It was getting dark, and Lela noticted that more and more people were loitering outside. It was her first winter working at the diner on Gall Street, which was nine blocks from her home. She hated walking through the slums at night, and even though it was only six o'clock, Shin-Ra had already dimmed the florecent ceiling lights that were supposed to replace the sun.

"If Shin-Ra can put lights down here, why don't they put heat?" she asked herself. She shivered.

A group of rough looking boys were on the porch of a house as Lela continued on her way home. They immediatly took notice of her.

"Meow!" one called to her.

Lela made the mistake of stopping to look. The boys got more excited.

"Hey Baby, what you doing out here all by yourself?"

"Yeah, don't you know its dangerous for young girls to be walking alone at night?"

"I'll keep you safe, honeybee."

"Can I get those digits?"

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty...."

Lela ignored them and quicked her pace. She turned a corner and ran smack into a drug addict.

"Watch were you're going, bitch!" the man shouted at her. Spittle flew into her face. He nearly fell on his frail behind but that didn't stop him from screaming at her.

Lela jumped back a step in fright. The fiend was staring at her with bloodshot eyes. A long scar ran along his cheek and his hair was dusty and matted. She sidestepped him and crossed the street.

He was calling obscenities out after her but Lela ignored him and continued on her way.

When she arrived home, her mother greeted her and informed her that she had a phone call from a girlfriend. Lela thanked her and went into her room.

She picked up her phone and called Venicia, the girlfriend that had left a message for her.

"Ha-llo?" she answered on the first ring.

"Hi, Venicia," Lela said. "You called me?"

"Girl!" Venicia exclaimed excitedly. "You're off from work now?"

"Yeah, I worked the morning shift, for a change," Lela told her.

"Oh, well, listen," Venicia began. "There's a party tonight at Blue Light in sector eight," she told her. "We have to go! It's gonna be slammin'!"

"Blue Light?" Lela repeated. "Don't they have a shooting damn near every party they have?"

"Psshk," Venicia waved her off. "Nobody's gonna shoot at a group of hot chicks, Le."

Lela shrugged. "Who else is goin?"

"Monica and Nita," Venicia answered. "Can you get ready and be at my house in a hour? We'll take the train to sector eight from here."

Lela looked at the wall clock. "Sure," she answered.

"Great," Venicia said. "See you then." She hung up.

Lela replaced the phone on the hook and sighed. She was terribly tired after a long day at work, but she hadn't gone out with her friends in a while. Stretching, she headed for the shower.

She arrived at Venicia's house in time to see all three of her friends waiting outside for her, shivering in the wind. Venicia was darkskinned with rows of braids going back across her head in zig zagged designs and plaits. The long braids reached her mid arm and ended loose with curls. Venicia was a petite girl with a big voice. She wore a black sweater and short denim skirt with black tights and black boots. Her faux leather jacket was zipped to the collar.

Monica was blonde with bright blue eyes. Her hair was long and highlighted many times over. She wore heavy black eyeliner shocking pink lip gloss. She had on a skin tight pink dress with black fishnet tights and silver patent leather pumps. Lela cringed. Monica would wear anything.

Nita was thicker than the rest of her friends, with a large bosom, heavy thighs and hips, and a small but noticable pot belly that couldn't quite be hidden by her beige v-neck top. She had tan skin and long curly black hair with half of it tied up in a bun. She wore dark lipstick and had on indigo jeans with beige ankle boots to match her top. She wore a gold colored baseball jacket that was buttoned all the way up, her scarf peeking out around the collar.

"Thank goodness you're here, Le," Venicia practically shouted. "We were freezing our asses off!"

Lela smiled and looked at Monica, the only one not wearing a coat. "Aren't you cold?"

"Na, hon," Monica answered. "Well, maybe a little, but I hate to leave my coat in a coat check. They always some how wind up missing."

"Nobody better not steal my Midgar Masher's jacket," Nita proclaimed, revealing a deep and raspy voice. "My boyfriend payed good money for it."

"He probably stole it from a coat check," Venicia joked. Nita scowled at her.

Lela jumped up and down from the cold. "Let's get there already, before we're frozen in place!"

The girls agreed and began to walk, laughing as they made their way to the train station around the corner from Venicia's house.

They arrived at the party an hour after it had started, so they afforded the luxury of not having to wait in line. They walked inside, and immediately the stale odor of cigarette smoke and pungent smell of liquor greeted Lela's nostrils. She wrinkled her nose and coughed.

They walked further inside and after checking their coats, stopped near a lounge area. The club was crowded with all sorts of characters - white and black, young teenagers to some patrons who were at least in their thirties. Certain groups of people stuck together in packs - such as the Viper gang, which Lela noticed standing to the rear of the club, signified by their torn red and black jackets. Other shady looking patrons were scattered about, and Lela noticed in a dark corner what seemed, by the suspicious behavior of those involved, what was an obvious drug sale.

