Dawn glanced at the mirror, smiling. Today she was dressed in a light blue spaghetti-strapped tank top that dipped down into a sweetheart neckline, as well as a short, pleated white skirt. Her outfit was completed with white thigh highs, a white choker, and light blue Mary Janes.
She signalled to Cynthia that she approved of the outfit and then Cynthia gave her a thumbs up, whistling a little. Her hair dresser, Shauna, picked up a straightener and signalled Dawn to sit down.
"Zoya Mam, should I just leave the hair like this or put it in a bun?" Shauna asked, tucking her own brown hair behind her ear. Dawn put a finger on her chin, thinking,"Well.. Leave it free."
The brunette nodded and then began brushing her hair. Dawn picked up her contacts and then carefully put it over her pupil, blinking a little due to the effect.
Cynthia leaned over her shoulder, smiling,"Looking perfect."
A small smile crept on Dawn face and she thanked Shauna who gathered all her belongings and then bowing a little left. Dawn gave herself a last glance in the mirror and then got up, facing Cynthia with a smile.
"You look super excited today Dawn!" Cynthia commented, Dawn's excitement rubbing onto her.
Dawn tilted her head and giggled,"Well, I am going to be interviewed as well as one special person is going to meet me backstage."
Cynthia chuckled,"Who?"
Dawn shrugged,"I don't know. But Mr. Shukizo, May's manager, said that along with him and his wife, there is going to be someone special. I have heard that he is well accomplished in his field."
Cynthia saw her picking up a pair of blue fingerless glove and gave her a surprised look. Dawn sweatdropped,"What?"
"Don't tell me you're going to wear that glove!" Cynthia interjected.
Dawn eyed her left hand, her sight lingering on the diamond ring on her middle finger. Putting her glove, she nonchalantly replied,"Well, if anyone sees my bare hand, they will sure want to know why I am wearing a wedding ring."
Cynthia knew she couldn't answer that. Earlier, she tried to make Dawn give up wearing that ring and she knew, she wouldn't tell that again.
"Fine, fine!" Cynthia sighed.
Dawn laughed at her sulky face,"Come on, don't sulk like a baby. I am sure Steven wouldn't like it."
A small blush rose up on Cynthia's face who looked away, trying to cover her blush. Dawn snickered,"Come on, no need to worry! He is a baby himself."
Cynthia coughed,"As if I care."
"Say that while looking at me straight in my eye!" Dawn challenged. Cynthia turned, ignoring the victory smile Dawn was giving and protested,"I have nothing to prove you know."
Dawn quickly answered,"Oh! I see."
"Well, the meeting starts in an hour. We should leave."
...~...
A blond girl picked up a pile of documents from a heap of papers and passed it to the man standing next to her. Then she rose up to reach for another important looking document which was placed securely over the shelf.
The man was eyeing her curiously, watching her every movement with a hungry glance, his eyes roaming freely from her bare neck to her back and then to her thighs which was barely covered by a pair of black skirt.
"Here!" The girl cheerfully exclaimed while handing the file back to the man. The man turned to leave, with an irritated expression on his face, not at all happy because he had to leave.
"Pass these documents to every man in the office and tell them that Boss needs a report before lunch break," the blond ordered. The man turned to smile at her, his eyes quickly moving from her almost hidden cleavage to her face,"As you say Mam."
The girl smiled and before he could leave, called his name again.
The man looked back hopefully,"Yes Madam?"
Placing her hands on her hips, yet still smiling, she said,"Pass that look to me or rather any girl even once, and I will personally make sure you can't become a father again."
A look of pure horror covered his face and he quickly apologized,"Sorry, Mam."
"Leave."
Once the man was gone, the girl sighed and rubbed her arms, biting her lips. She picked up the cell phone which she had placed on the table near the shelf and quickly send a text.
Am I wearing too much revealing clothes?
The person at the other end replied almost immediately. Are you crazy? Its normal dear.
A smile crept on the girl's face and she sighed in relief. Then she quickly replied, Gosh! That pervert was looking at me like a hungry bear.
Ignore such morons. Girls get mood swings because of male morons not her hormones.
A giggle escaped her lips. She replied back,"There you go again. Well, gotta go! Boss must be waiting for the report. See you at lunch Aria!"
Yohoi! Anyways, lets head to KFC today. I heard that they are giving 50% discount on pizzas.
"Done!"
The girl placed the phone back into her purse and got out of the room. She waved at her colleagues and watched how some of them were slacking off near the water purifier.
She slowly opened the door to the room which read,"The Manager."
"I'm coming in!" She cheerfully said and entered.
"Good morning!" She wished the purple haired man who was sitting on the cushioned chair, typing continuously on his laptop.
