Sia (22 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“
So I know you don’t remember who you were, but do you remember who some of these movie stars are?”

We’ve mostly been quiet on the ride downtown, both of us staring out the car windows. John has donned his chauffeur cap. He is calm, working his way expertly through the swarm of limousines and taxis. Horns honk. Complete strangers yell out greetings to the passing cars. Fans wave and scream from behind barricades on either side of the streets. The night is thrilling, and the entire city seems in on it.

“
Nope. I saw some of the pre-show coverage on TV today with Beatriz, but it didn’t help. I don’t remember any of them. Even the ones Beatriz said come over to our house regularly.”

“
Hmm. That could be a problem. What will you do when those people approach you?”

“
I’ll play along,” I say, shrugging. “I’ll act like I know them—schmooze, flatter, congratulate. But if you see me stumbling, make up some excuse and get me out of there.”

He laughs. “Sounds like a plan.”

The noise coming from the crowds outside the car is deafening. When we pull up at the end of the red carpet, John parks and opens my door while Kyle climbs out the other side. I stare at the throngs of celebrities, frozen in place.

Kyle appears beside me and leans in. “You ready?”

I shake my head, hyperventilating.

“
Come on, Sia. You look . . . ” He takes a deep breath, then gives me a smile that just about sweeps me away. I had no idea he could do that. “You look like a goddess.”

He offers his arm, so I link my elbow with his, relishing the sensation of his body pressed against my arm. He is my support, and I am his. We walk quickly over the red carpet. We try to avoid the paparazzi, but they yell at us constantly.

“
Over here!”

“
Hey, golden girl! Look here!”

One guy reaches out from behind the barrier and practically grabs me. His eyes sparkle with excitement. “Pose for me, beautiful!”

“
Me?” I laugh. “Oh no, no. I’m not famous. You don’t want my picture.”

Kyle is no help at all. Grinning devilishly, he steps away from me and gestures toward the crowd as if he’s saying, “
She’s all yours
.” I look at him in horror, but he just winks and mouths, “
Goddess
.”

“
Sure, she’s famous,” he tells the photographers. “Her father is the award-winning director, Raymond Holloway. And her mother is Janet Holloway.”

“
Good enough for me,” the guy says. He focuses the hugest camera lens I’ve ever seen on me and starts clicking away.

“
Kyle!” I yell.

He moves away. “Give them a good show, Sia!”

I am practically blinded by all the flashes, but I manage to catch a glimpse of a couple of girls nearby who I assume are actresses. They are posing elegantly, staring into cameras with deep, mysterious gazes, and the photographers are yelling encouragement. I decide to copy what they’re doing. The photographers love this. Before long, I start to enjoy myself, too. It’s impossible not to be happy when everyone is yelling how beautiful you are. Even so, I’m relieved when Kyle eventually takes my hand and pulls me away from all the attention. I’d much rather be with him.

When we step into the Dolby Auditorium, my heart stops. The TV clips I’d watched earlier failed to capture its majesty. The plush red chairs have cushioned the bottoms of some of the most famous people on the planet; the spotlights have caught tears and laughter as those stars held up the trophy they’d always dreamed of; and the massive chandelier glitters over it all. Beside me, Kyle seems equally awed.

One of the hostesses at the door checks our tickets, smiles politely, then leads us to our seats.

“
I have to be careful not to gawk too much,” Kyle whispers. “Look who's sitting there!”

Whether I know the stars or not, I can’t help but be thrilled. The air crackles with excitement. Kyle scans the sea of faces. When he points out specific ones, I don’t bother reminding him about my amnesia. His enthusiasm is all I need.

Dad’s not in his seat. That worries me because the chairs are filling up and the show’s about to start. I pull out my cell and dial his number. When he picks up, he can only talk for a second. The meeting’s gone on longer than he’d expected, which I hope is a positive sign. He says he’ll meet us at the after-party. I’m disappointed, but there’s nothing either of us can do about it.

All of a sudden, the room is plunged into pitch darkness, with no light other than the red glow of “Exit” signs along the walls. Then music starts, rising in swells from the orchestra pit. We hear a medley of pieces from nominated movies. My heart is racing, and I know Kyle’s is, too. His eyes are huge. He’s grinning like a little kid waiting for Santa. It’s like we’ve stepped into an entirely different world.

The night is spectacular, rich with emotional speeches and tears, singers, and dancers. During commercial breaks, we marvel at the amazingly complex set changes that occur. Everything is timed absolutely perfectly. During one of these breaks, Kyle almost shoots from his chair with shock.

“
What is it?”

“
Jett Blaze! It’s freaking Jett Blaze!” he whispers urgently in my ear.

The actor in question has stopped to say hello to one of the actresses in our row. She glows under his attention. I watch her blush when he kisses the back of her hand. After speaking with her for a moment, he does a visual sweep over the rest of the area, and his eyes stop on me. Working with the smooth ease of a true professional, he winds his way around to where I’m sitting. I’ve seen this act already, so I grin and lift my hand. Kyle has hooked his fingers around my thigh and is squeezing so hard, I want to slap him. I knock his hand away as the actor approaches.

“
Hello,” I say to the actor.

“
Charmed,” he says, kissing my hand. “And you are?”

“
Sia Holloway,” I reply. “Raymond Holloway’s daughter. And you?”

The area explodes with laughter. They think I’m joking—everyone but Kyle, of course. Kyle holds out a hand to the actor, smiling with false confidence, and says, “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Blaze. I’m a great admirer of your work.”

“
Excellent,” says the actor. His dark eyes flash with humor. I get the feeling the man is exactly what I’m seeing in front of me, genuinely charming and cheerful. “And I’m a great admirer of your date,” he says.

