Timmy

CHAPTER FOUR: CURTAIN CALL

CHAPTER FOUR: CURTAIN CALL

         
Timmy threw the ghostly figure a startled look. For a moment, he stared at the apparition in silence. His lips quivered, tears forming in his eyes before he shook his head and whispered, “I- I can’t do that!”

The ghost tilted his head slightly, a bemused look forming on his face. “Why not; she is about your size, you know all of her lines and all of her dance moves.” His smile broadened. “You performed her role quite well on the stage last night.”

Timmy frowned at the young ghost. “This is different.” He whispered. “Yeah, I kind of look and sound like Stephanie but…” He paused, fear creeping into his eyes. “I would have to go out onto the stage, in front of everyone.”

The ghostly child winked at Timmy. “You are better than you think.” He said. “You do want to help her, don’t you?”

Timmy nodded but did not speak. He wanted to see where the ghost was going with his reasoning.

The spirit’s smile vanished, a serious look in his eyes. “We can help you look and sound like Stephanie.” He said. “All you have to decide is if you want to take the risk to help her.”

Timmy backed away slightly, hesitant. “I want to help her but to be out on the stage where everyone can see me? Where… they can see me?” He held back a sob. “I- I’m scared.”

Another voice spoke, “Anything is possible if you only believe.”

“Stephanie needs your help, Timmy.” He said. “Will you take her place on the stage?”

Timmy looked back down at Stephanie, catching a glimpse of the misery on her face. There was a deep frown on her tear stained face as she rubbed one of her eyes, puffy from crying. Timmy winced as she then gripped her stomach, stifling a low moan. “She’s really sick.” Timmy muttered. He turned back to the ghost, his jaws knotted in decision. “I will try.”

The ghostly child nodded. “Get her costume, however you can, and take it to dressing room four. We will be waiting for you there.”

With that, the ghostly boy vanished from sight, leaving Timmy alone inside the ventilation shaft.

“What’s with Steph?” Inside the girls’ dressing room, Tarra asked.

Angel shrugged. “She said she’s got a case of the jitters. Stage fright, I guess.”

“How do you know?” Asked Rachel.

Angel smiled. “My next door neighbor is deaf. She taught me how to read lips.”

As the girl’s talked, Timmy watched and listened to Stephanie from the vent. If he was going to take her place on the stage, he was going to do it as best as he could. He recalled watching her from the vents earlier, when she first arrived. As his photographic memory came into play, he watched the events run through his mind, taking mental notes of her voice, her expressions and subtle movements. Once he believed he was ready, he continued to crawl through the maze of metal, wondering how he was going to get Stephanie’s costume away from her.

“Maybe there is a spare costume somewhere in the wardrobe storage room on the fifth floor.” He muttered.

Below, inside the dressing room, the girls stopped talking as they heard the low sound of the ventilation shaft ratting above them. As before, the sound seemed to follow the shaft as it steadily faded into silence.

Angel shook her head. “There’s that noise again.” More to herself, she whispered.

“Maybe it’s the Broadway Specter come to whisk us away.” With a slight grin, Tarra said.

“It could be one of the orphan boys hiding from that orphanage.” More serious, Karen added.

Angel nodded. “Maybe…” She turned to the vent in the ceiling. “Who are you?” Whispering, she asked. “I know you’re up there, somewhere. Why are you watching us? What could you be looking for?”

On the far side of the room, Stephanie let out a low moan and Lauren turned to her, genuinely concerned. “Are you sure you are going to be all right, Steph?”

Stephanie nodded weakly. “I- I think so. Excuse me; I have to use the girl’s room.”

She picked up her costume, a faded and ragged looking dress, and shuffled out of the dressing room. She politely closed the door behind her then moaned again, clutching her stomach. She hurried into the girls’ restroom across the hall, unaware that the tray of cookies was missing from the small table or that Timmy was inside the ventilation shaft above her, watching from a vent.

“She is going into the bathroom with her costume.” Whispering to himself, he said. “Maybe, if I’m careful…”

Inside the ladies room, Stephanie dropped her costume onto the floor and ran into one of the stalls where she proceeded to violently throw up into the toilet. She was too preoccupied to hear the low squeak as the grid covering of a ventilation duct opened outward in the low ceiling and swung slightly on its hinges. Timmy dropped out and landed onto one of the large sturdy sinks; the sound of the toilet flushing muffled the sound of him hopping off onto the tile floor. Timmy looked around and spotted Stephanie’s costume on the sink counter. He took it then turned to see the little girl bent over the toilet, still vomiting. He winced. “Those cookies were meant for me to find, not you.” Tears forming, he thought. “I’m so sorry.”

Timmy wanted to tell her what he was planning only he did not quite know himself; he was making everything up as he went along. He took one last look at Stephanie then crawled back up onto the sink with the costume dress flung over his shoulder. Using an antique soap tray as a stepping stool, he pulled himself back into the ventilation shaft. Once inside, he backed up and reached down, pulling the grid closed.

