The girls walked through the hallways of the mall and found the Libertine kiosk shuttered. A sign said "Closed for fashion show at Freya."
Nat shrugged. "I guess they've already gotten started."
They made their way toward the boutique and as they approached, the surrounding hustle and bustle grew quickly. There were people seemingly everywhere. Most of them appeared to be fans or otherwise guests of the event, but as they neared the entrance there was a flurry of activity from workers plying their trade. Set builders cranked wrenches on scaffolding and lights flashed on and off as men and women walked around examining each bulb. A DJ tested his playlist in fits and starts, occasionally breaking into a mini scratch session, just to please the doting fans surrounding his booth.
Elle gawked at lanky women strutting about in crisp outfits. Their makeup, too, seemed perfect. She wasn't sure if they were models in the show or locals who were taking advantage of the event as an opportunity to show off a look from their own collection.
She turned to Nat, "Where are we supposed to go?"
Nat craned her head around. "Hmm. Oh, look. It's that weird Naomi woman." Naomi, the woman whom they had met at the Libertine kiosk the day before, was standing up on the runway, brusquely giving orders to various workers.
The girls pushed their way through the throngs to reach the stage. They called out to the alabaster-skinned woman. She turned and nodded, "Ah, I remember you. You are Tristan's amateur girls."
"What are we supposed to do right now? Where should we go?" Nat asked. "We feel like we're in the way of literally everybody here."
"Indeed, you are in my way right now. Go find Tristan. He is in the dressing room." The older woman pointed the way.
The girls moved on and Nat scowled at Elle, "What a horrible woman." Elle just chuckled.
As they pressed through the commotion toward the dressing rooms, they heard familiar names being called, though they were not their own. "Kaia! Ellie!"
Nat barely recalled the alter egos they had chosen the last time they were at the mall, but it was enough to catch Elle's attention. She grabbed Nat's arm, "Hold on, someone's calling our names." She turned around to where the sound was coming from and she saw Marcus and Rafael. "It's the two boys from the food court."
Nat whirled around and smiled brightly, "Hey, you came!"
"Well, yeah," Marcus piped up. "You invited us."
Rafael stared through his mop of hair at Elle. She could sense an awkward inexperience about him. He said, "I can't believe you two are models… uh, well, I mean, I can believe it, because you're so pretty. It's just, um, cool." Elle giggled and tucked some hair behind her ear, demurring at the attention.
Nat hugged her friend close and leaned in toward the boys. "Okay, look, we're so glad you showed up to this, but remember that we're professionals and we have to get ready to go on stage."
"Right!" Marcus nodded coolly, "We just saw you and wanted to say hey."
Nat grinned slyly. "Want me to see if I can get you backstage?"
"That sounds awesome," Marcus answered.
"Yeah, cool," Rafael added.
"Alright, we'll see what we can do."
The girls parted from the boys and headed for the dressing rooms. They pushed open a door and were met by a large bouncer on the other side.
"Staff and talent only," the man said flatly.
"We're staff," said Nat.
"Names?"
"Kaia and Ellie." Elle interjected.
The bouncer scanned the list, "Alright, you're on the list. And you're not staff, you're talent."
"That's what I said," Nat commented to Elle.
"I need ID."
The girls exchanged a panicked look. Nat patted the too-small pockets of her shorts, and Elle mimicked her friend, though there were no pockets on her skirt. Nat looked up at the tall man and spoke meekly, "Uh, we don't have IDs?"
"Sorry, can't let you in without ID."
At that moment, Tristan rounded the corner and spotted the two girls. He chimed in, "Fantastic, you're here!"
"You know these girls?" the bouncer asked.
He waved his hands wildly, "Yes, yes, let them through. They're talent."
Nat attempted to push past, but was met with the bouncer's meaty hand on her shoulder. "Hold up, you girls are both at least 18?"
Again the girls looked at one another, then nodded furtively.
"Could've fooled me. All these white girl models with no tits. I'm getting so old, I can't even tell. You all look like kids to me."
Elle almost piped up about her pet peeve about being called a kid, but Nat forestalled the effort with an elbow jab to the side.
