Falling Stars (18 page)

Fortunately, no one was there to see how I looked. I would hate to have to explain it. My hair looked like a pack of field mice had been chasing each other in it for hours. My lipstick was smeared over my cheek. My blouse was out of my jeans and my face was so flushed, someone would think I had gotten a terrible sunburn. The first thing I did was strip and take a hot shower to calm myself.
When I stepped out and wrapped the towel around myself. I felt a great deal better.
I only hope

Cinnamon and Ice don't have similar experiences
, I thought. Rose was going to be so surprised to hear about this. and I hoped her boyfriend Barry would be angry. I was still quite infuriated.

Wiping my hair with another towel. I stepped out of the bathroom. My heart dropped and came up like a yowl in my chest. There was no doubt in my mind. Someone had just been in my room. The window was still slightly open and all the clothes I had just worn-- my jeans, my blouse, even my panties and bra-- were gone.

They were gone!
Pounding like the fist of someone locked in a room, my heart thumped under my breast and took my breath away. Slowly, with my legs almost numb. I went to the window, opened it farther, and leaned out. I looked up, but there was no sign of anyone: neither was there when I looked down. I was about to close the window and retreat when something caught my eye on one of the rungs of the ladder that led upward. I don't know where I found the courage. but I stepped through the window. barefoot and all, the towel still wrapped tightly around my body, and walked up the ladder.
It was my panties.
Whoever it was had dropped them and continued his flight.
I grasped them and lowered myself to my fire escape landing.
Fearful I would be seen out here and look quite foolish. I hurried back into my room. where I sat and waited for my heart to calm down and the others to return.
Cinnamon and Ice were back first. Rose about twenty minutes after them. By the time she came up the stairs. I had told Cinnamon and Ice everything. They consoled me, but they were both full of rage and pounced on Rose the moment she stuck her face in the door to see what was happening. It nearly brought her to tears, and she got right on the phone and called Barrv. After she described my horrible time with Tony, he asked to speak with me.
"I'm sorry that happened to you. Honey," he said. "I haven't known Tony very long, of course. but I'm surprised he behaved so badly. I'll speak to him."
"I don't want you to have any trouble. Barry. Just forget it," I said.
"I won't have any trouble. The other guys will be just as upset about it. From the little I know about Tony. I see he's quite spoiled. His parents just give him money, let him have whatever he wants. Look how they set him up in that apartment they sublet from a client of his father's," he added.
"A client. I thought it was his uncle's
apartment."
Barry was silent a moment.
"Is that what he told you? He's a sick guy. Forget about him.
I
apologize for bringing him along." Barry said.
I again told him it wasn't his fault and begged him not to get into any problems because of it, and then I handed the phone back to Rose. She said goodbye and, looking so upset herself, hung up.
"That's only half of what's happening," Cinnamon began again. Rose looked at me.
"What else?"
"Honey had a visitor through the window-- and in the daytime. too. Whoever it was is definitely another sicko. He took her clothes."
"What?"
"While I was in the shower. He went up the fire escape, dropping my panties on a rung," I said.
"Did you see him?"
"No."
"But there's no question where he went," Cinnamon said. She looked at Ice. "Tonight, we'll find out what it's all about."
"What do you mean?" Rose asked. "How?"
"We'll pay him a visit, and if it turns out to be Edmond Senetsky..."
"But that's Madame Senetsky's private home."
"I don't care," Cinnamon said. "It's got to stop." She turned to Ice and Rose. "Wait a minute. Didn't you both tell us you were missing clothes?"
"Yes."
"You mean, you think..." Rose choked on the rest of her sentence. "He was actually in my room. In my things. too!"
"Why don't we just tell Madame Senetsky now?" I suggested firmly.
"Let's get it all first, be sure of our facts. It could either be the end of a problem or the end of us here if we don't handle it right," Cinnamon pointed out.
We were all silent.
"Tonight," Cinnamon repeated. "After dinner. We'll change our clothes first. Wear sneakers." she advised. "Going up a fire escape is hard in heels.
Everyone was silent a moment, the same cold fear flowing through our veins. Ice shook her head.
"It was such a nice day. too. Or at least, I thought it was. The park, the restaurant, being on Fifth Avenue and seeing all those expensive stores... for a while I felt like I was in a magical place."
