Stacey Campbell - Dressed to Thrill




CHAPTER ONE

"Wow, Stacey ... that's got to be the best news I've heard in a while ...
congratulations!" the voice of Katie Spencer exclaimed over the compact cell
phone Stacey Campbell had pressed to her ear.

"Thanks ... Can you believe it, I'm the first freshmen ever picked to intern
for fashion week!" Stacey said excitedly back in reference to the prestigious
Fashion Week 2007 for the Spring/Summer season. "This is like the biggest
fashion event on the planet, and I'm going to be in the middle of it all!"
Stacey still couldn't hide her tremendous enthusiasm as she paced around her
modest-sized dorm room at the equally prestigious New York School of Fashion
located in the trendy Greenwich Village section of Manhattan.

"It's like the mother ship coming for you ... " Katie teased at Stacey's
obsession with fashion, of which she was studying there to become a designer.

"Ha, ha ... " was Stacey's droll response. "This is huge! I'm gonna meet some
of the top fashion designers ever. This could be my big break in the
business."

"I'm so very happy for you, but remember, you're only at your first year
there, and you still have a lot more to learn before any of your designs walks
onto that catwalk." That was Katie, always bringing Stacey back down to
reality from her head being stuck in the clouds.

"Yeah, I know ... but this still is an opportunity for me, nonetheless,"
Stacey conceded somewhat. "It's too bad you can't stop by here on your spring
break from Snowden. It'd be a blast having you here."

"I know ... I wish I could make it, but Dr. McNeil is offering a special visit
to the FBI Academy from one of her good friends, who's a special agent
himself. This is a rare opportunity for my future career as well."

"Looks like we're both getting older now ... planning our futures like this,"
Stacey added. "Remember when we were nine, and we snuck into the old school
and you wanted to play your favorite game, again ... "

"This Girl for Hire ... " Katie recalled fondly. It was her very first foray
into the world of detectives, before she took on real cases. Stacey played her
'assistant' who manages to get herself in all kinds of trouble from the bad
guys, and Katie had to come to her rescue numerous times. The old school
served as a perfect backdrop for the various villains' hideout. "Why bring
that up all of a sudden?"

"Oh ... just thinking about you for a moment, seeing how far you've gotten
since those innocent days when the bad guys were make believe, and me being
held prisoner was just a fantasy."

"Don't get too sentimental on me now, Stacey Nicole ... " Katie said wryly.
"So, I hear your mom is making it down to the festivities ... at least you'll
have one familiar face," she added, wanting to shift the subject.

"Yeah, but Mike can't make it though. His boss at the auto shop won't give him
any time off from his busy schedule," Stacey sounded really dejected that her
boyfriend couldn't spend a few of days in the city with her.

"I'm sure he feels just as bad as you do," Katie helped, which didn't sound
very good on the surface though.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "I gotta go ... it's the
representative from the show picking me up for first day orientation."

"Boy, they really have you start early," Katie noted, as it was almost eight
in the morning.

"Fashion shows like these don't get organized in just one day ... you need to
be an early bird," which was something Stacey was never before.

"Well, good luck with everything, and have a great time ... " Katie added
warmly. "And please tell your mom I said hello."

"I will ... and you enjoy yourself as well. And try not to break any bones if
they show you self defense moves there."

"I'll do my best ... "

After saying goodbye to her best friend, Stacey paused for a moment on far
they really have come since when they were kids. Her mom was certainly right
that you grow up so fast ...

Another knock was heard, breaking Stacey out of her little daze. "Okay, okay
... I'll be right there!" she yelled out and bent down underneath her twin
bed, retrieving a pair of simple black pumps. The attire for the interns
needed to be stylish, yet inconspicuous for they had to blend in, not stand
out. Along with the shoes, Stacey wore a black long-sleeved dress with a wrap
over the top portion and the skirt resting just below the knees. A wide black
belt with a silver buckle hugged her narrow waist""her only shiny accessory.
Her long dark hair was also done up in a chic bun, courtesy of her roommate,
Vivian Reynolds, who was a whiz when it came to hairstyles.

After placing the pumps on her black nyloned feet, Stacey stood up on the
lofty five-inch heels and walked quickly in them to the door, grabbing her
small black purse on the way out.

Yes, it was definitely going to be one exciting week ... in more ways than
one.

CHAPTER TWO

Trudging slowly down the long hallway, Stacey was a sight of someone who had
just finished working a double-shift, with overtime. Her once stylish bun was
now in disarray as strands of dark brown hair flowed aimlessly to her limp
shoulders. Her soft brown eyes also showed signs of fatigue as she tried to
keep them open for at least a little while longer.

Reaching the door to her dorm room, Stacey didn't even bother to get her key
as she just turned the knob. Fortunately, it was unlocked and she stumbled
inside""her ankles wobbling on her stiletto heels. She made a bee-line right
to her bed and plopped herself on it.

"Stacey ... is that you?" a high-pitched feminine sounding voice called out
from outside the main room.

"She's out for the rest of the week ... " Stacey replied lazily as her speech
was partially muffled by the plush pillow smashed into her face.

A young-looking woman then entered""she was tall and slim with an
athletically-built frame that complimented the two-piece black exercise
spandex outfit she wore. Her dark eyes were round and full of excitement, her
skin was not quite so dark, but definitely that of Negroid decent. Vivian
Reynolds smiled a bit sympathetically to her worn out roomie. "They got you
tired out already after the first day?" she said with a hint of sarcasm as she
went over to Stacey and removed the pumps from her limp feet.

Stacey then turned over onto her back, looking up at Vivian with a weary look.
"Since I've started here, I have never known that Ms. DiPietro was so
demanding after today ... " Stacey said in reference to the school's highly
regarded""and very private""headmaster, Madeline DiPietro, who was in charge
of organizing this year's event. "Her constant bickering and ordering ... I've
never worked so hard in one day before," she added and sat back up, rubbing
her sore feet.

"I heard she can get pretty stressed out when it comes to big venues," Vivian
said in response to her roommate's frustration.

"Stressed out? ... The woman is like a taskmaster, except without the whip.
'Move this over there ... bring these clothes to the model station ... these
lights don't look right ... where's my coffee ... '" Stacey added in a mock
impersonation of her, which caused Vivian to giggle in response.

"See ... you're feeling much better already," she said happily. Vivian hailed
from Philadelphia where she lived in a tough neighborhood. She was smart and
ambitious, and very talented in design. Her family had pooled all their
resources to get into this fashion school for they believed in her and her
abilities.

Noticing that Vivian had not packed for spring break, Stacey spoke up, "Aren't
you still going back home for this week?" Stacey recalled hearing that Vivian
had planned a romantic rendezvous with her high school boyfriend, Charles
Jackson.

"No ... " Vivian sounded a bit dejected, which piqued Stacey's curiosity.

"Is everything alright?" she sounded concerned, but careful to pry too much
for Vivian was a rather private person by nature.

"Oh, you'd find out soon enough ... " she said and sat next to Stacey, " ...
Charles dumped me last week."

Stacey's brown eyes widen in utter shock at hearing that distressful news.
"Nooo ... What happened? ... " she asked with deep concern.

"It seems our pact to keep our long distance relationship afloat suddenly
sank, as my sister spotted him with another girl. He, of course, denied the
whole thing, but Charles was never very good at lying."

Stacey placed a reassuring arm around Vivian to offer what comfort she could
provide in this difficult time for her ... nobody likes a breakup.

"I have an idea! ... " Stacey beamed excitedly, " ... why don't you stay here
instead, you can be my 'unofficial assistant' for the show!"

Vivian looked at her with a sheepish grin on her cute face. "Thanks, but I
don't want to get in the way with you and Katie this week." Vivian was fully
aware of the relationship Stacey had with Katie, including some of the 'nasty'
encounters they experienced.

"Katie won't be making it over here, she has some limbs to break over at the
FBI Academy," Stacey replied rather flippantly as Vivian gave her a puzzled
look in response. "Come on, you're not even packed anyway ... " Stacey was
really buttering Vivian up now with her patent doleful expression. "Besides,
misery loves company as I was recently informed that Mike can't make it also."

Vivian smiled warmly at her roommate and nodded her consent. "Won't I get in
trouble if Ms. DiPietro finds out I'm helping you? After all, you were chosen
to work the show and not me."

"I'll just have to keep you behind the scenes," Stacey winked back.

Vivian this time hugged Stacey affectionately. "Thanks for cheering me up ...
you're a really good friend."

"That's okay ... you would've done the same for me," Stacey replied, then
caught sight of Vivian giving her a mock 'not-so-sure-look,' which Stacey
playfully slapped her on the arm.

"Have you eaten yet?" Vivian then asked as she stood back up.

"Eat? ... I haven't had time to sit down all day." Stacey's stomach began to
grumble as the mere mention of food caused it to stir for she was famished.
"Let me change into something more dressed down, and then see what's good in
the neighborhood for tonight."

CHAPTER THREE

Day two of Fashion Week started bright and early again as Stacey was dressed
in a chic pink satin blouse with black capri pants and matching four-inch heel
pumps""she learned from yesterday with all the walking she did to wear a
shorter heel this time around. Vivian was dressed more casually sporting a tan
blouse with black trousers and black flats.

The duo then arrived from taxi cab to the ritzy Palace Pavilion Hotel on 5th
Avenue at midtown, setting for the weeklong extravaganza.

Vivian looked tense as they entered through the side entrance reserved for the
staff of the show. "Would you relax ... " Stacey said reassuringly to her
nervous roommate.

"Easy for you to say ... " Vivian replied warily as her dark eyes scanned
anxiously around for any sign of Ms. DiPietro, which fortunately was not
present at the moment. The infamous headmaster was known to be ruthless when
it came to administering discipline.

"I said I would take care of you, and I meant it," Stacey added as the twosome
then came upon a short, plump looking man walking in the distance. "Howard!"
she called out pleasantly.

The man stopped at the mention of his name being uttered, and then looked
merrily at the sight of Stacey approaching. "Stacey ... darling," he said in a
high-pitched tone over his throaty-sounding voice. He gave her a quick kiss on
the cheek. "And who have you brought?" he asked enthralled at the sight of the
tall ebony girl.

"Howard ... this is Vivian Reynolds, my roommate," she introduced her.
"Vivian, I like you to meet Howard Fishman, our resident fashion guru."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Vivian ... " Howard said warmly and gently
grasped her hand, kissing it tenderly. Vivian received a slight chill at his
unexpected, but gracious gesture.

"You have to forgive Howard ... he always makes a fuss over beautiful women,"
Stacey said wryly, giving him a friendly wink. "Howard, I need to ask a big
favor from you," Stacey said, switching gears.

"Anything, dear ... " he replied genially.

"Could you find something for Vivian to do at the show? She's staying here
unexpectedly for Spring Break and doesn't have anything on her agenda."

Vivian looked at her friend with an annoyed look. "Excuse me, but I do have a
life, you know ... "

Howard placed his hand on his bearded chin in thought. "Yes, I think I have
something for her," he then said happily.

Stacey smiled at hearing that, then changed her expression to a more ominous
look. "Just please, don't let Ms. DiPietro see her here, otherwise ... well, I
don't have to explain it to you."

"Say no more ... " Howard replied dutifully, " ... I'll keep a watch over her
as if she was my mother."

"Thanks ... I think," Vivian said with some trepidation.

"Come on girls, I'll lead the way ... " Howard said, and began walking down
the narrow hallway at the back end of the swanky hotel.

Following a few steps behind him, Vivian leaned over to Stacey. "I don't want
to sound nosy, but is Howard ... "

"Oh, he's as gay as they come ... " Stacey whispered back, " ... but he's such
a sweetheart once you get to know him."

"I heard that ... " Howard suddenly said in a good-humored tone as he
continued facing forward.

Vivian blushed a little at being overheard. She had never met a homosexual
person before, but wasn't particularly offended by it, even though she was
raised in a firm Baptist upbringing. Since living here on her own, Vivian had
experienced so many things that it opened up a whole new world for her, and
she was enjoying every minute of it.

"Howard was also a student from our school years ago, and became a top fashion
advisor," Stacey said as she talked a bit louder now. "I met him at a seminar
he gave at the Lincoln Center a few months back, and we've been friends ever
since."

