Winter's Spell, page 21
“I’m sure you were,” said Chayo. “But remember, not all Shakespeare is created equal. Especially when it comes to the performances.”
“Whew,” said Roxy. She wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead. “So you think I still have a chance with Tessa?”
Chayo nodded. “Absolutely. And while we stain, I can tell you what I like about this play. And what I don’t like. And how we’re going to manage to make it the best performance of The Winter’s Tale ever put on. Did Tessa mention to you that it’s all going to take place in space?”
“In space?” said Roxy.
Chayo smiled mischievously and nodded. “Oh yeah. Let’s go. I’ll show you.”
They picked up their materials and headed out to the stage, Roxy’s mind full of wonder. The Winter’s Tale in space? Maybe this play would be pretty cool after all.
* * *
The time passed quickly while they worked to stain the banquet table. After a while, Tessa joined them as well, and even picked up a brush to do some of the work herself.
While they worked, Tessa and Chayo filled Roxy in on how the play would be staged, and what Tessa had thought up for it. It all sounded pretty rad to Roxy, and working together, all three of them, made it easier to be with Tessa, even though they hadn’t had a chance to really talk one-on-one since Wednesday’s debacle.
Finally, it was time for lunch, and Chayo discreetly excused herself so they could chat. Tessa invited Roxy to join her for lunch in the greenroom, where they ordered delivery from a local deli.
“I made sure to negotiate that we can order food to the theater,” said Tessa as she filled in Roxy on her conversation that morning with the theater owner and Barb. “She was not happy about that. But I promised we would clean up and take out our garbage every evening.”
“That’s something,” said Roxy. Suddenly, she was very hungry.
The food arrived quickly, however, and soon enough they were chowing down on delicious subs.
“I had no idea that you were going to put on the play in space,” said Roxy when she no longer felt ravenous.
Tessa nodded. “I had this idea of making it a space opera. It’s so hard to have a character like Leontes, who is so evil and awful, but then later you kind of feel bad for him and he’s redeemed. I started to think, what genres do we see such melodrama? Science fiction is what I landed on. You know, stuff like Star Wars is all quite melodramatic.”
Roxy nodded. She was an avid Star Wars fan. “Oh yeah. Like the story of Darth Vader. First we hate him and then later we feel bad for him.”
“Exactly. It’s very Shakespearean.”
“I never would have thought of it that way,” said Roxy truthfully. “If only my high school English teacher had used that example.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” said Tessa. She grinned at Roxy. “The Bard’s number one fangirl.”
“You’re the hype guy for old Bill,” said Roxy. They both laughed. Most of the tension she’d felt ever since she’d left Tessa’s apartment after the film was gone. It felt natural to joke around and have lunch together like old friends—except you didn’t want to kiss your friends while hanging out. And Roxy most certainly wanted that.
Tessa was adorable, even in the old overalls and gray turtleneck she’d been wearing for working on the banquet table. Her hair was a mess from the drizzle and wind, and Roxy loved it even more. The streaks of teal and blue in Tessa’s hair looked like electricity, and that’s exactly how Roxy thought of Tessa—electric, pure energy, with high voltage sexiness, if that was a thing.
She must have been staring because Tessa blushed and looked away.
“Sorry,” said Roxy.
“Are you still hungry?” asked Tessa. “Because you looked like you were about to eat me up.” She giggled nervously.
“I guess I’m that obvious,” said Roxy. Best to steer them back to safer territory. “I’m really digging your idea of having the play in space. Will you have to change a lot of the original play to fit the theme? Or is it going to be more like the Romeo + Juliet movie from the nineties?”
Tessa looked suitably impressed. “Actually no, we won’t be changing much of the original language at all. We have switched some lines and scenes and shortened some stuff to make sure the play’s run time sticks to a tight two hours, but otherwise it’ll be all Bard. Just in space.” She paused and looked a little uncertain. “Would you like to watch a rehearsal today? Just to see what it’s like in person?” The words came out in a rush.
