The SongBird’s Love, chapter one

“Eden, no. No, no, hun.”

“Please,” she insisted.

“You can’t do that to me. You said I’d be working at the tables tonight.”

“You’ll be working aroun’ the tables, just as a hostess,” he replied with his strong accent.

“Sorry, honey, I ain’t letting ya take any customers tonight.”

“But I need the money! Jack, please!”

He sighed and turned around to look at that little piece of woman. She was already dressed up in her brick-red dress and had put on some lipstick. Eden was almost ready, clumsily putting on the big jewelry pieces and following him barefoot into the waiting room.

She was naturally pretty, but this old-fashioned look and those artificial curls didn’t really suit her. “Eden, listen. I know what I said, and I know you need the cash, honey. But look, tonight’s bouncer is that idiot upstairs! What am I supposed to do? You know how bad that dummy is, right? And I got nobody else to take care of security inside, hun, nobody. You’re the only one who’s got the qualifications. Look at these chicks. Do ya think they’d lose a nail in a fight?”

Eden sighed, helplessly glancing around the room. All of her colleagues were busy getting ready, putting on their dresses, makeup, and jewelry, but she knew they all had an ear out for what was going on. Bella was sending her sorry looks in her mirror, and Xixi had been working on the same eyebrow for five minutes already.

Sitting in front of the biggest mirror, Rose sighed loudly. “Oh, just let it go and be happy, Eden. Be glad you don’t have to sell your ass tonight…”

Eden glared back at her, but the two women remained quiet as Jack shook his head. He put a hand on her shoulder, adjusting one of her blonde curls. “Hun, I’m sorry. I’ll look for someone as soon as possible, but you know it’s getting harder to hire staff around this block. If their stupid system allowed you to take on both jobs at the same time, swear to God I would totally put you on, honey.”

“What about Dally?” asked Xixi with her chirpy voice.

“That idiot’s brother got killed two weeks ago… and how about you chicks mind your own goddamn business!”

“Another murder?” said Rose, frowning and ignoring Jack’s anger.

“What the heck?”

The bar owner turned toward the ladies, crossing his big muscular arms. It would have been a bit more intimidating if they all didn’t know him too well and if he wasn’t wearing a turquoise, fitted dress and pink wig. “You bunch of little…”

“What is Old Man Long doing?” asked Eden, getting a bit worried too.

Jack rolled his eyes. The girls barely got along, except when they were all ganging up against him. He sighed and gave up on his attempt at showing his authority.

“Bella babe, please help Eden do something about that shitty foundation she’s got on. Girl, that contouring makes your nose too thin again.”

The brunette nodded and jumped on her feet, grabbing one of the brushes on the tables to start sweeping around Eden’s cheekbones. Yet, they were all waiting, so Jack started talking, grabbing his lipstick. “Fine, fine… They say the old man ain’t doing too well lately. That’s why. Those bastards who already know about this are all leaving the area before it gets ugly, I bet.”

All the girls began worrying for real. Next to Xixi, June dropped her kôhl, looking panicked. The twins exchanged worried looks too, and even Rose lost a bit of her usual haughty stance.

Eden shook her head. “What will happen, then? Will someone else take over this territory? What about the deals with the Core? The mayor can’t do anything?”

“It’s Chicago, babe. You know that the mayor ain’t gonna do nothing! She probably doesn’t give a damn what happens outside of the Core. We just gotta hope we’re not going to get a piece of shit that’s worse than Old Man Long. Either some young punk takes his place as the new Dragon, or–”

“Another one of the Zodiacs could take over?” asked Xixi, nervously playing with her braids.

“If we get under the Russians, I’m leaving now!” “…Or the Yakuza,” whispered her sister Minnie.

“Hey, hey!”

Jack exclaimed. “Everybody, calm down. Girls, the old man ain’t dead yet. He’s still alive, and everything is fine, a’right? We got a business to open, and I need all your pretty faces and booties ready for showtime. So everybody finish getting ready now.”

He sighed and turned toward Eden, but behind him, all the young women were still whispering, forgetting all about their makeup and preparation. Unlike her colleagues, Eden was looking more sour than worried. Jack glanced at Bella, who got the message, and nodded before going back to her spot.

He then turned to Eden, grabbing her shoulder. “Come on, honey, come with me upstairs while we let the pretties get ready.”

Eden nodded and followed him upstairs. The bar was ready to be opened, the pink neon signs all lit up, and the tables were dressed up. Jack got behind the bar and took out a little box.

