Nightshade: A SimLit

January 15, 2021

Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 96: No Pain, No Gain

During the few months that had passed since Artemis was born, life rapidly changed for Aurora -- and not exactly for the better. Taking care of a baby by herself was more difficult than she expected, not to mention the hassle of packing up and moving to a bigger apartment with a second bedroom. Rent was expensive enough on it's own to financially cripple her, considering her cruddy minimum wage job, and the expenses of having a child piled up quickly. Of course, Alexander still took him for a few days here and there, as she promised she'd allow, which relieved some of her strain, but when it came to financial help, it was minimal.

She and Alexander had engaged in far too many arguments about money to count. He was, by every definition, rich. He owned a massive company that was the backbone of the entire scientific research industry, which made him a multi-millionaire, but like many wealthy people, it also had instilled an intensely greedy streak in him. He seemed to have no issues dishing out money to help his sister with anything she needed, yet when it came to supporting his own son, it was an all-out brawl just to see a penny of it. Aurora had heard every excuse in the book as to why he didn't want to offer more financial support, but the most common card that he dealt was insisting that she was capable of getting a better job and she needed to learn to support herself.

That was easier said than done.

Finding a job that was any better than the one she currently worked was proving to be a whole process. It wasn't like she could cite any work experience or qualifications she gained on Sixam. And most well-paying jobs, to her luck, required qualifications she didn't have anyway. After several weeks of scouring every available opportunity, or lack thereof, she was beginning to lose hope.

Until today, when an eye-catching job listing got her attention.

DO YOU WANT MONEY?

DO YOU WANT FAME?

DO YOU HAVE A PASSION FOR FASHION?

If you answered yes to these questions, then congratulations! Culetto Studios, owned by worldwide fashion superstar and designer Calvino Culetto himself, wants to hire YOU!

Our Windenburg location is in need of female models. We offer high starting pay, fantastic work benefits, and flexible scheduling! There is no better place to work than here!

Do you think you're the prettiest girl in all of Downtown Windenburg? Don't be shy, send in an application and YOU may be selected to audition for your very own position in the most sought-after modeling agency in the world! Don't wait, apply NOW before all of our positions are full!

Culetto Studios looks forward to seeing you!

Aurora's interest increased with every word her eyes scanned over on the description. It was certainly an appealing advertisement, and with supposedly high pay and job benefits, it was sounding like the best option she'd come across so far -- not to mention the major opportunity of working at such an esteemed company. Besides, since moving here from Sixam, she'd taken a great interest in the human sense of fashion. Perhaps this was exactly the kind of thing she needed.

Decidedly, she began to fill out the application and crossed a mental pair of fingers that it would be accepted.

Waiting patiently was a talent that Aurora didn't possess. She had been seated in an empty waiting area for what was probably close to the past hour of the morning, twiddling her thumbs and tapping her heel against the floor anxiously. The view of downtown Windenburg from the window in front of her was beautiful, at least, and she tried to distract herself with it to pass the time, but it wasn't very effective. The audition was making her nervous before it even started. No one informed her of what to expect, only that a stylist would be preparing her shortly before it was her turn.

Perhaps what made her more anxious than usual was the usage of her disguise form. It was clear she had no choice: it wasn't exactly safe to present herself as an alien, and even if she did, publishing her in that form for magazines and advertisements would be an impossible idea. On the flip side, however, she didn't really feel as though she was able to show her true beauty and self, and for that, it gave her a sense of being inauthentic. Would she really seem as confident this way? Would she shine or just come off as dull? The questions only increased her nervousness.

She was too distracted to notice that she was no longer alone until a woman's voice, annoyingly nasally and exuberant, but with an accent that emanated class, interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, do you mind if we sit here?"

Startled, Aurora jolted slightly before scooting down to make room. "Oh, no, of course not..."

"Thanks." The woman, along with another who was with her, took a seat on the sofa beside her. "Sorry if I startled you. I'm Chloe, and this is my girlfriend, Samantha," she said, motioning with her hand.

"Friends just call me Sam, actually," Sam quickly added.

"It's nice to meet you both." Aurora smiled. "It isn't really that you startled me... I'm just already kind of nervous about my audition."

Chloe shook her head. "Nervous? What for? Girl, you're gorgeous, and you're totally gonna slay your audition."

"You... you really think so?"

"I know so."

Aurora failed to understand why a complete stranger was being so kind to her, but regardless, she was grateful for it. "Thank you. I bet you'll both do great, too... you're really pretty."

"I sure hope you're right. This is our dream job," Sam said.

"I kind of just decided to audition on a whim. I mean, I like fashion and makeup and stuff, but I'm more or less desperate for a decent job. I'm a single mom and my baby's dad is... kind of difficult, so..."

"Baby? You've got a body like this and you've had a baby?" Chloe's eyebrows raised. "Wow, you should drop your fitness routine. Not that I'll be having any babies, obviously, but still."

Aurora laughed awkwardly. "Oh, uh... yeah, it was... really a lot of work to get rid of the mom bod so quickly, but good thing I did, right?"

