Beautiful Monster(85)

              Twice, I forgot my line and he scooped up the words into his own, as if it were natural, so none of the plot got missed. One of the actresses who played a servant tripped over the table cloth while setting the table and Liam caught her with a beast-like growl and scolding that made the crowd roar with laughter. He even managed to put out a fire when a candle stick burned too low, snuffing it so fast that I didn’t even notice anything had happened.
              But what had me awed most of all was his talent. Liam was as spectacular as he had ever been in Hollywood, every line coming out smooth and clean.  I had not thought of him as that Hollywood Superstar in a long time, but tonight, I felt like I should worship the ground he walked on. He was marvelous and brilliant, and I felt sad that the world he so loved had been ripped away from him one night.
              Liam deserved every ounce of fame he had earned, and every chance he got. But instead, he was here, with me as his co-star. And as lucky as that made me, I hated Selene every second for doing this to him.
              The show went by so fast that I barely noticed when we came to the end.
              The final scene was the biggest of the show, of course. Everyone was gathering in the wings and trickling on stage to see the union     of Beauty and her Prince.  I was on top of the world. I had seen my father in the front row and he seemed entranced by the whole show, sitting unmoving with a bouquet of roses in his lap. And even though this first show was over, we still had three more weeks to play and I could rest in Liam’s arms on and off stage.
              I almost didn’t see her in the wings as we went to take our first bows. Flowers and teddy bears were being thrown up on the stage, flying by us. The other actors were giggling and ducking. The children who were in the audience had smiles lighting up their faces and making their eyes twinkle. For two hours, they had forgotten their own troubles and illnesses, and had lived in the world of magic that we created. This was the reason I wanted to act for the rest of my life.
She must have been watching the whole time, because she would have had to time her arrival perfectly.  Everyone after the final curtain call was to exit stage right and head to the lobby immediately, so that the audience would be greeted by what appeared to be the continuation of the ball when they exited the theater. I happened to turn my head at the right moment, and I saw the cloud of dark and red hair standing in the wings. And somehow, I knew Porsche standing peacefully in the wings with Selene wasn’t likely.
              “Liam,” I breathed, trying not to attract attention as we took a second bow. He turned to me, a wide grin on his face.
              “Uh huh?”
              I bobbed my head subtly towards the wings. He raised an eyebrow and the leaned back, and I saw his eyes widen. Turning his head towards the stagehand on the left, he indicated the curtain should fall after our third bow. I still heard endless amounts of applause, and the cast seemed disappointed to not be receiving it, but Liam took charge, immediately.
              “All of you, to the lobby now. Go,” he boomed, and they went, without a word. Most of them were grinning and slapping each other on the back. “You should go too, Amy,” he said, and I shook my head, meeting his eyes. There was no way I was leaving him now, not when I had just gotten him back.
              “No. This is no longer just your fight. I’m involved too, whether you like it or not.”
              “Fine,” he narrowed his eyes, taking my hand. “But, at the first sign of trouble, you bolt. Run. You understand me?”
              “Yes,” I nodded and took his hand. If he was to face Selene, then I was going to be standing by his side.#p#分页标题#e#
              When we were finally alone on the stage, Liam turned casually towards the wings, as if we were just wandering in the wrong direction.