“I hope I can do this.” Making his way down the metal tunnel, he thought. “If they recognize me…” Then a thought came to him and he blushed, asking himself, “I don’t have to change clothes with the girls, do I?”

A voice replied, “You’ll do just fine.”

Timmy shook his head. “I just hope Stephanie will be okay.”

Inside their dressing room in another hall of the east wing, the boys looked up to a faint knocking sound coming from inside the vents.

“There he goes again.” Sighing, Stan said. “I wonder what he’s up to.”

Leuey frowned. “Who knows? My question is what the devil was he doing so close to the stage? Surely he knew that was a big risk.”

“I can only think of one reason why Timmy would do that.” Serious, Alex said. “He must have been taking a closer look at someone who looked like his mom and dad.” He frowned, adding, “He keeps a small picture of them in his back pocket.”

Ken nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. But to come that close to the stage?” He shook his head. “I wonder who he suspects.”

“Beats me.” Shrugging, Scott said. “I never got a good look at that photo he has of his folks. I don‘t think any of us had.”

Paul shook his head. “Whoever these people are, their resemblance to his parents must be uncanny for him to risk taking that close of a look.”

“Do you think he’ll ever find his parents?” Worried, Tex asked.

Race sighed. “I hope so. If anyone deserves a happy ending, he does.”

The boys silenced themselves as a soft knock came to the door and turned to see Brandy peeking inside.

“Let’s hurry it up, boys.” Firmly but politely, she said. “You have less than fifteen minutes before the rehearsals start.”

“We’ll be ready, Mrs. Stravis.” assured Alex. “We are just getting ourselves into character.”

Brandy nodded then closed the door. After the sounds of her footfalls faded into silence, Alex turned back to the other boys.

“It’s show time, guys.” Serious, he said. “Todd Jackman will be here to finalize our adoption into the Blure family after the rehearsals.” He smiled. “I am going to try to talk to him about Timmy. Who knows, I might get lucky and learn something about his parents.”

Scott frowned; he did not like the idea. “How are you planning to do it without giving him away?

“I don’t know. Still, if anyone can find Timmy’s mom and dad, he can.” Pausing, he asked, “Are you guys with me?”

The boys all gave a silent but reluctant nod.

Elsewhere, inside an empty dressing room, a vent near the floor opened and Timmy crawled out and carefully looked around. There were a number of small booths on each side of the room, each having a large vanity mirror on the wall and a small table beneath it. On the far end of the room, opposite of the door, was a small washroom. He could see a sink, a toilet and a small shower. He guessed it was there for the performers so they could freshen up after a long day. Timmy then looked at the booth closest to him and found a large assortment of brushes, combs, hair spray, and makeup lying on top of the table.

“This must be a dressing room for the older actresses.”

Timmy left the grid cover off for a swift escape, just in case, and crept over to the open door where he hurriedly scanned the hall. He breathed a sigh of relief; not seeing or hearing anyone approaching. He then eased the door closed and carefully listened for a moment. Hearing nothing alarming, he slowly locked the door tight. Now certain he would not be disturbed for a while, Timmy stepped into the closest booth and held up the costume dress with the intention of taking her place. Only, he caught a look at his reflection and moaned. Although the costume would have made him look enough like a girl, it was not enough to make him look anything like Stephanie. His skin was dirty and his long auburn hair was a mangled mess of knots. “I’m not going to fool anyone if I don’t look like her.” Displeased, he said.

A giggle reached Timmy’s ears and he looked up to see the ghostly image of a young, plump woman in the mirror. Startled, he turned to find five young ghostly ladies in the room with him. The plump woman smiled at him sweetly and he relaxed.

“Don’t worry, child.” Smiling, the plump woman said. “We’ll help you get ready for the stage.” She pointed to the washroom. “First, I think you should get yourself into the shower.”

Timmy turned; looking at the small washroom then turned back to the table and unhappily eyed the items on the table. With a heavy sigh and a moan, he shuffled into the washroom.

“I hope Stephanie doesn’t wear a lot of makeup.”

Ten minutes later Timmy, wearing Stephanie’s costume dress, stood nervously in front of one of the mirrors; carefully looking himself over while the five ghostly ladies watched from behind. His longish hair was neatly combed and carefully styled in the proper fashion for Stephanie’s role; his fingernails were cleaned, filed round, and painted a color that closely matched the one Stephanie wore. Finally, his face was highlighted with just enough makeup to give him the same radiant glow he had seen on Stephanie’s face. He looked so much like a little girl it was startling; he was ready for his performance.

The only part of the costume Timmy did not like was the fact that he smelled like fresh cut flowers. There was only one kind of soap and shampoo inside the washroom and, unfortunately, they were both heavily perfumed. “Don’t worry.” Sensing his discomfort, the plump woman said. “You will be very close to the other girls on stage; smelling like a girl will only help you fool them more.”

