Love, Lust, and Jealousy.
It's a story Cora knows all too well - not because it's her own, but that of her character in Illicit Affairs, the murderous romance that's about to take Broadway by storm. It's her crowning achievement, her pride and joy...
It felt neither real nor unreal, but rather a blurry somewhere in between; something like a dream. This was her dream. When her parents took her to her first Broadway show, Wicked, for her ninth birthday, Cora immediately knew that she wanted to be up on that stage someday. She wanted a taste of the magic, to see behind the curtain. She'd worked as hard as she possibly could for the past fifteen years to achieve that dream, and yet a part of her still felt like she didn't deserve it. But she supposed the universe didn't really care what she thought, because she was here anyway.
She was greeted by the doorman at the stage door and shown to her dressing room. The whole building felt alive with an excited energy, the thrill that came with starting a new show. Everyone within these walls had probably spent their entire lives trying to get to this point, to get to do what they loved most.
She'd been under no impression that her dressing room was going to be anything luxurious. Contrary to what a lot of people seemed to think, she knew that Broadway theaters weren't always all that nice. They look shiny on the surface, sure, but most of them haven't been renovated in decades.
There might be bugs. The hot water in the shower might not work. And she didn't really care. Even if it wasn't fancy, it was hers.
It wasn't empty when she got there. A tiny candle flickered on the vanity, where a woman was arranging an assortment of hair and makeup products.
She turned around at the sound of the door creaking open. Cora recognized her as Anais Hawthorn, the show's wardrobe supervisor who was also going to be her dresser. They'd previously met at her costume fittings and she'd struck Cora as a very calming sort of person. The outfit she'd chosen to wear today, a button-front linen dress and leather boots, was a perfect marriage between whimsical and practical. She had hair almost as pale as Simon's and a gentle smile.
"I hope you like patchouli alright," she said, nodding towards the candle. "I wanted to make it a little more hospitable in here before you arrived."
Cora felt herself relaxing. "That's really sweet of you."
"We're not really supposed to light candles in here," Anais explained as she zipped up a makeup bag and set it aside. "But I won't tell if you don't."
Cora smiled.
"You can have a few minutes to settle in, of course, but let me know when you're ready to try on your costume. We're going to give you a couple of days to get used to the set and your heels before we put twenty pounds of dress on you, but I want to go ahead and make sure everything's fitting like it should just in case I need to make any last-minute alterations."
It was somehow only then that Cora's eyes went to the costume rack against the opposite wall from the vanity. A corset, tights, gloves, and beautiful dark red gown were already awaiting her. And as soon as she saw that dress, she knew she didn't want to wait any longer to try it on.
She plopped the lone bag she'd brought with her onto the floor. "I'm ready when you are."
Rất tiếc! Hình ảnh này không tuân theo hướng dẫn nội dung. Để tiếp tục đăng tải, vui lòng xóa hoặc tải lên một hình ảnh khác.
