Lonely Hearts

I: Andrea:

Pandora is gone. Ophelia is gone. Jemima is gone. Andrea was alone. She thought that she could handle. She really thought so. But now, there’s another problem on her hands.

Back at home, things weren’t looking good. It started with a phone call to her apartment.

“Hello?” she asked. Andrea sat up in bed.

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “No…” Her heart sank in her chest.

“Oh…” she said. The phone dropped from her hand.

“Hello? Are you still there?” a man’s voice asked on the other line. “Hello? Hello?” She wouldn’t even get out of bed for the day.

II: Ian:

It keeps piling up. Ian stared at the computer screen.

“How does this keep getting worse?” he asked. “I don’t understand it.” He sat back in his chair and sighed with his hands behind his head. The director began to think that the Factory might not be worth saving anymore. Andy didn’t seem to think so himself. After all, that announcement came out of nowhere. Did he know it himself?

He looked up when he heard a knock on the door.

“Yeah?” Ian asked.

“Can we talk for a minute?” he heard in the hallway. The director had a puzzled look on his face.

“Violet?” he asked. “Sure, come in. What’s wrong?” He turned his chair to face the door as it opened. The artist stuck her head in the doorway.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” he asked. The artist pressed her lips together before looking down at her hands.

“We aren’t going to get it, are we?” he asked.

“We will,” Violet said.

“But?” Ian asked. The artist lifted her chin.

III: Violet:

-Twenty-Four Hours Earlier-

Violet stood in front of a big house in Kyoto. When was the last time she came here? Just standing at the front door made her shiver. But she had to do this.

The artist took a breath and knocked on the door. Violet stood back and waited. A man in his forties opened the door. The artist stood still.

“Mimiko-chan?” he asked. “Is that you?”

“Yes,” Violet said. The man perked up.

“It’s so good to see you!” he said. Violet nervously laughed.

“Is my mother in?” she asked. The butler grew serious.

“Of course,” he said. “Right this way.”

“Thank you,” Violet said. She followed him into the fancy house. The artist wished herself luck.

Her mother sat at her desk in her office. She looked up when she heard a knock on the door.

“Enter,” she said without looking up. The woman already knew what was coming next. Violet walked into her mother’s office. The older woman glanced up at her for a moment.

“Mother—” the artist said. Her mother put up her hand. Violet closed her mouth.

“Shut the door,” her mother said. The artist closed the door behind her. Mother and daughter stared at each other for a long moment. The older woman put down her pen.

“Why should I help out with this little project of yours?” she asked at last. Violet took a breath.

“I think he wants to end the Factory,” she said. Her mother raised her eyebrow.

“Oh?” she asked. “And why is that?” Violet told her everything about the actors living and the money troubles. Her mother listened in silence. Violet closed her mouth and went silent. The older woman only had one condition.

“Come home and then I will help your little project,” she said.

IV: Andy:

Lately, he’s been retreating more into himself. Even Ian doesn’t know what he’s thinking. If Andy’s not on set, he’s locked away in his room. It is easy to see why the stars are upset. They don’t know where to go next. They haven’t been paid in years, but that wasn’t the point.

Meanwhile, Andy sat alone in his office. What is he doing in there? A couple of people tried to find out by knocking on the door. He just wouldn’t answer them. They knocked until they gave up. Andy sat at his desk, lost in his thoughts. Maybe he needed something different to reignite the spark in his mind.

That’s when the phone rang.

V: Kiko:

“How did this happen?” Kiko asked herself. She couldn’t wrap her mind around how she ended up raising a teenage girl in an adult woman’s body. Kei was just as bratty as she was when she was fourteen. Kiko had to take time from her job with making sure that Kei was where she was supposed to be. She sighed and rubbed her forehead. How long could she keep this up?

Kiko looked up when she heard the door slamming. She ran down the hall to the living room. Kei was already out the door.

“Hey!” her sister shouted. “Where do you think you’re going?” Kei turned around and stuck out her tongue. The younger sister ran down the hall.

“Come back here!” Kiko screamed as she ran after her. Kei laughed as she ran to the elevator. She pressed the down button. The doors slid open, and she walked inside.

“Come back here!” Kiko yelled. She tried to grab her sister’s arm, but she slipped out of her grip. Kei smiled and waved as the doors slid closed. Kiko was just left standing in front of the elevator. Not again. She pulled out her phone and made the call.

“She’s gone again,” Kiko said. “Can you please help me out?”

VI: Kei:

She saw Kiko as annoying. That apartment became a prison. Kei had to get out of there. When she got the chance, she took it. She got invited out to a party last night. Excited, Kei wanted to go. Just one problem…

“No!” Kiko said. Kei pouted and stamped her foot.

“But why?!” she whined.

“You are in no condition to go out partying!” her sister yelled.

“You never let me have any fun!” Kei said.

“Sorry, that’s how it is,” Kiko said. The younger woman huffed and stormed off to her room. However, Kei wasn’t so easily swayed. She was going to go to that party one way or another. While in her room, Kei began planning.

She had to wait until Kiko was too distracted to notice. Kei sat at her computer and started playing on it. The heiress was dressed up to party. Tight jeans, tube top, high heels, and make-up. All to the best of had a teenage girl would dress up for a party. Kei looked at the clock on her computer again. Just one more minute to go.

She held her breath as she counted down. Five… Four… Three… Two…

One!

Kei got up from her chair and ran out of her room. She managed to make it out of the apartment before Kiko caught onto her plan. She ran when her sister started to chase after her. Kei made it to the elevator and got away. She rode down to the lobby, giggling the whole time. For the first time in days, Kei got to taste freedom.

However, that feeling didn’t last long as she stopped laughing. Why did it feel like something was missing inside?

VII: Lone Woman:

She stood in front of the Stardust Factory. This was going to be the break that she needed. Andy said that he would give her an audition. If she made it through, she could get some money and spread her agenda. She stretched her neck and walked into the building.

Inside, Andy and Ian were waiting.

VIII: Lonely is the Lifestyle:

Loneliness comes in different forms. Loneliness can lead to things falling apart. Before you know it, you have mess on your hands that you are going to have time cleaning up. We will have another death on our hands.