Chapter Text
Janis kept pacing back and forth, trying to decide whether to take up her friend on his offer. She was a photographer that needed to capture a picture for the "Life of Chicago" exhibit that the Museum of Contemporary Photography was putting together. Janis had had some success at street photography— her pieces had been exhibited at some galleries, and she even got a magazine cover a couple of times. But, she was looking for something big, something that would put her on the map as one of the go-to street photographers in Chicago.
And her friend Aaron, who was really more her friend Cady's boyfriend, had suggested that she take a picture of one of the bike races in Chicago. They happened at night, and they were completely illegal, but Aaron raced, so knew where it was going to go down. He told Janis in case she wanted to use it as a way to capture a part of Chicago not often seen in photography.
And Janis kept torturing herself with it. One one hand, it was a fantastic chance, probably better than anything she could come up with. But on the other, she didn't want any ties to criminal activities. Her parents had their own law firm, and they had given Janis a fantastic life. She had no intention of fucking it up.
But then, they were the ones that taught her to always follow her dreams, so she knew that she had to get the best picture possible.
After days of going back and forth with herself, she finally decided to just go and take the picture.
Aaron told her that the race was starting at Saint Ita Catholic Church and ending at City Hall. Apparently it was a middle finger to all the city officials that were trying to put a stop to the races. Janis decided to wait at the finish line and capture the bike racers there.
By the time she got to her destination, which was opposite the City Hall main entrance, it was starting to drizzle. Janis put on her jacket hood and she had rain protection for her camera, so she picked a great angle that showed City Hall in the background and oncoming traffic.
Janis knew she wouldn't have to wait for long because the races wasn't going to last for more than 20 minutes, considering the distance, and the fact that the racers were going to be riding incredibly powerful motorcycles.
She eventually heard the roar of engines before she saw them, and she got into position just as a black naked bike with scarlet details on the engine and the passenger seat flew in through the crossroads, zipping through traffic towards City Hall.
Janis snapped a bunch of pictures in quick succession, catching the bike frame-by-frame. The rider was dressed in all black leather jacket and pants, with combat boots. They were also wearing a matte black helmet with red arrows on each side.
Janis took pictures of the other riders too, who were much closer to each other, and then she packed up and left. She hurried home, fired up her laptop and started editing the picture she chose.
She had caught the rider surrounded by falling raindrops, with the water spraying behind their rear wheel. The street lights gave the picture a fantastic glow, and the rain almost made it feel whimsical. The black and red color combination of the rider's clothes and their bike made it imposing. It was a fantastic shot and Janis was proud of it.
She sent it to the Museum of Contemporary Photography for the exhibition, and then she crashed in bed, exhausted.
Over the next few days, she worked on a couple of other projects she had taken on as a freelancer, trying to distract herself from the fact that she was going to hear back about the exhibition within the week. It didn't work very well, but she still tried.
And then, on Friday, around noon, she got a phone call. It was from an unknown number, so she answered it hesitantly, in case it was yet another scammer.
"Am I speaking to Janis 'Imi'ike?" The voice on the other end said.
"Yes, who is this?" She inquired.
"Martha Quinn from the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago," The voice on the other end said "I am calling to inform you that your piece titled "Chicago's Night" was chosen for the exhibition."
"Oh my God!" Janis gasped "Thank you so much."
"My pleasure." Martha responded "As you know, the exhibition begins on the 20th of April, lasting until the 20th of May. We will also promote your work on our social media accounts. You will receive an invitation for the exhibition opening night."
"I appreciate it." Janis said "Thank you again."
"Congratulations, Janis." Martha spoke, before hanging up.
Janis let out a cheer once she was sure the call was over, jumping around her home office for a little while. She lived in a two bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, except, she had turned the second bedroom into a home office. She was very happy with her living situation, especially since she bought her own place. She was paying it off, but her parents helped out a lot. The apartment had large industrial walls, exposed brick, and hardwood floors. It also had two bathrooms, and an open space kitchen, living room, and dining room.
On instinct, she called Damian Hubbard, her best friend.
"Damian, I got it!" She blurted out as soon as he picked up.
"Got what, Janis?" He sounded confused.
"The Museum of Contemporary Photography exhibition spot!" She exclaimed "I got it!"
"Oh my God!" He yelped "Fuck yeah, you are so talented!"
"Thank you." She smiled widely.
"I am going to be your date to opening night, I don't care." He informed her promptly.
"Yeah, duh." Janis laughed "You and my parents will be there."
"This is so slay." He said, and Janis could hear the smile in his voice.
