Chapter 2: The Smile Behind the Curtain
The applause lasted nearly a full minute.
I stood beneath the stage lights with my wings spread, blinking against the brightness while the judges whispered among themselves.
My hands were trembling.
Not because I was afraid of losing.
Because I'd actually done it.
I'd taken the scraps Brianna had left me and created something I couldn't have imagined that morning.
When I returned backstage, a girl wearing a silver astronaut costume hurried over.
"That was incredible!"" she exclaimed.
"Did you really make those wings yourself?""
"Every feather," I replied, still catching my breath.
She touched her own chest.
"I would've cried and gone home if someone stole my costume.""
"I almost did.""
"Well, I'm glad you didn't.""
Her name was Harper Lane. We'd shared English class for two years, but we'd never spoken for more than a few minutes.
She looked at my wings again.
"Seriously, Nia. You looked like you walked out of a movie.""
I smiled.
"Thank you.""
Across the room, Brianna ripped off her crooked crown.
"Can you stop acting like she's some kind of celebrity?"" she snapped.
Harper turned.
"I was complimenting her.""
"Then do it somewhere else.""
"Brianna," I said quietly, "leave her alone.""
Brianna tossed the crown onto a table.
"Don't tell me what to do.""
A stage assistant hurried past us carrying a clipboard.
"Contestants, please remain backstage until the results are announced. The judges are deliberating now.""
Brianna immediately straightened.
She smoothed the red silk across her hips and checked herself in a mirror.
"My costume has better colors," she announced.
"Red is classic. Everyone knows that.""
Harper raised an eyebrow.
"Did you make it?""
Brianna hesitated.
"My family helped.""
I looked down at my hands.
The tiny cuts across my fingers had started bleeding again. I'd sewn through one of them while rushing to finish the wings.
Harper noticed.
"You're hurt.""
"It's nothing.""
She pulled a small bandage from her astronaut belt.
"Here.""
I accepted it.
"Thanks.""
While Harper wrapped my finger, Brianna moved closer to the stage entrance.
She kept looking toward the black curtain separating the backstage area from the equipment corridor.
At first, I assumed she was nervous.
Then I noticed something strange.
Every time a staff member approached that curtain, Brianna watched them carefully. And when a technician carrying a small black case emerged from behind it, she stepped directly into his path.
"Is everything ready?"" she asked.
The technician frowned.
"Ready for what?""
Brianna smiled.
"The special effects.""
"We don't have any special effects scheduled for this portion of the show.""
Her smile flickered.
"Then you should check your instructions.""
She walked away before he could answer.
I watched her disappear behind a rack of costumes.
Something about the exchange unsettled me.
I told myself I was imagining things.
Brianna had always enjoyed making people nervous. She liked whispering that she knew secrets she didn't actually possess. She enjoyed watching people wonder whether she'd said something cruel or merely implied it.
Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was waiting for something.
Something more important than the competition results.
A few minutes later, the principal, Dr. Evelyn Brooks, entered backstage with two judges.
She was a tall woman with silver-framed glasses and the kind of calm voice that could silence an entire classroom.
"Wonderful work tonight," she said.
"The creativity we've seen has been remarkable.""
She stopped in front of me.
"Nia Carter?""
"Yes, ma'am.""
She smiled.
"Those wings are extraordinary. How did you construct the frame?""
I explained the lightweight supports I'd made from leftover materials, along with the harness hidden beneath the bodice.
Dr. Brooks listened carefully.
"You did all this in one afternoon?""
"Most of it, yes.""
"Most of it?""
I hesitated.
"My original costume was stolen this morning.""
Her expression changed.
"Stolen?""
"My stepsister took it. She was going to wear it.""
Dr. Brooks glanced across the room.
Brianna was pretending not to listen.
"Is that the red costume she's wearing?"" the principal asked.
"Yes.""
Dr. Brooks looked at me for a moment.
"Have you reported this to a teacher?""
"No, ma'am. I didn't want to cause trouble before the competition.""
"Being honest about what happened isn't causing trouble, Nia.""
Her words settled somewhere deep in my chest.
Before I could answer, Brianna appeared beside us.
"Dr. Brooks, I hope Nia hasn't been telling you stories.""
The principal turned.
"What stories?""
Brianna laughed lightly.
"You know how she gets. She likes making everything sound dramatic.""
I looked at her.
"You took my costume.""
Brianna's smile hardened.
"You gave it to me.""
"I did not.""
"Girls," Dr. Brooks interrupted, "this is not the time for an argument. If there's a dispute over ownership, we'll address it after the event.""
Brianna lifted her chin.
"Of course.""
