Angels of the Trapeze: Sora and Layla
Chapter EXTRA: An Phoenix's Amazing Rebirth
The next day, Sora and Layla were in a television show for an interview. The filming took place in Kaleido Stage and Sora and Layla sat besides other patiently. Both of them were in their costumes from their festival performance.
"All right everyone. Get ready. "People of Our Time: The Circus Festival Winners - Sora Naegino and Layla Hamilton". Take one." a man said. The hostess adjusted her hair and smiled. Sora looked at Layla nervously.
"So...what am I supposed to do?" Sora said. Layla smiled.
"Keep your eyes on the hostess and you'll be fine." Layla said. Sora stuttered and sat up straight.
"OK. Action!" the man said.
"Miss Hamilton, it was a truly marvelous thing for you to return to the festival as a performer. How did it feel to be performing with Kaleido Stage star Sora Naegino after all this time?" the hostess asked.
"Well, it was both a lot of hard work and fun. It's been a while since Sora and I performed on stage together." Layla said. Sora nodded.
"Yeah. I was really happy to be working with Layla again. The two of us haven't been on the same stage since she asked me to be in her broadway show, Salome in Vegas." Sora said. The hostess chuckled.
"The last time you two performed on such a large stage was when you did the Legendary Great Maneuver. Which of the two do you think was more harder for you to do?" the hostess said.
"Well, I would have to say the Legendary Great Maneuver took more out of us." Sora said.
"That's right. Compared to that, the Angelic Phoenix Dance was easier to train for since we created the maneuver ourselves." Layla said. From afar, Sora's friends watched their interview. Diane, Fiona, Charlotte, Julie and Makkoli were watching as well.
"Sora's getting a lot better with these interviews." Ken said. May agreed. After all the time during the festival, May's leg was completely healed and she could stand again. In Rosetta's mind, she could still picture Sora and Layla's maneuver at the festival.
"Those two...are just so amazing. They did the Legendary Great Maneuver and now they accomplished their Angelic Phoenix Dance." Yuri said. Leon smiled.
"So, what awaits you Miss Hamilton now that the festival is over?" the hostess said. Sora waited to hear Layla's response just when Kalos appeared.
"Huh? Kalos?" Layla said. The camera man turned his lense to Kalos.
"Didn't she tell anyone yet? I guess I will. Miss Layla Hamilton will be making her grand return to Kaleido Stage after their comeback performance which we call "The Angel and the Phoenix" based off their maneuver." Kalos said. Everyone gasped including Layla.
"Miss Hamilton! Is it true you're returning to Kaleido Stage?" she said. The camera turned to Layla and she was sitting there stuttering. But her stutter ended when she heard Sora clapping.
"Layla. That's so great!" Sora said. Soon, the others started clapping as well. Layla chuckled with an embarrassed tone in her voice. After the interview, Layla was in Kalos' office mad.
"Why did you say that Kalos? I never planned on returning to Kaleido Stage." Layla said. Kalos chuckled.
"What? You think I would say something that wasn't true? It was all over your face during training Layla." Kalos said. Layla growled.
"I agreed that I'd perform in the comeback show with Sora. But that was it." Layla said. Kalos turned his glare to Layla with a smile.
"Oh really? Why not make a little friendly bet then? If your comeback show with Sora can make the entire crowd cheer louder than you can think, you'll stay. If not, you can go back to Broadway. Deal?" Kalos said. Layla smiled.
"Deal." Layla said. She and Kalos shook hands to make it official. Later that day, Kalos called Sora and Mia to his office. Layla stayed to listen to what Kalos wanted to tell them.
"Girls? I want this comeback performance to be unlike anything we've done before. Feel up to the challenge?" Kalos said. Layla explained their little bet and Sora agreed to it along with Mia. Kalos said that Sora could invite anyone she knew to join in the performance as well.
"Really? You mean other performers?" Sora said. Kalos chuckled.
"I literally meant "anyone" Sora." Kalos said. Sora smiled thinking she had some perfect choices in mind. She sent invites to be apart of the show to Donna, Mute and Alice, her friends at Theatrical Camp as well as Manami, Sayaka and Miki. They were all thrilled to be apart of Sora's show and quickly accepted their invites. When everyone arrived together, Kalos announced the show concept to everyone.
"If you're not aware of the story, then I would advise you all to take the time to read the story if you get the chance. It might help you understand your character more. I would like to thank May especially for having a copy of this book." Mia said. May smiled and everyone clapped.
"All right everyone. Our performance will begin in a week from now. So I expect everyone to be giving it their best in training. You are dismissed!" Kalos said. Everyone nodded and the next day, their training began. Kalos secretly told everyone about his bet with Layla and they made sure to make the crowd applaud as loud as possible. In the training hall, Manami and friends were learning how to dance elegantly.
"Whoa. This is...trickier than it looks." Manami said "Why did you want us to be in the show with you again Sora? We can't perform like you." Sora chuckled.
"What? I thought my friends should be apart of the show as well." Sora said. Miki and Sayaka were getting a bit dizzy from the training. While they trained in dancing, Anna, Hannah and Barbara were praticing their jokes as well. Marion and Johnathan were training out by the pool since Marion was casted as a young mermaid.
"Come on Johnathan! Let's jump higher!" Marion said. Johnathan barked happily and they contined to jump out of the water. Sarah and Donna were praticing their vocals since they would be singing a little bit. Charlotte, Julie and Makkoli were training on the trapeze.
"It's been a while since I've used the trapeze." Charlotte said. Julie nodded.
"But we can't dissapoint Layla. Let's keep going." Charlotte said. On the ground below, Elena, Jean, Clair and Emillio were praticing their routines as well. The Theatrical Camp group were there as well. Tank was juggling Mila and Milo while Pamela, Mute and Alice practiced their trampoline maneuvers.