To their left, people were crowded on the dance floor rubbing against each other to the beat of the current pop song that the DJ was playing. The DJ himself was dancing wildly with his music as he worked his turntables, his hair throwing beads of sweat into the air as he threw his head back and forth. On the other side of the club, opposite the dance floor and lounge are where they now stood, the bar lined the wall with nearly every seat filled as men and women alike ordered drink after drink. There was shouting, cursing, and laughter coming from nearly every direction.

Venicia wiggled her hips. "I don't know about you chicks, but I'm going to dance!" She winked at them and headed for the dance floor.

"Don't you want to get a drink first?" Nita called after her.

Venicia waved her hand. "I don't care to drink," she shouted back, and soon disappeared amoung the bodies on the dance floor.

Monica shrugged. "That's fine for her, but I need a drink." She looked down the bar and spotted a group of guys laughing and smoking down by the end of it. "There's a couple of cuties over there."

Nita nodded knowingly. "Let's see how much money their willing to spend on us tonight." They headed in that direction.

Monica turned to Lela, who was still rooted in place, and flipped her long blonde hair behind her. "Come on, Le. What you waiting for?"

Lela looked down to the end of the bar at the young men that her two friends were headed towards. They looked like a rowdy and rough bunch, all of them wearing black leather jackets atop black hooded sweatshirts, and black skully caps. One of them was darkskinned with a huge chain of a rifle around his neck. Another with pale blue eyes and bright orange hair that stuck out from beneath his cap had a long, deep scar running along the right side of his face. He caught her eye and began leering.

"No, I think I'll walk around and mingle for a few first," she said. Both her friends frowned.

"Fine by me," Monica said, turning on her heel. "Join us whenever you're ready."

Lela watched as Nita followed Monica toward the end of the bar. She could seem them chatting with the group of guys, and they immediatly welcomed the two. Her eyes flew open wide as she saw Monica leaning close against the darkskinned one, pressing her chest against his shoulder and batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. He called for the bartender at once.

Lela shook her head. Her feet were starting to ache in her pumps and she realized how tired they were from standing all day at work. She found an empty seat at the bar some ways down and sat. She would have one drink and perhaps it would loosen her up enough that she could be more provocative. She tried making eye contact with the bartender to get his attention, but he was busy tending to other higher paying patrons.

"What is a beautiful young woman like yourself doing sitting here all alone?"

Lela whirled around and came face to face with a good looking man who was sitting on the stool beside her. His strong cologne quickly replaced the stale smell of the bar in her nose.

"Oh.." she said shyly.

He smiled at her. He appeared to be tall, and he was dressed much more nicely than most of the other men in the club, wearing a tan sweater with a black dress shirt underneath, and black slacks. He seemed to be one of the older men in the club, probably in his thirties, Lela guessed. He had dark, soft, wavy hair that was pulled back into a smooth ponytail. Warm brown eyes carried the smile in his face.

He held out his hand. "My name is Nicolai," he said. "But you can call me Nick."

"Lela," she responded, taking his hand and shaking it.

"It's a pleasure," Nicolai said warmly, shaking the contents in the shot glass he held. "Now if you don't mind answering my question."

"What's that?"

"What is a beautiful young woman doing here all by herself?"

Lela giggled and stared into his entracing dark eyes. "Oh, I'm here with my friends," she told him. "We broke off to mingle."

Nicolai nodded. "That's nice. You were planning to order a drink?"

"Yes, I was trying to get the bartender's attention."

"May I have the honors?"

Lela thought for a moment and then nodded. "Sure," she told him.

Nicolai held up his hand and snapped his fingers. The bartender noticed him and came over at once.

"Wow," Lela said. "You must be a regular. I couldn't even get him to look at me."

"I come here often," Nicolai said as the bartender approached. "They know I give them good business."

"What can I do for you, sir?" the bartender asked.

"Let me have another shot of Jack for myself, and a Lime Light for the lady."

The bartender nodded. "Right away, sir."

Lela swallowed. She hadn't intended on ordering such a strong or expensive drink.

"Have you ever had a Lime Light before?" Nicolai asked as the bartender went to prepare the drinks.

"No," Lela admitted. "But I've heard about it. I hear its strong and costly."

Nicolai waved a hand in the air. "It is strong, but delicious. A blend of vodka, melon liquer and grapefruit. A lovely drink for a lovely woman."

Lela felt a shiver go down her spine whenever Nicolai's deep voice said "woman".

The bartender returned with their drinks.

"Here you are, sir and ma'am," he said, setting the drinks down in front of them. Nicolai nodded and set a fifty gil piece down on the counter.

The bartender brightened at the huge tip he was given in addition to the cost of the drinks, thanked Nicolai, and went back to work beaming.

Nicolai downed his shot, then looked at Lela with a smile. "So tell me about yourself, Lela. How old are you?"

"Twenty-one," Lela answered, although she wouldn't be turning twenty-one for another three months. "Yourself?"

