Cat stood on the stage a large clipboard in one hand and a pencil behind her ear. The others were backstage getting ready for the play, it was dress rehearsal. "So Tori…how do I look?" Andre asked spinning around in his British redcoat uniform. The Latina girl who had on an old fashioned American dress smiled, "You look fantastic Andre, just like a Brit." Tori gave the music boy a peck on the lips, they had been dating for a month and were quite comfortable. "Hey Andre can you help me with this?" Robbie asked trying to tie up his old American militia uniform. "Sure." While Andre helped Robbie Tori saw Beck and Jade in the corner bickering as usual. Jade was dressed in the same thing she was and Beck was in towns person clothing. "Why can't you just say you love me!" Jade screeched punching the boy lightly on the chest, Beck groaned. "Because you need to learn how to calm down!" Tori smiled and shook her head feeling someone breathing down her neck. Tori turned around only to find Sinjin face to face with her, "Ah!" Tori took a step back holding her hand to her chest, "Sinjin, what are you doing?" Tori asked pushing the afro headed boy away, "I'm sniffing your hair." He said slowly rolling his tongue, Tori stared at him before picking up the edge of her dress and running away. Just then Cat ran back stage her hair pulled back into a pony tail and covered by a three pointed colonial hat. "The teachers are coming, the teachers are coming! Man your positions, ready the firing squad one if by hallway two if by back door!" She screamed running around like a maniac, everyone's heads turned. "Hello children, are you ready to start rehearsal?" Sikowitz asked clapping his hands together, everyone mumbled in agreement. "Wait…wait do you smell that?" Jade asked taking a heavy breath of air, everyone else did to. "I-it smell like…gas." Tori said sinking to the ground unconscious, Jade followed after along with everyone else backstage. Cat was in the back hallway practically choking on the gas leaking from a nearby pipe. She coughed and choked falling to her knees, "Help…someone…please?" She mumbled falling quickly into the darkness of her own mind hearing the heavy hoof beats and the crashing of waves. Cat opened her eyes looking at a harsh wooden floor covered in dust and cold with the night air. Someone was standing above her as a big black shadow, in his hands was a looking glass. "The British are arriving, it's time for you to ride Caterina." The man gruffly stated never moving from his position, Cat was confused. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the man's voice again, "I will light the lanterns, ride through Boston and Concord then onto Lexington, and tell them to take arms. The British are coming!" Cat scuttled to her feet noticing the change in her appearance. Her hair was no longer velvet red but was brown and she wore worn out riding cloths a black cloak and her three pointed hat. "Hurry!" The man exclaimed startling Cat out of her thoughts, "Y-yes…I-I will ride." Cat stuttered flying out of what she now realized was a light house. Waiting for her was a pair of young men both wearing commoner's cloths. "Caterina hurry, we will row you across the Charleston River. There your horse will be waiting and you may ride!" One of the men said helping the confused girl into their small boat, "Here take this lantern, it will help you see through the gloom." Another said handing Cat an old rustic lantern a strong flame flickering inside. "Thank you…this will be a perilous task no doubt, I am worried I may fail." Cat sputtered not meaning to say the line from her script at all. The two men nodded, "Understood, but Sikowitz has already lit the two lanterns in the old North Lighthouse. The Brits are coming by sea." Cat's mind started spinning, the man in the lighthouse. No wonder he sounded so familiar, it was her fantastic improv teacher. "Yes…the ships will soon be upon us, let's just hope I get to Lexington in time." Cat mumbled, meanwhile Jade Tori and Beck each awoke a nasty crick in their spines. "Ugh…where are we?" Jade mumbled rubbing the back of her head with a hand noticing the color change of her hair. It was brown instead of black and had no streaks, "I don't know…what happened?" Beck asked rolling his head on his neck hearing the satisfying crack of his joints. "T-the gas leak…we must be hallucinating." Tori mumbled pushing herself up, "Where are the others?" The other two in the room shook their heads turning when there was a frantic knock at the door. Tori picked up a candle that had been lit at the table and opened the door revealing a rather frantic Robbie. "Hello Robert, is there something I can do for you?" Tori asked very formally not meaning for it to come out that way. Robbie smiled shyly twisting his hat in his hands, "Good evening Lady Victoria, Madame Jadelyn, Master Beckett, I hate to bother you at such a late hour but it's about the advance of the redcoat's." Tori nodded slowly, she stepped aside letting Robbie enter. "Well Robert, what is the news?" Jade snapped looking at the boy with devil eyes, Robbie frowned. "It's rumored that a signal has been lit in old North Lighthouse, but I can't be sure until I get a message from a courier." Tori and Jade gasped while Beck just grunted. "How long does the militia have to ready?" Robbie looked at Beck, "At least until the clock strikes." Beck nodded slowly starting to pace the living room. Cat on the other hand felt the boat strike shore, she clambered out saying farewell two the two boys. As promised a large black, strong mount was waiting tied to a tree and pawing at the ground impatiently. Cat touched it's nose before untying the animal and sliding her lantern onto her wrist. She pulled herself up onto the horses back grabbing the bridle with her free hand and spurring the animal into action. The ride was long and quiet the chill night air nipping harshly at Cat's cheeks and hands. The steady hoof beats of Cat's mount keeping time with her beating heart, the girl had no idea where she was going but it seemed the horse did. In Cat's mind she remembered a poem Sikowitz had read to the class before they even started to cast the play, The midnight ride of Paul Revere.