“Absolutely,” said Roxy. Now that she knew more about how the play would be staged, her curiosity was piqued.
They had to part after lunch since Tessa would be working one-on-one with Lisa on some character building before the larger rehearsal, so Roxy returned to the woodshop. She was relieved to hear that Mo would be sitting in on the one-on-one, taking notes for Lisa so she wouldn’t have to.
Not that she was worried Tessa was still into Lisa. She was much more concerned that Lisa was still into Tessa. But she filed away that thought for later. Maybe she could even ask Mo for her opinion about Lisa’s love interests?
A few hours later, Roxy went to the greenroom to watch some of the rehearsal, as Tessa had suggested. The greenroom was small and intimate, and Roxy felt a little awkward at first. She worried someone would ask why she was there, but no one did. The actors all seemed used to having random people sitting in on rehearsals, and soon enough Roxy’s attention was pulled into the scene in front of her. Tessa had provided her with a binder with the script, so she could follow along, but it wasn’t really necessary. They were working on a single scene, often going over specific elements and trying different reactions or line deliveries, and Roxy found it fascinating to learn how a small change in inflection, a tiny adjustment in blocking or facial expression of the actors could instantly change the feeling of the scene.
In high school when she’d helped with sets and things, Roxy had never really watched a rehearsal. Dress rehearsals, sure, but not the earlier stuff. It was more interesting than she would have originally considered, and having the framing idea of Star Wars and other sci-fi dramas in her mind helped her enjoy the drama between the characters even more.
All that aside, something about listening to the lines being delivered by actors right in front of her, rather than on a screen, made it that much more exciting.
“So, what’d you think?” said Tessa as they walked out of the greenroom a couple of hours later. She sounded anxious and hopeful at the same time.
“That was incredible,” said Roxy. She meant it, too. There was no need to feign enthusiasm. “Something about seeing it in person and watching you and the other actors in action right in front of me was awesome. Totally different than watching it on TV. And it was so cool seeing you directing. Your suggestions made everyone do better, and they all totally respect you. You can tell right away.”
Tessa blushed. “Thanks, that means a lot. I’m really glad you liked what you saw. I can’t wait to put it all together.” Her voice was a blend of pride and modesty, and Roxy couldn’t help but put an arm around Tessa’s shoulders and give her a squeeze.
“Me, too,” said Roxy.
As they rounded the corner of the hallway, they came face-to-face with none other than Barb.
“Oh,” said Barb, her expression cloudy as always. “I was looking for you.”
It sounded ominous.
“Everything okay?” Tessa’s voice broke on the second word, and a surge of annoyance went through Roxy. No one should have the power to make Tessa feel so nervous. She deserved better than that.
A strange sensation came over Roxy, as though her veins were filled with electricity. Her breath caught in her throat. What was that sensation?
Before she could figure it out, it passed. How odd.
“You have a phone call,” said Barb. She stepped forward, forcing Roxy and Tessa to break apart, but not before Barb gave them a knowing look. One Roxy didn’t like one bit. She felt something like an aftershock of the earlier electric sensation pass through her. If she ever had a chance to talk mano a mano with Barb, she’d have plenty to say about how she treated others.
“Whew, that was a close one.” Tessa was clearly shaken by the interaction. She shivered. “I’d better go to the office. We’ve got rehearsals again tonight, on the stage. The banquet table should be dry enough to be moved to the side. Will you join us again?” There was pleading in Tessa’s voice, and Roxy wanted nothing more than to say yes.
“I’ll have to check with Mo,” she said. She squeezed Tessa’s arm. “She’s been having a tough time, and I want to be there for her.”
“Why don’t you bring Mo, too? Maybe Lisa will need her there anyway.”
Roxy admired her persistence. It would all depend on Mo’s energy levels after her salt bath. Lately, she’d been going to bed right after and sleeping for twelve hours straight. Roxy’s instinct was that something was not right.
