Kingdom of Crowns and Glory

by Laura Greenwood et al.

  I waited until she’d drank some of the sweet beverage and her breathing had returned to normal before chatting about the day. I shared the small amount of gossip I’d heard which was pitifully small, then asked for her help.

  “I know you probably won’t be out of the hospital in time for the performance on Friday, so I was wondering, well, hoping really, that you could help me with a few of the songs?”

  Biting my lip, I waited. I wasn’t sure if asking for her to help me with the role she’d been supposed to perform would make her feel more included or more depressed.

  She leaned forward. “Absolutely! What do you want me to do?”

  I exhaled with relief and smiled behind my mask, then brought out the sheet music to show her. “I really like how you sing the opening verse. Do you think you could give me a few pointers? I think I’m a little flat right here.”

  I pointed to the place in the song that was legitimately giving me a hard time and was happy to see her consider it carefully before nodding.

  “Sure. Why don’t you sing it first so I can hear what the issue is?”

  I looked around, wondering if I’d get in trouble for singing in the hospital. But the halls were quiet, and I hadn't seen anyone around on the way in. Hoping for the best, I demonstrated the song for her.

  Unexpectedly, warmth rushed through me.

  It was a feeling I’d only ever had when I was happy and singing at my very best. Of course, the minute I asked for help the issue wouldn't be there. Worried she’d think I was showing off, I lost focus and the note flattened. I stopped, wincing at the painful sound.

  Melissa had been listening attentively the entire time and now snapped her fingers.

  “I’ve got it! First of all, that was really good, right up until the end.” She drew her eyebrows together thoughtfully. “To me, it sounds like you overthought it. Try again, but this time just allow yourself to sing. Stop worrying about the notes or what I think. Can you do that?”

  She leaned back, gesturing for me to try again. I bit back a smile, thinking she sounded just like my voice teacher.

  “I’ll try.”

  This time, I did as she’d directed. Feeling more comfortable in front of her now, I stopped thinking and tried to just feel the music. Warmth spread again, making my fingers tingle. It may have been my imagination, but the room seemed to brighten slightly before dimming when the last note rang out in the silence.

  “That was amazing! Seriously, Robin. I have no idea why you ever thought I had a better voice. I can totally see you hitting the big time with a few more years of training.” The corners of her eyes crinkled. “Someday, you’ll be singing in Paris and Rome, mark my words.”

  I blushed and looked down, but couldn't help being pleased at her praise. With the exception of my dad, I didn’t have anyone else telling me I had talent. And as much as I loved him, parents were notoriously biased and known to be horrible judges of that sort of thing.

  “Well, thank you. But I should probably go. You must be getting tired now.” When I looked at her though, she seemed more awake than she’d been when I had arrived. Maybe it was because I’d asked for her help and made her feel included?

  She didn't have a chance to reply. A quiet knock on the door interrupted her, followed by a soft voice. “Hello? Melissa?”

  Melissa called out to the interloper. “Hey, Mom! We’re in here. Robin brought my homework AND a Frap!”

  Laughter accompanied the woman as she came inside the room and after leaning over to hug Melissa, she smiled at me from behind her protective gear.

  “Hi, Robin. It’s nice to see you again. Thanks for helping out—it means a lot to both of us.”

  I shrugged and stood, swinging my backpack over one shoulder. “I don’t mind. It’s nice being able to do something. I only wish I could help more. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see the show on Friday, even if you can’t be the one up on stage.”

  I left after exchanging a little more light conversion with her mom, knowing they probably wanted a chance to talk alone, but promised to return on Wednesday after practice was over with the next day’s homework. We had dress rehearsals all week, and I knew she was missing the camaraderie when before she let me leave, I also had to promise to update her on our progress every day.

  Wednesday was a shorter evening, as the final dress rehearsal was on Thursday night and we were supposed to be resting. I stayed at the hospital longer to keep Melissa company, giving my dad a quick text so he wouldn't worry. I was never entirely sure he’d received them, as he rarely replied back in a timely fashion, but I generally assumed I had permission if he didn’t tell me to come home.