Howard then stopped in front of a set of closed double doors at the right end
of the hall, and opened them. "Well, this is where we part company," he said
to Stacey.

"Have fun, you two ... " she waved friendly at the mismatched pair before her,
then trotted further down the hallway to report for duty on another
hard-working day in the world of fashion.

CHAPTER FOUR

"Maybe I should've considered going home this week ... " Vivian mumbled softly
to herself as she walked down a flight of stairs to the lower levels of the
hotel. The bustling sounds of the fashion show from above began to recede as
each step she took further down. Howard had basically assigned her to do
various odd jobs, kind of like a 'gopher'""it was really the only thing he
could think for her to do without the risk of running into Ms. DiPietro, who
mainly remained on the main level overseeing the festivities.

Vivian was tasked with picking up a late delivery of some designer dresses for
the afternoon portion of the show. The directions that Howard gave her seemed
easy enough, that is until she got lost. The very bottom level of the hotel
didn't seem to be the right place, but the fashion student walked around,
seeing if she was perhaps wrong.

The dimly lit hallway didn't look particularly inviting to the
nineteen-year-old as she carefully scanned the surroundings. Her years at
living in the slums of Philadelphia had taught her to be strong when needed,
but Vivian never preferred to use physical force anyway, it just wasn't
ladylike.

Up ahead, she could make out voices and quickened her pace towards them. To
her left was an open door, and inside the adjoining room, she saw a big wooden
crate present. The large room, which looked like a storage area, was deserted
for the moment.

Stepping closer to the upright crate, Vivian noticed markings on it that read
in bold letters: "HANDLE WITH EXTREME CAUTION." Looking confused at the
mysterious object, Vivian wondered if these were the outfits she was supposed
to pick up. Maybe they're some kind of ultra-delicate fabric or have sharp
protrusions on them ... She walked around the crate, looking for some kind of
invoice attached when she suddenly jumped at the sound of a loud voice close
by ... "Whatta you doing here!?"

The ebony girl quickly turned to see two burly-looking men standing before her
with nervous gazes in their eyes. "I'm ... sorry," she stammered out, trying
to compose herself. "I'm looking for the loading dock to pick up a package ...
"

"Does this look like the loading dock?" the other man spoke up irately.

"N-no, it doesn't ... " Vivian continued to stutter. She noticed the two men
looking suspicious at her, and wondered nervously if they were going to let
her leave. The remoteness of this room meant that her screams could go unheard
if they decide to attack her.

The two then advanced towards the alarmed girl. She was a good fifteen feet
away from the exit door; a bit too far to attempt a feasible escape. Vivian
had no choice but to hold her ground as she prepared the worst. The men then
stopped right in front of her and one of them spoke. "You want to go up one
level and then turn right, the dock is straight ahead," he said in calm and
helpful tone, the last thing Vivian expected to hear.

"T-thank you ... " she said quickly and dashed out without even looking back.
Once she was on the upper level, she finally stopped and took in some deep
breaths to calm her racing pulse.

That was one encounter she certainly will not forget ...

* * *

Madeline DiPietro stood on the sidelines as she looked on with satisfaction
the first models entering the long runway, as the show commenced for the
second day. Before taking on the job as headmaster to the illustrious New York
School of Fashion, she had been in the fashion industry for over twenty-five
years. She worked alongside such giants as Versace, Coco Chanel, Valentino,
and Yves Saint Laurent. Over the years, she had built an impressive reputation
as a top notch designer in her own right, but it was her savvy at identifying
the next big thing to hit the fashion scene that won the respect and praise of
her peers.

This was her fourth occasion managing Fashion Week in the Big Apple, and for
this round, she intended to be her best one yet. A figure suddenly appeared
from behind her, moving very quietly among the multitude of people standing
nearby. He was on the shorter side and sharply dressed in a gray Armani suit.
His eyes were light blue and utterly piercing, as though he could look right
through someone's very soul.

Stopping right behind her, Madeline seemed to acknowledge that he was there.
"You have something to say, Mr. Dupree?" she said calmly while still watching
the show.

"There's been a slight occurrence with our shipment ... " he said evenly.

Madeline suddenly turned to him, her green eyes equally piercing with just a
hint of anxiety behind them. "I trust that everything is alright," she replied
more rhetorically than looking for an answer.

"Yes ... everything is still a go," Dupree said with a measure of confidence
to his studious employer. "Apparently, someone took a wrong turn and found the
shipment, but Angela and Cindy caught her and Parker and Simmons insist she
knew nothing of its contents."

"Let's hope so ... otherwise Mr. Parker and Mr. Simmons will be finding
themselves fishing in the Hudson River," Madeline spoke back with an icy tone
in her cool-sounding voice.

Dupree swallowed ever so slightly at her intimidating remark. "I will ensure
personally that no other mishaps happen again."

Madeline then smirked ever so slightly at him. "I know they won't while you're
in charge."

"Thank you, Ms. DiPietro ... " he said with reverence, and quickly exited just
as quietly as he arrived.

Madeline then returned to the event at hand, smiling even more so as she took
a gaze around the main room.

CHAPTER FIVE

"So, how was your first day at the show?" Stacey asked casually before taking
a bite into her large chef salad at Gino's café, a trendy eatery located at
the outskirts of the campus.

"Boring as heck ... " Vivian responded sharply, but lighthearted, as she was
all set to dive into her BLT club sandwich and a dill pickle. The two
roommates were taking in a light dinner right after the show had ended of the
day. "But I will say this ... " she continued before swallowing her food, "
... that creepy encounter on the basement level was the only excitement I had,
and I could've done without that."

"What creepy encounter?" Stacey asked with all ears as she could tell from
Vivian's eyes that it was something important.

"I took a wrong turn from Howard's directions, and I ended up in a storage
room with this huge crate there. Then these two buffoons suddenly show up
acting all threatening to me ... I thought I was going to end up in a dumpster
or somewhere."

Stacey's brown eyes were wide with shock as she was hearing this startling
news. "So, what happened then?" she asked anxiously.

"I got out of there the first chance I could," Vivian answered, then took
another bite into her delicious meal, the one comfort she's enjoying today.

"Did you tell Howard about this?" Stacey asked again.

"No ... at first I was going to, but he was so busy working backstage, I
couldn't find the time to get even one minute alone with him."

Stacey then was silent as she picked at her food with her fork, for she looked
lost in thought.

"What're you thinking in that brain of yours?" Vivian asked as it was now her
turn to pry.

"I dunno ... " she said wistfully. "If Katie were here, she would want to get
to the bottom of that incident, figuring some sinister plot was being
hatched."

"But from what I understand, you're not like Katie," Vivian said, recalling
what she had heard from Stacey's detective friend.

"And for good reason," Stacey blurted out. "Don't get me wrong, I love Katie,
and she's a great detective ... It's just that I'm not cut out for all that
action and danger. I mean, fashion is stressful enough."

Vivian grinned at her friend's attempt at a little humor to break up the dour
mood. "It was probably nothing ... I mean, those guys did let me go, so there
couldn't have been something sinister as you put it."

Stacey began to eat again as her spirits brightened. Yeah, it was most likely
nothing to worry about. Those things typically happen only when Katie is
around ...

* * *

With the show over for the day, Madeline was back in her private office at the
school, tending to some unfinished business on her expansive mahogany desk.
She was busy typing on her Mac when the sound of a knock on the door was
heard. "Come in ... " she said quickly without taking her eyes off the screen.

The door open and Dupree entered, closing it behind him as he stepped inside.
"The last shipment arrived without any problems, and we're now finished with
phase one," he announced smoothly to his employer.

Taking a break from her work, she looked up at him with a smile on her smooth
face. "Excellent, I knew I could count on you to handle things."

Dupree remained stoic in his stance as he was a professional individual, but
his eyes did show gratitude to her. He had been her personal assistant for six
years now, and was utterly loyal to her""a trait he had honed greatly from
serving in the Marine Corp.

"That'll be all ... " Madeline said to him with regard in her voice, for she
always treated her most trusted ally with respect. After all, good help was
very hard to find, and she intends to reward Dupree considerably once this
week was over.

CHAPTER SIX

Day three of Fashion Week wasn't getting any easier as the amount of work
Stacey was tasked to do grew exponentially each day. She was currently
involved with getting some of the models ready with their outfits for the next
presentation, and she was already running behind on it. Being chosen to intern
for Fashion Week was certainly a privilege, but there was a major downside to
it as Stacey was discovering very quickly.

Seeing the tall, thin women standing around the dressing room made Stacey a
bit envious for she wished that she could go out on that catwalk herself.
Wearing her burgundy five-inch wedged-heel open-toe slingbacks still didn't
make her nearly as lofty as those walking mannequins, as that was just another
sobering reminder at how the industry favors towering women over petite ones,
like her.

At the other end of the dressing room, Stacey spotted Howard talking with one
of the designers. She couldn't quite place who she was, but the tall blonde
was dressed all in black from head to toe""it made her fair complexion look
that more pale, and the outfit in question was not flattering on her one bit.
As good as these designers were with dressing their models with fabulous
clothes, their own sense of style seemed to stop there. Stacey always prided
herself at looking good as she sported a sharp medium gray jacket with a
flowing burgundy pleated skirt for today, and still intends to do that when
she'll be the one directing the models with her own designs.

Approaching the portly man, Stacey stopped just short of him, allowing them to
continue with their conversation at hand. Seeing the young intern standing
gracefully, the woman gazed at her in frustration. "Vhat are you standing
avound here? ... Go join ze others!" she snapped in a thick Russian accent.

"Oh, no ... " Howard butted in, " ... she's one of our interns, not a model."
Stacey narrowed her eyes in annoyance at his remark as it sounded like that
she wasn't good enough to be a top fashion model, but knew that he wasn't
being insulting.

The designer then gave her a dismissive look, like she was some homeless
person that litters the city streets. After a brief exchange of words, the
statuesque woman walked off past her. "Well, she seems like a real charmer,"
Stacey said so mockingly to Howard.

"You don't know the half of it ... " Howard replied quietly. "I don't know who
the real divas are around here, the models or the designers," he said jokingly
with a bit of truth to it. "What can I do for you?" he then asked, knowing
that this wasn't just a social visit.

"Ms. DiPietro was wondering where the Cartier outfits are," Stacey replied a
bit flustered, "I can't seem to find them, and they're up in a half hour."

Howard smiled back at her for it seemed that he could weather any crisis that
pounces on him. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear ... " he said apologetically, " ... I had
them moved to the other dressing room. I'll go get them right away."

"No, that's alright ... I'll do it," she said amiably. "Ms. DiPietro is
expecting me to handle it anyway, no need to get you in deep water with her."

"That's why I love you ... you're so thoughtful," he said affectionately, and
topped it off with a quick kiss on her rosy cheek.

"Hovard! ... " the Russian woman screamed out in the distance, " ... vhere iz
Marina's hat? ... This vill not do!"

Howard's expression just turned glum upon hearing that. "Maybe I should go
with you ... you know, in case you need some help finding those outfits."
Stacey could tell that he wanted to leave immediately. She then turned and saw
that designer heading right for them with fury in her eyes.

"I think I'll go now ... it looks like you're enough deep water here," she
said sympathetically, and trotted off swiftly in her narrow wedges.

After leaving the dressing room, Stacey slowed her pace to a normal stroll.
She could hear that woman yelling through the closed door, and felt a bit
sorry for Howard. Another crisis to weather ...

Turning a corner, Stacey came upon a ladder right in the middle of the
deserted hallway. Coming towards it, she could see one of the false ceiling
panels removed, exposing some of the ventilation shaft overhead. She was about
to continue on, thinking it was most likely some routine maintenance work,
when she suddenly heard a loud crashing sound from above.

Curiosity began to set in the college student, and she approached the ladder,
gingerly stepping her high-heeled foot on the lowest rung. Stacey, what're you
doing? ... The noise now sounded like voices, and she climbed up a little
higher to get a better listen as to what was being said.