Then she leaned toward me and whispered, "You should've kept your mouth shut.""
I met her eyes.
"You should've kept your hands off my work.""
Her cheeks reddened.
For a second, I thought she might slap me.
Instead, she smiled.
That same strange, terrifying smile.
Then she turned and walked away.
At six twenty, the contestants were called back to the stage.
The auditorium was packed. Parents sat shoulder to shoulder, phones raised, while students shouted encouragement from the balconies.
I stood in line behind a boy dressed as a medieval knight.
My stomach twisted.
I hadn't expected to win when I arrived. I just wanted to prove to myself that Brianna hadn't destroyed everything I'd worked for.
But now I wanted the scholarship.
I wanted the exhibition.
I wanted someone to see my design and understand that I was more than the girl who lived in Vanessa's house.
The announcer stepped up to the microphone.
"Thank you to all our contestants. Tonight, our judges evaluated craftsmanship, originality, presentation, and the effective use of materials.""
The crowd applauded.
"Third place goes to—"
A student dressed as a robot jumped with excitement.
"Second place goes to—"
The boy in the knight costume received the runner-up trophy.
Then the announcer opened the final envelope.
"And the winner of this year's Halloween Costume Championship, receiving the golden trophy, the summer arts scholarship, and a featured exhibition opportunity, is...""
My fingers curled around the edges of my skirt.
"*Nia Carter, for The Fallen Angel!*"
The auditorium erupted.
Harper screamed from the front row.
Dr. Brooks stood, applauding.
I covered my mouth.
For a second, I couldn't move.
Then the stage assistant gently touched my shoulder.
"Go on, Nia. That's you.""
I walked toward the center of the stage.
The golden trophy gleamed beneath the lights.
The principal handed it to me.
"Congratulations," she said warmly.
"You earned this.""
I gripped the trophy with both hands.
"Thank you.""
The announcer asked me to say a few words.
I looked at the audience.
My father had finally arrived. I could see him standing near the back, still wearing his work jacket, his face bright with pride.
He hadn't known whether I'd compete after what happened that morning.
Now he was clapping harder than anyone.
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"My mother taught me how to sew," I began.
"She used to say that making something beautiful doesn't depend on having the best materials. It depends on what you do with what you have.""
The auditorium quieted.
"Today, I lost the costume I'd spent three months creating. I thought that meant I'd lost my chance.""
I paused.
"But then I remembered something she told me. Sometimes, when something beautiful is broken, you don't have to rebuild it the same way. You can make something better.""
For a moment, I couldn't continue.
My father's eyes shone.
I looked toward the ceiling.
"This one's for you, Mom.""
The audience rose to its feet.
I was still holding the trophy when I saw Brianna near the stage entrance.
She wasn't applauding.
She was watching the black curtain.
Then she looked directly at me and mouthed three words.
It's almost time.
My smile disappeared.
I lowered the microphone.
"What?"" I whispered, although she couldn't hear me.
Brianna simply tilted her head.
Behind her, a technician crouched beside a stack of equipment cases. He pulled a cable from beneath the stage and checked his watch.
Then he looked toward the curtain.
I followed his gaze.
For a fraction of a second, I saw a digital display mounted against a metal frame.
*00:01:47.*
Before I could make sense of it, the technician covered the display with a folded black cloth.
I stepped toward the stage entrance.
A staff member blocked my path.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Contestants need to stay onstage until the photographs are finished.""
"But I need to ask someone something.""
"Just another minute.""
I looked for Brianna.
She was gone.
My father reached the stage and wrapped me in a hug.
"Nia! That was amazing!""
I held him tightly.
"Did you see the wings?""
"Everyone saw the wings!""
He stepped back to look at my costume.
"Your mom would've been so proud.""
My eyes filled with tears.
Then he noticed my expression.
"What's wrong?""
I hesitated.
"I think Brianna is planning something.""
His smile faded.
"What kind of something?""
"I don't know yet.""
He glanced toward the stage entrance.
"Where is she?""
Before I could answer, every light in the auditorium went out.
The applause died instantly.
Someone screamed.
A loud metallic bang echoed from behind the stage.
Then the emergency lights flickered on, bathing the auditorium in dim red.
The principal's voice crackled through the speakers.
"Everyone, please remain calm. We appear to have an electrical issue.""
My father pulled me closer.
"Stay with me.""
But I was staring at the curtain.
A thin line of white smoke curled from beneath it.
Then I heard Brianna's voice from somewhere in the darkness.
"Now they'll finally see what happens when you steal my spotlight.""
A second later, something behind the stage began to beep.
Once.
Twice.
May you like
Then faster.
And the smell of burning plastic drifted into the auditorium.
