Mask of A Legend

by Stephen Andrew Salamon

  “You know, why don’t you make up your mind? If I wasn’t so picky when it came to looks, then you would be out of business. I’m the one who discovers the girls for you, and the one who brings them to you. If I wasn’t so picky, then you would probably be giving me a speech on dating girls who are beautiful only. Face it, Father, either I’m picky and you stay as the top modeling agent in the world, or I’m not picky, and you become a bum on the streets. Choose, because you can’t get your cake and eat it, too. Also, practice what you preach.” The plane began to shake, due to turbulence. Cold and numbing sensations went through Stephen’s body as he feared dying, with the plane shaking more. His father talked to him, while Stephen’s mind concentrated on every single moment the flying contraption shook.

  He looked over at the window and saw the Sears Tower in his view as a little relief went through his mouth. He showed a smile. He was relieved because the ground was becoming more visible, and that meant the plane wouldn’t crash; in his mind at least. Suddenly, the plane shook vigorously for a moment as it hit a gust of wind. That’s when his smile vanished into a frozen, straight look.

  “Are you alright, Stephen?” his father asked, noticing sweat dripping down Stephen’s face. His father kept on asking that, while Stephen’s hearing turned itself off and all of his senses vanished. The only sense he had was sight, turning to his father and giving out a politician smile.

  “Um, yeah, I’m fine. Um, I’m just a little nervous as all.” It was like he didn’t want his father to know he was afraid of flying. He looked out at the dark city, and his face still had the fake smile engraved on it. It was a smile that Stephen hoped would trick his mind into believing everything was fine. The plane shook again and Stephen unbuckled his seat belt and ran to the bathroom door. He ran into the bathroom, and the fear of crashing went through his sight, imagining flames and blood that the crash would bring. He stared into the mirror at his handsome reflection and said, “Come on, Stephen, it’s not gonna crash!”

  “Excuse me, sir, Mr. Drakson, but where is your son?” the stewardess asked while still sitting in her seat.

  “I guess he had to go to the bathroom bad,” replied William. Stephen exited the bathroom and walked back to his seat, waiting for the shaky plane to land while he watched the land get closer through the window. Suddenly his fear vanished into relief as the plane hit its wheels against the runway of O’Hare Airport. The plane parked and they exited it. Hundreds of fans waited outside on the dark runway.

  As Stephen walked down the stairs of the plane with his father, girls and girls were screaming out his name. “I love you, Stephen,” a girl screamed out, holding up a sign that read ‘SEXY’. He came down to the last stair and watched security guards hold back the lovestruck fans. A limousine pulled up to the airplane and Stephen finally stepped his feet on the ground of Chicago. He walked over to the limo and the girls started screaming out his name louder.

  They both entered the limo and it drove off in an instant, while the girls ran after the black mansion on wheels. “My God, I’m just a supermodel, it’s not like I’m Elvis or something,” Stephen stated in a joking way before the limo pulled up to the hotel. “We’re already here?” asked Stephen. The limo parked directly in front of the entrance to the hotel.

  “Yeah, the model search is gonna be here, I thought I told you that already,” replied his father. The chauffeur opened up Stephen’s door.

  They both entered the hotel and walked immediately up to the check-in counter. People just stared at them as if they could smell ‘elite’, a scent that their clothes and posture gave to the environment. Stephen looked up at the face of a clock that hung over the foyer that read 2:00 a.m., and then looked at his father’s face.

  “I just want to get my room and go to bed now,” Stephen said. The hotel worker handed him and his father their room keys. “I wish they would stop staring at me.” He noticed old and young people with their eyes locked on his white, chiseled face.

  “Calm down, son, they just know who you are, that’s all,” his father explained with a small grin as it showed his white, beautifully kept teeth. “Now, go straight to bed, because you have to wake up very early tomorrow. This thing begins at 8:00 a.m., and they want you to begin speaking at 8:30 a.m.” They then walked to the elevator that was directly on the right side of the check-in counter.

