Originally entitled; Behind Your Mask
Kiss from a Rose
September 15th 2013
©Elise the Writing Desk, Wonderful Wonder World©QuinRose
Other titles mentioned here aren't mine
"She can't act or sing...Why is she here, in the first place?" Reginald Crims scoffed and put down an apple on his table. "Besides, Beckie wants her room enlarged—I will use that empty room, or she'll leave this opera, and all is lost."
"Oh, you always think that silly Beckie is everything..." Crysta Snowpidgeon complained, sighing. "You don't even care how all of us suffers getting our paycheck cut to raise hers! Come now, Reg, any room will do!"
Reginald played the apple on his table with his index finger, scowling at Crysta. It was true, Beckie was the primadonna of Crimson Opera...and he had done everything to make that woman stay, even sacrificing the other staff's needs.
"Well she can stay in the Grey Tower."
"Are you...out of your mind?" Crysta looked shocked. "Then that means she'll have to live with that lunatic? Reg, you can't be serious..."
Reginald gripped the apple and raised from his seat. "I don't have time for this. Blood will replace me as the sponsor while I go on my vacation. Grey Tower. Take or leave."
~.X.~
The platinum blonde with limeade eyes bit her lower lip, staring apologetically to a dark-blonde with turquoise pupils.
"I...did my best. But Reg said you can only stay if you'd live in the Grey Tower."
Alice Liddell stared at her emptily, and nodded. "Thank you."
Crysta whimpered. "Don't you know about that lunatic Joker living in that Tower? I'm worried, Alice...maybe I should sneak you in my room...I can talk to the girls to let you stay..."
The dark-blonde shook her head emptily and turned, walking away to the exit. "I will start packing." She said, and closed the door.
Crysta frowned as she watched the expressionless girl walking away through the door's window. She heard some steps behind her, and saw the Opera's manager; Gowland.
"Why is Alice Liddell still here...?" Gowland asked. His eyes widened. "Don't tell me...she accepted to stay in the Grey Tower...with that lunatic?"
The background dancer slumped her shoulders. Gowland frowned and sighed.
"I don't have the slightest idea why she'd stay here. That girl...she can't dance, sing, nor act. All she's good for is cleaning up." He commented.
"Oh, sir...You can't say such a thing. She's been through a lot. Especially with what her father had done and executed for." Crysta shot him a condescending look. "Nowhere else would accept her soon as hearing 'Liddell' of her surname."
~.X.~
The Grey Tower used to be a watch tower, owned by the Gottschalks. It was built on a coral island—anyone would need a boat to go there, despite the water was shallow; sharp corals which used to be above the surface were drowned into the sea, creating a small coast.
"This watch tower was built along the Crimson Opera—the Opera building itself used to be a castle, after all. The Gottschalks used to rule this country." The fisherman of the coast, Gray Ringmarc, explained as he rowed his boat filled with a small suitcase and Alice Liddell.
Gray kept rowing, staring at Alice, and smirked. "Not a big talker, I see. You don't need to be silent for what's happened to your father...No one blames you."
"Thank you for your concern." Alice said without feelings at all, her eyes set on the Grey Tower.
"Of course I'm concerned." Gray sighed. "You're going to live with Black Joker, after all."
~.X.~
The tower seemed empty, but everyone knew, Black Joker was somewhere in there. He used to be a star in the Crimson Opera, but one day, he was dismissed by the late manager, along with the rest of the performers.
The tower was divided into four story. The first floor was a cold entrance, and the empty kitchen greeted them right away; there was a small table and chairs flipped over, one of them stuck on the small window.
The second floor was an old, unused gallery; a piano was covered under a dusty white cloth. The couch was busted, and the fireplace was planked close. The third floor was where Alice would sleep, and the fourth floor was the roof.
That tower was cold, being on an ocean with the strong wind sweeping it; the windows had no glasses nor anything to close them with. Alice wrapped herself with the only blanket she had, and without force, fell asleep.
That night, she didn't meet the Joker.
However, the Joker had seen her.
~.X.~
As someone who couldn't act, sing nor dance, Alice was the one to do the labor works with other few staff. Sweeping and moping the stage, setting the dresses and props in order, buying make up supplies, taking care of the curtains everytime the scene changes during a performance, serving tea...everything that everyone could do.
