The Masked Singer

[Chapter Thirty Two]

Chapter Thirty Two

"Welcome to New York, we hope you have an enjoyable stay. Thank you for flying with us," the airhostess says over the intercom.

My insides are already churning with nerves and annoyance. I have five days to record vocals, appear on six television talk shows, four radio interviews, two charities, one lunch business with the label before kick starting my busy tour on Friday.

I want my trip to be enjoyable, I just don't know how. I thought being famous meant you had the chance to do a lot of fun things and see the cities you travel through. So far I've seen their recording studios for interviews and writing sessions.

Unclipping the seat belt, I stand up and stretch my limbs out. I grab my backpack and make a run for the exit. After a long flight, it feels nice to be able to stretch my legs and walk somewhere. But it's not long until the pins and needles set in and it's painful to move my muscles.

I join the long line of people exiting the plane. I follow them down to the bagging area with an inconspicuous Archer following me. It's a painful reminder I'm no longer independent. But then again, I don't want to be walking around a strange place by myself - that's scary.

I'm quick to spot my suitcase and take it off the conveyer belt. As I walk away, I find a quiet spot to stand and survey the area. Alex should be at the hotel because his flight was first, and I thought this would mean the crowds would die down - but there's still heaps of people crowed outside with large pink glittery signs with our names on it.

There's different messages regarding their love for our music, and some ask to be followed on their social media accounts. The signs look adorable with so much hard work and effort put into them. I can see splashes of colour, block writing and glitter paint across a majority of them.

I don't want their time to go to waste, so I take a picture of the people waiting and move ahead.

"Are you ready to go?" ask Archer.

"Yes." I nod my head.

"We've got a small time to wait, would you feel more comfortable near the food court?" he says as his eyes sweep over our surroundings.

"That's a good idea Archer, I wasn't too fussed on the aeroplane food and I'm sort of hungry," I admit, "my father would say I'm just too fussy."

I expect Archer to laugh and walk, but he replies, "I wasn't too fond either." Which makes me feel better about sending the meal back.

We walk to the first quiet café and immediately cue up in front of the counter. I'm surprised more people aren't in the café because of the amount of people bustling around. Instead, we're second to be served - thankfully.

Within minutes, we approach the counter and order our meals. Bother Archer and I get breakfast and coffee to take away since we don't know how long our wait is going to be.

"You don't mind." I wave my phone around.

"Sure." He shrugs his shoulders.

"Thank you." I quickly open my Instagram app and write a short caption for the image I took previously. I don't want to name anyone specific because so many people are here, so I just write a thank you note for the welcome and the beautiful posters, along with wishing to see their amazing faces on the Friday concert.

Just as I update my statues, two containers of fried food and our drinks are placed on the table. Both Archer and I thank the waitress before as dig into our food. It's only towards the end of the meal that Archer gets a message regarding our ride.

"Would you like to go to the hotel or the studio first?" he asks.

"Hotel!" I say, "I need to freshen up before I do anything else."

"I'm sure I can arrange that." He laughs.

"Thank you."

We leave the café and head to the front of the airport. Some the crowd has started to disappear and others are still hanging around. From passing conversations, people believe Sienna has yet to come off the plane and her publicist has just taken the photo to create an idea.

While I push their conversations from my mind, I focus on Archer and the pressing matter. I don't know a great deal about the man my father has entrusted my safety with. And if I'm going to be touring with him, I should start learning. Apparently the world doesn't revolve around me.

Archer puts the backs in the back and then joins me in the back seat.

"So..." I smile up at him.

He uncomfortably shifts in his seat.

"Do you come to New York often?" I ask.

"I don't usually travel far from my family," he confesses.

"I don't usually either." I shake my head, "I once skipped seven grade camp because a week away from my family seemed unbearable." And now I'm going to be spending weeks away without their company.

"At some point we grow up and learn that life has many changes, not all of them are easy."

"Like this job? I'm sure touring around with a bratty teenage takes the top ten."

"Why do you insist on that?" he frowns.

"Because I'm not nice all the time." I begin to feel nervous, so I play with the hemming of my outfit for a distraction.

"We were born to feel emotions, born to make mistakes. Don't let anyone tell you being upset or angry isn't nice. Because what is nice?"

"Do you have kids, Archer?" He's taken back by my question, but he manages to nod his head.

"A daughter."

"She's going to be amazing one day."

"Why do you say that?" He lightly chuckles.

"People forget how others feel. They don't realise their words can hurt someone just as much as a bullet to the chest. You haven't forgotten."

"Maybe I'm not the only one." He nods his head in my direction.

"I'd like to meet your daughter one day."

"She'd love to meet you, one day of course."

Our conversation ends and I place my earbuds in and listen to the music on my phone. So far the day is continuing on a good note. Once I meet up with Alex, we can finalise the songs and begin working on the preparations for the concert.

For many it would seem that the best part of this day is the screaming fans with their homemade signs, and the dedication of a wild heart. But to me, it's finding someone who believes that beyond the snappy attitude and the wrong choices, I'm not a bad person. Just learning the many paths of life.