Kelly
"Ladies and gentlemen," Crash says, beaming into the theatre. "Me and Crash Happy are excited to introduce you to . . . Kelly Berkstram!"
Polite applause rises from the auditorium as I walk on stage.
Silhouetted by the stage lights, Crash's shoulders underline flat beams of light coming right at me. He catches my shaking hand as I pass from behind the wings and he squeezes. I can't really see his face, but I smile up at him and hope he can't tell that I feel like I'm about to throw up. He shouldn't even be here because they haven't figured out who was on his property. But he was adamant, which made me more grateful than I wanted to admit. Merv worked it out, reluctantly—but thanked him all the way to the venue, too.
The lights on stage are surprisingly hot. I immediately begin to sweat under my make-up.
