Chapter 3

"Melanie. Wake up!"

Melanie heard soft voices as she started gaining conscience, opening her eyes and seeing hazy images "Thank God it was all just a dream, a nightmare indeed.' she tried to convince herself, but she realized it wasn't as she started regaining her senses. All faces surrounding her were filled with tears, worry, and fear.

"Can I just be blunt and say it? The murderer must be one of us from this room, it's the only possibility." Joe said

Melanie was shaking and tears were streaming down her face ruining her makeup "You killed him" she turned to Thomas "didn't you?"

"Melanie I understand your trauma, but what you're saying is absurd, why would I even do that?"

"I overheard your talk with George this morning"

"Everyone, it's not about who did it now, we need to figure out what we'll do! Hundreds of people are out there waiting for a show including a prince and a duke, the New York Times critic and a lot more." George said

"You're cold-hearted and selfish, you only care about the money and one of us is dead, killed," Leah said aggressively as she burst into tears.

"Calm down Leah, George is got a point, only 30 minutes left till curtains open, we might have no other option and if Daniel was still alive, he would've wanted us to go out there and do our job, " Neil said.

"Yea, and what do you know about that?" Melanie said sobbing and the next 5 minutes were just a blur for her as her mind couldn't stop thinking about the day she met Daniel.

7 years and a half ago

"I can't do this anymore Phil, I can't put on a show, pretend to be happy, sing and laugh like that every night when I'm miserable inside," Melanie said to her director Phil.

"Honey, that's your job that YOU signed for, so you're going to have to accept it, go to your room, maybe have a little nap and you'll wake up a lot better."

"But I'm not a 10-year old I'm not going to sleep it off and wake up all good. I'm exhausted not just physically, but mentally."

"Oh, so you want us to cancel all of that success just because you're a little tired. Maybe you should review your contract one more time. Welcome to show business."

Melanie was furious, so she rushed out of the room into her hiding spot at the fire escape stairs then she sat lighting a cigarette trying to calm her nerves and compress her feelings, but her hands were shaking so much.

"Smoking huh? Aren't you supposed to be reserving your voice for the show?" She heard a voice from behind.

"Well, I don't care anymore."

"I don't believe so, the upcoming great star Melanie Stewart doesn't care about her show." He said as he approached and sat next to her.

"Smoking calms me, at least it used to; it's my way of coping with stress and just passing time."

"Miss Stewart, are you okay? Really okay?"

"You can call me Melanie" she started sobbing then turned her face the other way to hide it "and thank you for actually asking me that question. I don't know who you are, but you're the first to see through me. I really am not okay, not even close and I feel like I'm broken inside, but I still have to put on a mask and seem happy."

"It's okay not to be okay sometimes, but why do you feel so?"

"Nothing is worse than being surrounded by all of these every day and all the time, but still feeling lonely."

"You'll never be lonely again, because from now on, I promise to always be there" he said, putting his hand on her shoulder patting her "You're a very strong person, for months you've been fooling everyone with your amazing performance and making everyone laugh even though you're actually hurting."

"But not you, you knew I wasn't okay."

"I don't know how to describe it, but I just saw it behind those beautiful eyes."

"You think my eyes are beautiful?" She smiled.

"Absolutely, but not as beautiful as that smile"

"Then thank you, because I haven't smiled for real in a very long time. I was going to quit a while ago, but maybe I found my reason to stay."

"You're going to stay because before that musical, you were just a wannabe star, but after, you'll be a super star."

"Enough about me, who are you?"

"Daniel Franco, actor in progress."

"Well, Daniel Franco, actor in progress, I'll go get ready but I really hope I'll see you soon."

She stood up then started walking to the door "Thank you, because today you made me feel something I haven't felt in a very long time, even for just a moment." she opened the door.

"What is it then."

"Happiness" she closed the door behind her and walked to her room.

7 years and a half later

Melanie's mind was somewhere else from her body, but it came back to reality as she started hearing everyone shouting and fighting

"No one must know" "I can't believe he's dead" "Who did it?" "Didn't pay that much money for the opening night to be ruined." "Should we tell the police?" "Are we going to cancel the show?" "Did you do it?" "Curtains will open in less than half an hour, we need to get to our places." "Are you SERIOUS?"

"Shut up!" Melanie screamed "Just stop it" she started wiping her tears off her face and swallowing deeply, she took a deep breathe and looked upwards facing everyone "The Show Must Go On."

Everyone was in shock as they heard those words slipping out of her mouth "Don't stare at me like that, I can't lose everything tonight, I already lost too much, okay? I love Daniel so much and believe me I feel guilty as hell for doing this, but we have no other option. Tiffany and Rachel please fix my makeup and everyone else get ready and be your characters."

"What about the body?" Clair asked terrified.

"I think we should tell the police" Owen suggested.

"We can't, at least for now, but don't worry we'll tell them after the show."

Everyone got out of the room except Melanie, Tiffany and Rachel. "Go wait for me in my room please, I'll be right back, I just need to say goodbye." Melanie said

Melanie walked to Daniel's body and knelt down to the floor next to him, she held his hand and said "I'll go out there and do my best for you, because you always believed in me and I know you'll be watching, so I'll make you proud" she kissed his hand "I love you".