Everyone laughs again and this time, I join in. Mr. Downey winks at me before he moves on. “Have a great time tonight, Miss Holloway.”

“
Oh my God,” Kyle moans as the actor works his way up the room. “Jett Blaze is one of the best action stars ever. He's been in all my favorite movies. I can’t believe I just shook his hand.”

Glitz and glamour rule the night. We are both sorry when the award for Best Picture is finally handed out, signaling the end of the awards. For us, though, it’s really only the beginning.

CHAPTER THIRTY

The guests with passes to the
Vanity Fair
party are shuttled to the Sunset Tower Hotel, so Kyle and I join the shiny herd. It’s really crowded, with waiters and exquisitely dressed guests mingling all over the place. A huge dance floor in the middle of the room is vibrating with live dance music. It’s a bit intimidating. I stop just inside the door to collect myself. For a second, I consider grabbing Kyle and making a run for it.

“
Sia, darling!” Alyz’s voice reaches through the wall of sound and grabs us. Alyz looks incredible. Her thin, cat-like body is poured into a seamless silver gown. Her makeup is dramatic and super chic—entirely right for her.

Instantly, I feel a surge of confidence. “Alyz!”

She gives me air kisses.

“
Gosh, I’m glad to see you.” I gesture at the party. “This is wild!”

She nods, studying my gown. “Sia, that dress,” she says.

Panic seizes me. Oh, no. I’m embarrassing her. I dressed all wrong. I made such a mistake. What was I thinking? “You said elegant. This isn’t enough?”

Alyz clasps her hands together. “More than enough. You are perfection. You will break many hearts tonight.”

I laugh nervously. “I feel so strange like this.”

She sets her hands on my bare shoulders and looks deep into my eyes. “I know. But you must put all that aside now.” She pauses. “Pretend this is movie, yes? And you are the star, the leading lady. Think confidence. Think beauty. Think grace. If you do this, people will see it and be intrigued. Can you do this?”

She’s right, of course. It’s just a concept that’s throwing me off. For days, I’ve been thinking about egos and the havoc my previously inflated one had caused. All of a sudden, I’m being asked to feed that ego. Reminding myself why I’m doing this helps put things in better perspective.

“
I’ll do my best,” I promise.

She looks slyly behind me. “And who is this?”

“
Oh! I’m sorry. Alyz, this is Kyle. He started the whole project.”

“
Ah. He is handsome
and
brilliant!” She leans forward and kisses Kyle on both cheeks.

I try not to laugh as he turns beet red.

“
It is my pleasure to meet you, darling. Sia says wonderful things about you.”

“
I—I,” he stammers. “Thank you for inviting us tonight.” I let him sweat it out a bit. After all, he left me to the wolves on the red carpet. It’s only fair.

Alyz is eating it up. “Hmm. And polite. You better watch this one, Sia.” She winks at me.

I laugh. “I’m trying,” I assure her.

Kyle clears his throat, trying to compose himself and force the blood back from his cheeks to the rest of him. “So what’s the plan for tonight? Where do we start?”

Alyz waves a long, slender arm at the dance floor. “There.”

“
What?” Kyle asks.

I’m just as confused. “Yeah, come again?”

“
We are going to dance, Sia and I. It is that simple.”

Kyle and I exchange a glance. I look back at Alyz. “I don’t mean to question your logic, but shouldn’t we be talking to people? Trying to get donations?”

“
No, no, darling! That comes later,” she explains. She says it sweetly, but so matter-of-factly that I feel a little stupid for asking. “First we must captivate them—you and I. The silver and the gold, yes? All eyes will be on us. We will dazzle them with our dancing. That will make them want to talk to us. You will see.”

My palms instantly dampen. “But I can’t dance.”

“
Yes, you can, Sia,” Kyle says. “You were the best dancer of all the cheerleaders.”

He used to watch me? That’s a pleasant surprise. “Yeah, but I forgot those dance moves. Along with everything else.”

“
Don’t worry,” he says. “When you get out there, your body will remember.”

A shiver runs through me as he talks about my body that way. I guess that’s what pushes me to give it a try. Alyz watches for my reaction. I quickly make up my mind. I take her hand and we head out to the dance floor.

The moment I’m out there for all to see, I freeze. Seriously. I stare at Alyz in panic, but she laughs.

She starts to move, bending and swiveling with just the right amount of smoothness.

“
Just watch me, darling,” she yells over the noise. “Then do your own thing.”

What do I have to lose? I watch her. Then I close my eyes and let the flashing lights and pulsing music beat in my body. I concentrate hard. To my relief, Kyle is right. My body does remember. Soon I’m doing some serious dancing. My eyes pop open when Alyz grabs my arm.

“
You look great, Sia. Now you need to enjoy yourself.”

“
What?” I ask, confused. “I already am.”

“
Then show it, yes? Laugh and smile more. Show the people! Win them over!”

I do what I’m told. My smile feels fake at first, but then I glance at Kyle and see him staring at me. He smiles and turns away, embarrassed that I caught him looking. But this actually helps boost my confidence and helps me forget about all these strangers.

My dance partner, on the other hand, isn’t bothered by strangers. Alyz moves like a cat, but a very hot cat: smooth, sinewy, and entirely in control. She is obviously comfortable in her own skin. Her flashing eyes are just as spellbinding as the rest of her. Her moves attract the attention of everyone around the dance floor, but then I see I’m being watched as well. Alyz knows it’s working. She tosses her black hair back and laughs toward the ceiling in that free, confident manner of hers. “Yes!” she yells at me. “Yes, Sia!”

She was absolutely right. We have them in the palms of our hands. Other people join us on the dance floor, but no one sizzles like we do. It’s an intoxicating sensation. We dance together for a few more songs.