voice betrayed her nervousness. She knew how much this meant to me and she tried her best to boost my confidence.
"Thanks." I kissed her cheek and grabbed my guitar case. "Don't wait up."
"Are you kidding me? I'll wait up and I'll want to know everything," Theo said. Smiling, I gave her a last squeeze, then hurried out the door.
Darkness had descended half an hour ago. The winter wind whipped my hair into my face. I pulled my hood over my head and marched down the busy street in search of a taxi. I knew I should've called one to wait outside the building, but I figured it would take less than five minutes to find one. After all, this was New York with a taxi around every corner. Or so I thought.
Ten minutes later, I was still squeezing my way through busy post-Christmas sale shoppers, who had gathered in front of the fashion outlets littering this part of the city. Several taxis had swooshed past, all occupied or unwilling to stop. My fingers were frozen in my mittens, the cold in my toes felt like icicles. I reached into my almost empty bag and realized I forgot my cell phone, meaning calling a taxi was out of the question.
Having spent a few months in Manhattan I knew my way around, so I wrapped my jacket tighter around my shivering body to fight the cold and battled forward against the wind. In the darkness, all streets looked the same. It took me a while to realize I was lost.
"Crap." I stomped my foot impatiently as I tried to read the street sign in the distance. I had left the house early because I wanted to avoid making a beginner mistake like arriving late and blowing my chance. But my watch told me time was running out. If I didn't hurry, I would indeed make the biggest mistake of my life. Just as I didn't expect it, a taxi drove around the corner. I waved and yelled, even though I doubted the driver could hear me. My heart started to beat like a drum in my ears as the vehicle drove past—and pulled over. I ran the short distance and jumped onto the backseat, telling the driver I was in a hurry. The driver sped off before I even closed the door.
The streets were unusually busy. Leaning against the cold leather, I could already tell I wouldn't make it on time. My spirits dropped as my future rolled like a black and white movie before my eyes. Would I ever get such a chance again? I didn't think so.
I arrived at the bar an hour late, paid the driver and got out. For a short moment, I still hoped I might get a chance to play after all—until I saw the blue lights flashing in the parking space and people gathered around an ambulance. Two police officers were trying to disperse the crowd.
"What happened?" I asked a girl standing nearby.
"Someone was killed right outside the club," she said.
"That's horrible." A cold shiver ran down my spine and my hands turned clammy at the thought of a murderer running berserk. "I hope they got the killer." I craned my head to get a better view at the victim, catching a glimpse of her blonde hair. Before the doors of the ambulance car slammed shut, I recognized the familiar face. A chilling scream pierced my eardrums—a scream I realized was mine.
"Theo!" I screamed, pushing through the crowd.
A police officer pushed me back. "Please step back, Ma'am."
"That's my sister," I screamed, my tears blurring my sight. He shook his head, signaling he wouldn't let me through, and the ambulance drove away. I broke down, crying. Someone helped me to my feet and said something. I pushed the person away from me, devastated. I would never mistake that white blonde curtain of hair, and yet denial kicked in. Maybe it wasn't Theo. It couldn't be.
A thick haze descended upon my mind as I wandered through the streets for hours. I don't know how I made it back home, only that my father and Marie were already there with a female police officer. Marie was crying against my father's chest as he tried to comfort her. I had never seen so much rage on his face, but the incident still didn't quite register with me. I felt as though I was watching a tragic show on television.
"You must be Sofia," the officer said. I nodded and sat