  “Do I have to stay till Sunday?” Stephen asked. He pressed the ‘up’ button on the outside of the elevator and continued to ignore the stares of strangers in the foyer of the hotel.

  “Of course you do. You get to leave on Sunday after the search is over with. Please, Stephen, don’t ask any more stupid questions, you already knew this. Besides, this way it will give you a chance to chase the girls.”

  “That is so corny, Father, please, don’t embarrass me while I’m here. I already told you on the plane that I know I’m not going to be interested in any of these models. I know it because none of them are going to be my type. Also, I just broke up with Viennese, and it’s too soon. So, just stop pushing me into this ‘girl hunt thing’,” urged Stephen. They entered the elevator with exhaustion and remained silent to one another; they were too tired from arguing. . . .

  Chapter Seven

  Acold draft blew in through the balcony window of Legend’s hotel room while she and Angelica sat in the center room watching TV. They were watching a love story on the set for the second time, and Angelica was beginning to close her eyes. Legend got up from the red carpet and walked in a slow motion toward the balcony. She grabbed onto the window-like door and started to close it when suddenly her eyes came upon a shooting star that glided ever so slowly through the dark night. Legend stepped out onto the balcony and watched the star gliding across the heavens and then closed her eyes and smiled upwards toward it. “Are you making a wish?” Angelica asked. She appeared by the balcony door, startling Legend.

  “Yeah, yeah I am.” She closed her eyes again.

  “You know, wishes are like dreams, they’re real to you, but to everyone else, they’re just another dream. It takes a special wish in order for it to be real to everyone else, and to you also. . . . A friend told me that,” Angelica explained. Legend opened her eyes again and looked at her. Mysterious or insane, the subject Angelica brought up pressurized the air with hesitation. Should she ignore the subject, or amuse her with a question?

  Where did this come from?

  “Does this friend know how to make wishes come true?” Legend joked. She walked past Angelica and entered the hotel room. Legend’s silent moment was over.

  “Well, as a matter of fact she does, I mean, she did. She said that there are many types of angels for different wishes.”

  “How do you mean?” Thunder, both powerful and loud, echoed through the hotel room and a flash of lightning followed a few moments later.

  “If you wish to be famous, then there’s an angel for that. If you wish to be healed from a sickness, there’s a different angel for that, too.” Angelica followed Legend back to the television while the love story was still playing.

  What a curious woman.

  “I thought that genies grant wishes,” Legend suggested with a smile. She sat back down on the ground and continued watching the TV.

  Legend wasn’t used to talk of the occult or anything that hung from that word, especially from a woman she just met not too long ago. But, curious as a mouse, Legend listened.

  “Well, that’s what human beings call them. You see, there are different methods to making a wish real. Let’s say you wish for fame, then a particular angel will appear and tell you to wish by the ‘Big Hollywood sign’ and at the same time touch it. Or, if you wish to be healed from a sickness, then an angel will tell you to wish while holding onto a doctor’s hand. But, the angels will only appear if the wish is strong enough from the wisher.”

  Legend looked at her with an interesting face, her eyes so curious and her mouth so ready for questions that a shiver of goose bumps ran up and down her spine. A
witch? A worshipper of the occult? Legend didn’t know for sure, but she understood that she sure did know a lot about the subject. Perhaps a story she heard as a child, or a book she read as a teenager while experimenting with witchcraft. Legend didn’t care, because it was not only fascinating, but the way the subject made Angelica act with such passion, she just had to dive into it more.

  “Boy, your friend knew a lot about wishes. . . . Interesting theory, though. I know my wish will never come true. Just look at that girl on the TV.” Legend pointed to the actress on the television – she was kissing the leading man. “The girl is beautiful, every single love story that I see, the women are always beautiful. Beautiful, thin, perfect. So, that means that a lot of girls must be wishing for the same wish I want. That means that there must be a waiting list for the angel who grants wishes of beauty,” Legend laughed.