“I’ll check with her,” said Roxy. She kissed Tessa gently on the cheek and inhaled her mingled scents that day: lavender, vanilla, and something citrusy.
They parted ways, but the scents lingered in Roxy’s nose, like a memory she couldn’t quite remember. Later, she recalled the strange little sachets she’d seen hanging up above the stage, and she cursed herself for not remembering sooner. Her feeling of foreboding at Barb’s approach made it even more pressing to ask Tessa whether she knew about those odd bags up there.
Chapter Twenty—Tessa
The next several days passed quickly, and before she knew it, Tessa found herself walking Joy to her appointment with Madame Clerval. They walked briskly, the winter wind coming off the ocean and whipping their hair and scarves, stronger gusts pushing against their whole bodies. During the day was bad enough, but now, at nearly ten at night, it was wretchedly cold. Tessa couldn’t help feeling annoyed with Madame Clerval and the weird hours she kept. Not that Ptown ever really felt unsafe, per se, but still. It was dark and cold, and Tessa couldn’t help feeling that the whole situation was slightly menacing at this hour.
“You’ll be okay?” said Tessa at the corner where they’d decided to part ways.
Joy smiled. “Are you kidding? This is an adventure.”
“If anything feels off at all, you let me know,” said Tessa, perhaps a little too seriously.
Joy rolled her eyes. “Honestly, it’ll be fine, Tessa. I go to people like this all the time. Ten at night is nothing. I once went to a séance that didn’t even let people in the room until after midnight.”
Tessa laughed nervously and gave Joy a quick hug. Joy turned and walked in the direction of Madame Clerval’s, and Tessa walked across the street to the pub nearest to it. She managed to even find a table next to a window where she could see down the street in that direction.
Roxy and Mo were supposed to meet her there any time now. She checked her watch and her phone. She was on time; no messages. She tried not to let herself obsess about why they were late. The whole thing was making her nervous, though she wasn’t really sure why except that it was dark and later than she was used to being out in bars anymore. She’d never really been a going out kind of person, even in college. In bed by eleven was her usual MO.
Things had been going swimmingly for her, both personally and professionally. There really was nothing out of the ordinary that had happened since her chilly handshake with Isidora and the occasional creepy vibe from Barb. The show was going full steam ahead. Rehearsals had been going smoothly. Lisa had been behaving herself, and even Mo had shown herself to be a quick learner. She still talked back to Lisa, but somehow, Lisa was tolerating it. It was almost as though Lisa was enjoying Mo’s spunk. Few people ever stood up to Lisa’s overwhelming personality, so perhaps it was a welcome if surprising change of pace for her.
The sets were also shaping up well. Chayo, and the set designer, Amanda, were honest-to-goodness geniuses, and they’d taken Tessa’s crazy ideas about staging the show and turned them into something truly amazing. It had taken Tessa ages to come up with a concept that she was happy with. She’d wanted to do something truly unique and interesting, something that would really speak to younger people and make the story somehow both modern and classic—hence the outer space setting, with a midcentury modern slash space-age aesthetic. The two main families of the play were visually separated by style—1950s classic looks versus 1970s disco style, and they were meant to represent the royalty of two different moons orbiting the same planet. For a while, Tessa had worried that she should have chosen a theme and aesthetic more connected to Ptown, but everyone working on the show was super enthusiastic about her ideas, and of course, the grant committee had been as well.
Now that some of the major set pieces were coming together and more of the costumes were arriving, she could see how it was all going to come together and be truly visually spectacular. The Winter’s Tale was a romance with magic, drama, and comedy—it was ripe for a space opera adaptation, she reminded herself.
There was no reason to worry about it. Just like there was no reason to worry about how things were going with Roxy. Things were going very well—if a little slower than she would have liked—but there hadn’t been any more awkwardness between them. In fact, when they spent time together, it all seemed very natural and easy. Roxy was easy and fun to talk to, and Tessa was enjoying getting to know Roxy, even if part of her was impatient to get to the next level with her.
