Mask of A Legend (18 page)

Her drunken body looked up at him, giving out a silent smile, a smile that didn’t have a meaning, because she was so intoxicated. She gave him a tight hug, grasped onto his right hand, and said in a silent way, “Me, too. I had a marvelous time.” She then backed away from him, and looked at his face, adding, “So, when will I see you next?”

“Well, I decided, since my schedule is free up till May, that I might hang around with you guys, if you don’t mind,” he replied. Stephen placed Dina down on a red couch, in the hotel lobby, and stared at them. Stephen stared, and concentrated on their lips: it was like he was trying to figure out what they were saying to each other. “I could even do some modeling out here,” Mark added.

“I don’t mind at all, I mean, I think I don’t mind,” Legend said, staring at Stephen from a distance, causing her mind to become overwhelmed. “I don’t think I mind. I mean, no, I don’t mind at all, I want you . . . I mean, I want you to hang around with us.” She stared at Mark’s blue eyes, and then turned and stared at Stephen’s. She was confused, beginning to grow feelings for Stephen, due to his story, and how he told it with such honesty. But then her feelings were growing also for Mark, due to his outer and inner beauty.

“Listen, I’ll be there tomorrow, watching you become even more famous,” said Mark with a smile.” As a matter of fact, I think I might just be there for your whole career.” Legend began closing her drunken eyes and grabbed onto his shoulder, holding it. “Boy, I think you had a little too much to drink!”

“Mark, do you, well, do you really find me, as well as my beauty, attractive?” She still held onto his shoulder, like she was standing on a balance beam.

“Yes, I find your beauty highly attractive!”

“Which one, my inner or outer?”

“Well, your–”

“Listen, Legend has a big day tomorrow, or, actually, today. So, we’ll see you tomorrow, Mark,” Stephen said. He grabbed onto Legend’s body and started holding her before he walked away. He placed her body down on the red couch next to Dina, and then ran back to Mark in a fast rhythm. “Hey, are you going to hang around with us for a while, or are you going back to California?” Stephen asked, shaking Mark’s hand.

“No, I’m gonna stick around.” Mark stared at Legend’s body from a distance.

“Well, you didn’t get laid tonight like you wanted, and usually you ditch me if the girls I set you up with don’t give out.”

“So, I realized that this one is going to take some time. Who knows, maybe she’s my soulmate,” Mark said. Stephen looked away from him, and then turned to face him again.

“Well, Legend won’t give out, I mean, she’s a virgin.” Stephen wanted to say everything that Mark didn’t want to hear, and that would mean Mark would go away from Legend, and never turn back. But, for some reason, the things Stephen saw in Legend, Mark did, too. For that, Mark wanted to stay by Legend closely, for the attention he’s going to get from her beauty, and for the chance to sleep with a girl who was perfect.

“I don’t care, I’ll find a way. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Mark said. He shook Stephen’s hand again. He exited the hotel and Stephen, Dina and Legend walked up the staircase. Legend dropped her shoe on the staircase, due to her feet dragging against it, and allowed her other shoe to drop as well.

When they entered their floor, Stephen balanced Legend against a wall, and walked Dina to her room. She kissed him goodbye, asking, “So, Stephen, do you want a nightcap?”

“I’m sorry, not tonight, I have to take Legend to her room.” He kissed her quickly.

“Well then, come afterwards.”

“Um, well, alright, alright, I will,” Stephen said. He gave her a peck on the lips and walked in a fast rhythm over to Legend. He grabbed onto Legend, and helped her to her hotel room door.

“That was such a nice story, Stephen,” Legend said in a greater drunken way before he opened her door. He saw that Legend was ready to collapse, so he picked her up and carried her into her room. He walked over to the master bedroom and stared into her drunken eyes that were still stunning. “I really like Mark, he’s such a nice guy,” she slurred, Stephen placing her on the bed. “He’s everything I want out of a person. He’s nice, caring, honest, good-looking, honest, caring, nice, rich, famous, kind.”

“Legend, you really should get some sleep.” Stephen covered her with a pink, silken bedspread.

“But I also like you, Stephen. But I know that you only look for beauty, and it’s alright that you’re a pig.” Her drunken eyes were slowly being covered by her lids.

“No, no, I don’t, Legend. I mean, I do, but when I look at you, it’s like beauty doesn’t matter, maybe because you’re so beautiful.” He knew she was drunk, and therefore anything he said wouldn’t matter: she wouldn’t remember it. That’s when he asked, “Legend, when you get drunk, do you remember anything the next day?”