“I know.” Moaning, Timmy replied. “I’m just not used to smelling like flowers; it’s… weird.”

He turned back to the mirror and frowned as he looked himself over one more time. He looked enough like Stephanie to pass as her sister; only looking the part was just the beginning. Not only would he have to look like her, he would have to act like her, talk like her; it was not going to be easy. Finally, he took one last look at himself in the mirror and let out a weary sigh. “Here goes nothing.” Nervously, he said.

“Break a leg, Timmy.” Smiling, the plump woman said. Then, she and the other women were gone as if they were never there.

Outside, down the hall, the door to a storeroom swung open and Jason slowly backed out. He grunted under his breath, lifting a large heavy roll of tapestry material in his arms. Once in the hall, he placed his burden down and eased the door closed. He then turned to pick it up again and jumped, finding himself face to face with his ever-alert mother, Brandy Stravis.

“You scared me, mom.” Whispering, he said. “For a minute, I thought you were one of the girls.”

“I am one of the girls.” Politely, Brandy reminded him. “What do you think you are doing, sneaking around this part of the east wing?”

“The theater production managers asked me to find a roll of tapestry material to repair a back drop we need for the rehearsals.” Defending himself, Jason replied. “I looked everywhere; this was the only place I could find some.” He frowned. “The storage manifest needs updating.”

Brandy hushed him silent. “Keep it down!” Firmly, she whispered. “Just go before one of the girls catch you out here; it might turn ugly if they see a boy wandering the halls.”

Jason nodded then took the load into his arms and balanced it up onto his shoulder before hurrying down the hall towards the nearest set of stairs. Upon reaching the landing, he paused to carefully adjust the weight on his shoulder so he could more safely descend to the next floor. Only the soft click of a door unlocking caused him to pause. He heard the door slowly creak open and turned around; fearing one of the girls was about to see him. Only he was surprised to see a small girl slowly backing out of one of the dressing rooms into the hallway.

Jason wondered why the girl was not just walking out like normal but blushed as he noticed that the back of her costume dress was still open, revealing a small part her bare back. He blushed more, catching a glimpse of a short wide strip of white near the bottom of the open zipper. He was about to turn away, not wanting to embarrass the girl but stopped short. The girl was moving so quietly, so carefully, almost as if she were very afraid of being seen. As he watched her, Jason did not see Brandy moving forward to intervene.

Timmy, unaware of Jason’s presence, moved as slowly as he dared. He was hoping to buy enough time to build his courage more. This was not his first performance in front of others but he knew ‘they’ would be near, looking for him. He was scared and uncertain but it was too late for him to change his mind; he had to go on stage weather he was ready or not.

“You got what you came for, Jason.” Stepping between Timmy and her son, Brandy scolded. “Now get going.”

Timmy jumped, startled by Brandy’s voice. He spun around and froze; Jason was standing only a few feet away. For a moment, as they stared at each other, Timmy feared that his friend would recognize him. That would mean ‘they’ might recognize him as well. To his relief, Jason smiled at him politely and continued to walk down the stairs with his mother watching him leave.

“That was close.” Sighing, Timmy thought. “My disguise fooled Jason. Now I have to fool everyone else.” He swallowed. “I just hope I can do this.”

“It’s all right, Stephanie.” Thinking she was comforting a little girl, Brandy said. “That was just my son; getting something for the stage.” She giggled. “What were you doing in the women’s dressing room? Did you need a little more privacy?”

Timmy nodded and Brandy gave a small laugh. “You’ll be fine once you get into the rehearsals. Here, let me zip you up.”

She took hold of the back of Timmy’s costume dress and closed the zipper all the way to the back of the collar. The dress fit Timmy perfectly, as he had hoped; he was just not sure how he was going to reach the zipper to take it off later. As Brandy escorted him back to the girl’s dressing room, Timmy paused as he caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror backed display case.

What he saw was not his face but the face of a young girl. He stiffened as the reflection smiled at him but relaxed as heard her voice. “We can make you look more like Stephanie but you will have to do the rest.”

“Are you okay, Steph?” Seeing Timmy stare at the display, Brandy asked.

Timmy turned to her and spoke, imitating Stephanie’s voice; he was surprised by how well he did. “I’m okay, Mrs. Stravis. I guess Jason made me a little jumpy.”

Brandy smiled. “You’re jittery as it is. Try to loosen up; you’re beginning to walk like a boy.”

Timmy smiled but thought back to how Stephanie walked and made an attempt to mimic it. It was not easy but he knew it was needed to keep Brandy from suspecting he was someone else. “Walk like a girl.” Glancing at his feet, he thought. “I can do this.”

The sound of children’s voices moved Timmy to look back up to see the girls walking out of the dressing room with the boys emerging from another hall shortly after.

“Are the rest of you ready?” Firmly but kindly, Brandy asked. The boys and girls nodded. “Very good; let’s all get down stairs to the stage before my husband throws a fit.”

