4
It is late Saturday night the last week had dragged. Ging was at the flat and was trying to talk Laila round to taking the stage on the crucifix.
‘So what’s it to be?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘What do you mean you don’t know?’
‘I don’t know.’
Ging looked at Hail
‘I thought you were supposed to convince her?’
‘I tried.’
‘Well you didn’t try hard enough.’
Ging looked back at Laila. He knelt down in front of her taking her hands.
‘Look its fool proof no one gets hurt no one dies. It’s just put on to get the crowed going to give them a rush at the end of the night.’
‘What if it goes wrong?’
‘It won’t.’
‘How do I know that?’
‘Trust me it’s been done a hundred times before its fool proof nothing can go wrong. So what do you say?’
Laila looked into his green eyes and sighed. ‘Okay.’
Ging smiled. ‘Good girl.’
‘What about my friends?’
‘What about them?’
‘People I know go in there they might recognise me.’
‘She’s got a point.’
‘Well we’ll have to dye your hair.’
‘You can’t keep doing that.’
‘We’ll use wigs too.’
‘Okay. What do I have to do?’
‘Just blend into the crowed. Hail will call you up on to the stage, the rest is standard, your friends have probably told you about it.’
‘Briefly.’
‘Then you know what happens, just keep focusing, scream for mercy and pretend to die on the crucifix okay.’
‘Okay.’
Ging smiled. ‘Good girl, we’re going to get on just fine.’
He leaned forward placing his lips on hers kissing her.
He moved away loosing her hands.
‘Now if that don’t give you any incentive nothing will.’
Ging pulled himself up. ‘Come on we’ve got to get you ready.’
Laila smiled vaguely.
It took all afternoon for Laila to get ready for the big performance. She walked out of the bathroom wearing a knee length skirt, six inch healed shoes, a low cut top, shocking red hair, make up piled on thick. ‘So how do I look?’
Hail and Ging looked at her their mouth’s almost hitting the floor.
They smiled.
‘You look great.’
‘Couldn’t‘ve put it better myself. Right we better be off.’
Ging opened the door they stepped out of the flat, Hail closed the door behind them.
The crowds had already piled in to see Crucifix. It was getting on for twelve when thy came on stage, an hour later they had intervolved.
‘You sure you know what to do?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Good, just remember act like all the other girls do so you get noticed.’
‘Okay.’
‘See you after.’ Hail said slapping her ass before walking away.
The room darkened, the band returned to the stage and began. The crowed screamed.
‘So who’s up for a crucifixion?’
The crowed screamed Laila found herself screaming too.
‘So who’s the lucky girl going to be?’
Every girl on the dance floor screamed a stream of hands in the air
‘What about the girl at the back. The girl with the red hair.’
The spot light dropped on Laila.
‘Yes you.’
Hail called Laila onto the stage. She fought her way through the crowed he held his hand out, she took it. He guided her up the steps of the stage.
‘So what’s your name?’
Laila looked at him she hadn’t even thought of a name then one suddenly came to her.
‘Jade.’
‘Well Jade this is your lucky night not many girls get to go on the crucifix and on stage with me. How do you feel?’’
‘Nervous.’
‘No need to be. It wont hurt follow me.’
He led her over to the six foot Crucifix, she looked at it and swallowed.
He guided her onto a further set of steps to the six foot crucifix, turning her to the crowed, hundreds faces she saw as he strapped her to the crucifix. He kicked the steps away. He winked at her to say that everything was okay, and stay relaxed.
But everything was far from okay, she couldn’t relax wondering if something were to go wrong she’d be dead.
The band intro’d the drums roared nearly bursting her eardrums as the guitars kicked in.
She swallowed.
Hail bellowed out. ‘You know what time it is?’
Hail asked before holding the microphone out to the crowded room.
‘Crucifix time.’
‘I can’t hear you.’
‘Crucifix time.’
‘I still can’t hear you.’
‘CRUCIFIX TIME.’
The room rumbled.
‘She’s on the crucifix what shall I do?’
‘Kill her!’
‘She’s hung for doing wrong what shall I do?’
‘Kill her!’
He held the microphone out to the crowd. ‘I can’t hear you.’
‘Kill her!’
He pulled a knife out of his pocket showing it to the audience, they stood shocked.
‘Child of the crucifix could do no wrong but she lost her way what shall I do?’
Kill her!’
‘The gods have spoken we must kill the child of the crucifix of the devil.’
‘No please no!’ she screamed.
Hail turned winking at Laila.
He slashed her.
Her head hung limp.
‘A cross I leave on the child of the crucifix now she is dead the devil is no longer.’
The room filled with wolf whistles.
Goodnight and god bless.
The curtains dropped the lights dimmed.
The cheers from the echoed cheers of the audience faded.
‘Laila, Laila.’ Hail said slapping her face.
‘Owe what did you do that for?’
‘You fainted again.’ He answered uniting her.
‘Sorry I tried I really did.’
‘I know. Place your arms round me.’
She placed her arms round his neck he lowered her to the stage.
He smiled.
‘Wha!’
‘Nothing.’
‘It must be something you aint stopped smiling yet.’
‘You’re gorgeous.’
He quickly kissed her.
He pulled away looking into her eyes it was quickly broken.
Ging walked over to them their arms dropped from round each other. ‘Terrific the crowed loved it.’
He kissed Laila on the cheek
‘Well done babe you even looked like you did last time you looked like he’d killed you.’
She smiled
‘We’ll have to keep it in fantastic you were a star.’
She smiled vaguely. Her having a phobia of knives had made an impact on the act which she didn’t really want to take part in.
‘You better get off make sure you get plenty of sleep.’
‘Why?’
‘I’ll be round sometime tomorrow. And Hail take care of our little treasure.’
‘I will.’
Hail took Laila’s hand and led her off the stage
‘What does he mean he’ll see us tomorrow to discuss what happens next?’
‘Who knows only Ging knows that.’
‘I thought you were in this together?’
‘We are, he calls all the shots after all it is his club.’
‘So he thought of this sick stunt.’
‘That would be both of us.’
‘You’re as sick as each other.’
‘Brothers do tend to think alike.’
He closed the door of the flat behind them.
‘What do you mean?’
He placed his hands either side of her face on the door. ‘You.’
She looked at him.
‘Come on Laila you know we both like you.’
She stood silent she looked at him nervously.
‘You look like you did on stage.’
He placed his lips on hers kissing her, she returned his kiss he kissed her harder and harder
He pulled away and smiled.
‘Well I certainly didn’t expect that’.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be.’
‘Look Hail I’m tired.’
‘Take the bed.’
‘Are you sure? It’s your flat.’
‘Yeah you’re my guest.’ He took his hand off her face ‘Besides you need your beauty sleep I don’t.’.
She smiled.
She walked over to the bed she kicked of her shoes before lying down and closing her eyes.