Phantom (35 page)

 “What are you three stooges up to?”

“One last hooray,” Tom told him.

Justyn narrowed his eyes. “And why wasn’t I let in on this little secret?”

Miss King answered that question for them. “Without further ado, let me introduce Justyn, Tom, Carmen, and Becca. They’ll be performing their own special rendition of “
Love Shack
.”

Justyn’s mouth fell open in dumb shock.

Rebecca smiled. “It’s not
that
bad.”

“You don’t actually except
me
to sing that nineties retro nonsense, do you?”

“Blame it on me, Justyn,” Carmen offered. “It’s the only song with multiple parts that was anywhere in my voice range.”

“Come on, dude, be a good sport,” Tom said, and clapped Justyn on the back.

Justyn glared at him. “You’re pushing it,
dude
.”

“Do it for me.”

Rebecca fluttered her eyelashes in what she hoped was a provocative way. They were so heavy with thick, black mascara, she couldn’t really be sure. But when she saw Justyn’s frown relax into that sweet smile she knew and loved, she realized that victory was hers.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“Come on,
Lord
Justyn—your fans await!”

 Rebecca took his hand, and the two of them followed Carmen and Tom onto the stage. With the four-piece band as their back up, they sang—loud and clear and strong. The entire class joined in for the final chorus, and laughed at the silly, exaggerated expressions they wore as they got into character. Rebecca noted that Justyn didn’t need the cheat sheet of lyrics she had pulled from her handbag. Apparently, he was a little more familiar with “that nineties retro nonsense” than he wanted to let on.
It all went very smoothly. Rebecca wasn’t even nervous about performing at all. The song actually ended way too soon, as did the rest of the night. Before long they were lost in the crowd on the dance floor as the last slow song of the night began to play.

“This is it,” Rebecca whispered as Justyn pulled her close. “Sure there’s a few more exams to take, but this is really the last big night of high school.”

“Any regrets?”

“Only the weeks that I wasted that I should have spent with you.” Rebecca smiled, but then grew a little more serious. “And of course Debbie.”

“What Debbie did wasn’t your fault.”

How many times had she heard that? More than she could count. But it didn’t really change anything. She still felt guilty, and at least partially responsible for everything Debbie had done. But she couldn’t tell Justyn that. He would spend the rest of the night trying to change her mind.

 Rebecca sighed. “At least she’s getting the help she needs.”

 Justyn pulled her closer. “I wish you wouldn’t torture yourself.”

She should have known she couldn’t hide her feelings from him. He practically read her mind most of the time. “I think it will be easier when we leave for New York. There are just too many reminders here. Of Debbie. Of Jay. Even of Wendy.”

Justyn nodded. “I know how hard this has been for you. But Becca, I swear to you, if I can help it, no one will ever hurt you again.”

Rebecca smiled. “Oh really, Lord Justyn. Are you going to be my hero? Are you going to ride in on your black horse and save me?”

 She had only been kidding, but his eyes grew serious, and he actually stopped dancing as he raised a hand to stroke her cheek. “How about we save each other.” He leaned down to kiss her. “Every day for the rest of our lives.”

She had to swallow past a large lump in her throat before she could speak again. “Sounds good to me.”

Rebecca sighed as he pulled her back into his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling the kind of bliss she didn’t even realize existed before she had met him. Finally they had gotten it right. The final curtain had fallen. The show was over. And in the midst of art coming to life, Justyn and Rebecca had found true love.

Coming in 2013 from Author Laura DeLuca

Demon

Dark Musicals Trilogy, Book 2

Rebecca Hope was sitting high atop a deserted lifeguard bench, watching the waves roll in along the oceanfront, bringing with them an abundance of broken seashells and seaweed. Behind her, the sand stretched for miles. The distant screams from the roller coaster were the only sounds marring the peaceful beauty of the night. She watched as the sun dipped into the deep blue sea, turning the waters a murky gray. Looking out at the endless stretch of water made anything seem possible, but not even the spectacular beauty of the evening was enough to pull Rebecca from her sullenness.

