Infini (Aerial Ethereal #2)(142)

Sergei said he’d text us by 3:00 a.m. with details. He’s calling his friend, Marc Duval’s son, and seeing if he’s heard any rumors about where we’ll all end up.

I sit up straighter and stare at the glittering gold Infini logo on the sapphire-blue bag.

“Spectacular!” Luka reads off the back of the tote. “Splendid!” He pops a green Skittle in his mouth. “Only two words. They could’ve used your thesaurus, Bay.”

“No one’s taking my thesaurus,” I say, digging through the contents of the bag. “The doodles are invaluable to me.”

He grins, his arm stretching over my shoulders. He watches me pull out a blue T-shirt, stationary, a hardbound program, and I pause when I reach the DVD.

I know it’s footage of Infini from New York. They filmed during the first year, and the dreamy and whimsical cover is the other artist who used to play The Girl. Before Milla.

My eyes drift to Luka, and I sweep his angelic yet chiseled face, dangerous like a nightmare but enthralling like a dream. “You should’ve been the poster,” I say what I’m thinking.

Luka laughs.

“I’m serious.” I start smiling again, my face hurting. “Stop. It’s true. You evoke Infini.”

He’s staring straight into me. I think my overly passionate emphasis hooks him. “I already believe you,” he says, “and I don’t even know what that means exactly.” He offers me the popcorn, and I grab a handful. He nods to the DVD case. “You weren’t in any extras, were you?”

“No. You weren’t either, right?” I remember they were trying to limit the number of children shown on the DVD. I flip the case over, the extras listed out like a day in the life of an artist and before the show.

“No, but Nik had a five-minute extra about his workout regime.”

“I remember that. Dimitri had a fit when they chose Nikoali instead of him.” We smile at the memory.

Luka adds, “Then Dimitri stood in the back of the shot while they were filming Nik.” We burst into laughter because Dimitri took that time to flex in each camera frame like he was posing for Sports Illustrated.

And it’s all caught on tape.

Our laughter slowly fades when my finger skims the credits on the DVD case.

Next to Composer is Joyce Wright.

I won’t dance to her music on stage anymore. Audiences won’t hear all the melodies she strung together, and it hurts. It will hurt for a while, but Marc was wrong.

I was wrong.

My mom’s memory doesn’t end here. She lives on inside of so many people. She has touched thousands on and off this stage, and not even this bag of mementos or this DVD can encapsulate all of my mom.

Quietly, I say, “I thought she’d disappear or vanish if Infini ended, but I still feel her presence. As long as I remember her, I don’t think she’ll ever leave me.” A hot tear rolls down my cheek, and I wipe it away.

Luka draws me to his chest where it’s safe and warm, and just as we hug, our phones buzz, a text from Sergei.

This is it.

We wait to look, our eyes dancing over each other, and he whispers, “You’re not scared.”

“No,” I say, thinking about how we’re together. We’ve been together, and wherever we go from here I’m certain that won’t change. “I’m hopeful. You?”

He nods strongly. “The exact same.”

We inhale together, and then on the count of three, we check our phones. “One. Two,” we say in unison. “Three.”

The text thread includes all of the Kotovas, my brother, Zhen, and several Infini cast members.

I’m only sharing the rumors I’m 100% sure are fact. If you don’t see your name, there’s still some indecision. First what I know: Aerial Ethereal has been developing a new show for the past six months. The name is a little straightforward, but they’re trying new things, and the concept is really fresh. Most of you will like it: celebration of 4 seasons. In the summer, the sets and costumes reflect the summer. The fall, it reflects the fall, etc.

“Did you see the show concept?” Luka asks right as I digest the details.

“Yeah, it sounds like it’ll get people to return to the show all year.”

“That’s what I was thinking.” He’s excited.

I hope they need a juggler. Luka clasps my hand and kisses my palm while we read the rest.

Also, the new show has late-night viewings. The name they gave the show is meant to reflect this.

It’s called Midnight.

Midnight.

Here’s the cast of Midnight that I’m 100% sure of:

Erik Kotova

Robby Kotova

Anton Kotova

Abram Kotova

Sergei Kotova

Sergei typed his last name out with an a. It’s so subtle, but he must identify as Kotova more now than when he first arrived in Vegas.

The list of Kotovas goes on and on and on, but four names jump out at me.

Luka Kotova

Dimitri Kotova

Timofei Kotova (pay raise + major lead)

Katya Kotova

“Luka.” My head whips to him, and he looks overwhelmed, hand to his mouth. He hasn’t been in a show with both Timo and Katya since New York.

“Keep reading, Bay,” he urges.

So I do, and my heart stops.