Page 12 of She Haunts Me Still

Mallory looks toward an upperclassman girl with pink hair standing between the curtains. Christina Garcia. Senior design major and head of costumes.

“Juliet’s understudy isn’t here tonight,” Ezra offers from the other side of the stage. “Her name’s Saskia Garin. She’s starting the semester late.”

“How’d she audition, then?” Arden mutters, and Mallory narrows her eyes.

“Good question.”

“Gotcha.” Christina makes a note on the clipboard she’s carrying. “Well, can the rest of you follow me? I want to take some initial measurements.”

“See you at home,” Arden says, and Mallory offers her a small smile.

Home,she thinks bitterly before she can stop herself. The word slips easily from Arden’s mouth because she’s never had to question what it means. A temporary room with temporary walls can be “home” to Arden, since she’s always had a real one to return to.

Remorse immediately floods her. Arden has been nothing but generous to Mallory for the past six years. Asking her parents to rent a summer cottage on the Cape big enough for Mallory to join, teaching her the words to prayers in church when she didn’t know what to say. Whatever Arden considers to be home, she’s always made Mallory a part of it.

Swallowing lingering guilt, Mallory trails Raf and his understudy—a boy named Lucas—toward the back hall.

“You doing alright, Mal?” Raf asks. “You seemed out of it during the read-through.”

“I didn’t get enough sleep,” she answers, even though it’s the opposite of the truth.

“Well, start tanking up,” Christina advises, stretching the tape measurer along Raf’s torso, “ ’cause the first-year show isintense. An entire five-act Shakespearean tragedy in less than a month? We’re all going to be more coffee than blood by the end of this.”

“No kidding,” Raf says, holding his golden-toned arms wide. “Hey, what do you think Hendrix would say if I told him that in my head, Romeo has definitely hooked up with Mercutio?”

Christina cracks a laugh. “I think he’d probably agree with you.”

“I mean, we need a bisexual Shakespearean hero, right?”

“I’m pretty sure we already have Hamlet,” Lucas pipes in, and Mallory offers a smile.

She contemplates what it would feel like to reply,My version ofJuliet might not be straight, either,but instead picks at her nails. She hasn’t figured out the right name for that part of herself yet.

Raf and Lucas dissolve into a side conversation as Christina turns to Mallory.

“You’re quiet,” she says bluntly, winding the tape measure around Mallory’s hips. “Not like most acting majors.”

Mallory shrugs. “It just takes me a bit to feel comfortable in a group.”

Christina shoots her a glance. “Fair enough. While I have you, Juliet, do you mind coming to the costume dungeon with me? I found the prettiest vintage dress for the wedding scene—just want to see if it needs adjustments.”

“The costume dungeon?” Mallory echoes as Christina loops the tape around the crown of her head.

“Basement,” she clarifies. “We just call it that because, well. You’ll see.”

“Want us to wait?” Raf asks, and Mallory shakes her head.

“It’s okay,” she replies, waving them off.

Christina hooks the tape measure around her wrist and motions for Mallory to follow. As they descend the spiral stairwell at the end of the hall, the air seems to grow colder, their surroundings thick and quiet.

“Why does Shore keep costumes in the basement?” Christina mutters to herself. “ ’Cause they secretly hate us! If there’s one thing that’s known to be great for delicate fabric, it’s extreme temperatures.”

Mallory cracks a smile, following her through a set of double doors and down a tight corridor, lit by a row of dim bulbs. The walls seem to whisper on all sides, the arched passageway like a tunnel of shadows. As they enter the congested room, Mallory eyes the cobweb-dusted corners framed with racks of clothes.

“You weren’t kidding,” she mutters. “This place really is a dungeon.”

“Right?” Christina ducks behind one of the racks. “Sometimes I forget what sunlight is down here.” She emerges, armsdraped in white lace. “Here. I have a hunch this is gonna look drop-dead gorgeous on you.”