Mars, Mia and the Magic of Dreams

"How do I look?"

"You're beautiful, baby."

"I just don't want to mess up my hair."

"Relax. You're going to be great."

Mia rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked in the mirror and tried to see what her boyfriend saw. She was 5' 9", with long, straight blonde hair. Her eyes were light blue, almost grey, and she had some freckles on her cheeks. She wasn't skinny or fat, just... normal. And somehow, maybe it was because he'd said it so many times before, maybe it was because she wanted it to be true, but she did feel beautiful when he looked at her like that.

"He's going to pay for this," she muttered. "Rich douchebags always do."

She heard the doorbell ring and opened the bathroom door. Her boyfriend met her in the hallway and they walked to the front door together.

"You know you don't really have to do this?" he whispered as they walked down the hall. "We can leave right now if you want."

"No way!" Mia exclaimed quietly but firmly. "He thinks he can buy me? Well he's not buying my body, I'll tell him that much."

The two of them reached the door and Steve opened it. Standing there in front of them was a tall man of about 28, with short brown hair, a perfect shave and a suit that probably cost more than the home they lived in together. He smiled at them and held out his hand for Steve to shake. "Mr Ferreira?" he asked with a smile that seemed genuine enough. Mia grabbed Steve's arm tightly and squeezed hard enough for him to notice but not hard enough for anyone else to see she was holding on for dear life. When Steve didn't respond or move forward she realised she'd been subconsciously gripping his arm harder than she meant to so she let go and forced herself to smile back at the man in front of her. He couldn't possibly know who she really was; how could he? If he knew who she really was then why would he show up at their house like this? It didn't make sense and that meant that whatever this was all about these people weren't who they claimed to be. The thought made her blood run cold but it also gave her a surge of adrenaline which allowed her to relax slightly once more.

She felt Steve squeeze her shoulder gently and glanced up at him nervously before looking back up at the man standing in front of them. He'd noticed her reaction but didn't seem concerned by it as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an envelope for Steve before handing it over with another smile on his face. It didn't take long for Steve to realise what this meant either; there was only one reason someone would hand over an envelope full of money like this instead of writing out a cheque or paying by credit card like everyone else did these days; this guy wanted something from him in return for whatever amount of money was inside the envelope now being held tightly by Mia's hand inside hers where no-one would see it unless they looked directly at their hands wrapped around each other's arms. Steve's stomach churned nervously as he realised what this meant but there was nothing he could do now except deal with whatever happened next without letting Mia know what was going on until they were somewhere safe again; anywhere else away from this guy would be good enough as far as he was concerned right now...