Total Eclipse

“She went on a shopping binge again!” I yelled back into the house grabbing what was yet another of Heather’s attempts at hiding her shopping addiction from Jonah. “Doesn’t she realize that as his sister, I have an obligation to let him know their credit card is without a doubt about to be cut off. I mean look at this thing.”

The box was nearly as big as me. Grant it, at 5ft 2 it wasn’t that big of a feat but for a box! And it was not light.

“Yes.” Zach replied “but as her best friend since you were in diapers, you also have an obligation to keep her secrets.” He threw her a smirk and I volleyed back with an exaggerated pout.

“Damned, if I do, damned if I don’t, huh?”

“Looks like it.” He replied kissing me on the head as he headed back to work, a fresh travel mug in his hand.

“When will you be home tonight? I should I say tomorrow?”

“Just in time to tuck you in sweetie.” He replied blowing one last kiss.

“You know I could just hire you to stay home with me all day. Pays well and there are plenty of perks…if you know what I mean.” I shouted out the door.

“I’ll have my people call your people.” He winked as he closed the door to his car.

If only, I thought. Sure, we could more than live comfortably off of what I make, even off of just my savings and royalties, “thank you, passive income”, but I know he would miss work, so I just had to suck it up and get on with my day.

First order of business, figuring out what to do with this box the size of Delaware. Okay it may have not been a state but it definitely deserved its own zip code. If it wasn’t for our double front doors, I never would have gotten it in the house. This thought probably crossed Heather’s mind as well when ordering the damn thing. That and the thought that I would store whatever it was until she could sneak it into their house while my brother was away. She had done it so many times before, I seriously questioned that there was a single space left in their house for anything else, especially something this size.

I also hated to be put in this position, which not only often involved manual labor but also equally involved lying to my brother. I mean he and I worked together, okay, technically he worked for me, but either way his job responsibilities often included meetings at my house.

The little boxes I could usually play off as promo kits from this, that, or another company, show, etc., but this box. This box was going call for explanations, and it was time I got some for myself.

With a cursory glance, and the help of a step stool, I was able to finally find a “To:” stamp, but no postage or return address with a company name. It was addressed to Stella Lux, my original “public” name before I started making any real money, and was guided to change it, to distance myself from the cheesy girl group that had spawned it, a name that few people knew, and that Heather loved to use when ordering stuff or making reservations using my clout. There was no doubt in my mind that this box involved her, but what the hell could it be.

My phone buzzed, and I answered without looking at the screen, “Hey stud, reconsidering my offer?” I cooed.

“God, I hope that was meant for Zach.” Jonah replied. “And need I remind you baby sister, the walls have eyes, once you leave your little hidey hole there, so no questionable public displays with that boyfriend of yours again, at least not until we sign this new contract.”

“Always the publicist, huh, big bro.”

“Oddly enough protecting my little sister’s reputation comes quite naturally. Wonder why?” he chuckled. “It’s almost like I care about you or something. Trippy. So did you finally just propose to that boyfriend of yours already, is that the aforementioned offer?”

“No.” This was definitely the horse that had been beaten to death. Yes, she had known Zach since they were 5. Yes, he had been by her side as a FRIEND for more than 20 years now, but the whole romantic relationship was kind of new and as Jonah had alluded to, was a little more complicated with her lifestyle. She wasn’t going to push anything.

“You know. The second he does, Heather will be all over the Wedding planning. I’m pretty sure she has actually been planning yours since our own honeymoon. With all the knowledge she gained from our own ‘mistakes’.” Jonah sighed. “You know how she can be.”

“That I do.” I replied continuing to search the box for clues of what it was. “She didn’t say anything about ordering something for my wedding already, did she?” I half-joked, I had to follow any leads I could. A chuppah or arch or something along those lines would definitely fit.

“No.” he replied. “But honestly, I haven’t heard from her for a few days now. She is under assignment right now and you know how hyper-focused she can get. Not allowing any distraction, not even a call from her loving husband.”

“Damn it!” I thought. There was no way she was answering my calls then.

“Anyways I am on my way over with some stuff for you to look over. Figured I would give you a heads up. ETA is 15…make that 20 minutes, damn traffic. See you soon.”

“Double damn it!!” I’ve got to figure out what to do with this box, and fast.

Privacy be damned. I grabbed out a pair of scissors and started hacking into the thing, hoping that once it was out of the box it would be easy to move. I wasn’t wrong; however, I was stopped in my tracks once I laid eyes on it.

It was a doll, made to look exactly like Heather down to the freckle by her ear. It was made of some sort of silicon-like material and looked horrifyingly realistic, and was tied to a chair, dressed in a flimsy dress.

I immediately started to dial Heather’s number to give her a piece of my mind on having what was clearly a “companionship” doll for my brother sent to my house without warning. When I heard something, coming from the bag tied to the doll’s hand.

Reaching in I found Heather’s phone, the one I was just calling. This made no sense. Heather didn’t do anywhere without her phone. She would literally have panic attacks if it wasn’t on her, whether she answered it or not. I tried her password, and the phone remained locked.

I reached into the bag once more search for clues, and found a note. “Want to play, Stella? What day changed all our lives forever?”

I tried the date she married my brother, the day he proposed, no dice. I tried the day that I first hit it big. No luck there either. Finally, I tried the day that I was discovered, grabbed from a rehearsal with my girl group the Midnights and made to sign my first real contract, leaving our group and the name Stella behind.

It worked, and immediately a video popped up, followed by a live stream. My breath caught in my throat.

I was still standing there, paralyzed when my brother entered the door.

“Wha…” His eyes went to the screen as well.

It showed Heather tied to a chair identical to the one before them, in the same dress as well. A sign hanging around her neck, “Time to change up the choreography, sweet songbird, or Luna might just not see the sun.”

“It can’t be…” Jonah started as he stared at the screen. His phone began to ring. He answered trying to sound like he was just staring at his tied and gagged wife, shock still snuck into his voice as he said “Hello?”

“I take it you got my little surprise, huh?” The voice on the other end coaxed. “Now I hope your sister is ready to follow someone else’s lead for once.”

Then silence as a new yet familiar face came onto the screen.