48- All my truth

The Paramount Theater was in the center of town, just a few blocks from the public library of Une Isle Where the Syrens Dwell and from Pearl’s bar. It was a bit far to walk, so she left early. She wanted to arrive at Lives and Reincarnations. Her car was still in the shop, and Mathias was going to take her home after rehearsal.

It was an old theater, built in the early 20th century. It had been famous in its day, but over the years, people had lost interest. The Paramount closed and deteriorated. Then, about twenty years ago, the town had launched a revitalization project and started to repair it.

In fact, Mia’s mother had been part of the team that restored the theater. In reality, Hathor had no idea about building repairs, and, as far as Mia understood, her contribution had been limited to painting, cleaning, and fundraising. But she had worked hard, and in the end, the Paramount had regained its former glory.

Previously, the marquee on the facade lit up at night. At this moment, it simply announced: "THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, AUGUST 27," all in capital letters. There were only three weeks left until the premiere, and after that, there would be four performances over one weekend. It wasn’t Broadway, but it was a start.

There was a poster on the facade of the building, in the old style of theater advertisements. There, they had put the names of all the actors. Thea was listed first, just below Aiden Crawford. They should have shared the honors, as they were playing the lead roles of Kate and Petruchio, respectively, but Aiden had the privilege of being the mayor Crawford’s oldest son, the most prominent man in Une Isle Where the Syrens Dwell.

Thea had joined the play first, and Mia had followed her suggestion. Apparently, Thea had always loved theater, but Mia had auditioned mainly to be closer to Thea. Not only to see if she could find a way to reverse the curse but also to keep an eye on the sirens. Besides, Mia thought it was good to have something to keep her occupied.

Mia walked past the box office and the main doors and turned around the side of the building to the door leading to the backstage area. Since she had left so early, she was one of the first to arrive, but apparently, that was the norm.

Tom Wagner, the director, had already arrived. Daniel had, too, but he might have been there for hours. Daniel's task was to recreate the Italian Renaissance on stage. Mia knew that the job was tailor-made for him, and she had seen him tirelessly working backstage with elaborate set sketches since she had been cast in the play a week ago.

When she entered, Tom was sitting on the stage, legs dangling off the edge, with a script laid out beside him. His dark hair was a bit messy, and the first buttons of his shirt were undone. Abstractly, Mia was aware that he was attractive, and his slight British accent undoubtedly helped to support that idea.

“Blanca.” Tom broke into a wide smile when he saw Mia. He insisted on calling everyone by their character’s name, but that didn’t bother her. “You’re very punctual. I wonder if your castmates will follow your example.”

“I don’t think punctuality is contagious,” Mia said.

He laughed. “No, I don't think it is.”

She jumped up to sit on the stage next to him. She did so carefully, since she was wearing a skirt and didn’t want to show too much. In front of her were rows and rows of empty velvet seats. The walls were decorated to look like old brick, like those in a castle. Above them, the ceiling was painted dark blue like the early evening sky, complete with little lights that peeked out like stars.

“Are you having any trouble with your role?” Tom asked her.

“Not so far,” Mia said. “But I still haven’t memorized everything.”

“What a shame,” he said with a conspiratorial smile. “At this point, I thought you would have memorized everyone’s lines, not just your own.”

A dull noise came from the back, and Mia looked back to see Daniel lifting a tool from outside the stage. She waved at him, but he merely nodded his head and smiled back at her, his hands full of tools and wood.

The other actors gradually arrived along with the assistant director. Mathias was the next to arrive. He smiled at her, but he was careful to keep his distance.

Mia had told him that she didn’t believe they should show any kind of affection in public, because she didn’t want the other actors talking behind their backs, or for Tom to be upset with them for not concentrating enough. That was part of the reason, but it wasn’t the whole truth.

After what had happened with Leo Lycan, she didn’t want the sirens to know which werewolf she was dating. She trusted Thea, but if Negani found out about Mathias, she might do something just to upset her.

Mia didn't believe he would actually harm her, since Negani, Antonieta, and Thea had promised not to harm any inhabitant of Une Isle Where the Syrens Dwell.