  "I'm happy we have tonight off. Dress rehearsal is tomorrow of course, but my throat was starting to feel scratchy from all the singing."

  Melissa nodded, a shadow of sadness flashing over her face.

  Darn my foot in mouth disease! Instantly contrite, I tried to apologize. "I'm sorry. It should be you up there."

  She waved my apology away. "Don't be sorry. But hey, good news! Well, not exactly good, but my results are back. Turns out I do have tuberculosis, but it’s a strain that normal antibiotics work on. I started this morning, and if I do well on them over the next few days, I should be able to go home."

  I clapped my hands together. "That's fantastic! Well, you know that already. I’m guessing you don't feel any better yet?" I had no idea how quickly antibiotics would work and she looked the same as she had every day so far.

  Smiling, she shook her head. "No, but at least they let me take my mask off in the room now."

  That had been a new development today and it had made our visit far more enjoyable. Now that I didn't have to gown and mask and could see her face, it was far easier to read her expressions, and far less sweaty as well.

  After only a few days of visiting, it felt like we’d always been friends. Funny how much effort I’d put into telling myself she didn’t like me when I had created all the drama in my own head. Turns out, we actually got along really well.

  I could also tell how upset she was Rachel hadn’t come for a visit. She’d had other friends stop by when they could make it, but I got the impression Rachel had been one of her closest friends, so her absence in particular stung.

  I wondered what was going on with Rachel. The book the lady at the store had given me wouldn’t leave my thoughts, but I didn’t bring it up. It wasn't really any of my business and Melissa already felt bad enough about being sick and missing school. I didn't need to make her feel any worse by sharing a crazy theory with her.

  "Do you think you'll be able to come to the concert Friday?"

  She smiled. "I hope so, but it depends on what they say. I can't wait to see you up on stage. I'm not kidding when I say I really love listening to you sing. Something tells me you're going to go far." She shook her head. "I know you'll think I'm being silly, but there's something about your voice. There are times when I listen and I swear I hear something magical when you’re emotionally invested in a song, even when it’s only a show tune. I hope you bring that quality on Friday. It’s the perfect play for it."

  I brushed her praise aside, although the comment resonated after the thoughts I’d been having.

  "Magic? Ha! I wish! I'll be happy not to completely flub the lines between numbers." I shuddered for dramatic effect. "You might like my voice, but you are a hundred times the actress I am."

  Melissa shrugged. "Well, true, but unimportant. You're getting into the music program in the fall and get this –"

  She paused and I leaned forward. "What? Did you hear back from them?"

  Melissa smiled from ear to ear. "We heard back from the university. As long as I'm taking my medications, I can start a full class load in the fall. I already had early acceptance so as long as I pass finals, I'm in. My treatment will be done before I start practicums so there’s no reason why I can’t start a Bachelor of Nursing in September!"

  I jumped out of my chair and cheered, jumping around
with imaginary pom-poms like a cheerleader at a football game until I got tired, which was well under a minute if anyone had been timing me. "That's awesome! So we’ll both be going to McGill in the fall?"

  She nodded. "Yes. And who knows? Maybe we can arrange our classes so we have some in common. I could do a minor in music."

  "That would be awesome! I know it's silly, but I really don't want to lose touch with you after school ends."

  "Ditto."

  Melissa's expression changed, sadness replacing her excitement. I was certain she was thinking about another friend and gently prodded. "What about Rachel? What’s she doing next year?"

  Melissa shrugged. "She's moving back to Toronto to take prelaw. I think her dad lives there."

  "Has she come to visit yet?"

  Melissa looked like she was torn, but her need to unload won out over her normal inability to speak ill of anyone. "Yeah, she came by yesterday about twenty minutes after you left. She acted kinda weird; like she was sorry, but uncomfortable to be here."

  I nodded. "Some people don't like hospitals. Maybe that’s her issue."

  Or was her issue related to something from the book which had been given to me?