It was a hard work to deal with, everyday. With the other staff being old and tired, Alice did most of the work, and she had to move fast. Not to mention the pressures from the performers.
For example, Alice rushed into the primadonna's room with the milk tea she'd ordered. Knocking twice, she heard a dramatic scream; "Finally!"
Taking it as a cue to enter, Alice closed the door and set down the tray, pouring the tea into the expensive cup. Rebecca La Carlotta, or Beckie, the primadonna of Crimson Opera, had a frightened look as she saw Alice.
"You...!?" without thinking about rudeness, she pointed an index finger to the girl. "Reggie hasn't gotten rid of you yet?"
Alice didn't say anything, since she's not asking for answers, and screamed;
"REGINAAALD!"
This wasn't a question, but Alice felt the need to tell her; "He's on a vacation."
Beckie shot her a disgusted look. "I don't want to hear anything from you! Bah! Murderous slut! GOWLAND!"
With that, some frantic steps and then the door was slammed open. The manager, Gowland, gasped and panted as he entered.
"Wh...What is it, Beckie?"
Beckie's lips trembled and she began her dramatic whine, pointing at Alice. "She frightens me...! I don't want to be served by a murderer...Please, are you a fool, Gowland? She shouldn't be near any performers..."
"How did she frightened you, again, Rebecca?" a condescending tone came from outside, and Crysta entered with a red face, ready to explode.
Beckie shot her an underestimating look. "Petty background artists have no need to know. Just get rid of her! I don't want to drink tea served by a murderer! Or I'll just quit, then! Oooh yes, I will quit!" she humph-ed and stormed out of her luxurious room.
"Oh, no...no! Please, Carlotta, Mr. Crims will fire me...!" Gowland followed her. "I'll have her away from the performers...please, please...We even had gotten your room enlarged!"
Crysta sighed and frowned apologetically at Alice. The girl was cleaning up the tea tray she's serving, carefully.
"Sorry...she's always like that."
The dark-blonde nodded knowingly.
The dancer stepped closer and put a hand on Alice's cheek. "Why...Why are you so...empty, Alice? Can't you...smile?"
A troubled gleam crossed the girl's eyes. Suddenly, Gowland came into the room again, with Beckie behind him, arms crossed.
"Crysta, step away from her. Alice Liddell, please leave this room...And please don't ever come close to the performers. Just do your work away. Ask the other staff to do work near the performers." The ginger said, looking very guilty.
"Yes, Mr. Gowland." Alice said, and carefully brought the tray out of the room.
"Crysta, go back to practice your moves. Beckie will be ready for the solo, and Vivaldi will be mad if you screw up." Gowland told Crysta gently. The platinum blonde gave a small smile to Alice, and walked away.
Alice handed a cup of tea to Gowland, who seemed preplexed.
The ginger manager smiled softly and accepted it.
"Thank you, Alice. I need this."
~.X.~
When people think they're up on the clouds...they tended to be judgmental to everyone beneath. Beckie, Reginald, and some others were exactly that way. Alice wasn't allowed to serve the performers anymore until she had urgent reason to, such as being a performer herself—which means zero chance.
Despite that, she couldn't help but watch the rehearsal. Mainly, she wasn't watching Beckie. She's told to watch the rehearsal by the trainer, Vivaldi. Their next musical was familiar for Alice; The Sound of Music.
For short, it was a memoir for Maria von Trapp. The musical had two acts and filled with many songs and dances with funny acts. Obviously, Beckie was on the number one list to be Maria. However, she's torn for not getting the spotlight for singing the nuns' songs; Maria.
Vivaldi had a hand in that song, being a soprano with motherly voice. Even in a hunting suit, she sang beautifully.
"She climbs a tree, and scrapes her knee, her dress has got a tear..." her voice was expressing the worried mother.
And then, a different performer with dazzling beauty, Lorina Mon Blanc, sang her part; her voice was clear and gentle.
"She waltzes on her way to Mass and whistles on the stair..."
"And underneath her wimple, she has curles in her hair...!"Vivaldi shook her head in an exasperated act, and the next line was sang again by Lorina.
"I even heard her singing in the abbey..."