“I love being beautiful.”

“Man, you are plastered.” He stared at her beautiful eyes that were covered by her lids, and came closer to them. “Well, here it goes, Legend. I think I’m falling, I mean, I’m falling really heavily for you. I think I’m falling in–” He paused for a moment. “It’s just, you’re everything I want out of girl. You’re perfect. But I know I’m with Dina, and I know you and I are just friends, but I still feel this way toward you.” It was as if he was going to begin crying. “Legend, you are going to be the biggest supermodel ever. You’re going to be beyond famous, and that’s why I’m going to say what I’m about to say. . . . Legend, somehow, or some way, I don’t know, but, alright, I’m just going to say it. I know you won’t remember anything I say to you now, and that’s what makes it even harder to say. . . . Legend, I honestly, truly believe that I love you. . . I love you so much, that I’m afraid of it. I never felt this way, and it scares me, because I’m afraid you don’t feel the same way about me.”

“I love you,” Legend said, her eyes still closed.

“Who do you love?” He wanted her to answer him, but she was too drunk to say anything else.

“I love you,” she said again. Stephen then kissed her on the forehead and walked away from her. He walked to her bedroom door in a whispering motion and turned around to see his Sleeping Beauty, his beauty that had his heart. He stared at her, and then turned to walk out of the bedroom. He felt a cool breeze rush against his skin, and cause goose bumps to form, suddenly noticing the window to her bedroom was open. So he walked back into her room, lingered over to the window, and shut it. That’s when he noticed the clear sky, and stars that hung from the heavens. He looked up at them, and then looked at Legend. He turned back around, and exited her room once again. As he walked, Legend said in a silent manner, while she was sleeping, “I love you, Stephen. . . .” Checkmate.

W
ell, Legend’s fame did grow like Mark predicted. Her celebrity grew higher as each cold day passed, walking the catwalk every day in New York. Her name was growing, rising toward a larger audience and everyone in New York started to hear of a girl with the beauty of an angel. Have you seen her? Who is this? Each day she walked on the catwalk, her legs would move a little bit faster, as if she was beginning to grow confidence on the outside and on the in. Every show she did caused her mask to be more a part of her mind. It was like the mask was her, and she was the mask. But her inner beauty was still with her, and she wasn’t ready to put a mask over that as well. Every flash that came from a camera, or every person who looked at her and smiled, caused her beauty to go beyond its original structure. It caused her mask to go beyond beauty and shine toward many. The cocoon broke, the butterfly soared.

Legend was beginning to forget about her wish and forget about her ugly past she used to wear. She forced herself to forget. She did it by taking down every mirror that she had in her New York hotel room, and banished anything that caused a reflection. Legend wanted to be beautiful to the public, as well as herself, and, for that, she forced her mind to forget about her wish even more.

Mark stood by Legend every day that she spent in New York. He would stand directly next to her, and when a cameraman came up to Legend and took a picture, Mark made sure he was standing right by her, holding her hand. To Mark, Legend was like a rainbow, he knew there was a pot of gold at the end. He loved the attention he got when he’s with her, as well as kissing her beautiful lips and caressing her gentle, clear skin. Yet, to the public, Legend was like a rainbow also, beautiful to look at, and you don’t see them often. Nevertheless, rainbows do vanish, and that’s something Mark knew. He thought that the greater Legend’s fame became, the more she would be distant toward him. He thought about that every day he kissed her goodnight, and every day he kissed her while walking down the street. But he wanted to wait till that day came, and so he waited.

Stephen and Dina became more intimate with each other, but still his heart belonged to Legend, belonged to her soul. He was in love with a mask, a wish that she made real and, even though he was heavily intimate with Dina, he still loved Legend. He did all the things that a guy in love would do to a girl, such as kiss Dina and whisper sweet nothings. But, he wasn’t in love with her, he was in love with a girl who he never kissed with passion, who he never made love with, and who he never said sweet things to. Every kiss he gave to Dina, or every whisper he said, he would imagine Legend in his sight. This was his disease.

The months passed and Stephen’s feelings were growing toward Legend, and Legend’s feeling were growing toward Mark. But, still, sometimes Legend would look at Stephen in a strange way, and cause him to get mixed emotions. Stephen didn’t know whether she had the same feelings as he had for her. But he didn’t want to mix business with pleasure, even though he used to in the past many times over, he didn’t with her. And so he would turn away from her glances and give up on trying to get the definition of them.

