The big day had arrived. Everyone was backstage, preparing for the theater performance. Bella, nervous, watched the audience from behind the curtain, her hands trembling slightly. When she heard a familiar voice, she turned her head to see Caden.
— "What are you doing here, Bella?" Caden asked, a slight smile on his lips.
She jumped, surprised by his question, but quickly composed herself.
— "I... I was looking at the audience. There are so many people," she replied, her voice betraying her anxiety.
Amused, Caden raised his eyebrows and stepped closer to her.
— "You're not the only one who's nervous, you know. This is my first time too," he said, looking into her eyes, his smile reassuring.
He then took her hand, gently pulling her toward the center of the stage, his voice filled with unwavering confidence:
— "Come on, everything will be fine. Let's do this."
Bella, reassured by his confidence, nodded, and together, they took their places for the scene. The curtain rose.
The theater came to life. Every actor played their role flawlessly, and the overall atmosphere was electrifying. The story of their play unfolded perfectly until the final scene—the much-anticipated kiss between Caden and Bella.
But just as Caden stepped closer to deliver his final lines with disarming sincerity, everything seemed to freeze for a moment.
— "My love, you saved me… I am free because of you," he said, his voice soft yet filled with emotion.
He was about to take Bella into his arms, as planned in the script, when a loud noise suddenly echoed through the air. Caden turned his head and saw a spotlight hanging above the stage, swinging dangerously, ready to crash down on Bella.
Without thinking, he sprinted forward, grabbing Bella and pulling her out of the light's trajectory. The massive fixture crashed heavily onto the exact spot where Bella had stood just seconds before, creating a deafening sound. The audience gasped, completely stunned by what had just happened.
But Bella, with impressive speed, immediately regained her composure. As Lyra, her character in the play, she continued her lines, her eyes shining with determination:
— "Actually, it's you who saved me, my love."
Caden, astonished by her quick thinking and professionalism, instantly understood that she had turned the accident into part of the performance. He smiled, his eyes filled with admiration for her.
— "It seems so… I love you, Lyra."
Bella, staying in character, responded with a sincere smile:
— "I love you too."
And under the roaring applause of the audience, their lips met in a passionate kiss, marking the end of the performance. The curtain slowly fell as the crowd erupted in cheers.
When Caden and Bella stepped off the stage, the group of actors rushed toward them to make sure they were okay. They reassured everyone that they were fine, but the teacher, still confused by what had happened, couldn't help but ask questions.
— "How could this happen? That spotlight… was it really an accident?"
Bella smiled, a little embarrassed but proud of her quick thinking.
— "It was nothing, Professor. Just a little mishap," she replied, trying to downplay the incident.
After receiving congratulations from everyone, Bella finally felt a little more relaxed, but deep down, an unsettling feeling lingered. She knew something wasn't right about the whole situation. She couldn't shake the strange moment on stage, the inexplicable unease.
Before Caden could join her to leave together, Bella decided to go alone. She had promised him she would wait, but once he turned away, she took a different path, her mind still haunted by the evening's events.
As she walked through a dimly lit alley, a familiar voice shattered the silence.
— "Bella…"
She turned sharply, surprised to see Morgane standing in the shadows. Her expression was menacing, and her eyes glowed an unnatural red in the darkness.
— "Morgane, what do you want now? You know that…" Bella began but stopped mid-sentence. She froze as she saw Morgane, her face twisted into a malevolent smile, her glowing red eyes burning through the night.
Morgane slowly stepped closer, a wicked smirk on her lips.
— "So, you survived my little gift. But you won't get away so easily."
Morgane's words sent a chill down Bella's spine. She understood immediately.
— "It was you…?" she asked, horrified.
Morgane locked eyes with her, her cruel smile widening.
— "It was supposed to be me, not you… But you'll pay for this."
Suddenly, Morgane raised her hand, and a metal streetlamp tore itself from the ground, hurtling toward Bella at breakneck speed in an explosion of dark energy.