  “There is.” Angelica smiled under her breath when Legend gave out a huge yawn. “So, are you good at astronomy? I mean, I heard that girl say something along the lines of you being an astronomy geek.” Legend gave another yawn, but immediately perked up when Angelica admitted to that observation.

  “You mean ‘Dina’? Yeah she did say that . . . and yes it’s true. I do like astronomy, but that’s not what I want to do when I get older.” Swiftly, a strong draft blew in the opened window from the balcony.

  “Are you any good at constellations?” asked Angelica. Legend got up from the ground and walked over to the window.

  “Yeah, I guess so, I mean, I know the names of all the stars that are visible to us, meaning humans. You know, constellations and such. But what good is that?” Legend closed the balcony window and pondered for a moment over her last sentence, saying in her mind, Cheer the hell up, Legend.

  “Well, it’s very good to know something that many others don’t. I’m sure that Dina doesn’t know more than two constellations,” replied Angelica, smiling as Legend gave out a silent laugh.

  “I guess you’re right. But anyway, I better be getting to bed now, I’m exhausted.” Legend walked over to the television and turned it off.

  “Yeah, me, too, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Angelica walked to the doorway.

  “I’m not going tomorrow, I’m just gonna go to it on Sunday,” Legend announced. Angelica turned around and left her hand still on the doorknob.

  “Why not?”

  “Because all they’re gonna do tomorrow is give a few presentations by professional models, to explain to us about the wonderful business of modeling, and then teach us how to walk on the catwalk.” Angelica chuckled at Legend’s remark. “Besides, I don’t want Dina and her friends seeing me before the big event, I know they’ll make fun of me!”

  “They’re going to see you on Sunday anyway. You should go,” said Angelica. She walked out into the hallway and still stared at Legend.

  “How hard could it possibly be to walk on the catwalk? Besides, the reason why I came here is to enjoy myself, and if I go tomorrow, Dina and her friends will take the enjoyment right out of my mind. You saw the way she was treating me when I first came to this hotel, and you know she’ll treat me worst if she sees me tomorrow,” Legend tried to convince, standing by her doorway and hoping Angelica would agree with her.

  “I understand what you’re trying to say, trust me, I do. I’ll come over after the training for the catwalk is over with tomorrow, or actually today.” Angelica looked at the time on her watch, it read 2:10 a.m. and gave out a silent yawn of “Goodnight.”

  After Legend said ‘goodnight’ back to Angelica, she timidly closed her door and walked toward the bathroom in a drawn-out motion. A cold and deathly breeze blew in again when she came to the bathroom door. She turned to her left and realized the balcony door was still open, after she closed it. Darkness. She walked over to it with hesitation in her movement, confused with the open doorway. Maybe it was the wind? But her confusion went away when she saw a shooting star in the distance. More coldness ran through her spine, entering onto the balcony and looking up at the star shooting through the sky. “If only wishes were real,” Legend whispered. She closed her eyes and faced up toward the dark sky, and smiled at the starlight blanketing her face. For what it was worth, Legend felt like a princess, if only for this night. Hope filled her, light from the star energized her. Perfect moment.

  Chapter Eight

  Stephen dragged his body toward his hotel room door. He showed tiredness in his motion and, really dramatizing, stressed it out. He dropped his single suitcase and inserted his card key into the slot above the doorknob, while saying out loud, “I can’t believe I actually got lost in a hotel, I’m losing my mind.” Before he could open his door, a woman tapped him on the shoulder, startling him as if he wasn’t used to just anyone touching him. He jumped back and looked at the woman, only to see a smile in his view.

  “Hi, I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m the coordinator of the model search, my name is Paula Reader.” She held out her hand and waited for Stephen to shake it. But his temporarily jerky self didn’t.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Stephen yawned. He opened up his door halfway with his right hand, and decided to shake her hand with his left.

  “Um, I just wanted to hand you these.” She handed him a stack of papers and still kept a smile on her face, like it was surgically embedded, molded and constructed to stay at a perfect slope. “These are a list of the girls’ names who are going to be in the model search, and their ID numbers,” she added. Stephen grabbed the stack of papers and tried avoiding her next question by rushing into his room.