As the group worked its way down the hall to the stairs, Angel turned to who she thought was Stephanie. She wanted to ask her if she was feeling any better but stopped short. With her first glance, Angel knew something wrong; Stephanie was walking in an awkward fashion. Her steps did not seem natural at all; it was almost as if she were learning to walk again. What worried Angel more was that Stephanie’s hands were shaking and her lips were trembling. She did not look comfortable at all. Angel opened her mouth to ask her if anything was bothering her but smiled as she saw a familiar determined look in her eye. There was also a slight grin on her face that she carried just before taking the stage.

“You got to admire her.” Proud of her friend, Angel thought. “Even with as sick as she seems, Stephanie is still going on with the rehearsals.” She let out a low sigh. “I better keep an eye on her, just in case.”

Following the group, Timmy grinned as he spotted an old vending machine near the stairs. Although the snacks inside the machines made him ill, they kept him from starving. Still, if it were not for the spirits, he might not have gotten to the snacks at all.

His mind momentarily flashed back to that first night alone. He was crying, frustrated, banging on the glass of a vending machine; trying to break it open. No matter what he tried, he could not get to the snacks. Then, a large, ghostly fist swung in from nowhere and shattered the glass with a single blow. The move startled Timmy, forcing a girl like scream from his lips as he jumped away.

Timmy wanted to run but his body would not respond so he instead looked up at the spirit. It was the ghostly figure of a tall man wearing a gangster style suit and hat which hid his eyes. A kind smile spread across the man’s rock chiseled face before he took a bag of chips from the machine and dropped it in Timmy’s lap. Frightened, Timmy kept his distance. Starving, he gratefully took the bag of chips.

It was from that day on that the spirits had become his friends and his guardians. They had helped him more times in more ways that he could count and now they were helping him once again.

“This just might be fun after all.” Following the group, he thought.

On the floor below, Jason briefly looked up at the ceiling as he walked down a hall, slowly shaking his head. “I have no idea what you are up to, Timmy.” Whispering, he said. “But I wish you luck.” He could not help laugh. “If he had thought to simply walk out of the dressing room, I probably would’ve never guessed it was him.”

Minutes later, inside the upper north wing, Jeff looked up from his work to see Jason walking into the sewing room, balancing the tapestry roll on his shoulder.

“It’s about time you got back!” Scolding, he said. “Did you get lost?”

Jason threw Jeff an impatient look. “I had a terrible time finding the tapestry material.” Dropping the heavy roll off his shoulder, he said. “They were not where the storage manifest said they would be.” His voice dropped to a careful whisper. “We have to talk later.”

Jon, Ron and Don, who were working in the room as well, exchanged a curious glance before Jon took the roll and asked, “Where did you find this one, Jason?”

“You wouldn’t believe it, Jon, but I found it along with a few others stuffed inside a storeroom in the lower east wing.” Annoyed, Jason replied. “I almost got busted getting it because the storeroom was in the same hall as the girl’s dressing rooms.”

“What were they doing there?” Curious, Jeff asked.

Jason shrugged. “I don’t know. I was lucky to find this roll.”

“We can deal with updating the old storage manifest later.” Opening the material roll, Ron said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us and I for one want to be finished in time to watch my sons rehearse on stage.”

“Do you think we’ll get done in time, Ron?” Worried, Jeff asked.

“Of course we will.” Smiling, Don replied. “You two are working with…” The other two joined in as they said in unison, “The Blure brothers!”

Jeff rolled his eyes. “Give me a break!”


Elsewhere, Timmy walked onto the stage with the other young performers; making a mental note to thank Jeff and Jason for giving him a copy of the script and stage directions. Without them, he would have had no clue where to go or what to do. He never felt more alive as casually he took his position on the stage; he was slightly uncomfortable wearing a dress but his deception seemed to have been working better than he had hoped. Still, he kept his eyes open for any means of escape in case someone sees through his disguise. The last thing he wanted was to be caught off guard on the stage; there were not too many places to run to.

The danger behind the risk he was taking mixed with his surprisingly convincing act made Timmy both nervous and excited. This confusing but powerful rush was what fueled his determination as he waited with the other girls for instructions from the director. The girls began to giggle and wave to someone in the audience. Curiosity forced Timmy to follow their gaze and he found a small group of adults; he guessed they were the parents of the girls and boys. He remembered seeing them enter the theater earlier that day. The parents were sitting in the center row of seats with the front row empty except for John and Brandy Stravis, and the stage director, Samuel.

This was a rare opportunity for Timmy to take a closer look at the man with little risk of being noticed. Only that thought was sadly thrown out the moment he spotted the three bouncers. They were standing behind the adults, discretely looking about; he knew who they were looking for. Seeing Sue’s parents, the reporter and the photographer, did not help anything as they seemed to want to find him too. The production managers, Jon, Ron, and Don were another issue. They’re presence in the audience did not frighten Timmy but it forced him to be patient; to wait for just the right time. He needed to keep up his deception to give Stephanie time to get better and his luck had been too good to push it now. All of the parents were waving now but since he had never seen Stephanie’s mother or father, Timmy decided to play it safe.