Irritated, she coughed and wished him again,"Good morning!"
A small smirk made its way on his lips and he simply made one sound,"Hn."
Taking her seat which was beside his table, she sat down, giving him an amazed look. She didn't realize she had been staring for too long.
"Like what you see?" The man smirked.
She quickly looked away, hiding her eminent blush,"Pooh! Nonsense!"
Still smirking, he decided to irritate her further,"Whatever, blonde."
"Hey! Peachy Purple! Don't insult my hair!" She retorted.
"I am your Boss, my dear immature Serena," he teased her. She glared at him,"Yet you're a moron."
Clicking his tongue once, he said, almost teasing her,"Ah! I guess I need to teach you how to talk to one's superior."
Flashing him a seductive smile, she winked at him,"And how are you going to punish me Sir?"
He smirked, seeing her being so bold,"Well, I can make you work for eighteen hours a day instead of normal eight." She widened her eyes in shock,"No, you wouldn't dare Paul."
"Well, try me," he challenged.
"Whatever. Anyways, Aria and I am going to KFC to grab our lunch. Want me to bring something from there for you?" She genuinely asked. He waved her off,"Nops. I have my lunch box today."
"Okay," she smiled back and opened a new tab on her own laptop, going through the sales of previous month.
Paul Ketchum, he had made his name well known in the Electronic Industry within the past two years. Working hard, till he fell asleep with exhaustion, skipping dinner to give more time to his expanding business, he had put his heart and soul in it.
Serena couldn't help but feel mesmerised by the level of his dedication. The company initially started off with ten employees and now, covered almost a thousand worker.
However, she knew he was killing himself slowly. He was keeping himself busy with his work, so that he has rarely any time to think about the gloomy atmosphere of his house. Every time there was a get together, a gap as left due to Dawn's absence.
He felt guilty as being Ash's brother, he couldn't do anything to make his messed up life less miserable.
Serena gave a quick glance in his direction, smiling at his face. He had cut his hair short, so that they could easily be managed. His face hadn't changed much yet it grew more stern and handsome over the passing year.
'I wish I could just tell him that I love him,' she dreamily thought,'But after what I did to Ash, I can't even think of entering that house.'
"Serena?" Paul slowly asked, his eyes never leaving the laptop screen.
"Hmm?" She hummed out.
"I have a meeting after lunch right, prepare all the documents and surveys which I will need," he said, without a smile or any hint of gratitude. She knew dealing with him was difficult than dealing with a stone. She hummed again,"Hmm. Okay."
...~...
"Its kinda boring you know," Dawn said, sulking like a two years old at the backseat. Cynthia was reading a magazine on the passenger's seat while the driver, a young man of about twenty four, was busy concentrating on the road ahead.
"Hey, Tobi?" Dawn slowly muttered and sank back further in her seat.
The driver, hearing his name being called up smiled. He grinned so that she could see him in the front mirror, his eyes never leaving the road for a second and asked,"Yes, my lady, hmm?"
Dawn giggled at his answer,"Well my Lord, can we stop at a Cafe and pick up a cold coffee? I am very thirsty, seriously!"
Cynthia didn't utter anything but threw a bottle of water in Dawn's direction. Dawn put it aside, making sure to glare at her back.
"Well Dawn Mam, you can't go out in the open like this. It is almost noon and the shops are burning with customers, hmm," Tobi narrated.
"I will wear anything to hide my face!'' Dawn answered and Tobi sweatdropped,"That will arouse more suspicion Dawn, hmm."
She sank back in her seat, her enthusiasm dying. She had known these guys for two years and they were out of the few who knew her real identity. Cynthia, as she was the one who sought her out and Tobi, as he was escorting Cynthia that day.
She had yet to find a single incident when they did anything to betray her identity. It was almost as if they respected her decision and didn't want to interfere in her life. Howe'er, they were the ones to whom she could turn to, in her darkest hour.
Cynthia was a calm and collected woman, who loved reading. She was a blond, with cerulean blue eyes and had a perfect hourglass figure. Though she wad calm, she had one drawback and Dawn giggled on remembering that. She was extremely indecisive, often taking more than enough time to make decisions even in trivial matters. Like one day, she spend half an hour to choose between chocolate icecream and raspberry ice cream. Ultimately, she settled for both.
Tobi parked the car along the road and got out, putting his cap on the steering wheel. Dawn eyed him curiously,"Where are you going Tobi?"
"Dawn Mam, I will get you a cup of coffee and something to eat too. Cynthia is on a diet so she won't be eating, I suppose?" Tobi happily said, making Dawn giggle. She smiled and watched him disappear into the shop.
"That man needs a mental check up," Cynthia murmured.
