Throughout the theater’s restoration, the dressing rooms had mostly remained untouched. They were small brick boxes shoved in the basement. They’d been painted white to brighten them up, but the paint was chipped and peeling.
The hallway outside the dressing rooms wasn’t much better. It hadn’t been painted at all, and the ceiling had exposed pipes and ventilation. All four of the dressing rooms had stars on the doors, painted with names of famous movie stars, like MARILYN and ERROL, for ambience.
But that wasn’t what had Gemma meandering in the hall. She’d been the last one to have a fitting, so she was alone in the basement, admiring the photographs that lined the walls. All of them were black-and-white eight-by-tens and they had been taken either during the Paramount original heyday or shortly after it had reopened.
The one that Gemma had stopped in front of was of her mother. It had been taken years ago, before either Gemma or Harper had been born, maybe even before Nathalie had married Brian.
Nathalie was standing just to the side of the stage, holding a bouquet of roses. She wasn’t looking at the camera; rather, she was staring at something just to the right of her. Her long hair was pushed to one side, and she had a crooked smile that somehow looked beautiful.
Based on her outfit, Gemma guessed that Nathalie had been playing Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire. It had been a simple blue dress that ended up torn by the end of the play, but Nathalie had really loved her performance in it, so she’d kept the dress for years.
“There you are,” Kirby said, and Gemma glanced over to see him walking down the hall toward her. “I’ve been waiting upstairs for you to come up, but you never did. ”
“I got a little sidetracked,” Gemma said, and she pointed to the photograph in front of her. “That’s my mom. ”
It took a few seconds for Kirby to pull his gaze away from her and look over at the picture. When he finally did, he nodded his approval.
“She’s pretty,” he said, but Gemma hadn’t expected a different answer. Her mother was tall and elegant, with beautiful eyes and a serene smile.
“She was a very talented actress, too,” Gemma said.
“Like, professionally?” Kirby asked. “Was she on television or movies?”
“No, she was an accountant. ” Gemma laughed at the juxtaposition. “But in another life, she would’ve been a model or an actress. She decided to have kids and get married instead. ”
“That sucks,” Kirby said, and Gemma shot him a glare. He immediately looked down, his blue eyes wounded and apologetic.
“That does not suck,” Gemma corrected him before turning back to the picture. “She loved my dad, and she loved my sister and me. She chose to be with us because we made her happier. ”
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“Oh. ” He ran a hand through his dark hair and braved looking up at her again. “Did she die or something?”
“Or something,” she said quietly. “She was in an accident nine years ago. She’s still alive, but it’s not the same. ”
“I’m sorry,” Kirby said, and it sounded like he really meant it. He reached out to touch Gemma’s shoulder, and she didn’t brush away the gesture.
“I went to see her the other day, and I tried to tell her that I was in a play,” Gemma said. “The last time I acted was when my kindergarten class did Three Billy Goats Gruff. I remember my mom being so excited back then. ”
She was surprised to feel tears swimming in her eyes, and sniffled to keep them back. Kirby had let his hand fall, but he stayed close to her, in case she might need him for comfort. But the truth was, she barely even noticed that he was still there.
“I thought she might get excited again,” Gemma went on. “Mom always had such a light in her eyes when she talked about the plays she was in. But when I told her, she didn’t even know what I meant.
“She used to walk around the house reciting Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller. ” Gemma let out a deep breath and shook her head. “But now she didn’t know what I was talking about, and she didn’t care. ”
Then, in a small whisper, she added, “She barely even remembers me. ”
“Hey, come on. ” Kirby tried to put his arm around her, but she stepped away from him.
“Sorry. ” Gemma wiped at her eyes and forced a smile. “You don’t need to see me like this. ”
“I don’t mind. ” Kirby smiled at her. “Why don’t we get out of this dank basement? I’ll give you a ride home. ”
“Kirby, no, that’s okay. ” Gemma shook her head. “You don’t need to do that. ”
Yesterday, while she’d been with her sister and Marcy trying to figure out how to break the sirens’ curse at the bookstore, Kirby had been calling and texting her. She’d turned her phone off so she could focus, but when she finally turned it on, she saw that she had six new texts and two missed calls.
