19 May 2012
You can't be a wallflower forever.
Angie's words floated through my head. Thanks babes but I quite liked hiding in the background. Compared to this anyway. Centre stage and nowhere to hide. Great.
I stood there, frozen. My stomach felt barren and empty but determined to throw up anyway. The magnificent, dazzling dress they forced me into felt horribly revealing and the ridiculous amount of makeup they'd plastered on my face didn't seem to cover me up enough.
I squinted into the audience to try to find Angie but all I saw was a predatory ocean of bodies just waiting for me to make a fool of myself. I didn't think they'd have to wait long.
My escort prodded me in the back. Oh right, I had to walk.
Thank god I'd got to practice walking in heels or I would have toppled straight into the pit of hungry spectators.
I couldn't get to the door at the back of the arena fast enough. Somehow I managed to get there without the nausea overwhelming me.
I entered a small metal room. It must have been soundproof because I could hear my own thoughts again. I gazed at my distorted reflection on a strange metal contraption. I just had time to notice a platform or trapdoor type thing in the floor when a deep, calming voice said,
'Look at me'
I turned to face the speaker but only saw a pair of eyes flash green then I blacked out.
'Look at me'
This was a different voice than before. It was hard to place as male or female and was slightly echoey and distant but it sounded familiar.
I don't know where I was. It felt like I was floating in a white oblivion. I had no sense of time or direction. But it didn't worry me.
Neither me nor the person who spoke to me were wearing clothes. Weird. Instead we were covered by a white mist that felt way more concealing than that skimpy minidress I had to wear for the show. Speaking of...
I looked at the person who spoke to me and instantly forgot my train of thought. He (or she, I honestly couldn't tell) looked impossibly familiar.
They laughed and said,
'Oh don't worry. I'm everyone. You're sure to recognise me. You can see everybody you've ever met in my features can't you?'
I was left gaping in shock.
'Oh we've got everything we need now. Come here and I'll wake you up.'
I stepped forward uncertainly. He/she huffed impatiently and grabbed my wrist. Their hand was freezing.
I felt as if the air pressure had become so high that it was shrinking me. Soon I was so small I couldn't breath. Help!
I opened my eyes, gasping for air.
'Thank you, miss. I think you've given us all we need for now. You may go and mingle with our other informants until we next have use for you.'
He spoke so matter-of-factly that I could do nothing but obey. I stumbled through the door he directed me to. I found five people of various ages chatting casually. A girl about one or two years younger than me walked up to me.
'First time? It's actually quite a good lifestyle so long as you don't mind the invasion from time to time. Your possession was really long. About a month. You mast know a lot. Hey don't look so scared.'
Possession?! A month?! Jeez I was really hating the limelight.
Spotlight • Opuss № I