Throughout it all, Legend was at the prime of her career. She already did twelve magazine covers, and signed numerous autographs to fans who grew in number each day. Legend still didn’t leave New York: she was too busy with her schedule consisting of glamorous photo sessions, catwalks, commercials for make-up, and spending time with Mark. Contracts on top of contracts were thrown in her face, and she signed all of them. Her beauty was known to most of the world now, and she did it all from one city. Legend became a regular household name, unlike Dina’s.

Dina became somewhat famous, but she still was behind Legend for the race to beauty, and she realized it. In her shadow. So, Dina became close friends with her, wanting the public to know that Legend’s her best friend. Before, Dina would make fun of her, and call her cruel names. But now, oh no. Now she praises her and constantly gives her compliments. Since Legend needed to forget about her past, she also forgot the cruel Dina, and became friends with her as well. They both were shown on magazine covers together, portrayed as friends, and that’s what Dina hunted for.

Legend’s new life was growing greater smiles on her masked face. More and more young girls would look up to her as an idol, and say, “I want to be just like her!” Her fan letters grew, and so did her fame as a girl named Legend was forced into the public’s mind. She was an angel. She was perfect to everyone: her outer beauty was stunning, and her inner self was marvelous. She did this all from New York alone, and Stephen knew if she traveled to other cities, she would definitely go beyond her fame, and beyond her character, and turn into a goddess to the public.

Stephen constantly watched over her, he watched over her career. In his mind, he was sort of like a guardian angel to her, watching her image, and making sure she signed the right contracts. This new life was great for Legend, she developed new instincts that she never thought she had. Instincts such as realizing she’s beautiful, realizing she’s a woman, and not a crater, and realizing she could have it all. Something that every girl should realize: it’s their right.

But through her new life came something greater when the month of May showed itself. When May came around, Legend’s life changed drastically, because her true wish came true, among other things. It was a day when Mark left to go back to California for a modeling job, and Legend was coming back to her hotel room after a busy day of shopping.

She entered her hotel room, with three men following her carrying boxes and boxes of new bought clothes; nothing was under a grand. She raced over to her balcony, opened it up, and inhaled the fresh May air, and the three men placed her new clothes onto her bed, and then walked up to her on the balcony. She gave them a tip, and they exited her room, but she still stared at the May sky, and still inhaled the fresh air from her beautiful balcony. Suddenly, she gave out a yawn. She was all tired out from shopping, and so she sat down on the balcony floor, with her new red dress on, and started to take off her red, velvet shoes. Legend slowly closed her eyes, with a smile still on her face, when suddenly a knock came at her door. “Who is it?” She got up and started dusting the dirt off from her behind.

“It’s me, Stephen, open up, I’ve got a great surprise for you.” Legend approached her door and opened it. Stephen came running in with an outrageous smile on his face.

“Alright, what is it?” asked Legend. She was fatigued, so she walked over to her bedroom and sat down on the queen-size bed. She rubbed her feet with pain, asking him again, “What is it you had to tell me?”

“Before I tell you, what’s wrong?” Stephen asked.

“Nothing, it’s just I’m really tired as all. I mean, I just finished doing a show yesterday, and now I’m even more tired from shopping. My feet are really hurting me from those high heels I have to wear on the stage, and my lips are tired from constantly smiling to the people, and the cameras.” Stephen started laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“No, nothing, it’s just you sounded so cute when you said that.”

Legend returned the smile. “Well, what is it you had to tell me?”

“Oh well, I just received a call. As a matter of fact, I received three calls from people who I never had the privilege to talk to before. My whole life, I have been waiting for these calls, and now they have finally come.” Stephen then walked out of the room and walked into her bathroom.

“Um, hello, what were the calls about?” Legend walked over to her bathroom and saw Stephen smiling at the bathroom walls. “What are you smiling at?”

“Well, do you notice something missing from here?” he asked with a laugh, pointing toward the wall, directly over the sink. “Legend, there’s isn’t a mirror in here . . . Why is that?”

“You know why, I already told you that I don’t like to look at myself in the mirror.” Stephen discovered that the huge mirror was on the side of the wall, directly across from the sink.

“Why don’t you like looking at your reflection? You’re gorgeous.” He picked up the mirror and hung it back over the sink.

“Stephen, I just don’t like to, alright? I already told you, the reason is personal.”

Stephen looked at his reflection closely and smiled. “Listen, you have been living in this magnificent hotel room for many months, and the whole time you’ve been living here, I haven’t seen one mirror. Why is that?” he asked with a grin, teasing her for her little phobia with mirrors.