"Be careful with that, okay! ... " a male voice spoke urgently, his voice
echoing from the open shaft, " ... one slip up and Mr. Dupree will have our
heads!" The other person being spoken to murmured something in response. Not
hearing anything else more for a short while, Stacey decided to get back down
as her stylish shoes were not meant for ladders.

Remembering where she was originally heading to, Stacey began doing a little
double-time now as she didn't want to keep Ms. DiPietro waiting any longer.
Taking a quick glance back at that ladder, her brow furrowed in bewilderment.
Dupree? ... That's Ms. DiPietro's assistant ...

CHAPTER SEVEN

Exhausted from working another grueling ten hours constantly on her feet,
Stacey sat with her eyes closed on one of the large plush chairs in the hotel
lobby with her shoe-less feet resting on its accompanying ottoman. As much as
she adored wearing heels, this was one week she could've done without them,
but Ms. DiPietro was adamant for her female interns to wear them, for they
projected a more professional image the school was known for.

"Well, I never thought I would see that day that Stacey Campbell was tired of
high heels," a voice suddenly spoke out to her that sounded awfully familiar
...

"Mom! ... " Stacey opened her eyes and blurted out excitedly, seeing Lynda
Campbell standing in front of her looking stylish in a buttoned down pink
blouse with navy blue slacks.

Stacey rose up to her stocking feet and hugged her mother warmly. "You're late
... " she then said in a dissatisfied tone, but still smiled that she made it
anyway.

"Well, there's a very good reason as to why ... " Lynda said slyly and pointed
her index finger past her daughter. Following to where she indicated, Stacey
turned around and her brown eyes popped open in complete astonishment.

"MIKE!!!" she screamed out, and jumped up to him, wrapping her arms tightly
around him. The force of the leap was strong enough that it almost toppled the
hefty young man down on the marbled floor, but he kept his balance well enough
as he held onto his girlfriend just as firmly.

After kissing him warmly on the lips, Stacey was still in shock at seeing him
actually here in the city. "What happened, your boss had second thoughts about
you having to still work?"

"Actually, it was your mom that helped with that," he replied back.

Stacey finally released her embrace with Mike and stood next to him with a
confused look on her cute face as Lynda started to explain. "I seemed to
recall that Mr. Hanson's daughter has her prom coming up next month, and I
made sort of a deal with him for her to have any choosing of an evening gown
at the boutique for half price, if he would let Mike off for a few days," she
smiled wryly. "What father could say no to his daughter, for prom no less."

"Mother ... I always said you where a crafty one," Stacey beamed and hugged
her again. "Oh, shoot ... " she then said as a thought suddenly came to her, "
... I convinced Vivian to stay here, and we were just having a girls' only
week."

"I don't mind going back home then, since you already made plans," Mike spoke
up in his dry sense of humor.

"Don't you dare! ... " Stacey exclaimed, and slapped him playfully on the
chest. "Vivian will understand ... I mean it's not like I planned for this to
happen."

"If she's half the friend that Katie is, I'm sure she will ... " Lynda said
assuringly.

Stacey went over to her seat and placed her slingbacks back on. "You may want
to free up your plans for tonight ... " Mike whispered to her from behind, "
... I have a surprise for you."

Her eyes went wide with anticipation upon hearing that little tease, as she
wondered what it could be ...

CHAPTER EIGHT

Stacey was in awe of the classy restaurant she sat in for it must've cost Mike
a month's wages to afford this. Knowing that it was going to be a fancy dinner
date, Stacey wore a lovely red chiffon dress with v-neck showing sufficient
cleavage, but done tastefully. She was also fascinated by the attire Mike wore
for the evening""a sharp black blazer, white collared shirt with a maroon tie,
and pressed khaki slacks. In all the dates she had been with him, this was the
first time she saw him wear a tie, so this must be something special as he put
it earlier back at the hotel.

She had just finished her tasty leaf lettuce salad when she noticed Mike
acting a bit nervous all of a sudden. "Mike, are you okay?" she asked
cordially, for she was a bundle of nerves herself, but kept it under control,
at least for the time being.

"Sorry ... " he said a bit flustered, " ... I'm usually very good at
maintaining control in any situation."

"Mike ... whatever it is, you can tell me," she replied warmly, trying to put
his anxieties at ease.

"Okay ... " he said before taking a deep breath. "Stacey, we've been seeing
each other for three years now, and I've never felt this way towards anyone
the way I feel towards you." He reached over the small table and held her hand
gently. "I love with you with all my heart, and I want to show you how much I
do ... " with that, he held up his other arm from underneath the table, and
grasped in his fingers was a shiny object ... a diamond ring.

"Stacey Campbell ... will you marry me?" he said with such sincerity in his
voice.

Stacey, in response, was frozen in her seat as she stared at the gorgeous ring
and then at Mike. He looked back at her tensely, wondering if he made a
mistake asking her so suddenly like this. Her brown eyes began to tear up and
she reached over to him. "Yes, Michael Pulaski ... I will marry you," and she
kissed him so passionately on the lips.

Overjoyed by her answer, he placed the gold ring on her left ring finger.
Seeing it on her dainty hand, Stacey couldn't stop staring at it as she
continued to cry. Mike handed her his napkin. "I know your career is very
important to you, and I don't want to get in the way of it. You take as much
time as you need before we get married ... you're worth the wait."

Stacey finally stopped crying enough to respond back. "Mike ... I'm still in
shock that you want to commit like this. I thought you didn't want to settle
down, at least not yet."

"Well, when you meet the right person, why not express how you truly feel.
Stacey ... I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Looking at the exquisite piece of jewelry, Stacey gave Mike a suspicious gaze.
"Did my mother have a hand in this?"

"Of course, I had to ask for her blessing first, and then I needed help with
the ring ... picking jewelry was never a strong point with me." A fact that
Stacey can certainly attest to.

"You know that you just put added pressure on Jake to pop the question to
Katie now," Stacey stated, recalling the bouquet Katie caught at her Aunt's
wedding two years ago.

"If I know Jake, and I do ... Katie will be the one on her knee doing the
proposing. The thought of marriage scares him more than he's willing to admit
... even to Katie," Mike said, sharing a little secret to his new fiancée.

"Well, I have to say in response is that I told Katie pretty much the same
thing about you," she confessed much to the surprise of Mike. "But tonight you
had proven me wrong, of which I'm not sorry in the least bit." She reached
over again and kissed him, ecstatic that she will become Mrs. Michael Pulaski.

CHAPTER NINE

"I still can't believe you're getting married!" Vivian kept saying since she
first heard the news last night when Stacey returned from dinner. The two
girls were making their way into the hotel as day four of Fashion Week was set
to start in a couple of hours. Despite the still sour mood Vivian felt from
her recent break up, she put those feelings aside to congratulate her friend.

"I keep saying to myself this all must be a dream, and I'll wake up not seeing
this on my finger!" Stacey beamed as she held up her hand, showing off the
exquisite diamond ring for like the one hundredth time.

"So, with Mike attending the show today, will you be able to concentrate on
your work, or will I'll be finding the two of you 'alone' somewhere?" Vivian
inquired a bit mischievously.

"Vivian Michelle! ... " Stacey said to her in aghast, " ... the dirty little
things going through that mind of yours ... What would your mother think?"

"The same as yours ... if Charles was here," she replied just as sharply with
a raised eyebrow.

Stacey began to chuckle for she knew Vivian was absolutely correct. "You know,
in the almost eight months we've known each other, I feel like we've been
friends for like ten years ... you know me so well."

"Well, you aren't that hard to figure out for starters," Vivian replied, "but,
yeah ... it does feel like I've known you a lot longer."

"Then it's settled ... you get to be my second bridesmaid, right after Katie
you understand."

"Oh, that's fine by me ... I don't think I would be a really good Maid of
Honor anyway."

"Stop that, of course you would," Stacey said sympathetically. "I just don't
know if Katie would though. I shudder to think of what her idea of a
bachelorette party would be ... a swinging time at her karate dojo," she said
humorously, but with a bit of trepidation to her voice.

"I'll tell you what ... as second bridesmaid, I get to assist the Maid of
Honor on all functions regarding the bride-to-be," Vivian said, calming
Stacey's nerves.

"Girl, you keep talking like that, and I just may promote you. Only you get to
be the one to break the bad news to Katie. I don't want to end up in a body
cast for my honeymoon."

The two friends laughed out loud, which attracted the attention of a certain
fashion consultant walking nearby. "My ... aren't we in a delightful mood this
morning, ladies," Howard said all chipper as he approached them.

"Well, you'd be too if you just got engaged!" Stacey exclaimed, and held up
her left hand right in front of Howard's round face.

His blue-gray eyes grew wide as saucers at seeing the sparkling ring in front
of him. "Oh, Stacey ... I'm so happy for you!" He rushed over to her, giving
her a big warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. "So tell me, is your beau here
now?"

"No, he won't be coming until later during the show," Stacey replied. "Just
one thing before you meet him ... Mike is sort of a man's man, if you know
what I mean."

"Hey, I may have chiffon in my wardrobe, but I'm still all male underneath. I
can rub elbows the toughest of the lot," Howard spoke with a rougher sound to
his normally higher-pitched voice. The girls laughed playfully at his best
attempt of being macho.

"Miss Vivian, if you'll please accompany me ... " Howard then held up his bent
arm to her, and she grasped it. "I may not be 'macho' ... but I certainly know
what it means to be a gentleman. Not that yours isn't, of course," he then
said quickly to Stacey as not to offend her soon to be husband.

"Oh, Mike could surely use some lessons when it comes to acting gentlemanly,"
she responded wryly, but with a dose of truth to it.

"It sounds like Michael and I will be spending a good deal of quality time
together before the wedding. I do love a challenge." Stacey chuckled to
herself quietly as she suddenly had this comical image in her mind of Mike
with Howard instructing him, like some sort of charm school.

Howard and Vivian then left the main parlor, while Stacey headed to the
assigned spot where the other interns were being assembled. For today, she
wore a crisp navy blue polyester suit with skirt, resting above the knees, and
her favorite tan pumps with her customary five-inch stiletto heels.

As she marched quickly along the lengthy hallway to the rear of the hotel,
Stacey caught sight of a person up ahead walking towards her. Her brown eyes
looked upon at the goateed, suit-clad man, and then widened ever so slightly
as she recognized the individual""it was Mr. Dupree.

Stacey kept her gaze straight ahead as she passed right by him, and continued
on walking without looking back. Of course, unbeknownst to Stacey, Dupree took
a cursory glance at the striking young woman ... admiring her shapely bare
legs in those enticing stilettos.

Once Stacey reached the end of the hall, she stopped and looked back only to
find Dupree gone. Her mind had instantly remembered what happened in that
ventilation duct yesterday, and was beginning to get really curious at what he
was apparently up to ...

CHAPTER TEN

Peering through a slim separation in the wall-sized tarp, Stacey scanned over
the multitude of people sitting in the main room as they watched the models
walking down the runway. She then spotted what she was looking for""her mom
and Mike sitting next to each other enjoying the show. By the look on Mike's
eager face, Stacey could see that he was enjoying himself a little too much.
How could he find such fascination with those stick figures? ...

Stacey let that slide for Mike was man after all, and can't help himself when
gazing at the opposite sex""just as long as he knows not to do that when
they're out together in public.

"Miss Campbell!" a voice bellowed suddenly from out of nowhere, which caused
the teen girl to practically jump out of her pumps. Stacey quickly turned and
saw Ms. DiPietro standing there with an icy gaze that sent shivers down her
spine. "Enjoying the show?" she said curtly as she continued to stare down the
panicked girl.

"I-I'm sorry, Ms. DiPietro ... I was just ... " Stacey stammered while trying
to control her rising anxiety bubbling within her.

"If being an intern has no significance for you, then you can just leave. But
it will leave a poor mark on your overall grade," the headmaster said in her
usual authoritative voice.

"Yes, it does mean so much to me ... I'll get right back to work," Stacey
answered quickly, but politely, before she hurried off as fast as her
stilettos would take her.

After she was no longer under Ms. DiPietro's radar, Stacey slowed her walk to
a more comfortable stride. When she first started her stay at the school, the
upperclassman referred to the headmaster as the Wicked Witch of Greenwich
Village, and after a month into the first semester, she could see why that
was. I guess in life you interact with people that you don't particularly
like, so I better get used to it ...