Nicolai chuckled. "I'll be thirty-four soon," he told her. "Too old for ya?"

She shook her head, sipping her drink through the tiny straw.

Nicolai leaned back against the counter. "So, are you involved with anyone? I'm sure you must be."

Lela shook her head. "Oh, no," she told him. "Not at all. Yourself?"

"No, me either," he answered smiling. He held his left hand out in front of her. "No rings on these fingers."

She laughed.

"So what do you do? Are you in college, do you work?"

Lela rolled her eyes at the thought of being in college. "No, I can't afford to go to college, but I do work at a diner in sector three."

Nicolai nodded. "Yes. I'm sure that's not your goal in life, to be a waitress, is it?"

Lela blushed. "No, well, it's not," she admitted. "Actually, I would like to become a singer."

His eyes went wide. "You sing?"

"Oh, yes," she replied. "I love to sing."

Nicolai raised an eyebrow. "Are you any good?

The alcohol was getting to her now, and she slapped his arm playfully. "Sure I am!"

"Well, isn't that something," he told her. "I just happen to work for Shin-Ra Records."

Her mouth dropped open. "No," she said.

"Oh yes, I do," he told her, grinning." "A&R person."

She blinked.

"I'd like to hear you sing," he said sincerely. "You've certainly got the look. There might be a future for you."

"Really?" Lela said excitedly.

"Would like to come to my place tonight and belt out a few bars?"

Lela thought of her friends and frowned. "I can't tonight."

Nicolai finished the rest of his shot. "Maybe some other time," he said.

"Sure," Lela agreed. She took a large sip from her drink. "You work for Shin-Ra's record company. You must make a great deal of money. What are you doing down here in the slums?"

Nicolai shrugged. "I was born and raised in the slums," he answered. "It took me a lot of hard work to get to where I am now, and I just don't mingle well with most of the crowd from the upper plate, people who've probably never lifted a finger to get their money. Besides, they don't really have joints like the Blue Light Lounge on the upper plates."

Lela was laughing when she heard Venicia scream for her. She turned and saw her friends waving by the entrance.

"Oh, it looks like my friends are leaving already," she told Nicolai apologetically. "I've got to get going."

"Tell you what," Nicolai began, reaching into his pocket. "Let's exchange phone numbers. That way we can get to know each other better and I can help you get your career started." He began to scribble his number down on a napkin.

Lela nodded and did the same.

"I'll call you as soon as I can," he told her. "If you don't hear from me in a week, it means I'm probably really busy. You can call me then."

Lela nodded excitedly. "Thank you!"

He smiled and took her hand, kissing it softly. "I look foward to seeing you again, Lela," he told her.

"I do to," she returned. She then waved and scampered off to her friends.

"Why are we leaving so soon?" she asked them.

Venicia ignored her question. "Who was that hunk you were talking to?" she asked.

Lela looked across the club to where Nicolai sat, still looking at her and smiling. "His name is Nicolai," she told them. "He works for Shin-Ra Records, and he says he can help me start my career if I'm good."

"Wow," Nita said, looking at him. "He looks kinda old, though."

"He's only thirty-four," Lela answered, beaming.

"My, aren't you giddy?" Monica said. "Have you been drinking?"

Lela nodded. "Yes, he bought me a Lime Light."

The girls began making "oooo"ing sounds.

"Let's go," Monica said, trying to push them out the door.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" Lela asked as they walked outside into the cold night air.

"Monica got herself in a little trouble with that guy she was talking to," Nita said, laughing.

Monica nodded. "I guess I was flirting too hard. He tried to drag me off to the bathroom. He was raging drunk and wouldn't stop trying to pull my dress up, right in the middle off the hallway. I kneed him in the nuts and he passed out on the way down. He'll wake up soon and be looking for me."

"You're terrible," Lela said.

All four girls laughed as they made their way to the train station.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is this Lela?"

"Yes..." her heard fluttered at the sound of the deep voice.

"This is Nick."

"Hi, Nick," she breathed. "I was waiting for your call."

Nicolai chuckled. "I apologize. I've been very busy, with work and all."

"I understand."

"Listen, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner with me," he asked her. "It will be my treat. I'm also very anxious to hear you sing."

Lela sat up on her bed. "Oh, sure... I'd love to!"

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Great. Can I pick you up at eight? Will that be enough time?"

Lela glanced at her watch and nodded to herself. "Yeah, that's fine."

"Alright, darling. I'll be there promptly at eight."

Lela felt warm as he hung up the phone.

She placed her phone back on the receiver and immediately hopped up, making a mad dash for her closest. She tore through outfits until she decided on an above the knee length black leather skirt and a matching leather corset style top. She pulled out her black leather stiletto ankle boots and put them to the side, racing for the shower.

Lela ran out the door, stopping just long enough to say goodnight to her mother, upon hearing the car horn on the street outside. Her younger brother had already gone to bed, so she quickly left the house after that.