Melanie walked back to her room "Where's Tiffany? She asked Rachel.

"I have no idea, she said she'd be right back. Mrs Franco."

"Yes"

"I need to tell you something and I tried telling you earlier, before you fired me."

"Oh I remember." She looked at Rachel's reflection in the mirror.

"I'll be direct, I'm pregnant and it's your husband's."

"When are you going to stop speaking this none sense about my husband, he's already dead what else do you want? You're a liar, a pathetic attention-seeking liar, but thank God I'm here to reveal your lies."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes you are, and you know how I know, because my husband is, was infertile" she paused "and because I know my husband would never cheat on me especially with you."

"Try to deny it all you want, but it did happen and he loved it."

Melanie stood up out of her seat then she walked over facing Rachel, she looked into her eyes then slapped her so hard, it could be heard from outside the door and Rachel's cheek turned red. "Get out of here, you're not worth wasting my time."

The strength of that slap brought tears in Rachel's eyes, as she was going out of the door, she met Tiffany on her way in "Is everything okay?" Tiffany asked Melanie

"How on Earth would things be okay?"

"I-I am really sorry, I didn't mean it that way, I just wanted to know what was going on."

"Nothing is going on, you can leave too and go to wherever you were, I'll fix my makeup for myself."

"Sure, but if you need me, I'll be right outside. Melanie, you're really brave to go out there after what happened."

"Believe me it's not at all bravery, I'm just still in the aftershock, non-believing state of mind and no."

"What?"

"I won't need you or anyone, I just need a few moments to put on my mask and go out there as Marion, not Melanie Franco, just for a night before realizing the truth.'

Tiffany left the room while Melanie sat on her dresser's chair facing the mirror and fixing her makeup "Come on Melanie, theatre is your life, you were born to do this and you can do this." she told herself as she remembered 7 years 2 months ago her first public appearance with Daniel as a newly couple who just got engaged 4 months shortly after they met. The two sat in a limo on their way to the Tonys red carpet "Mel, honey are you sure you want to do this? Are you sure you want me with you there?"

"Of course I'm sure, why would you even ask that?"

"Well, you're the Melanie Stewart, the star everyone is talking about after your great performance and nomination, and I'm basically nobody."

"Don't say that" she held his hands "First of all, you are definitely more than that, maybe you're not as famous yet, but one day you'll be huge and, not just in height, and I'll go to red carpets with you even in you don't want me" she laughed "just to scare your fans who want to steal you from me. Dan you were there for me in my darkest time when I was depressed and helped me see the light, so I want to go tonight to my special night with my special man whom I love and chose to marry. Soon I'll be Mrs. Franco not Miss Stewart."

"I love you, you know that?"

"I do" she smiled at him "Let's go."

"Oh good old days." Melanie said to herself in the mirror.

Tiffany walked to George's room "Sorry I had to leave earlier, I went to help Melanie, but she doesn't want my help" she told him

"She must be heartbroken, but now there's no more debt on us." he replied

Meanwhile Thomas sat with James, Daniel's understudy to make sure he knows what exactly to do and say.

"Just focus, everyone's depending on you and I'm sure you're not going to be worse than Daniel."

"I'll prove myself tonight to everyone; I deserve to be here sir."

"Good, now go out I need to get a drink."

"Don't you think drinking before the show is not a good idea?"

"I'm not the one who's going to be on stage."

Clair and Leah were getting ready with Stephanie's help.

"Oh God Steph, your OCD nerves are getting me even more nervous than I already am," Clair said

"I'm sorry, but I can't be the only one not okay with us acting all normal when Daniel's dead body is just in the next room." Stephanie said

"Exactly" Leah shouted "I just hope they remember we wanted to tell the police when things get even messier."

"Come on Daniel Franco's fan club, things aren't going to be any messier, it's not even possible. Look, I'm freaking out as much as the 2 of you are, but we need to keep it together, because we have a responsibility to the play, we worked so hard for it and as Melanie and the play title says, The Show Must Go On"

"I just hope we're not as horrible people as our characters."

The guys Neil, Joe and Owen sat together smoking and thinking who might be the killer

"Well, I'm telling you, no one is got a more killer's ming than Thomas," Owen said

"And what's the motive then?" asked Joe

"It's no secret Thomas wasn't Daniel's biggest fan" Owen replied

"My theory is much better." Joe said sarcastically

"And what exactly is it?" Neil asked

"Melanie did it, maybe she got bored of him or he forgot her flowers" he laughed "Maybe he even killed himself to escape her neediness."

"That's messed up and obscene. Don't talk like that" Neil got angry

"Didn't think it would offend you that much, so who do you think did it then?"

"It's always the unexpected, i guess."

Thomas came out to the corridor so everyone can hear him and said loudly "Everyone, gather here now, it's time." The whole cast and crew gathered in a circle "I know it's been rough and I know that what just happened is hard to handle, but we've all worked so much for this, so everyone please go out there smash it and get us the reviews we deserve and good luck."

All the actors got on the stage deck and went to their places ready for the curtains to open at any moment, Thomas and George were just standing on the side of the stage watching their hard work in action while the other crew members waited backstage. In a few moments which felt like hours, the lights were on, music was playing, the curtains started going up and the whole theatre was filled with claps, then it became all silent ready for the beginning of Act 1.