If- Nina G. Jones Page 0,92

she would come. Whenever I went to a WATT show, I pretended to be some spectator, just another face. It was eye opening to hear unfiltered comments on my work, even the insults. No one was buying their paintings for millions, so I wasn’t too worried about their opinions.

I scanned the crowd for red hair, or a soft purple glow, but it was all the same humdrum. In the drone of a crowd, I didn’t see any colors or shapes. Something had to stand out: a scream, a laugh, glass shattering. I laughed softly to myself, realizing how ridiculous it was for me to think she’d show up. I left her. She wanted nothing to do with me, of course.

I saw Paula, my right hand woman, mingling in the crowd. We tried to be discreet about our interactions. Only my family and trusted business associates, who were also my friends, knew of my dual identity. Everyone knew Paula was the outside world’s contact to WATT, so we didn’t want people wondering if I was him or her.

My phone alerted me to a text.

Paula: Follow me.

She drifted away from the crowd and I followed her to a room apart from the show. Pedestals, tarps, ladders and tools were scattered throughout, clearly it was some sort of workroom.

“Hey, Mr. Thoreau,” she said cheekily. We were close, and I didn’t ever make her address me as Mister.

“What’s with the 007 act?” I asked, as she kissed me on the cheek.

“Something weird happened earlier.”

“Okay.”

“Someone was asking about you. Apparently snooping in the crowd, and then she found me. And before you say that’s not unusual . . . She knew your name.”

“Did you—”

“Of course not! Haven’t I proved myself at this point?”

“Of course.”

“Here’s the kicker. She’s kind of a big deal.”

The temperature rose around my neck, but I couldn’t allow myself false hope.

“Are you going to tease this out any longer?”

“Have you seen that viral video? Fly Bird, Fly?”

I had, today, when I crawled out of my self-imposed Bird ban and watched it over and over.

“Bird . . .” I said under my breath.

“So you do know her?”

“Oh shit. Shit. Did you get her info?”

“That’s the thing, I tried to get it and then she got all fickle and left. She asked me not to tell you. Of course I was going to anyway.”

“Is she still here?” I asked, almost frantic.

“She left like a half hour ago. Whoa . . . what’s going on Ash?”

“She is the girl on the roof. She’s the fucking girl!” I yelled, frustratedly pointing to the event just outside the door.

“You know I couldn’t make an exception. How could I have known she was someone you really knew?”

“I’m not upset with you. I—I just. Shit.” Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by the possibility of seeing her again. What would I say to her? What was she hoping to get out of finding me?

“I didn’t know she was real. You always make her so . . . magical.”

“That’s because she is.”

BIRD

AFTER A WONDERFUL show, and spending some time backstage with fans, including little Sarah whom had I met at the coffee shop, I headed out through the back of the theatre. As usual, fans lined the outskirts, hoping for pictures and autographs. Javier waited for me in his black SUV just a few steps away. I hated how it made me feel like I was being whisked away from the commoners.

The dark New York street was slick with fresh rain. The sound of cars driving through puddles overlaid the buzzing of the people around me. I always loved how in New York, when it rained at night, the red and orange street lights reflected on the ground like a dark mirror.

I had reached the end of the line of fans, gazing out onto the fresh streets, thinking I would tell Javier that I wanted to walk home instead, when I saw a mirage. He stood across the street watching, like he was waiting to catch my eye.

“I’m sorry, uh, who am I writing this out to again?” I asked a fan who had shoved a pen and program into my hands.

I signed the autograph and then I almost crossed without looking. A cab honked its horn and I jumped back as it splashed into a puddle, thrashing my pants with filthy water. It jarred me out of my daze. I put a hand up to tell him to wait and went to Javier’s car.

“I’m going to walk home. I just saw