Nicolai was waiting outside in a gold colored Shin-Ra Tigress model, one of their 4X4 models. Lela couldn't conceal her excitement as she approached the vehicle. Nicolai hopped out of the driver side and helped her enter.

Lela smiled at his chivalry as he closed the door. She watched as he walked back around to the driver side, wearing a crisp navy blue dress suit and perfectly ironed khaki pants. He left a trail of spicey cologne behind.

She inhaled the scent again as he reentered the jeep and shut the door. He put the vehicle in drive and headed for the busy freeway that led back to the upper plate.

"You look gorgeous tonight, Lela," Nicolai said as they rode. His eyes roamed her body.

She blushed. "Oh thank you," she told him. "You look very handsome yourself."

Nicoali chortled. "This outfit, you like it?"

"Yes, its very nice," she told him.

He nodded and smiled. "Good, I was hoping you would like it."

For the rest of the ride he told her little things about the music industry and his job, and what life would be like for her if she indeed became a performer. She was glad he did most of the talking, especially when they began to ascend up the nerve wracking freeway to the plate, where the road became a constantly winding pattern that consisted of twenty four bends that went at a twelve percent upgrade as it neared the upper plate. She had only been on this highway twice before in her life, and watching how the cars seemed to tip back and accelerate upwards at an incredibly steep level always made her nervous.

Before they knew it, they exited the freeway and were riding through the upper plate of sector three. Nicolai mentioned a Southern Continent style resturant that was a favorite of his, and they agreed to go there. Lela had never dined on the upper plate before, so any place would have made her happy.

They arrived at the restaurant and were quickly seated, Lela noticed, ahead of some guests that had already been waiting. Nicolai must be a real well known guy, she thought.

Nicolai pointed out to Lela some of his recommandations from the menu and Lela decided upon having a hot chicken platter with rice and steamed vegetables. Nicolai had a spicy fish meal.

"When we leave, I will take you to the park nearby," Nicolai said. "Its very beautiful, with rose shrubbery and a tall fountain in the center. There, you can sing for me."

Lela nodded nervously.

Their food arrived a short time later and the two ate, engaging in small talk at they indulged in the delicious food from Mideel and the surrounding areas.

"Do you live alone?" Nicolai asked.

"No, no," Lela laughed. "I live with my mother and my younger brother. I have another younger brother who's enlisted in SOLDIER right now."

"God bless him," Nicolai said. "I lost a friend from high school in SOLDIER during the War."

Lela nodded apologetically.

"How about your father?" he asked her.

Lela looked down sorrowfully. "My father ran out on us when my brothe was born," she told him. "He was doing a lot of things he shouldn't have been. Always getting in trouble with the law."

"I'm sorry," Nicolai said.

"Its alright," Lela said, although by the look on her face, it cleary was not.

Nicolai cleared his throat. "Enough bad thoughts," he said, giving her a smile. "You seem to already be full from your dinner. Shall I get the check and a doggie bag?"

Lela looked at his nearly clean plate and laughed. "Sure," she said.

After Nicolai paid the bill, he left his car in the resturaunt's parking lot and led Lela down the street to the nearby park. They walked inside the gates and sat on some benches across from the beautiful marble fountain.

Lela crossed her legs as she sat, pulling her coat tigher around her. Nicolai noticed this and wrapped an arm around her.

"Cold?"

She nodded.

"It is nippy," he agreed.

Lela looked at the fountain with eyes glazed over. "They don't have things like this anywhere in the slums," she told him in a quiet voice.

Nicolai shook his head as he gingerly took her hand in his. "Shin-Ra ought to be ashamed." He laughed. "Well, its not wise for me to talk about my employer out in the open, so why don't we just get to your singing?"

Lela's face immediately flamed.

"What should I sing?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Nicolai replied, looking into her eyes intently. "Sing one of your favorite songs."

Lela nodded and thought for a moment. "I'll sing "Look Back" by Celia Daran."

"Great choice," Nicolai said. "I worked with her at one time."

Lela's eyebrow went up.

Nicolai nodded and laughed. "Just go ahead and sing," he told her.

Lela sat up and stared straight ahead. It took a few moments for her to find her voice, but finally she belted out the words in perfect key:

Look back

Don't walk out that door

I'm lost

How can this be that you won't stay

Look back

And love me again

Don't leave

The good times don't have to go away

I have always been there

You've given me breath to new life

If you leave

The canyon hill will hear me cry

For I'm lost

So lost

Without you here by my side

Look back!

Before you leave

Look back

At me dying inside

I can't live without you and the pain will go on

and the pain will go on

and the pain will go oooonnn!

Look back...

Lela ended the song strongly, holding the last note for several seconds before dropping it low and finally stopping. She hadn't realized that she'd closed her eyes and held her arms out to the side until she finished singing.

She opened them to see Nicolai gawking at her.

"That was... it was..."

She waited, smiling slightly.

Nicolai rose and turned to her. "You're amazing!" he proclaimed. "Your voice is truly a gift to the world of music! You're better than Celia! You make her look like a fool singing her own song!"

