Fiona on Fire | ONC 2023

14. encounter

Fiona had been asked to do a photo shoot for the cover of a popular fashion magazine. 

She didn't have much say in her styling or the theme of the shoot. In fact, she began to feel like a human doll as people buzzed around her, curling her hair, brushing makeup on her face, and lacing a dress snug against her ribs. It restricted her breathing a little. She could barely walk in the absurd heels they gave her, and her eyes felt heavy with drying glue and fake lashes.

When someone handed her a mirror, though, she was stunned. Who was this stranger before her? Fiona did look like a doll dressed in clothing fit for royalty.

They snapped pictures of her for what felt like hours, adjusting the lighting and telling her how to pose.  By the time they were finished, she was exhausted and glad to have all the makeup and constrictive clothing removed. Changing back into her own clothes and being herself felt blissful.

She walked out of the studio and felt her phone buzz with a call from her mother. She'd been making an effort to communicate more with her parents after realizing how much she'd cut them out of her life. Her mother had become much warmer toward her now that she was successful, in her eyes. It had felt odd as the critical, scolding woman she remembered began to fawn over her.

This call, however, was for a purpose.

"Your brother is engaged!" her mother announced. "Julia said yes. Isn't that wonderful?"

Fiona's jaw fell open. "No way. Tell him he better not schedule the wedding during one of my shoots. I definitely need to be there."

"That's what I wanted to ask about. You know, Cody works a blue-collar job, and Julia is trying to get through grad school without a mountain of debt. We—I was wondering, and don't tell your brother—if you would pitch in to pay for the wedding."

Fiona thought about that. Whatever the cost, it was likely a drop in the bucket compared to what she'd been making. It felt like she couldn't say no. "Okay, sure. How much?"

"It'll be about 35,000 dollars to give them a proper ceremony. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this will help them."

Her mother hung up, leaving Fiona with her mouth open and words left unsaid. Spending that amount of money still felt daunting, but Fiona figured she should be happy to do it for her brother.

She shoved her phone in her bag and continued through the parking lot toward her car, still processing that conversation. It was a nice day out, the sun falling on her shoulders with gentle warmth. A soft breeze and wispy clouds kept the heat from becoming overwhelming. She'd been inside too long, she thought; she could stay out here all day.

When Fiona spotted her car, though, she stopped dead in her tracks. There was something underneath it. She didn't dare go any closer. 

Fiona squinted. It was a shadowed figure, and she swore she saw it move.

In case someone was watching her, she fumbled through her purse, pretending she'd forgotten something as an excuse to hurry back toward the studio.

She found a large man from security and explained the situation. He looked a bit incredulous but agreed to walk Fiona through the parking lot.

Sure enough, by the time they reached it, the figure had disappeared. Fiona begged the man to have someone check the security tapes, convinced this hadn't been her imagination.

"I swear there was someone there." She walked over and knelt down to inspect under her car.

The figure had left something behind. She reached a hand underneath and fished out a sharp box cutter, holding it up to the security man.

His eyes widened, and now he didn't hesitate to call the security office to check the tapes. He also took the box cutter from her, trying not to smudge any fingerprints.

"They see him," he relayed to her with his ear pressed against his phone. "Male in a black hoodie and cap, face obscured. He walked onto the premises, so no license plate. Not much to identify him by. But don't worry, we'll keep an eye on this, ma'am."

That was it, apparently. Fiona got in her car and drove home, hands shaking the entire way. She couldn't keep from wondering what plans the figure had for her. What if she hadn't been so observant—if her mother hadn't hung up the call and she'd been too distracted to notice him?

She locked herself in her apartment, double-checking that all doors and windows were secured. Then she curled up on the couch and texted Jack: can you come over? 

She'd never had him over to her apartment, much less alone, so this felt like a big leap. But she needed to not be alone.

He arrived dressed casually in a hoodie, looking tired. His sandy hair was tousled, and his normally sharp blue eyes looked a bit weary.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked.

"No, I just got done with a long shoot. What's up with you?"

"Same, but something really strange happened." She explained the situation. The words tumbled out in a rush as she relived it in her mind.

"You know what I do when I'm scared? And don't laugh."

"Why would I laugh?"

"I dance." He stood and stretched out a hand—an offer.

She grinned and took it, allowing him to sweep her upright. He led her in some kind of waltz, doing most of the work. Despite the lack of music, it felt natural and easy. He lifted her off her feet with ease as he did the more intricate footwork.

He even dipped her low to the ground. It reminded her so much of Alex, except he had twirled her around for the paparazzi and for his own gain. What Jack was doing was for her. She could feel it. It made her heart beat faster and her mouth fall open with joyous laughter. His eyes were trained on her expression, watching whether she was having fun.

When they fell back onto the couch together, breathing heavily, she had to ask, "How did you get so good? It's not fair."

"Well, I could lie and say I've done a movie that required dance lessons."

She raised one eyebrow.

"But what really happened was that my sister did ballet, and I begged my parents to let me dance too. Then I kept at it longer than my sister, for over ten years." He looked sheepish, as if this were embarrassing to reveal.

"That's amazing," she said. "I never stuck with anything that long as a kid. Except for theater."

"Of course. You seem so driven to act. I mean, it's enviable. That's what it takes when you're starting from scratch."

"How did you start out?"

"Oh." He chuckled. "The ballet. They were casting for extras in a dance movie. There aren't many male dancers, so I didn't have much competition, really."

There was the first lull in their conversation, but it felt comfortable. Fiona reached out and took his hand, comparing how much bigger his was, his fingers stretching out an inch further than hers.

The smile faded from his face a little. "The movie I'm shooting is almost finished, so I'm flying back to Ireland soon."

"Oh." It hadn't occurred to her that he wasn't a permanent resident, and maybe not even a citizen. She wished he could stay.

"We'll keep in touch, though, yeah?"

"Yeah."