She had approached the main wardrobe room to ready the next group of models
when she happened to see Mr. Dupree talking with another man she didn't
recognize at the other end of the hall. She paused for a moment while she held
the door open looking at them, for neither of them had noticed her. After
several seconds later, the two men then walked off, heading in opposite
directions. With the hallway deserted for the moment, Stacey stepped away from
the door and reached down to remove her pumps.

Carrying her shoes, she sprinted down the hall at top speed until she reached
the spot where they both stood moments ago. Peering in the direction that
Dupree headed, Stacey cautiously strolled along, being careful not to be
noticed.

The route she was taking led her to the rear end of the main room for she
could still hear the music from the other side. It was dark all around and
Stacey had trouble seeing where she was going. Up ahead of her, she could hear
someone talking, and proceeded cautiously in that direction. Suddenly, she
rammed her big toe into something very hard. Stacey instinctively let out a
yelp from the pain, but she quickly covered her mouth with her free hand to
stifle her own cries. The voices stopped for a moment, but then resumed again.

Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and Stacey got a look at what she
slammed into""a large metal cylinder that was almost as tall as her. In fact,
she could see several of those objects close by. Not knowing what they could
be Stacey began to move a little closer to hear what was still being said. In
the distance, she spotted Dupree with another unknown man.

"Everything will be all set for tomorrow ... I can assure you nobody suspects
a thing," the man spoke with assurance in his tone.

"Good ... Ms. DiPietro wants this to be a surprise during the grand finale for
she has some favors she wishes to return," Dupree responded.

"I must say, your boss is going through a lot of trouble with all this ... "
the man then said.

"You just do your job, and we'll handle the rest accordingly," Dupree replied
as that ended the conversation.

Stacey swiftly ducked back down behind those large cylinders for cover as she
heard footsteps approaching.

Dupree walked through the darkened room, knowing where to step to avoid
hitting those objects that littered the area. He suddenly stopped and began
looking around like something wasn't right. After a few more seconds, he
continued walking on out back towards the exit from which he came through.

After he was gone, Stacey let a quiet sigh of relief for that was too close.
Not wanting to risk injuring anymore on her toes, she placed her shoes back on
her bare feet and stood up. Seeing that the close was now clear, she headed
for the same exit as quickly and quietly as she could without attracting any
more attention.

Once she was back in the hallway, she squinted her eyes as the bright lights
suddenly returned. Readjusting them again, she began to see much better and
headed for the wardrobe room she was originally going to.

She opened the door only to find Howard standing there with Vivian, her
mother, and Mike. "Stacey, where were you?" Howard said with his usual concern
in his throaty voice. "You didn't tell me that your mother was here also ...
shame on you."

"I guess it slipped my mind ... " she replied sheepishly. "Well, I see that
you all met," she added, and then went straight over to her fiancé. She stood
on her toes despite the soaring heels of her shoes for she was still shorter
than the burly six-foot-one, twenty-one-year-old man. "Hi ... " she whispered
to him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"I must say, you landed yourself one fine looking man," Howard spoke, which
caused the happy couple to look at him suspiciously for different reasons.

"I see you already met Howard too," Stacey said wryly to Mike, which he
replied with a nod.

"Listen, I was wondering if you want to get some dinner after the show. Low
keyed this time ... you can still wear what you have on, which looks gorgeous
on you."

"Better than those fabulous models at the show?" she asked teasingly.

"Those women can't even begin to compete with you. You're a hundred times
prettier than all of them." The line sounded so clichéd, but Stacey smiled
back at his heartfelt compliment. She then turned to Vivian with a guilty look
on her face.

"Oh, don't worry about me ... you're mom and I are going to take in some of
the sights after. I'll check with you later tonight," Vivian replied warmly as
the friend she was.

"Okay ... I hate to break you two lovebirds up, but we still have show to run
here," Howard interjected graciously.

"I'll meet you at the lobby right after the show," Mike said, giving her one
last kiss. Lynda grabbed his arm as she gently pulled him away from her only
daughter. Mike gave her a final wave as the two of them exited the room.

Stacey continued looking on at the empty doorway as if she were in some form
of trance. "Mike wouldn't happen to have an older brother, would he?" Howard
then spoke up innocently, which made Stacey and Vivian both stare at him
oddly. "Doesn't hurt to ask ... " he said quietly more to himself as he
promptly left.

"C'mon, let's get back to work ... " Vivian echoed Howard's request, and the
two roommates headed for the open door, arms over each other's shoulder. As
they exited the room, Stacey then had a nagging thought in her mind as she
wondered exactly what surprise Ms. DiPietro had planned for tomorrow ...

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The tapping sound of Stacey's stilettos were heard as she trotted quickly over
to the main entrance of the school. The evening air outside was getting much
cooler and her bare legs were covered with goosebumps ""she wished that she
decided to wear nylons instead. Mike was right behind her and swiftly sped up
to get the door for her. He tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Stacey
held up a white card she retrieved from her purse. "You need one of these to
get inside ... " she said and waved it front of a small black box next to the
glass door. A buzzing sound was then heard, and Mike was able to open it now.

Once inside the warmth of the main lobby, Stacey halted for a moment to catch
her breath. Mike reached her as he was also glad to escape the chill outside.
"I've never seen a woman that can run in high heels the way you can," he
complimented her for like the thousandth time now since they first started
dating.

"Yeah, well after this week, I think I'll be taking a six-month sabbatical
from wearing all kinds of heels," she replied with some discomfort in her
voice as her feet ached in the pumps, but decided to still keep them on for
Mike loved seeing them on her.

"So, this is where you live ... " Mike spoke as he scanned around the
expansive room, eyeing the various sketches and paintings of designer outfits
that littered the walls.

"Yes, my home away from home," she replied with a bit of sorrow in her voice
for she still missed her house back in Schenectady. "I noticed that Howard has
taken a liking to you," she then said from their meeting back at the hotel.

"About Howard ... " Mike spoke warily, " ... he's not, you know ... 'into
me'?"

Stacey chuckled lightly at her fiancé's homophobic behavior, which didn't make
him feel any better. "I'm sorry ... I can assure you Howard's appreciation for
you is purely platonic. He likes you more as an uncle, or aunt, depending how
you look at it."

Mike looked all flustered at hearing that, which made Stacey chuckle even
more. In all the time she's known him, Mike was the type of person that kept
his emotions in check, and now seeing him looking so vulnerable made him even
more attractive to her. She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his
waist. "You have nothing to worry about regarding Howard ... He knows you're
off limits."

Mike relaxed at her soothing presence for she always made him feel at ease
when things got stressful. "I love you so much," he said tenderly.

"I know ... " was her reply, which had a hint of haughtiness to it, and kissed
him affectionately on the lips. Mike grinned afterwards for he also loved her
fiery attitude, another aspect of her personality that he found arousing.

"Why don't I go up with you to your room and give you another one of my first
class foot massages," he said softly as still held her lovingly.

Stacey looked really happy upon hearing that pleasant offer, but her
expression quickly changed. "You can't ... no visitors allowed upstairs," she
said with regret for that was another one of Ms. DiPietro's rules she didn't
agree with.

"Well, I guess it's goodnight then ... " Mike said with resignation, and
kissed her one last time. He pressed the elevator button for her and waited to
see her off. "How about getting some breakfast in the morning before you have
to work?" he said as Stacey entered the vacant elevator.

"That sounds great ... " she replied cheerfully, and waved to him as the door
closed.

As the elevator car made its slow ascent to the third floor, Stacey leaned
against the back wall, looking at her engagement ring again, which brought
another smile to her face. But then her mood shifted to that of frustration
for when the show was over, Mike would be heading back home, and she wouldn't
be able to spend any quality time with him, for that's what engaged couples
did.

The elevator doors abruptly opened and Stacey sauntered out as her stride
mirrored her dour mood she was now in, which her exhaustion from the day's
hectic activities had helped fueled it more. Still, she was going to enjoy as
much time with Mike while he was in the city, and worry about when he leaves
later.

Reaching the door to her room, Stacey felt some solace for at least she will
get out of these clothes and relax in a soft warm bed, that is after she had
her nightly chat with Vivian. Opening the door with her key, Stacey entered
and turned on the light switch. She unexpectedly dropped her keys at the sight
in front of her!

Vivian was kneeling on the carpeted floor with a petrified look on her ebony
face, which had a white cloth fixed tightly in her mouth. Tears were streaming
down from her terrified brown eyes, which were locked onto Stacey. A tall
woman dressed all in black stood over directly behind her.

Before Stacey had a chance to do anything, she suddenly felt a hand clamp
itself over her mouth and the sound of the door closing shut.

"Someone wants to meet with the both of you ... " a cold sounding voice
uttered from behind her!

CHAPTER TWELVE

Stacey struggled mightily against the ropes that held her wrists securely
together behind her back as she and Vivian were being forcibly marched through
the empty corridors of the dorm wing. With spring break taking place, most of
the students were away, so the chances of anyone happening upon the crime
taking place were very slim at best. However, those mysterious women took
necessary precautions should such a chance encounter occur as both girls wore
a burqa (which were borrowed from the fashion show) to conceal the fact they
were essentially bound and gagged.

Stacey could still see somewhat through the mesh-like material covering her
upper face. She prayed that someone would stumble upon them for that could
make all the difference from escaping this frightening situation. But alas,
luck was on their captors' side for it seemed like not a soul was about on the
floor they were on. The thick strip of cloth she bit down on did a substantial
job at stifling her cries, like most of the gags she wore prior. One thought
that was running through her panicked mind was why this was happening in the
first place. The security door prevented unauthorized people from just walking
inside, for after all this is New York City, so that meant that these men had
to of had a key card. But how did they obtain one, unless ...

A sickening feeling then came over her as she suspected who may be behind
their startling abduction, for this was planned, and only one person could've
pulled it off ...

The elevators came into view and the thought of taking her and Vivian out of
the school terrified her as much as being taken captive in first place, but
instead, their captors had turned a corner away from them. Not sure where
their intended destination was to be, Stacey gripped her new engagement ring
and pulled it off her finger, letting it drop onto the floor. She didn't want
to part with her new token of love like this, but it was the only thing she
could leave behind in the small hope of someone discovering where they went
to.

They soon arrived at the other end of the main building. A tall woman was
standing next to a door and opened it as the foursome walked straight through
it. Stacey immediately recognized where they were now as that just confirmed
her suspicions.

The garments were removed from both of them, and the two roommates stood
tensely in front of a large desk. A tall chair behind it began to revolve and
sitting in it was Madeline DiPietro!

Vivian looked completely astonished at seeing the headmaster before her for it
didn't make any sense at all. Stacey, however, didn't look at all surprised,
but was still bewildered as to exactly why she, and her friend, had been taken
against their will like this.

"Please, sit down ... " she said calmly, gesturing to the leather sofa
situated nearby. Stacey didn't feel like doing anything this woman wanted her
to do, not after this, but her tired feet ached for she still wore the pumps
she had on all day.

Stacey and Vivian reluctantly took a seat on the soft fabric. Another figure
was then seen standing next to Ms. DiPietro for it was Dupree, who had a smug
look on his face at the two hapless girls.

"I'm sure you are both are wondering what is going on ... " Madeline spoke as
she got right to the point. "You two don't know this, but after tomorrow I
will be relieved of my duties as headmaster to this school, and in the fashion
industry as well."

Stacey studied her face after hearing that startling news as she could make
out what looked like anger in her normally stoic demeanor, and that scared her
for Ms. DiPietro never showed any outward emotions in public.

"I won't bore you both with any of the trivial details, but suffice it to say
I'm being expelled by my peers. Me ... expelled!" she shouted, which caused
both girls to flinch in fear. She rose from her seat and began strolling
slowly over to them. "A colleague of mine discovered something from my past
that I thought was long forgotten. My breakout into the fashion world happened
when I was not much older than either of you. My mentor, Karl Franks ... who
was an up and coming designer and so ahead of his time, showed me his newest
spring line, they were the most fabulous designs I had ever seen. I wanted
them so badly for my work was average at best. So, I did the only thing I
could do to ensure the future of my career was assured ... I had him killed
and took all of his work as my own."