"You were." Cinnamon insisted, "and you'll be there again." She looked at me with determination. "All of us will."
When we went down for dinner, we learned that Madame Senetsky had gone to meet some theater friends for dinner tonight and would not be with us. The dinner itself was finally just a dinner and not so much a learning experience with a guest chef and a lecture about wine and food; nevertheless, at Madame Senetsky's orders, we were treated to chicken Kiev. Ms. Fairchild didn't eat with us, but did give us an introduction to the entree, explaining what it was and where it had originated. She then left the dining room as well.
Howard and Steven were not at the dinner. All Ms. Fairchild told us was that they had other plans, which were approved.
"I'm sure he had nothing special," Cinnamon said. "but he was too embarrassed to face us."
"Who cares?" Ice muttered.
"He's so stuck on himself he thinks everyone is interested in his every breath," Cinnamon said. "You don't know how hard it is to have to work with such a person on the stage. He's always giving me one of his looks that ask. 'Is that the best you can do?' Even Mr. Marlowe is growing impatient with his narcissism."
"His what?" Ice asked. and Cinnamon retold the Greek myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own image and died pining away, in love with himself.
"Hell, half the people I know can have that nickname," Ice commented.
"Present company excluded. I hope." Rose said.
We all laughed. The clock was ticking, however, and everyone knew what that meant. After dinner ended, we all cleared the table, helped with the dishes and silverware, and reset the table for the morning. Then, quietly, no one so much as breathing loudly, we paraded up the stairs to our rooms to change. Cinnamon had decided we would go up through my window. They all gathered in my room, but just before we started out, we heard the boys coming up the stairs. Cinnamon indicated we should all be very quiet. We heard them talking and then pausing to listen at my door.
"Maybe they didn't come home vet," Steven said. "They're probably having a Treat time."
"So?" Howard came back at him. "We had a Good time, didn't we?"
"No," Steven replied.
Ice smothered a laugh. We heard them go to their rooms and close their doors.
"Okay," Cinnamon said. She approached my window, 'No one speaks. Just take your time going up."
She opened the window and stepped onto the landing. Rose looked at me and I followed. Ice next. Rose last. As quietly as we could, we climbed the metal ladder to the landing above. The light was on in whatever room it was. Cinnamon waited for us all to reach the landing and then she approached the window, which was shrouded by a curtain. She tried the window, and it moved.
"Careful," Ice warned.
Making it up a little more than an inch at a time. Cinnamon had it open about a foot and then parted the curtain. We gathered
around her and the four of us peered into the room. It was a bedroom, not unlike our own. A closet door was open and we could see a row of men's slacks, some sports jackets, and some shirts.
"Look," Cinnamon said, nodding toward the bed. "Aren't those your clothes. Honey? Your blouse and jeans?"
"Yes." I said.
Suddenly, we heard music. It was the same music I had heard coming from behind the mysterious doors in the costume room. In a whisper. I told the others.
We continued to listen and wait. No one moved. I could hear Rose breathing hard at my left ear. Ice was between Cinnamon and me and Cinnamon leaned into the window. Then she pulled back quickly.
Rose gasped. but Ice held her hand over her mouth.
Edmond Senetsky entered the bedroom and then walked toward the closet. He was wearing a sports jacket, tie, and slacks, but his feet were bare.
"But he doesn't live here, does he?" Rose whispered.
"Shh," Cinnamon said, putting her finger to her lips. We watched him standing at the closet door. He took off his jacket
and began to undo his tie with his back to us. Then he reached for a hanger and hung up the jacket. He put the tie on a tie hook and began to unbutton his shirt.
"Now we're the Peeping Toms," Ice muttered.
"Just wait," Cinnamon said. "Something's not right."
"Tell me about it," Ice whispered in my right ear.
We continued to watch. When the shirt was completely unbuttoned, he began to peel it off, and that was when we saw what looked like a bandage wrapped around his upper torso. He looked down and began to unwind it.
"What the heck is he doing?" Rose whispered.
No one dared speak or could speak. I think all our hearts were on pause. We barely breathed.
Then he turned-- and we saw the bandage free a small, perky bosom. I couldn't move, couldn't swallow. We were clumped together, all of us finding a place to grasp another. Ice had her hand wrapped tightly around my right wrist. Rose was grabbing my blouse and pulling it so hard. I thought it would tear. I had one hand clinging to her blouse and Cinnamon had her left hand pressed against Ice's thigh.
