“That’s amazing Lara, the support you’re giving to peers in the industry. We know Kezia Lacha passed a week ago, mid-twenties and trailblazing supermodel. What’s your opinion on someone with such a bright future and talent?” said the talk-show host.
“I’m shocked, can’t sleep and its straight let downs these days well not by her but the industry. I say blame the industry. These disgusting tabloids, portrayed her as this ‘Cocaine Chic’, like an ambassador for Pablo here in Cali, meanwhile she fought this addiction.
She was diseased, they should know better, that addiction is a disease”, said Lara, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. “It’s strange, all her junkie friends abandoned her, and I was the only one left, we got close in the last days of her life.”
“Look, where I’m from….Tennessee, people weren’t raised that way, over there they have community, friendship, family yet in Cali everything and everyone’s fake, to make it worse we’ve got the “Technocrats”, with their space wars lighting up the night sky and let’s forget their –“Designer Babies”, said Lara,
“What about them?” asked the host, energized, hand on chin, eyes wide “They would like to know” continued the host, Lara Stevens, starts leg tapping, rubbing the side of the rough armchair with hand slightly trembling, eyes wondering about, as if she entered the wrong room.
“Susanna, humanity went from GMO corn to Parents desiring gene-edited kids. Fashion houses, studios can’t get enough of modified freaks and actresses because face it, they’re perfect, right? They’re creating golems yep people without souls or a heart, its worse now. We’re the last ones, the naturals. Do they know what it is to be truly human…to have flaws? Said Lara stretching her vocals as silhouettes of people in the audience whispered to each other.
Meanwhile the control room door swung open, it brightens, the television crew turn others twist neck. The studio executive rushes in from the flash of light towards the director and shouts “Mark you Idiot!, the heck, what’s wrong with you! Change the subject now, I said, Change it!” breathing heavily, face flustered, staring at the set then facing the director grabbed a fistful of collar on the poor man’s Hawaiian shirt.
“For crying out loud!, that’s politically sensitive, not on national television! Not here! Not now! Not in my Studio!” He bangs his hot cup of coffee on the table, a great measure falling on the director’s pants. The man shoot’s up with a contorted face, grabbing his crotch, wipes is trousers then proceeds to whisper to the technician, the executive rants in a strong Sicilian accent, making one wonder if he had ties with the Mafia.
“Like, I just don’t get it, explain it to me son, it’s like you want Uncle Sam, to shove!, a giant prison sentence!, down my throat!!!”, he moves out shouting more rants that fade away.
From the window of the control room, the host in the faded distance pressed her hand against the earpiece. “We’ve forgotten our roots, it’s like we’re playing Go..”, the host interrupts “Sorry, Lara” then passed through her notes with a warm smile, suddenly frowns “My bad, so we’ve received, that out of Lexington, beyond downtown tonight, another victim of the ‘Bandaged Serial Killer’ has been found by the LAPD and the officials say the victim was found with facial lacerations and was disemboweled.
Imagine, the thirteenth case amongst a gallery of female victims around the area this month” said the host, Lara shook her head slowly with a down-mouth expression, the audience emitted an atmosphere of worry, the host proceeded to cross her legs, turned her head to the screen with squinted eyes and fingers on a quivering lip she said “Let’s play the video, live from the crime scene”
“What a monstrosity, this strange evil. Zodiac killer was decades ago, society fixed this”. Said the host with reddened eyes, “Susanna, now might be a great time for that vacation, you and I, the girls included outside of town, maybe the Bahamas.”, the audience laughed.
“There’s Grace, I want nothing to do with it, not the families, the cops, no one does but things will get better, that’s all I can say”. Lara spoke with such poise, a tone she developed from organizing designers, camera-men, tailors and set engineers during fashion week yet when she first arrived in the city she was a timid southern girl.
“Oh I have to say it girl, you are lovable! Respectful, And upright! Of all the showbiz girls I’ve met running around these streets, they raised you right!” Said the host with a wide smile, she stood up the audience cracked a wholesome laugh. “The industry doesn’t make them like you anymore! Come over and give Auntie a hug” Laura with a smile stood up they embraced, the hosts dreadlocks did not go beyond Laura’s breasts, as they hugged the audience let out an “Aw” In response, “Give it up for Lara Stevens everybody!” the host said, the audience stood up in adulation, clapping and shouting for them.
