexi, please stand.”
I suddenly felt like a deer in headlights as all attention was now on me. I hesitantly stood and wandered out the front to stand before everyone.
“Lexi, will you please tell us a little about yourself.”
He placed a hand on my lower back. His touch felt like poison. I could feel it there. It was foreign. A little uncomfortable, I let it go. I couldn’t do anything to mess up my new job.
“Sure. Hi, I’m Lexi Dean. I love all things performing arts. And um…” I don’t know if I should tell them about who I was, who my parents were. It seemed like the obvious thing to say. ‘Hi, I’m Lexi Dean, the daughter of actor Jack Dean and writer Chloe Vanderbilt-Dean.’
But, no. I was trying to make my own way in the world, create my own path.
“I’m so pleased to be here,” I finally said with a small smile. A few of my colleagues clapped as I made my way back to my seat next to Raven. My face was still flushed, and my heart was beating a million miles an hour.
That was so awkward and embarrassing.
Raven placed a hand on my shoulder from behind. I turned to look up at her as she sat one step higher than me.
“You did great, Lexi.”
“Thank you. That was so nerve-wracking. Did you have to do that too when you first started?”
She nodded. “Yep. Everyone has to. It’s an initiation type thing we do here. One of them, anyway.”
“Yikes.” I didn’t want to know what the other rituals were.
5
After my shift, as I was walking down the marble staircase to leave, Mr. Booth popped his head out of the office.
“Lexi, can I see you in my office for a moment?”
“Oh, sure.” I hitched my bag higher on my shoulder and followed him into the office. He stood just near the open door, but when I entered, he closed it behind us.
“Take a seat, please.”
“Oh, sure.”
I sat down on the chair at the reception desk behind the computer and turned sideways to face him. Mr. Booth stood in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. He then unfolded his arms and began loosening his tie.
“How was your first shift?” he asked, pulling off his tie before unbuttoning his dress shirt.
What was he doing?
“Um, it was okay. I mean, it was good. I had fun.”
“Good. That’s what I like to hear. Now, I noticed you looked particularly friendly with Raven tonight.”
“I just met her. But she showed me around. She’s a nice girl.”
“I don’t want to have to tell you who you can and can’t hang out with, but please be careful of her.”
Why was my boss giving me a warning about Raven?
“Why?”
“She’s… don’t worry. She’s a bit wild, to put it mildly. You seem like a nice girl. I’d hate for her to lead you astray.”
Mr. Booth was now standing before me in his pants and a singlet. He had also taken off his shoes. I began to feel really uncomfortable. I stood and gathered my things.
“Thank you, sir. For your concern. But I’m a big girl. Have a good night.”
I went to walk past him to go the door, but he put a hand on my lower back once more. I froze.
“You’re not leaving, are you? Come have a drink with me in my office to celebrate your first shift.”
“Um, thank you. but I am eighteen. You know that. Goodnight.”
I hurried out the door and picked up the pace to get out of there before he could stop me again.
The next day, I was working at the studio. I was running things from set to set when I quite literally ran into one the stars of the current film project my parents were working on.
“Whoa. What’s the hurry?” he said, holding my arms gently. I had collided with his lean body, and now here I was standing in his arms, looking up at him. Another deer in headlights. It was Roman Sawyer, Hollywood’s new up and coming heartthrob. He was eighteen like me and worked a plethora of different jobs to get by the same as me.
“Sorry, Roman. I… I didn’t see you.”
“Are you okay, Lexi? You seem… distracted.”
“Sorry, I um… I was just thinking about my new job. I worked last night.”
“Oh, cool. Where?”
“The Grand Theatre in West Hollywood.”
“Oh, that place is cool. And haunted, right? I’d love to work somewhere like that.”
“You should. I could probably get you a job there, but we should wait a little while. I just started, and I don’t want to ruin it.”
“Cool. I understand. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. Hey, do you need me to bring you anything? I’m the runner today.”
“No. I’m fine. Thanks, Lexi. I’m heading to set now. I’ll see you ’round, ’kay?”
“Okay. See you. Have a good shoot.”
“Thanks.” We waved goodbye, and Roman left. But I remained, standing there like a mannequin thinking about what I’d been last doing. Where was my brain today? I walked to the Craft Services area and grabbed a water from the fridge. As I was drinking, an image of a beautiful goth girl filled my mind.
Raven.
