by Adan Ramie
One woman let out a shrill gasp. Then the projector turned on, and everyone went silent again. The image on the screen was a logo similar to Betheny's tour logo, but instead of Bitez, it was the bastardized festival name in bright, glowing letters.
"Bethesmophoria involves the divine feminine, sacred cleansing, personal sacrifice, and, ultimately, an awakening." The projector clicked, and a blueprint popped up. "Today, as I've said, our belongings will be moved here. This penthouse is made up of three bedrooms, two and a half baths, kitchen, living and drawing rooms, and a lower and upper terrace." The picture changed to one of a beautifully laid out penthouse Adonia recognized as one similar to the one they were all sitting in. "All your needs will be attended during your stay with me."
She stopped to let the women in her audience coo and wow over the amenities. Adonia felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Three bedrooms among seventeen women would be a squeeze. She cast her eyes to the side; Leah's panic matched her own. Their hands met, and they turned back to the screen to take in the enormity of the situation they had created together.
"Tomorrow, we will have a lovely party while I burn offerings from my fans in order to lift the veil of bad luck that has dropped over my tour. On our third day, we will be purified at the lovely spa here in the hotel. Of course, all of this will come free of charge for your participation." Several of the women were nearly bubbling over with glee. Only Adonia and Leah weren't smiling giddily at the prospect of their surprise spa trip.
"On the fourth day, we will truly be as the Greeks as we binge on a roasted sacrificial pig. We will eat, drink, and revel in the carnal delights of the flesh." A wicked grin spread across her face, and she turned her eyes on Leah.
After her announcements, Betheny had the projector turned off and the lights turned back on by her newest assistant. Then she directed them all to line up to sign a contract to exchange their food preparation services for an all-expenses paid spa experience, which Adonia assumed would also include a nondisclosure agreement. While they waited for the more eager members of the crew, Adonia and Leah hung back and tried to avoid Betheny's reptilian stare.
"Hey," Adonia said, and Leah jumped.
"You scared me."
"So, I sent a text to Dame O'Brien. She says that if we plan to continue to work for her, we will participate in this festival."
Leah nodded with the stoic air of a soldier meant for battle. "Then I'm staying here and playing along. I refuse to give up on my dream because of the delusions of a showboat like Betheny Clement."
Adonia looked at Betheny over Leah's shoulder. The expression on her face looking back spoke volumes of her hatred for Adonia and her longing for Leah. "Think she's going to try something?"
"Definitely," Leah said without missing a beat and crossed her arms over her chest. "But if she thinks she's going to get anywhere with me, she's crazier than she looks. I did what I had to to keep this job at that club, but I won't do it again. I have standards and self-respect."
Adonia's mouth went dry and she cleared her throat. "It got serious between you two." It wasn't a question, but Adonia was hoping to get a different answer than the one she knew was true.
Leah shrugged. Adonia took it as a confirmation. "I don't care about her. I was just mad -" She stopped. "I was doing what I was told."
Adonia nodded. She knew it was true, but the idea that Leah had actually slept with Betheny sent an icy spike to her core, and that confirmed what she already knew about herself. She had feelings for Leah that went far beyond the amicable companionship of work partners.
"So, what do you think this festival is going to be about?" Adonia asked to change the subject.
"I don't know. You're the Greek expert." Leah looked up, a smile dancing around her mouth.
"Well, if it's anything like the real festival, all these girls are going to be sorry they stayed," she said, gesturing toward the women lining up to sign a contract none of them read. "It's mostly abstinence, fasting, and penance. And no one leaves until it's finished."
"How does it end?"
Adonia waggled her eyebrows. "You heard what Betheny said: carnal pleasures." Leah smacked her in the shoulder playfully.
"Are you serious?"
"In some villages, it's simply a ritual, little more than a one-off celebration. In others, it's old-style Greco-Roman bathhouse shenanigans. In a few, virgins are sacrificed."
Leah gasped and Adonia could only manage to hide her smile for a moment. Leah frowned, then smacked her again. "You're pulling my leg."
"Yeah," Adonia admitted, and grabbed her by the hand to lead her to the contract line, which had thinned considerably as babbling girls exited. "But only about that last part. They haven't done that in hundreds of years. Nevertheless, this should be a hell of an experience."
"More hell than experience for some of us," Leah mumbled, and Adonia couldn't help but feel bad for her. Dame O'Brien was serving her up a second time as a sacrifice to the sexual appetite of their client, and Leah was too wrapped up in keeping her job to take herself out of the situation.
Adonia and Leah stepped up to the front of the line and Betheny beamed at Leah while steadfastly ignoring Adonia. "I'm glad to see you'll be able to make it," Betheny said, handing the pen and a stack of papers over to Leah. Leah signed and handed them back, then stepped to the side.
"And you," Betheny said, handing papers and pen to Adonia, a look of grim satisfaction on her face. "Oh, I have so much planned for you."
13
The suite was bigger and more luxurious than the pictures let on, and even Adonia couldn't help but let her mouth drop open in childlike wonder. Leah stood behind her, mute.
"What do you think something like this costs to rent?" Adonia asked.
