Studio 22

Chapter 1:

Chloe:

I looked down at my ringing phone lying on the coffee table. I was sitting on my sofa, curled up under my favorite blanket, watching TV to distract myself. Reluctantly, I answered the phone.

"Thank god, you finally picked up your phone. I was worried." The concerned voice on the other end of the phone belonged to my friend Aubrey. I hadn't contacted her in a few days, which was unusual. Normally we texted or talked every day.

"I needed some time to think." I simply answered. I knew she wouldn't be happy with it, but at this point I really didn't care.

"Chloe, you can't hide in your apartment forever!" That was exactly what I was planning to do. Hiding in here, curled up under the blanket. I didn't answer her and so she started talking again.

"I'm coming over and we're going to go out. We're going to have a great time and you'll forget about her.", she sternly said and hung up. I loved Bree for always being there for me, but right now I just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet of my apartment. Thea had broken my heart a few days ago when she had told me she wanted to break up. We had been together for almost three years and I didn't think about this scenario once. I wasn't too surprised though. Things had been difficult between us the last few months, nevertheless I was hurting. I loved her and wanted to fix us, but apparently she had other plans.

About half an hour later, Aubrey waltzed into my apartment. I had given her a key at some point. Usually she didn't just use it, but I supposed this was an exception.

"You need me more than I expected. This is an emergency!", she exclaimed when she saw me sitting on my sofa under the blanket, my hair messily put into a ponytail. "Come on, get up. We're going out tonight!"

Aubrey pulled me up from the sofa and into my bedroom by my arms. We stood in front of my closet, Aubrey trying to find the perfect outfit for me. She chose my light pink leather skirt, my black lace bra and a black mesh long sleeve on top. I still wasn't sure that this was the best idea, but I stripped off my comfy sweater and leggings and got changed. When I had put on the outfit, I trotted into the bathroom to put on some make-up. Aubrey followed me and while I was doing my make-up, she styled my hair. To finish it off, she used some hairspray and then raked her hand through my hair to break up the curls. She looked at me in the mirror and smiled, content with how I looked.

"Let's go have some fun."

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked as we were walking to the front door, the sound of our heels echoing from the walls of the staircase.

"I told you about this new nightclub, remember? Studio 22." Aubrey explained.

"Yeah, I remember."

We entered Studio 22 about 25 minutes later. It was the most elegant nightclub I had ever been to. The bar on the right side of the room was huge, three bartenders juggling bottles of liquor. The whole club was very dark, the walls and everything else black. Only a few well-placed spots highlighted some of the many mirrors on the walls. When I looked to my left, I saw a stage. It was framed by black curtains on either side. The dancefloor was in the middle of the room, packed with people dancing and having fun. Aubrey took my hand and dragged me over to the bar. We ordered a drink and sat at the bar just watching people dance for a while.

"Come on, let's dance!" Aubrey shouted over the loud, pumping music of the club. I hopped down from the stool I had been sitting on and we entered the dancefloor. At some point the music stopped and everyone turned to face the stage. Everybody seemed to know what was about to happen, except for Aubrey and me. After a moment of confusion, we also turned to face the stage. The curtains opened slowly, revealing 5 women in black lace bodysuits, standing in the shape of a triangle, highlighting the woman standing at the front. They were facing us; their hands were placed on the back of a chair. Everyone went quiet and the music started. At first only four of the women were dancing, stomping their heels on the ground to the beat. The woman at the front of the stage changed her static pose with every beat, while singing.