"But given that's the case," the man continued, "you won't need a parent or guardian to cosign these releases." He handed them each a clipboard with a consent form to use their likeness in marketing materials for the Libertine and Freya brands.
Nat gave the contract a cursory glance and scribbled her signature at the bottom. She then danced around impatiently as Elle read through the entire document thoroughly. She furrowed her brow, then looked up at Nat. "We gotta be careful. It says they can charge us the full price of the clothes if we damage them."
"Well, we're not gonna be mud wrestling in them," Nat replied, before looking at Tristan. "Right?"
Tristan chuckled, "Of course not. You'll be wearing your own clothes for the makeup demo, and we may have you walk the runway a time or two."
Elle chewed on the pen cap as she finished reading, then signed.
Tristan clapped his hands, "Okay, great. I'll get these off to legal. Can you be ready to go in thirty minutes?"
"Yeah, I mean, I guess we're ready now," Nat replied.
"Great," Tristan said enthusiastically then rolled his eyes, "you're better than some of the pros we have tonight. Never lose that drive. You two can wait in your assigned room. Look for your names on the door and someone'll come get you when we're ready to roll."
The girls wandered throughout the backstage area, but they could barely concentrate on their assigned mission. Their heads spun wildly with wonder as they attempted to take in all the sights around them. Scantily-clad models passed by nonchalantly, not even registering the girls' presence. Some were followed by handlers with water bottles, towels, and brushes. Coordinators guarded racks of clothing, compulsively sorting and resorting them according to their whims. Tailors chewed on pins and clipped together folds of fabric for last-minute alterations. Makeup artists sat in bright, mobile, light booths arranging their cases for easy access to the latest products in need of pushing.
"This is incredible," Elle mused. "I can't believe we actually got back here."
From a distance she heard Nat shout, "Here's our room!"
They entered and closed the door behind them, muting the roar of activity.
"What a rush!" Nat exclaimed.
"Did you see those models?" Elle wondered.
"Uh huh, they were so beautiful. So professional." Both girls exhaled, seemingly for the first time since they arrived backstage. Some part of them wanted to rush back out into the fray and absorb everything they could, but another more anxious feeling came over them, and they decided to stay put, where they knew they wouldn't be in the way or, worse yet, called out for being the imposters that they believed they were.
Nat spun and posed in the large, brightly lit vanity mirror, which overlooked two sinks ringed with cleansing products. Meanwhile Elle poked around the room, fidgeting nervously. She discovered a curtained-off closet near the door. Inside it were two plain-looking, tan smocks and a few bare hangers. She wondered idly if she should take some of her medicine now, or wait until after they went on stage. Instinctively, she rifled through her purse, and touched the medicine bottle her mother had filled for her. Instead of taking it, however, she chose a tube of lip gloss. She turned to her reflection and unscrewed the cap, wondering aloud, "You think we'll be able to see Isla from on stage?"
"I doubt it," Nat answered as the two primped in the mirror. "The lights are always too bright to see much of anything when you're on stage." She turned to her friend, eyes wide with excitement and mischief. "More important question: how do we get the boys back here?"
Elle giggled nervously, but didn't have an answer. She pressed her lips together and puckered up at herself in the mirror and Nat swiped the lip gloss from her with a grin. "Here, watch this." She, too, smeared the wand over her lips and then leaned in to her reflection, puckering her lips and planting a kiss right on the glass. She peeled back, leaving a glossy, lip-shaped smear behind.
Elle was tickled. Then Nat leaned over to her with a giggle, threatening to bear hug her and leave a kiss mark behind on her, too. Elle squealed and pushed her friend away. The two laughed aloud.
Just as they broke from their embrace, the door swung open and the commotion of the event came roaring into their dressing room. A large woman in a white dress shirt and black pants came in toting a clipboard. "Kaia and, uh, Ellie..., I guess?"
"That's us," Nat said with a smirk.
"Show's starting in five minutes. Y'all are up first, so be ready."
Elle piped up, "We are ready."
The woman furrowed her brow at them, then peered into the closet. "Y'all are doing the makeup demo, right?"
"I think so?" Elle replied, clearly unsure of herself.