âRound Midnight
âStarting in fifteen minutes, miss. Donât be late on stage.â
Vee thanked the employee with a soft smile, although stress was starting to clench her guts into a ball. It wasnât the first time sheâd perform on stage, oh no, but something about this place just seemed so out of touchâŠ
She found the gig by pure luck. The payment was a good catch, but it seemed like people were avoiding this jazz club out of some fear. ⊠Judging by the clientele, they looked like a rough bunch â people of many backgrounds and some with scars to match.
This club well-hidden in Harlem appeared frozen in time, its decor an hommage to the golden age of jazz noir and mid to late 1900âs. A window to an era of mystery and drama shroudded in crimeâŠ
Vee turned back to her reflection, the mirror and lights around it giving her a good view of what was left to do to her looks. Her dark teal colored hair were assembled in a bun, allowing her to cool down once on stage. Her green eyes were safely hidden behind square black framed glasses, contrasting with the pale color of her skin. A simple dark purple dress was hugging her hourglass form, leaving the upper part strapless and exposing her collar bone area and arms to the world. She bore several tattoos on her arms and one to the left side of her chest, a testament to various chapters of her life.
A sigh left her lips. God, sheâd give her soul for a good glass of red wine right about now â to boost her courage a notch.
âItâs just a night like all the others,â she told herself, hoping a pep talk would help. âI go on stage, sing my lilâ songs, close my eyes if I need⊠Fuck.â
Why couldnât she shake the feeling away? Didnât she like a good challenge once in a while? An adventure into the unknown!⊠Something was in the air, a silent call that was tugging at her soul and pleading her to go up there. A tingling feeling that was now starting to boil her blood and brought her hands to slightly shake â which was always a sign of stress.
She obliged herself up from her chair, trying to motivate herself as she brought a renewed smile to her lips.
It was time.
A band was already playing on stage, their tunes soft and never too extravageant, creating a nice mood for casual conversations. Vee remained at the backstage area, patiently waiting for their song to end.
And once it was her turn, the first thing she saw in the crowd after reaching the microphone was a pair of golden eyes, meeting her gaze.
In this singular moment, her world stopped and all her stress seemed like a distant memoryâŠ
@moonlightflower21
Leo entered the building once more, a concerned frown on his face whilst he searched for the genius. He found Donatello standing there, on his phone and he came towards him almost in a rush.
âMe and you have to go. Nowâ âWhat?? Why? Whatâs the emergency?â Donnieâs brows were furrowed, in anger and impatience. It just had to be now, of all moments. Couldnât Raph and Mikey take care of this?? He deserved a night off, he deserved a break. He was so tired of this, just once he wanted to actually talk to someone and have some company. Just once go on a walk and gaze upon the stars, without a worry in the world. Just spill everything that had haunted his past and now to his present self.
And yet, he couldnât.
âI-â Leo began but was cut off when the woman reappeared once more. He looked at Donnie and took a deep breath in, patting his brother on the shoulder. âIâm really sorryâŠâ His eyes spoke and Donnie nodded slowly, looking down on the ground. â5 minutesâ The leader answered his phone, turning around to go into the car.
âAre you leaving?â Came her soft voice, flooding his ears and Donatello let out a soft sigh, his mind racing with thoughts on what to do. He didnât want to leave just yet, he wanted to know her a little more. He wanted to experience all the other things these normal people felt and she was one of the first people to actually greet him. She hadnât the faintest clue on what he truly did but maybe it was better that way. Why should she have to risk her life for a monster like him? She deserved better than what he could have ever provided. He was stupid to think he had a shot at this
ââŠ.Goodnightâ He looked at her, a warm emotion of something flickered through his honeyed irises before masking it all with a stoic expression. He couldnât let his guard down over someone whom he barely even met. He turned around and he felt an ache in his chest. It felt like he was leaving his happiness here, but had he expected anything less?
This world found an ounce of happiness and obliterated it within seconds.
@veethevoice
âGood-,â she started to answer back, but the terrapin was already out the door. â-night...â
A shiver went along her spine, even though the club was warmed by everyone elseâs presence. She watched him by the windows get inside a car and the vehicule simply running off into New Yorkâs streets.
...
That was all?