Betheny answered from the door. "Twenty thousand, give or take. That doesn't include all the niceties I've booked for us." She stepped inside and walked toward Adonia and Leah. "It would have been less, I'm sure, but it was such short notice."
"Why go to all this trouble, Betheny?" It was the first time Leah had spoken in an hour, and it took Adonia off guard. Leah turned to face the dressed-down rocker whose eyes had gone round with surprise. "What's really in it for you?"
Betheny's eyes softened again, and as she walked past them, her hand clasped Leah's shoulder for a second. She pushed a couple of pillows out of the way on the plush sofa, kicked off her shoes, and stretched out like a cat.
"My festival."
"A festival you've bastardized," Adonia said.
Betheny kept her eyes on Leah. "Aren't you even a little curious?"
Leah shrugged. "I'm always curious. That doesn't mean you've done anything astonishing or worthwhile. It just means you have my attention, however fleetingly."
"That's all I wanted."
"How many beds are there?"
Betheny looked down at her fingernails as if she had suddenly realized she needed a manicure. Adonia turned fully around and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Betheny. Beds?"
Betheny laid her head back on the couch and closed her eyes in frustration. "Four."
"Are you joking?" Leah asked.
"No." Betheny let out a long sigh. "But we won't spend much time in them. Besides, I've arranged for them to be split and doubled; some on the floor, some on the frames. We're going to live like Bohemians."
"I don't think you know what that word means," Adonia said, but Betheny waved her off.
"And you're forgetting an important part of the festival," Betheny said to Adonia. "We will all be forced to abstain from sex."
"So, what, you brought me here for four days to not try to have sex with me?"
Betheny smiled up at her. "This is not about sex. It's about cleansing and awakening." She pulled herself into a sitting position, then stood on black-socked feet. "Claim a space for your things. Soon we're going to start talking about what all I have planned."
"I can't wait," Adonia
said, not quite stifling a fake yawn.
Betheny tossed her hair over her shoulder and walked away. Leah watched until the door closed behind Betheny, then turned to Adonia with a stricken look.
"What is she trying to pull?"
Adonia uncrossed her arms and put one over Leah's shoulder. "I don't know, but I think we're going to be okay. The festival is about sacrifice, abstinence, and renewal. She's right. It's not about sex. And even if it were, how would any of us manage to have any sex with all these other people around?"
"I know. Most of these girls are straight, anyway."
"I think we'll be fine as long as Betheny doesn't threaten to fire them and somehow whip them all into a Greco-Roman orgy."
Leah groaned. "And if she does?"
"We can always just leave."
"Easy for you to say."
Adonia wished Leah would realize it was just as easy for her to say, but she knew she was too stubborn.
"I really hope you all have been reunited with your belongings and found a space for them. And, don't worry, no one will get to leave until everyone has searched and confirmed that all their possessions are still with them."
A couple of the women breathed loud sighs of relief, and Leah wondered what it was they thought was so valuable. She hadn't brought much to begin with, knowing that long distance drives and multiple stops in unknown cities led to possessions snatched or lost. She dared a look at Adonia, who sat eerily still, like a statue or a painting, a flick of her eyes the only movement betraying her life.
"Now that's settled, let's move on to how Bethesmophoria is going to play out." She beamed at them all. "Today, of course, we'll be mostly setting up, leaning our accommodations, enjoying two beautiful meals, and in general getting comfortable with our surroundings. Look around. There are upper and lower terraces, both with their own appeal depending on what you want to experience. Enjoy, revel, and relax. For tomorrow, Bethesmophoria begins!" She said the last with a flourish of her hand, then hopped down off the chair on which she was standing. She slunk out a door to one of the terraces.
Adonia rolled her eyes. "Did you notice that she really didn't tell us anything?" she asked Leah, who gave her a subtle, distracted nod. She was staring down at her phone. Adonia waited a beat, then took a step away. "I'm going outside."
Adonia walked out in the direction Betheny had taken and found her standing outside on the lower terrace, a cigarette in one hand and her phone in the other.
"What do you want?"
Adonia walked over to a few feet from Betheny and leaned with her forearms on the railing. She cast a sideways glance up at the rocker. "What do you want?"
Betheny pocketed her cell phone and looked back at her. "You know what I want."
Adonia snorted, and stared out across the tops of buildings.
"Smoke?" Betheny asked.
"Sure." Adonia took the cigarette Betheny offered, and even let her light it.
Silence blanketed the two women until Betheny flicked her crushed cigarette butt behind them into a stone pot full of smooth decorative rocks. She pushed up from the railing, then turned to Adonia.
"You know, she could be happy with me."
"I doubt it," Adonia answered, not moving from her spot. "She doesn't want to be with you."
"We'll see."
"Yeah."
Betheny turned and walked away, and Adonia knew she was probably going to find Leah, but figured she could take care of herself.
14
The expansive living room was full. Every available surface from the floor to the highest shelf was piled with stuff: letters, balloons, stuffed animals, posters, art projects, framed art and photos, books, CDs, vinyl records, flags, clocks, food stuffs, and any other conceivable gift. Betheny stood among it all, a frown marring a face that hadn't seen makeup in twenty-four hours and was rebelling against the fresh air. She had her hands on her hips as she surveyed all that had accumulated in just the last two tour stops. The women around her all waited, some looking bored from avoiding any kind of manual labor, and others, like Adonia and Leah, panting from exertion.