It was as if a switch had been flipped once they arrived on this floor. His whole mannerism became more feminine, and his accent disappeared as his voice changed into something more polished and gentler. “I’ve got a little something for ya, honey.”

Eden frowned, but when he opened the box, her eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed it, staring at the contents with a wide smile. “Thanks, Jack!”

“It’s nothing, honey. To be honest, these probably aren’t going to sprout either. You know everything that comes from the Core is fucked up, all genetically modified…”

Eden didn’t care. The little lemon seeds in front of her were enough to give her a little hope. Jack loved Eden exactly for this.

Unlike him, she was one of those precious souls that still lit up at the tiniest bit of hope they could find. He was happier already just seeing her smile. He sighed and took out his bottle of whisky, pouring two drinks. “…What’s going on, honey?”

Eden’s smile disappeared as she glanced up, knowing exactly what he meant. She and Jack knew each other too well already. She picked one of the stools to sit on, careful about her long dress, and took one of the glasses.

“It’s Mom.”

She sighed. “I really need more money, fast.”

“Oh no… What about last time?”

Eden shook her head. “They said they’re trying something else, more… costly. Of course, I agreed.”

Jack sighed, grabbing his whisky and swirling the gold drink around, his lips pouting with a sorry look. “Honey… you are the best daughter your old mama could have, but… that’s too much, Eden. Too many sacrifices, hun. You’re going to tire yourself out, maybe for nothing. You know that old mama of yours wouldn’t want that.”

“She’s all I got left, Jack.”

“It’s Jacquie on this floor, honey. But, anyway… you got me too, alright?”

Eden smiled, but this one lacked a bit of warmth. Jack was genuinely worried for the young woman. Eden was too young, and she was literally sacrificing herself to save her poor mother.

Kindness was a luxury that people living in the Dragon’s district couldn’t afford these days. “…Can you give me another shift?”

“No… you’re full this week. That goddamn system ain’t gonna allow me to give you anymore. Don’t even try looking elsewhere, Eden. Your stupid SIN’s gonna get all wonky again.”

The blonde’s expression got darker, and she touched her neck. The little piece of metal was pulsating under her skin, about the size of a coin. Eden scratched her skin nervously, but the device wouldn’t suffer for this much.

She hated this. The SINs regulated their whole lives. All of their personal data was entered within a system they had no control over.

Eden hated having to scan this thing to be reminded of how penniless she was. The same device that wouldn’t even let her work more. “…I’ll manage,” she whispered.

Jack’s black eyes got worried all of a sudden, and he leaned in closer. “…You’re not going to do the thing I’m not supposed to know about, right?”

Eden smiled a bit bitterly. “You don’t know anything, Jack–I mean, Jacquie. Don’t worry.”

Jack bit his lower lip. He could pretend not to know, but he knew enough to be worried about her, even if he couldn’t say anything. He had his principles, and one included that the less he knew, the better it was.

Which was true for his own safety, but it wouldn’t prevent him from worrying about the young woman. The truth was, even if he had agreed to let her work more, Eden wouldn’t have earned much more than what she did as a hostess and bodyguard. She wasn’t popular among their customers, despite her pretty face.

Plus, it would create more tension between the girls as none could afford to their customers. Every credit won was a little victory these days… Eden grabbed her glass and finished her whisky in one shot, her hazel eyes shining again.

“Come on, Jacquie, showtime; let’s get ready for those assholes.”

Behind the bar, the man smiled and turned on the whole system. The bar’s lights lit up all at once and holograms of all the ladies appeared, either pole-dancing or simply moving around in short outfits. The digital doppelgangers all looked very real.

Jack had invested a lot in this. It would have been hard to distinguish that those were fake just from sight. Yet, Eden knew their choreographies by heart.

She had seen them dozens of times already. She could tell when Rose would send a wink across the room, or Xixi would split her legs around the pole. She ignored all those fake ladies, there to keep the eye busy and add to the illusion of a crowded place, and walked to the little stand where an elegant gramophone was.

Eden smiled, her finger dancing between the pieces of vinyl until she picked one and put it on. The jazz song resonated on the gramophone and throughout the bar’s speakers. “Now that’s Chicago,” said Jacquie with a little smile.

One by one, the girls came up to the floor, dressed up and ready for their customers. Rose sighed, grabbing her favorite bottle over the counter despite Jack’s glare.