Epilogue - Remy
As the final note ends and the curtain comes down on opening night, there is a brief silence humming with tension. I’m not worried. They’ve been enthusiastic all night.
Then the first clap, and the frenzy that follows.
I enter the orchestra pit to help Tianna to the side stage with me.
We have time. From the sound of it, there will be several ovations.
She’s radiant with excitement, eyes bright as she takes my hand.
She says something, but I can’t make it out over the crescendo.
When we reach the wing, Erik is standing with his hands in his pockets, watching, his expression calculating.
As soon as she sees him, she skips to him and throws her arms around his waist, pressing against his back.
I smile at the ease with which he turns and wraps her in his embrace.
It’s been a hell of a year.
Meg runs lightly up to grab Tianna’s face, her own face aglow. It should be. She did a damn fine job on the choreography.
David and James come to stand next to me.
I gesture for them to line up.
They’ve all earned their bows.
As they go out, a slight flutter catches my eye. A black envelope.
I grab it, then race for the ladder that takes me to the catwalk. Halfway up, I catch sight of my prey. She’s cloaked in black and moving toward the rear exit.
I reroute to intercept and follow her out the back door to the graveyard.
I pause when I catch sight of her moving between the tombs. It isn’t the appearance that makes me stop. It’s the sound.
I turn to go back to Tianna, the light tapping receding behind me.
When I get back to the stage, I realize I still have the note clenched in my hand. I open it.
I am no longer needed in this capacity.
My trust was not misplaced.
Thank you.
—Dark Angel