In part, they had to take things slow because they were both busy. There were lots of days when Tessa had to get to the theater by eight, and she didn’t leave until eight or nine at night. People were constantly wanting to talk to her and meet with her; she had to keep track of her grant money and how it was being spent; and, of course, she was running rehearsals as the director of the show. It was a dizzying amount of work, and she was grateful that they didn’t have to work the weekends—yet. It wouldn’t be long, though, before they’d be working every day.
Unfortunately, Roxy often did have to work on the weekends, so the weekend had passed without a longer outing like their hike to the beach.
The weather had been obligingly awful, so at least she didn’t have to feel guilty about being inside all the time. If it wasn’t cold and rainy, it was cold and snowy, or cold and windy. She and Roxy had to grab time together when they could, which lately meant eating takeout together in the greenroom or stealing a quick kiss in the hallway. That past Sunday they’d managed another quick walk around Ptown and dinner together at a slightly nicer place—Tessa’s treat. That was really their only “date” since they’d eaten dinner together at her apartment. They spent a lot of time together with other people, of course, but Tessa didn’t really count that as dates—especially when Mo was very interested in everything Tessa said and did. Sometimes they’d be chatting, and she’d notice that Mo’s face was getting closer and closer to hers, so as to be right up in her personal space. Roxy had explained that she had a hard time reading social cues, and if that wasn’t an understatement.
Tessa chuckled a bit and shook her head. She checked her watch again—five after ten. She picked up her phone, and this time there was a message from Roxy, saying they were on their way, but they’d had to go back to the house because Roxy had forgotten her wallet.
She was glad they were on their way. The bar was rather empty, and she was getting the willies sitting there all by herself at a table in the corner. She wasn’t quite sure why. Nothing of note had happened in the last two weeks that would count for the “weird auras and evil magic” category of things. She hadn’t had much time to work on her hedgecraft in the last week, and that was weighing on her. The pool of magic within her that had risen up so beautifully the week before was ebbing again. Freya had warned her of that, and yet she’d let herself get caught up in the show and Roxy and had forgotten to sharpen her most important tool.
The next day, she vowed, she’d make sure to work on some small castings around the apartment, just to remind herself she could.
“Hey, cutie. Why so serious?”
Tessa looked up and smiled. There were Roxy and Mo, bringing the cold air with them as they sat down across from her at the table. Roxy leaned over and kissed her quickly on the lips. Her lips were cold and yet the kiss made Tessa feel warm all over, chasing away the chill.
“Just worried about Joy, is all,” said Tessa, choosing the simplest truth to share with them.
Mo nodded. “I am worried also.” Her voice conveyed an even greater sense of concern than Tessa’s.
Roxy sighed. “Maybe we’re all wrong?” She shrugged. “Maybe Madame Clerval is just a hack who makes good guesses?”
“We can only hope,” said Tessa.
“Hey, we’re out on a Wednesday night,” said Roxy brightly. “Let’s get some drinks and celebrate getting out of the house,” she added with a wink at Tessa that made Tessa blush.
She looked over at Mo who, as usual, was sizing her up. Well, at least she was smiling at her this time, though with a somewhat crazed look in her eyes.
“Sure,” said Tessa. “I’ll have a glass of white wine.”
“Perfect,” said Roxy. “Mo—your usual, I assume?”
Mo nodded, still staring at Tessa.
Roxy left the two of them to go get their drinks at the bar. Tessa cleared her throat. “So, uh, things are going well working for Lisa?”
Mo blinked a few times, as if not understanding the question. “Oh, yes,” she said, finally. “It is all fine. What about you and Roxy? Is it all going well?” She put a strange emphasis on the last two words that Tessa couldn’t quite figure out. Was she trying to ask if they were sleeping together? That was personal, to Tessa’s mind, but she supposed that since Roxy and Mo were cousins and roommates, there probably weren’t a whole lot of secrets. Still, she wasn’t about to spill her guts to Mo.
