A single electric guitar note cut through the crowd’s noise, signaling the beginning of the concert, and the beginning of Ria’s first song. The crowd was silent for a moment, then erupted into cheer. There was no going back now. Ria ran onto stage, already feeling dizzy. Lusso thought he could hear a small high pitched ringing, steadily getting louder. He hoped he was imagining it.
As Ria neared the front edge of the stage, male and female holographic backup dancers phased into view, walking alongside her. The Ria waved a hand to the crowd, and they roared back in reply.
Ria said, “Hello Ki Won City! I’m Ria Jun, thanks for coming out!”
Ria said, “Let’s have some fun tonight, alright?”
Ria strutted back towards the center of the stage, and turned back to face the crowd the moment it was time to sing the opening lines of her song. Her voice, as clear as a flute, started out like a low purr, at the beginning of the song. Lusso felt the energy building within her slowly, and when it came to the first chorus, Ria let loose, belting out high notes that rang across the crowd, much to the crowd’s enjoyment.
As she finished the chorus, Ria gasped for breath while she did a little twirl along with her back dancers. Right after the twirl, she raced to get to the next position on stage for the next part of the dance, just barely reaching it in time to stretch her arms out and wave her index fingers out into the crowd, like a metronome. After the second wave of her index fingers, she pulled her arms back and pushed outwards with her palms, walking backwards with each push. With each push, a stream of holographic pink hearts flew from her palms, skimming over the crowd and dissipating. After a couple steps, she threw her arms up and brought them back down to her sides in a circular motion. As if Ria had drawn a circle in thin air with the tips of her fingers, a halo of white light surrounded Ria as she twisted her body to face the crowd sideways. She gestured to her side with an index finger, looking at the crowd with what Lusso imagined was a coy facial expression, expertly executed. In each part of the dance, the back dancers copied Ria’s movements, or posed behind her, to accentuate her movements. After the first chorus, Ria stopped singing, letting her prerecorded voice play. She struggled just to keep up with the basic choreography, a couple milliseconds late on each movement. Lusso found it surprising her legs hadn’t collapsed under her yet.
The song continued in a flurry of holographic effects and constant dancing on Ria’s end. As the song ended, Ria faced the crowd sideways, outstretching a finger gun. She kept frozen until the lights dimmed completely, trying to take slow, shallow breaths to hide how winded she was. After the lights dimmed completely, she hunched over, hands on her knees, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her arms and legs trembled. Lusso thought that it was as if Ria had aged forty years in the course of two days. Lusso concluded the crowd couldn’t see how much of a toll the opening song had taken on Ria. The few faces he could distinguish from in the darkness were smiling, eyes and mouths wide open, like they were in a state of drug induced ecstasy.
The holographic backup dancers disappeared into thin air, and Ria walked back alone to backstage. Ria felt her forehead. It was piping hot. Ria withdrew her hand instantly, as she’d touched the inside of an oven.
“Holy shit.”
She stared at her hand for a moment, then felt her forehead again, more gingerly this time. It was still hot. Ria shivered a little, becoming aware of her cold, clammy hands and feet.
Samantha rushed into Ria before she could enter backstage.
Samantha said, “What happened? You didn’t sing for half of the song. When Inka hears about this, he’ll be—”
Ria said, “I don’t know. I’m sick, I think.”
Ria felt her forehead again, checking to see if she hadn’t been dreaming.
Samantha said, “Sick?”
Samantha felt Ria’s forehead. She clicked her tongue.
Samantha said, “The concert… could you finish it?”
Ria looked into Samantha’s eyes. A moment of silence passed, and Ria looked away, past Samantha, into the hustle and bustle of backstage. They were preparing for the next song.
Ria said, “I’m sick.”
Samantha said, “We have some medicine.”
Ria said, “I also hear that high pitched noise I got before I had my—” Ria’s voice trailed off.
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Samantha said, “Panic attack? Don’t worry. We have something for that too. David had it shipped from JGE HQ in Felicity.”
Samantha quickly walked towards backstage and looked back momentarily to see Ria lagging behind her.
Samantha said, “Quick, we have 3 minutes!”
Ria said, “Could you give me a hand? I’m feeling a bit weak.”
Samantha outstretched her hand.
Samantha said, “Come on!”