Both Stacey and Vivian glanced at one another in absolute shock at what they
just heard ... the prestigious Madeline DiPietro""a giant in the fashion
industry""was nothing more than a fraud, and a murderer.

"Of course, none of my peers are even aware that I know what they know about
me, which I have to give credit to my loyal assistant here for alerting me
ahead of time." Dupree smirked in an arrogant sort of way in response to her
praise of him. "So, as a way of showing my deepest appreciation to all those
that wish to stab me in the back, I have a little surprise all prepared for
them tomorrow during the grand finale ... a room full of cyanide gas!"

Stacey's eyes widen in horror upon hearing that, as she made a high-pitched
sound through her gag. That was what I hit my foot on earlier today, tanks of
that lethal gas ... and there were a dozen or so of them! And those men in the
air ducts ... that's how they intend to pump the gas!

Seeing her stunned reaction, Madeline smiled wickedly. "After that little
incident with Miss Reynolds here of stumbling upon one of my shipments of the
gas, we thought we were in the clear, that is until you, my dear, poked your
little nose around, spying on my assistant."

"You have on a very lovely perfume, Miss Campbell ... " Dupree suddenly spoke
up, also stepping forward next to his employer. "Chanel No. 19, if I'm not
mistaken. I smelled it first when I walked by you in the hallway, and then
later on amongst the gas tanks."

Stacey cursed at herself for being so careless like that, for Katie wouldn't
be that clumsy in a similar situation.

"Afterwards, I saw you again with your friend here ... " he gestured to
Vivian, "I had one my men with me to see if he recognized her, and he said
that she was the one who happened upon our shipment in the basement. After
that, we knew then that you were both onto us."

Vivian looked at Stacey with a perplexed look on her face for this was the
first time she heard about Stacey snooping around. Madeline picked up her
silent query, and it became suddenly clear to her. "You two weren't in on this
together ... interesting. Just two separate instances by sheer coincidence."

Vivian felt guilty now, for it was her bumbling that started all this. Of
course, she quickly realized that if none of that had happened they wouldn't
be here as prisoners, but going to the show tomorrow ... to still be killed.

Stacey looked at her as if she read her mind, knowing that it wasn't her
fault, but these bastards that's holding them captive. Her woeful thoughts
then drifted to tomorrow where hundreds of people were going to die
needlessly, including Howard, her mom ... and Mike! A tear ran down her cheek
as she wept for her loved ones who will soon perish without them knowing it.
If Mike's fate was to be sealed tomorrow, then Stacey had no reason to live
either, so any threats of death they would unleash upon her was utterly futile
now.

Madeline smiled knowingly to the sorrowful Stacey. "I have decided that the
both of you are going to remain alive ... for now."

One of the men that brought them here was pushing an end table with a small
flat screen TV resting on top of it. "I have hacked into several
closed-circuit cameras overseeing all aspects the show where you both can
watch the massacre unfold in all of its glory without any interruptions, as
all the TV stations no doubt will," Madeline spoke with a sinister tone, and
then laughed that of a witch would, which she was indeed now one.

"I am well aware that the police will connect me to the crime, but after my
grand finale to the show, my assistant and I will essentially disappear where
no one will ever find us. So, you see I have all the bases covered, for no one
can prevent this from happening."

Stacey slumped deep into the leather sofa in complete despair for her life,
and everyone else she cherished here, was essentially over ...

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

" ... Stacey, why aren't you picking up?" Mike said worriedly into his cell
phone as he was hearing her voice message greeting ... for the third time now.
After having already left a message the first time he called forty-five
minutes ago, Mike just turned his phone off again in aggravation. The time was
now 9:35""twenty-five minutes before the show begins. He knew that she
wouldn't cancel on their breakfast date without calling him""it just didn't
make any sense. Pacing around the hotel eatery like a caged lion, Mike stormed
out to try and find someone ...

Arriving at the backstage entrance, a security guard standing by halted him
from gaining access. "I'm sorry, but anyone without an ID pass cannot enter
through," he said firmly, but politely.

"I'm looking for Howard ... " Mike stopped short of his sentence as he didn't
remember his last name. Just then, he spotted the portly man among a group of
people milling around. "Howard!" he yelled out, almost into the guard's ear.
"Sorry ... " he apologized quickly to him.

Hearing his name being called out, Howard turned and noticed Mike standing
there. He rushed over to him and motioned the guard. "It's alright, he's with
me ... " and he gently took Mike's hand, escorting him inside. Mike felt a
little uncomfortable having his held so delicately by the likes of Howard.

Once they were fully inside, Howard released Mike's hand""he had an anxious
look on his round face. "Where is Stacey? ... She's over two hours late?" he
asked, figuring that she was with her fiancé the whole time.

"How should I know? ... She never met me for breakfast. I guessed that she
might've gone here instead," Mike replied a bit harshly, but then lightened
up. "I'm sorry ... it's just that I'm getting concerned now."

Howard didn't look all that much better either. "Have you tried calling her?"
he then asked.

"Of course ... three times," Mike replied in frustration.

"Okay, dumb question ... " Howard said quickly. "Did you trace her cell
phone?"

Mike had a puzzled look on his face by that question. "You can do that?"

"Of course ... Stacey's cell has a GPS tracker in it," Howard replied
matter-of-factly, and retrieved his own phone from his inside jacket pocket.

Mike watched in fascination as Howard start pressing a series of buttons very
rapidly""it was like seeing a pro at work. "It's located at the school," he
finally said. He then did another series of pressing buttons. "And Vivian's is
also there."

"Why would the phones still be there ... did they oversleep?" Mike asked,
trying to find a rational answer, but knew it was very thin at best.

"Their phones are there, it doesn't mean they are ... Although, Stacey never
goes anywhere without hers."

"Okay, I'm getting really worried now!" Mike said as he looked like he was
ready to explode.

"Just calm down ... " Howard said soothingly, " ... I'll find Ms. DiPietro and
see if she knows anything." Howard then quickly dashed off down a hallway,
while Mike continued to pace restlessly as he waited.

It didn't take Howard very long to find the headmaster as she was alone in a
quiet spot near one of the dressing rooms. He went to approach her, but
quickly noticed that she was talking on her phone. He quietly stepped aside to
allow her to finish with her conversation at hand.

With her back facing him, she wasn't aware that he was close by. "I don't care
if he doesn't like it ... I want them both taken to the river once it's all
over," she said softly, but just audible enough for Howard to hear it.

His eyes went wide with apprehension upon hearing that, and he gently walked
away without being noticed. Once he was no longer within eyesight of Madeline,
he began high-tailing it back to where he left Mike""only when he got there,
he was no longer around.

Howard urgently scanned around, and caught sight of him with Lynda outside in
the main lobby. He trotted once more until he reached them.

"Do you know where my daughter is?" Lynda asked Howard nervously as Mike no
doubt already told her what was happening.

"Not really, but I need to speak with Mike first," Howard replied politely.

"If this has something to do with Stacey, I insist you tell me as well," she
said firmly. Howard could clearly see the anguish in her brown eyes, and he
sighed in empathy.

"All right ... I overheard Ms. DiPietro talking about someone being at the
school, that's all."

"But, why would she be there? ... Her job is right here," Lynda said with
confusion.

"I don't know, but Mike and I are going there to check it out," Howard said to
assure Lynda's rising anxieties. "Just stay right here, and we'll call you
first chance."

Lynda nodded in response and then took a seat nearby to help calm herself.

Howard led Mike back over to the backstage. Once they were in a quiet spot, he
stopped. "I didn't want to tell Lynda this, but I also heard Ms. DiPietro say
something about taking 'them' to the river once it was all over."

Mike was taken aback at hearing that alarming news. "What did she mean by,
'once it was all over?'"

"I don't know, but I can tell you that she sounded pretty adamant to whoever
she was speaking to," Howard replied ominously.

"We got to go there right now," Mike stated emphatically.

"Where? ... " Howard asked in bewilderment.

"The school ... It sounds like the girls are in trouble."

"We don't even know they're still there," Howard said, but hoped that he was
wrong for the girls then could be anywhere in the city.

"Well, it's a start and I'm going ... " Mike said and started to walk off, but
then stopped. "Except, I don't remember where it is."

Howard grumbled. "Oh, alright ... I'll take you there," he said and took the
lead. "If they're in some sort of jeopardy, shouldn't we call the police
instead?"

"And tell them what, that all we have is a hunch?"

"But what if there is ... you know ... danger awaiting us when we get there,"
Howard sounded all tense at that troubling thought.

"We do whatever's necessary ... " Mike replied simply, and the two men exited
the building ...

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The drive down to the fashion school by taxi cab would normally take about ten
minutes from the hotel, but an unexpected traffic jam at Herald Square,
brought all cars to a dead stop.

Mike shifted restlessly in the back seat of the cab with a tense look on his
face. "What's the problem? ... " he asked the driver, hoping to hear that this
snarl would correct itself soon.

"I'm not sure ... " replied the driver with a thick Indian accent for he was
just as confused.

"Welcome to Manhattan traffic ... " Howard said cynically, sitting next to
Mike. "I knew we should've taken the subway."

Looking out the window more closely, Mike could make out some police cars in
the distance as the sounds of fire trucks approaching""it had all the makings
of a serious accident. He couldn't stop thinking about his beloved Stacey ...
who knows what kind of potential danger she might be in. And sitting around in
a stalled taxi cab wasn't going to help her any quicker.

"We could still take the 'D' train, and then switch over to the 'A' ... that
should still get us reasonably closer there," Howard muttered to himself.

"I just found a faster way to get there ... " Mike said, and pointed over to
the sidewalk nearby""a motorbike was parked in front of a small deli store.

"We can't take someone's bike ... that would be stealing!" Howard said in
aghast. He had heard about Mike's criminal past from Stacey, but was told that
he rescinded his unlawful ways.

Getting out of the cab, Mike hurried over to the bike before its owner would
return. Howard soon followed him after paying the cab driver what they owed.

Looking at the bike, Mike noticed the key in the ignition and heard the engine
idling""this was just too easy for someone of his talents at stealing things.
However, it didn't have much a backseat for another person to sit,
particularly someone of Howard's rather rotund size. But he needed him to come
for Mike didn't have a clue as to where the school was from here, and he
didn't want to waste anymore time asking for directions.

Mike hopped on the bike. "Get on ... " he said to Howard quickly.

The fashion guru had never ridden on a motorcycle before, and was reluctant at
first, but he sat right behind Mike, wrapping both arms tightly around his
wide waist. "Hey, not so tight!" Mike yelled over the humming engine, for he
still felt a bit uncomfortable around him.

"Hey! ... Get off my bike!" a voice bellowed out from inside the store, and a
young man no older than twenty-one was seen running out.

Mike quickly flipped up the kick stand, and accelerated the bike so fast that
Howard almost fell off as they raced through the grid-locked traffic.

* * *

Lynda still sat edgily on the chair after Mike and Howard left. She checked
her gold watch. They should've been there by now ... she thought fretfully.
Looking at her cell phone she held, she willed it to ring for she wanted
greatly to hear her daughter's voice.

Just then, there were the sounds of people mulling around nearby, and Lynda
looked over there. Her brown eyes gazed at one person in particular ... Ms.
DiPietro!

Standing up, Lynda marched towards her""the sounds of her stiletto heels
clicked audibly in perfect rhythm.

Making her way through the small crowd, Lynda came face-to-face with her
former headmaster. Madeline didn't seem to recognize her, but her change of
expression corrected that. "Lynda Guzman ... My, it has been a long while,"
she said appreciatively, but with her smug tone hovering on the surface.

"Actually, it's Lynda Campbell ... as in Stacey Campbell's mother," she
replied with a bit of a smug tone herself.

"Oh ... I'm sorry. I didn't know ... " Madeline said a bit flustered. "Well
... it was nice seeing you again ... " she added, trying to walk away.

"Not so fast ... " Lynda moved right in front of her, blocking her way. "Where
is Stacey?" she asked directly, her face only inches away.