"That's not Edmond Senetsky," Cinnamon whispered.
Whoever it was lowered the slacks. We saw what looked like men's underwear briefs, but when they came down, there was no doubt in any mind this was not a man.
The scene before us was hypnotizing. No one could turn away, nor could anyone move a muscle.
Whoever it was then headed for the bed and picked up my blouse. She put it on and gazed at herself in the mirror.
Cinnamon pulled us all back.
"She can see us in the reflection," she whispered.
"Let s get out of here,," Ice said. "Now!"
Without any discussion. Cinnamon backed farther away from the window and nodded toward the ladder. We had to go down in reverse order. Rose first, Cinnamon last. Going down was much harder, not only because we couldn't feel our legs and distrusted the grips our hands had on the metal railings, but because the ladder was at such an incline, it took much more nerve to descend than ascend. I tried keeping my eyes shut tight. We had to be careful we didn't step on each other's hands. I nearly stepped on Ice's. Rose was moving so slowly. At one point she actually froze.
"What's happening?" Cinnamon called down.
"Rose can't move," Ice said. "Oh. no. Get her to. Ice. Hurry."
Cinnamon and I listened to Ice speaking softly to Rose, trying to calm her, urging her to take one more step and then another. Rose whimpered.
"I'm going to fall," she moaned.
"Not if you hold on tightly and just take your time. Carefully lower your foot to the next rung. Go on. Do it," Ice said a little more firmly.
Finally. Rose began to move again, and then we saw the darkness above us get washed in light, and we all froze once more.
Whoever it was had opened the curtain. Was she coming out? "Quickly," Cinnamon begged.
Rose found the strength and made it to my landing. We each followed, and all of us hurried through my window and into my room, where we collapsed on the floor. My neck was so damp with nervous sweat. I needed a towel. So did the others.
"Well?" Ice was the first to ask.
"I don't know what to say. Edmond Senetsky is not a man? Was that what we learned?" I asked.
"That can't be so. He's a bit of a dandy, but I never thought he wasn't a man," Cinnamon replied.
"It looked just like him, didn't it?" Rose asked. "Well, didn't it?" she pursued when we were all still silent.
"Yes and no," Cinnamon said. "I don't know. It wasn't a good light. It's all so bizarre. One thing is for sure." she added, looking up at us all. "we don't say anything about this to anyone, not yet at least."
"I wouldn't know how to begin." Rose said. "I feel a little sick to my stomach. How are we going to behave normally tomorrow?"
Cinnamon smiled.
"Just follow Madame Senetsky's advice and focus completely on your work. Remember, a good performer can't see beyond the footlights."
"I don't think I'll have the strength to make one turn, much less dance," Rose complained.
"You will," Cinnamon said. She gazed at Ice and me. "We all will."
"Then what?" Ice asked.
"I don't know. Not yet. anyway."
She laughed,
"How can you laugh about this?" Rose demanded.
"I was just remembering how most of the kids in my school thought
I
was weird because of the way I dressed and the things that interested me.
"After seeing this. I realize I was as healthy as the whole Brady Bunch put together," she said.
Everyone was quiet, lost in her own thoughts for a few moments.
"I don't know if I'll get any sleep tonight." Rose said softly as she stood up. She looked at her hands. "Ugh." She held them up. They were black from the metal ladder. "I guess I need a shower."
"Me, too," Ice said.
She and Rose went to the door.
"Try to rest, anyway." Cinnamon said. She lingered behind after they had gone to their rooms. "What a day you've had.
Honey. I can't believe you won't collapse when your head hits the pillow."
"Me, neither."
She started for the door,
"Cinnamon?"
"Yes?"
"Why do you suppose she's taking our clothes?"
She stood there, thinking for a moment, and then looked at me and said. "She wants to be more like us, I guess."
She shrugged. "Really?"
"I
don't know what else to say. Honey.
I
suppose we'll find out eventually. Night."
"Night,"
I
replied in a small broken voice. She walked out and closed the door.
I
turned to my window, and then
I
hurried to it and closed it tightly, closing the curtains as well.
Tonight,
I thought.
TonightI'll wrap the darkness' around me like an old friend and look for sleep to be the doorway to my escape.
The morning was suddenly something to fear.