I glance at my dad. His hands are tight on the steering wheel and his chin is jutted forward. Something is going on but I just have no idea what.
We eventually reach a building. A small theater, in fact. There’s tons of them around the city. It looks rundown from the outside. It’s a theater that probably sits one hundred people at the most.
“What are we doing here?” I whisper, even though it’s just the two of us in this car. Something about all of this doesn’t feel right.
“I had to get you here without any questions. This needs to happen, Irina. You have to understand. It’s for your own benefit.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That fucker thought he could take you from me but I’m not going to give you over without getting anything in return. I’m getting my money’s worth with you.”
“What? Dad, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” All I know is that my heart is pounding faster and my hands are clammy. In my gut, I know this isn’t right even if I don’t understand how.
“Just come with me. It’s urgent.”
I glance at the theater. Something about it in the dark makes me want to say no to my dad. Maybe it’s the peeling paint on the walls or the old, eerie decorations out front that speaks to how the theater saw better days in its youth.
“Irina, don’t argue with me,” he says in his strict tone. It’s a tone of voice I’ve never been able to say no to. My dad has always had a way of getting into my head and making me feel one way.
“I am your father,” he continues. “You have to trust me.”
And true to my dad’s word, he has never hurt me before. He’s only ever been strict. But he has kept me safe – kept me from getting raped in dark alleyways. I have no reason not to trust him… so why is my gut screaming at me to not go into that theater?
But I have nowhere else to go. I can’t drive as my dad never let me get my license. I have no way of making it back home.
So all I can do is open the car door and step outside, even as I wince from the cold ground touching my bare feet.
“Come along,” he instructs, leading me into the theater. The door creeks as he pushes it open, which only makes things feel creepier.
At least the ground is covered in red carpet. Granted, it’s moldy and wet but it’s better than touching the ground with my bare feet.
A chandelier hangs overhead, lighting the space with an eerie glow. A man stands in the lobby, almost like he knew we were coming. But why in the world are we here?
“Is this her?” the man asks, glancing at me with a smirk I don’t like.
“Yes, this is her.”
“She’s skinner than I thought she’d be. And you told me that she was a blonde when she’s clearly a brunette.”
“You told me blondes make more money, so…”
The man huffs. “But she’s clearly a brunette. So it doesn’t matter what you told me. You should have died her hair then.”
“I couldn’t make her suspicious. I had to get her here.”
I frown, watching the whole conversation. It sounds more like code from how little I understand.
“Fine then,” the man says. He’s pretty average in looks. Average height. Average build. No discernable features. He’s the kind of man who blends into the background.
And yet, I’m not sure I’ll ever forget what he looks like. Not when my gut is screaming at me to get out of here.
“Dad, I want to go back home,” I say, turning towards the door but he grabs my arm and holds it so tightly, I wince from the pain. “Dad?”
“You’re not going back home, Irina. You’re going to follow this man into the theater.”
“But why would I do that? What’s going on?”
“You’re going to follow him because we need the money. I’ve gotten into some debts lately.”