“God,” Robbie laughed, easing herself onto the couch. “I’m just glad none of those kids were seriously hurt or anything.”
“How’s your knee?” Raylan strode for his wife with the two wine glasses, placing them on the common room table.
Robbie grimaced at the fact that he’d noticed. “A bit sore, but not as stiff as earlier,” she admitted sheepishly, stretching out her left leg with experiential caution.
Raylan fished around in his wife’s purse for the Ibuprofen bottle. “Here,” he dropped two round white tablets in her hand.
“Aww, is that my favorite pinot!” Robbie popped two tablets in her mouth like candy then chased them down with a long swig of wine. “Hey,” she tilted Raylan’s chin up so that their eyes met. “Sure you’re alright, hun?”
God, she was so beautiful. For a second, Raylan wavered. He hated lying to her. But tonight was just about them, for once. Let the world come knocking with all its demands and sorrows tomorrow.
“I’m fine Robs,” he lied with his sweetest smile. “To us.” They clinked glasses and drained them.
Raylan headed back to the kitchen, but not before snatching up the TV remote. “The food is almost ready. The crappy movie is set in the Blu-Ray player,” he began serving their food in earnest. “The anniversary is about to begin.”
“Ray-Ray?” Robbie called from her comfortable perch on the couch.
Raylan, in the middle of serving out the goulash stew, froze. “Yeah, babe.”
Robbie looked back at him with a megawatt smile, melting his heart. “I hit the jackpot with you didn’t I?”
“Yeah, maybe a little,” Raylan teased. With two steaming hot plates of goulash-styled stew on curly pasta noodles, he put on his happiest façade and headed for the common room. “Alright, honey. Here I come.”
A Word from C.C. Ekeke
I spent most of my childhood on a steady diet of science fiction movies, television shows and superhero comic books. I discovered my desire to write books in college when studying for a degree in advertising. An international trip or two provided further inspiration for the aliens and worlds in my writing. After a couple years and a full rewrite of the first book in my Star Brigade space opera series, I took the plunge into book writing as a serious secondary career. I'm currently working on the four book in the Star Brigade series. Feel free to drop by ccekeke.com if you’d like to download a free novella and find out about my next release or talk about all things sci-fi and fantasy!
Find me online: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon | Website
THE SPOTLIGHT
BY JEFFREY BEESLER
THE SPOTLIGHT
BY JEFFREY BEESLER
Unlike other heroes, Sally “Myna Byrd” Cates didn’t have a sixth sense. Not that she needed one. Her drama teacher, Mr. Seymour Rauch, blew through two packs of cigarettes during the class’s final dress rehearsal of “A Pair of Lunatics.” No need for special mind powers when she kept stepping on discarded butts right outside the side door to the auditorium.
Had it really been that awful of a dress rehearsal? As an assistant to the lighting technical manager, Sally hadn’t thought so. But with the way Mr. Rauch kept sneaking out that side door for a cigarette break every five minutes or so it seemed, she could’ve been wrong.
“All right, everyone,” Mr. Rauch said, gathering them in the auditorium for what Sally expected to be his final prep speech before performance time. “Tonight’s the night. Let’s go out there and put on a phenomenal show. I still think we can pull off a fine performance of ‘A Pair of Lunatics.’”
Everyone rallied around each other, chirping their excitement amongst themselves. Sally smiled politely, making sure not to stare too long at Mr. Rauch. Had no one else noticed his voice growing raspier with every puff of smoke he inhaled? She had to talk to him.
“Who’s up for pizza?” the male lead, Caleb Milton, asked. Originally the junior year captain of the football team, he’d joined the Ruby Hills High School production only because his girlfriend, Natalie Van Sykes, played the female lead.
“Sorry. I’ve got other things to do,” Sally said, shaking her head while the others salivated over the prospect of pepperoni goodness.