Lela looked in his brown eyes for overexaggeration. "You mean that?"

He breathed the cold night air deeply as if he had begun a new life. "Yes! You will be a star! We will be rich!"

Lela couldn't believe her ears, or her eyes. A record exec from Shin-Ra thought she would be a star? He thought she was good? And he was incredibly handsome and interested in her?

"Pinch me," she said.

"I needn't," he said, coming to grab her shoulders and bring his face close to hers. This isn't a dream. You are the next big thing. How can such a little thing like you have such a massive and beautiful voice!"

Lela shrugged, beaming.

Nicolai looked to the sky as if he could see the future approaching. "You will make people cry when they hear your love songs, men and women alike! I know I thought you had the look to be a star, but I couldn't have expected you had the talent also!"

Lela didn't know what to say, she merely smiled widely. Finally Nicolai landed a deep kiss on her lips.

Lela caught her breath, stunned, as Nicolai broke the kiss. She blinked as he pulled her to her feet and looked into her eyes.

"I'm taking you home so you can pack."

"What?"

"You have to pack up and leave with me tommorrow. We have to start on your album immediately!"

Everything was happening so fast. "Leave where?" she asked.

"You can stay with me. We'll work on songs and we'll go to the recording studio everyday to work on the album. Darling, your life is about to change."

Lela felt like she was on air the entire ride home, as Nicolai rambled on about what a success she would become.

She didn't know how much her life was about to change.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked. "Is he that great of a guy?"

Lela sighed dreamily. "Even more than that," she breathed. "He's a record exec at Shin-Ra records. I sang for him and he said I have more talent than anybody in the industry. He's going to make me a star!"

Her mother's face immediately turned sour. "A record exec, huh?" she repeated. "What is he doing picking up girls in the slums?"

Lela's smile crumpled. "Ma," she started. "Why would you say such a thing?"

"Men like that don't hang around in the slums unless they're up to no good, Le," her mother told her, rising from the small kitchen table where she'd been sitting reading the paper. "You had better be careful, I wouldn't trust him."

"No, you don't understand, Ma," Lela said, a bit defensively. "He was only hanging in the slums because he was from here," she explained. "And he met me, and - "

"Was from here!?" her mother interrupted her. "I've never met or heard of a man in my life who made it out of the slums and became rich unless they won the lottery or went into the military."

"No, neither," she said. "He worked very hard to get out of the slums. Just like I will!"

"Worked very hard," her mother repeated, unconvinced. "How so?"

Lela shrugged. "I'm sure he went to school, or something..."

Her mother shook her head. "Universities are outrageously expensive, no slum family can afford to send their child to one. You know this."

Lela looked down, but suddenly became indignant. "Listen, Ma, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that he works for Shin-Ra records and he says I have great talent. He wants me to move to the upper plate tommorrow so we can begin my album!"

"WHAT?"

"I have to move in with him so we can go to the studio and work on my album," Lela rephrased.

Her mother shook her head adamantly. "Absolutely not," she said. "You cannot move in with that man or anywhere near him. You just met him, Lela!"

"Yeah Ma, but its not gonna be like that," she told her. "He's going to help me with my music!"

"I forbid it!" her mother shouted.

Lela looked at her mother with a determined face. "You can't stop me, Ma." she said. She turned and ran up the stairs without another word.

Her mother watched as Lela stomped up the stairs and disappeared. She buried her face in her hands.

"You're right, I can't...."

Just as she emerged from the shower the telephone rang. She caught it on the first ring. It was Nicolai.

"Hi Nick!" she greeted him cheerfully.

"Good morning, songbird," he said. "Are we all set?"

"Yes," she told him. "I'm almost ready."

"Good," he said. "I'm on the freeway. I should be there in about fifteen minutes, if the traffic stays light."

"Great."

He blew her a kiss and hung up.

Lela dressed quickly and grabbed four bags of clothes that she had packed the night before.

She jogged down the stairs, intent on making the quickest possible exit and avoiding her mother. She would wait outside until Nicolai arrived.

Her mother was in the kitchen, just coming in from walking her younger brother to the school bus stop. She looked at Lela and her eyes dropped to the duffle bags she was carrying.

"What are you getting ready to do?"

Lela rolled her eyes. "Ma, I already told you what I'm doing," she said. "I'm starting my career. I have to do this for me."

Her mother shook her head. "You're making a terrible mistake, Lela!"

"How?"

"You don't know this man! He's probably a snake! Its a scam, Lela! You know how Shin-Ra is! Their all snakes! They don't care about us!"

"He cares about me," Lela refutted stubbornly. "And even if its only because I can sing, I don't care. I just need a ticket out of here, a ticket to the top. I can do this!"

"This isn't the right way, Lela!" Her mother argued. "Keep working and save your money. Maybe in a year or two we can send you to the community college in Kalm. You can study music there-"

"A year or two?" Lela spat back at her. "A community college? Never. It will take longer than that to save money to send me to school and you know it. Besides, a community college will not get me into the business. I need to be discovered by someone in the industry. AND I ALREADY HAVE!