“I don’t see my mom or dad out there.” Trying to sound disappointed, he said. “I thought they were coming.”

“Don’t you remember, Steph?” Whispering, Lauren asked. “Your mom and dad both had to work today. They asked my parents to keep an eye on you until they got off.”

“Where are they? I don’t see them.”

Lauren pointed out into the audience. “They’re over there; third row on the right. See them?”

Timmy looked and spotted an elegantly dressed couple who were both near spitting images of Lauren; sitting on the far right. The two waved at him and he shyly waved back before switching his full attention back to his work as Mr. Stravis spoke.

“Okay, settle down, people. Let’s get these rehearsals off the ground.” He glanced at a small clipboard he was holding. “I think we will start with the numbers in Act one; scene one through three with the songs, ‘They will Come’ followed by ‘Short end of the Stick’. Places, everyone! Cue the intro music!”

Timmy recognized the song as it began to play on the speakers and took Stephanie’s place on the stage with the other girls. The rehearsals had begun with Angel singing,

They will come, our parents to be;

from across the world or across the street.

We will have a home...

One we can call our own.

Timmy smiled, thinking, “Her voice, it’s so pretty.”

He had never heard a more beautiful singing voice, it was almost haunting, like that of an angel. The strange feeling was stronger than before but he managed to stay focused as Tarra sang,

Anna...

The world ain’t what it used to be.

No one can afford another mouth to feed.

No, they can’t afford it at all...

As Timmy walked through the steps of his performance, he became more comfortable on the stage and his thoughts began to wander. He found himself lost in the possibility that Samuel and Maria might be his parents, only he was still uncertain.

“How am I going to talk to him? What am I going to say? How will I know for sure?”

Then, a gentle nudge from Angel reminded him where he was and he decided to put everything aside for the moment. He needed to stay focused on his performance; not only as the character, Little Penny, but as the young actress, Stephanie.

Unknown to Timmy, Angel kept an eye on him; worried that who she thought was Stephanie may faint on the stage. Then she briefly caught his eye; increasing her concern. “I thought Stephanie had green eyes.” Worried, she thought. She searched her memory. “She does! Then who…?” She shrugged it off, figuring it might have been her imagination, and returned her attention onto her performance.

In the first row of the audience, Brandy watched the children perform with a broad smile slowly forming on her doll like face. “I knew Stephanie would be feeling better.” Whispering, she said.

Meanwhile, inside the restroom, Stephanie weakly stumbled out of the stall; gripping her stomach. A low moan escaped her lips as she wiped her mouth clean on the sleeve of her sweater. She staggered over to where she had dropped her costume but froze upon finding it missing.

She looked about, confused.

“What the…” Looking about, she asked, “It was just here!”

Irritated, Stephanie scanned the entire floor, but there was no sign of her costume dress.

“Oh, man! I’m going to get it if I don’t find my costume!”

Frustrated and scared, she began to search the restroom. A sharp pain in her stomach stopped her before she got too far. She hurried back into one of the stalls, again clutching her stomach. As she threw up into the toilet, she began to cry; only she paused as she felt, or thought she felt, a reassuring hand touch her shoulder.

Back to the stage, Jeff and Jason set up a snack table behind the closed back curtains for the young performers as they continued to rehearse. Just as they finished laying out a number of wrapped sandwiches and juice boxes, Jeff asked, “What did you want to talk to me about earlier? Is it about Timmy?”

Jason hushed him silent. “Yes. But we can’t talk now; those three charm school rejects have been following us both around all day.”

“I wonder if they suspect we’ve been helping him.”

“Who knows? But we had better wait talking about it until our lunch break; we should have some more privacy then.”

On the other side of the curtain, Timmy had become comfortable with his performance as he took Stephanie’s place with the girls to rehearse one of the songs. A single spotlight shined upon them; giving them their cue and they began to sing the next number.

It’s adoption or bust!

And getting busted is all we get.

Everyone is out for number one,

No one cares for an orphaned kid.

The spotlight moved away from the girls to the boys on the other side of the stage who sang their first verse in the number.

This stuff ain’t worth dust!

And we are treated as worthless.

That’s just the status quote,

Toss the garbage and close the lid.

The spotlight dimmed and the entire stage was lit as the boys and girls sang the chorus.

We’re the leftovers of a better day,

The last of the pick,

Orphans always get the sort end of the stick!

After Timmy and the children finished their performance of the song, Mr. Stravis rose, giving a standing ovation with Samuel and the children’s’ parents quickly following.

“Congratulations, kids!” Happily, he said. “I’ve never seen such fire in any of your other performances! Angel and Stephanie showed the greatest improvement; you two should be very proud of yourselves!”

