"Please!" Belinda repeated for the umpteenth time to Hellen, who snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Bel, I'm not stupid! You think I can't tell when someone's sick?" She pushed her toward the door. "After all, I'm a nurse!"
"Forgive me," the girl apologized. "I just don't feel comfortable."
"He'll take the medicine by hook or by crook," her friend assured her, holding up an empty syringe. "There's no getting away with me!"
"He'll faint with that for sure!" Belinda burst into a cheerful laugh. "But at least he'll get treatment."
"Otherwise, I can always use the method you used with Klaus," her friend chuckled, raising a wry eyebrow at her.
Belinda blushed and shook her head.
"Forgive me... I was really angry and mean to both you and Klaus."
"Oh, he talks about it enthusiastically," she confessed with a laugh. "And I know you well, you would never have hurt me... But you could have punched that nasty girl!"
"I didn't have time," Belinda snorted. "But I'll have to come back, right? Considering Bill's life! Hellen, I can't thank you enough for coming."
"It's my pleasure, Bel. And I'm happy you're back."
Belinda hugged her affectionately and then turned to grab her bulky bag from the sofa.
At that moment Naomi came out of the room with her beauty case and purse, joining them.
"Is it possible that you're always late?" her sister snapped.
"That's great gratitude!" the girl muttered with an annoyed grimace. "You forgot your earrings, and you don't even thank me for getting them back!"
"It's not my day," Belinda huffed, raising her arms and, winking, opening the door and rushing to the elevator to meet a staff member who would take them to the awards ceremony.
Getting into the car, they leaned back and looked at each other, smiling.
"Who would have thought, huh?" said Naomi with a bright look. "Four months ago we came to visit a university, and now we're even going to the MTV Awards... and as guests, too!"
"I'm learning not to be surprised by what happens anymore," Belinda replied in a low voice. "But I must not be a bad person, if life offers me all this."
"You know, there's an old saying my grandfather always used to say: 'In life, when one door closes, another opens!'" "It means it was your fate, even if I wish it were less tragic," he said with a smile. "I heard Mom told you about Alex this morning."
"Yes," her sister replied, darkening for a moment. "It seems he's decided to continue detoxing, but his health isn't very good... I'm sorry."
"Don't think about it anymore, okay?" Naomi comforted her, squeezing her hand tightly as the car moved through traffic.
Belinda closed her eyes for a moment and mentally reviewed her strange day: Bill had woken up almost hoarse but fever-free, and he had been very kind to her, showering her with attention and cuddles; he had agreed to have Hellen look after him that evening, but had said his mother would arrive later today to check on him.
That morning, Tom and Naomi had continued to exchange knowing glances, and Belinda hadn't dared to make a single comment, grateful that their situation didn't cause her any further worries. She was a little sorry for having lectured Tom, but as her sister said: "A scolding every now and then wouldn't hurt him"!
In the end, Scream had decided not to participate in the event, but they wanted to send their fans a tangible message of affection, so they had secretly recorded a video and agreed to make a short connection to the room during their awards ceremony.
Belinda had convinced Tom to join her, asking the organizers to move his appearance up the lineup, thus gaining enough time for him to be there.
"There will be artists better than us who win the award, but what am I going to do alone among all those monsters?" she had muttered. "I risk getting lost in the dressing rooms while I ask for autographs!"
Naomi had promised to follow her up to bring her back to reality, but when her sister had read that Green Day might be there, she had feigned fainting at the thought of seeing Billy Joe up close.
Bill had shot her a dirty look, feigning offense, while she had candidly confessed that for Billy Joe's sake, she was willing to forget about him for a few moments.
"Besides, he's not much taller than me!" the girl had whispered with dreamy eyes. "I can kiss him comfortably!"
A pillow had knocked her onto the couch, making her laugh, while Bill muttered, "I must be jealous of a dwarf who wears such bad makeup!"
A slight slam on the brakes made her open her eyes again and she realized they had arrived.
She got out of the car, thanking the driver, surprised by the shouting coming from the front of the car.
A crowded crowd of fans, holding their signs, cheered every car that stopped. She glanced over the corner wall and was met with hysterical screams, welcoming the arrival of a famous American rapper.
"But there's 50 Cent!" she exclaimed to her sister. "Oh, my God! I'm going to see him up close!"
But Naomi grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the performers' entrance, while patting her on the head. "Will you stop being such a little girl?" She shook her head. "Those guys are your colleagues now."
"Are you kidding?" Belinda exclaimed, her eyes widening. "I'm not even worthy of taking away his dirty breakfast bowl! Oh my God, who else is there?"
