At the end of the day, with her long hair straightened and highlighted with small rhinestones, her eyes painted green and wearing gold lipstick, Naomi followed her sister to the dressing room.
They were still discussing the various changes made when Belinda stopped suddenly, turning to Naomi and Nik, who were approaching her enthusiastically.
"I can't believe it: that's Bono from U2!" she exclaimed in a shrill voice.
Naomi craned her neck to look in that direction and realized that it was indeed the singer, chatting with others in the middle of the corridor. He was smiling frequently and glanced in their direction.
"Let's ask for a photo, come on!" she said enthusiastically to Belinda.
"Are you crazy?" her sister replied. "I'm ashamed!"
Nik smiled and, taking her by the arm, dragged her towards the singer, who turned kindly towards them and, after the introductions, offered his hand to Belinda.
"What kind of music do you play?" he asked curiously.
"Usually rock, but I got my start this summer with a pop song," Belinda replied excitedly. "When I played with my band in Italy, I did tons of covers of his songs… They're beautiful!"
"Thank you," the artist smiled, taking off his glasses. "Shall we sing a little bit together?"
"Now?" the girl asked, surprised.
"Come on… Let's see, what do you think of 'One'?"
"I love it!" the girl sighed, ecstatic. "Go ahead, I'll follow along."
With an improvised rhythm, the singer began the song, and Belinda followed easily, admiring the evolution of his voice and following him between low notes and the chorus.
"Really good!" Bono complimented, kissing her cheek. "Keep singing, Belinda, you have a beautiful voice."
"Thank you!" she replied, thrilled. "It was a wonderful gift."
"Use the informal 'tu' with me!" The man laughed. "In a few years, I'll come ask you for an autograph." Waving goodbye, he walked off down the corridor to his dressing room.
Belinda watched him go, whistling softly.
"Damn! I sang with Bono... and he even kissed me!"
Naomi and Nik grabbed her arm and dragged her away, giggling and teasing her until they reached the dressing room.
They arrived at the door at the same time as Samira, who, seeing Ronny's achievement, looked at her approvingly.
"I took the liberty of wearing the fairy dress," she said, smiling. "It should go perfectly with everything else."
"But I don't think so... I can't wear it!" protested Belinda. "And I don't have the right shoes!"
"You can find those," the girl laughed. "Give me your size and it'll be done."
After jotting it down, she headed for the wardrobe, leaving the three boys alone.
"Thank you," Belinda said, taking Nik's hands. "You gave me a dream! What can I say?"
"You're the one who made me happy," the boy replied. "I've never seen anyone with such genuine enthusiasm. I'll give you a wonderful surprise tonight!"
"Again?" she asked, perplexed. "What more can you do, besides bringing me closer to stars I've only been able to listen to in my room, while here I sang with Bono and transformed me into a fairytale character for a night?"
"You'll see!" he said, giving her a knowing wink and heading for the door. "Tonight, I'm your genie."
Whistling cheerfully, Nik left them alone to wonder what else they could ask for from this strange adventure.
Samira arrived moments later with a set of shoes that matched her dress, but Naomi was adamant: a pair of silver sandals, with high heels, that tied and spiraled up her legs.
"But girls!" Belinda protested. "I just have to make an appearance, sitting on the couch next to the other three singers in my category!"
"What if I'm the winner?" her sister snapped.
"Please, don't swear!" she protested. "Did you see who I'm competing against?"
She told her the names of a group and a singer who had sold thousands of records that summer.
"Then you'll be voted best dressed!" Naomi laughed, high-fiving Samira, who handed her a jewelry case.
Curious, the two girls approached the shelf, where she set it down and opened it. Inside, on a blue velvet background, was a splendid silver chain studded with rhinestones. From it hung a single, splendid blue crystal drop, held by a silver motif in the shape of an upside-down moon.
"It's… gorgeous!" Naomi said, caressing its contours.
Belinda stared at her, mesmerized, while Samira also took the long earrings, made of a small chain with two smaller drops hanging from it.
"They're perfect!" she said, hugging her. "Samira, they're a dream! Thank you."
At that moment, there was a knock at the door and Lucas came in, while Samira was leaving to return to work.
"Hi," he said to the girls, looking at them pleased.
"Lucas!" Belinda exclaimed, running to hug him happily.
She was truly happy to see him and considered him a friend, given everything he'd done for her, including helping her in a moment of difficulty.
"You're gorgeous!" he said, pushing her away to get a good look at her.
"You're always a handsome guy, too," he replied, smiling. "Why are you here?"
"I came to support you and represent André, who's stuck in town with the boys."