This was followed by another round of applause to which the boys gave a quick bow and the girls gave a curtsy. Only Timmy momentarily forgot his character and gave a quick bow with the boys. He realized his mistake even before he rose and struggled not to blush. He discretely looked about, hoping no one really noticed and caught Angel’s eye.

“Oh please, she doesn’t know.” Praying, he thought. “She doesn’t know.”

Angel looked at Timmy for a moment; her teeth sunk into her lower lip. She was silent for a moment as Timmy’s nervousness rose. Finally, she smiled at him.

“You’re still not quite yourself yet; are you Steph?”

Timmy let out a low sigh as his fears melted. He again perfectly imitated Stephanie’s voice. “I-I thought I had gotten over the jitters.”

Angel giggled. “Just try to remember that the boys bow; we girls curtsy.”

“Okay; okay.” Impatiently, John said. “We still have a lot to cover before we break for lunch.” He looked at his clipboard. “Let’s take it from act one, scene three and go through your lines, leading up to the end of the first act and take it from there.”

Timmy and the children quickly took their places on the stage and the rehearsals continued. As they recited their lines, moving about the stage, Timmy mentally kicked himself for being so careless. He had a sinking feeling that Angel somehow knew he was not Stephanie.

“I got to be more careful.” Scolding himself, he thought. “If I mess up too much, I’ll get caught for sure.” He sighed inside. “I hope Stephanie gets better soon.”

Focusing on her own performance, Angel kept one eye on Timmy, trying to determine who she was really working with. One thing was clear in her mind, it was not Stephanie.

“I’d better keep an eye on this kid.” Worried, she thought. “I need to find out who she… or he really is and why he’s playing Stephanie’s role.” She sighed. “I just hope Stephanie is okay.”

The hours passed slowly for Timmy. Still, he managed to make it through the day’s rehearsals without any further incident. He made certain not to miss a single line or note throughout the rehearsals, hoping it would be enough to convince Angel. She had kept an uncomfortably close eye on him. This made him nervous as he knew that once the girls return to their dressing room they would find Stephanie. He had to somehow slip away from the group without anyone noticing and get to the safety of his crawlspace corner where he could plan his next move. The fun he had, performing on the stage, was well worth the risk but he was not sure how long he would be able to push his luck. His thoughts were interrupted as Samuel spoke; causing him to pause to listen.

“That’s a wrap for today, kids.” Politely, he announced. “Our junior stage hands have set up a few tables with snacks and drinks for all of you backstage. Go help yourselves; you’ve earned it.”

“His voice.” Pausing, Timmy thought. “It’s close; so close.”

It was like a sequence in a dream. Timmy’s hopes rose as a smile formed onto his face; taking a step towards Samuel. It was a well-timed flash from Tom’s camera that brought Timmy back to his senses. There were too many people around for him to take the risk of being wrong. With tears falling, he hurried away from the audience; his time was swiftly running out, he had to vanish fast.

Timmy followed the cheering children as they ran passed the open curtains to the snack tables. He took advantage of the others excitement to grab one of the wrapped sandwiches on the run; making it to the far left wall back stage unnoticed. Once there, Timmy held the sandwich in his mouth and loosened a rope that was tied to a heavy hook in the wall. He held on tight as the rope sent him upwards while a large sandbag came crashing down to the floor. Fortunately, the sounds of the children laughing and talking among themselves easily drowned out the sound.

While the other performers made a run for the snack tables, Angel looked about for the mysterious child. She spotted him in the back, loosening a heavy rope from a large hook in the wall.

“What’s he up to?” Curious, she whispered.

The sandbag fell fast and Angel watched with her mouth half open as the child rode the rope several floors above the stage.

“Wow!” Surprised, she thought. “Who is that kid?”

Angel continued to watch as the child suddenly let go of the rope just as he passed a high catwalk and landed squarely onto it. This both astounded and frustrated her; with one daring stunt, the child was well out of her reach and would be easily gone before she could find her way up to him. She expected him to run off but he instead looked down at the stage; he was looking directly at her. Angel drew in a quivering breath as she caught his stare. The dim running lights of the catwalk reflected off the child’s eyes.

“His eyes…” Fearful, she whispered. “It was him I saw earlier behind the theater masks!”

Angel swallowed hard; her pulse racing as she turned to look up at the comedy and tragedy symbols high above the seats of the auditorium. A cold chill ran down her spine as she realized that a mysterious stranger was performing on the stage with her and the others all day. She whipped back around to face the catwalk only the mysterious child was gone.

“Could that have been the specter?” Shaken, she thought. Deciding that had to be the case, she dug her front teeth into her lower lip before whispering, “I’ve got to find out who he is!”

Angel looked around for an opening to slip away without being noticed and spotted Jeff and Jason standing near the right backstage wall. Curious, she used her ability to read lips to ‘eavesdrop’…

“What do you mean he just took one of the actresses place!?!” Startled, Jeff whispered. “Has he gone completely nuts!?!”

