Chapter 1 ~MARI~ The stage wing was thick with shadows. I sat in a metal chair in the alcove between the curtain and the wall, my finger trailing down the pages of the play. They just about knew their lines. The one guy who fumbled was getting chewed out by the director, Mr. Tucker. He was a young teacher, but he wanted perfection from day one. Since this was day twenty-seven, I supposed he was within his right to be agitated. The cast didn't seem to be into this production. Leaning forward, I looked out past the stage and into the rows of seats. Trystan wasn't there. That guy had chronic time issues. It didn't matter that he was the lead in this production. His mind was a sieve when it came to learning his lines, so Tucker appointed me to run them with him on a daily basis. This daunting task should have been done prior to practice, but Trystan was late. Again. If he didn't have charisma and a shockingly beautiful face, someone else would have been given the lead. But, when the guy finally learned his lines, he would make a room full of people swoon - especially the women. There wasn't a girl around who didn't want to be me. Every single actress and stage-hand offered to help Trystan learn his lines, but Tucker chose me. Why? Because I wasn't interested in