I had always known I was bisexual, that I’d always had a thing for both girls and guys. But I hadn’t met anyone till now that I felt attracted to.
Until Raven.
I had only just met her, but somehow, she had awoken something inside.
I felt awake for the first time in my life.
It’s like, up until I met her, in the staff room of the theatre, my world was painted gray. Now it was in vivid color.
I couldn’t wait to go back to work and see her, despite my boss’s warnings about her. What was up with that? I headed back toward my father’s studio with a renewed attitude.
6
My next shift was on the following Tuesday. I walked into the staff room, humming to myself, headphones in. I was hoping Raven would be there.
“Hey, there.” I recognized the voice immediately, despite the music in my ears and my humming. My heart skipped a beat as I shrugged off my headphones.
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“Hey,” I replied. My voice came out breathless.
“How was your weekend?” She asked, lacing up her black combat boots.
“It was okay. Busy. I worked at the studio all weekend.”
“Oh, cool. That must be the best job. I bet you get to see all the stars.”
I shrugged.
“Sometimes. I’m just a runner. Like a slave,” I laughed. I placed my bag in a cubby hole and took one of the chairs in front of the Hollywood mirror, right beside Raven. I could hardly breathe at her proximity to me. I had never felt like this before.
I turned slightly so I could see her, not just her reflection. She was re-doing her wavy black hair into a low ponytail and pulled out strands to make side bangs. Then she put on some black lipstick and eyeliner.
When she looked up to do her eyelashes, she smirked, noticing I was looking at her.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing,” I said, turning back to my own reflection. I slid gloss over my lips.
You’re just so beautiful.
I then mentally kicked myself for thinking that. I had to keep my thoughts off her and concentrate on work. Plus, there was the ever-persistent warning from Mr. Booth to stay away from her, but I still wanted to know why.
I mean, she seemed perfectly fine.
But how did that saying go? The sweeter the fruit… or something like that.
“Well, my weekend was fun. I went to this party. You should come sometime.” She then got out of her chair, threw her makeup in her bag, and headed toward the door.
“See you downstairs, Lexi.”
“Sure. See you there.”
When Raven left the room, I threw my head down on the table in front of me and banged it over and over, hoping it would knock some sense into me.
“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!”
In the course of trying to knock sense into my thick skull, I didn’t see someone had arrived.
“Shall I come back? Because I kind of need to get ready for work. I’m running late.”
I looked up and standing behind me was one of the most gorgeous men I had ever seen.
He had thin brown hair, thick-rimmed glasses, a black long-sleeved t-shirt, and slung across his lean body was a vintage messenger bag.
“Oh, sorry. Don’t mind me. I was just talking to myself.”
He chuckled. “I can see that. Do you do that a lot?”
“Lately, kind of. I’m Lexi, by the way. I don’t think I’ve met you yet.”
“I’m Matthew. Matt.” He walked over and offered me his hand. I slipped mine into his. His grip was firm but not too tight. I looked up into his face. He smiled and stepped a little closer.
I stopped breathing.
What were the chances of getting close to two gorgeous people in one day?
“It’s nice to meet you, Matt.”
He smiled, but before he rose (he was tall!), he bent down closer and whispered into my ear.
“You, um… have a bit of red mark on your forehead.”
I spun back to the mirror, and sure enough, there it was. A big red mark smack bang in the middle of my damn forehead. I quickly covered it with my hand and started rubbing.
“Oh my god. Thanks.”
I was mortified.
I kept running but only succeeded in making the mark worse.
“Crap!”
“It’s honestly not that bad. It looks good actually.”
“You’re not helping!”
“I’m sorry,” he replied, putting his hands up in surrender. “I don’t know if I can do anything. But maybe you could go ask one of the other women for some cover-up?”
“Thanks. I’ll have to try that.” I got up from my chair, checked, and re-checked my appearance, then ran out of the dressing room in search of another female who may or may not have some cover-up.
7
I pushed open the front door after my shift, which felt like the longest, most boring shift ever, into the cool night air.
“Lexi,” a voice called from behind. “Wait up.”
I turned and saw Raven walking toward me.
“Hey,” I smiled. “that was the longest shift ever, right?”
“Fuck yeah. Wanna go get a drink? I need a drink. Or something else.”
“Um, I can’t. I should get home. I’m only eighteen.” I stepped toward the curb, pulling out my phone, hoping to catch an Uber.
“Don’t worry about it. I know a place. Come on.”