“Well, you’re no fun,” Natalie teased, hanging onto Caleb’s arm. The pair looked like a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. Or maybe that was how Sally wanted to see them as, given the air of superiority those two always seemed to carry about themselves.
At least those two can’t leap tall buildings like me, Sally thought, smirking.
She left the class gathering to check on other things. As she wandered up to the control booth, something seemed off. She’d been inside the booth many times before, so it took her a moment to figure out why things looked so weird. An unfamiliar green light flickered somewhere inside the room. The abrupt sound of footsteps behind her halted her advancement.
“What are you doing?” Mr. Rauch asked.
“I couldn’t find my keys,” she said, pulling out her keychain a second later. “Oh, wow, look at that. There they are.”
Mr. Rauch raised an eyebrow. “You were snooping.”
“No, I wasn’t.” she asked, trying to cast doubt upon what she was doing.
“I hope that’s true,” he said, the rasp in his voice edgier than before.
Sally looked at him with great concern. “Are you okay, Mr. Rauch?”
“I’m fine,” he said, moving past her to slam the control booth door shut. He took his own set of keys and locked the door, a resounding click ensuring his success.
“If you say so.”
He spun back around at her, his eyes bloodshot. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sally struggled not to let the smell of tobacco on the guy choke her nostrils. A cough quickly betrayed her attempt.
“I’m worried about you.”
The words seemed to calm him. He drew a sigh, wheezing as if his lungs were offended by the non-smoker’s air of the auditorium.
“I’ll be fine. Once we get through the production’s run, I’ll be able to call it quits on the whole drama class thing,” he said, his lips twisting into a frown that seemed tempered with sadness rather than rage.
“You don’t want to do this anymore?”
“I do, but…”
As he trailed off, Sally caught a round of applause coming from the other side of the auditorium. She watched Mr. Rauch glance over in that direction, and then allowed herself the same luxury. Some of the cast members, including Caleb and Natalie, were still hanging out, their need for pizza not yet met. Sally listened intently to their group.
“You guys are gonna kill it tonight!” a boy said.
“I wish I was as talented as you, Natalie,” a girl remarked.
“Oh, please,” Natalie told them with a wave of her hand, although it appeared she rather welcomed the high praise.
“Thanks, guys,” Caleb said.
Sally immediately looked to Mr. Rauch. She saw the hurt in his eyes as the cast praised one another. The way his eyes narrowed at this made Sally’s heart almost freeze.
“Mr. Rauch?” she asked.
Mr. Rauch blinked but held his head up high, offering her a smile that didn’t seem genuine. “I told you I’m fine!”
He marched off, whistling like only the devil may have cared about anything. Sally thought to go after him, but the way he slammed the door behind him convinced her otherwise.
• • •
With Mr. Rauch gone, Sally approached the cast.
“You guys got a second?” she asked.
“Sure,” Caleb said, grinning as someone high-fived him. “What’s up?”
“Has anyone else noticed the way Mr. Rauch’s been acting?”
“This is the drama club,” Natalie remarked with a snort. “Everyone here is always acting.”
Sally sighed, realizing her mistake. “No. What I mean is, does anyone else think he’s upset?”
The group exchanged glances among themselve
s.
“Not really, Sally,” Caleb said. “If he’s stressed, it’s only because tonight’s opening night.”
“Did you see how many cigarettes Mr. Rauch went through during the dress rehearsal? He probably smoked a pack or two.”
“What makes you say that?” Natalie asked.
“Just the pile of cigarette butts outside that side door,” Sally said, pointing in the right direction.
Caleb waved his hand as if to dismiss the notion. “That’s the door where all the smokers go to smoke. Everyone knows that.”
Sally shook her head. “There’s more to it, though. I’m sure of it.”
Caleb grunted a laugh. “Come on, Sally. Mr. Rauch is a professional. He’s doing his job just fine.”
“I wish I could believe that,” Sally said with a sigh.
“He’ll be fine, Sally,” Caleb said. “See you later.”