"There's just so much stuff."
"Are we done now?" one of the work-shirkers asked, and looked from the nails she inspected into Betheny's face. "I could totally do breakfast."
Betheny shook her head almost imperceptibly. She looked to Adonia like someone trying to solve a complex riddle as she stared out at teddy bears and stuffed snakes, glittery blood smeared unicorn statues and tiny sculptures of naked women in sensual, deadly poses.
"Betheny isn't going to let us have breakfast. Are you?" Adonia had her hands on her hips, but she had expected this. Betheny hadn't said anything on the matter, but Adonia had an idea that the pop rocker would follow the fasting tradition of the festival, if only for a while.
"No," Betheny answered, still staring at one fan creation in particular, her frown of concentration gradually morphing into a grimace of defeat. She looked up and met Adonia's eyes, then let her gaze sweep around the room. Several faces stared back in varying degrees of horror and mutiny. "But we're not going to fast today. That's tomorrow." Most of the women breathed a sigh of relief, but it made Adonia more nervous. Betheny started walking gingerly around the fan mail and gifts, careful not to destroy any of the contributions. "You're not going to just have breakfast. You're going to make breakfast." She stopped in front of Adonia. As she spoke to the group, she stared her right in the eyes. "Today's theme is penance and reflection."
"So, we're going to cook for you all day?" Adonia asked, stony-faced, arms behind her back like a soldier on duty.
Betheny smirked. "No," she said, turning around to face the group. "Today, we're going to burn my offerings. There are two fire pits on the terrace. They burn slowly but effectively. Our first task is to clean them." Groans erupted from around the room. "Or, I guess, you could leave and forfeit your right to this room. I'll take the check for your portion of the expenses before you leave."
"What? We have to pay for this?" one caterer asked.
"Only if you leave us now that the festival is underway. It's in the contract you should have read before you signed," Betheny said with a scowl. Then she turned back to the group and tried to smile. "We clean the pits, then we'll have a brunch. A few of you can make that. Later, after we burn all the offerings and gather the ashes, we'll bathe, dress in our most exquisite clothing, and go dine in the fantastic café downstairs."
"Why are we doing this?" Leah finally spoke. "If you don't want this stuff, couldn't you just throw it all away, or donate it?"
"Offerings are burnt as appeasement to the Gods," Adonia answered. Betheny gave her a slight bow of the head. "If I could wager a guess, I'd say Betheny was going to make the ashes into an effigy to be used for good luck on the rest of this tour and in the future."
Betheny grinned at her. "Exactly right. We're gathering all the good energy from these pure love offerings, burning them to their essence, and sending them off to be cast into something I can wear while on tour."
Leah raised her eyebrows. "Do you really believe it will work?"
"Adonia's ancestors believed it did. There is something soothing in old rituals, don't you think?" Betheny turned away from Adonia and Leah to face the rest of the room. "Does anyone else have any questions before we move forward?" No one answered, so Betheny clapped her hands together. "Okay, then, let's get this started. The faster we do this, the faster we can have a lovely brunch."
As they scrubbed the fire pits, Adonia kept glancing in Leah's direction, but couldn't catch her eyes. She couldn't escape the feeling of dread, loneliness, and loss that had fallen over her. She put her frustration into scrubbing, and in only several grueling minutes, the pit on which she worked with two other women was clean and set up for the burning.
She stood wiping her hands on a clean cloth when Betheny approached her. The musician looked her up and down before speaking.
"You know, we don
't have to have this feud," Betheny said quietly. "We can be civil."
Adonia shrugged and tossed the cloth into the bin of filthy ones. "I guess I just don't agree with how you live your life. You walk around pointing your finger at any object - or person - that catches your eye, demanding that you have it, and never taking no for an answer." She walked inside and Betheny followed like a puppy. "You're as bad as any man, only…" She stopped, hands on her hips, and stared hard into Betheny's face. "You know, you're a thousand times worse because you're a woman and a public figure. You should know how it feels to be pursued against your will. You should know that it's not a great feeling to wonder if someone in a position of power is going to try to overtake you."
"So you think Leah is afraid of me?"
Adonia shrugged. "Wouldn't you be afraid?" She sighed and let herself drop onto a wood portion of the floor. "Listen, I get it. You had sex and you really like her. That's all great." She stared up at Betheny, meeting eyes that wanted to be dominant but knew they were still playing Beta to her Alpha. "But I don't think Leah wants a relationship with you."
Betheny snorted, arms crossed hard across her chest. "And I guess you think she does want a relationship with you?"
The way her eyes clouded with fear and anger told Adonia that Betheny was the one who thought that, but she bit her tongue. Looking down at her hands, scarred and calloused with years of slicing, whipping, and broiling, she wondered if Leah registered her as a person she could be with, then cast the idea again from her mind. Even if they both wanted a relationship, Leah was more invested in keeping this job until she could finally claim the title of chef.