That was when Gemma decided that this had gone far enough. It was one thing to have fun with Kirby to pass the time, it was another thing entirely to actually become involved with him. Penn and Lexi would eventually take notice of him, which could become very dangerous for him.
Besides that, she was still in love with Alex, and she’d never love Kirby. Not that Kirby would ever love her, either. Whatever he felt for her was probably nothing more than siren-induced infatuation, and she didn’t want him getting hurt over imitation emotions like that.
So she decided that she needed to end things with him. Unfortunately, she’d been so busy trying to figure out where Penn might store a secret scroll that she hadn’t thought of exactly how she would break things off with Kirby.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if she’d been able to make any progress on finding the scroll. Her best ideas so far were to talk to Thea about it or search the sirens’ house. Penn and Lexi had been home all day, and at rehearsal she’d been unable to get Thea alone, since she was always surrounded by the actors in the play.
And that left Gemma standing outside the dressing rooms, trying to find a way to let Kirby down gently.
“It’s really no problem giving you a ride,” Kirby said. “You’re on my way home. ”
“I know, but I thought I’d walk tonight,” Gemma said. “It’s such a nice night. ”
“I could walk you home,” Kirby offered.
“Kirby, the thing is, you’re a nice guy, but…” She let out a long breath when she saw his expression fall. “I just got out of a serious relationship, and I need to focus on the play, and there’s so much going on in my life. I don’t think it’s fair to you if we keep hanging out. ”
“It’s fair,” he said quickly. “It’s totally fair. I’m fine with it. If you’re busy, you know, I can give you space. ”
“Okay, well, I need a lot of space,” Gemma said. “Like so much space that we’re not talking or hanging out outside of the play anymore. At all. That kinda space. ”
Understanding washed over his face, and he swallowed hard. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. ” She smiled sadly and shook her head. “You were perfectly wonderful. ”
“Then … can I at least walk you home tonight?” Kirby asked. “Like, to say good-bye?”
“Gemma?” Daniel asked. He’d appeared at the bottom of the stairs at the end of the hall. “Is everything okay down here?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine,” Gemma assured him.
“Good,” he said, but didn’t move away. “Everyone else has gone home for the night. So … Kirby, why don’t you head on home?”
“I was going to walk Gemma home,” Kirby said.
“Why don’t you take the night off, Kirby? I’ll make sure she gets home safe,” Daniel said. “I’ve gotta swing by her house anyway to see her sister. ”
Kirby looked over at Gemma, probably hoping that she would fight for him to take her, but she just shrugged and shook her head. Truthfully, she was relieved to get out of it. Kirby was harmless, but that didn’t mean she wa
nted to spend the next half hour turning him down.
Kirby lowered his eyes and nodded. “All right. See you later, Gemma. ” He turned and walked down the hall.
Gemma waited until after he was gone before she smiled gratefully at Daniel and walked over to where he waited for her.
“Thanks,” she said. “You saved me from a really, really awkward walk home. ”
“You’re only saying that because you don’t know what I have planned for conversation. I’m going to talk about all sorts of uncomfortable things. ” Daniel smirked.
“So you’re really gonna walk me home?” Gemma asked as they walked up the stairs together.
“Damn straight I am,” Daniel said. “Do you have any idea what your sister would do to me if I left you to walk home unguarded in the middle of the night?”
“It’s, like, nine o’clock,” Gemma pointed out.
“You think that matters to Harper?” Daniel asked. “It’s dark. That constitutes ‘middle of the night’ to her. ”
When they reached the top of the stairs, instead of going back up to the stage and through the auditorium they turned and went out the back door. Daniel held it open for her as Gemma stepped outside into the warm night air.
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As soon as she stepped outside, Gemma could feel it. There was no real way to explain it. It was like something in her blood was magnetized. When the moon was full, it pulled to her, the way it pulled the tides, and the ocean seemed to call to her more loudly than normal.
“I should go swim tonight,” Gemma said, as she breathed in deeply.