  "Maybe. But if that was all it was, she could have called. I had my phone the whole time. She hardly even answered my texts, but I don’t think it’s because she’s busy. She had time to put up tons of snaps with her hanging out with other people. If anything, it was like out of sight, out of mind. Unless there’s something else going on I don’t know about."

  I shook my head, unable to deny Rachel’s behavior wasn’t up to standard best friend code. "She seemed pretty worried about you before you got admitted. I don't know why she flaked out like that after but I agree it’s kind of weird."

  She sighed. "I guess you find out who your friends are when big stuff happens." She pressed her lips together and was silent for a moment, then turned a smile toward me. With a mock-seriousness, she placed a hand over her heart. "Right now, I promise I will be home by Friday in time to watch my new friend steal the show. May a piano fall on my head if I even think of skipping out."

  Chapter 9

  I felt like a complete badass sneaking into the hospital Thursday night with the decadent piece of cake, long after visiting hours were over. I texted first and waited for the all clear, and when I crept in just after ten, she was awake and eagerly waiting for me.

  "How did it go?"

  I pulled the piece of cake out from behind my back with a flourish. "It went well. Here, I stole this for you. One of the moms brought a cake to celebrate our last show together."

  She extended her hands toward the cake, opening and closeting them rapidly. "Who made it? Ooooh, gimme, gimme, gimme! It looks delicious."

  I nodded smugly. "Oh, it is. Jesse's mom made it– you know, the one who owns the boutique bakery."

  Melissa took a bite of the red velvet cake and groaned. "OMG, it’s absolutely delicious."

  Her words muffled by frosting, I managed to catch the gist and snorted as she chewed, bouncing in bed with happiness. Her eyes widened and she swallowed.

  "Oh! I almost forgot! They're letting me go home tomorrow morning. Which means…" She paused, performing a silent drum roll on the side of the bed with her index fingers. "I’ll be watching you in the role of a lifetime."

  She boomed the last words like a cheesy announcer, making it impossible not to laugh.

  "Well, it’s hardly the role of a lifetime, and I’ll be happy when it’s over. Exams start next week and I still have a project to finish before Monday. How are you doing?"

  Melissa took another bite, lingering over it with her eyes closed until she swallowed. "All caught up. I'll probably stay home another week if you’re able to keep bringing my assignments, but I’m feeling confident about exams."

  I was relieved. Part of me had wondered what would happen when she went home. Would she want to still spend time with me if Rachel miraculously reappeared in her life and wanted to be best friends again? Would she even want to spend time with Rachel now? They had a lot more road together as friends, but something told me Rachel had blown any BFF credits when she bailed on Melissa this week.

  “What’s wrong?” Melissa finished the last bite of cake, knitting her eyebrows together in concern as she caught my expression.

  Hurriedly, I deflected. "Oh, nothing. I’m just nervous thinking about tomorrow. And I guess if I’m being completely honest, maybe a little worried about you going home.” I gave her a crooked half-smile. “Part of me wonders if you’ll still hang out with me when you don’t need me anymore. I mean, you have a lot of friends who’ll be happy to catch up with you once you go home. You’ll probably be really busy and I totally understand."

  Melissa reached over and grabbed my hand. "Look, Robin. The last few weeks have shown me people in a different light. I know who my true friends are. You had no reason to be there for me or to care about what happened. It wasn't your responsibility to make sure I had my homework and to keep me up on the gossip. You could've left that to my other friends or my mom. Most people would have. Before I got sick you were an acquaintance—heck, you were a competitor! Despite all of that, you went out of your way to make sure I was okay and to keep my spirits up.”

  I blushed but didn’t interrupt or pull my hand back. I was just insecure enough to want her to continue.

  “Everything you’ve done tells me what kind of person you are, and it’s the kind of person I'd like to keep in my life. Who needs fake friends when you find someone who’ll come through in a crisis? I hope someday if you need help I’ll fall into that category for you."

  “Seriously, I didn't do anything. In fact if anything, I feel guilty. The whole time I watched you get sicker I had the crazy idea I’d somehow done it to you with my jealousy.”

