"Good job everyone!" Sora shouted as she stepped into the dressing room backstage.
"The show was a huge success!" Mia shouted excitedly. "Rosetta, you were an amazing Dorothy! And May, your Wicked Witch of the West was seriously the best!"
Anna chuckled at the unintentional rhyme.
"Of course!" replied the Chinese girl while the young lead blushed.
Seeing how embarrassed the she was, Sora laughed and patted Rosetta's head.
"You were amazing, Rosetta," Sora complimented her pupil and hugged her. "The audience loved you. You're getting closer to becoming a true Kaleido star."
Rosetta returned the smile gratefully as she shook her head gently. "It was all thanks to you that I've gotten this far, but.." Rosetta hesitated and looked over to Fool who hovered over Sora's shoulder.
"...I still have ways to go before I can become a true star," Rosetta admitted before looking at Sora again. "But I'll definitely become one. Just you wait!" she declared with a big smile.
"Looking forward to it," Sora said.
"Wait, guys! It's out again!" Mia suddenly declared.
"What's out?" Anna asked.
"The list! The nominations for the Circus Festival," Mia announced as she scrolled on her laptop while everyone rushed to the girl to get a peek at the list; everyone except Sora, who lagged behind the group.
The Circus Festival, an international competition held once every three years. Six years ago, Layla-san and Yuri-san won with the Golden Phoenix. Three years ago, May-san and Leon-san won with the Demon's Spiral. And I… Sora thought back to the Circus Festival. She recalled the unsettling applause, the unexpected betrayal, the crushed dreams, and her own failed attempt. Sora closed her eyes.
"You disappointed me."
Layla-san.
Sora remembered how she had let down the American girl, the girl whom she looked up to more than anyone else in the world.
I never want to go back, not to the stage where there was no fun and only battles. Even if you win, you come out scarred.
"Sora!" Mia screamed out.
"Oh my god!" Anna exclaimed.
"No way!" Sarah gasped in surprise.
"This is an outrage!" May cried out indignantly.
Sora snapped out of her thoughts. "What?" she asked.
"You've been nominated!" Mia cried out, pointing to Sora's name on the screen.
"What?...What?!" Sora shouted, immediately leaning forward and craning her neck over everyone towards the screen. True enough, she saw her name at the very top of the list, the very first nomination.
Sora Naegino
"I can't believe this," May scoffed as she crossed her arms.
Sora stared at her name in disbelief. No way. Why?
No one said a word as they watched Sora process the information.
"Um." Sora felt a tug on her shirt and looked down.
"Are you going to do it?" Rosetta asked meekly, eyes cast downward.
"I don't know," Sora responded quietly.
Silence filled the room as the girls recalled what happened three years ago.
Finally, it was Mia who spoke up. "I know you might not want to do it, considering what happened last time but...I want you to really think about it. Reconsider before you make a decision, okay?" Mia asked Sora who nodded hesitantly.
They're all worried about me, but I'm okay now. I know what road I want to travel down.
Not wanting to worry anyone, Sora beamed her famous smile. "Don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing now," she said. Everyone immediately relaxed and smiled. They turned their attention back to the laptop.
"Who else got nominated?" Sarah asked.
Mia scrolled through the list and searched up the names of everyone they knew. "No one else we know got nominated," she concluded. "But, Leon and May won last time, so they get the Phoenix tickets. Layla and Yuri also get the tickets since they are also previous winners," Mia noted.
"Are you going to participate again?" Anna asked May.
"Who knows. Maybe," May replied offhandedly before walking out. Maybe...if Sora participates. I can finally settle the battle between us.
Sora watched her go anxiously. May… it's been three years. I hope she doesn't still hold a grudge on me for giving up.
"I wonder who they'll give their tickets to," Rosetta wondered referring to the other three holders of the Phoenix tickets. Hopefully….
"I don't know. If May and Leon participate again, they'll definitely win for sure," Anna commented.
"Unless Sora participates," Rosetta deadpanned. They all clammed up once again.
"Hey, speaking of Layla-san, has anyone contacted her recently?" Sarah asked. "Sora?" she looked at the Kaleido star, knowing that she was the closest one to the blonde.
Sora shook her head regretfully. "I haven't heard from her in three months. I've tried contacting her but there's been no response from neither her nor her maid. The last message I received said 'Don't worry about me and please, don't come find me.'"
I hope she's okay.
Sora couldn't help but worry. She had kept in constant contact with the former Kaleido star ever since the little incident at New York when Layla-san ran away. They made an effort to contact each other weekly, despite their busy schedules. They had become each other's strength and depended on one another. For Layla to disappear like this…
Sarah, seeing the sadness in Sora's eyes piped up. "I'm sure she's okay. She's a strong woman. Knowing her, she probably just needed some time alone to prepare for her next show."
Sora nodded and smiled slightly, grateful for Sarah's words of encouragement. "I'm sure. I believe in Layla-san."
"Of course. You guys were the perfect pair," Mia commented, not knowing the uneasiness she caused in a certain girl.
Rosetta frowned. The perfect pair...Layla-san and Sora were able to perform the Legendary maneuver together. She gazed up at Sora. Sora, when will I ever catch up to you? When can I show you that I am worthy to be your partner?
