Chapter Text
Your fingers twitch as you resist the urge to pull out your cell phone for the hundredth time tonight. Like somehow checking your email again and again will make the audition results come in faster.
The casting director let you know you'd hear something by Thursday which is today and it's already 8:49 pm.
This was your third audition and if you passed this one you'd be in the final casting call for a real Broadway play. You had never gotten this far in the process for a major production before.
Your musical theater degree from NYU and all the work you've been putting into local theater might finally be paying off. Maybe you could even afford to pay off the egregious amount of student loans you currently have.
A snap of hot pink manicured fingers in front of your face pulled you out of your thoughts and back to the present.
"Earth to Andi, I've got two fish and chips for table twelve. Hop to it girlie."
Ah, yes though Broadway is the goal, waitressing at "The Tipsy Leprechaun" an Irish-themed sports bar in South Brooklyn was your present.
You shoot an apologetic look and give a quick nod to your coworker Cassie who just shakes her head and rolls her eyes. It was just the two of you on shift tonight so you needed to get it together.
So you buckle down and put on your winning smile and try to finish your shift without spacing out again. Throwing yourself into the monotony of waitressing serves as a decent distraction from your anxious mind.
Food sizzles and pop music buzzes throughout the familiar space.
The smell of cheap beer and fried food clings to your tacky green, “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” uniform shirt.
You pause for a moment and take in the familiar chaos, you might even miss this place one day, it wasn't much but it had kept your share of the rent paid and food in the fridge for the past three years.
Duncan the owner had taken one look at your flaming red hair and freckled face and hired you on the spot despite your lack of experience in food service.
If only the casting calls were that simple.
Soon your shift was finished and because you don't work for free you head to the back room and clock out grabbing your olive aviator coat and crossover bag from your locker.
With a few quick goodbyes, you head out into the chilly November air. Your breath puffs from your mouth like smoke as you finally give in to temptation and check your phone.
Subject: Final Round Confirmation: SiX Broadway Audition
Dear Andromeda
I hope this email finds you in good spirits.
I'm delighted to inform you that your audition for SIX has earned you a spot in the final round of auditions. Your performance was truly outstanding, and it's clear that you possess the talent and charisma we're seeking for this production.
We'll be in touch closer to the date with additional details regarding the audition process, any materials you may need to prepare, and logistical information.
Your dedication and skill have brought you this far, and we're excited to see your continued excellence in the final round.
Congratulations once again, and best of luck as you prepare for the next stage of the audition process.
Cheers,
Cecilia Rush SIX Broadway Casting Team
You don't even try to suppress your scream as you skip out of the bar.
You spy Jade your bestie and roommate waiting for you in her usual spot.
She must have finished up tutoring early tonight. So you run up to her and jump into her arms. The action catches her by surprise and she nearly swings on you.
She catches herself though and returns your embrace, she always humors you.
"You made it to the final selection, didn't you?" The unintelligible squeals you make in response are all she needs to know as you two start walking home.
"Gods Andi, I'll miss you so much while your touring." She says with a shake of her ebony braids and a slight sigh.
You hadn't really thought about it but you two had been nearly inseparable for the past six years. The theater nerd and the stem major who'd of thought.
You briefly recall the stormy afternoon you met sheltering under the same awning during a freak rainstorm on campus a bond was forged even with the running make-up and wet socks. She was like family and leaving her would be hard.
"I don't have the part yet... who knows I could totally bomb this next audition you say awkwardly." She turns around and fixes you in place with an exasperated look.
"Andi, you're gonna totally nail that audition! I've got this gut feeling that something huge is about to happen for you. It's like your time to shine is finally here, and while I'll seriously miss having you around, I'm genuinely thrilled for you." Her expression softens into fondness, her deep brown eyes warming.
Much like your dearly departed Grandma, Jade was a superstitious sort and you trusted her gut. Something big was going to happen and for some inexplicable reason, a chill ran up your spine.
The streets felt off tonight and oddly empty, it's like something was in the air as you made your way home.
Jade hands you her left AirPod, and you accept it with a grateful smile, eager to share in her current musical obsession. The lyrics of Mitski's song resonate with the whirlwind of emotions coursing through you, serving as a pseudo soundtrack to your evening trek.
Toss your dirty shoes in my washing machine heart
Baby, bang it up inside
I'm not wearing my usual lipstick
I thought maybe we would kiss tonight
You feel yourself singing along with the lyrics but stumble slightly. One of your shoelaces is untied so you bend down to tie it.
Baby will you kiss me already and
Toss your dirty shoes in my washing machine heart?
Baby, bang it up inside
Jade wanders further in front of you and as you look up you see her swaying to the music.
Movement from the alley beside her catches your eyes and something reaches out towards her.
Every fiber of your being screams at you to run something is wrong. Unnatural smoky tendrils stretch towards her figure, a smell like rotten eggs burns your nose and you’re up and moving before you could even think about it.
Baby, though I've closed my eyes
I know who you pretend I am
I know who you pretend I am
You act on pure instinct and move faster than you ever have before in your life, but the darkness reaches still.
You do the only thing you can think of and shove her forward out of its grasp but put yourself directly into it.
Why not me?
Why not me?
Jade falls forward from your shove and a chilling feeling surrounds you. It feels almost wet against your skin.
What happens after becomes a blur. It’s like you’re looking at everything underwater. You can’t make out any details in this overwhelming opaque darkness.
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabs your abdomen. A scream is it yours? An inhumane screech follows along with the sound of glass shattering. Your throat burns with a hot metallic taste. “Run” then another overwhelming burst of pain fills your throat.
You can’t tell how much time passes was it a moment or forever?
A sinister laugh sounds in your skull, and a putrid smell assaults your nostrils.
Something cold grabs your ankle and it hurts and you feel yourself being drug down…down.
Why not me?
Why not me?
You're falling and everything fades to black. The pain overwhelms your senses and you lose consciousness.
When you finally come to you're met with a crimson sky.