  At her startled look, I raised my hands.

  "I know, I know. I said it was crazy. But I was having these weird dreams and something made me wonder if something supernatural made you sick."

  I shrugged, fully expecting Melissa to laugh and think I was crazy, but it was better than her thinking I was a saint. She blew out a long breath, then swung her legs over the side of the bed.

  "Look. We already put the jealousy thing behind us and agreed we were both equally jealous. At least, I thought we had." At her raised eyebrow, I nodded reluctantly. "Good. Now, I’ve seen some strange things I couldn't explain in the past, but one thing I’m certain of is that you had nothing to do with me getting tuberculosis. I was exposed during the summer. That's it. Nothing unnatural about it. Besides, I never noticed you ever acting cruel or jealous around me in the past. I’m thinking in order to wish someone sick you’d likely need a far more intense level of emotion than low-grade envy. Otherwise, every girl from five to eighty-five would be diagnosed with tuberculosis at least once in their lives."

  I laughed as her words unexpectedly made me feel a million times better.

  "I've been telling myself that for weeks, but it’s way more reassuring to have you agree with my more rational moments. In the middle of the night after a crazy dream, it’s sometimes hard to believe curses don’t exist."

  Melissa pursed her lips. "I've had a few strange thoughts myself in the middle of the night, especially since being stuck in this prison." She threw a sour look at the room before meeting my eyes again and dropping her voice to a whisper. "And even if someone did curse me, it’s way more likely someone else did it. I’d be far more inclined to throw the blame on one of my other friends given how they’ve acted lately."

  I tilted my head at the unfamiliar note of bitterness in her voice. "What do you mean? Are you talking about Rachel?"

  She looked down. "Yeah. I mean, she's been my best friend for the last few years. I expected her to show a lot more concern for me than she’s shown lately."

  Frowning, I put a hand on her shoulder. "She might just really hate hospitals."

  Even as I tried to reassure her, I remembered the strange, almost scared
look Rachel had worn in the hallway before Melissa’s hospitalization. Had it been worry for her the way I'd assumed, or had it been guilt?

  I wasn't sure anymore.

  Especially after the way she’d distanced herself since Melissa’s admission, and the way she’d looked right through me on the street in front of the weird tarot shop.

  Our eyes met but instead of acknowledging what I was thinking, I smiled brightly. "Either way, you're going home tomorrow! I can't wait for you to see the show. Are you going to come backstage?"

  Melissa grimaced. "I'll play it by ear. I'm not sure how much energy I'll have by then."

  Wrinkling my nose, I reluctantly had to agree. Cast parties could get a little wild, even when you weren't of legal drinking age yet. “Parents and teachers will be there, so it should stay as tame as these things can. There will be an after party at Ben's, but I wasn’t planning on going. Maybe we can get dessert or something instead, if you're up for it of course."

  She smiled. "I'd like that."

  Before either of us could say anything else, a yawn escaped unbidden and I clapped a hand over my mouth. "Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry. I guess it's time for me to go to bed."

  "Yeah, I wouldn't want to do anything to earn extra time in the clink."

  Rolling my eyes at her reference to an old-timey jail, I leaned over to give her a quick hug and headed home.

  The streets were well lit and it was a route I was familiar and comfortable with. Although it was dark, the streets were never completely empty at this time of day in Montréal. Especially as the weather improved. Tonight, the quiet walk gave me time to think about what Melissa had said.

  Could Rachel be a bad friend, the way Melissa thought she was after blowing her off all week? I wondered if she really was uncomfortable in hospitals as I’d suggested. Perhaps I could find out tomorrow. Prior to Melissa’s sudden collapse, Rachel had seemed to be a decent friend. At least from the outside looking in.

  So what could have changed to cause her to flake out in her friend’s time of need? For Melissa’s sake, I decided to try to get some answers in the morning. While it didn't seem like her sudden illness was a consequence of someone cursing her, I knew Rachel’s distance was hurting more than her illness now.