Chapter 8 Ascendence
ASCENDENCE
LEAH
Lourdes bowed low before me.
I waited until the crowd calmed, having lit up at Lourdes’s arrival.
“Welcome, child,” I said, the irony being she was older.
“Well, this is it?” Clive sniped.
“Be good to your cousin!” I slapped his arm. “She’s come all this way! It isn’t her fault she’s so frail looking.”
I walked to the end of the stage, cueing a song called “You Break It, You Buy It.” Lourdes always led this one.
I joined in, but it was her number. She began the song alright.
Then, five bars in, she hesitated. It was my cue to turn in a beat, but I turned early, pretending to scowl and met her gaze. She continued, singing stronger.
Had I just given her a boost?
There wasn’t time to know. Our dueling soprano bit continued through what felt like another act and a half.
With our upcoming wardrobe change, there would be little time to talk.
I always felt as if I wanted to die following our arduous second act.
By the time they sat me down in the makeup chair to make me old, it wasn’t difficult to say I felt I’d aged years.
Now, we were in the swing of things. I sidled up by her in the wings as Clive’s Bertie and his mistress had a salacious moment. Lourdes looked at me, then smiled.
“We’re kicking ass,” I whispered.
She nodded, somehow not wanting to break character. I understood. I could turn on a dime, but not every actor could weave in and out. Some didn’t want to. Some reveled in that feeling.
She squeezed my hand. “You’re the moon and stars to them. Don’t forget that feeling.”
I snickered and whispered. “You’re the moon. I’m the stars.”
Then, it was back to it. We continued to slay like this was the performance of a lifetime. Truly, it felt like it. I worked my entire life for this, but I never thought I’d get here. By the end, when the curtains closed, I fought tears and held onto Clive as we ended the scene.
“Fuck, you were amazing!” He declared.
“We all were,” I said.
The audience demanded multiple curtain calls.
I smiled so hard I felt my face might break.
I beamed at Brian. For a moment, he was my Albert.
Well, if Prince Albert had been gay and a fan of putting Siracha on literally everything.
When it worked, it worked. I felt like a new woman as the audience ate out of my hand.
Something changed within me. Gone was the nervous girl from before. I owned this place.
I bowed, looking down the row at Lourdes. With tears in her eyes, I knew this meant the world to her as well.
“We should sing something at the afterparty. With Lou,” I said as Clive, Brian, and I finally stepped into the wings. “You know, all four of us could give it a go and—”
“Nah. She’s not the star, Leah. You are.”
I wanted to protest, but I couldn’t. Everything happened so fast. As we finally departed, Clive pulled me aside. He swept me in a kiss that made me weak in the knees.
“Slow down, son,” I giggled uncomfortably. “I… uh… need to get out of this costume and get back to being my great-great-whatever granddaughter.”
His kiss took me by surprise. Ever since Lourdes’s advice, I kept Clive at arm’s length.
I blamed the show, exhaustion, and the awkward way it made Lou feel whenever he came onto me, but the truth was that I didn’t really want him or his desperate, unwarranted advances.
There was only one person I wanted to kiss right now and it wasn’t my overzealous costar.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not Bertie and you’re not Victoria.”
“The world doesn’t know that,” I said. “For three hours, we were. Just give me some time to adjust.”
“Okay. I will go get changed. Then, we are going out!” Clive declared loudly and slipped backstage.
I stood against the cold brick wall, catching myself.
Outside, chatter and laughter permeated the massive velvet curtains.
I was a star. But I didn’t feel enough to be the only one.
The combined cast made it possible. I knew he flattered me because he wanted to continue our on-again-off-again thing later.
For now, though, I just wanted to soak up the first moment of clarity that this was my calling. I was exactly where I needed to be.