The lobby was packed with people dressed in their finest. There was chaos, laughter, and flashing cameras everywhere I looked.
My gown hugged my body like a second skin, but tonight it would be my armour, and this premiere was the battlefield.
There were hundreds of people walking around and mingling, it was a carefully crafted picture for the rest of the world, but you could see the sharp edges under the surface, ready to cut through at a moment's notice.
I scanned the room for my family, but the crowd was too dense to see through. A few reporters walked around the room, taking pictures.
It looks liked they'd been allowed to cover the event. I'd have to remember to stay far away from them, I grabbed a glass from a passing waiter and took occasional sips.
I nursed the drink in my hand as I walked around the edges of the room.
"Rachel Sanders," a reporter yelled, waving his hand at me. I recognized him immediately as Kevin Lee, a huge tabloid reporter.
I'd once done an interview with him at my father's insistence. He'd said I needed to get out more as a member of the Sanders family. Kevin had managed to twist every word I spoke into something else. Let's just say, my mother was furious when she found it.
I had no idea what he wanted, but I wasn't going to stick around to find out or give him more ammunition against me. I whirled around and walked away from him as fast as I could.
"Rachel," he yelled as he ran towards me. I glanced behind me, he was catching up.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck." I muttered, weaving through the crowd. Someone swore at me as I shoved past, but I didn't care, I just had to escape.
Lucky for me, Kevin was famous, so he kept getting stopped by people wanting to talk to him or have him run a story.
I slipped behind a curtain and sighed as he ran past where I hid. Poking my head out, I checked if the coast was clear before I came out.
My drink was gone, I had no idea what had happened to it or when I'd lost it. I shrugged and grabbed another.
I probably shouldn't have been drinking so much since I technically didn't know what it was, and I was already a bit tipsy, but who cared.
I froze with the drink halfway to my lips when I saw Kevin a few feet ahead of me. He scratched his head and asked someone if they'd seen me.
He was looking around now, there was no way he'd miss me if he turned around right now.
There was nowhere to hide though, I was in clear open territory. The only thing close to me was a staircase tucked into a corner of the wall, but there was a sign that said no entry in front of it.
Kevin was getting closer now, I had to decide and fast. I ran to the staircase, and slipped behind the sign.
I hurried as fast and silently as I could and sighed in relief when he walked past the staircase looking confused.
A door rested at the top of the staircase. I hesitated before pushing it open, revealing a hidden balcony that overlooked the chaos below.
The space was a small, dark, alcove with a love seat and curtains you could use to close it off. The thick velvet curtains muffled the sounds from below. I could finally breathe without feeling like everyone was staring at me. This spot was perfect.
I ran my hands on the marble railing and rubbed my fingers, there was no dust on it. The love seat looked old but was clean and the curtains didn't smell musty. This place looked like no one had been here in years, but it had been regularly cleaned.
I gulped down the drink in my glass. It was warm now, and I didn't really care for it any more. I laid down on the chair and stared at the ceiling, there was a painting of some sort on the ceiling, but I couldn't make it out. With my eyes closed, and the faint sounds of music making their way to me from downstairs, I felt like I strangely at peace.
The door flew open breaking my trance and I shot up. There was a strange man in the room with me.
"Well I definitely didn't expect to find anyone here. Especially since there was a sign downstairs that clearly said 'No Entry." He arched an eyebrow at me and gave me an easygoing smile. His voice was smooth but there was a hint of irritation.
"I'm sorry," I stammered brushing stray hairs off my face. "I just needed to escape for a little while." I gestured to the chaos below and he nodded his head in understanding.
His irritation faded to amusement and he gave me a faint smile
"And this seemed like the perfect hiding spot?"
I nodded not sure what else to say
I tilted my head and observed his features, "who are you, though? I don't exactly recognize you and I know almost everyone here."
"Just a charming stranger interested in making conversation with a beautiful lady." Now that I listened carefully, he had an accent when he spoke.
"You know, you look really beautiful in that dress. But I must say, I've never seen someone wear flats with an evening dress before." My face turned red, I stared at the floor so he wouldn't see it.
The place was dark, but he was close enough to see if he looked really hard. I shuffled my feet and hid them under my dress.
He walked closer to me a gleam in his eyes, like he was having fun. I leaned over and felt around for my empty glass, it would serve as a weapon if things got dangerous.
I placed my hand behind my back and narrowed my eyes at the man who was now standing at the railing staring at the crowd below.
"It really is a circus, isn't it? I can't believe all this is for a movie." He huffed and folded his arms.
"Also, why are you here if this place is supposed to be off limits? The more I think about it, the more your story makes no sense." I edged away from him.
He turned to stare at me with a bright smile.
"Meraviglioso" he laughed. "Don't tell me you think I'm some kind of murderer, and you're my next victim." I clenched the glass harder, he'd been spot on, that was precisely what I'd been thinking.
"Don't come closer." I yelled and raised my glass as he walked towards me. He laughed even harder and wiped a tear from his eye.
"Why on earth do you look so familiar though?" I muttered.
"You are very entertaining woman. Until we meet again Rachel Sanders." With a salute and one more bright smile, he was gone, leaving me more questions than answers.
A loud sound from the room below drew my attention back to the crowd and I pushed the weirdo from my mind.
The space lit up like crazy and I rushed to look over the balcony.
The flashing lights had doubled and the reporters both inside and outside the building were going crazy clicking away while the people outside were screaming.
"Who the hell is that?" I wondered, it looked like someone big had arrived.