The shouting brought Lela's mother to angry tears. "Fine, Lela, be a fool. But do not come running to me when you are left on the street on your ass."

Lela rolled her eyes and started for the door. "Yeah, Ma," she said. "And don't say nothing when I get my career started and I come to take you out of the slums."

Her mother watched as the door slammed behind her.

Lela stood outside fuming from the arguement she'd had with her mother. Her mother just didn't believe in her - she didn't think she would be a success. But Lela knew she would. She always knew she would, and her time had finally come. And even if things didn't work out between her and Nicolai, she wouldn't be too heartbroken. Sure he was a sweet and goodlooking guy, but what she really needed was to start her career in music. Then maybe if Nicolai left her, she would be able to find anyone she wanted. Including that cute red haired Turk named Reno...

She cooled down a bit when she saw Nicolai's Tigress pull up on the side of her street. She lugged her bags over to the car and he hopped out to help her load them into the backseat.

He looked at her and smiled. "You ready for the first day of your new life as a star?"

She nodded eagerly.

He pulled off toward the freeway.

Nicolai had insisted on taking Lela shopping to by clothes that a star would wear. She was surprised to see that he picked out the skimpiest outfits she could imagine. She was also disappointed that they had spent the entire day doing everything but working on music.

It was around six o'clock in the evening when he finally took her to his penthouse so she could rest her wares. He helped her haul all of her clothes, new and old, up to his penthouse.

He kissed her cheek after she'd plopped tiredly on his couch. "I'm going to get in the shower, then you can have it," he told her. "I'm taking you someplace to meet some people in the business. You can sing for them, and I'm sure you'll have a contract signed by the end of the night."

After Lela stepped out the shower, Nicolai knocked on the bathroom door. She wrapped a towel around herself and opened it.

He held a black glittered miniskirt and matching bikini top that he'd picked out earlier in front of her. "I want you to wear this tonight," he said, smiling.

Lela frowned at the skimpy pieces of material he held in his hands. "Why that?" she asked. "Its too revealing."

He shook his head. "No, it's perfect! They'll see your beautiful face and body and they'll be intrigued. They'll hear your voice and they'll have heart attacks.

Lela gave him a weak smile, and althought she dreaded wearing what was practically a bathing suit in public, took the outfit and dressed in it.

It was around eight in the evening when Nicolai finally decided it was time for them to leave. He took Lela's hand and they walked out to the Tigress.

"Don't be nervous," he told her as they drove off. "Just put Celia Darran to shame like you did last night and you'll be fine."

Lela smiled, thought she was terribly uncomfortable in her attire.

He took her hand and together they walked inside the building. It was dark inside, and there was the smell of incense burning. They entered a lobby of sort with leather couches arranged in various areas of the room. Distinguished looking men in suits sat drinking liquor. Lela noticed only a few women scattered about.

Nicolai continued to walk further and past this room, dragging Lela with him. Men howled as she walked past. She ignored them.

They entered next a room that was smokey and where music was playing. There were men seated on couches here too, only there were women in skimpy outfits dancing in their laps and lowering their tops in front of them.

Skimpy outfits much like her own.

"Whats going on?" she attempted to ask Nicolai, but he shushed her and approached a group of men in a corner.

"Nick! You're here!" A fat man with a bald spot pronounced. "Where is the beauty?"

Nick pointed a finger at Lela, smiling.

Lela figured the other record execs must have wanted to meet at a strip club. She began to approach when she noticed a woman kneeling on the floor in front of one of them men Nicolai was talking to. She nearly fell over her own feet when she realized what the woman was doing.

"Come, darling!" Nicolai called, waving her over.

Shyly Lela approached. The fat man's eyes went wide as he looked her over.

"Amazing!" he nearly shouted, his girth shaking as he spoke. "Where did you find a treasure like her?"

"The slums," Nicolai said with a laugh.

Lela frowned. Why did he say it like that?

A man with a mustache reached around and squeezed Lela on the rear end. "Tender," he said.

Lela slapped his hand away. "Stop!"

All four men laughed, including Nicolai.

The fat man held his shot glass high. "Well gentlemen," he said loudly. "Here's to the newest member of La Chaton!"

The men all laughed and cheered.

Lela turned to Nicolai angry. "What's going on? What is he talking about?"

Nicolai smiled at her but ignored her question.

"Have fun on your first night," he said. "I've other business to attend to right now."

Lela's eyes went wide as it appeared he was going to leave her alone with these lustful men.

The man with the woman between his legs slapped Nicolai on the shoulder. "You always come through for us, Boss," he said.

"Customers will be satisfied with this new catch!" The fat one predicted, rubbing his belly.

Nicolai smiled and walked off as Lela watched in horror.

"Wait!" She cried. "Nicolai! Where are you going?!"