Naomi stared at her sternly as they approached a steward who asked their names, checking a long list of attendees. The man nodded and handed them passes, pointing the way and suggesting they look for a certain Karin at the end of aisle C. With a smile, they disappeared through the door, looking around with obvious curiosity and excitement. The place was packed with people moving at breakneck speed, and Belinda immediately realized how seamless this organizational machine must be, with all its guests, presenters, technicians, and everyone whose work helped make it work.
At the end of the corridor, they found a tall, very blonde girl wearing a headset. The writing on her T-shirt read: Staff – KARIN, and the girls approached her with a shy smile.
Karin was very friendly and nice, giving them the key to a dressing room and directions to the cloakroom, hairdresser, makeup artist, and the staff who would direct Belinda's arrival on stage.
The girls walked off in the indicated direction and easily found the dressing room, furnished with a couple of chairs, a mirror, and shelves on which they placed their things.
"Want to go snooping around?" asked Naomi.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Belinda laughed and, closing the door, consulted the map and went in search of the coat closet.
They were walking along a circular path, where golden plaques on the doors bore the names of international artists, causing the girls to squeal and giggle.
"Now I'm going to peek through the keyhole," Belinda giggled, patting her sister.
"Are you crazy!" said the other. "Think how stupid you'd look!"
"When will this happen again?" Belinda exclaimed, smiling.
"You're being ridiculous!" her sister stated with mock disgust.
"Oh, yeah?" she replied, leaning against a door and pointing to the name. "And what about this?"
Naomi suddenly went white, looking at the Cinema Bizarre name on the door.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" She began fanning her purple face. "Come in, Linda!" she said, pushing her toward the doorknob. "Whatever happens will be fully justified."
Belinda laughed, warning her with a finger. "But you'll leave Yu with me, okay?"
"If Bill knows..." her sister scolded, shaking her head.
"If Tom knows..." the other replied, smiling mischievously.
"And who do you want to tell him?" Naomi laughed conspiratorially. "It's just you and me!"
"Are you lost?" asked a voice behind them, making them jump.
They turned and found themselves facing a boy with blond dreads, dressed casually, whose T-shirt was marked with a staff badge. The two girls stared at him for a few moments and then burst out laughing.
"We'll never get anything right!" they said, shaking their heads. "Sorry, we were looking for the coat check, but walking down this corridor and seeing all these names, we got carried away."
The boy laughed, holding out his hand and introducing himself.
"My name is Nik, and I'm in charge of backstage filming."
"So, dear Nik," Naomi said, taking his arm, "would you be so kind as to show us these gorgeous guys, backstage?"
Nik laughed at his boldness, but shook his head.
"Sorry, they're not here yet. But I can let you know as soon as they arrive. Are you fans of theirs?"
"We love them!" Belinda said, smiling.
"I see you're wearing a star badge... Can I ask what band you're in?" he asked, looking at her curiously.
Belinda returned her gaze to his black combat boots, tight pants, and black sweatshirt.
"Why do you think I'm in a band?" she asked curiously.
"I don't know... I thought... I just saw The Rasmus come in and I thought, from their dark look, you were following them," Nik murmured.
"Are The Rasmus there?" Belinda marveled, her eyes widening. "Where are they? Quick, let me see! I promise to be good and just take a peek..."
Nik burst out laughing, pressing a small button on a strange pair of headphones resting on one ear.
"You still haven't told me who you are," he said, smiling.
"You're right, I'm very rude." Belinda smiled, holding out her hand. "I'm Belinda, and I'm part of the up-and-coming duo Fairy, the ones from this summer's Starluck Music competition... And this is my sister Naomi, known as Tinker Bell."
"Yes, now I know who you are!" the boy exclaimed. "I saw you in Cologne this summer... You were also the little android at the Scream concert!"
"Yes, me," he confirmed. "But why do you always say I'm small? You're the ones who are too tall!"
"I'm sorry, my fairy," the boy replied with a bow. "To make it up to you, I'll take you on a tour so you can see all your stars."
"Really?" Naomi asked, surprised.
"Of course! It's the least I can do to apologize... Shall we go?"
Taking their arms, she led them around, pointing out the various guests, explaining how the evening was going, the behind-the-scenes details, and sharing little gossip, finally arriving at the cloakroom. She introduced them to Samira, the costume designer, who happily agreed to let them browse the enormous corridor where myriads of dresses were crammed into their cases. The girls touched them, careful not to damage them, while they commented among themselves and browsed the accessories section, among the jewelry and hair accessories.
