His Phoenix

■Star Craze■

Saturday came all too quickly. As I prepared to go to Kelsie's House, my stomach twisted with knots. My heart raced at the thought of being in the same room with two A-list celebrities. I'd never imagined i would find myself in this position. I always thought I'd end up climbing the corporate ladder somehow.  I grinned at the thought. From secretary to CEO.

That would have been an epic origin story. But my reality right now was even better. If this went well, it would put me on the map. Giving myself one last glance in the mirror,  I grabbed my new kit box and my purse and strutted out of my room and towards my destiny.

Dramatic, I know but this was where I was meant to be. I could feel it. I passed Ophelia, who was making breakfast in the kitchen and walked out of the apartment. I hailed a taxi and in a few minutes, I was on my way.

I smiled softly as I stared out of the window. I was so excited. Playing with my fingers, I chuckled as I fantasised about all the things that would happen if today went perfectly. I was torn from my fantasies by a ping and a vibration. I pulled my phone from my purse and slid my thumb across the screen. It lighted up and I fixed my eyes on the notification that popped up at the top.

the_yohann liked your photo.

Stunned, I opened the app and viewed the picture he had liked. It was a picture of one of Ophelia's friends. I had used her as model and given her a bridal look. Ophelia had convinced me to record the process and take a picture of the final look.

I don't why but my lips curled up as I looked at the like. Was he still....

Just as quickly as it had appeared,  the like disappeared. I frowned at my screen and refreshed my page. My mouth fell open as it remained unchanged. Had he seriously taken his like back?

The car stopped suddenly, interrupting my angry thoughts and I looked out of the window. We were at a gated community. A burly security man with a bushy grey moustache and a large belly walked up to us leisurely. The navy green uniform he was wearing was a little snug on his stomach. I half-expected the buttons on the straining material to pop and smack me in the face. Leaning away cautiously,  I told him who I was going to see and after speaking into the handsfree earpiece clipped to his ear, he motioned for his colleague to open the gates. How had I not noticed this place before?

Probably because I had been too nervous to pay any attention the first time. We got to Kelsie's mansion in no time. As I expected, the large gates swung open on their own. I cautiously walked into the immense compound. I was almost at the main house when I heard deep, loud barks. I froze in shock as a large black rottweiler and an equally large black pit bull charged towards me.

My first instinct was to run but I knew I wouldn't make it far. Not in these shoes. So, although I was trembling, I stood still and stayed calm as they barked at me and jumped around me. The rottweiler finally decided to sniff me and sensing no danger, nudged my leg with his wet snout.

The pit bull followed suit and sniffed me. "Good boy," I said shakily as I patted the rottweiler with a trembling hand. It licked my hand and panted with a doggy smile. Satisfied they weren't going to tear me to shreds, I staggered to the door and knocked. My legs were still shaking when a middle aged woman in a maid uniform opened the door.

The dogs followed me inside. They seemed to like me now. "Pogo, Cha cha!" Kelsie pointed to the front door as she walked towards me. The dogs scampered out through the open door and the maid shut it gently.

"I'm so sorry Kim. Are you okay?" She looked me over with a frown of concern. "They like to play rough and they bite sometimes. "

I nodded and assured her I was fine. Smiling, she told me to follow her. Today, she was in tattered denim shorts and an oversized crop sweater. Her hair was no longer pink. It was braided into two large corn rows that hung down her back and almost to her knees. The braids swayed gently as she climbed the stairs.