Demon (4 page)

There was a completely different atmosphere amongst the college drama club than there had been in high school. Everyone looked serious and intent, most pouring over scripts or studying sheet music while they waited in their seats. A few were even warming up their vocal chords with scales. No one threw spitballs at the staff, though there was one group of girls giggling in the corner.

Rebecca spotted Justyn right away when she walked into the theater. He sat in the third row from the front, flipping through a script. He had his legs spread out across the chair in front of him, and he was so intent on whatever he was reading he didn’t even notice her. She smiled and took a moment to just watch him. That intense artistic passion was just one of the reasons why she loved him so much. Her friends and family couldn’t understand her obsession with the brooding Goth, but there was something about his tortured artist demeanor that had appealed to her from the start.

The year before, when Justyn first arrived at her school, the air had been thick with giggles and bulging eyes whenever he walked in the room. Luckily, it didn’t seem like he was going to have any problems fitting in at the university. People barely spared him and his black ensemble a second glance. If anything, he fit in better among the horde of eccentric hopefuls than she did. More than one of them shared Justyn’s exotic taste in attire, including one strikingly beautiful Gothic girl whose lace-covered legs dangled from the stage. Her pitch-black hair was dyed bright red on the tips and pulled back into two puffy pigtails that certainly didn’t make her appear childish. Her black tulle skirt and bustier gave her the air of a true old-world waif.

Justyn was too immersed in his reading to notice her, but Rebecca noted right away the beautiful girl was giving her boyfriend the once-over. She didn’t like it, but at least the girl had the courtesy to look away when Rebecca greeted him with a kiss. The Gothic beauty turned back to the two preppy guys on either side of her, who were obviously fawning over every word she said.

“So you survived!” Justyn teased as she slid into the seat beside him. He put down the script to greet her, but not before she saw the words
Demon Barber
on the cover. “I was beginning to wonder if you were coming. You just barely made it here on time. I thought maybe you had chickened-out on me.”

“Never! I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Rebecca’s voice was filled with bravado, but she felt some familiar butterflies stopping back for a visit as she stared up at the enormous stage. It was more than twice the size of the auditorium at their high school and the lighting and equipment in the overhead scaffolding seemed much more advanced. There were even private balcony seats for the elite that the phantom himself would have approved of. There were also at least four times as many people trying out for roles than there had been in high school. Rebecca looked at her watch again and fretted that she wouldn’t have time to audition before her next class started.

“Wow, there are really a lot of people here,” she observed.

Justyn nodded. “And these are just the freshmen and sophomores. The upper classmen have another show going on over in the other theater.”

“At least that means we won’t be the only newbies.” She looked at her watch again. It was already a quarter after three. “Do you know how long the tryouts will last?”

Justyn shrugged. “It could he hours, based on this crowd. The sophomores have seniority, so they get to go first. But don’t worry. I already talked to the director, and he said you can leave as soon as you’re finished. You won’t have to sit through the rest of the freshmen auditions.”

Rebecca nodded, relieved there was at least one thing she could stop worrying about. Of course, once the auditions actually began, she started to get nervous all over again. This definitely
wasn’t
high school. She remembered sitting through a barrage of offensive voices during the tryouts for
Phantom
that made her cringe more than once. This time around, every voice was in key. Every person excelled. Rebecca had no idea how Justyn expected her to compete with a room full of experienced, professional singers. One-by-one, each brilliant performer was called up to the stage. Each voice resonated along the high ceilings of the theatre, shattering the silence with their perfect vibrato. The best of them would return for the callbacks before the main roles were cast. If they made it that far, they would be required to learn one of the songs from the script Justyn was already studying. Leave it to him to get a jumpstart on the competition.

“Livinia Clairoux!” Professor Carter announced.

Professor Carter, the director of the play, was a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a face that was severely pock-marked from an earlier battle with acne. The constant scowl he wore only deepened the burrows of those scars. He was the head of the theater division, and it was a position he took very seriously, judging by the way he eyed up the performer that glided toward the stage. It was the Gothic girl Rebecca had caught watching Justyn, with a fittingly exotic name to match her eccentric style of dress. She seemed unperturbed as she skipped up the steps to take her place behind the microphone, and the director barely looked up from his notes as she adjusted her corset, pulled down her long ruffled sleeves, and whispered her selection to the lone pianist they were using as musical backup.

“And what medley do you plan to woo us with today, Miss Clairoux?”

She licked her black lips in a manner that was almost provocative. “I’ll be singing
Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina
.”

Professor Carter nodded but seemed disinterested. “Very well. Proceed.”

As soon as the piano accompaniment began the soft ballad, Livinia’s face transformed. All hint of mirth vanished, though there was still a trace of sexuality as the sincere emotions poured forth from her soulful soprano. Even the movements of her arms were mournful. She beckoned to the audience with one outstretched arm and clutched the microphone stand against her breast as though it were her lover. She was radiant, sensual, and alluring. Rebecca felt her mouth drop open in wonder. Beside her, Justyn nodded his head in appreciation.

“She’s really good,” he whispered when the music came to its somber end.

The director agreed, though it was hard to tell from the lack of enthusiasm on his face. “Amazing, as usual, Miss Clairoux,” he said, his voice monotone. “You may take your seat.”

“Thank you, Professor Carter.”

Livinia stepped down from the stage with a look of undisguised triumph. Every movement was as fluid and graceful as her audition had been. She joined the two boys she had been chatting with before, both of whom looked as though they would be happy to lick her shoes if it meant getting to stand beside her onstage. They had each had their turn already, and while they had amazing voices, they dulled in comparison to their female companion.