Once she called her parents to tell them the good news, she started freaking out about her outfit, hair, and makeup for that night. Ultimately, she and Damian went shopping, and she found a stunning suit that she fell in love with at first sight. It was a black three-piece suit with a maroon vest, black tie, and maroon pocket square. The suit was matte, but the lapels were shiny satin, giving it a fantastic contrast. The button-up shirt was white, and she chose to wear black heels with red soles to complete the outfit. She finished her outfit with a Blancpain Villeret Ultraplate watch with a black leather strap.
She had coiffed her hair carefully, pushing it back and setting it in place, and she did her makeup to accent her eyes and her lips.
When she was ready, she ordered a car service, which took her to Damian's. From there, they went to the museum, where they met with Janis' parents.
"We are so proud of you." Her mother, Malia, said, hugging her tightly.
"Thanks, Mom." Janis grinned widely.
The four of them made their way inside, where they were lead to the gallery where the "Life of Chicago" exhibition was. There were already people, dressed to the nines, milling around. Janis spotted a few other photographers and a couple of critics, looking at pictures and chatting. Janis and her three companions grabbed champagne flutes and started walking around the gallery.
To say that she was proud when she saw her picture blown up and hung up on the wall, would be an understatement. She had always dreamed of getting her work exhibited at the biggest museums and galleries in the country. Janis never thought that a picture of street racing would bring her such an honor, but she wasn't going to question it.
"Janis, this is stunning." Her dad, Hale, remarked, eyes wide.
"But, you were safe, right?" Her mom prodded, looking at her sharply.
"Yeah, Mom," Janis chuckled "I was standing on the sidewalk on the other side of the street."
"Okay." Her mom nodded, satisfied.
They spread out after that, admiring the other works and chatting with the other people there.
About an hour and a half after she arrived, Janis approached her own photograph again, and that was where she found a tall blonde woman in a stunning blue long-sleeved floor-length gown, with nude-colored heels, and gold jewelry, standing in front of Janis' piece. Even from the side, Janis could tell she was stunning. She had sharp, defined features, and shiny, long blonde hair.
"So, what do you think?" Janis asked as she approached her.
"It's a good picture." The blonde replied. Even her voice was attractive, it was insane "Very intense and powerful."
"Thank you." Janis said with a smile, making the blonde round at her with raised eyebrows.
"Are you the photographer?" She inquired.
"Janis 'Imi'ike, pleasure to meet you." Janis extended her hand, and the blonde shook it.
"Pleasure to meet you, too." She said. Before Janis could ask her what her name was, the blonde kept talking "Aren't you worried an illegal motorcycle racer may come after you for taking this picture?"
"Not really," Janis shrugged "it doesn't expose their identity, and I'm not breaking any laws with it."
"Good point." The blonde smirked "Well, I have to get going, but it was a pleasure to meet you, Janis." She said, and before Janis could respond, she walked away.
"What was that about?" Damian asked her, appearing by her side.
"Not sure."
Even with the strange encounter, Janis had the time of her life, especially since multiple critics came over to tell her how incredible her shot was. Janis was smiling the entire night, and she was still smiling when she got home, kicking her heels off because they were killing her. She showered and changed into her PJs, settling under the covers with her phone in her hand.
She had a lot of messages and comments from people she knew in real life and people that she followed and that followed her on social media. She posted one Instagram story thanking all the well-wishers, and said thanks on Twitter too, responding privately to the people she had an actual relationship with.
That was when she spotted a message from an unknown profile. She almost deleted it because of the default picture and nonsensical username, which was @useragusta2025. But, then she saw the content of the message and she stopped in her tracks.
@useragusta2025: apparently no one taught you any manners
@useragusta2025: if you want to use a picture of someone for your little exhibitions, you should ask first
@janisimiikephotography: how on earth could i ask you? i'm not even sure you're the actual rider
@useragusta2025: well, that is your sign you probably shouldn't take pictures of strangers then
@janisimiikephotography: i'd love to credit you, but i don't know your name
@useragusta2025: stay away from the bike racing scene
Janis didn't know what to say to that, so she opened the profile, which had no posts, no stories, no reels, and no interactions of any kind.
@janisimiikephotography: or what? you'll threaten me on ig again?
@useragusta2025: i didn't threaten you. and you don't want it to get to that
Janis did feel a little uneasy after the tense conversation she had with the anonymous profile. She knew that taking a picture of an illegal bike racer carried its risks, but the illegal bike racing scene intrigued her, and gave her the first big exhibition feature. So, she was a little worried about the non-threats, but she was mostly eager to get back out there at the next event and take more pictures. Maybe she could even figure out who the racer from her picture was.
For the time being, she decided not to tell Damian or her parents about the threat. The racer was probably trying to scare her off, if they were the actual racer at all, which she doubted. It was probably another photographer that wanted the bike races all to themselves. Either way, Janis wasn't backing down.