Dawn leaned forward, giggling,"He is good at driving. Other than that this black haired man is an idiot."
Cynthia couldn't agree more,''He thinks properly only while driving. Such a pain."
Dawn laughed,"That makes Tobi, Tobi."
After a few minutes, Dawn watched Tobi emerging from the shop, his two arms with two coffee cups, and two bags with a paper between his lips. Dawn quickly rushed out to help him, taking the piece of paper from his mouth, chuckling,"What is this?"
Tobi laughed,"They were out of paper napkins so I collected a pamphlet for wiping our face clean, hmm."
Cynthia didn't look at him, clearly uninterested,"What can you expect?"
Dawn patted his head and placed the pamphlet on the backseat. Then she got in, taking one coffee cup from his hand while he handed the other one to Cynthia.
She eyed him in disbelief,"I thought you wouldn't bring anything for me?" Tobi laughed,"I had no intention to wait for an hour to just take your order."
Cynthia looked away, embarrassed,"Fine."
As Dawn was taking a sip of her coffee, she picked up the pamphlet and opened it. Her eyes widened and a small, yet grateful smile covered her lips.
Gary's exhibition were being showcased in Goldenrod.
And she knew she would be going there.
Cynthia finished her share while Tobi was still nibbling on his burger. She sweatdropped while looking at her watch,"We're almost half an hour late."
Tobi wiped away his lips and gave them a cocky grin,"The destination is just ten minutes away but we will cover it in five."
"Tobi, you don't have too," Dawn whispered but he punched his chest proudly,"Leave it all to me!"
...
May was biting her lips and then glanced at the big wall clock, panic clearly pasted on her eyes. Mr. Shukizo gave her a bottle of water, which she didn't even notice.
"Why are you so nervous May?" He asked.
"The fact that I am going to interview someone so great and then meet her backstage personally and ...What if I screw up? Use wrong words?" She pinched herself and closed her eyes, shaking her head vigorously.
"She is here!" Someone announced from the other room and May panicked even more, muttering,'I am screwed. I will lose my job.'
Dawn slowly entered the room and sat opposite to May who was still hyperventilating. This sight brought back memories and Dawn suppressed a giggle. Then placing a hand on her shaking shoulder, she said,"We will start whenever you're feeling okay! May."
May gave her a sheepish smile, saying,"I must be the one saying that, ya know." Dawn laughed,"Does it matter anyway?"
May cleared her throat and then adjusted the microphone over her head and signalled Dawn to do so too. Once Dawn was done, she smiled and asked,"So Miss Zoya Benio, you have become a teen sensation in such a short time. What do you feel?"
Dawn smiled, a little angry that May didn't recognise her yet grateful. In a voice, a little shriller than normally it is, she replied,"Music is my area, it is what makes and defines me. I don't sing for money, I sing to say what I normally I can't say."
May gave her a smile,"I heard you donate almost half of your income to orphanages and old age homes?"
Dawn sighed,"I don't know who my real parents are and those who brought me up are old now. I just want to help the maximum people I can. It fills the hole in my heart."
"Hole in your heart?"
Dawn nodded,"One needs something to cling onto. For me it is the happy and smiling faces of those kids and the care and blessing of the old people which motivates me to keep going."
May smiled at her while clapping,"I respect your POV Mam. Anyways, we know almost nothing about your past life. Can you share something?"
Dawn noticed Cynthia ready to interject but she secretly signalled her to stay quiet. Then facing May, she said,"As I said, I am an orphan and I don't know who my real parents are. Those who brought me up, are very kind hearted and sweet people. They took care of me like their own child."
"I see. Can you tell us their..''
Dawn cut of May's sentence in the middle, saying,"That is a piece of information that I cannot share. Sorry.''
May sighed,"We respect your privacy miss Zoya Benio. Shall me move onto the next question?"
"I will be glad."
May stiffened on reading the next question. She smiled awkwardly giving Dawn a sheepish smile. Dawn sighed,"It is question by fans I suppose?"
May laughed,"Quite perceptive Miss Benio. Well, majority of your fans know that you're just twenty five. So any plans for marriage?" She smiled more easily now,"or any one whom you like?"
...~...
Ash was staring out at the beauty of the city he was currently in. He heard commotion outside and barely managed to hear that Zoya Benio had arrived.
He ran his finger on the wedding ring absentmindedly and his grip on it tightened.
He didn't know why, but his heart was beating rapidly, as if trying to escape the cage he was in. There was a surprising sensation in his mind, he felt that he was closer to his other half than he had ever been in the last two years.
Little did he know that how ironic the situation was.
...
Yo! I decided to give an early update! Well, hopefully I did.
Tobi is my OC, and as time passses, I might introduce more, if necessary.
~ darkestlightofhope