Nicolai blew her a kiss and disappeared out of the doors. She turned to run after him, but the fat man grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going, pudding?" he asked, licking his lips. "The fun hasn't even started."

"The first night is always the best," the man with the mustache said, rubbing his hands.

Lela shook her head frantically. "You don't understand. I'm a singer. Nicolai brought me here to meet his collegues. I don't know why he didn't explain - "

All three men, including the one still recieving oral sex, laughed heartedly.

"You fell for that?" The fat one said. "That's how he got you here?"

"I thought you were from the slums," the one with the mustache commented. "I thought you slum people were at least supposed to be street smart."

The laughed again.

Lela was getting scared. Fell for what? It had been a trap? Where was she?

"What is this place?" she demanded. "What am I doing here if I'm not singing?"

The fat man took her hands and began to walk. She refused to follow, trying to stay rooted in place.

"Let go!" she cried. Others in the room turned to look.

The man with the mustache pushed her roughly in the direction of the fat man. The fat one caught her in his arms as she fell. In the meantime, the third man had pushed the woman away and pulled up his pants, and was opening a door in the corner.

Lela cried out as the fat man attempted dragging her into the next room. The other two followed and the mustached one locked the door behind them. Lela was stunned to see there was a bed in the room.

"What is this place?! What do you think I am?"

The fat man laughed. "This is an upscale, high quality, strip club and escort service," he said. "Only the finest women can be here."

"What does that mean?" she asked, confused.

The fatman rolled his eyes as the others chuckled. "Let me put it this way - this is a Honey Bee Inn for the rich."

Lela's eyes went wide with terror. She looked at the bed.

"Oh no..."

"Oh yes," the fat man said, licking his lips.

"I'm no prostitute, I'm a singer," Lela said. "There's been a mistake. Call Nicolai, he'll tell you."

They all laughed again.

"Nicolai owns this place," the fat man explained. "He finds the most beautiful women and brings them here. The richest of the rich come here to fulfill their fantasies with our goods."

"Yeah," the mustached one chimed in. "You might sleep with a business man, a lawyer, a Turk... even President Shin-Ra himself."

Lela's face nearly turned white. "I'm not sleeping with anyone!" She declared.

"On the contrary," the fat man said. "You're sleeping with me... first."

Lela was terrified.

The other two laughed as the fat man tried to push her onto the bed. She dodged out of his way and ran to the other side of the bed.

He fell face first onto the bed, then had to roll himself back into a standing position, his stomach jiggling as he moved. He looked at Lela.

"Want to play hard to get? Come here!"

He moved as fast as he could around the bed to where Lela was, but she was faster than him and crawled across the bed to get away. The other two men, who were in better shape then their fat companion, decided to jump into the fray.

"We'll stop her for you!" the mustached one said.

"Yeah, then we can all have her," the third added. "One in each hole!"

Lela couldn't beileve what she just heard. She tried to move off the bed but the mustached man got to her and pinned her down. The third man came and ripped her top open in one snatch.

"Mama mia!" the fat man hollared, as they all stared at her exposed breasts.

Lela cried out in alarm, thrashing her arms wildly to cover herself, but the mustached man had her arms pinned down.

All three men were leering down at her. The third one was trying to work her miniskirt off.

She kicked her legs wildly and hit the mustached one where it hurt. He howled in pain and released her.

The third man stared at her in shock and she used that moment of hesitation to punch him as hard as she could in his jaw he fell back in pain.

The fat man shouted out but he couldn't move himself in time to catch Lela. She bolted for the door and quickly unlocked it. She ran out into the next room, tying her top closed again before the men could recover.

She hadn't made it far when she heard the angry shouts of the three disgruntled men behind her. She didn't look back as she tore through the club, running into people and objects alike and knocking them down. She made it into the next room and finally outside where she ran for her life.

The men continued to pursue her. She afforded a look behind her to see that the fat man had run out of energy and lagged off somewhere near the entrance of the club. The other two, however, kept running.

Though she was out of breath, she pushed herself harder and tried to run faster. She would be no one's prostitute, or escort, whatever.

She was outrunning the men because she was in better shape then them. She approached a dark alley and taking a chance, turned down it. She ran all the way to the end where she finally ran into a wall. She sighed and caught her breath, when the two men, who were exhausted from running by now, half ran, half jogged, past the alley without even realizing she was there. She breathed a sigh of relief and sank to floor. She decided she would not move for a while, in case they tried to search for her.

Lela held her head in her hands and brought her knees to her chest as she began to cry. How did this happen? How could she have been so stupid!

Nicolai had deceived her. He led her directly into a trap and left her there for the sharks to devour her. He was no Shin-Ra Records A&R person. He was practically a pimp. Running a brothel for the rich and powerful. How could she be so naive?! Her mother had warned her! Why hadn't she listened to her mother?

Lela sobbed into her arms.