“Stephen, did you come up her to tease me, or tell me something important?” She left the bathroom in an aggravated motion.

“Oh, that’s right, I forgot. Okay, I just received a call from Mark, about an hour ago.”

“Did he get to LA safely?”

“Yes, yes he did. Anyway, I got a call from him today, and he said that John Fisher wants to take your picture. Isn’t that amazing? I mean, right when Mark got settled into his house, he got a call from John, and he knew Mark was dating you, so for that, John told him about how he wants you for a photo session,” he explained, the excitement grew inside of him by the second. But, Legend just stared at him with a puzzled look on her face. She turned away from him, and faced her balcony, the sunlight shining in and reflecting off of her beauty. She had a look of sadness: she didn’t know who John Fisher was. Well, Stephen noticed her look and said, “Aren’t you excited?”

“Stephen, who is John Fisher? I never even heard of him.” She sat down on her blue couch and still faced the sunlight from the balcony. “And when is this photo session going to be?”

“Legend, John Fisher shoots girls for the cover of
MG
magazine. Legend, that is the top modeling magazine in the world.” Legend widened her eyes. “I already discussed to him about your little phobia with mirrors, as I do with all the photographers, and he said it was fine. Legend, he said he wants you no matter what. The photo shoot is for the cover of the June issue, and we leave in three days, all of us. So, congratulations.”

Legend grew a big smile on her face. She then began to shake her legs, due to excitement, and suddenly jumped up from the couch and gave him a tight hug.

“I can’t believe it,
MG
magazine wants me to pose on their cover!” she yelled, hugging Stephen tighter. She then pulled away, with happiness on her face, and came up to his lips accidentally. She looked at his lips, he stared at hers, and then pulled away, lingering her eyes toward his forehead. An uncomfortable feeling came to her mind, an uneasy feeling that she never felt before with another man, not even with Mark. She liked it, but she knew he was dating Dina, and she was dating his best friend.

Her knowing of him dating Dina, and her with Mark, prompted her to ask, “So, does your love know about it?”

“You mean Dina?” He still stared at her lips.

“Yeah, I mean Dina, does she know about my photo shoot?”

“She’s not my love, and no, no she doesn’t know yet. Not even your love knows about it.”

“Mark is not my love . . . at least not yet anyway.” She didn’t want Stephen to know she had any sort of feelings for Mark, rather her feelings of confusion were for Stephen.

“Well, anyway, after the ending of the show today, Dina went to her hotel room immediately and stayed there ever since. She’s been in there for over three hours, getting ready for our date tonight,” he said. Legend turned away from him, her lips vanished from his sight, and a sad look surfaced on his face.

“Oh, you’re going on a date tonight?” She wanted him to say ‘no’. Legend still held up her guard, the wall that held in her kindness, generosity, and overall, her inner beauty, toward him. The guard that allowed her feelings toward Stephen to not be shown. But, every time she looked into his black eyes, the guard would vanish a little bit more.

“Yeah, me and Dina are going to some premiere for a movie tonight,” Stephen said. He caught another glimpse of her lips as she turned to him again. Stephen had to put up a guard. His guard consisted of him not allowing his feelings for Legend to be known to her. The reason for that was he knew he was dating Dina, and that she was dating his best friend. For that, his newfound morals allowed him to put up a guard to Legend, while she was slowly bringing hers down. But her beauty forced his gate, shield, his guard to have a hard time at being put up, and Legend could sense that.

“I’m glad to see you and Dina are happy. Well, at least I’m glad to see that you’re happy with her.” Legend took out a picture of Mark from a desk drawer that was directly behind her. “I’m really happy with my sweetie, even if he is in California right now,” she added with confidence, but yet a little hesitation, as if she wanted to make Stephen jealous of Mark.

“Well, I’m glad to see that you’re happy with him, and I’m happy with Dina.”

Legend put down Mark’s photo and walked out onto the balcony.

“That’s good.”

“Anyway, you better start packing your bags, because in three days we’re going to introduce Legend to California,” he said. She walked off the balcony and entered her hotel room.

“Wait a second, you said you had three things to tell me. Well, what are the other two things?” She stared at his eyes heavily.

“The second thing was that you and Dina are going to be living at my house, in Beverly Hills, for a little while. I figured since you’re already out there, doing an
MG
modeling cover, that a lot of other contracts will be handed to you, as well as to Dina. . . . And the third thing is something that I can’t tell you right now. All I’m going to say is it’s something to do with television, and that you’re going to be doing it this November,” he explained. She still stared heavily into his eyes.