*Knock Knock
"Yes?" the girls asked at once, wondering who was at the door.
The door opened to reveal Ken. "Sora, Rosetta, the boss wants to see you guys at his office. You guys can all come too." He looked over where the girls were all huddled. "So you guys know huh?" he asked referring to the nomination list. "Then you can probably guess why he wants you guys there. Now let's go."
Sora knocked on the door.
"Come in," she heard Kalos's rough voice and slowly opened the door, revealing the occupants inside.
May stood in front of Kalos's desk while to side…
"Leon," Sora breathed out. "And Yuri!" she exclaimed excitedly, all but running into the office, followed by Rosetta and the rest of the gang.
"Yo. Long time no see, Sora," the latter greeted, while the former merely looked over.
"What's going on?" Rosetta asked. If this was about the Circus Festival, then why was she here?
"As you probably know by now, the nomination list for the Circus Festival came out today. Sora, you were nominated, while these three were given the Phoenix tickets," Kalos said as he sat at his desk.
"Naturally, I will send a pair to the Festival to uphold Kaleidos winning streak," he continued.
Sora gulped, fearing what is about to come.
"I can't compete, since I will be in France, doing a show," Yuri said and pulled out his ticket. "I was going to recommend you, but seeing as how you were already nominated, I guess I don't have to." He then turned to Rosetta. "Rosetta?"
"Yes?" Rosetta replied in anticipation.
"Would you like to participate in the Circus Festival?" Yuri asked, his eyes unwavering from Rosetta's. "The Festival is no child's play. Are you willing to go to suffer through it and see it to the end?" he asked harshly.
Rosetta gulped and then nodded. "Yes. This is my chance. I will do whatever it takes," she declared, returning Yuri's steely gaze.
Yuri stared Rosetta down and to Rosetta's credit, she did not back down. After a moment, Yuri smiled and the tension was gone.
"Good. But I will not give you this ticket until you've found yourself a partner and decided on a maneuver," Yuri revealed. He then looked to Sora.
"What will you do?" he asked.
Sora shook her head. "I don't know yet. I don't know if I want to participate. And even if I did, I wouldn't know who to partner up with or-"
"I'll be your partner!"
All heads turned to look at May, Leon, and Rosetta.
"I don't want anyone but Sora to be my partner," Rosetta declared. Sora is the only partner for me, and only I can be Sora's partner.
May stared Sora down. Sora and I...Together we are the Demon and the Angel. We will finally beat everyone and show who is better.
Leon, stayed silent as ever. Only Sora is worthy enough to be my partner. He looked up at her.
Kalos smirked. "Looks like we have some work to do." He stood up. "Sora, you have three days to decide on whether you want to compete and who your partner is. If you decide not to, I will send Leon and May." He then looked at Rosetta. "Unless of course Rosetta changes her mind and finds another suitable partner."
Sora groaned mentally. "Please excuse me," she bowed and ran out of the room.
Sora hugged her legs closer to the her chest, as she watched the sun set over the ocean.
"What am I going to do?" What would Layla-san do? Sora shook her head. Pfft, Layla-san wouldn't even be in this mess. She would definitely go, and Yuri-san would find a way to go as her partner. Sora sighed and buried her head into her knees. I need to stop thinking about Layla-san. She's not here anymore. I'm the star of Kaleidos. I need to get my act together.
Sora closed her eyes. I'll deal with this tomorrow.
As Sora walked towards her room, she noticed someone standing in front of her door.
"Rosetta?" The Belgium girl turned around at the sound of her name.
"Is there something you need?" Sora asked.
Rosetta closed her eyes as tears started streaming out and rammed her body into Sora's, engulfing her into a tight hug.
"What's wrong, Rosetta?" Sora asked worriedly.
"I'm sorry, Sora." Rosetta's voice was muffled against Sora's stomach.
"What for?" Sora asked as she ran her fingers through the younger girl's hair, trying to calm her down.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pressure you into joining the Festival. I was just happy that Yuri wanted to give me his ticket and the only person I could think of to be my partner is you," Rosetta admitted. "But if you don't want to do it, I don't want to pressure you into joining the Festival just for me," she cried.
Sora smiled softly as she looked down at the younger girl. "Rosetta, look at me."
Rosetta pulled away from the hug and looked up.
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize. But," Sora hesitated. "I still need some time before I decide. Is that alright?"
Rosetta nodded and smiled up at Sora. "Thank you so much," she replied and dove back into the hug.
"Good night then," Rosetta bid farewell and ran to her own room.
Sora watched her go. What am I going to do?
That night, Sora dreamt of Layla.
Sora found herself as a member of the audience. As she looked up, she realized where she was.
The Circus Festival.
Sora then noticed the pair that was currently performing. She watched as a certain blonde spun through the skies before leaping into her signature move, the Golden Phoenix.
This was when Layla-san won the Circus Festival. She looked up and admired the smile and the pride in Layla-san's face. She could hear the applause. It was loud and still unsettling to Sora, but she couldn't help herself and clapped along at the amazing display of acrobatics.
Sora, taking on the challengers on stage will also be part of your duty now.
When Sora woke up, she knew what to do.