“Why don’t you go home first?” Daniel asked. “I’m sure if you’re going for a night swim, Harper would feel much better about it if she were there. ”
“Yeah, I will,” she agreed almost reluctantly. Not so much because she didn’t like swimming with Harper, but because it meant she’d have to wait longer to go.
Over the past few weeks, when she had to swim, she’d sometimes take Harper with her. More often she would go with Thea, and on the very rare occasion she’d gone with all three of the other sirens.
The agreement that Gemma had made with Harper was that she’d never swim alone again. As much as Harper didn’t like the sirens, like Gemma, she’d come to trust Thea. So she thought it was safer for Gemma to be around Thea than to be alone.
“If I asked you a question, would you answer me honestly?” Gemma asked as she and Daniel walked along the sidewalk.
“I would try,” Daniel said uncertainly. “But I usually don’t lie, so it’s a pretty safe bet that I’ll be straight with you. ”
“Are you working on the play because of me?” Gemma asked, looking up at him to watch how he responded. “Did Harper put you up to it?”
“You’re asking if Harper wanted me to babysit you,” Daniel said, stealthily avoiding her question. “She never really used those words. ”
“But she did ask you to?” Gemma pressed.
“Actually, no, she didn’t,” he said. “But I knew it would make her feel better if she knew you were safe. And it’s not like I would be happier if something bad happened to you. ”
“It’s not like you’d be happier?” Gemma laughed. “Don’t lay the concern on too thick. ”
He smirked and ruffled his already disheveled hair. “You know what I mean. You’re a nice kid. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, but I don’t want you getting the wrong idea. ”
“There’s no wrong idea to be had, which is nice. You’re one of, like, two guys that I can actually be myself around. ” She sighed. “It’s really just you and my dad at this point that aren’t leering at me. ”
“As your sister’s boyfriend, I can do double duty as brother-in … boyfriend-in-law?” He cocked his head, trying to come up with the right expression, before shrugging and moving on. “Anyway, if there’s anybody you want me to beat up for you, let me know, and I’m on it. ”
“Thank you. ” Gemma smiled. “I appreciate the sentiment. ”
“I don’t look that strong, but I make up for it by being tall,” Daniel said, and she laughed.
She glanced over at him, and he’d sold himself short. While Daniel was indeed on the tall side, he looked strong, too. He mostly wore button flannel shirts or faded T-shirts—the standard outfits of hipsters and handymen alike—but through that, she could see his thick biceps and broad shoulders. Plus, she’d seen him without his shirt on, and she knew that he was pretty ripped.
“Penn told me she offered you ten grand to put up a fence around her house,” Gemma said.
“That she did. ” He scratched on the scruff under his chin. “I turned her down, obviously. ”
“Obviously?” She looked up at him. “That’s a lot of money to turn down. ”
“It is, but I’m sure it’s blood money,” Daniel said, without looking to Gemma for confirmation. “And it’s probably not in my best interest to spend that much time around Penn. All the guys in her life end up dead. ”
“How is it going with that?” Gemma asked.
“With Penn’s somewhat obsessive interest in me?” Daniel asked and exhaled deeply. “It’s all about walking a very fine line of not pissing her off and not leading her on. ”
“And you’re not attracted to her?” Gemma asked. “At all?”
“No. ” He laughed and looked appalled. “Not in the slightest. Are you attracted to her?”
“No. Why would I be attracted to her?”
“Exactly. You were implying that she was so beautiful that any logic or reason or actual desire I might have would be overridden by her physical appearance,” Daniel said. “Since we’re both immune to her song or whatever supernatural hold it is she has on people, the same would be true for you. ”
“That makes sense,” she said finally. “Have you told Harper about Penn’s little crush on you?”
“I’ve downplayed it as much as I can,” Daniel admitted. “She knows some, but not the full extent. She doesn’t need to worry about it. ”
“No, I get that. I haven’t told her much, either. ” Gemma sighed. “It’s better that way sometimes. ”
They rounded the corner of the block, leaving the businesses in the center of town for the residential neighborhoods on the edges. A small brick retaining wall ran next to the sidewalk, and Gemma climbed up, walking on it with her arms out like she was walking a tightrope.
