Page 6 of Debts and Desires
Maybe one day,I had thought. Then I jumped in my car and followed the open road for the second to last leg of my trip.
And that’s how I ended up in Georgia.
By the time I had gotten there, I was exhausted. But the sight of Mia after the long drive had made it all worthwhile.
Amelia Jenkins and I met when we were six and had been inseparable since, at least until college. She moved down to Georgia to attend Savannah College of Art and Design for Animation while I stayed in New York and went to NYU for Music Theory. Both of us graduated this past May.
Once I had settled in at her apartment, she urged me to tell her all about my trip. I regaled her with stories of quirky roadside attractions, scenic drives, and weird people I had encountered along the way. Though I hadn’t actually done much, I gave every detail I could as dramatically as I could. Mia listened intently, interjecting with laughter, exclamations of awe, and enthusiastic questions. As I spoke, I noticed some things wereoff. She was wearing a scarf around her neck that barely covered the little bruises peeking out from under it. I noticed other faint bruises on her arm, just above her elbow, that looked like fingerprints.
“Being on my own and doing what I want is so freeing,” I confessed at the end. And it was true. I’d been on a short leash for a very long time.
“I’m surprised your parents let you go!” Mia had remarked, raising an eyebrow. Heat crept up my cheeks.
“Yeah, me, too,” I had lied, not wanting to share what had really happened. Not because I didn’t want to be honest, but because I didn’t want to relive it. Some horrible things were better off living through once.
A day of sightseeing and shenanigans had brought us to a small coffee shop back in Savannah days ago. As we had waited for our drinks, her brown eyed gaze landed on a flyer pinned to the community bulletin board.
“Emo, look at this!” Mia had exclaimed, pointing to the poster. “There’s an opportunity to perform at this little bar in Hudsonville,” she let out a laugh as she continued. “It’s called ‘Pete’s Sake Bar and Grille’. Isn’t that adorable?” She then pulled out her phone, her thumbs moving fast. “My GPSsays it’s an hour and a half away, but you should call and do it!”
“Nah,” I laughed.
“Why not?” she had asked, brows furrowed. “The pay looks good.Andthis would be great practice for your audition. Think about it!” I hesitated, my heart fluttering with a mix of excitement and nerves. The idea of performing live had always been a dream of mine, but the fear of rejection loomed. I had tried at a talent show once, but bombed it when I noticed none of my family showed up. And the occasional drunk karaoke performance I didn’t really count.
The more we talked about it, the more I expressed my nervousness for the audition in general. What if I wasn’t good enough? What if I failed? Mia placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You’re going to be amazing, Emogen. You were born to make music.” She smiled.
“I just hope I don’t screw it up.”
Having perfection constantly expected and driven into me my whole life had me terrified of failure.
“You won’t. Just trust in yourself and your talent,” she had reassured. “That’s why you should do this.” She nodded to the flyer. She was right.
If I wanted to become famous, I’d have to get over it.
Taking a deep breath, I dialed the number on the flyer, my hands trembling with anticipation.
After a brief conversation with the bar’s manager, I had secured a performance slot for the upcoming weekend. The mixture of exhilaration and anxiety overwhelmed me, but deep down, I knew that Mia was right—it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I had a feeling deep down that this performance would change the course of my life.
After tonight’s performance, I would have been staying with Mia for a little while longer before heading to Texas had things not fallen apart.
It started when Ian, Mia’s boyfriend, showed up at her apartment.
Prior to meeting him, I didn’t know much about him, save for what I was told in the many conversations Mia and I had. I knew he always took up her time, and not in the good way. She was always busy with him, constantly rescheduling her shows and work times around him. If he came home while we were talking, she’d hang up and text that Ian was there. Mia was head over heels for him. He had seemed nice enough, I guess, but there was something about him that made me uncomfortable.
The demon—I meanman, had come in a few days after I had gotten there. He was just a little taller than her, with messy reddish-brown hair. His voice was smooth but lacking warmth as he wrapped an arm around Mia’s shoulders.
“And who’s this?” he had asked, nodding to me. Mia swallowed as she pulled away.
“You remember I told you my best friend was coming to stay for a little while? This is Emogen, or Emmy.” Mia gestured awkwardly.
When he stepped further into the room, his presence seemed to cast a shadow over the warm atmosphere, his icy gaze nearly sending a shiver down my spine. Strange that a demon of hell would have any coldness to him.
“Right. Hey, I’m Ian.” His smile had been thin and insincere as he extended a hand towards me. I begrudgingly shook it. He looked back at her and said, “I’m thinking chicken for dinner tonight?”
“Okay! I’ll get right on it,” she had said with a smile. He kissed her once more before disappearing down the hall.
That had been my next clue that something wasn’t quite right.
