Page 46 of House of Pain
She’d never had a fear of performing. She loved being on the stage, in front of the lights and other people, taking on the role of someone else.It came as naturally as breathing.
“Half-breed slut,” one of the girls taunted as Alecto passed them. The whole auditorium heard it because a wave of laughter went around.
Ignoring the slamming headache in her right temple and the dread suffocating her chest, Alecto took her place in the middle of the stage, bright lights blinding her.
“You recite the lines of Carmen, and I’m going to read Seville’s lines,” Madame Raquel instructed.
Alecto nodded, rolling her shoulders as she briefly closed her eyes.
She took a deep breath, letting the air fill her lungs and even her belly before she exhaled. When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t her anymore.
She was Carmen.
“Oh, my lover, dear precious lover, will you come to me and take me with you?” Alecto drawled, letting her hand brush her hair behind her shoulder.
“I’m right here, Carmen. I never even left. There isn’t a force stronger in the world than my attraction to you. Only the army of demons from Hel or the Goddess herself can stop me from living the rest of my life with you in my arms, my Carmen,” Madame Raquel read in a low voice.
Alecto took a step to the side, dropping her gaze to the ground, tugging a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“Your words are somber and promising, lover. But I’ve heard them before, oh so many times. How am I to believe that you mean it when you’ve not even looked my way since we came here?” she said, her voice quiet. She lifted her eyes as if she were glancing shyly at her lover.
“Your words break my heart, Carmen. How could you ever doubt me? I’ve had countless nights where sleep evaded me, refusing to take me to the land of peaceful dreams. How could you doubt my admission of love when the food I eat when you’re not around is as bland as ash on my tongue?” the professor read, louder.
Alecto huffed a laugh, her hand coming up to her mouth to cover it.
“Words, words, words. Another ocean of meaningless words. Dear lover, I’ll give you that—you know exactly how to coax your way to my heart, whispering sweet nothings in my ear whenever my heart aches for a taste of you,” Alecto said, more enthusiastically now, letting the heat of passion fill her veins as she stepped closer to the edge of the stage.
“My Carmen…my dear, lovely Carmen, don’t question my feelings. Not like this, not now.”
Alecto’s whole body trembled as she placed a hand over her chest, inhaling a ragged breath before turning away from the stage and walking to the side. She turned her head to the class again, her eyes stinging with tears.
“You’ve promised me the night’s sky full of stars, the world beyond these walls, the sun rays on my cheeks in the middle of the spring. And yet, all I have so far has been a cage of stone and empty words,” Alecto said, voice trembling, and then she dropped her glance to the floor, one tear rolling down her cheek right before she stepped off the stage.
“Excellent, dear!” Madame Raquel cheered, clapping as she rose from her seat.
Alecto sniffled, brushing the tears away, and awarded her professor with a smile. Madame Raquel was beaming.
“Next,” the professor announced, throwing a glance over her shoulder. Another student rose from their seat. Turning back to Alecto, she said, “You’re going to be my Carmen this year, dear. Don’t doubt it.”
Alecto pulled her shoulders back, bowing her head lightly, pleased to hear Madame Raquel say it.
“We’re going to need a spell or two to make you a redhead with dark eyes,” she continued, letting a strand of Alecto’s hair fall through her fingers. “But ladybug, I’m going to need you to eat a little more. You’re very scrawny and thin, and Carmen is supposed to be plump and luscious. Can we work on that?”
Alecto swallowed hard but nodded. There had to be a spell for that. If she couldn’t find one in the Book, she’d have to pay a visit to Gill’s.
Alecto would be the best Carmen any of them had ever seen, Gods be damned.
“Also, keep in mind that a big role like Carmen comes with a lot of attention,” the professor said, her voice falling a few octaves. Her eyes were serious when Alecto met her gaze. “You’re stronger than you know, ladybug. And you’ll need to draw from that strength very soon.”
Then, just as fast as it appeared, the seriousness was gone, and Madame Raquel flashed one of her coquettish smiles before settling back in her seat, turning her attention to the other student on the stage.
Alecto stalked back to her seat at the back of the auditorium in silence, letting the professor’s words sink into her hungover brain. She could only hope Madame Raquel was right.
While Alecto was performing on the stage, Rogue had settled a few seats away from her. Their eyes locked, his amber gaze steady and serious. A few more giggles reached them, and Alecto’s cheeks burned with shame, but Rogue didn’t seem to pay them any attention.
Alecto took her seat, dropping one leg over the other. A moment later, Rogue moved to the seat next to her.
His voice was low, barely above a whisper when he spoke. “You know, I know a spell to make them shut the fuck up.Permanently.”