Then she took me by the hand and with the other, she hailed a cab. I slid in beside her on the backseat.
I didn’t know where we were going, but I would follow this girl into the pits of Hell and back.
Our cab pulled up to a building that was all dark and foreboding. It looked abandoned.
“Um… Raven. Where are we? Are we in the right place?”
“Yep. Follow me, babe. It’s gonna be a night you’ll never forget.”
“Where are you taking me? I really think I should be going home. My parents are going to be worried.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I come here all the time,” she said flippantly as we got out of the car.
Now standing on the sidewalk, I could hear the faint heavy bass tainted music floating through the walls. The windows were boarded up, and there were even ‘no trespassing’ signs hanging up.
Raven slipped her hand into mine as we walked toward the building, and as if there were motion sensors on it, the door opened up if by magic. I looked at the door, then back at Raven, then at the door again.
“Is that normal?”
“Yeah. Follow me.” She tugged me forward, and together, we stepped through the door to the so-called dark and mysterious place that Raven said, a girl I had only just met, mind you, may change my life. What could go wrong?
8
There were minimal lights as we entered the building, so I was still wondering if she were leading me into a drug den or a deserted place so she could murder me.
Yeah, I watch too many true crime documentaries. To be fair, they helped me wind down. They were my go-to after work.
But Raven was holding my hand. That was the most important thing.
We turned right down a long corridor, and the music grew louder the further we walked.
“What is this place exactly?”
“You’ll see.”
“So cryptic. Have you been here before?”
“Yep. A few times. It’s the best. Honestly, it’s the best way to unwind after a long, stressful shift.”
“My idea of unwinding is watching true crime documentaries on Netflix.”
“Girl, you really need to get out more. Just wait and see. After tonight, you’ll want nothing else. It’s addictive.”
At last, the long dark hallway gave way to some stairs. The bass got heavier and deeper. It pulsated through my body. Raven led me down the narrow black staircase, which wound down about three flights. Until we came to a large open space filled with wreathing bodies and strobe lights.
The music down here was so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. The bass throbbed through me. I couldn’t differentiate between my heartbeat and the music.
“Welcome to The Poison Lab.”
I scanned the room. All I saw were people rubbing up against each other, couples making out, even two guys in the corner… were they having sex? In public? I averted my gaze.
“What is it exactly? Some kind of night club? You know I’m underage, right?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry about that. Here, anything is legal. If you tip enough.”
And with that, a huge dude wearing a bulletproof vest walked over and held out his hand to Raven. She smiled at him and reached into her pocket, pulling out a wad of bills. She handed them over, and the guy walked away.
My mouth dropped open.
“What was that? Did you just bribe him?”
“It wasn’t a bribe, babe. This was business. They turn a blind eye if you hand them the moola. That’s how it works.
We can do whatever we want here. the only thing you’ve gotta worry about is the photographs.”
“What photographs?”
“Phones. Everyone has one in their pocket. Everyone is connected to the internet nowadays. It’s only a matter of time before our pictures are leaked.”
“Then why do you come… wait? You said ‘our.’”
I had a million questions. But the main one was…
“Who are you, Raven?”
She gave me a smile that could power a whole city. “you’ll see.”
Then she walked toward the bar.
She was so mysterious, and I hated it.
But I followed regardless. Who was this girl?
She brought me a drink after I told her over and over I was underage. She kept reassuring me it was fine and not to worry. I was eighteen, and the phones… my parents… they were going to be worried…
Raven kissed me. It was entirely out of the blue and took me by surprise. But I kissed her back.
It was the best kiss I had ever had.
My first kiss.
My first kiss was with a woman.
No one knew about my sexuality.
“Oh my god!” I stepped back and slapped my hand over my mouth.
“Lexi? What’s wrong?”
“Sorry, it’s not you. Um… I just remembered that I haven’t officially come out yet. Especially not to my family. If pictures get out, they’re going to find out.”
Raven threw her head back and laughed.
“What is so funny? I’m having a serious crisis right now.”
“You spend way too much time in your head.”
“Um, yeah. Duh. My mother’s a writer. Of course, I do.”
“No, not like that. You overthink. A lot.” She placed her hands on my shoulders and shook me.
“Lexi, do me a favor?”
“Yes?”
“Relax. Stop worrying. Just for tonight. This is Hollywood, babe. Everyone is fucking famous.”
Then she kissed me again, and taking my hand, she led me onto the dance floor.