"What do you mean stuck?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes, he left late because he wanted to make sure Bill was okay."
"Should I call Hellen and check on her?" Belinda reached for the phone, but Lucas cut her off.
"There's no time, the event starts any minute, and you still have to get dressed."
Sighing resignedly, she put the phone away and returned her attention to him, who was waving goodbye to his sister with a smile.
"Looks like you made it," he said, smiling mischievously. "They told me about Tom's escape."
Naomi smiled smugly, without commenting.
"Lucas, I need your advice," Belinda said, pointing to the blue dress.
"Very beautiful... What's the problem?"
"It seems a bit excessive," she murmured thoughtfully, casting a wistful glance at the splendid gown hanging on the wall.
"You only live once, Bel!" he sighed, giving her a pat on the cheek. "While you decide, I'll go ask about the lineup." Lucas walked away.
Gently pulling off her sweatshirt, and careful not to ruin Ronny's work, Belinda was left with a black T-shirt decorated with a pirate flag, where the skull's face held a blue rose between its teeth, and where the crossbones should have been, were two sabers.
"And you prefer that shirt to the dress?" Naomi quipped. "You're really hopeless!"
A light knock on the door made her turn. "Come in!"
Nik entered with a sardonic smile. "Look who I met along the way?"
Three members of Cinema Bizarre—Strify, Yu, and Romeo—entered the dressing room, making the space suddenly seem cramped.
Naomi jumped to her feet, her eyes widening at the singer and letting out a soft whistle.
"You're so cool!" she began, admiring the long black pirate-style jacket, the belt with her name on it, and the legs clad in tight black and white striped pants.
The boy laughed amusedly, looking from one to the other, curious.
"I told them you were camping out in front of the dressing room..." Nik smiled, winking at Belinda, who was staring at them in fascination.
She was so taken with Yu, the band's bassist, that she muttered absentmindedly, "You're so handsome?"
She realized she'd spoken and blushed, but the boy smiled flatteredly and nodded his thanks.
"Sorry," Naomi replied, recovering. "We admire your music so much, and seeing you on stage is truly an extraordinary event."
"Did you come to our concerts?" Strify asked, tilting his head to observe the girl.
"Yes, twice in Milan… We're Italian," Naomi replied. "I'm Naomi, and this is my sister Belinda, she's the guest tonight," she explained excitedly.
"Italian, huh? Nice to meet you!" he replied, pleased. "You really are very nice. What are you singing, Belinda?"
"I don't know if I'll sing tonight. I'm only nominated in the emerging category. But I'm happy anyway, because my dream as a fan is coming true: I'm meeting wonderful artists like you."
"You really do look wonderful!" Yu said, making her blush. "A bit fairytale-like."
"I should be a fairy, actually, according to Ronny," he replied shyly, involuntarily reaching for his braid.
"You're Fairy!" Romeo exclaimed, staring at her. "I heard your song on the radio this summer. You launched it with a contest, right?"
"Yes!" she replied, flattered that he had recognized it. "In collaboration with Scream."
"I read online that you were also the robot at the concert. Congratulations, a great performance."
"Thank you. It was a great experience!" She smiled, her eyes flicking to Yu, who was staring at her with an enigmatic smile.
She mentally pictured Bill's frowning face, and with a little effort, she tried to tear her eyes away from the boy.
"What are you going to sing tonight?" she asked, changing the subject and looking at Strify.
"I think we'll perform 'My Obsession,'" she replied kindly. "Do you like it?"
"Yes, a lot, although my favorite is 'Hypnotized by Jane.'"
"Tonight we'll all be hypnotized by you," Romeo laughed, making her blush. "Now let's go get ready."
Amidst smiles and hugs, the musicians left the dressing room, while Naomi threw her arms around Nik.
"You were amazing! Thank you."
"I promised, right?" he replied, giving her a pat on the cheek and leaving.
The sisters sank into their chairs, sighing blissfully.
"I could die now," Belinda murmured, throwing her head back and closing her eyes.
"Did you see the way Yu looked at you?" her sister commented. "I wonder what Bill will say!"
"Bill who?" Belinda laughed, opening one eye and giving her a sardonic look, while Naomi sneered. "And your Tom?"
"Tom who?" she replied, mimicking her.
They spent the rest of the time chatting, until Lucas went to tell them that the evening was about to begin and that they could sit in the stalls, along with the others, for the awards ceremony.
"I'm coming like this?" Belinda asked, looking at herself in the mirror.
"You look good like this," her friend confirmed. "When you have to go on stage, you'll come and change."