“I can’t believe the summer is already over.” She sighed. “This is it. It’s really our last night together. Tomorrow we’re officially college students. ”

Rebecca’s boyfriend, Justyn Patko, gave her a supportive squeeze, but when she looked over at her best friend, Carmen Webber, her eyes welled with tears. They had been close since grade school. Rebecca wasn’t sure how she was going to face life without her best friend by her side. They had never been apart for more than a few days.

Carmen waved her hand in dismissal, but Rebecca heard the catch in her voice. “Please don’t talk about it. You know I don’t like letting people see me cry.” She squeezed the newly acquired teddy bear that her boyfriend, Tom Rittenhouse, had spent at least fifty dollars trying to win for her.

“Come on, guys.” Tom gave Carmen a light jab in the arm. “It’s not that bad. It’ll be Thanksgiving before we know it. Then we’ll have a big reunion. We’ll all swap stories about college life and how hard we partied.”

“Besides,” Justyn added, “this is a beginning. Not an ending.”

There was a commutative sigh as they considered that. It was the last day of summer vacation. It was bitter sweet, but they had decided to make the most of it. They drove the forty-five minutes to a little tourist town called Wildwood, a resort known for its free beaches and spectacular amusement parks. They spent the day sunbathing, exploring the boardwalk, and stopped for dinner at a little restaurant called Duffy’s on the Lake. Finally, they headed back to the beach to watch the sun set on the nearly deserted shoreline.

“At least you two will be together,” Carmen said with a wistful glance at Tom. “Tom and I are going to be on opposite ends of the country.”

Rebecca couldn’t argue. She knew how lucky she was. Tom was off to his endless summer in California while Carmen would be staying close to home and attending a state college in New Jersey. They were going to be a world apart.

Rebecca and Justyn had both been accepted to the New York School of Performing Arts. Their tuition was paid in full, thanks to the talent scout who had come in search of Justyn, but found a duo he refused to leave behind. They even arranged to rent a small apartment off campus, much to her parent’s displeasure. Still, the fact that Rebecca was going to have her boyfriend by her side didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about leaving her hometown and everything she knew. In fact, she was downright terrified.

Justyn seemed to read her thoughts, even though he addressed everyone. “Don’t worry. After all we’ve been through his past year . . . college will be like one big vacation.”

Rebecca saw Tom nod in the darkness. They were all contemplative for a moment, remembering the nightmare they had faced. During their high school drama club’s production of
Phantom
, one of the students had stalked and terrorized them, even going so far as murdering two of their classmates, including Tom’s best friend, Jay. Justyn had been close to death when the crazed killer was de-masked on opening night. Luckily, the gun shot only hit his shoulder.

Rebecca noticed Justyn grimace and try to readjust his arm on the cramped bench that was only meant for two. He was lucky he was an actor and not a pitcher because his shoulder would never to be the same. Rebecca still felt responsible. After all, it was
her
friend Debbie who had hurt all those innocent people, including Justyn—all because she had secretly yearned for a romantic relationship with Rebecca.

“Hey, babe,” Tom said to Carmen, interrupting Rebecca’s dark reverie. “How about one last stroll along the beach?”

Carmen nodded. The pretty Latina was trying so hard to maintain the tough girl façade, but Rebecca could see her eyes glistening as she climbed down the ladder that led to the sand.  She watched them walk away hand-in-hand, but they hadn’t gone far before Carmen finally fell apart. Tom wrapped his arms around her and stroked her long black hair. Rebecca, feeling like an eavesdropper on the intimate moment, averted her eyes to give them some privacy.

“You know, we really are lucky.” Justyn whispered, and tilted her head to place a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’ve moved a dozen times in my life. I’ve left friends and family behind more than once, but I don’t think I could bear to leave you.”

