TB: "panic attack."

 // I think it's about time I write something for this girl. All usual disclaimer. 

xxxx

"Fuck! Fuck! fuck! fuck!!! Sara! why didn't you tell me that you had been contacted by Vaught!"

Sara pinched her lips together. She had a hard time breathing due to stress and anger mixed together. How come, Sara, her protege, and client, didn't tell her that Vaught, the biggest company in the whole world, had reached out to her in order for her to integrate the seven? Why did she keep it a secret? Dotty was furious, her blue eyes stared at the young woman who was brushing her hair in front of her vanity. Dotty's blonde locks fell on her nose, which she quickly pushed aside with a flick of her hand.

"Dotty... Please. Please! Stop screaming! I can hear you just fine."

Sara's jaw was tight and her hand was holding the brush even closer. She didn't want Dotty to be aware of Ashley's ridiculous offer nor did she want to engage in a battle of wits with her manager and friend. She lifted her head to look at the woman who was giving her a scolding frown. 

"You could have told me, Sara! What good  of a manager am I if I cannot give you the best advice?"

The blonde woman crossed her arms above her chest and started to tap her foot in order to indicate her disappointment. It wasn't so much the fact that it was Vaught or the Seven. It was the fact Sara had not shared the information with her. If she was keeping secrets from her, that was terrible news.  How could Dotty protect her if she didn't know what was going on? Dotty could have been her mother, give or take a couple years. She acted as such because she grew to love Sara over time. She still remembered thinking that this girl was an uncut diamond that needed work, but she had raw talent for showmanship and a beautiful voice. She had spunk and was determined to make it big in the industry. At first, the blonde dismissed her, she was on her own, and she was way too young and petulant and boisterous. Yet, she insisted and managed to sing a few notes, forcing the older woman to listen to her. Dotty could give it to the child, she was hungry for more, so she took her in. 

Dotty took her under her wing and the two of them slowly but surely built Sara into Unnamed Girl. She could have been a pop star (which she was), a more classical singer (she was trained as such and could sing an Opera), or even the lead dancer and singer of a Moulin Rouge show.   A singer who could incorporate her power into her show and who could have people identify with her. After all, wasn't she an Orphan? Wasn't she a self-made woman?  That spoke to the masses and she quickly became a fan favorite. She knew her like she had made this child, so, to have her hide such important information felt like a slap in her face.

"You know I want nothing to do with the Seven and Vaught. What advice would you have given me? Take the job? Become a seven? Sing a song for them?"

Sara lifted a brow and put the brush back on the vanity. Dotty sighed and moistened her lips. The brunette had a point. Dotty wouldn't have pushed her protegee to join the seven, especially since all the scandals exposed Vaught and the Sevens. Sara would be eaten alive if she joined the team and Dotty didn't want to lose Sara to nonsense. She was better off as a singer and a celebrity. A heavy sigh escaped the older woman's lips and she replied with a softer voice.

"NO! Of course not! It's just that you kept something from me, Sara. It's Vaught!! You can't keep it for yourself."-Sara ended up hitting the table with both hands and furrowed her brows at her manager.- 

"You speak as if I don't know! I am not dumb! I don't wanna die! I told them that I didn't want to join them. I don't know why Ashley is insisting on that. What's next? She's coming over?" -Sara rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers

"Mmmh... No... No, she's not coming over, but she sent someone. One of the Seven. He is waiting for you to join him." - A man?-

Sara furrowed her brows and put both hands on her waist. Homelander? Homelander came to her studio? During the day? in plain sight? Who else could it be? If it was Homelander maybe Dotty would have told her straight away.

"Someone is here? Do you..." -Dotty went to the door.- "Dot, you're going to be there, right?"

"He asked to be left alone with you. I can't really go against the wishes of the man. He seems charming, so I'm sure you're going to be alright and no, no it's not Homelander. Now, come on... Go to the meeting room." -Sara stood up and apprehensively walked towards the meeting room.-

Who could it be? If not Homelander, she had the choice between The Deep or A-Train. While she wasn't sure she could keep her composure,  she was more willing to see him than A-train. She despised The Deep and even bought his book to have something to laugh about. Yet, she hated A-train even more. She opened the meeting room's door and came face to face with A-train. Her breathing became labored and she swallowed a hard lump. He smirked at her and opened both his arms to welcome the young woman. 

"Unnamed Girl!!!" -He plastered a very fake smile on his lips in order to appear kinder and sweeter than he actually was. She swallowed and gave him a tense look and stiff smile-

"In the flesh! Woah, I've never thought I would get the visit of one of the Seven. What brings you here, A-train?"

"Ashley. She errr.. requested that I paid you a visit to try and know why you're so reluctant to work with us. You're a singer, aren't you?"

"Uh...Yeah... I'm a singer. you got it right. Ashley err... Ashley wanted to recruit me since the death of Queen Maeve but eerr... I declined."  -He started to walk toward her and she took a couple steps back. She didn't want him to be too close to her and she slowly started to panic a little bit. He had noticed her nervousness and he decided to take a step closer to her, closing the distance between the two of them. She swallowed another lump and tucked her hair behind her ears. it prompted her to speak faster- " I am a singer, I am the best at being a singer. I do not want to do anything else, that's why."