"Can you hear what they're saying?" A male voice asked from inside a nearby dressing room.

"Shut up, Fabian," the woman leaning against the doorway whispered, her lips curling in displeasure, "someone's going to catch us snooping."

"You mean someone's going to catch you snooping--"

"I said shut up!" She snapped, raising her voice slightly as she whirled around and shut the dressing room door. "How am I supposed to hear anything if you're jabbering?"

Fabian sighed. "Calm down, Krys. You're stressing yourself out over nothing. We don't know who's getting hired or not yet, so you don't need to get all offended."

"I'm not offended. I just..." Krys hesitated. "Those girls are all really pretty, but the one... the brunette with the long hair. She has real potential, and it's making me nervous."

"Sooner or later you're going to have to accept that you're not the only attractive woman in the world." He frowned. "I'm sure things will be fine."

"That's easy for you to say!" Krys whined. "You don't understand what I go through in order to keep my fame and position in this company. The fillers, the surgeries, the dieting... and she has all of the assets I've had to suffer to get without doing any of it! Why does she get that privilege but not me? It isn't fair! There's no way our boss isn't going to snatch her up the moment he lays eyes on her, and then he won't think I'm as great anymore, and..."

"You're getting way ahead of yourself. We don't know that she'll pass the audition or meet all of the... requirements, even if he wants to hire her," Fabian replied reassuringly. "You're always going to be Cal's picture-perfect protégé. I don't think any new girl is going to change the fact that you're the company's darling."

She averted her gaze. Although she tried her best to mask it, her insecurity was obvious. "...I sure hope you're right. But if I was really so perfect, he wouldn't need more models. I have to do something to improve myself... maybe another boob job, or more lip fillers, or..."

His expression softened. "No, please don't... you really worry me sometimes, Krystal. You're fine how you are. You're beautiful."

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Fine? That's an insult. I don't want to be fine. I want to be perfect."

He flinched as she stormed out of the dressing room and slammed the door behind her.

"Okay, I think I'm just about done with your makeup..."

Aurora wanted to reply to her stylist, but if she did, she would have gotten a mouthful of powdered foundation. She'd gotten called back to a spacious and elaborate dressing room around an hour ago, and since then, it felt more like she was having a spa day than a job interview, although it shouldn't be surprising that applicants would be going through a thorough makeover beforehand. The stylist was friendly and bubbling over with enthusiasm, which was both soothing and unsettling in a strange way.

"You know, you're one of the most promising girls I've seen apply for this job in a long while," the stylist said, continuing to poke at Aurora's face with the makeup brush. "I don't know what it is about you, but you've got that... it factor. You're stunning, you've got a fantastic body... I can only imagine what Cal's gonna do with you... if you can handle the requirements of this job, I mean."

"...handle the requirements?" Aurora questioned once the woman pulled the makeup brush away. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it," she said with a smile. "I'm done with your makeup, so... let's get you fitted for your audition outfit. You'll all have to wear the same thing, to... make it fair."

"Oh, okay..." Aurora nodded hesitantly. The butterflies in her stomach were only fluttering more intensely from the stylist's daunting words.

She had a bad feeling about this.

She was silent as the stylist directed her onto a platform in the middle of the dressing room.

"I just need to see what size you'd wear real quick, and then we'll get you all dressed up and on your way," the stylist said. "Are you excited?"

"I'm... nervous," Aurora confessed. "What kind of outfit do I have to wear?"

"Well," she began to reply, pulling out some measuring tape and contorting her face into a nervous grin, "Cal, uh, wants potential models to audition in bikinis. You know how guys are, always wanting girls with the best physique... I suppose he isn't any different."

"A bikini?" Aurora looked away, trying to seem unbothered as the woman measured her. "What if someone isn't comfortable with that?"

"Then this agency isn't for them," she stated.

Aurora fell silent once again. It was true that she had no issues showing some skin, but that was on her own terms, not in front of a strange man who wanted to assess her 'physique.' The thought of it made her stomach churn. It was undoubtedly creepy, and her gut feeling was already urging her to run.

Too late for that now.

The stylist suddenly broke through her internal panic. "Okay, looks like I've got one that will fit you perfectly. You'll look amazing in this. Take off what you're wearing now and I'll help you get it on."

"Right, thanks..."

Aurora shrugged off her current outfit and cooperated, albeit tensely, as the woman helped her into a bikini -- one that was slightly too tight in concerning places -- and drew the strings on it so taut that it felt more like a corset than swimwear. Even after it was on, she still felt inexplicably naked.

"Wow, I was right. You're smoking." The stylist's eyes lingered on her bare skin for a little too long. "There's no way Cal's gonna pass you up. He's already waiting for you, so you can go ahead and see him. It's the door at the very end of the hall. Oh, and a word of advice... don't be shy."

"I'll try not to be," Aurora said quietly, but her legs trembled as she headed for the door.