“He mentioned that someone had tainted a tray of snacks with something to make him sick.” Wincing, Jason whispered back. “One of the girls must have gotten to them first.”

“He must’ve felt real guilty about it. Still, it’s one heck of a risk to satisfy his guilt.”

“Well, what would you have done?”

“Well, for his sake, I hope he doesn’t get himself caught.”

“I knew it!” Her heart racing, Angel thought. “That was the specter and those two somehow know him!” she sighed and thought, “It still doesn’t answer the question; who is he?”

Acting more on impulse than rational thought, she sneaked away from the group to the left backstage wall. She hastily looked at the line of heavy hooks with strong ropes tied to them; any one of them would carry her up towards the catwalks. The only issue was she needed the one that would take her close to the catwalk the boy had fled to.

“I have little time.” Nervous, she whispered. “Which one do I use?”

“It’s the one on your left.” Whispering, a dark voice replied.
The voice was so low that Angel thought she had imagined it but she knew that it would not be long before she was spotted. She decided to listen to her ‘imagination’ and loosened the heavy rope to her left, keeping a firm hold onto the rope as she did. The heavy sandbag on the other end fell fast and Angel let out a yell of surprise as she was catapulted up towards the seven-story vaulted ceiling of the auditorium. The noise from the small party around the snack tables drowned out the noise; no one noticing her being lifted away.

Angel was too frightened to look down as she watched the catwalk come up fast; too fast for her liking. She knew that if she did not let go at just the right moment she would fall several stories to her death upon the stage floor.

“Just let go.” Whispering, the dark voice said. “You’ll be fine.”

Angel swallowed hard and closed her eyes as she again listened to the soft voice; she let go of the rope. She felt or thought she felt a firm push against the small of her back just as she was muttering a prayer. She felt her feet hit something hard and opened her eyes to find that she had miraculously landed safely on the floor of the catwalk. It was still almost a full minute before she found the courage to move.

On the stage below, everyone was around the snack tables, laughing and talking between bites. In the audience, Tom and Sara remained in their seats; both working on a laptop Tom had opened on his lap.

“I have transferred all of the pictures I had taken to the image file on my laptop.” Working the keyboard, Tom said. “In moments, we should know whether or not I had caught our famous specter on film.”

“Good work, honey.” Rising from her seat, Sarah said. “I am going to grab something from the snack tables. Did you want anything?”

Tom shook his head. “No, I’m fine. Go enjoy yourself.”

Sara nodded and walked away.

“Okay, my mysterious friend.” Clicking on a file, Tom thought. “Let’s see if my camera caught a glimpse of you.”

Moving his fingers over the built in mouse he clicked on the first image in the file. It was of the comedy and tragedy symbols that hung over the seats in the auditorium. “Nothing…” Frowning, he thought.

He clicked on the next image; it was of the production staff sitting among the parents in the seats. A number of them did not seem interested in the stage as they were looking elsewhere. It was unusual but his mind was not on them he was focused on finding the mysterious specter. “Nothing there either…”

Not yet discouraged, Tom opened the next image. As it appeared on the screen, a satisfied smile formed on his face. It was of a small boy peeking out from inside the prompter’s box. Tom enlarged the image and smiled at the boy’s bright hazel eyes; it was the one feature everyone seemed to remember about the Broadway Spector. Tom was tempted to call Sarah over to report his exciting find but he decided to wait rather than create a scene. He book marked the image to find it faster later and clicked onto the next image.

“Okay, my friend. Let us see if my camera caught you anywhere else.”

The next image was of Stephanie standing upon the stage. Tom enlarged the picture hoping to find a shadow or something in the background; there was nothing there. Tom was about to move on to the next image when something caught his eye; it was Stephanie’s expression. He looked at the image a second time and saw that there was a sense of hope on the girl’s face. There were tears in her eyes with a smile that would melt hearts; she stood with one foot forward as if to jump into someone’s arms. It was a dramatic pose but one he did not remember seeing during the rehearsals.
Tom looked at the image more closely wondering who Stephanie was looking at when he froze; the girl had bright hazel eyes.

Tom’s eyes grew to the size of saucers; his face turning pale. He clicked on an earlier close up image of Stephanie and set the two images side by side on his screen. He looked at the two images with his heart pounding in his throat; the real Stephanie had wild green eyes.

“That wasn’t Stephanie on the stage.” Shivering, he thought. “That was the Broadway Specter!”

A terrifying thought sent a chill running down his spine causing him to gulp as sweat beaded upon his forehead. “Where is the real Stephanie; what happened to her!?!”

Tom tossed his laptop into the next seat and bolted to his feet; looking towards the stage. There was no sign of the young child whom everyone had assumed was Stephanie. He took his camera into his shaking hands and scanned the stage with the telescopic lens. Stephanie was not among the group; neither was the lead actress, Angel McCarther.

“Now there are two girls missing.” Lowering his camera, Tom whispered. “Could the specter be behind this?” He turned back to the stage and let out a low sigh. “I hope those two girls are okay.”