Once Livinia took her seat, the next hopeful was called to the stage. It went on like that for about an hour. At least twenty other students performed while Professor Carter continued to look bored. They were all excellent, but none gave a performance nearly as heart-wrenching as Livinia’s. There was one guy named Quinn Martin, who was as handsome as he was talented, but still nowhere near Livinia’s level. It was obvious she was the star pupil and Rebecca’s biggest competition.

Instead of letting herself fret over things she couldn’t control, Rebecca decided to enjoy the beautiful selection of music. She felt like she was at a paid concert, instead of college auditions. Nevertheless, she was still worried about being late for class, so she was relieved when it was finally time for the freshmen to get a shot at the spotlight. Again, they were all beyond talented, but you could see the younger students were nervous. For the most part, they weren’t as well trained as their sophomore counterparts. Rebecca caught the professor shaking his head more than once, and he finally showed some hint of emotion, though that emotion was only disgust. After his critiques, more than one of the girls ran from the room in tears, and even one of the guys looked close to weeping.

The best of the freshmen was a girl named Megan Rice, who sang a heartfelt version of
Memories
Rebecca found particularly moving. She was not only talented, but exceptionally beautiful, with flaxen curls down to the small of her back and perfect curves she couldn’t hide, even under her baggy sweater. She had a sweet, cheerful face, and she smiled at Rebecca as she stepped off the stage. Rebecca recognized her from her English class and hoped maybe she had found her first friend. She was about to mention it to Justyn, but the next thing she knew, the professor called their names. Rebecca stood on trembling legs, but felt a little bit better when Megan flashed her a thumbs up from her spot in the audience.

Justyn and Rebecca moved to the stage, and as promised, he pulled out the signature white mask of the phantom. Since they were able to choose their own musical selections for auditions, they had opted to perform
No Return
from
Phantom
. They had always had such amazing chemistry during the highly sensual duet, they figured it was their best chance of making callbacks. With Justyn by her side and the earthy scent of his patchouli and sandalwood cologne soothing her frazzled senses, it was easy to forget the audience and get lost in the enchantment of the music. Justyn’s hands explored her body, climbing higher even as the music rose in crescendo. Their voices merged in perfect harmony when they reached the final climatic verse.

“All barriers have been crossed.

All innocence has been lost.

The seeds of passion have been sown.

From this crossing there is no return.”

When the last echoes of vibrato finally died away, the room fell into a hushed silence. Rebecca looked out into the crowd. She saw a few faces that seemed mildly impressed, but for the most part, they were just disinterested. She wasn’t even sure Professor Carter paid attention. When he finally looked up from his notebook, he studied them both critically. Rebecca suddenly felt as though she were trying out for
American Idol
and waiting for the typical verbal-bashing from the judges. She swallowed hard and stood there for what felt like hours before the director finally spoke.

“I’ve heard tell of the two protégés that Mr. Pessagno picked up in New Jersey. I will admit that there is certainly something strangely magical between you,” Professor Carter acknowledged. “Mr. Patko, you are indeed both a stunning vocalist and performer, though your style of dress leaves much to be desired.” He shook his head and looked Justyn over from head to toe. “But you, Miss Hope … while your voice is outstanding considering your lack of training, your acting skills need some refining. You seem stiff and unnatural on the stage.”

Rebecca nodded and told herself she wasn’t going to cry. His critiques of the other freshmen had been much worse, but it was still a blow to her fragile ego. Justyn squeezed her hand in reassurance, but for the first time, it did little to soothe her. What if she didn’t make callbacks? What if her career was over before it had begun?

“I think it’s time for a short intermission.” Professor Carter stood from the front row and gathered the papers he had scattered around the accompanying seats. “Freshmen tryouts are always so tedious,” he continued, more to himself than anyone else. “And I need to refresh my coffee. Those of you who have already tried out are free to go if you wish. Callbacks will be posted in my office tomorrow afternoon.”

Taking that as their dismissal, they climbed down from the stage. Rebecca tried to pull herself together. She wanted to introduce herself to Megan, but she wouldn’t make the best impression if she started balling over a little criticism. It cheered her up a bit to see Megan waiting for her by the door. However, they were accosted by Livinia and her entourage before they descended the final steps. The Gothic beauty actually stepped right into their path, though she tried to look apologetic when she “bumped” into Justyn.

“So sorry about that,” she said with feigned surprise. “I’m such a klutz sometimes. I’m Livy, by the way.”

The Gothic girl stuck out a hand encrusted with silver. There were rings on every finger, and her bracelets dangled like wind chimes when she moved. Justyn gave her his normal ravishing smile, and as was his style, kissed her hand instead of shaking it.

“Lord Justyn,” he replied.

“Well,
Lord
Justyn, it’s always nice to see some nobility sprinkled amongst the commoners.” She gave Rebecca a smug look before gesturing to the two guys who stood behind her. “This is Chad and Scott.”

“Becca,” Rebecca announced with a small wave.

The two guys nodded at her and exchanged handshakes with Justyn. Rebecca attempted to do the same with Livy, but the other girl pretended not to notice. Instead, the Goth gave her a half smile and a disinterested nod. Rebecca snorted under her breath and immediately decided to dislike her. She wanted to leave, but Justyn had already started chatting with the guys about what to expect at callbacks.

As they talked, Rebecca couldn’t help but notice Chad was almost outrageously good looking. He was dressed to the nines in name-brand jeans and a polo shirt. He seriously could have been a runway model, or considering his extraordinary singing abilities, perhaps a member of a boy band. He had thick brown hair, sparkling emerald eyes, and an obvious six-pack. He also had an attitude problem. He took the time to look Rebecca up and down, but the look on his face wasn’t friendly. It wasn’t exactly hostile either. It was just arrogant and cocky, like he thought he was better than her.