The hallway was dark, but when she opened the door to the audition room, she discovered that it was even darker. The walls and carpeting were pitch black, and there were only a few stage lights to illuminate the furnishings, which were uncomfortably sparse: a folding chair and a black photography backdrop against the wall opposite to it. Heart pounding in her throat, she stepped inside and was immediately consumed by a constricting feeling of dread that seemed to loom in the thick air around her, causing her already difficult breathing to feel nearly impossible as she struggled to force out words. "...Mr. Culetto?"

He was fixated in the chair, staring straight forward and not bothering to so much as glance in her direction. "Come in and stand in front of the backdrop, if you don't mind, dear!" His voice was like nails against a chalkboard, shrill and grating, somewhat akin to a parrot screeching directly into her eardrums. "What might your name be?"

It was with great hesitation that Aurora followed his orders and approached the backdrop. She knew that she shouldn't allow him to see how nervous she was, but how was she supposed to fake confidence so easily? "My name is Aurora Galaxy, sir."

"Aurora Galaxy," Cal tested the name out before nodding. "Impressively elegant and memorable, if I do say so myself," he continued, scanning his eyes over her body. His lips curled into a sickening sort of grin, revealing shiny golden teeth, and his hands clasped together in delight at the sight before him. "My, aren't you exquisite? Have you ever had any cosmetic procedures done, or is your beauty entirely natural?"

"Cosmetic procedures? No, I haven't," Aurora said.

"Well, with that being considered, I'm in awe. You're a rare diamond in the rough, miss Galaxy. I can already envision immense success with you... your body is something many of our models strive for. I can mold you into a greater masterpiece than you already are. You're exactly what I was looking for."

"...I am?" She stared in disbelief. "I'm... flattered. Can I ask more about what I'd be doing at this job?"

"Oh, yes, of course." He chuckled, but it made him sound like some sort of deranged clown. "You'd be starting out just doing a couple of modeling photoshoots a month for my personal brand. I want to get you out there, advertise you to companies looking for attractive models, you know? If you have what it takes, you'll start picking up more gigs -- clothes, swimwear, lingerie, jewelry, whatever-- and they'll be the ones to decide what they're paying. As you become more popular, I'll be paying you more too, of course, so no matter what, you always get guaranteed money with shoots and advertising through my company itself."

She nodded. "What's my starting pay?"

"Well, as I said, you're guaranteed to be advertising my Culetto brand a couple of times a month to start off, and I'll be paying you five thousand simoleons per shoot," Cal said.

She nearly choked on the air she was breathing. "F-five... thousand simoleons per shoot?"

"That's right, miss Galaxy. My employees are all very generously paid."

"W-What's the catch? There has to be something..."

"Well," he began, seemingly to debate internally about how to word his sentence, "there is one small thing that you'll need to do in order to prove you can properly... handle this job. Call it a test, if you will."

Aurora swallowed the lump in her throat. "And that is...?"

His gaze turned cold and predatory as it fixated on her, but his yellow smile didn't relent. "Take off your clothes."

"W-What?" Every muscle in her body tensed, like a deer caught in headlights, seconds away from disaster but it couldn't seem to run.

"Allow me to explain before you get offended," he quickly added. "You see, many companies will offer you jobs that require you posing in the nude. I'm a fan of nude shoots myself, of course, for purely artistic expression... but I've had problems in the past with models who weren't willing to bare it all. I need someone who knows no boundaries when it comes to art and fashion. I'm simply asking you to prove to me that you're capable of going to those extremes."

Aurora quickly averted her gaze to the floor, soaking in his words. He was silent, waiting for her response, but to be honest, she was sure he wouldn't like it. "Sir--"

"Please, call me Cal."

"...Cal," she corrected, "I really don't know if I'm comfortable with this... I-I mean, this isn't a photoshoot. This is just... you sitting in a room staring at me..."

He frowned. "Well... what do you think the photographers will be doing?"

He had a point.

On one hand, she wanted to decline and get out of here as fast as she could. Something was telling her this wasn't right, but should she really listen to a meaningless hunch? She had a child to provide for and bills to pay. The money this job offered, even just for starting pay, was more than enough to live comfortably on. It would be reckless to walk away and go work a strenuous job that was barely any better paying than the one she had now. At least with this one, her scheduling was flexible and she had time to be at home...

"I'm going to need your answer eventually, dear... I haven't got all day. This is a huge opportunity for you to just pass up on..."

"I..." She looked back up at him, trying to muster some courage. "Alright, I-I'll do it."

His eyebrows raised. "Oh? Go ahead."

With a deep, rigid breath she reached behind her to pull the tie of her bikini top loose, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment. She could feel his eyes locked on her, burning through her.

He was enjoying this and she knew it.

The straps fell off of her shoulders and the top dropped to the floor. The bottoms were soon to follow, and she wrapped her arms around herself, looking anywhere but at Cal. "There. Are you satisfied?"

She tensed when his feet hit the floor with an echoing thud and his footsteps approached her.

"That really wasn't so hard, was it?" His proximity was uncomfortably close, but he only chuckled when she tightened her arms around herself and leaned away from him. "But you're being so shy... it isn't a very appealing trait on a model."

"I-I..."

"Regardless," he continued, forming a smirk as he spoke, "I suppose it doesn't matter..."