  “Thank you.” Stephen then attempted to close his room door, but Paula put her foot in its way.

  “One more thing. I know it’s really late, but I wanted to see your father now, so I could discuss some important matters with him.” Stephen gave out a frustrated sigh.

  “Listen, my father’s in one of the rooms in this hotel, I don’t know which one.”

  Her smile turned into a straight grin. “Oh well, I’ll just talk to him tomorrow. Have a nice sleep.” She pulled her foot away from the door and allowed Stephen to slam it shut. He walked into his room and threw his suitcase on the ground. He had a tiresome look on his face, a glare that seemed like he was climbing up a mountain that was endless, acting like his clothes weighed a thousand pounds and his expensive shoes were made of cement. But his fatigue was interrupted by a cold draft that blew into the palace-like room. It blew on his face, causing him to develop goose bumps on his cheeks.

  Anger and rage went through his mind, perceiving the balcony door was open. “The maids can’t even remember to close the door: I’m complaining.” He walked in a rapid motion over to the balcony door and closed it fast. He ran over to the master bedroom and lay down on the bed when suddenly a pounding-like noise came into his ears. He got up from the bed and ran over to the main door. The pounding wasn’t coming from that direction. He turned around to face the balcony window, and saw a shadow that resembled a human being’s silhouette behind the silk, white curtain.

  “Angelica, this isn’t funny, open up,” Legend yelled out from the other side of the balcony door. Stephen ran over to the balcony doorway and just stood by it.

  He saw the resemblance of a girl who was well-shaped and had long hair. A smile came to his face: he felt that it was a fan who snuck up to his balcony and wanted to meet him, among other things. Why not? So, he opened up the balcony door. “Who the hell are you?” Stephen rudely asked. He saw an acne-filled face that resembled a girl. Very forward and rude, his fatigue must have also weighed down his manners.

  “Who are you?” Legend asked. She ran past him. “Get out of here now, or else I’m calling security!” Legend grabbed a hold of the phone in the master bedroom. Stephen walked over to the master bedroom and looked at her, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Listen, if you don’t go now, I’m going to call them!”

  “Don’t you know who I am? I’m Stephen Drakson.” As arrogant as it was, he stared at a girl who wasn’t beautiful to his eyes a
nd immediately thought, assumed or hoped that she knew who he was.

  “Well, Stephan–”

  “It’s Stephen, not Stephan!”

  “Whatever, leave now.” She started dialing the numbers on the phone and the front desk came on the line.

  “Hello, front desk, may I help you?” the hotel worker asked.

  “Yes, there is a man standing in my room who has broken in,” Legend replied. Stephen then grabbed the phone away from her.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, but I’m Stephen Drakson, and this room was given to me about ten minutes ago by you. There’s a lady who seems to think this room belongs to her.” He couldn’t help but stare at Legend’s nervous, acne-filled face.

  I’m a girl, not a lady, jerk.

  The front desk worker looked up the information on the computer and then admitted with a nervous stutter,” Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Drakson, but we made a mistake with your room. The room that you are in now was given to Miss Conaway earlier on today for the model search that she’s currently registered in. I don’t know how we made that mistake, but we did.”

  “She’s in the model search?” Stephen stared at Legend’s dreadful image and Legend turned away from him immediately, feeling hurt and empty, feeling profoundly alienated by the question he asked. He first referred to her youth as ‘lady’ and now he was questioning her credibility to be in a model search; his manners must still be tired. “Well, either get her the hell out of here, or else find me another room. I’m sorry to be so rude, but I’m tired and jet-lagged!”

  “I am sorry, sir, but all the rooms are filled up because of the model search,” the woman explained. Legend walked out of the room and Stephen kept on asking her if there’s any other way she could find another room for him, but the front desk worker kept on saying the same answer, “no.” He hung up the phone, headed out of the master bedroom and his eyes came across Legend’s face standing in the center of the room.