by Laura DeLuca
“Mmmm hmmm,” Rebecca mumbled, setting the plates on her tray along with some syrup and other condiments.
“Now Robert and Victoria, they’re the big mysteries,” Carmen continued. “This is Victoria’s first show, and no one knows anything about her, except that her boyfriend is the head chef and got her the job. He doesn’t let her talk to anybody, especially not the guys. Robert is like a total millionaire, and there are rumors he either won the lottery or maybe owns some big website like Ebay or Google, but no one knows for sure, because he never talks about it. He lives in one of those big mansions in Cape May, all alone. He was never married and doesn’t have any kids or anything. Some of the girls think he’s gay.”
Rebecca nodded again, but she was only half listening to Carmen. Even back in high school, her friend had always been the first to get the goods on everyone. It was funny how some things never changed. Rebecca’s attitude about hearing the idle gossip hadn’t altered much either. She still preferred not to know things that weren’t any of her business.
“Jeez, I’m sorry I’m boring you,” Carmen complained when Rebecca tried to stifle a yawn.
“It’s not you,” Rebecca told her. “I’m just tired. I feel like all I’ve done is work these past few weeks. I can’t wait to actually have a day off where we can veg out on the beach.”
“Now you’re talking, sista!” Carmen agreed. “I need to work on my tan. But first, we have to make it through the engagement party your parents are planning.” She snickered to herself. “I can’t wait to see how Granny and Grandpa Hope react to Justyn’s rather eccentric sense of style.”
Rebecca rolled her eyes and played with her ammonite necklace. She was so used to Justyn’s Gothic wardrobe it hardly seemed out of the ordinary anymore. At their art school, on the outskirts of New York City, he actually fit in better than she did. But things hadn’t changed much in their small South Jersey town. Most people still looked at Justyn like he was crazy when he walked down the street, including a few members of Rebecca’s own family.
“It’s not my grandparents who’re going to be the problem.” Rebecca sighed. “My dad has been trying to wish Justyn away for four years now. He hasn’t really accepted our engagement and mostly avoids talking about it. I wish he would try to see Justyn for who he is on the inside instead of worrying so much about a few piercings and a tattoo. It really stinks that the two men I love the most in the world can’t get along.”
“Well,” Carmen shrugged, “either your dad will get used to it, or Justyn will outgrow it. I mean, do you really think he’s still going to dress like that when he’s forty?”
Rebecca refrained from answering and instead carried her plates out to the table before the food could get cold. She was glad her acting abilities allowed her to easily paste a phony smile on her lips as she asked the older couple if they needed anything else. It really bugged her that, like her father, Carmen still thought Justyn needed to change. Rebecca completely adored him exactly the way he was, and she hoped neither age nor close-minded morons would ever change him. His mother Darlene certainly never took the conservative route, and she doubted Justyn ever would either.
Rebecca avoided Carmen after that and concentrated on her tables. Her friend’s constant prattle was starting to wear on her nerves. The morning shift dragged into the afternoon, and even though she drank at least five cups of coffee, she was still exhausted when she finally arrived home at her parents’ house, where she was spending the last summer before graduation. She jumped into the shower, and as soon as she towel dried her long hair, sat down on her bed. A glance at the clock assured her it was only three. Justyn wouldn’t be arriving to pick her up for the dinner theater until at least five-thirty. She figured it couldn’t hurt to close her eyes for a few minutes. Rebecca lay her head back against the pillows and almost instantly fell into a dreamless sleep. She didn’t open her eyes again until she heard a voice whispering her name.
“Becca?”
Rebecca was still so tired it was a struggle for her to open her eyes, but somehow she managed to force herself to sit up. When her vision finally came into focus, she saw Justyn sitting on the edge of her bed and gave him a sleepy smile.
“Hey, sexy,” she said through a yawn.
“Why, hello there, sleeping beauty,” he whispered. He brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. “I hope I didn’t interrupt any beautiful dreams.”