Sally gazed over at the control booth, the footsteps behind her growing softer. A small voice inside her head compelled her to go back there again and check things out despite Mr. Rauch’s demand to stay out.
Something didn’t seem right.
• • •
With the curtains rising at 7:30, Sally hadn’t left the school. Her mind was on Mr. Rauch. What was he trying to hide from everyone? She didn’t have much time to act as everyone would soon return. At the entrance to the control booth, she tried once more to twist the door knob, her access still denied without the key.
Time to get ready. Glad I don’t have to strip down in a phone booth like in those old Superman movies.
She sauntered off toward the dressing room and made the change into her costume, a pair of dark shades and a matching one-piece suit. As Myna Byrd, she had only once ever had to use her powers to stop someone, although it really hadn’t been the mega-villain she’d hoped for. Rather, someone had climbed to the auditorium rooftop and teetered on the ledge, threatening suicide in a reckless, playing around sort of way. Fortunately, her ability to fly enabled her to catch the young man before he died.
If I could save that kid, then I can stop Mr. Rauch from doing whatever the hell he’s planning on doing.
She left the dressing room and headed down the hall without being seen. Only an hour or so remained until the auditorium filled, hopefully to capacity. They’d all worked so hard on this production.
Then again, if Mr. Rauch tries to do something, we might be better off if no one shows up at all!
She made it to the auditorium’s backstage area and peeped through the crack in the curtains to see if anyone was out in the audience yet. Her powers activated by way of song, she hummed a random melody. Her body began to rise and a breeze carried her up into the air, propelling her forward toward the stage. She hoped to use the cover of shade backstage to stay out of sight. She found a perch big enough for her to sit, the curtain sufficient cover. She waited.
Footsteps caught her attention five minutes into her watch. She tried to get a better peek of the action unnoticed. A flash of lighting nearly caught her in the act of movement. It swept past her without incident.
“Anyone seen Mr. Rauch or Sally?” someone asked from the audience sitting area. It sounded like Caleb.
“Sally’s missing, too?” a girl who wasn’t Natalie asked.
“I haven’t seen her in hours.”
“She better get back soon,” Natalie said.
“Let’s get into costume, guys,” Caleb said, leading the group away.
Ten minutes later, Sally drifted from her hiding spot. She edged toward the front curtain, looking out toward the seating area and the control booth just beyond. A couple of people moved up and down the aisles, sweeping up garbage left over from the dress rehearsal. Mr. Rauch threw the side door open, marching towards the crew cleaning up whatever trash came their way.
“Get out of here!” he barked at them, pointing a finger at the main door. The crew members scurried out of there, Mr. Rauch right behind them.
Sally swooped down from her hiding position and flew toward the control booth. The level of fury in his voice just now made her wonder if she was already too late.
I have to stop him.
She stepped in front of the control room door and waited for him to return from chasing the others out. He showed up a second later.
“Pathetic outfit,” he murmured, not breaking his stride.
“Mr. Rauch, wait,” Sally insisted.
The drama teacher scanned her with a deadly glint in his eyes.
“Be quick. I have work to do.”
Sally resisted the urge to remove her shades. In the dim lighting of the auditorium, the shades kept Mr. Rauch from seeing her eyes. She knew her green eyes would betray her, if not her red hair. She was one of a handful of redheaded girls in attendance at Ruby Hills, but at least that meant there was more than one. Maybe Mr. Rauch wouldn’t figure her identity out.
“Mr. Rauch, go home and get some rest You don’t look good.”
The man grunted. “I’m fine. Now go away.”
Sally didn’t budge. She didn’t need to. All it took was for one thought for her abnormal strength to keep her rooted to the floor.
“I’m not leaving until you do.”
“I don’t have time for this,” he growled. “Get out of my way.”
Sally shook her head. “No way.”
“People are about to arrive,” he said, fuming.
“Don’t do this,” she urged.
