Raise the Curtain Read online

  Table of Contents

  RAISE THE CURTAIN

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  RAISE THE CURTAIN

  KIRBY HALL

  SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

  New York

  RAISE THE CURTAIN

  Copyright©2017

  KIRBY HALL

  Cover Design by Rae Monet, Inc.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America by

  Soul Mate Publishing

  P.O. Box 24

  Macedon, New York, 14502

  ISBN: 978-1-68291-376-5

  www.SoulMatePublishing.com

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  This one’s for the dreamers out there.

  May your wishes come true

  and your dreams become realities.

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks so much to Janet Clementz and Jessica Sigur for their feedback and suggestions. It takes a village, or at least a small batch of brilliant women.

  Kevin, or Unkie Kev as you’re known around the house, thanks for all your help with the legal jargon.

  To my old high school Performing Arts friends, it was a blast sharing the stage with you.

  Chapter 1

  Alexa hooked her backpack onto her shoulder as the blaring lights from the stage shut off behind her. “Night,” she called into the darkness.

  The old janitor didn’t reply. He was probably annoyed she’d stayed so late tonight, just like every other night that week. He’d get over it though, only one more week until Regionals and nailing her solo was the key to winning. Then, when they won, life would go back to normal, until State anyway. A shot of nerves shot through her as she considered what a win at State could mean: possible scholarships, recognition, an important point on her application for college. She blew out a breath. No pressure there.

  After she emerged outside and allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark, she glanced at her cell phone and groaned. It was after nine. She could’ve used an extra hour to study for her trig test. Her dad was going to give her hell, again, if she didn’t do well. A failing grade in her house would be the end of life as she knew it.

  She glanced at her text messages. If she could somehow make him understand how important this competition was, then maybe he wouldn’t have to be such a hard ass about math. She wasn’t stupid, but come on, why did anyone need to know so much about angles? She doubted the day would come where she’d be standing in an audition room and the director would ask her to calculate the function of an angle, or whatever.

  The metal door leading to the side entrance of the stage slammed shut with its familiar clang and sent an echo down the tunnel between the performing arts building and the cafeteria. She slid her phone into the side pocket of her bag, and with the smell of leftover school lunch and dumpsters hanging in the air, headed to her car. Math would have to wait until she got home. Besides, she could always pull an all-nighter or get up early.

  As she went over the rest of her night’s schedule in her head, she took the stairs leading to the parking lot two at a time.

  “Good rehearsal, Alexa.”

  “Thanks, Josh. You, too,” she called across the deserted lot. “See you tomorrow.” After tossing her bag into the passenger seat, she cranked her old Explorer and flipped on the heat. “Jeez Louise,” she said aloud, blowing on her hands and wiggling in her seat to get warm. It was way too early in the year to be this dang cold. She could barely feel her fingers as she gripped the steering wheel.

  She watched Josh’s lights disappear around a corner and then turned the opposite direction toward home. The street was deserted except for a cat which darted across her path. She tapped the top of the steering wheel to match the beat of the current pop song and then reached over to change the radio. Demi Lovato had serious pipes, but Alexa’s current mood longed for something different. When she came to rest on one of her frequent picks, she could picture her friend Bekah rolling her eyes at her station choice. No one outside her theater friends wanted to listen to the Broadway station on XM.

  When her favorite song from Rent came on, Alexa grinned and turned up the volume. They just didn’t know what they were missing. She drove through the square with all its closed stores and then turned onto Moore’s Mill Road. A road she’d driven down thousands of times in her lifetime and one she hoped to be rid of, much like the town, after graduation. Seventeen years down, one to go.

  As she drove past the town cemetery a thin beam of light caught her eye. Was it moving? She stopped singing, the end of the note going unfinished as she removed her foot from the gas and squinted into the darkness, turning her head to follow the motion. “So creepy,” she muttered under her breath. Who walks around a cemetery at night? She shook her head. It was obviously someone who’d never seen a horror movie. Her nerves sparked to life as another thought occurred to her. Whoever was out there was probably someone she didn’t want to run into. She stepped on the gas, but when she finally tore her gaze away from the woods, a deer was standing in the beam of her headlights.