"Actually ... I was just told that she's here now," Madeline replied quickly.
"If you don't believe me, I'll take you to her."

Lynda was hesitant at first, but then allowed Madeline to lead her. Traversing
through the backstage area of the fashion show, Lynda was escorted down to the
basement level and soon found herself to what appeared to be a storage room.
She looked confused by the surroundings and wondered what her daughter would
be doing in such a dismal-looking place. "Stacey? ... " she called out.

Just then, two leatherclad women appeared from behind some large boxes nearby.
Lynda's muscles stiffened up as she quickly realized this was a trap. "What've
you done with my daughter!?" she yelled at Madeline, who just stood by with a
dispassionate expression on her porcelain-smooth face.

"I'd be more concerned on what will happen to you ... " she replied in an icy
tone at the unfortunate woman.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Stacey and Vivian both had a very restless sleep overnight as they remained
bound and gagged. They had been lashed to the two chairs that were positioned
in front of the desk. The television was placed directly in front of them to
observe""images from the fashion show flickered from one spot to another.
Seeing the people on the screen doing their various jobs was so painful to
watch, for in just a few short hours they will all be dead in a cruel and
senseless way.

The two roommates looked upon each other again, resigning to the fact that
their own lives will be over soon enough.

Looking at the flat screen, Stacey's eyes went wide in alarm as she saw
something that obviously caught her attention. In one of the scenes showing
the backstage area, Ms. DiPietro was seen escorting Stacey's mom to somewhere
out of the camera's view.

Her mind raced with reasons as to why that was happening, and all of them led
to one disturbing conclusion, which made Stacey fear for her mother's
immediate safety. It was heart wrenching enough that she was going to die
soon, but seeing her with that witch of a woman cannot be good.

The man sitting on the leather sofa nearby caught Stacey's distress as he
paused from reading the magazine he held in his hands. He was assigned to
guard the two captives until it was time to dispose of them, and was under
strict orders not to touch either of them; otherwise he would find himself in
the same fate as them. He nodded his head and went back to his article,
waiting patiently for the time to get rid of those two girls.

* * *

Mike made excellent time in getting to the school as he finally slowed the
motorbike when he came upon it. Howard couldn't wait to get off as he looked
shell-shocked from the ride.

Arriving at the entrance, Mike stopped the bike and placed the kick stand
down. "You can let go now," he said to his jittery passenger.

Stepping off, Howard looked as though he was going to throw up, which he
almost did.

"Are you still upset about that outdoor café we almost hit?" Mike asked as
Howard gave him a sneer in response. "That waiter was in my way."

"He was on the sidewalk where he should be!" Howard protested as his anger
began to slowly bubble. "Actually, it was that near collision on 12th Street
with those two taxi cabs that had me almost wetting my pants."

"Well, I got us here in one piece, and in record time I might add," Mike
answered back, defending his prowess at riding a motorcycle.

Turning his attention to the task at hand, Mike went over to the front door,
figuring out a way to disable the remote sensor that kept it locked.

"Allow me ... " Howard chimed in as he came alongside Mike, moving his key
card over the sensor. He opened the door for his more rugged companion. "You
may want to terrorize the people of this city with your insane driving, but I
cannot let you damage school property."

Mike walked through with his head still held up high for he didn't want to
give Howard the satisfaction. The two made their way to the elevators to
hopefully find what they're looking for ...

* * *

With her arms stiff from being stretched around the backside of the chair,
Stacey couldn't really feel them anymore. She glanced over to Vivian as the
athletic girl was also showing signs of fatigue. When it came time to for
their untimely demise, neither of them would have the strength to resist it.

Another image then flashed on the screen, and it was a new scene. A man was
seen sitting in some kind of control booth. Stacey recognized the person as
the man that Dupree was talking to when she was eavesdropping. That's where
the ejecting of the lethal gas was to be conducted! The view was a bit towards
his back side and facing him was a large window. Seeing through it, Stacey
could make out the main hall of the show below as that creep had a front row
seat of the massacre to take place.

Just then, a ringing sound was heard. The man sitting retrieved his cell phone
from his jacket pocket. "Rosenthal ... " he said plainly, speaking into the
small device. He nodded a couple of times from listening what was being said
on the other line. "Got it ... " he then replied and closed up the phone.

He then rose up from his seat and walked over to the exit door. Opening it,
was another man sitting on a small chair right outside the office""he was
listening to music on a portable MP3 player. "Davis ... " Rosenthal said, then
tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention, which he did. "I just got a
call from Mr. Dupree ... He says to watch out for anything suspicious."

"Like what? ... " Davis asked while holding his mini earphones.

"He didn't say, only to report anything out of the ordinary," he replied. "And
put that thing away, you're supposed to be working," he added irately,
referring to the music player. And with that, Rosenthal went back inside,
closing the door behind him.

* * *

Walking down the hallway back towards the elevators, both Mike and Howard
looked even more upset. "If they weren't in their rooms, they could be
anywhere," Howard said as their one lead came crashing down after discovering
the girls were, in fact, not in their room.

"Maybe it's time I had a private chat with that headmaster," Mike spoke
ominously, which made Howard more nervous.

"That might not be wise ... " Howard cautioned as he pressed the down button,
"Ms. DiPietro has a personal assistant, Nicholas Dupree, and he is one scary
fellow ... I wouldn't mess with him," he added all tense just thinking about
him.

As the elevator doors opened, Mike took a quick glance over at the adjoining
hallway, and narrowed his eyes at something. He walked down there and Howard
quickly followed, letting the doors close.

Bending down to the carpeted floor, Mike picked a small object and instantly
recognized it""it was Stacey's engagement ring! There was no way she would
leave that accidentally behind, unless she dropped it there on purpose.
Looking down the hall they were in, Mike spoke up, "Where does that lead to?"
he pointed straight ahead.

"The faculty offices ... " Howard replied simply.

Figuring that the girls were taken from their room, the placement of the ring
here indicated that they were heading in that direction.

Mike pocketed the ring and began walking in this new direction with a sense of
urgency, as he hoped that it would lead to both Stacey and Vivian.

* * *

Peering around a corner, Mike could make out a man sitting in a chair. Seeing
that struck him as a bit odd for that person didn't appear to be a security
guard. Howard, too, saw him and had a puzzled look on his bearded face.

Noticing that, Mike slipped back out of sight and motioned Howard to do the
same. "What's wrong?" Mike asked him in a soft tone.

"That door he's sitting next to is the entrance to Ms. DiPietro's private
office," Howard answered back just as quietly.

Mike's blue eyes gleamed upon hearing that. "Don't you see, that man is
standing guard, because Stacey and Vivian must be in there."

Howard found that conclusion to be a little far-fetched. "I still can't
believe that she would even do such a thing. I mean, she may be tough and
stern, but I know Madeline, and she just isn't capable of really hurting
anyone," he said, trying to make some sense of what was happening.

"Maybe she really isn't the person you know ... " Mike spoke back. "You said
yourself that she sounded very suspicious back at the hotel. Who knows what's
going on in that head of hers."

Howard then looked Mike straight in the eye with a resolved look on his face.
"Okay ... what do you have in mind?"

* * *

Davis continued on listening to his player, despite what Rosenthal said
before. This was a shit job, sitting around here with nothing to do. At least
if he was inside with those two really cute girls all tied up like that ...
then that would be a different story.

He had the volume cranked up while enjoying the latest Green Day album that he
didn't even notice what was coming on either side of him ...

* * *

Mike delivered a powerful blow to Davis' face that it knocked the man
temporarily unconscious. Before he hit the floor, Howard was standing at the
opposite end, and caught him""he quickly dragged the passed out man down the
hallway and out of sight.

"One down ... " Mike said quietly upon Howard's return.

"You mean, there could be more of them?" Howard peeped nervously at that
troubling thought.

"No, I'm sure they left them all alone in there to wait for the cavalry to
arrive," Mike responded in his typical sarcastic way, which made Howard
grumble in response.

"So, what's our next move?" Howard inquired anxiously.

* * *

Rosenthal continued to read the copy of Sports Illustrated he brought along
with him, which was fortuitous for him as Ms. DiPietro's available reading
material was from the likes of Vogue, Glamour, and The New Yorker, among
others. He managed to take a glance over at his two charges sitting quietly in
front of that TV perched for them. He did find them both very enticing, in
different ways. It was a shame that two gorgeous young women, such as
themselves, would have to die so soon. But orders were orders, and a man like
Rosenthal was very loyal, as were all the people employed by Ms. DiPietro.

Just then, there was knock on the door, and Rosenthal turned to it. He
immediately stood and approached the closed door. "Davis, is that you?" he
called out, a hint of wavering in his deep voice.

"Yeah ... " was the only response at the other end. It was low and quiet,
which made Rosenthal a bit more nervous now. He stepped up to the door, his
hand grasping the knob and began twisting it ever so slowly ...

During that moment in a thunderstorm when you hear the low rumbling sound of
the thunder overhead, what immediately followed would then be characterized as
the abrupt piercing cracking noise of the lightning strike, as the door was
suddenly flung open, knocking Rosenthal straight to the floor.

Both Stacey and Vivian were also caught off guard by the suddenness of the
attack that they gasped through their cloth-filled mouths. Then, instantly
afterwards, looks of joy and relief casted over their exhausted faces as they
saw Mike and Howard rushing into the spacious office!

Upon first entering, Howard was overjoyed first at seeing no other men present
inside, and, of course, seeing that Stacey and Vivian were still alive and
well, considering their present circumstances that he noticed right away.

Rosenthal was only stunned by the surprise assault, and quickly reached out
with his arm, grasping Mike's ankle and tripping him up.

Stacey yelped through her gag at seeing her fiancé stumble, and found new
strength to try and free herself from her bonds.

Howard briefly looked back and gasped as well, seeing Mike now on the floor
with that man clawing his way on top of him. He looked indecisive on what to
do next for he had never been in a physical conflict before. Fumbling with his
stubby fingers, he spotted a tall ornate vase on a table nearby and went to
it.

Grabbing it, he swiftly ran back, and with all his might, swung the delicate
object over the opponent's head, and smashing into hundreds of small pieces.

Rosenthal instantly went limp upon being struck in the head, and lied
completely motionless on top of a stunned Mike as he looked upon Howard. "I
never did like that vase," he said with a mix of humor and tension as his
heart was pounding in his big chest from all the adrenaline he was feeling
now.

After being helped up to his feet, Mike gave Howard a friendly slap on the
shoulder for a job well done. Then his attention immediately went to his
beloved as he rushed over to her in absolute relief.

Bending down in front of her, Mike extracted the cloth from Stacey's mouth,
while Howard attended to freeing Vivian as well. She licked her dry lips from
being gagged all night, then smiled warmly at Mike.

Sensing that she was indeed okay, Mike reached into his jacket pocket. "You
should be more careful where you put your ring down ... this cost me two
months pay," he said while holding the diamond ring in front of her, then
leaned over and gave his fiancée a loving kiss.

* * *

After Mike and Howard had been filled in with all the gruesome details of what
Madeline was up to at the show, they arrived back at the main entrance of the
school. Stacey and Vivian, along with Howard, stopped short suddenly as Mike
noticed that the motorbike he had left was now gone.

Seeing his distraught reaction, Howard spoke up, "Well, what did you expect?
... You stole it in the first place."

Using Mike's cell phone, Stacey tried calling her mother, but was told that
the line was not available at this time, which made her fearful even more now.
Not wanting to waste anymore precious time, she ran to the curbside and hailed
a taxi that was approaching. "Come on!" she yelled out to the others as the
cab stopped right alongside of her.

They all hustled quickly inside and then drove off, hoping to avert a disaster
of epic proportions ...

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Lynda sat on the cold concrete floor of the storage room with a look of
distress on her face. The fashion school alumnus was tied hand and foot with
duct tape, and her mouth was completely covered with another strip from ear to
ear. Her arms were wrapped securely around one of the vertical metal support
beams, which caused her to stay where she sat.

Madeline stood over her former student with a neutral gaze, as the idea of
tying someone up against their will didn't even faze her in the slightest.
"Don't bother to try and call for help," she said to her captive, "it's two
stories down here, and in about four hours, you won't be around for anyone to
rescue you anyway."

