Catwalk by Melody Carlson Page A

then with a playful expression—maybe she imagines she’s a department store fragrance salesgirl—she looks like she’s actually planning to spray perfume on the security guard as well. Before Paige gets the chance, two uniformed guys swoop out of nowhere and my sister is literally tackled and, just like that, they pin her flat on the filthy airport floor. One guy, with his knee in the center of her back, cuffs her hands behind her as if she’s a dangerous criminal.
    Paige is screaming at them to stop, but it’s like they can’t even hear her or maybe they just don’t care. And, although I’m stunned at how dumb she was—not to mention an out-of-contral diva—I can’t help but feel this is a bit much.
    “Stop it! ” I yell at them, finally finding my voice, as I fumble for my phone. “Leave her alone!” With shaking fingers I hit Fran’s number, watching as my sister remains pinned to the dirty floor. “Fran!” I cry when she finally answers. “Paige is being mugged!”
    “Mugged?” Fran shoots back.
    “By security!” Then I describe the scene and Fran lets loose with some colorful language.
    “I’m on my way,” she tells me. “Stay with Paige!”
    “And call my mom,” I yell back at her.
    “Just stay calm,” she warns me. “Whatever you do, stay calm. ”
    I keep this in mind as I approach the female security guard. Stay calm. “That’s my sister there on the floor,” I tell her. “Why are they—”
    “Code four,” the woman says into her Bluetooth while looking warily at me. “APT at SG twenty-one.”
    “But I’m not doing any—”
    The next thing I know, I too am grabbed from behind, but thankfully I’m not thrown to the ground. Even so their treatment of me is unnecessarily rough, especially considering I’ve done nothing wrong, and I’ll bet I’m going to have bruises to show for this little skirmish. Then, like Paige, I’m handcuffed. The nylon bands are so tight that my fingers start to feel numb.
    “It’s going to be okay,” I tell Paige. “I called Fran and she’s going to call Mom.” I glance at the security guard woman and try another tactic. “My mom is a producer at Channel Five News and, trust me, this mistreatment will make tonight’s edition if you don’t put a stop to it.”
    She says something else in code into her Bluetooth and I decide to continue trying to talk sense into this woman. “I know my sister didn’t handle this right. But I also saw how she was assaulted and knocked down,” I say calmly. “And you may not care that she’s a celebrity with her own TV show, but I know her fans will also be interested to hear about this kind of treatment.”
    The woman looks a tiny bit worried and I’m feeling hopeful. “I know it was wrong of her to act like that about her perfume, but—”
    “Be quiet ,” the woman hisses at me.
    “Get these girls out of here,” one of the other guards commands.
    And suddenly two guys are flanking me and I’m being firmly escorted away. I glance over my shoulder to see that Paige is on her feet now and she too is being escorted away—but in a different direction. Her face is so pale it doesn’t even look like her, and I wonder how is this possible ? All this nonsense over a silly bottle of perfume.
    Even though I know Paige was really dumb to do what she did, these security guards are acting more like out-of-control thugs. And that’s exactly what I tell the other security people when I’m brought to their office for what feels like an interrogation. After my shakedown, I also tell them about my mom being a news producer and that she’s probably bringing our lawyer as well as Channel Five cameras. Not that anyone seems to listen or care. Maybe they think I’m making this stuff up. Finally, I just shut my mouth and silently pray for help.
    Finally, a woman who introduces herself as Donna comes in. “We’re sorry for your inconvenience, Miss Forrester,” she says after my handcuffs have been removed and