“Alright, everyone who is not actually in this production, it’s time to clear out, now!” I bellowed, moving through the wings. My heart was pounding in anticipation as the lights dimmed and I heard the opening strains of music start.
To my relief, none of the vampires seemed to have forgotten their roles and blended in perfectly with the actors. And my actors were trained enough to step back and make roles of their own. There were few times when I felt I was doing a good job, and this was one of them.
Somewhere in the second scene, I came down from the wings to sit beside Thomas, who was watching the stage with fascination.
“My daughter…” he said in a half-strangled voice, “was she as brilliant as they say?”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“She was beauty itself. You never saw her perform?”
“No,” he said, watching every aspect of the show. “But seeing this stage, I can only imagine.”
We watched in silence for a few moments before he leaned over again. “Is Sarah aware of what we wish her to aspire to?”
“Please.” I met his eyes. “There’s nothing worse than a distracted actor, especially when we have to pull off something as complicated as this. After this is over…”
“I understand,” he said, and leaned forward again.
To my surprise, we got to the middle of act two, past the party scene, without anyone doing anything too horrible. There were a few things I made note of, in my head, but it wasn’t anything major. However, in scene three of the second act, Charlie opened his mouth to sing the Phantom’s big number and promptly choked. He tried twice before I stood up.
“Whoa,” I said, making my way up the steps. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t know.” Even speaking, his voice was cracking. “It just happened.”
“Ok, take a break. We don’t want to overwork your voice before the show.”
“So, should he just mime, or what?” Sarah asked, standing beside me in a gown that went halfway across the stage.
I almost laughed; she looked so annoyed to be done up in purity and innocence, her piercings and eye makeup removed and a brown wig on her head.
“Just uh…” That one stumped me. We didn’t have an understudy for him. We had originally cast one and then lost him to a Broadway show, and in the chaos, I guess I had never bothered to re-cast. Luckily, Amy was always thinking on her toes.
“You do it, Liam,” she called, standing in the wings.
I smirked. “Oh God, not again.”
“I’ll be better tomorrow, Liam, I promise,” Charlie said, but I could hear the pain in his throat.
I could only pray that he actually took care of himself. I nodded, and sent him off to his dorm, and looked up to the lighting crew.
“Restart from the top of the scene!”
I had seen the show run so many times that I knew every line and movement. But no matter how many times I rehearsed it, I knew I probably wouldn’t be the right choice for the Phantom. I always pictured myself as more of the suave romantic Raoul.
Somehow, we managed to get through the show without too much chaos, despite the fact that I felt like I was half wandering through the stage, taking cues from people’s body language.
By the time we came to the end, I was physically exhausted. Thomas stood up, and the rest of them stood with him, in unison. It was creepy to watch as they moved as one. It was like they could read each other’s thoughts. I knew Shields were in tune with each other, but I didn’t think they were telepathic.
What bothered me the most about it was watching Sarah, standing at the edge of the stage, watching them. She was practically balancing on her tiptoes, and I knew she was longing to find out about this part of her that was brand new. Like me, on my first supernatural transformation, I had longed for the presence of other vampires, wanted to find out everything about them. But I just needed her attention for the rest of the show
“I’ll see you tomorrow night, Liam,” Thomas said, his voice oddly quiet and yet echoing through the theater.
“Call time is 6 pm,” I answered, and Thomas nodded, and then they were gone.
“Alright, everyone, that’s a wrap!” I called to the rest of the cast, who giggled a bit at my film terminology.
Amy stood up on her tiptoes to kiss me and I gave in gratefully, placing my hands on her shoulders.
“See, I told you everything would work out,” she said quietly.