Chapter Three
Sleep on, sleep on, some fairy dream
Perchance is woven in thy sleep —
But, O, thy spirit, calm, serene,
Must wake to weep.
—Edgar Allen Poe, To—
"Where were you?" Someone grabbed my shoulders from behind, pulling me away from my new ally, or tormentor, or whoever he was. It was Daphne, my younger sister. I blinked at her, trying to see her better through my exhaustion. The faery queen had done a number on me. My vision was all blurry. "I'm so glad I found you," she said. "You almost missed your cue."
She looked down at the baby and laughed. "Looks like you found who was making all that noise." She tickled the serious baby under the chin, not really getting a reaction from either one of us. The baby's eyes were on mine like she knew me. Definitely not a newborn; I decided she was about six months, though I was probably way off.
"You naughty little thing, driving my sister crazy." Daphne spun away from us, a cute tilt to her head. "Well, now that you've found your changeling, get out there, Halley!" I looked around for the blond guy only to see he had abandoned me again. I wasn't surprised. "Go." My sister shoved me out onto the stage.
With sudden fear, I remembered that I was supposed to act like I was asleep on that bed of flowers; it would take me above the stage again. I stepped over the sleeping humans. The audience watched in silent anticipation—knowing that I was a ticking time bomb—and I moved even slower. I didn't want to go into that contraption again. The techies would try to lift me back up and whatever that thing was would be inches above me and this poor little baby.
My steps felt heavy like I was half-asleep—no, maybe a quarter asleep. I knew it had to do with what that lady did to me, the lady I was now playing. Was she truly a faery queen? She made sure I was only a pale shadow of her. Peaseblossom and the rest of the faeries danced out behind me with the donkey in their ranks.
I decided to play it safe, and landed on my knees, pretending to collapse near the bed of flowers. I was sure I was driving the techies crazy. The bed of flowers swayed, but they decided to leave it on the ground for now. My eyes felt unnaturally heavy and it was a relief to close them. The baby was still in my arms, but so far she was keeping quiet. She leaned her round bald head against my neck like she belonged there.
I listened to Oberon's advance, and in my daze my hands tightened over the baby. No one was taking her, even if they were just acting. My connection to her was too powerful. The faery king conversed with his weaselly sidekick, Puck. "See'st thou this sweet sight?" he said. "Her dotage now I do begin to pity: then did ask of her her changeling child." He reached down and tugged my baby away.
I sat up, feeling the pain tear through my head as he walked away with her. What kind of improv was that? The band on my head screamed a warning into my ears the farther he took the little girl. The separation would kill me.
I gritted my teeth to stop myself from doing anything stupid, but the pain was too much. Like a marionette, I was on my feet and dove across the stage. My hands landed against the wood and I flipped off it in a round of dizzying flips—which was crazy, since I was no cheerleader like my sister Daphne. I reached the actor and forced my legs to stay put, so I could snatch the baby back from his arms. He stared at me with an open mouth.
Where did that come from? Not sure. The audience gasped in delight. It wasn't exactly the most efficient way of getting the little girl back, but my head no longer felt like it was going to tear off.
Ignoring Oberon's shocked look, I dropped dramatically back to the ground, pretending to fall into another deep sleep. Laughter rippled through the audience. Oberon hesitated before he continued his lines, "Which straight she gave me."
That sent the audience laughing again, but I didn't care. I only wanted the pain to be gone. Now fatigue replaced it. Instead of a rushing pulse after my stunt work, my heart beat dully. It didn't make sense. Nothing did.
"And now I have the boy," Oberon said, leaning over me. I could tell he was more nervous this time, and he refused to touch me. "I will undo this hateful imperfection of her eyes. Now, my Titania; wake you, my sweet queen."
Somehow I managed to force my eyes open. The world seemed a little hazy. I concentrated on the toy in the baby's hand. The mirror on it swirled. There was something in it. I blinked, trying to see it better, but couldn't. "My Oberon," I mumbled my line through thick lips. "What visions have I seen!"
I searched for the blond behind the curtains. Was he hiding backstage or was he out in the audience, critiquing my horrible acting skills? I realized that Oberon was waiting for me to finish my line. "Methought I was enamour'd of an ass," I slurred.
The faery king pointed at Bottom masquerading as a donkey. "There lies your love." I couldn't even act surprised. My eyes rolled back in my head. "Come, my Queen, take hands with me." He pulled me to my feet and I gasped for air, trying to keep myself awake.
Puck watched me with concern, almost like he knew what was happening, which was impossible; besides I was too tired to really read his expression, anyway. The faery queen had drugged me somehow, which was a stupid move since there was no way I could take care of her child like this.
I spied a scruffy blond head near the curtains. The sight of him worked like a slap to wake me up. Puck glanced over his shoulder. The blond smiled and backed away from all of us.
"Come, my lord," I told Oberon. I was eager to get off this stage so I could wring some information out of that devilish knave. I did it the best way I knew how, cutting right to the end of our scene. "Tell me how it came this night that I sleeping here was found with these mortals on the ground?"
Oberon hesitated in shocked dismay. His eyes narrowed at his suddenly smaller role, but I could barely pay attention. My eyes were on the blond backstage and I advanced steadily on the culprit. "Gladly," my costar hissed in retort. He jerked me off the stage with him as efficiently as a crook. Puck followed slowly.
The blond laughed at us and disappeared.
With a Kiss Page 3