“Hey, has anyone seen Angel?” On the stage, Samuel asked.

“Oh, she and Stephanie probably sneaked off stage.” Lightly, Lauren said. “I’d bet they’re talking to each other somewhere.”

Tarra smiled. “Or maybe they’re searching for the Broadway Specter.”

“Don’t worry.” Ignoring Tarra’s comment, John said. “If they don’t show up soon, I’ll have Stone and his men search the building for them.”

“The who?” Curious, Tarra’s mother asked.

Tarra giggled and turned to her mother. “It’s just a little joke between me and the girls, mom.”

“Actually, this Broadway Specter is sort of a legend at the orphanage I was in.” Walking up to the two, Alex said. “Sorry, I could not help overhear what Tarra said.”

Tarra’s mother raised an assuring hand, shaking her head. “That’s all right, Alex. But please; Carol.” Pausing, she asked, “Can you tell me who this specter is?”

Alex shrugged. “No one really knows; I mean no one has ever got a good look at him. The city social workers think he’s an orphan they missed, but no one has ever been able to catch him.”

Carol seemed startled. “He’s a street orphan!?”

“Well, we’re not sure, ma’am. This is the only place any one of us saw him, besides at the orphanage.”

Carol raised a single eyebrow. “The orphanage…”

Alex nodded. “He has been known to visit there at night.”

“One moment, please.” Walking up to the group, Sarah said.

Alex hid a frustrated sigh. The last thing he wanted was a reporter asking questions about Timmy. Sue saw her mom from the snack table and rolled her eyes; pretending not to see her.

“You had told us that you had once lived in the infamous New Hope Orphanage downtown.” Holding a pad and pen, Sarah said. “Were you one of the boys who used to run away from there to hide inside this theater?”

Alex nodded. “Yes; all the boys in this production used to hide in this theater a lot.”

Sara raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You didn’t see him?”

“Oh, we’ve seen him; both here and at the orphanage.” Patiently, Alex assured Sarah. “It’s just that none of us ever saw him up close.”

“Why do you think he is hiding here?” asked Carol. “Surely he talked to you boys when he visited the orphanage?”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know why he hides up here, ma’am.” Honestly, he replied. “He kind of avoids the subject.”

“I have heard of this Broadway Specter.” Joining the conversation, Todd Jackman said. “I’m Karen’s father; I’m a private investigator for the New York welfare department.” Pausing, he added, “He’s been making monkeys out of the city social workers and police for almost four years now.”

“Is he dangerous?” Worried, Carol asked.

“He’s not exactly sane but he’s harmless.” Also joining the conversation, Stone said. “He’s about nine or ten years old; my men and I have tried to catch him ourselves many times without any success.” Sighing, he added, “We too believe he is an orphan someone missed.”

Carol hugged her daughter’s shoulders. “Oh, that poor child; to live on the streets all alone…”

Stone nodded. “That’s why so many people are trying to catch him; it’s for his own good.”

Tarra shook her head. “This is deep.”

“My men and I must return to our duties.” Excusing himself, Stone said.  “I heard two of the young ladies sneaked off somewhere; if they don’t turn up, give me a call. We will search the building for them.”

“Thank you, Stone.” Nodding, John said. “I’ll do that.

Stone nodded back and left the stage with his three men following.

Sara turned to the audience to call her husband over and smiled seeing him waving her to him. “He must have gotten a picture of the specter.” Excited, she thought. Upon reaching him, her smile faded. Tom looked worried; it was not a good sign. “Did you get a picture of the specter?” Hoping, she asked.

Tom nodded, seriously. “I did. But we have a problem.”

Sara began to worry herself. “What do you mean?”

Tom explained what he had discovered; showing his wife the images he had book marked in his computer. “The kid had somehow taken Stephanie’s place on stage.” Finishing his explanation, he said. “The real Stephanie is missing, the boy is gone, and now Angel McCarther is missing as well.” Pausing, he added, “I fear she may have gone looking for him, thinking he was Stephanie.”

Sara swallowed hard, her mind reeling with the possibilities. “But how could any of this had happened without anyone knowing?”

Tom shook his head. “I’m not sure. My greatest concern is what happened to Stephanie and if Angel did go looking for the specter, what will happen to her when or if she finds him?”

“This is getting out of hand.” Worried, Sarah said. “We’d better take our findings to Stone so he can be on the lookout for Stephanie and Angel.”

“Should we inform John Stravis and his wife?”

“No, Tom. If the kids’ parents ever get wind of this, it’ll start a panic and then we’ll never get our story. We have to keep this quiet, at least for now.”

Tom nodded in reluctant agreement and the two quickly gathered their belongings and made their way out of the auditorium to find the head of theater security, Mr. Stone.

Meanwhile, in a secluded part of the stage, away from of the others, Samuel discretely handed Maria a small box. Upon opening it, she gasped and turned to him with tears glistening in her eyes as she smiled and nodded.