The Theater
6:45 p.m.
Emily arrived at the theater a little early, hoping to catch Will before he got into costume and makeup. When he hadn’t yet shown up by the time she needed to get herself ready, she started to worry. She was slightly more tired than normal after her adventure the night before, so she could imagine what state he’d be in, especially if nighttime dancing had become a habit for him.
She found him backstage after she was through with hair, makeup, and costume. He’d apparently arrived in time to be ready, but he looked haggard, in spite of the makeup. “Are you okay?” she asked. “You look tired.”
“I took a nap this afternoon and overslept, so I guess I’m still a little groggy.”
She wished she had one of those herbal bundles handy, but this was hardly an appropriate time to give him one. “Late night last night?” she asked.
“No, that’s what’s weird. I was dead last night. I must have crashed as soon as I got home because I woke up at about five this morning on the sofa, still dressed. Then I went to bed, slept until ten, took a class around noon, and couldn’t keep my eyes open.”
“You’re not getting sick, are you? Be sure you’re getting enough vitamin C. Have you been having trouble sleeping before now?”
“Okay, Mom, what’s up with the questions?”
She gave him a one-armed hug around his waist. “We’ve had enough bad stuff happening with this show. I don’t want anyone else getting sick or hurt.”
“I really look that bad?”
“Someone would have to know you really well to tell.”
“Em.” His tone was tense with warning.
“Okay, you look like you haven’t slept in a week and have a bad case of caffeine jitters. But you have slept, so maybe that means something’s wrong. Any weird dreams?”
That might have been one question too many. He gave her a suspicious look. “How did you know?”
“I just know that when I sleep a lot and wake up tired, I usually had really weird, vivid dreams. It’s like I was running all night. Or dancing.”
She watched him carefully, waiting for his response. He looked thoughtful and unusually serious for a moment, then he tossed his hair out of his face and said, “You know, I think I dreamed about you yelling at me. No wonder I’m tired.” He sounded flippant, so she couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or telling the truth.
She decided then to hide one of her herbal bundles in his dance bag. There was one big company dance number when she wasn’t on stage, so she might be able to sneak into the men’s dressing room then. If not, she’d waylay him after the show and drop it in while he was distracted. She’d find out if it worked if he was less exhausted the next day.