“Seeing you when I open my eyes is better than any dream.” Rebecca yawned and stretched her arms and legs before leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Wow. Is it really time to go already? I can’t believe I was asleep for so long.”
“You aren’t getting sick, are you?” Justyn fretted, placing a hand on her forehead. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sleep in the afternoon before.”
Rebecca shook her head. “No. I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”
“Tell me about it, and it’s about to get even longer.” Justyn sighed. “I got our new lease in the mail today. Our landlord’s raising the rent this year.”
“What? Can he do that without giving us any notice?”
Justyn shrugged. “He can and he did. That’s another two hundred bucks a month we have to come up with somehow.”
“Oh jeez!” Rebecca exclaimed. “How are we going to pull this off? We were only barely going to scrape by before this. Even if I can pull more hours, I don’t think I’ll make that much more in tips.”
“Don’t worry,” Justyn told her, even though she could tell he was just as stressed as she was. “I’m going to take care of it, one way or another. I promise.”
“But—oh God! We’re going to be late!” Rebecca interrupted herself in mid-sentence when she happened to glance at the alarm clock. It was already a quarter to six, and the show started at seven. They still had to drive all the way to Cape May and get into makeup and costume when they arrived. Worrying about the rent was going to have to wait. Rebecca jumped up from the bed and reached for her handbag. She barely made it three steps when the whole room started to spin. Waves of dizziness coupled with a distinct pang of nausea washed over her, and for a second, she was certain her legs were going to give out on her altogether. Before she could completely collapse, Justyn had his arms around her waist and was leading her back to the bed.
“Whoa, head rush,” she mumbled.
She tried to rub her eyes to clear away the last of the cobwebs. As soon as she sat down, the brief dizzy spell passed. She still felt a little queasy, but that was pretty standard for any opening night. Her nerves always got the better of her. Still, Justyn was eyeing her like he was afraid she was going to keel over at any second.
“Becca, are you sure you aren’t sick?” he asked again. “You’re pale as a ghost.”
“The better to play a sulky Victorian maiden.” Rebecca gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It was nothing. I just got up too fast. Now come on, Tom and Carmen must be ready to pitch a fit.”
They did get an earful from Carmen when they finally climbed into Justyn’s Mustang and took off down the parkway. Now that the restaurant was open for business, parking spaces were limited, so they were taking turns driving. They had to park six blocks away in the municipal parking lot Fernando paid exuberant fees to gain access to. With the town so congested, tourist parking was hard to find, and the few spots in the lot were reserved for customers. It was a long ride, and they had to jog once they got out of the car if they hoped to get there on time. Rebecca was covered in sweat and feeling a little sick to her stomach again by the time they turned on to Beach Drive. When they finally arrived at the theater, it was twenty minutes until seven, and they had literally minutes to change into their costumes. Luckily, Carmen and Rebecca had managed to pull each other’s hair up in combs in the car on the way over, so at least one task was accomplished.
After they grabbed their costumes from the prop room, they split up and ran to the dressing areas. Rebecca, who had the most elaborate gown and struggled with getting her
makeup just right, was the last to emerge. The music was already starting, but she had about fifteen minutes before her first curtain call. She was shoving her street clothes and handbag into her locker when she noticed she wasn’t the only cast member cutting it close.
Victoria stood in the corner by the kitchen, talking to one of the chefs. Rebecca had been introduced to him, but they hadn’t had much interaction. His name eluded her at the moment, but he had a rugged look that was hard to forget. His head was shaved, and his cut-off T-shirt revealed brown arms plastered with tattoos. He was definitely handsome in a bad boy, gangster kind of way. The only things marring his good looks were his yellowed teeth—something caused by smoking, judging from the cigarette stuck behind his ear. One of his teeth even had a gold cap that was hard to miss, since he was practically snarling in the course of his heated conversation with Victoria.