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
Cat was snapped out of her thoughts by the sudden noise of voices along the road. Cat quickly dismounted watching from her hiding spot in the bushes, a redcoat patrol. Cat sat as silently as she could waiting for the patrol to pass before jumping onto her horse again and riding off quickly down the road. She was just passing Arlington when the sound of another horse caught Cat's attention, another rider brought up next to her. "Hello Caterina." Cat recognized that voice anywhere, Sinjin. "Good evening to you Master Jin, I hope your ride has been pleasant?" Cat spoke still not wanting to sound so formal about everything, Sinjin nodded his three pointed hat covering his blonde afro. "Yes it has been quite a trek, but now both Arlington Town and Cambridge know about the advance." Cat nodded focusing in on the road ahead. It was littered with large stones and sticks that she had to maneuver around. The pair rode in silence until they saw the small up ahead lights of the town of Lexington. "Come Caterina, we shall meet Master Burf in Lexington town." Cat pulled her horse onto Lexington road following Sinjin and his mount into the small town. The lights were on and Cat and Sinjin passed a long line of minute men waiting for the British arrival. "Master Jin, Caterina, over here." Burf waved from his brown horse that looked tired and was drinking from a bucket. "Good evening to you both, I'm glad you made it safely." Burf said looking at the pair of other riders, Cat patted her horse. "We had a few close encounters but managed to bypass them with no difficulty." Cat said letting her mount drink from another bucket of water. "We shall ride as soon as possible, Concord has yet to know of the advance of British troops." Sinjin said fixing his hat, both of the other riders nodded. "Yes, I agree with you…let us depart." The three riders quickly exited Lexington riding along the road till they spotted the small town of Lincoln ahead. As the riders came into town a young militia man approached obviously the messenger for the rest of the town. "What is the news?" He asked fiddling with the hem of his shirt, "The redcoat's are on their way…they came by sea." Sinjin stated looking down upon the man with sad eyes, "Ready your men and march off to Lexington." Cat added pulling her horse to keep him steady, the man nodded. "I'm afraid the farms are too far I will not make it in time, shal we leave them behind?" The man asked ready to sprint off with the news, Sinjin shook his head. "No, we need all the men…I will ride to the farms and alert them." Sinjin said pulling his horse around and galloping off into the darkness. Berf and Cat nodded watching the small militia man run off down the street yelling for the other men. The pair of riders spurred their mounts into action again making their way out of town and forward to Concord. Just outside of Concord the pair slowed to a stop when they saw a line of red uniforms and muskets pointed at them. "Caterina, I will distract them…you need to go on to Concord." Burf whispered to Cat from his horse, Cat nodded. Andre woke up on the ground his red coat uniform slightly wrinkled and a heavy musket laying on his chest. "Oh…Oh man what happened?" Andre mumbled looking around, standing before him was a large black mass. "You fell asleep on the job, that's what happened. Now get up!" The large man yelled kicking Andre hard in the shoulder, "Yes sir, it won't happen again sir." Andre said picking up his gun and straightening himself out. "Sir look, two horses are approaching!" Another redcoat yelled, his ear practically on the ground listening to approaching hoof beats. "Form a line, stop them in their tracks." The big man ordered pushing Andre to the front of the line an grabbing his own musket. "Hey, stop right there!" The man ordered pointing his gun at the riders, Andre's eyes widened. Cat and Sinjin, the pair looked at each other. "My daughter must get to Concord tonight, her grandmother is ill and she must get her herbs to her immediately." Andre lifted his eyebrow, Sinjin wasn't Cat's father. "No, you cannot pass." The sergeant commanded looking at the riders with suspicious eyes. Sinjin reared his horse up making the Brit's take a step back in fear while Cat pulled her horse to the side jumping the fence along the side of the road. "Hey, hey get back here!" Andre yelled watching as Cat galloped away through the woods. Jade, Tori and Beck sat in the small room they had woken in waiting for something to happen, were the Brits going to attack. "What if the Brits attack and we aren't warned…we could be destroyed." Tori wailed burying her head in her hands, Jade and Beck nodded. "We know that Tori, you said that seven times already." Jade growled playing with her hair, Beck just leaned back in his chair. "I hope Cat is alright...hey, hey do you guys hear that?" Jade asked looking at the door, the others went silent listening. "The British are coming, the British are coming. To arms men to arms!" Someone yelled the heavy hoof beats running through the middle of the street, "That sounds like Cat!" Tori said pulling open the door and popping her head out. Lights and candles went on and men grabbed their guns and powder responding immediately to Cat's call. Cat was quite a sight to behold her face taking on a milky white. Her cloths were splattered with dirt and blood and her hair and shirt were stained with sweat and mud. She rode atop a strong black steed and held an old rustic lamp around her wrist. "Tonight we ready, tomorrow we fight!" Cat cried her horse rearing up into the air and letting a loud whine. Tori yelled Cat's name making the girl on the horse turn her head. "Tori, Tori is that you?" Cat asked finally relieved to be able to talk normally again. Tori nodded quickly Jade and Beck coming up from behind. Cat waved, her hand coming off the bridle. The girl fell to the ground smacking her head against the ground hard, "Cat!" Tori yelled at her friend's side in an instant. Cat was in darkness until she heard someone yelling her name. Cat popped up, "The British are coming!" She exclaimed looking around, Tori was sitting on the edge of the bed and Jade and Beck were standing by the bedside. Cat was in a hospital room her cloths replaced by a gown and the horse replaced by a soft bed. "Cat…are you alright?" Tori asked taking Cat's hand. Cat took a deep breath, "My head feels cloudy." Tori nodded, "Yeah, you inhaled a lot of that gas…knocked you out pretty good." Cat smiled, "I had a very nice ride." Tori lifted an eyebrow and Cat just giggled.
xTHE ENDx