I stood by the theatre entrance, watching for Syd. People streamed in and out as I waited. Suddenly, I saw her sprinting up the road, waving at me. "Sorry I'm late!" she said breathlessly, wrapping me in a hug and giving me a kiss.

  She had on a loose black blouse and green chinos. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and the mascara around her hazel eyes made them stand out even more. "You're totally fine. I'm just glad I'm not some mindless zombie held hostage by Luana," I said.

  Syd made a pained face. "Was she that bad?" she said.

  "She was so awful the doorman handed me this," I said, giving her the visitor's pass.

  Her face went a ghostly pale. "Oh my gosh, let's hope Karlo's plan to completely break things off actually works, or she might come after you next."

  "You and me both. The show will be starting soon. Let's head in," I said, opening my arm. She slid hers into the open slot and wrapped herself around my arm.

  After presenting our tickets to the ticket booth, we got some snacks from the stand and took our seats. We were watching a retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I opened the playbill, and two names immediately jumped out at me: Violet (Vi) Dio and Raymond (Ray) Dio-Star. Their names reminded me of that old song. How did it go again?

  While Syd loved Shakespeare and I could take it or leave it, I knew it would be a long time before our next date, so I gave her full control over our plans, and that's how we got here. I would've been satisfied with another Chinese takeout and movie night.

  The lights started to blink, letting us know that the show was about to start. Syd went under my arm and snuggled onto my chest. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and the lights started to turn down, signaling the start of the show.

  While watching, I realized the play was actually better than I remembered. The story revolved around two twins that were separated from each other during a shipwreck. Each of them was lost at sea. There was an undertone of grief and familial loss that I didn't realize was there when I first watched the play. Huh, this play is actually really interesting.

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  "Tom, wake up," Syd said, gently shaking my shoulder.

  I blinked my eyes open and looked around. The lights were on, and people were standing and talking to each other. "Are we in intermission? How long was I asleep?" I said, yawning.

  "Yes, intermission just started, and I noticed you fell asleep within the first 30 minutes of the play," Syd giggled. "I didn't want to wake you, so I just sat there while you slept. I'm just glad you don't snore because that would have been bad."

  I guess it wasn't that interesting.

  "Sensational. I hope they couldn't see me from the stage," I stood up with a yawn. "I'm going to get some coffee and stretch my legs."

  "No worries. I'm actually going to use the ladies' room," Syd said, standing up and stretching. We walked toward the exit, going our separate ways.

  Once I got my coffee, I walked around the theatre to kill some time before the start of the last part of the play.

  I read up on the theatre before I came. Apparently, this is one of the oldest running theaters in the country. It was originally built in 1885, and the owners have changed hands multiple times since then. It recently went up for sale and was facing an imminent closure, but the ad was taken down and people are speculating that they have found a new buyer to take over the place.

  The theater's interior was a beautiful mix of old Victorian charm and fancy Art Deco style. Gold painted panels covered the arched ceiling, and chandeliers hung from decorative plaster medallions that looked like they'd been there for over a century. Along the walls were silhouettes of people dressed in old-fashioned clothing from the early 1900s, frozen in time within wall niches and beneath the balcony. The seats sloped down toward the stage, and the hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings made every sound echo perfectly through the space.

  I walked down the aisle, taking in the elegant atmosphere. The stage had classical gold details painted across its wall, giving it a grand, timeless feel. Everyone was finding their seats, but I still didn't see Syd, so I continued to look around the theater. As I moved closer to the side entrance near the stage crew area, I heard something that piqued my interest. Through the walls came the unmistakable sound of someone screaming. I walked closer to the stage crew door and started to open it, revealing a hallway and unleashing the loud screams. They were still muffled, so I closed the door behind me and moved closer toward the source of the sound.

  The closer I approached, the clearer his words became. "You'd be dead! Dead, I tell you! Dead!" Before I could get any closer, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

  "Hello, sir. The show is about to start. You should head back to your seat," the man behind me said. When I looked back, it was Ruppert, the man playing Orsino in the play.

  "Thanks for letting me know. I was looking for the bathroom and I somehow ended up here," I said, starting to walk back to my seat.

  "No need to lie. I know you were interested in the ruckus I'm about to put an end to," Ruppert said, walking toward the screaming.