“I wish I could kill AIDS as easily as I could take down Selene,” I muttered into her hair.
She nodded. “One day, maybe. But let’s not worry about one day. Let’s just worry about today.”
“Right.” I took my strength from her once more, and then straightened up, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Show time.”
“See you later.” She hopped off the table, straightening her costume, ever the professional. I had no doubt that if I got a priest to marry us right there and then, Amy would still make sure that the show went off without a hitch.
A knock came at the door, just as she was leaving, and Connor stood there.
“Selene has taken her seat.”
“We should have put dynamite in it,” I replied, trying to keep the mood light. “Connor, get on a radio and bring Sarah back. It’s time to close the curtain.”
His face contorted in confusion. “Where’s Sarah?”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said, not wanting to explain why I had sent his girlfriend off in a huff.
Connor let it go, heading off to follow my instructions. I signaled the rest of the cast to get in place, and then climbed up to the very top balcony, which was roped off. It was where the Phantom started the show, and also where a script was kept hidden, in case I needed a last minute line check. I fitted the earpiece inside my mask, so that I could keep in communication with the rest of the cast and crew. I hated that I still didn’t know this part well, and I now had to accept that I never would.
There she was, sitting in the front row, just as we had predicted she would be. She was wearing a black trench coat over a red dress, her hair a sleek mane down her back, and her makeup flawless. Even after all these years and all she’d done, she was still one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.
She craned her neck and looked right up at the balcony, meeting my eyes and winking at me as the lights went down completely.
This was it, now or never. One of us would be lying dead within an hour.
Chapter 24: Amy
I committed the biggest theater faux pas I could that night. As soon as the lights came up on the ballerinas, I drew Sarah in close. Our characters were supposed to be whispering and giggling to each other, and every other night, we had done it in character. But tonight, I was bursting at the seams.
“He proposed to me!” I hissed, discreetly showing her my hand.
Her eyes widened. “The Phantom did?”
“Liam. Liam did. Sarah this is real!”
“Oh my God!” She turned her back to the audience slightly, and leaned her mouth near my ear. “Are you serious? When’s the wedding?”
“I don’t know. As soon as possible.”
“Tell me everything!” she cried, and I was honestly about to, when Davina, who played Madame Giry, the ballet Mistress and my on-stage mother appeared, and I immediately snapped back into character.
I knew the show was a mess tonight from the get-go. The vampires, stuck in human form, and us three leads, only had our mind on one thing. Even Liam missed a few lines, hurrying to get to the party scene. It was like we were on super speed, and the other actors were giving us dirty looks the whole time. I felt bad, especially when I looked down and saw poor Charlie in the audience, watching with a look of jealousy. We were destroying the play he worked so hard on for our own purposes.
Finally, it was upon us. Sarah and I stood on opposite sides of the stage, hidden in the wings and locked eyes.
“Are you alright, Amy?”
I jumped, turning to my father behind me.
“Dad! I’m fine!” I had never snapped at him like that before, but suddenly I realized he was on the wrong side. Looking just beyond him, I thought my heart would stop as I saw my mother, hovering nearby. “You’re on the wrong side!”
Confusion crossed his face. “Stage notes say the wine enters from here.”
“It changed! Get to the other side! Now!” I practically shoved him into a curtain, giving my mother time to get out of the way, and then heard my musical cue. I entered the stage, and locked eyes with Selene.
“Christine, where are we?”
It happened so fast I felt like I was on drugs. How could everything be crawling up until now and then suddenly, it was upon us. Connor was in the audience, acting like a drunken lout, and not doing too bad of job, and bringing up people for the party. The minute his hands closed around Selene’s, all hell broke loose.