Chapter 4 I Will Follow You

• ~ WILLA's POV ~
• On Saturday night, I was ready and dressed to kill.
• One of the perks of being a model was the designer freebie. After fashion shows and fittings, designers would give away clothes like they were candy. This was good for me, especially that I needed something to wear to this party.
• I didn’t know what it was gonna be like, but I researched the place well in advance. The Garrison was an old established pub in the heart of Greenwich Village. It was an elegant place with moods like a speakeasy bar, often frequented by famous celebrities and rich Wall Street guys. I had to look the part if I wanted to blend in. So thank God for my Prada dress and Louboutin shoes.
• “Wow! Are you going out?” Mom passed by my room and saw that I was dressed to the nine. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at me, looking like a movie star suddenly and out of nowhere.
• “Only for a few hours,” I smiled at her.
• “Well, don’t be home too late,” she said. Her tone was laced with worry.
• With Wes still unconscious in the hospital, I was all that my mom had. She was looking at me like I was a little girl, she was afraid to lose me.
• “Of course, mom,” I said reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m just going to a party,”
• “Okay, baby… be careful. I love you,” she pulled me down and kissed me on the cheek.
• “Aw, mom, I love you too,” I replied, hugging her back.
• As mom stepped out of my room, my eyes darted back to the mirror, studying my reflection. I put a lot of work into looking good tonight, hopefully it was gonna lead me somewhere.
• Seeing Wes’s journal on the edge of my bed, I turned around grabbed it. Call me crazy, or whatever, but my gut was telling me something. Wes’s accident was not normal and I believed the things that he wrote about in his journal could give me the answers I was looking for.
• I flipped the journal open randomly and it landed on the page filled with the word “HELP’. I swallowed hard and closed the book. Wes was going through something difficult and he was asking for help. I wasn’t there to help him before, but not now. Not tonight.
• Shoving the journal into my purse, I picked up my phone and checked the notes.
• - - - - - - - -
• The Ride or Die Annual Gathering.
• Meet at the Garrison. 7 pm.
• Saturday, September 15th, 2018.
• Mask On.
• - - - - - - - -
• What kind of a gathering is this? So far, to me it sounded like a secret club. I tried Googling them, but nothing came out. So if I wanted to get to the bottom of it, I’d have to see it for myself. I was convinced that this secret club, whatever it was, had something to do with Wes’s accident.
• Feeling determined, I walked towards my closet and pulled out a box filled with old junk from my high school years. I opened the box and pulled out a black masquerade mask. It was the mask I wore to a Halloween party years ago. This would be perfect to match my black dress and heels.
• Something weird happened as soon as I put on that mask and saw my reflection in the mirror. I felt strong. I felt powerful. I could be anyone and everyone. And tonight, I was gonna get to the bottom of things.
• Wes, whatever it is that happened to you, I’ll figure it out. Just wait. I’ll protect you.
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• I arrived at the Garrison a little over 7 PM. To the outside world, the place looked like any other normal pub. But the moment I stepped in front of it, I knew this place was full of secrets.
• For instance, there was a hostess standing next to a bouncer looking guy in a suit at the front door. Pubs didn’t use bouncers. I decided to wait outside and staked the place out for more information, pretending to have a smoke.
• A few seconds later, I saw a pair of an older couple walking in. They looked like an elegant couple, but they weren’t wearing a mask. The hostess took their name and gestured for them to come in. After the older couple, came a younger couple that was around my age. They were wearing masks. I was immediately intrigued.
• “Are you here for the gathering?” the hostess asked the couple.
• “Yes,” the guy replied, his smile was brimming with excitement.
• “Then please answer this question. I will break if you don’t keep me. What am I?”
• “Uh, what?” the guy gaped.
• “A… bottle? A glass…?” the girl stammered. “I don’t know,”
• “Sorry, that’s not the right answer. I can’t let you in,” the hostess smiled sinisterly.
• “What? But we’ve come all the way out here, we wore a mask and everything!“ the guy yelled in frustration.
• “Is there a problem?” the bouncer spoke up and stepped forward. The young guy looked at him and staggered back.
• “N — no,”
• “I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” the bouncer said again.
• The guy was absolutely humiliated. “Fuck this shit!” he spat and turned away. “This is stupid!” he pulled his mask and threw it to the ground.
• “Hey, wait —“ the girl called out and chased after him.
• Interesting, so that’s why they need a bouncer.
• I finished my fake smoking and threw the butt away. Walking confidently up to the hostess, I told her, “Hi, I’m here for the gathering,”
• “Sure, but please answer the following question,” she said firmly. “I will break if you don’t keep me. What am I?”
• “A promise,” I replied.
• The hostess blinked and a small smile curved up her face. “Right this way,” She pulled a curtain revealing a side door that was different from the front door.
• Guess that means I’m in?
• I turned to my heels and pushed the hidden door back, revealing a dark hallway. Suddenly, the hostess closed the door behind me and everything went dark.
• Shoot. What did I just get myself into?
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• To be continued