To make small talk, I asked Enzo if he knew anything interesting.
“Oh, I have interesting. I can tell you all sorts of interesting,” he said as we made our way down the sculpted animal hallway.
“Well, first there is the business with Ms. Cost. She’s about done with the Baroness Victoria Linz. Now, Victoria isn’t current with her dues at the country clubs, and this is a huge deal. So, rumor has it, we’re at 500-1 right now. 499. Can you imagine? Victoria supposedly has her eyes on Coxely to solve her financial woes, but he is fixed with Stella Adams, and the Adams are such a respectable family.” Enzo’s face lit up, and he continued, “Now, Deidra Drake, one of Bianca’s most inner companions, is on the prowl again, as if she was ever off.” And then he mentioned a man’s name I missed and the scandal with him and his many love conquests. Currently, the man was dating twins, but last night he was spotted out with a Swedish beauty. Then more gossip about this or that. I wanted to mention that gossip only worked well when you knew the person being talked about. Still, I wouldn’t care all that much. I had enough on my plate to think about.
“I’m taking you to the back doorway so everyone’s suspense will be heightened, and we can keep the delicious mystery longer.” Enzo opened a door located under a cougar in mid-pounce. After several long boring back hallways, we finally to an imposing wooden door. He opened it and pushed a heavy blood-red curtain aside. “After you.”
The private balcony jutted towards the stage and opened onto a magnificent view. A mural in black and gold covered the ceiling, and the angels stared down to me, and below. I followed their golden gaze to the throngs of richly dressed men and women that filled every seat in the ornate red and gold theater. “Wow!”
Doc, all decked out in a tuxedo and top hat, stepped in behind us and took the chair to my right. “Good evening, Waverly. You look lovely.”
“Thank you, Doc. Nice hat,” I said.
Doc lifted the brim of his top hat and smiled. “Thank you, I thought you’d enjoy it. I’ll take it off before the show starts.”
Enzo pointed down at the theatre. “I could have filled this room six times over, there is so much interest. See all these people. From the mezzanine to the orchestra pit to the box seats? They’re pretending to be interested in opera, but they are all here to glimpse the new princess, Waverly Merric. I’m very selective, so don’t you worry. Only the best. Your name has been buzzing all over the country for the last week.”
As he said this, I fought the urge to run. Five hundred people, easy, shuffled into the lower level of the theater. All of them showed up to see me. Me? Did this officially make me an alien? A real-live specimen from a different planet. An alien who took a wrong turn near Neptune and landed on this version of earth, confused and gasping for the familiar and fresh air.
Gazing over the balcony, I wondered how Grandma felt the first time she did this. Did she have the same butterflies swirling in her stomach? Did she look out over the crowd, overwhelmed by the whole other world thing too, or had Bollard at least done her the courtesy of explaining where they were traveling?
As I glanced down at the crowd, I caught the furtive looks. Women with programs to their faces, eyes gazing up, not forward. The discreet men acted as if they were looking around the theater for other people, but their eyes rested for a beat too long on our box. Some didn’t bother to make it secret and instead stared straight up at us, daring me to return their gaze.
Eat it up, stare at the freak. The newest exhibit, a zoo display. Forget zebras. I was long past zebras. I was the wooly mammoth brought to life, out of place and time.
Disgusted, I wanted to tell Enzo to forget the whole thing when I searched the crowd once more, and my eyes rested upon a man. An ordinary guy. His head and nose were perfectly shaped, but his face wasn’t clear from this angle. Good-looking? Can you tell if a man is handsome from overhead? No, probably not. In fact, it was an ordinary head, with regular brown hair and yet, I couldn’t look away. He was with a woman who kept peeking at me and attempting to get the man to look at me too. I hoped he would, but his other audience members held his attention. I hoped he would.
Then, the strangest emotion came over me. Not the sorrow or confusion that had plagued me for the previous few days, not even anger. An unexpected calmness, almost like being home, replaced all the sadness, all the anxiety. Just looking at the man’s head caused me to feel better, normal.
I looked away for a moment and my sadness returned, but its grip was weaker this time.
I scanned the crowd for the man again. Once I found him, the same odd feeling took over, and I eased. It was the strangest thing. When I averted my eyes, the bad emotions returned but disappeared after I saw him. This made no sense. How could looking at a stranger make me feel better? No. It was stupid, and yet…
Enzo patted my arm. “Has someone caught your attention?”
“No, why?” I asked. If Enzo noticed, I was sure others were seeing me stare too, but I enjoyed the feeling of normal. As long as I was looking at that ordinary man, I felt like the old me. “Enzo, do you recognize everyone here?”
“Yes, who do you want to know?” He leaned over the balcony. “You do see someone. Who
