Light in Dawn

Chapter Six - The Phantom Manager

­­­­“My manager?” A very puzzled Emmeline Kenrick blinked at Mr Lucas. Most of the time, upon hearing those words she’d wave her hand dismissively. Yes, go and talk to my manager. Don’t bother me. This, however, was not one of those times. Not when the said personnel had caught the flu and was on sick leave for the third consecutive week.

Mr Lucas paused for a second before closing the door behind her.

Being in the showbiz industry and having encountered a variety of personalities, Emmeline recovered fast. “Yes, my manager. Where is he?”

The master of the house smiled at her amiably, gesturing to his left, “In the living room. He arrived half an hour ago to inform me that you would be late.”

Her eyes flickered from one side to the other with rapid thoughts. Frauds were no phenomenon in her circle; in recent years when her fame rose, she had her fair share of imposters. Yet this was the first time she’d seen an impersonation of a manager – certainly not very ambitious one. She snickered. “Lead the way, please.”

That was the easier part of hosting a world-famous actress in your humble abode. Mr Lucas nodded at the Emmeline and walked ahead. A few metres later he turned around to her, “Here – Miss Kenrick? Is everything alright?”

“Ah… yes,” the young actress answered. For a second the strangest expression crossed her face. The host suddenly noticed that she hadn’t moved an inch from the door. And she was staring at him. Mr Lucas felt beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

What had he done wrong? Why was Kenrick hesitant to enter the living room?

Did the girls clean the house properly? He scurried forward a few steps and cast his glance about. The floor was immaculate, the walls were unblemished.  A part of him was all puzzlement and anxiety; another part of him disapproval. Young actresses these days are too unpredictable; he could remember older days when celebrities were as approchable as they were famous.

If Emmeline could read his mind, she might have turned around right then and there, leaving the house altogether. Fortunately for him, no comment was made of his thoughts as she took steady steps forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Despite being twenty-odd years younger, her heels made her half a head taller. She leaned down a little, mouth level with his ear. “Where is he?”

“Where is who?” Responded Mr Lucas, partially stunned.

Can’t stand any fright? The actress straightened but kept firm hand on his shoulder, “My manager, you said?”

“Ah, yes, right –” He stopped dead mid-sentence, staring straight at the couch. A gasp. “He’s gone.”

That’s why I asked.

“He was here a second ago. Maybe he walked around a bit. I’ll go and find –”

“It’s alright,” Emmeline grinned suddenly. Something she just saw altered her mood now. He hadn’t noticed it, but where her hand  pressed down on his rigid suit, there was a piece of paper. A yellow sticky note, in fact – like the kind primary school children attached on unsuspecting friends’ backs as a joke. “Don’t move, please. What did he call himself?” Her index finger rolled up an edge of the sticky note.

“Julyan,” he paused, trying to remember the surname. None existed in his memory. “Just Julyan, I think.”

She stilled at the sound of the name. A second later a smile returned to her face. “Thought so,” her head snapped to the side, searching the empty corridor, “Julyan? Julyan, are you still here?”

No response.

Mr Lucas began speculating. It was the first time he’d met the actress, and something about her didn’t sit right with him. First she asked him the lead the way and waited behind, and then she prevented him from searching for her manager, only to scout for him in the empty space behind them.