Lacey shifted from side to side, checking herself out in the mirror. She was uncharacteristically nervous tonight, and she wanted to make sure that she looked her best. It was an attempt to boost her confidence, an old trick that she'd learned from her mother as a child. "When you look better, you feel better" her mother would say to her. She smiled wistfully as the memories of Judy floated into her mind. Her mother – always so concerned about her appearance. Even as she lay in the hospital bed with cancer laying waste to her body, she had always been concerned about her makeup and hair. Lacey blinked back the tears that welled up in her eyes as she thought of her mother, willing herself not to cry. "Get it together, Porter" she thought to herself. She ran her fingers through her waist-length curls, watching the delicate way that they fell around her bare shoulders. The rich emerald color of her strapless top complimented the dusky hue of her skin beautifully, and the slight frill of the peplum gave way to her black skinny pants in a way that accentuated her slender frame. She had even found the perfect shoes: black suede Steve Madden pumps with a wedge heel. She touched up her makeup with a light dusting of bronzer over her face and finished the look with a sheer, oxblood lip stain. Satisfied with the finished product, she gathered her phone and clutch, ensuring that she had enough charge on her phone to last her through the night.
Finally, as she headed out to catch the subway, she grabbed the flyer for the art show she would be attending tonight. She hesitated momentarily, looking at the deep brown eyes of the artist, Daniel Desai, staring back at her. The page announced the opening of a new exhibit featuring his latest pieces at a trendy hipster spot in Manhattan. This was the reason she was so anxious about her evening. Lacey, a 20 year old graduate student studying at Columbia University, was on her way to meet with Mr. Desai himself tonight. As part of her criminal psychology class, she had been assigned to research Daniel and to give her findings to a panel of professors. This was an important project, because her level of success would determine whether or not she was accepted as a teaching assistant for the remainder of her time in the degree program. Lacey often felt that she had to work extra hard to be taken seriously in the program, because many of her fellow students were much older than she. She'd thought that pursuing dual enrollment and successfully graduating high school already a junior in college would have proven to those around her that she was serious about her work. However, most people still considered her to be too young. This assignment, she hoped, would change that. Lacey had studied Daniel Desai, child murderer, for several months. Daniel had been sent to a juvenile detention center when he was eleven years old, following the murder of his aunt Tara, at his own hands. Daniel never explained his motivation for taking his aunt's life, and as such many people simply wrote him off as a sociopath. Lacey however, felt that there was more to the story than that. Daniel had been released from the detention center when he reached 19, and had been living in New York City for the three years since. He had made a name for himself as an emerging artist, supplying the voracious art world with unique mixed-media pieces that were unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Lacey had seen the advertisement for Desai's upcoming show, and, seeing it as an opportunity to do some research firsthand, had immediately jumped at the idea to attend. Now though, looking at the picture of the mysterious man staring back at her, it was hard not to become unnerved. She wished that she could have talked one of her friends into coming with her – unfortunately both Phoebe and Vanessa had plans with their significant others for the night.
Lacey shook off her apprehension as she walked out the door. "Nothing to worry about" she thought to herself, "tonight is the night, and I have a date with destiny."
If only she knew…