Lela had stayed in the alley for a long time, crying, until she decided it was time to move on. She sighed, realizing she didn't have her purse or wallet - they were at Nicolai's house. She did, however, have a five gil peice stuck in a tiny pocket on her skirt. If she could just walk to the train station with out anything happening, she could take the train home and beg her mother's forgiveness.

A big "I told you so" was coming.

Lela wasn't sure where the train station was but had been walking twenty minutes when there was a horrible crash somewhere in the distance. It was followed by the loud wail of crying metal, and was accompied by the ground and world aroung her shaking.

The sound was loud but faint at the same time, and was a strange and horrifing sound. It sounded like something had exploded, but that wail that followed it was even more nerve racking. Lela waited for a few minutes for the ground to stop shaking. She decided that rebel group probably bombed another Reactor, althought it couldn't have been sector three's, because the street lights were still on.

She continued walking, still hearing stranges sounds in the distance and the occassional rumble of the earth. She still had no luck finding the train station, and finally stopped inside a bar that was still open to ask for help.

When she entered, all of the patrons of the bar were crowded around either one of the two television sets that were set up in the bar. Whatever was on must have been real interesting, because only a couple of men turned to take notice of Lela and her skimpy clothing.

Lela wanted to ask about the train but decided to first see what was holding everyone's attention on the television. She looked at a set to see a breaking newscast.

I repeat, the support pillar for the plate above Sector Seven has been demolished," the reporter was saying. The sector seven plate has completely come down, crushing the sector. Anyone who was in Sector Seven is undisbutedly buried and dead. Again, the Sector Seven plate has fallen and crushed the slums below.

Lela stared at the televison dumbfounded.

The reporter returned.

"This just in! It is confirmed that the rebel group known as AVALANCHE is responsible for the terrosist act that caused the plate to fall upon Sector Seven and take probably hundreds of thousands of human life," she continued.

AVALANCHE is at large and is considered armed and extremely dangerous. If you have any idea about their whereabouts, please call Shin-Ra headquaters promptly." Lela blinked, while patrons in the bar cursed or muttered things under their breath.

Sector Seven was crushed? That was that terrible sound? That was her home! She had just been there, earlier. Her mother! Her brother!

Lela asked someone where the train station was, her voice shaking. They told her, and she ran out of the bar.

She got to the train station a few minutes later.

"Where you going, kid?" the conductor asked as she hand him her gil piece.

"Sector Seven," she said.

"Sector Seven?" he repeated, his eyes wide. "Have you heard the news yet?"

Lela stared at him.

"Sector Seven has been totally destroyed," he explained. "Those damn AVALANCHE blew up the support pillar that holds the plate up. The entire plate came crashings down and crushed the Sector Seven slums. They don't want any traffic or trains going anywhere near Sector Seven.

"My family lives there," Lela cried. "I live there!"

"In the slums?" The conductor questioned.

"Yes!" Lela answered, nearly in tears.

The conductor stared at her, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, poor girl," he said pitifully.

Lela looked up and saw a cloud of smoke and dust rising from the direction of Sector Seven.

"Are there survivors?" she asked.

The conductor shook his head. "No, there cannot be. The sector was crushed. No one could have made it."

Lela fell to her knees sobbing, then passed out.

Lela opened her eyes to see all white. Had she died and gone to heaven? She wished she did.

She blinked a few times and realized she was staring at a ceiling. She slowly looked around to her left and right and realized she was in a hospital. A nurse was in the room when she woke and went over to her.

"Oh miss, you're finally awake," the nurse said, brushing dark hair out of a pretty milky complexioned face.

"What's happened?" Lela mumbled, disoriented.

The nurse looked at her sympathetically. "The train conductor called us last night to come pick you up from the train station," she explained. "He said you're family had been killed in the dropping of the plate last night and you fainted right at the terminal."

The re-realization of her words hit Lela like a ton of bricks. Her family was gone, killed in a senseless act of violence. She couldn't even have a proper burial, their bodies would never be found.

She began to sob again.

"Oh, don't cry miss," the nurse said. "You'll make it, don't worry-"

"Don't worry?!" Lela shouted. "My family is dead! MY MOTHER AND BROTHER WERE ALIVE WHEN I LEFT THIS MORNING AND NOW THEY ARE DEAD!

The nurse flinched. Lela began to sob harder.

"I'm so sorry, miss," the nurse said quietly. "The doctor will release you soon..." she rose and left Lela alone without saying anything.

Lela sobbed violently when the door closed behind the nurse, beating the bed with her fists. How could life be so unfair?! The last time she'd seen her mother they'd been arguing. Nicolai had deceived her and led her into a trap, just like her mother predicted. How could he be so cruel?

She had believed him and she abandoned her family for him and his lies. She left her mother angry and hurt. Now she would never see her again to apologize.

But what if she had listened to her mother? What if she'd stayed home and not left with Nicolai? She would be dead too!

Lela cried at how horriblly unfair it all was, how evil fate had been to to her.

She didn't stop crying, even when the doctor came to release her.