Rebecca smiled, and studied his familiar face in the moonlight. His multiple facial piercings glistened against his pale skin and dark outlined eyes. His solid black ensemble should have made it hard to see him in the night.

When people saw Rebecca with the dramatic Goth, it took them by surprise. They made a strange pair. With her everyday jean shorts and curly brown hair, Rebecca was the poster girl for boring. Yet they made it work, and Rebecca couldn’t imagine herself with anyone else. They were completely in tune with each other, and created a sort of magical harmony, not only with their voices but in all aspects of their relationship. She had even learned a few things from him. She touched the silver pentacle that dangled around her neck. She was still in the midst of her year and a day training; she had a few more months before she could call herself a full-fledged witch. Thanks to Justyn, she had discovered her spiritual path as well as her soul mate.

“I feel the same way,” Rebecca told him, and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I couldn’t imagine beginning this adventure without you by my side.”

“Before we start this new chapter, there’s something I wanted to give you.” Justyn reached into the deep pockets of his black cargo pants and retrieved a little black box wrapped with silver ribbon.

“Really, Lord Justyn, you spoil me way too much,” she said, addressing him playfully by his nickname.

He shrugged. “You are worth spoiling, my lady.”

He kissed her fingers as he slipped the gift into her hand. She felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks and her heart fluttered. Rebecca loved the fact that even though their relationship had matured, Justyn still had the uncanny ability to make her swoon. With her heartbeat still accelerated, she examined the little box and shook it gently. Inside, she heard something rattle.

“But I didn’t get you anything.” She pouted. 

“That’s okay. This is for both of us.”

She raised an eyebrow, a habit she had inherited from him. “Do you often give yourself gifts in velvet trimmed boxes?” she teased.

Justyn rolled his eyes. “Just open it and you’ll see what I mean.”

Rebecca unwound the silver ribbon that bound the box together. When she lifted the lid, she found two matching pendants, each laced to a long hemp chain. They were shaped sort of like seashells, with an endless spiral pattern that looped out from the center as the chambers grew larger. They were dark brown in color with a few hints of tan along the edges. The stones had been polished and smoothed on both sides, but when she lifted them, she could see that the two pieces fit together perfectly. She swore that the halves fought to snap together, like magnets in her hand.  There was an energy pulsing and vibrating within the stones that even a novice witch like Rebecca could feel.

“They’re beautiful.” Rebecca whispered as she ran her hand along the intricate grooves.

“It’s an ammonite.” Justyn lifted one of the pendants, brushed her hair to the side, and hooked the clasp around her neck. His breath tickled her skin as his hands moved with graceful dexterity, giving her goose bumps despite the humid August night. “They’re actually fossils that are millions of years old, named after Ammon, an ancient Egyptian deity. When they’re divided in half, they’re perfect mirrors of one another. Some cultures believe that if the two halves are given to lovers, it will bind them together forever. When made in necklaces, they’re often called soul mate pendants.”

 “Wo . . . wow,” Rebecca stuttered. As usual, the sentiment behind Justyn’s gift was even more beautiful than the gift itself. It left her a little flustered. “That’s amazing. How do you know all this stuff?”

“You don’t spend eighteen years living with Darlene without learning a thing or two.”

Rebecca laughed. Justyn’s mother, Darlene, was definitely something special. EMT, exotic belly dancer, and Wiccan High Priestess were only a few of the titles she claimed. Rebecca knew she was a fountain of earth-based knowledge after years of studying the Craft. As Darlene’s new apprentice, Rebecca was greedily dipping into that knowledge herself as often as possible.

“It’s beautiful,” Rebecca repeated, too overcome with emotion to think of anything more eloquent to say. “You certainly know how to make things interesting.”

“Like I told you on our first date, I try not to be boring.” He winked at her. “So . . . are you going to put mine on for me?”

“Oh yeah . . . sorry.”