Beautiful Monster (Beautiful Monster #1)(47)
Author: Bella Forrest

“Never?”

“Hard when you are under house arrest your whole life. And also when…unless somebody else is infected…or you really hate them…”

“No more, Amy,” he put a finger to my lips, silencing me. “If you want this to be your first time … or if you want to wait? …”

“No.” I shook my head. “I want you, Liam.” After that, no more words were spoken. I surrendered completely to Liam’s touch as I lost myself to him.

CHAPTER 22: AMY

It was only once we were walking down the hallway to the school’s media room that I realized once again how nervous I was. I gripped Liam’s hand tightly, feeling closer to him than ever before.

“There’s no going back from this, is there?” I asked Liam, as we stood outside the door, where I could hear the press was already gathered.

“Sure there is,” he said. “This industry is cruel, they will forget you in an instant if they want to.”

“I don’t think that’s helpful,” Porsche said, listening at the door. Liam shrugged, but gave me a small smile, reaching down to take my hand. He squeezed and I squeezed back, grateful. “I think they are ready for you. I’ll go do your introduction. That way, if Selene is waiting for you, I’ll know.”

“Ok,” Liam nodded, and Porsche slipped through the door, holding her head high. Liam and I stood in the hallway, in silence a moment, listening to the muffled sounds behind the door.

“Thank you,” I said, looking up at him. “For all of this. For everything. I never would have been able to do any of this without you.”

“Amy,” he said, looking down at me. “You were meant for this. There is no way your talent wouldn’t have been discovered. With or without me, you would have been an actress.”

“But without you…I wouldn’t have ever known how wonderful this is,” I said, leaning into his side. He put his arm around me, and I closed my eyes, relaxing into his grip.

“I was ready to give up hope before I met you,” he muttered, and I froze, looking up at him. He kissed the top of my head, indicating the door. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, taking a deep breath and steeling myself. Liam gave me one last hug and then opened the door.

“Ladies, and gentleman, it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the stars of Beauty and The Beast tonight…”

Porsche was standing at the microphone, looking miles better than she did standing in the hallway. I admired her for it – it was the mark of a great performer. The rest of the introduction was drowned out by cheering and clapping. Cameras flashed and questions were being slammed at us. Liam had to drag me up on the stage; I was so blinded by the flashes.

Luckily, Liam knew how to handle the questions. He waited until people stopped screaming and then took the questions one at a time, only fielding the easiest ones to me, such as “are you happy to be a part of this show?” It was over in a flash, and before I knew it, we were heading off the stage, away from the press. I couldn’t believe that they were actually so interested in me. Apart from questions about the show, they had wanted to know about my life. Where I had grown up, how I came to audition, what my hopes and dreams were. And of course, everything about my personal life, which I already chose not to answer. When they asked if I had a boyfriend, I looked away and shook my head. I could feel Liam’s eyes burning at me, but I knew it was the right thing to say. If I wasn’t certain of what was happening right now, the press didn’t have the right to know.

The photo shoot went the same way; a constant flash of cameras, and what seemed like hundreds of paparazzi standing before us. When it was finally over, I felt out of breath, waving goodbye before heading behind the curtain. We were running late, and Liam had told me as soon as we were done, it was time to start getting ready. I had to be completely fresh faced and re done as Beauty, so it would take plenty of time.

I thought I was nervous for the press conference, but the nerves that descended on me as I sat in the hair and makeup chair were now worse than ever.

“Break a leg for me, darling.” Porsche stuck her head through the door, looking about as bad as I felt. Still, she had a smile on her face as she came over to give me a hug. She was burning up. I could feel it from half a foot away. But I said nothing and gave her a tight hug.

“I’ll be in the audience. It’s past sunset and Liam hasn’t changed,” she whispered in my ear. I nodded, wrapping my arms around her.

“Thank you,” I replied, and she gave me a quick kiss on the forehead, rubbing my shoulders.

The makeup artist finished my final coat of lip-gloss, and leaned back, nodding.

“Alright, Amy, you’re ready,” she said. “I’ll do a touch up at intermission. But you’re perfect. You look just like Belle in the Disney movie.”

“She was a cartoon,” I said, and the makeup artist laughed, gathering up some of her stuff.

“Good luck,” she said, and then she left, and I was alone for the first time in hours.

I took a deep breath, looking into the mirror. I did look like Belle, with my hair tied back and the peasant girl dress. My eyes looked huge and my skin was glowing.

Trying not to tremble, I stood up and walked out of the room. Despite not being on for a few scenes, Liam was already standing in the wings, waiting for the lights to dim.

Seeming him immediately calmed me down. My palms stopped sweating, my heart slowed and I could breathe normally again. A wave of relief washed over me and I knew I could tackle whatever was waiting for me on the stage. It was then that I realized I couldn’t do this- I couldn’t walk away. I may know how to act, and I may have blown Liam away at the auditions, and Shannon, but without his guidance and help, I would never be able to continue. Acting really was only half of this industry, and the rest I still had to learn.

“Hey,” Liam turned around, smiling at me as he glanced at the backstage clock. “Look at you.”

“Look at you. All…human still,” I said, knowing that could have a double meaning, without his beast costume. He smiled.

“The power of Porsche,” he replied, putting an arm around me. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” I said, taking a deep breath. “Have you processed my graduation papers yet?”

He gave me a strange look, but shook his head.

“No, I didn’t have time. But it’s on the 22nd of June. You planning ahead?”