Carmen had mentioned Victoria was dating one of the chefs, but the conversation she was having with the guy didn’t appear to be very friendly, let alone romantic. Rebecca wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, and it wasn’t really any of her business, but it was hard not to notice that Victoria looked like she really wanted to get away from him. When she tried to move toward the door, the man grabbed her arm and slammed her into the wall.
Rebecca saw Victoria flinch and back away with a hint of real fear in her eyes. That wasn’t something Rebecca was able to ignore. Not after three years of running a support group for rape and abuse victims on her college campus. Without even thinking about it, she banged her locker shut and walked over to the pair with her hands on the hips of her elaborate golden gown.
“Is everything okay over here?”
They both turned and stared at her like she was crazy. Really, Rebecca wasn’t sure which one of them was more annoyed. Victoria’s mouth fell open, and the guy with the tattoos laughed as he studied her up and down appraisingly before turning to his girlfriend. He placed one brown hand on Victoria’s shoulder, and it was hard not to study the markings that inked his muscular arms. Many of them were beautiful, including an elaborate crucifix that seemed out of place on a man who was able to look so vicious and cruel without saying a word or making any threatening moves. Rebecca had never been able to read auras the way Darlene claimed to, but with this guy, darkness radiated from him. It made Rebecca shudder.
“Hear that, Tori? She wants to know if you’re okay.” The chef’s voice was gruff and raspy. “So what are ya waiting for? Give the girl an answer.”
“I’m fine,” Victoria said quietly, but she was staring at the floor. “Now, I really gotta get going, Al. I’m gonna miss my first scene.”
“Go ahead then,” he instructed, finally relinquishing his grip on her shoulder. “Wouldn’t want ya to have to go back to real pole dancing.”
Rebecca saw Victoria’s cheeks flush before she scooted away. She moved so quickly Rebecca barely saw the blur of raven-black hair disappear around the corner leading to the stage. Rebecca suddenly found herself alone with the brusque Chef Albert. He gave her a half-smile that could have been a nasty scowl in disguise and lifted the cigarette from behind his ear. He played with it for a minute before snapping it in half and throwing the pieces in Rebecca’s face.
“You’d best mind your own business, sweetheart,” he told her. “If ya know what’s good for ya.”
Rebecca didn’t have a chance to think of any brave or witty comebacks before Albert disappeared into the kitchen. Rebecca swallowed hard and went backstage to await her cue, but she couldn’t shake the horrible feeling that she had made yet another very creepy enemy.
Chapter Four
Rebecca was extremely grateful her first appearance on stage wasn’t a solo. Her voice was shaky after her confrontation with Albert, and she wasn’t feeling well at all. She was starting to think perhaps Justyn was right and she was getting sick. Rebecca took a few deep breaths from the sidelines as she watched the initial narrative introduction of Hyde by his attorney John and future father-in-law Sir Danvers, played by Tom and Robert respectively. Afterward, Justyn had a brief solo when Jekyll promises to save his father before the rest of the cast, including Rebecca, comes out for the play’s signature ballad Façade. The song was about how everyone, rich and poor, had two faces, and there were refrains of the same tune throughout the duration of the concert as scenes changed and new sins were brought to light.
Rebecca entered the act in the second verse, dressed in Victorian finery and carrying an umbrella. While she sang, she weaved her way through the spectators, shaking hands with the theater patrons as they sipped their cocktails and awaited their soups and salads. Rebecca was one of the elite, and the chorus dancers, including Carmen, made obscene hand gestures in her direction when she finally stepped onto the stage with her nose in the air and took her place between Robert and Tom. The commoners and nobility each pointed accusing fingers at one another as they declared each other hypocrites, liars, and frauds.
The whole scene was making Rebecca feel nervous and giddy. She had never had to interact with the audience before. She normally spent most of her performances attempting to forget they existed. She could only assume her frazzled nerves were making her feel queasy again, but the smell of the clam chowder drifting up from the tables certainly wasn’t helping to settle her stomach. She fought to maintain control until the scene was over. When it finally ended, she knew she couldn’t take it anymore. She practically knocked Carmen over in her haste to make it to the bathroom where she promptly emptied the contents of her stomach.
