Page 7 of Semblance

She must have noticed the look of disapproval on my face. She immediately took my hands and gave me a pleasant, and strangely hypnotic, smile.

“So Aria, it all comes down to this,” Calisto said. “For ten thousand dollars, will you play at our exclusive party?”

I didn’t have to think long nor hard about it.

“Yes,” I replied. I needed to take every opportunity I could get. Also ten thousand dollars would cover my rent for the year along with supplying me with some much-needed groceries.

“Excellent,” Calisto said clasping her hands together. “Now remember, you mustn’t breathe a word of this to anyone else.”

“I swear, not another soul will hear about this,” I raised my hand in the air, as if I were pledging my allegiance.

“Good,” Calisto said. “The punishment for violating the sanctity of our little secret is death—to you and the person you divulge to.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the amusing cliché.

“Sadly, I wish I was joking,” Calisto replied. Her words sent an instant shiver up my spine and for a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder what I was getting myself into.

Chapter Two

The black limo pulled up in front of the sad little shanty that I called home. I was surprised to see Abraham, dressed in a splendid slim-fit tuxedo, step out of the driver’s side door, greeting me with his trademark smile.

“You’re my chauffeur for the evening?” I asked.

“Indeed,” he said, opening the backseat door for me like a true gentleman. “I’m a jack of all trades: restaurant owner, respected socialite, and for this evening, your personal driver.”

“Well if anyone’s to drive me to my potential career suicide, I’m glad it’s you,” I said. Since this morning, I’ve had some issues with my confidence.

It went missing.

I was as jittery as a pornstar in church. I blamed Calisto and her “make or break” line that echoed in my mind over and over again.

If they like you, they can make your career. You can have your pick headlining Vienna, the Metropolitan Opera, or Carnegie Hall.

That was a lot of pressure placed on one single night. What if I screwed it up?

When I was a child, my worst fear was having rotten produce tossed at me after a poor piano recital, which was absurd thinking about it now. Who brought tomatoes and lettuce to piano recitals in the first place?

The more plausible scenario was that someone would hate my music and spread the word of how shitty my performance was to the musical mavens and crush my dreams of selling out concert halls.

I’d rather have the tomatoes.

The thought of failing tonight made me want to drop to the sidewalk and curl up into a fetal position.

“You shouldn’t doubt your talents,” Abraham said as I entered the limo.

He closed the door behind me. As he entered the driver’s seat, he continued to cheer me on. “You’re one extraordinary pianist. I’m sure you’ll have no problems captivating this crowd.”

However, his words escaped my ears as my attention was focused on some disturbing details inside the limo. The first thing I noticed was that the rear windows were tinted black from the inside, restricting any view to the world outside. Also there was a partition between the front seats and the back, which separated me physically from Abraham.

I felt claustrophobic and feared that I was a prisoner in this luxurious motorized prison.

“Hey Abraham, not to sound ungrateful for the ride, but to be honest the lack of natural light is freaking me out a bit,” I said.

“I do apologize for that,” Abraham replied through a speaker in the roof. “Did Calisto inform you that tonight’s event is a very private affair?”

“She did,” I replied.

“Unfortunately the location of the celebration must be kept secret as well,” Abraham said. “You will notice that there is no cell phone reception available in the limo either. I do understand how this may all be a bit unnerving and if you wish, I can inform Calisto that you’ve changed your mind about tonight’s performance. I’m sure she can find a suitable replacement.”

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