Mr. Rauch clenched his fists. “Get lost now.”
Sally crossed her arms. “Make me.”
The drama teacher’s palms flew into Sally’s chest, forcing her back before she could summon the bulk of her strength to block the effort. She tripped over her own feet but steadied herself a second later. Then she glanced up and saw Mr. Rauch was gone. She dashed into the control room in time to see him press a green button that must have been the source of that strange light earlier.
“What are you doing?” she asked, catching her breath.
Mr. Rauch let out a nasty cackle. “Ending it. I’m so sick and tired of it all.”
“Sick and tired of what, exactly?” Sally glanced around quickly for something that might detain him until the cops showed up. Anything of actual value lay backstage.
“This production.” He pointed towards the stage. “I’m surrounded by idiots who wouldn’t know talent if it bit them in their backside.”
“Weren’t you the one who selected the cast?”
“Whatever. You’re just some heroic fool wearing an outlandish costume.”
“I’m not backing down, Mr. Rauch.”
Mr. Rauch kicked her in the leg. As he reeled from the pain he unwittingly inflicted upon his toes, she reached out for his arm and twisted it, taking care not to break any bones. He yowled in pain and hurled his fist into her jaw, only to cause himself a second round of agony. The momentum of the blow nudged her backwards by about one step, but didn’t cause her any physical harm. As she caught herself again, Mr. Rauch hobbled for the door, cradling his injured hand in his good one. Two crew members responsible for ticket sales suddenly opened the main door, blocking his escape.
“What’s going on here?” one asked.
“Go call the police!” Sally told the ticket sales crew. “Mr. Rauch has done something to the lighting system. There may be a bomb attached to it.”
“Wait. What?”
Mr. Rauch spun back toward Sally, grinning. “My dear, it seems you may have a credibility problem.”
Sally took in the confused expressions on their faces. Had it even occurred to her that maybe other production staff members had already seen the green button and asked Mr. Rauch about it?
“He’s out to hurt people,” Sally tried to explain.
“Why would Mr. Rauch want to do that though?”
At that moment, Caleb and Natalie appeared in their costumes on stage, along with half the rest of the cast. Everyone murmured and glanced in Sally and Mr. Rauch’s direction.
�
��We heard the commotion out here,” Caleb said. “What’s up?”
Smugness stretched the drama instructor’s smile to as far as his lips could reach.
“I’m fine now that you’re all here. This costumed vigilante just attacked me for no good reason.”
Sally saw everyone looking at her as if she were the villain. She tried to say something, but no words emerged from her lips. How had she not thought things through? She was trying to save them all from a distraught, overworked drama instructor hell-bent on paying everyone back for their naivete. How had she handled things so wrong?
“I’m sorry, but the show can’t go on. There’s a gas leak.”
“Didn’t you say there was a bomb?” the first ticket sales crew member said, nudging his glasses closer to his eyes.
Sally shook her head, again struggling to justify her position. “Something bad will happen to anyone standing right where you two are standing,” she said, pointing at Caleb and Natalie.
“This has to be some stupid prank you got from YouTube or something,” Natalie said.
“It’s not a prank. Mr. Rauch did something to the lighting because this production has him stressed out.”
“She’s lying,” Mr. Rauch said, his voice wavering. The arrogance melted off his face the longer her words lingered in the air.
“Is she?” Natalie asked.
“Yes,” Mr. Rauch said, dismissing the accusation with a wave of his hand.
Sally wouldn’t let him deny the truth any longer. “Stop lying, Mr. Rauch.”
“Fine. You want to know the truth? I’ve had it with this production. None of you has an ounce of this thing called talent. Your performances are comical at best, robotic at worst.”
Everyone but Sally gawked at Mr. Rauch, shock plastered to their faces.
“Oh wow, Mr. Rauch,” Natalie said, chafing her arms as if a draft permeated the air onstage. “No need to act like a jerk.”
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