  She jerked the wheel to the right, trying to avoid hitting it, but the motion sent her off the road. Her brakes squealed as tires left pavement and a second later she slammed headfirst into her airbag. The radio continued to play, the chorus of voices rising dramatically, while smoke rose from the front of her car. Her vision swam, but she could make out the crushed metal that used to be her front end. She tried to push her door open, but it wouldn’t budge. There was a tree blocking it. The sickening smell
of burning wires merged with motor oil.

  “Oh God,” she whispered with wide eyes as panic surged through her. “Help me,” she tried, but her voice came out in a choked sob. “Somebody,” this time her voice croaked to life, “help me.”

  She tore at her seatbelt and rubbed at her eyes to try to focus on the release button. Blood shone on her hand when she pulled it back from her eye, her head cut after smacking into the window. Even through her blurred vision she could tell the smoke was thicker and hear the sizzle of fire. She tried to call out again, but choked in fear at the sight of orange flames erupting from the hood. As her heart pounded in her ears and the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth from her split lip, she bit back the wave of nausea threatening to consume her. She yanked the seatbelt again until it finally clicked loose. Using the steering wheel for leverage, she attempted to pull her leg free, but it wouldn’t move. Her leg was pinned between the dashboard and the door.

  The passenger door opened and someone reached across the seat for her hand.

  “Come on,” a male voice beckoned.

  “I can’t, my leg. It’s stuck.”

  “Shit.” He climbed inside the car and leaned across her, the sleeve of his green hoodie pressing against her face.

  The smoke stung her eyes and tickled her throat. She couldn’t hold back the cough, but did her best not to hack all over the guy currently pressing her into her seat with his shoulder. While she struggled through the fit, he yanked at her pants once, twice and then on the third try, the fabric gave way.

  She tried to use the headrest from the passenger seat to hoist her body over the center console, but her arms were heavy. When she tried to reach up again, a strong arm looped around her middle and dragged her out into the fresh air. She managed to put some weight on her legs, but they turned to jelly.

  “You have to move,” he said, pulling her along beside him. His deep voice sounded familiar to some far area of her brain, but between her blurred vision and pounding head she couldn’t be sure.

  Sirens blared in the distance and after stumbling about fifty feet from her car, her legs buckled and the two of them hit the ground. The outline of pine trees loomed over her and then a face masked by shadows blocked her view.

  “Alexa, are you all right? Can you hear me?”

  She opened her mouth to answer, but her tongue felt thick in her mouth, like she was still playing Chubby Bunny at camp with a mouthful of marshmallows. The sirens were closer now; red and blue lights lit up the night casting strange shadows across her rescuer’s face.

  “Hey, don’t I know you?” She managed to ask. Then things went dark.

  ~ ~ ~

  She woke to the sounds of beeping and a harsh fluorescent light overhead. Her mind struggled to piece together where she was and how she’d gotten there. A light snore sounded and she turned her head to find her father sleeping in a mint green chair, dark circles etched under his eyes and a day’s worth of dark stubble coloring his chin.

  “Dad?” she tried, but her mouth was dry and her voice came out in a scratchy whisper. She licked her lips and swallowed, then tried again. “Daddy.”

  His eyes snapped open and he was by her side, faster than she’d ever seen him move. “Alexis, are you all right?” He ran a hand down one side of her face and studied her, his dark eyebrows creasing in concern. “You scared us.”

  “I’m okay, I guess.” She pushed herself up in the bed and found only minimal soreness. “I’m sorry about the car.”

  He smiled, his shoulders relaxing a notch. “Let’s not worry about that now. Are you thirsty?”

  She nodded and her head rewarded her with a sharp pain. Okay, so maybe not a hundred percent fine. She cast a glance at her dad and hoped he didn’t see her wince. She didn’t want him to worry. He did plenty of that without prodding.

  He picked up the pitcher waiting on the rollaway table and poured water into a clear plastic cup. “The school should be held responsible for this. If they didn’t insist on keeping you all so late for practice, you wouldn’t have been out on the road. You would’ve been at home with me, safe and studying for your test.”

  She took the offered cup and sipped, testing the discomfort of her throat before she took a larger gulp. She wasn’t in the mood to fight. All she wanted was to sleep. “Dad, no one made me do anything. I was working on my solo.”

