Cassie:WTF contracts moving???
Her message had gone out to everyone who’d ever worked at Ogygia.
Cassie:OMG guys! Just overheard Madam telling Granite they’re moving ALL performer contracts to some offsite vault tomorrow! Like a bank security box that only SHE can access! Why would she do that????????
Cassie hadn’t meant to give me a deadline, but she had. Once those contracts left the premises, I’d never get mine back. Seven years of magical servitude would become my inescapable reality. I couldn’t let that happen.
The back door opened, spilling neon light and thumping bass into the alley. Two dancers stumbled out, laughing as they lit cigarettes. The blue-skinned nymph was new, but I recognized Rio—his iridescent scales catching the light as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
I shrank deeper into the shadows, waiting for my moment. The familiar scent of clove cigarettes mixed with the alley’s garbage stench sent me spiraling into memories I’d tried to bury—hungry hands grabbing at me as I danced, the Madam’s lotus-eater magic making the air syrupy, the weight of eyes watching through hidden cameras.
Rio flicked his cigarette into a puddle. “Break’s over. Maddy will have our asses if we’re late for the nine o’clock rush.”
The door clicked shut behind them. I counted to thirty, then moved, keeping low and fast. The keypad lock hadn’t changed—still the same code as when I worked here. 0-6-6-6, the Madam’s twisted idea of a joke. The door beeped softly and unlocked.
The service corridor was exactly as I remembered—dingy emergency lights casting everything in sickly yellow, walls vibrating with bass from the main floor. My glamour was already working, a subtle push that made eyes slide past me, minds dismissing me as unimportant. It wouldn’t hold against direct scrutiny, but it was enough to get me through the back halls unnoticed.
The dancers’ dressing room lay just ahead—the only path to the Madam’s office that wouldn’t take me through the main floor. I slipped inside, hit by the familiar chaos of the pre-show rush. Costumes hung from every available surface, makeup cluttered vanities, and glitter seemed to coat everything like a fine, sparkly dust. I ducked my head, moving toward the far corner where a hidden door connected to the Madam’s private quarters.
“Oh my GOD! ALEX?”
I froze, heart stopping as the voice rang out across the room. The glamour only worked if people weren’t looking for you, and clearly, I’d been recognized. I turned to find Dario staring at me, mouth open in shock. His neon yellow body paint glowed under the vanity lights, matching his platform boots and the tiny shorts that left little to the imagination.
“Shh!” I hissed, darting over to him before he could call more attention to me. “Keep it down,por favor.”
“You’re ALIVE!” Dario whispered, pulling me into a bone-crushing hug that left me covered in his body paint. “We thought you were DEAD or something equally TRAGIC when you just VANISHED one day! Michelle was BESIDE herself, honey! And not in a good way!”
I extricated myself from his grip, trying to wipe the yellow paint off my sequined disguise. “Yeah, well, I had my reasons.”
“Clearly!” Dario’s eyes widened as he took in my outfit. “Are you BACK? Please tell me you’re back! It’s been SO BORING without you! The new boys are all TERRIBLE and have NO rhythm whatsoever. I’ve been stuck dancing with Trevor—TREVOR!—can you IMAGINE?”
I glanced nervously at the door leading to the Madam’s office. Every second I spent here increased the risk of getting caught. “No, I’m not coming back. I just... I need to get something I left behind.”
Dario tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “Left behind? After all this time? What could be SO important that you’d risk coming back HERE?”
“It’s complicated,” I said, trying to edge toward the office door. “Look, it was great seeing you, but I really need to—“
“DANCERS!” A voice bellowed from the stage entrance. “Five minutes to places! And someone find Dario—he’s on in the opening number!”
Dario grabbed my arm. “Tell me EVERYTHING later! But right now, we’re short a dancer because Mikel got food poisoning from that QUESTIONABLE sushi place across the street!” His eyes lit up with an idea that made my stomach drop. “Oh! OH! You should FILL IN! Just like old times!”
“What? No! Dario, I can’t—“
“You HAVE to! Otherwise they’ll notice something’s wrong! Besides, you’re already DRESSED for it!” He gestured at my sequined disguise. “And you always were the BEST at the routine!”
Before I could protest further, Dario was dragging me toward the stage, chattering a mile a minute. “It’s the SAME routine as before—you remember? The one where we all come out in masks for the first half? NO ONE will know it’s you! It’s PERFECT!”
Panic clawed up my throat as we neared the wings. The music was already starting—a pulsing, hypnotic beat I remembered all too well. My body responded, muscle memory kicking in despite my mind screaming to run.
“I don’t have a mask,” I said. “Dario, I can’t be seen here—“
“HERE!” He snatched an ornate mask from his vanity—all feathers and jewels, covering the upper half of the face. “It’s for the SECOND act, but you can borrow it!”
The mask settled over my face, surprisingly comfortable. Through the eyeholes, I saw dancers lining up, preparing to enter. My feet moved without conscious decision, taking their place in line.What am I doing? This is insane. I should be running in the opposite direction.
But there was no time to escape now. Dario gave me a little push as the music swelled, and then I was onstage, blinded by spotlights, surrounded by dancers moving in perfect synchronicity. My body took over, remembering steps I thought I’d forgotten. The crowd was a faceless mass beyond the lights, their energy washing over me like a physical force.
For one terrifying, exhilarating moment, I was back—Will-o’-Wisp, the Madam’s star attraction, the dancer who could make anyone fall in love for the right price. The music pulsed through me, my arms extended, body rolling in practiced waves that drew appreciative shouts from the audience. The sequins caught the light, throwing prisms across the stage as I moved.
