Who Are You?

~Chapter One~

"Ingrid? Hello, earth to Ingrid!"

Yanking my ear pods out of my ear, I jerked my head to see my co-worker Kaye looking at me.

"I didn't realize you had your pods in. I hope I didn't scare you."

"It's alright, Kaye. Can I help you with something?"

"More like what I can help you with," she said with a huge smile. "There's someone in the lobby asking for you."
"A potential client? Did you get a name?"

"I'm not sure," she said with a huge ass grin on her face.

"Kaye, are you up to something?"

"Nope, not a thing."

I stood up, brushed off my Def Leppard shirt, grabbed my cell and pushed it down into my back pocket.

"I'm really digging the teal hair, Ingrid. That suits you with your grey eyes."

"Thanks, and you're diverting the subject."

"Just go."

I could feel she was following me out front. I rounded the corner of Angelica's front desk to see a camera crew standing there.

"Here she is," Angelica said.

"Ingrid," a voice said from behind the camera man.

"Yes?"

He stepped out and to the side of the camera man. I'm sure my eyes got huge when I realized it was Jolly Karlsson of Bad Omens!

"Am I getting punked right now? What's going on? You're Jolly Karlsson!"

He laughed; "Yes, I am Jolly. Nice to meet you, Ingrid."

"Likewise," I said. "Again, am I being punked?"
"No, sweetheart, you aren't getting punked. You were entered into a competition at Wonderland Estate in New Orleans by your friend Meredith, and you were hand chosen by the band as the final competitor for the competition."

"Wait, what?"
I looked over at Angelica and Kaye.

"Did you know about this?"
Kaye made a face at me; "I did. Meredith swore me to secrecy unless this happened. And, it did happen! You earned this! You deserve this, Ingrid."

I looked back over at Jolly and the camera crew. Jolly was smiling at me, rather handsomely.

"Can the camera crew go away," I asked softly.

"Sure," Jolly said.

The camera crew went out front.

"Do you feel better now," he asked me.

"I do. That was very overwhelming. Thank you."

"No problem. I know this was a blindside, so to make it up to you, let me take you to lunch and talk to you about it?"
"Girl," Kaye said from behind me.

I jerked my head back to look at her.

"Go," she mouthed at me.

Turning back around, I looked at him; "Do you like Thai food?"
"I do actually."

"A block down that way," I said and pointed to the right. "There is a place called Jutamas. Meet me there in fifteen minutes. Just you."

"Yes ma'am."

I had a shiver go down my spine.

"I'll see you in fifteen minutes, Ingrid."

He turned and walked out the front door of the building. I turned around to look at Kaye and Angelica.