"I see. Cool! You might not want to join the Seven, and I respect it. Ashley respects it too. She just wanted to see if you could collaborate with us. With a song, actually."

"A song?" -She blinked and tucked some hair behind her ears a little faster- "She wants me to sing a song for the Seven? What???? uh... " -He stepped forward, forcing her to walk back and hit the door.- "Why are you so close to me?"

"Are you scared, Sara? Do I scare you?" -He asked with a grin- "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." -he whispered to her. She ran her hand through her hair again and chewed at her bottom lip. - "However, I'm here to convince you to work with us."

"Just... convince?" -She snapped at him. She was starting to feel upset, why was a Seven in her office? Why was he cornering her like that? She yanked her head back while he bent forward, his mouth just a couple inches from her ear. "I don't like you to be this close to me." 

Sara was trying to keep her composure but A-train could tell she was not at ease with him so close to her. The fastest man alive would be lying if he didn't admit that he enjoyed seeing someone be wary of him for a change. It had been weeks since Homelander had been torturing him, with snide comments and thinly veiled threats. He wanted to break free from the Homelander and recover his self-esteem and his confidence. He was one of the Seven after all. She was nothing, nothing but a pop singer and she couldn't possibly have the upper hand over him.  Her hazel eyes set upon the man and she looked at his face with a questioning gaze. What did he want? She didn't like it. Her heart didn't like it.  The taller man grinned at her and put his hand over her shoulder. He pressed his fingers onto her shoulder and plastered the fakest smile on his lips. 

" You don't realize how much power you hold in the palm of your hand. You do have an incredible fanbase. You have people who listen to you and care about your opinion. Vaught takes very seriously the issues within our community. Ever since I highlighted the issues with Blue Hawk and the discrimination against the community, I raised awareness on that topic. Vaught wants you to become their ambassador Things have been... complicated since the discovery of Soldier Boy's last rampage. People are scared and it would do us all a favor if you could help us get the public favor."

"You want me to lie to them? Sing a song about how great you all are when we discovered the lies you were fed up with for years? Vaught? corrupted! The Seven? in--" -A-train squeezed her shoulder harder, eliciting a squeal from the young woman who used her telekinesis to push him away. She didn't mean to push him that hard but the Seven was sent flying against the wall and hit it hard, breaking some of it.- "Don't touch me! how dare you?!!"

"Girl.... ah... You didn't have to go that hard. You acted as if I was going to murder you." -His tone was full of reproach and he barely hid the thinly veiled threat he was making to her- "Don't you dare do that again. You speak of us as if we were monsters! You speak of us as if you were better than us! don't think I didn't see you come and go to the Tower. You visited Homelander more than once and you want to lecture me? Sign the fucking contract and make that fucking song for us and I'll leave you alone."

"B--Blackmail? You're trying to blackmail me?? My business with Homelander is mine and mine alone. You don't know why I visit him. you don't know shit! and you're trying to blackmail me? You're so pathetic, A-Train! You come here, and try to sell yourself as a smooth "brother" when you're far from being someone from the community!! Blue Hawk? You didn't help the community! you just wanted to make yourself look good! Your ugly Pan-African costume? It was just a costume! You didn't care about the community before and suddenly you do? Ah! Give me a b-"

"You're running your mouth again, Sara! You're running your fucking mouth again! I told you! I told you that we just want you to sing a song, and make a video with me in it in order to preach community and inclusivity. I don't need to know what you're doing with Homelander!! as a matter of fact, I don't give two shits about that psychopath! What I want, however, is for your weak-ass to do what you're being told and fucking sign the contract!" -He grabbed the contract and threw it in Sara's face. She didn't move and instead started to massage her shoulder, in order to self-soothe herself.- "Now be fucking for real!  You don't have the power to go after me. You don't have the power to go after the seven. So, do as you're told and everything will be alright. I'll be back in a couple days."

And he left, using his superspeed to exit the building. She was left shaking, her eyes swollen with unshed tears as she wasn't sure about what was happened. Did he just threaten her? Did he really threaten her? She couldn't tell. She could feel her breathing become more labored and hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She shakily grabbed her phone and started to text John... telling him that she wasn't feeling alright and couldn't meet him that night as they had scheduled. How could she face him after what had just happened? Was she assaulted by a Seven? Yeah? A-train just squeezed her shoulder really hard, scared her shitless, and threatened her if she didn't comply. 

Her instincts were telling her to sign it, despite not feeling keen on doing so. She hated the Seven, she didn't want to be part of it and yet, somehow, Vaught and Ashley were resilient and refused to let her go. Sara did have a large fanbase and people were indeed invested in her art. John read the text and realized that something had to be wrong. Sara never ever canceled their plans unless she was sick. She would always be clear in her text and would tell him she was sick rather than "not feeling well" so something might have happened. He rolled his eyes, wondering if he wanted to leave his private quarters to find her, but quickly turned around and went after her. He would get to the bottom of it and he would know what happened.

-TBC-