Lynda was perplexed by that last statement as to what Madeline meant exactly.
Whatever it could be, it didn't sound good as it basically translated to her
demise.

After that, she and the two models that tied her up then left the room,
leaving her all alone. Lynda right away began struggling fiercely against the
tape that held her wrists together, but it was no use as the bindings didn't
even budge for there was so much tape applied, it held her hands like
superglue.

Even though it seemed futile to cry out for help, Lynda did just that,
screaming from the top of her lungs through the tape sealing her full lips
together. She was able to produce an adequate amount a noise, but with no one
around in the immediate vicinity to hear her, rescue seemed very bleak at
best.

Her tortured thoughts returned back to Stacey, as Lynda prayed that she was
alright and would be found unharmed, for if she were to die today, then having
her only daughter saved would make her pleased in the end.

As she sat there completely helpless, Lynda wondered fearfully what type of
death Madeline was alluding to ...

* * *

Arriving back at the hotel in good time""the cab driver knew about the
horrendous traffic jam at midtown and bypassed it easily""the foursome
disembarked the vehicle and quickly headed for the side entrance to the
backstage area. The first thing they needed to establish was where that
control room that Stacey saw on that TV screen was located at the main room,
and the quickest and easiest way to accomplish that would be to walk down the
catwalk for it provided a good elevated view of the entire room.

Since only females were allowed onto the runway, Stacey had nominated herself
for the task, as Vivian had a phobia of being in front of large crowds.

Rushing into the nearest dressing room, of which Mike was not allowed inside,
Vivian and Howard went into double-time primping Stacey up for her impromptu
debut on the New York modeling scene.

"You do understand that by walking out there, you run the likely risk of Ms.
DiPietro seeing you," Howard said nervously to Stacey as he was quickly
brushing out her tangled long tresses.

"In fact, I'm counting on it ... " she responded evenly, much to the surprise
of her two acting stylists. "Think about it ... as long as Madeline is in the
building, there's no way she's going to have the gas released, not until she
leaves first. So, as long as we keep her inside, we're all safe."

"That might be harder than it sounds ... " Howard spoke as he was alluding to
Dupree.

Vivian finished the last touch up of mascara to Stacey's long lashes, and then
placed a reasonable amount of crimson lipstick to her full lips. "All done ...
and beautiful as always," she replied happily to her roommate, proud of her
one-minute makeover.

"If we had more time, I would have you change into something a little
fancier," Howard commented on the worn-out navy blue suit she had on since
yesterday morning.

"Well, it'll just have to make due ... I'm there to save everyone, not to
impress the fashion industry," Stacey replied as she hopped off the stool she
stood on, and made her way out.

Mike quickly followed as Stacey and her entourage walked down the hall towards
the starting gate, as it was called in the fashion world.

Taking a place in line among a multitude of tall women, Stacey appeared very
out of place as she was the shortest one there""even with her own lofty heels
on. The woman standing in front of her did a quick double-take at the petite
brunette behind her. "One of the girls needed to expel her breakfast in the
ladies room ... " was Stacey's flippant remark to the snooty-looking model.

Mr. Bonaduce, the fashion coordinator for the show, and second to Ms. DiPietro
in the hierarchy, was standing between the two lines of models on either side
of him, guiding them through a narrow opening at precise times for each girl
to have thirty seconds of exposure.

When Stacey moved at the front of her line, Mr. Bonaduce gave her a quick
puzzled look on his bispectled face. "Wait a minute ... aren't you one of the
interns here?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about ... " Stacey replied with a mock
European accent, trying to bluff her way through.

Suddenly, Howard came running over to them. "This is not that simple girl
you're thinking ... " he said, panting a little, "this is Gabrielle ... one of
the newest models on the New York fashion scene. Personally picked by Ms.
DiPietro herself."

With his precision timing now off, Bonaduce stepped aside. "Oh, alright ... go
on through," he motioned to Stacey, who then trotted down the makeshift
corridor, which led to ...

Her brown eyes widen ever so slightly as Stacey stepped onto the famous New
York fashion runway. Hundreds of people were all seated around her, most of
them taking pictures as flashes of light dotted all around her in the dimly
lit main hall.

This seminal moment was one of her dreams come true as Stacey stood in front
of the fashion elite. She didn't want this to end as the urgency of the
situation took a brief pause""she savored every second of it as she kept her
composure and walked tall in her five-inch stilettos. Reaching the end of the
lengthy catwalk, Stacey stopped for a moment and then scanned the expansive
room as her mind returned back to reality. A large rectangular mirrored window
was situated on the upper portion at one of the far walls, and Stacey just
knew that it was the room she was looking for.

Turning around, she glanced down below and to her right. Ms. DiPietro was
sitting there with a look that Stacey, and perhaps everyone else, had never
seen before on her""genuine fear, as she stared right back at her. She gave
her headmaster a slight smirk, and then walked off casually back the way she
came.

Returning to the entryway, Howard was still there to greet her. "So, how was
it?" he asked, seeing the starry-eyed look on her face.

"That was definitely one of the top five moments of my life," she replied as
she was still a bit stunned from the whole experience.

"Anyway, did you find what we're looking for?" Howard snapped back to the
mission at hand now.

"Yes ... and we better move fast as Madeline just saw me," Stacey responded
sharply.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

" ... I'm sorry, Ms. DiPietro ... but we need about another hour at the most
to repair one unit that has malfunctioned," the voice on the end of Madeline's
cell phone uttered, much to the extreme displeasure of the woman who owned the
phone had heard.

"I don't want to hear excuses! Just get it fixed pronto, or it's all our
heads!" Madeline yelled as she was now entering the backstage of the show,
then shut down the phone in frustration.

Dupree suddenly approached her, also with a concerned look on his usually
stoic face. "You called for me?" he asked anxiously, recalling her
apprehensive inflections in her voice, which alarmed him.

"Yes ... we have a serious situation," Madeline responded a bit calmer now,
"that Campbell girl has escaped, and she had the gall to show her face right
in the middle of the show, like she wasn't concerned about being discovered by
me."

Dupree scratched his neatly trimmed goateed-chin, then his light blue eyes
widened in revelation. "Was she looking around the main hall, like she was
trying to find something?" he asked.

"Why yes, she was ... " Madeline recalled, still confused as to what her
assistant was alluding to.

"She must've been trying to find out where our man is holed up so he can be
stopped," he replied, making everything clear now.

Now Madeline looked even more fearful as her carefully laid out plan could
backfire big time, and land her in prison for the rest of her life. "We have
to find her, and her friend, right away," she referred to Vivian, who no doubt
escaped as well.

"I'm on it ... " Dupree stated assuringly, for he knew what was at stake for
him as well in all this. That reassurance brought some relief to the troubled
woman.

As he left, Madeline then punched up another number on her phone and held it
to her ear. "Simmons ... I need you to retrieve that person we have in our
custody ... "

* * *

Returning to where Mike and Vivian waited, Stacey and Howard escorted them to
a quiet corner as not to be overheard.

"I was right ... " Stacey said to the group listening in, " ... that control
room is at the main room on the level above us."

"I'll contact the hotel security, and have them defuse that place," Howard
offered for he had the clout to persuade them.

Stacey nodded in response. "Mike, you go with him, make sure he's not stopped
before warning them."

Mike grinned at his fiancée. "I like it when you get all authoritive ... makes
you more attractive."

Stacey just gave him a smirk, for that's Mike ... always a ham, even during a
crisis. "Be back in a flash, babe," he said glibly, and the male duo then ran
off.

"Now to find that bitch and force her to tell me where my mother is," Stacey
said to Vivian with malice in her voice as she would enjoy doing that after
everything that's happened over the last twelve hours.

"I've been thinking ... " Vivian spoke up to her enraged friend, " ... I may
know where she's being held."

"Well, then let's get going!" Stacey exclaimed.

"I'll go ... " Vivian replied, then cut her friend off before she had a chance
to interrupt. "You need to find Ms. DiPietro and keep her here in the hotel
... remember?"

Stacey nodded reluctantly for she knew that Vivian was correct, the entire
fate of everyone inside""including them now""depended on preventing Madeline
from escaping. "Please bring her back to me," she grasped Vivian's arm in a
warm gesture.

"I'll be back by the time this is all over," the young ebony woman replied,
and ran off as well.

Left alone now, Stacey had the task of locating Madeline first, before she can
enforce the second part of her plan. Realizing that she was most likely no
longer in the main hall, Stacey began walking around the backstage in a
desperate attempt to locate her.

"Looking for me? ... " a voice called out suddenly from behind her.

Stacey twirled on the ball of her foot, and saw Madeline DiPietro standing
right in front of her.

"We finish this right now," she said to the young intern in her haughty self.

"Yes ... we will," Stacey replied with such conviction in her tone.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Howard was leading Mike to the exit of the show, when he suddenly stopped with
a look of panic on his usually cheerful face. Dupree stood in front of them
with a gaze that would make anyone nervous.

"It's him ... " Howard whispered to Mike, " ... it's Nicholas Dupree."

"Is that right ... " the former gang member announced as he looked him over.
Besides his intimidating look, he didn't look all that threatening to
him""just another suit trying to act all tough.

"I cannot let you pass ... " Dupree said in a cautionary tone.

"Yeah ... you and what army," Mike replied mockingly, and stepped in front of
Howard, doing his best at appearing intimidating.

Mike didn't even see it coming as Dupree instantly twirled his body, lifting
his right leg up, and slamming his black leather shoe right across Mike's jaw.
He fell right to the floor in a resounding thump.

Howard looked even more panicked now as Dupree turned his attention over to
him, placing his hand around the fashion guru's throat. "I think your services
are no longer required, Mr. Fishman," he said coldly as he began squeezing.

Suddenly, Mike was right back on his feet, and grabbed Dupree from behind,
wrapping his massive arms around the smaller man's chest. "What say we try
that again, tough guy?"

Without so much as missing a beat, Dupree snapped his head back, ramming it
into Mike's forehead with a painful WHAP! The younger man was caught off
balance by the unexpected assault, and almost fell down again, but managed to
still hold onto his opponent, which then caused Dupree to release his grip on
Howard.

"Get out of here!" Mike yelled.

Howard began running off, but looked back at his friend with a worried look.
Mike was using all of his strength just to keep Dupree at bay, but wasn't sure
how long that would be. "Don't worry about me ... now go!" he screamed, which
Howard did and ran off.

Dupree had a wicked scowl on his face at seeing Howard flee, and quickly
rammed his elbow harshly into Mike's stomach, winding him. As strong as that
attack was, Mike refused to relinquish his hold on the personal assistant, for
he knew what was at stake ... their very lives.

Not to be undaunted, Dupree bent forward, lifting Mike off his feet in an
attempt to flip him off, but the only thing that it accomplished was him
tumbling down to the floor with nearly 200 pounds right on top of him.

* * *

Walking down those same flight of stairs on Monday, Vivian was retracing her
steps that led her to that storage room she stumbled upon, which started all
this.

Reaching the bottom level, she went straight down a dimly lit hallway, which
looked familiar, and right away she heard faint noises up ahead.

As she moved closer, the sounds grew louder, which were coming from a door
towards the end of the hall. Opening it slowly, Vivian peeked her head inside.
The noises were those of a person's speech muffled, as she recalled hearing
that from Stacey when she was gagged.

Turning on the light switch next to the door, Vivian gasped at seeing Lynda
Campbell sitting on the floor, all trussed up in duct tape.

Sprinting over to her, Vivian bent down on both knees, and gently peeled the
strip of tape from Lynda's mouth. A rolled-up handkerchief was lodged inside
of it, and Lynda spat it out with her tongue.

"Oh, Vivian ... thank you for coming! ... " the mother of her roommate cried
in both dread and relief.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Campbell ... I'll get you out of here in a jiffy," Vivian
replied and proceeded to move over behind her.

"How did you know where to find me?" Lynda asked, as she didn't expect a
rescue to be this quick, and not from someone who was apparently 'missing'.

"Let's just say it was a wild guess," she replied and began working on freeing
Lynda's bound hands.