Alice listened to the musical, closing her eyes. Vivaldi's voice melted her cold insides...so warm and motherly, a nostalgic melody. Lorina's voice was clear like a cool pond, healing something within her. Maria was a musical Alice had known as a child.
She couldn't help the memories flashing back as the nuns sang a certain phase;
"I'd like to say a word on her behalf..." Vivaldi said, and the nuns gave her their attention. She smiled warmly. "Maria...makes me...laugh." the nuns giggled warmly.
"How do you solve a problem like Maria...?
How do you catch a cloud and...pin it down...?"
Lorina acted as the gentler, calm nuns as usual as she sang her line; "How do you find a word that means Maria...?"
"A flibbertijibbet!" Vivaldi sang.
"A will-o'-the wisp!" Lorina suggested.
"A clown!" Vivaldi said with an assuring tone.
And so they sang the next phase in togetherness, their tone filled with genuine warmth, despite it was just a musical. Alice wondered how performers could manage such surreal expressions in a drama? For all she knew, that was what it takes to be a performer; to create expressions on stage.
"Many a thing you know you'd like to tell her...
Many a thing she ought to understand...
But how do you make her stay...
And listen to all you say...?
How do you keep a wave upon a sand...?"
"Oh, how do you solve a problem like Maria...?"
Vivaldi took a deep breath, and she looked up as if there was something beautiful and wondrous up there, her face showing a genuine worry of a mother, holding her child in her arms;
"How do you hold a moonbeam...in...your...hand...?"
Alice inhaled, feeling something trying to get out of her throat. Reaching that part, she could hear her own mother singing it while holding her in her arms, warm and safe. Alice opened her eyes and touched her face.
She couldn't act, sing, nor dance. She would never be able to project such warm feelings.
~.X.~
That day, Gray was heading out to the sea, so Alice had to row the boat herself. As she arrived on the small island, she found her belongings in front of the tower, and a figure hanging out on the window of the second floor.
"Those trash are yours." The man was a red-head with glowing dark wine eye, half of his face covered beneath a black mask. "Get rid of your fucking sorry arse from my sight."
Alice looked up at him for a while, and then went to collect her suitcase, and stuffed her things into it. She was silent for a while, and then, casually walked into the tower.
Black Joker narrowed his eyes and pulled himself from the window, and walked to the staircase, where, as expected, the girl was climbing.
"You are not wanted." He hissed.
"I have nowhere else to go." Alice said, having difficulty to look pitiful. She wished she could cry and wail...she didn't know how—she couldn't, even if she wanted to.
"That is none of my business." He scoffed, and kicked her suitcase down. It fell with a loud thud and the insides were scattered.
"Mr. Crims had allowed me to stay here as I work." She tried again.
Still with his cold face, he looked down on her.
"This is my tower. He has no power here." And then he paused. "You work at the Crimson Opera." He clarified.
Alice nodded numbly.
"What is your name?"
"Alice Liddell, sir."
He gave her a calculating look; hearing the name 'Liddell', everyone would know her. One day, Liddell would be a new slang to say 'murderer'. Black smirked.
"Then you're close with Lorina Mon Blanc."
Alice shook her head. "No...I was to not be around the performers, sir." She looked down. Just as she thought she'd have a ray of hope, and today Beckie had ordered a distance from the performers.
The Joker chuckled and walked around her, calculating.
"As long as you can walk around there...Yes...Do you still want to stay, motherfucker?" he demanded. She was silent, and he was impatient. "I asked, do you want it or not?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Then you'll listen to my every words." Black smirked again, crossing his arms. "I want you to get close to Lorina Mon Blanc. Tell me everything about her."
"But as I just said—"
"Shut the fuck up." He deadpanned. "Do not talk back to me. You only need to listen to me." Black warned, narrowing his eye to emphasize his word.
Alice didn't say anything back.
"Just do as I say. I want you to get close to Lorina. I want you to be a performer." Black scoffed and pointed his index finger at her. "I will turn you into a performer, Alice Liddell."
Cliché drama alert...maybe? The musical; The Sound of Music was something I watched and treasured. The musical was warm and soothing. That song's title was 'How do you solve a problem like Maria', my favorite song in the musical. Check it out on YouTube. Kindly review if you have the time.