“Since we’re being honest, can I ask you something?” Daniel asked.
“Of course,” she said, but she slowed her steps and glanced over at him.
“The question is a bit weird, and I’m not even sure you’ll know the answer. ” He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared down thoughtfully at the sidewalk. “But when we found you, after you’d run away with the sirens, how did Harper know where you were?”
Gemma’s forehead pinched with confusion. “It was because of the newspaper. Weren’t you the one who showed her?”
“No, I know how we found the town,” Daniel said. “We knew the general location. But as soon as we saw that house, she knew you were there. ”
“What did she tell you?” Gemma asked.
“Not a lot, actually. I asked her a couple times about it, and she’s always very vague. She won’t say anything more than that she just knew. ”
“That’s how, then. ” Gemma shrugged. She’d come to the end of the wall, so she jumped down and landed on the sidewalk next to Daniel.
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“I didn’t understand before, but now that you put it that way, I get it,” he said dryly.
He’d stopped walking, so she did, too, and she turned to face him.
“Harper told you about the accident, right?” Gemma asked. “The one that happened when we were kids, and how my mom has a brain injury from it?”
“She has mentioned it, yes, but she doesn’t say much about it,” Daniel said.
“In her defense, there reall
y isn’t a whole bunch to tell. Mom was driving Harper to a pizza party, and a drunk driver sideswiped her. It hit the driver’s side, so Mom got the worst of it, but Harper was hurt, too,” Gemma explained.
“Her injury basically amounted to a bad cut on her leg. ” Gemma ran her hand six inches up and down her thigh to demonstrate. “She has a gnarly scar now, which is why she never wears short-shorts and hates to put on swimsuits. ”
“Okay,” Daniel said, like he was trying to follow what Gemma was saying but did not understand the connection at all.
“Well, anyway, while that was happening, I was at home with my dad,” Gemma said. “We were sitting in the living room, and I was coloring, and I remember just having this overwhelming panic. I don’t even know how else to explain it. I was suddenly just terrified. ”
“Like a panic attack?” Daniel asked.
“Something like that. ” Gemma nodded. “But then I got this really sharp, intense cramp in my leg. ” She motioned to the same spot on her leg that she had for Harper’s scar.
“So you’re saying that you felt it when Harper got hurt?” Daniel asked.
“I know it sounds crazy, but then again, after everything we’ve been through lately…” She trailed off and shrugged. “I don’t know why it happens, and I really can’t explain it. But since I’ve become a siren, I think it’s gotten more intense. ”
“How so?” Daniel asked.
“Before, I could only feel it when something really bad happened, like a car crash. But I knew when she was in trouble at the Fourth of July celebration and Penn had found you guys. ” She gestured to him. “And she found the house I was staying in. ”
“Hmm,” he said after a minute, since there was nothing more he could really say.
They started walking again, but they didn’t talk about anything of substance the rest of the way. They mostly just talked about Tom and how he was a little nuts. A few houses before they’d reached Gemma’s, she stopped short.
“What?” Daniel asked, looking down at her.
“If I tell you something, will you promise not to tell Harper?” Gemma asked.
“What is it?” Daniel asked, his eyebrows crinkling in concern.
“No, you need to promise. Before I tell you anything. ”
“Okay. ” He glanced toward her house, as if expecting to see Harper lurking about, then turned back to Gemma and nodded. “I promise. ”
“I’m not … telling Harper everything. ” She chose her words carefully. “And I’d like it if you did the same. ”
“What do you mean?” Daniel asked.
“Harper has her whole life ahead of her,” Gemma said. “She has all these great plans for herself, and she has you, and she has … everything. And there’s a very good chance that no matter what she does to help me, I won’t have a future. At least not one where I’m not a monster. ”
“Harper told me that you were making progress,” he said. “I thought you’d found a lead on a way to break the curse. ”
“I don’t know if it’s really a lead, but I do know that I don’t have much time left. ” She took a deep breath. “The point is that I want Harper to have her future. She needs to go to college, and she won’t if she doesn’t think I’m safe. So I need to pretend that everything is okay, even if it’s not, and I want you to help me. ”