Rebecca sat on the bathroom floor a good five minutes, coughing and heaving. Strangely enough, as soon as it was over, she felt much better, though still slightly flushed. She took a few deep breaths and tried to stop her hands from shaking. She didn’t have long before she had to make another appearance on stage. Once she collected herself and stepped out of the stall, she was surprised to find Victoria standing beside the sink with her arms crossed and her foot propped against the wall.
“Your friend Carmen seems to think we got some special bond just ‘cause we both speak Spanish,” Victoria explained with a roll of her deep brown eyes. “Since she had to change her costume, she asked if I’d check on you.”
“Well, thanks, I guess.” Rebecca wiped the sweat from her forehead. “But I’m fine. It’s only nerves.”
“You sure?” Victoria asked through narrowed eyes. “You’re looking even whiter than usual. I thought maybe that theater ghost everyone keeps talking about got to ya.”
Rebecca almost smiled. “No, no sign of Grace yet today.”
Though of course the apparition had nothing to do with Rebecca’s current condition, Grace Hamilton had been making her presence known to the cast through shadowy glimpses and unexplained phenomena on more than one occasion. Rebecca had never thought much about spirits before joining the cast of Hyde, but she was swiftly becoming a believer.
Victoria took a step toward the door. “Okay then. I’ll guess I’ll get out of here.”
Rebecca nodded her agreement, but Victoria made no additional move to leave. Rebecca’s heavy skirts rustled as she brushed past the other woman to wash her hands in the only sink in the employee bathroom. She was going to splash some water on her face, but realized it would only ruin her makeup. She settled for rinsing out her mouth. Victoria was watching her warily the whole time. Rebecca wasn’t sure if it was out of concern or if she was still annoyed about what happened earlier with Albert.
“Well, if you aren’t going to die or anything, we should probably get back out there,” Victoria stated finally. “You’re up in a few minutes.”
Rebecca gave Victoria a small smile. “Thanks. It was nice of you to make sure I was okay.”
Victoria shrugged. “No big deal.”
Rebecca followed the Latina backstage, where she heard Justyn’s voice echoing off the high ceilings. Along the way they bumped into Robert. Victoria appeared relieved for an excuse to get away from any more friendly chatter and d
isappeared to the opposite side of the stage before Rebecca had a chance to talk to her any further. She was a little disappointed because there was something about Victoria’s sad eyes that Rebecca had a hard time ignoring. She was determined to befriend her before the summer was over.
“My dear, is everything all right?” Robert asked. “I saw you run off the stage, and I was afraid you were ill.”
Rebecca sighed. Had everyone witnessed her embarrassing dash for the bathroom? “It was nothing. Just a little stage fright,” Rebecca told him. “It happens every opening night.”
“Well, the color does seem to have come back to your cheeks,” Robert observed. “But take care, my dear. I can’t have anything happening to my onstage daughter.”
Rebecca wasn’t about to admit any color he was seeing was the flush of complete humiliation. She watched as the older man went to take his place for the hospital board meeting scene. Rebecca only had a few more minutes to prepare herself, but of course, Carmen accosted her as soon as she was out of the dressing room. She had replaced her London slum rags with a ball gown for the engagement party scene. She portrayed the perfect Spanish debutant, despite the modern slang she muttered under her breath as she adjusted her corset.
“Becca, what’s up?” Carmen demanded, standing with her hands on her shapely hips in a very unladylike fashion. “You ran out of here looking like you were ready to hurl.”
Rebecca sighed. “That’s pretty much what happened. You know me. I’ve always been a bundle of nerves before a show. Don’t tell Justyn, okay?” Rebecca glanced at the stage, where her boyfriend was raving, quite convincingly, at Tom because the hospital board had rejected his request. “He’s stressed out enough without worrying about me.”
“Whatever.” Carmen shrugged. “Just try not to toss your cookies on the stage.”