People looked at Lara’s boots, visibly annoyed as she paced through back-stage, a “Bing!!!” resurrected in her purse, something so minutiae had stopped the trailblazing supermodel. Her heart skipped a beat, stomach grumbled, mind diced by thoughts, hesitantly she switched on the device.
“No, no, no why now, why me of all things not this…you’ve got to be kidding me” speaking in low tone, Laura’s jaw dropped, the chatty crew members glanced at her as they passed with equipment, she became their topic of discussion. The chain message read:
Kelilah
“First Hospital results dropped it’s a crazy skin disease with no treatment. Then I found your DIRTY LAUNDRY LAURA!! Your bathroom tests! I thought we promised no one’s getting ballooned until we’re @#%^years old!!The wedding goals!?? Only snakes move this way Lara!.…Snakes! Who’s the man!? I can’t believe you hid this from me, are we not friends…DAMN!!!”
“Sir, hey sir, where’s the nearest exit?”, Lara asked, “Stick to this hallway, the second left, you’ll see an elevator, press ground floor, then you’re in the foyer and you’re out ma’am” said the gent wearing an anime shirt, he placed both hands on his cap “Hey wait a sec!, oh my...Oh my, Oh my days! Ha-ha! You’re one of the ladies from Cam/Girl-Rewind oh it’s totally you, all of you!”.
“Before smoker’s anonymous, I worked a summer job for tickets to a convention to see you and but you quit they said you hated the biz, was the saddest day of my lame life. My homies and I are huge fans, Great fragrance, smells like what…honey?” explained the enamored gent “Yeah? Thank you and that’s years ago glad you remember” Laura smiled like the joker “I am so, so late bye!”, waving in his face she left, then sighed, dropping the façade, disgusted by him.
Moments later “These sick people are here again” she sighed pulling the door open “Its Lara Everyone!! Lara! Lara Stevens! Over here! Palm Springs Press here! Smile for the camera! Lara don’t you think you went overboard with the interview!!? The Hill Reporter here, Lara please!”
“Who are Kezia’s friends? The fake ones you talked about!! What’s your next move? Should you be talking about Genetics?!” the press swarmed meanwhile opposite the street in the bushes “Yeah, Yes! Yeahhh, Damn Keith! They’re bombing Dresden, look at the flashes, Laura’s trying to cover her eyes Ha-ha well she’s given us our best photo grid yet”.
“The Location, superb, the boss will love these look at her, all the pig journalists wearing black, rolling for answers and she’s in all yellow surrounded by a pile of grease” uttered the investigative journalist.
A roar sliced the air, drowning the voice of the press “Watch out for the car! Move out the road! Car!” screamed the journalists some scrambled up the stairs others paced to the other side of the road. “Wow! Wow! Wow! What’s this? A Turbo-charged v12? All silver...Stevens when did you get a pay raise?”
“Ha-Ha one thing though, we love it” said one of the journalists, Lara got inside the car “Won’t you tell us about the special man you’ve been seeing, you can’t hide forever Lara!” said the journalist his voice muffled by the window, he stared like a starved wolf “You’re revving the engine! Calm it down, calm down miss, talk to me, Yeah that’s more like it, everybody! She’s dropping the window, she’s talking tonight, yeah, so Lau…” she smacked him, clean, “You didn’t have to do him like that!” said someone another chuckled she sped off, looking in the rear-view mirror, and the man cursed her.
“Orion” said Lara “Yes Ms. Stevens” Orion answered in monotone, “You pull that stunt again, its jail-time for me, you know that right?” said Lara calmly “Sorry Ms. Stevens however your blood pressure was above normal due to spiked adrenaline and cortisol signs of a human, in distress… I had to act. Regardless your command is saved in protocol.” answered the ML (machine learning) algorithm languidly. Cruising, her face reflected the cold and warm colors of gigantic MR (mixed reality) billboards that overlapped city skyscrapers.