The ancient brick building loomed in front of the young woman scarily, and she bit her lip, nausea welling up in the pit of her stomach. She glanced back down at the tiny, fluttering paper slip in front of her.
"I guess this is it, then," she muttered under her breath, walking into the building, so nervous about the meeting to come that she barely even noticed the seven flights of stairs she had to climb before finally reaching the battered doorway that marked her destination.
She took a deep breath, letting it out in a short puff and squaring her shoulders as she prepared herself for what was inside that...that place-- but just as her knuckle was about to rap on the door, it flew away from her and a young man with shaggy blonde hair haphazardly stumbled into the doorway, his head turned into the apartment as he laughed.
"Ha, you guys are nuts, you know that? Shit, I gotta get to work, I'll see you--" his blue-grey eyes met hers, and she sucked in air quickly, shocked out of the slight trance she had been in earlier.
"Well, hello there little lady. What can I do ya for?" he asked smoothly, jerking his head up, and she twisted her palms together anxiously.
"I...I'm looking for Sadie?" she asked tentatively, and the man nodded, gesturing for her to follow him as he walked back into the large apartment.
"Hey, Sadie... Sadie? Hey Sadie, I didn't know we were getting another tenant," he called out, passing a table full of people; they eyed her curiously, and she nodded in response.
The woman in question walked out of her bathroom in a silk robe, drying her long, curly hair and looking confused.
"But Max, baby, we aren't get..." she trailed off as she took in the prostrate girl in front of her.
"Sidda? Sidda-honey, is that you?" she asked tentatively, towel forgotten on the floor, and the girl nodded, her hand over her mouth as she tried to control the sobs that were escaping her lips. There was a moment of silence where neither woman said anything and Max was just about to ask what the hell was going on when Sidda's eyes rolled back into her head. Her hand fell to her side as she crumpled, and Sadie pushed Max unceremoniously out of the way as she rushed to reach the girl before she hit the ground.
"What the hell?" Max asked, unable to hold in his question any longer as he lunged to her side, helping Sadie grab her before she hit the floor.
"Oh Sidda, honey," she said softly, completely ignoring Max's question as she helped lift the girl up a little more.
Seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer anytime soon, Max rolled his eyes and hoisted her up a little so that he could get a better grip.
"Jude, a little help out here?" he called out, struggling to keep the dark-haired female off the hardwood, and the Brit walked in with an affable smile, which quickly disappeared as he took in the scene in front of him.
"What the hell happened, Max?" he asked after he had helped to lug the girl on the decrepit sofa, and Max shook his head, giving a sidewards glance at the couch and their landlady next to it.
"I don't know man, she just came in askin' for Sadie, and then they met and then Bam!" he gestured frantically towards the form slumped across the upholstery, shaking his head and running a trembling hand through his hair. "That."
Jude's focus drifted over to their landlady, who was rocking back and forth on her heels, her arms around her knees and her face at eye level with the girl's. She brushed back a stray piece of the sleeper's dark chestnut locks with a sigh before turning her head to the two men standing at the doorway.
"Tell the boys to cancel my gig tonight," she said, looking back at the cherubic face before her. "I have some business I have to take care of."