Lusso saw a cold glint flash in Samantha’s eyes before she held Ria’s hand. He was sure that Ria had seen it too.
With the fever came a pressure that began to build in Ria’s ears. She hadn't noticed it during the performance because of the noise. But as Ria entered backstage, it became clear. The conversations around her, the sound of equipment being moved, seemed far away, as if Ria were underwater. Samantha led Ria to a small room for spare equipment, told her to sit down on a stool inside it, and left.
Samantha was back in less than thirty seconds with a gaunt, tall man in a white gown. He introduced himself as Dr. Elosa, the doctor on duty with the tour. He was bald, and his eyes were half closed, as if he were nearly asleep. Dr. Elosa opened up the black briefcase on a desk next to Ria, revealing an assortment of pills and syringes. Dr. Elosa noticed Ria eyeing the contents of his briefcase.
Dr. Elosa said, “I’ve seen hundreds like you. I’m prepared.”
Dr. Elosa said, “Symptoms?”
Ria told him. Dr. Elosa nodded along with each symptom she told him.
Dr. Elosa repeated her symptoms back to her, “Fever, earache, ear pressure, ringing in your ears, maybe a panic attack.”
Ria said, “Yes.”
Dr. Elosa said, “Alright, alright. Standard procedure.”
Dr. Elosa shook some pills out and prepared a syringe as he talked to her.
“How long have you been in JGE?”
“A long time, about…”
“Since birth? Then how old are you?”
“24. Almost 25.”
“Huh. Alright. Maybe one more year. Max.”
“What do you mean?”
“Alllright. Swallow this down with water.”
Ria swallowed down his pills in a gulp.
“And now for the shot.”
Dr. Elosa sized her up.
“More comfortable with your left, but you’re ambidextrous, right?”
“Yeah, how’d you know?”
“They always are. Something to do with more creativity, multitasking, etcetera, etcetera. You and them all, you’re all born for this, you know.”
Lusso saw Samantha shoot a glare at Dr. Elosa. Dr. Elosa pretended like he didn’t notice, and carried on.
“Lift up your right sleeve, please.”
Ria lifted back the short sleeve on her right shoulder. Dr. Elosa cocked his syringe, and slipped the needle into her shoulder. The needle was so thin that Ria barely felt anything, except for the sensation of cold fluid entering the veins on her right arm. Dr. Elosa finished packing his briefcase scarcely after he’d finished giving her the shot.
Dr. Elosa said, “You’ll be feeling great in a jiffy. See me later if you think you need more of the stuff. Doesn’t last too long.”
Dr. Elosa had his hand on the doorknob when Ria asked him a question. He looked back, with an eyebrow raised.
Ria said, “Do you think I can finish the concert? I’m not feeling too—”
Dr. Elosa said incredulously, “You’re thinking of not?”
Ria hesitated. Dr. Elosa chuckled as he pushed open the door and left. Soon after, David squeezed through the door. David’s expression was unreadable as ever, and his black glasses hid his eyes.
Samantha said, “Hello David.”
David nodded in reply. He slipped a hand into his suit pocket, pulling out two vials. One was filled to the brim with small pills, and one was filled with the same red fluid that Ria had swallowed earlier in the day.
David said, “Take two pills with water, and drink the antidote after it.”
Ria wordlessly took the vial of pills from his hand, washed two down with water, and gulped down the red contents of the vial. Samantha checked the time on her phone. She looked up with an expression of horror on her face.
Samantha said, “Almost at the 3 minute 30 mark, we’ve got to go! Inka’s going to kill us!”
Ria eased herself off of the stool and followed Samantha back to the stage. Lusso could feel the entirety of backstage watching Ria as she passed by. Samantha patted Ria on the back once, twice for good measure, and half-pushed Ria out from backstage. The pills, the shot, everything hit Ria at once onstage. Lusso could feel the fever and its symptoms disappearing, and the ringing in her ears faded away. Ria’s limbs felt weightless, imbued with resilient strength, as if she’d just woken up from a good night’s sleep. She stepped into position with an effortless grace.
Ria pulled the ends up her lips upward in a smile, and began the second song of the night.
Ria said, “Next up is Love at Night!”
A thunderous cheer sounded from the crowd as she began to sing and dance, her holographic back dancers surrounding her once again.