"I could live here!" Naomi exclaimed ecstatically, placing a splendid pearl and Swarovski tiara back in its case.
Belinda was enchanted by an electric blue silk and satin dress, knee-length and lightly padded at the buttocks, flowing like a soft train to the floor, and a fan-shaped bodice that left the shoulders and back exposed.
"It's a gem!" she said, smoothing the pleats.
"It was commissioned for a French dancer who was supposed to introduce a guest, but she didn't show up," Samira said, looking at it. "Do you want to wear it?"
"Me?" she stammered, surprised. "No, I could never! It's not my style, but it's gorgeous!"
"I think it would look good on you, given your slender figure," Samira stated, studying her. "What will you wear for the evening?"
"I was thinking of silk trousers and a pirate-style jacket that I bought this morning in town... You think it's not right?" she asked thoughtfully.
"I'd have to see them before I could give you an opinion," the girl smiled. "I'll stop by your place later, okay?"
"Oh, thanks! I'd love to get your advice," Belinda thanked her, hugging her.
"Let's go to the hairdresser!" Naomi exclaimed, giving the girl a quick hello and joining Nik along the corridor.
The room was enormous, with mirrors dotted around the perimeter, and filled with people, both men and women.
Belinda's eyes widened at the sight of Beyoncé sitting across from her, intent on straightening her long hair while a manicurist touched up her beautiful nails. She quickly scanned the faces present, recognizing members of an English girl band and several members of international rock groups.
She sank into an empty chair, in front of a mirror whose shelf was covered with makeup jars and hair clips.
A hand landed on her arm, startling her, and she found herself looking at the smiling face of Joss Stone, who asked, "Do you think this gloss is too strong?"
Belinda stared at her lips, covered in a thin layer of glossy fuchsia lipstick, as she complied with the girl's request. She stared at her thick mass of light hair, interspersed with fuchsia streaks, and was surprised by her response.
"I don't think so, although I think a slightly duller color would suit you better... Wait! Tinkerbell, you're an expert, what do you think?"
Without any fear, Naomi launched into a quick discussion about colors and combinations, advising the singer to opt for a beautiful bronze, which even met with approval from the French singer sitting to their right.
"Thank you," said the girl, standing up and greeting them.
"I don't believe it!" said Belinda in a whisper. "Joss Stone asked me for advice!"
"Good choice, considering how you dress," her sister laughed, patting her on the back.
Belinda gave an offended look as she stared around at the sea of people moving at a dizzying pace.
"What do we have here?" asked a boy, with slightly effeminate movements, coming up behind her and pulling her hair up.
Belinda froze in her place as she awaited the newcomer's assessment, realizing that he was a very famous hairstylist among the VIPs.
"Um... yes, the cut is pretty good, but the color..." she muttered to herself. "How about, dear, a few golden highlights to make them shine better?"
"I don't know," Belinda replied embarrassed. "I don't like messing with them too much, because I don't know how to handle them when they grow back."
"Then, let's put on some nice silver extensions, that'll create a spectacular light effect," he said, snapping his fingers at a girl, who rushed to bring everything she asked for.
"What's your name, little doll?" he asked.
"Belinda... And I'm not a doll," she rebuked him irritably.
"Uh, uh... we have a rebellious soul!" He laughed amusedly. "I'm Ronny, and I'll make you shine like a star."
"It would be better as a fairy," Nik laughed behind them. "She's Fairy!"
"Really? Um…" the boy murmured, staring at her with renewed inspiration. "Then you'll be a fairy."
In a few minutes, he applied the finest silver strands to her hair, styling it into wild waves and finishing it with a small braid that hung above her ear, studded with silver stars. He had her face painted with soft eyeliner that elongated her eyes, and dusted with a fine silver powder on her lids. He also applied black fake nails with moon-like designs, and coated her hands with a cream rich in crystals, which created subtle reflections when she moved them.
"So, my little fairy?" Ronny finally asked, staring at her in the mirror.
"You're a magician!" Belinda laughed, looking surprised. "But you already knew that, right?"
"Of course!" He replied, flattered. "But the most important part is missing: the lipstick."
He stared at the various shades, while Naomi pointed out the colors she thought would look good. They bickered for a few minutes, until they agreed that a pearly gloss would be ideal, to make the overall look ethereal but not tacky.
"You should be a personal stylist," Ronny said to the girl, who smiled delightedly. "Do you want me to give you a makeover too?"
With an enthusiastic squeal, Naomi rushed to her chair, ready for any changes Ronny suggested.