"Stacey! ... is she alright?" Lynda suddenly asked, realizing that her
roommate was now.

"Yes ... she's upstairs taking care of things."

"I don't understand ... why on earth would Madeline DiPietro have me tied up
like this?" Before she got an answer, Lynda suddenly screamed out.

Vivian looked up and quickly saw what Lynda was staring at""a strange man
standing in front of the open doorway!

* * *

Both women stood facing each other in the hallway, like in those old western
movies where the two gunslingers stared each other down before drawing their
weapons.

"There's no way out for you," Madeline said menacingly, trying to scare the
college girl before her.

"Au contraire ... " Stacey said wryly, " ... it's you who has no where to go."

Madeline thought for a moment what she meant by that, and it suddenly dawned
on her ... She's trying to keep me in here!

Seeing the startled look on her opponent's face, Stacey prepared to make her
move in an effort to subdue the headmaster before she could get away.

Just then, a group of models began walking between them, and the unexpected
distraction allowed Madeline the opportunity to slip away.

Stacey fought her way through the cluster of scantily dressed women, and could
see Madeline heading towards the side exit. "Someone, please stop her!" she
yelled out, but no one around seemed to take any notice of what was happening.

Grumbling to herself in agitation, Stacey quickly removed her pumps, and
started chasing after Madeline, who had now departed the hotel.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Mike has had his fair share of fights in his relatively short lifespan, but
none of those contests before had prepared him for what he was facing right
now, as he regarded this Dupree fellow to be his most challenging opponent
yet.

Struggling to keep him down on the floor with the use of his massive body
weight as an advantage, Mike was still surprised that the rather gaunt-looking
person was able to pry himself out of his tight hold on him. This guy must've
had some kind of professional training, probably military ... Mike thought
alarmingly, as he desperately tried to keep him at bay long enough for Howard
to bring in the cavalry.

With one arm now free, Dupree slammed the heel of his palm harshly into Mike's
face, breaking his nose! Reacting to the extreme pain, Mike grabbed his tender
nose with both hands, thus releasing his grip on Dupree.

The suited-man twirled on his back, giving him the momentum to rise to his
feet. With Mike still crouched over on his knees, Dupree kicked him in the
stomach severely, knocking down the already-injured Mike to the floor. Then
adding insult to injury, he walloped Mike in the face again with his hard-toed
shoe, splitting his left eye.

Smiling cruelly at his defeated foe, Dupree suddenly turned to where Howard
ran off to, when he unexpectedly tripped and fell down. He turned and was
shocked to see Mike still trying to stop him by grabbing his ankle. He figured
those quick sharp moves he administered on him would put that Neanderthal of a
man down for the count, as it did to others before him, but he seriously
underestimated this particular adversary""he even had the slightest hint of
regard for his tenacity, but it had to end now if he still stood a chance of
stopping that queer from ruining everything.

Mike rushed forward and aimed a vicious punch to the face of Dupree. With a
subtle sidestep Dupree dodged the blow and replied with a powerfull kick
straigh to the gut of Mike followed by a powerfull hook to his jaw. To his
suprise Mike barely grunted and kept moving forward. Dupree was schocked as
this kick alone had hospitalized former foes. How the hell can this guy take
my blows and keep moving forward?

Mike, however, took full advantage for Dupree's momentary hesitation, and
rushed at him, giving him his most powerful punch right into his jaw. Dupree
looked dazed from the harsh blow, and then fell straight on his back, out
cold.

Breathing heavily now, Mike sat up on his rear, still holding his bloodied
nose with his other hand, eyeing the motionless person sprawled out next to
him. He then chuckled quietly, knowing he came out victorious.

Just then, the sounds of footsteps were heard as a small group of uniformed
men descended upon the two injured combatants""Howard was seen standing right
behind them for cover.

"What kept you guys ... " he said wryly, then winced in pain a little.

* * *

Vivian panicked when she saw the intruder enter the room. "Get away from her!"
he yelled, making him appear more threatening to the two frightened women.

"P-please, don't hurt me ... " Vivian stammered in fear, and slowly backed
away from the still-bound Lynda.

"You ... get down to the ground," he ordered the scared ebony girl, and then
reached into the pocket of his coveralls. He pulled out a roll of duct tape,
but as it cleared the pocket, it slipped out of his grasp and fell to the
floor.

Seeing how terrified Vivian was of him, he took his eyes off of her for a
moment to retrieve the fallen tape. Just then, he felt a harsh kick to his
stomach, knocking him to the floor on his back. He looked up to see Vivian
standing over him with a brutal look on her face now, for it seemed that her
panic was just an act.

Not giving him the opportunity to get back up on his feet, Vivian kicked at
him again, causing the man to wheeze in pain. Her years growing up in
Philadelphia taught her to defend herself when needed, and since she was
caught off guard when she was subdued in her dorm room last night, this time
she had the advantage, and wanted a little payback now.

Grabbing the roll of tape, Vivian quickly wrapped some around the stunned
man's hands behind his back""giving him an elbow to his face when he tried to
stop her""then applied more around his ankles.

With him now properly subdued, Vivian went back to Lynda to finish what she
had started with freeing her. "That was some very nice moves ... " Lynda said
in astonishment to what she had witnessed.

"Oh, just a little something I picked up on the schoolyard playground," she
replied a bit frivolously, but with some truth to it.

With Lynda fully free of the tape, the two women ran out of the storage
room""Lynda giving a little jab at the man's groin with the pointed toe of her
pump on her way out""and back upstairs. Along the way, Vivian prayed that
Stacey was able to do her part successfully.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Running like she had never run in her life, Madeline was making her way from
the side view of the hotel to 5th Avenue up ahead. The three-inch stilettos
she wore on her blue suede pumps made that task a bit cumbersome as she almost
twisted her ankle while taking another step down. She thought about stopping
for a moment to take them off, but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted
Stacey right on her tail and gaining.

Approaching the wide sidewalk, Madeline waved her arm frantically in the air,
trying to hail a taxi cab. But as her luck would have it, there was not one
vacant cab on the avenue at the moment. Knowing that she can't stay there for
very long, she turned over to her left and spotted a subway entrance at a
corner of the intersection. She high-tailed it over there, while her young
pursuer maintained the chase.

Stacey was glad to have at least worn a shorter skirt, for running as fast as
she was, meant that she didn't have to worry about falling flat on her face on
the hard pavement. Seeing Madeline heading down the stairs underground, Stacey
moved even faster, almost knocking over into cyclist riding perpendicular to
her.

Reaching the station entrance, Madeline pulled out her Metro Card that she had
in her purse she carried, and slid it through the small sensor reading,
allowing access through.

Stacey quickly followed inside and saw Madeline making her way down another
flight of stairs to where the train platform was located. Not having a card on
her, or any money for that matter, she dropped her shoes and ran to one of the
turnstiles, leaping right over it with the use of her arms to catapult herself
up.

Upon reaching the platform, Madeline saw that a train was waiting while
passengers entered and exited it. The open door of the train car closest to
her was presently congested with people, so she quickly ducked inside at the
next one down and waited anxiously for the doors to close.

Stacey also ran down the stairs, and too, saw the train. She was able to slip
through inside just as the doors closed shut.

The train began to move and Madeline breathed a heavy sigh of relief that she
got away clean. All this running around had made her quite exhausted as that
was a stark reminder of how out of shape she had become in her older years.
Glancing around the multitude of people standing about, her eyes grew wide in
disbelief as she noticed Stacey approaching her methodically.

Wanting to distance herself away from her, Madeline opened the door between
cars and stepped through into the next one. Stopping at the other end of that
car, she could see Stacey entering it, still looking at her. It wasn't very
long that the train slowed and then stopped at the next station. When the
doors opened, Madeline sprinted out and ducked her head low among the crowd of
people walking around her, then just before they would close up, she quickly
stepped back inside.

Looking out through the window as the train began to move again, she searched
for Stacey on the platform, but couldn't quite see her through the swarm of
people around. Turning her head, she suddenly shrieked at the sight of Stacey
standing right next to her!

"That has got to be one of the oldest tricks in the book ... and I'm a lot
younger than you are," Stacey said uppity, showing how clever she was.

Turning to run out into the next car, Madeline spotted a cop standing in
there, and then an idea presented herself ... Clutching her purse close to her
chest, she began yelling, "Please somebody help! ... This woman is trying to
steal my purse!"

Stacey was taken aback at Madeline's odd behavior, wondering what that would
accomplish. Her answer, however, presented itself to her as a police officer
entered the train car after witnessing the commotion Madeline was making.
Stacey looked fearful at seeing him, as Madeline smirked back at her a little.

"Is everything alright here?" the officer asked, looking carefully at the two
women standing in front of him. He glanced down and noticed that Stacey was
barefoot.

"This woman tried to steal my purse!" Madeline cried out to him, pointing her
finger at Stacey.

"Is this true, ma'am?" he then asked a still startled Stacey, who then
narrowed her gaze at Madeline.

"Yes ... it is!" she yelled back, grabbing Madeline's purse and pulling
towards her""the headmaster had a confused look at what she was doing.

"I said I wanted those drugs you promised me ... " she exclaimed to a
speechless Madeline, who had her mouth wide open in shock.

The train had stopped again at the next station, and the cop hustled both
Madeline and Stacey out. "Come on, ladies ... I'm going to have to take you
both to the precinct for questioning."

Madeline looked positively frightful upon hearing that. "No! ... You can't ...
this girl is lying! I have no drugs on me, look!" She opened her purse wide
open in front of him, exposing the contents inside.

"If you have nothing to hide, then you'll be free to go," he stated as he then
called for back-up on his small radio attached to his shoulder.

Realizing the gravity of her situation, Madeline looked at Stacey in sheer
panic, while Stacey stared back at her, this time with a wide grin on her
face.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

" ... I can't believe that you were responsible for that evacuation in midtown
Manhattan!" Katie Spencer exclaimed wildly over the phone Stacey held to her
ear. "My week was really quiet compared to yours."

"Well, it wasn't all fun and games, I can tell you that ... " Stacey replied,
the harrowing events over the past few days still fresh in her mind. It was
now Sunday evening, and her mom and Mike""who had his broken nose and busted
eye tended to""had already boarded their train for back home a few hours ago,
and Vivian was currently working out at her fitness center, wanting to tone
her athletic body even more after being taken captive like that.

"What I don't understand was, how could your headmaster do all those things at
the hotel without anyone there suspecting a thing?" Katie asked the million
dollar question that had everyone in the media stumped when the story broke
out nationwide.

"Well, from what I was able to find out, Ms. DiPietro knew the hotel manager
personally ... probably why she requested to host the show over there. So,
apparently getting certain supplies inside was no trouble for her as she could
say they were related to the show. And the workers in the air ducts were
people hired by her, pretending to be from some contract firm that she had
suggested the hotel use to repair the 'busted' air conditioning system."

"And they would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you," Katie said
with all seriousness as she was grateful that no one got hurt, or worse.
"Looks like the Big Apple now has a snoop to contend with," she then switched
gears on a lighter subject, proud that her best friend actually solved a
mystery on her own.

"Oh, no ... " Stacey retorted, " ... I am not making it a business to go
around and sticking my nose into anything suspicious anymore. Besides, Vivian
said she would disown me as a roommate if I got us into trouble again."

Katie giggled at Stacey's fear of adventure, which was good since she delves
into enough danger for the both of them already. "So, when can I expect to
throw you a bridal shower?" she then asked, wanting to talk more about
Stacey's surprise engagement""the other big news that occurred.

"I've told everyone that already knows ... we haven't set any kind of date,
which could likely be a couple of years down the road."

"I still can't believe Mike actually did it. I totally misjudged him when it
came to making a commitment."

"On the subject of predictions, when can we expect a diamond ring on your
finger?" Stacey asked teasingly, not wanting to be the only one engaged now.

Katie was silent for a moment, obviously a little uncomfortable talking about
marriage. "Whenever Jake is ready to make that kind of a pledge ... he knows
where to find me."

Stacey smiled, happy that everything turned out good in the end, for she had
such loving family and friends around her, and her future just got that much
bigger and brighter, as better things were on the horizon.