Chapter 8

• The princess was running late to her palace.
• Or in this case,Chlöe was running late to work, literally, having ended her night shift from the restaurant a little later than usual. She was grateful that she had worn sneakers to work earlier, as that made her marathon a little easier than it could have been.
• Chlöe paused to catch her breath, her chest heaving as she leaned on her knees. Suddenly, she heard a sharp noise, like the sound that would be made if one scraped a bottle top over the concrete floor. Turning around sharply, she noticed that there was no one in sight, with the exception of a patrol guard that had been sleeping on duty since she passed him.
• Slowly, Chlöe got to her feet and looked around cautiously again. She brought out her device and quickly dialed out 911, and her thumb hovered just above the ‘call’ icon.
• “W-who is out there?” She said, wishing that her voice would not come out so shaky. “I’ve got a weapon and I know how to use it, so you better just show yourself and then run off!”
• Chlöe had made herself understand that at the slightest feeling of the lack of safety would have her calling 911 or the police.
• Something makes a scratching noise and Chlöe almost jumps out of her skin. A large rat runs out from the direction that she had heard the noise from and then with that Chlöe relaxed and rolled her eyes. She looked calmer once more, but she made sure to check all around her again, and then she hastened her footsteps as much as she could.
• “Everything just has to scare me all the time. I really was so frightened because of a harmless, little rat.” Chlöe shook her head in shame as she got to the back entrance of the Piccolo Mono Disco. As she took a step in, her breath hitched and immediately, she was reminded of the man. That attractive one who she had given her first private performance, and who in turn had given her a lot of money out of anger?
• That one, she could not place the emotion behind his gift, but Chlöe was grateful for it nonetheless.
• She made her way in before Miss Lucy would catch sight of her coming in late. Then she collided head to head with a man in her unchecked speed.
• The man held his head and screamed at her. “Watch where you’re going, foolish girl!”
• Chlöe, who had shielded her face with her arms the moment she lost her balance groaned as she stood and looked at him with an arm crossed over her face.
• “I am so sorry sir.” She said and he grunted a response and walked away.
• Chlöe let out a long suffering sigh before she straightened up her composure and started to run once more to her room, pausing mid run to drape a veil over her face before she got in.
• She could hear the loud music from where she was and she knew that the pre show had started. Quickly, Chlöe put on her outfit and makeup and rushed out back to meet the rest of the performing princesses backstage with sweaty hands as if it was still her first day.
• “Lilac, you idiot! What were you doing back since? It’s almost time.” Amber, the yellow themed Arabian princess stripper hissed at her.
• “I’m so sorry.”
• “You’re so lucky, you would have missed the time.” The green themed princess smiled and held her hand.
• “Good thing I didn’t then.” Lilac chuckled nervously as Amber started to make her way to the front and she followed closely behind.
• Chlöe found her way to the poles meant for her and then her nervousness turned to excitement. At first, she was not into the pole dancing job, when she was still repulsed by it in spite of the bills pole dancing had covered for her. But now, she felt a different way.
• Pole dancing and stripping had become a fun activity for her after a long tiring day of dealing with customers at the café and she looked forward to it every time she had a shift. She felt like a real princess each time she performed and the low class admirers got close to her platform each trying to get past the guards to cop a feel of her.
• One that they could not get anyway.
• Dancing anywhere and at anytime was therapeutic as she had been dancing since she was a little girl with the other orphaned and misplaced children. And even if now she danced for completely different reasons, and for a different, more perverted crowd; it felt like parts of her from the sweet parts of her childhood still existed and she felt carefree enough to do what she wanted to do.
• A swift downward movement on her body brought Chlöe back to Piccolo Mono Disco and she regained her balance before she could fall and possibly cause some damage to the well known club’s reputation.
• Using her legs which were twisted around the poles, she pulled her upper body from the floor and stood. The audience, thinking that it was part of another performance, went wild as Chlöe shook her head, her large Ariana Grande styled ponytail shifting from side to side in the process.
• -
• Chlöe and the rest of the dancers congratulated each other on a job well done to Chlöe’s utmost relief. She felt that someone, at least, would have noticed her slip up, but she was grateful for it still. It would have been even better if Miss Lucy did not too. But Chlöe knew that that could not happen and she waited for Miss Lucy to send for her.
• And Miss Lucy, as if materialized from Chlöe’s thoughts got out of her office and began to walk the stretch down, stopping by the wall adjacent to the stairs.
• “Princess Lilac, may I have your attention, please?” She said in a curt, polite manner. But everyone who knew Miss Lucy would know that she was not requesting for Chlöe, but demanding that she came down as soon as she could at the time.
• “Yess Miss Lucy?”
• “Good performance, as usual, I am proud of my girls.”
• My girls; Chlöe had noted. Usually Miss Lucy would praise her, only her when she went to her after dancing. But now, was she so disappointed that she felt that she had to include her with all the girls, princess and non princess alike?
• Chlöe raised her head with a tired frown. “I am sorry about the accident.”
• “Accidents happen, my dear.” Muss Lucy took a deep breath. “Unfortunately, I can only tolerate this happening once, I do not want to see, or hear of this incident ever again.”
• “Yes ma’am.” Chlöe said and Miss Lucy walked away, her heels click clacking as they made contact with the shiny floors.
• Chlöe— or Lilac walked away, the feeling of her being followed by someone still settled in her being, but she could not find who the person was, or figure why they’d get involved in petty disturbances.