  He massaged his forehead and a muscle twitched in the side of his jaw. “Your brother’s with the neighbor.” He dropped his hand away from his head and pulled his cell out of his pocket. “Let me call and tell them you’re awake. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” She leaned her head back on the pillow and tried to recount the details from the night before. She remembered the deer and the fire, but what had made her take her eyes off the road? She struggled to remember past the panic and fear at seeing her mangled car. There had been someone there, at the cemetery and then, with her in the car. He’d freed her and pulled her to safety. But who?

  “Thank God you’re awake.”

  Alexa lifted her head and saw her best friend hidden by balloons.

  “Hey, Beks.”

  “Don’t give me that ‘Hey, Beks’, with those doe eyes. You scared the crap out of me. I’d punch you, but I’m pretty sure it’s considered poor form to hit someone who’s lying in a hospital bed. Seriously, when I called your house and your brother told me you were here . . .” Bekah set the vase with balloons tied around it on the window sill and rested a hip on the side of Alexa’s bed. “What happened to you?”

  Alexa took a deep breath and filled her best friend in on the ordeal.

  “Some mystery guy pulled you out of your burning car?” Bekah held up her hand and shook her head as if trying to understand what Alexa had just told her.

  “Yeah.”

  “Was he hot?”

  Alexa laughed and then coughed, her throat searing with pain. Leave it to Bekah to get straight to the boy part of the story. “I don’t know. I was in pretty bad shape.”

  “Right, sorry.” Bekah said, looking around. “So, what’s the deal? When are you getting out of here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Good morning, ladies.” A nurse breezed into the room, grabbed a handful of hand sanitizer and rubbed it over her hands as she approached the bed. “How you feeling, honey?”

  “Okay, as long as I don’t move my head too fast.”

  The nurse grunted in agreement as she continued to fuss with the different machines and buttons standing beside the bed. “The doctor will be in shortly to check you out. I’d say you were pretty lucky.”

  “If you say so.” Alexa watched her go. “Tell me something to distract me, anything.”

  Bekah scratched at her blonde hair, which was in full bed-head mode this morning and somehow still managed to look good.

  “There’s not much circling in the gossip pool. So far, it’s all the typical Friday Night Lights crap. Who’s riding with who to the game, blah blah blah. As if nothing else exists beyond the football field?”

  “What about you? Did Jay call last night?”

  Bekah shrugged and turned her face to the window. “Nah, but I didn’t expect him to.”

  Alexa was too tired to get into that drama, so she let the conversation drop.

  “Well, I for one could use some coffee.” Bekah stood. “Do you need anything?”

  “No thanks. Aren’t you going to school?”

  Bekah broke out into a grin. “Someone had to check on you and spread the word of your little adventure last night. Rumors will be flying by noon.”

  Alexa rolled her eyes and then pushed up using her arms. “Bekah, could you keep the part about the mystery guy between us?” She didn’t know why, but for some reason she wanted to keep his existence to herself.

 
“I guess I can do that. Although, you realize that’s the best part of the story. It’s like something out of movie.”

  Alarmed, Alexa’s eyes grew wide.

  Bekah winked. “You know I won’t say anything.”

  “Thanks.” Alexa relaxed again. “People would probably think I hallucinated the whole thing anyway.”

  “You’re probably right. Hey, I hate to ask, but what does this mean for the play?” Bekah’s voice was quiet.

  “Forget the play.” Alexa’s father interrupted as he reentered the room. “That’s the last thing she needs to be worrying about right now.”

  Bekah moved aside, out of his way.

  “First, Alexa needs to concentrate on getting better and catching up with her assignments. Someone else may have to take over her part of the play this time around.”

  Alexa’s chest tightened. He didn’t understand. He never did. He spoke of the play like it was no more than a kid’s playdate. “Sorry, Alexa can’t come out and play dolls right now. Maybe later. Thanks for stopping by.” Forget that it was her junior year and she needed these shows to put on her college application, oh yeah, and the little life changing scholarship hanging in the balance. There wouldn’t be another chance until it was too late.

  Bekah caught her eye behind her dad’s back and mouthed, sorry. It wasn’t Bekah’s fault. It was the stupid deer. Or maybe the stupid boy. Alexa fought the tears building behind her eyes.

  “I’m going to head out now,” Bekah said. “Call me later?”

  “I will.”

  Her father waited for Bekah to leave and then turned back to her. “Alexa, now might be a good time to talk about your test. I already called the school to notify them about what happened and I’m sure they’ll offer you an extension. You’re a bright young lady with a promising future, but we need to stay focused on what’s important.”