Camilla sat in front of the mirror pinning her curls to one side of her head. She had a performance tonight, she would be singing in front of one of the biggest crowds she'd ever seen, let alone performed for. Camilla's dreams of becoming the next Billie Holiday seemed to be coming true. Record labels from all around were calling, and she was quick to pick up the phone.
Humming, Camilla expertly applied her makeup, making sure to cover the black eye she was sporting. Jacob had apologized this morning. He'd said it was a mistake, a mistake that he had made on several other occasions. It was her little secret, she suffered alone.
Jacob was the only person who believed in her, he'd told her that she was going to be a star and that he was going to make it happen for her, and he had. Camilla owed her life to Jacob, and she sometimes wondered if that would be the price that she paid when her life was over.
A lot of things set Jacob off, but her singing always seemed to calm him down. He'd strike her and then in seconds demand that she sing his favorite song while he sipped whiskey.
If my grandma could see me now, Camilla thought to herself. Ada Sinclair would be sorely disappointed in her for staying with Jacob, and she'd probably kill him. Camilla chuckled at the thought of her grandmother with her shotgun in her hand pointing it at Jacob. Her laugh was hollow, sad, and it grew louder until it turned into a sob. She was alone, her parents had run off when she was a baby, leaving her with Ada, and Ada had died four years ago, leaving Camilla with nobody but herself.
Being alone wasn't easy for her, she suspected that that was why she stayed with Jacob. Looking at herself in the mirror, Camilla leaned in and took a good look at herself, "why else would you stay with a man who beats you almost every night?"
Sighing, Camilla dried her face and finished her makeup, and stood up. She was done feeling sorry for herself. She took five minutes out of every day to allow herself to feel. Now, she had a job to do, she was going to be a star. If she wanted to be the next Billie Holiday, she had work to do.