"I have a feeling this show is going to be HUGE. I like the way you think Sora." Pamela thought. May, Cynthia and Diane were waiting patiently for the trapeze.
"Hey! Can you guys hurry it up?! We need to train too!" May shouted. Diane calmed her down.
"Come on May. Be lucky that you're apart of such a large performance." Diane said.
"Yeah. Just take it easy." Cynthia said. Fiona and Rosetta were training on another set of trapeze since they would be partners in the show.
"Let's make this show the best we can Fiona. For Sora and Miss Layla." Rosetta said. Fiona nodded confidently. Leon and Yuri trained on the actual stage trapeze due to all the others performing.
"Isn't this something Leon? All of us together for one grand performance. I don't know about you, but I can't wait." Yuri said. Leon felt the same way. Jean was hard at work making some of the stage props with Ken supervising along with a few of his fellow stage hands.
"This is going to be the greatest show we've ever had on Kaleido Stage. And if we play our cards right, Layla won't be going anywhere for a LONG time." Jean said. Fool was happy to see everyone working hard on it. In his crystal ball, he saw Leo all alone.
"Because of the bet Leo has made, she wants to just perform the show and leave. But...is that truly what Leo wants? Or is she hiding something from her friends?" Fool said "Only Sagittarius can find out for sure." Meanwhile, Sora and Layla were in the training room tuning some points on their festival winning maneuver.
"I have to make this the greatest show ever. If we want Layla to stay at Kaleido Stage, we have to give it our all!" Sora thought. In the room as well was Cathy and Mia.
"Hey Mia? Shouldn't you be practicing for your role? You're in the show as well." Cathy said. Mia was just making sure Sora and Layla's training was going smoothly.
"Just leave watching these two to me." Cathy said. Mia nodded and left. Cathy turned to Layla with a smile.
"Hey Layla. I wouldn't be considering leaving. By the way everyone is, we may be stuck here." Cathy said. Layla was feeling the same way. For the rest of the week, training went on with everyone working hard. And when the big day came, they were ready. Sora's parents came to see it along with Anna's parents, Mia's parents and grandmother as well as Layla's father. Kalos was glad to see there was such a big turn out. Ken was by Kalos' side.
"Now to see if our hard work pays off." Ken said. In the audience, they saw some of the performers from the festival as well as their other friends. Kalos joined Mr. Kenneth in the audience. Just then, the lights on stage went on and there were Sora and Layla dressed as colored eggs. They jumped around on the trampolines while being joined by three other performers. With one last high jump, Sora and Layla's costumes broke open into their outfits from the festival. Everyone clapped.
"And now it's scene four. The part where the angel and phoenix meet their other new born friends." Cathy thought. The other three performers left and Sora and Layla were joined by Mia, Rosetta, Fiona, Marion, Johnathan and Donna. On the trapeze above were Leon and Yuri. On stage, all of Sora's friends were performing on the trampoline with smiles.
"Wow. Everyone sure is having fun up there." May said from behind the curtain. The crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves. After Sora and her friends divided, the stage changed to the town watched over by the angel and phoenix.
"Scene nine. Here comes Anna and Manami's groups." Mia said. On stage, Manami, Sayaka and Miki were dancing with some male performers dressed in beautiful dresses. Others rode hand in hand on unicycles while Anna was on stage with Hannah and Barbara.
"Wow. Look at your friends Sora. They're absolutely beautiful." Sarah said. Sora nodded. Manami saw Sora off the corner of her eye and winked.
"Good job you guys." Sora whispered. After that, the next scene was when the circus performers came to town. On stage was the group from Theatrical Camp alongside Mute and Alice. Tank juggled with his barrels while Pamela took to the trapeze. Mila, Milo and Dominique bounced on the trampoline while Mr. Pack juggled.
"My. You put everything into this performance, didn't you Kalos?" Mr. Kenneth said. Kalos chuckled and told him to keep watching. On another trampoline, Mute and Alice jumped together while Dio struck roses in their hands with his whip. The petals scattered across the stage.
"I haven't had this much fun in a while now." Dio thought. Meanwhile, May and Diane were getting their roles ready.
"All right May. Let's do this. It's our turn now." Diane said. May nodded and they grabbed the nearby trapeze once Layla and Sora returned. The music on stage changed to a darker theme and the lights dimmed below.
"And now we're at scene fifthteen. This is where the devil attacks the phoenix!" Marion said. Layla gasped and she started to avoid Diane's "attacks" on the trapeze.
"The devil has no heart. All he wants is power and absolute control. And the only way he can gain that...is by bringing down the phoenix AND the angel!" Diane thought. In the crowd, Diane's parents came to see her peform. And they were actually impressed with how she performed.
"That's...That's our Diane?" her mother said. With one last swing of her dark sword, Layla screamed and dropped from the trapeze. She fell into the darkened ground as many other performers in demon costumes came at Sora.
"All right. Scene changes to the Dark World next." Mia said. As Sora performed to get away, the other demon performers were in "fights" with her friends Mia, Fiona, Rosetta and Marion.
"The phoenix has fallen, thus the sun's lights have died and darkness engulfs the town. Meanwhile, the angel searches endlessly for her fallen friend in hopes of reviving the sun." Cathy thought "Luckily, in admist of all the chaos, the angel meets the daughters of Aries. Fiona? Rosetta? I'm counting on you here." Rosetta and Fiona joined Sora.
"All right guys. You ready?" Sora whispered.
"Yeah." Rosetta and Fiona whispered.
"Angelic Dive!" they shouted together. Holding one of Sora's hands, Fiona and Rosetta launched Sora in a small spiral and she caught the trapeze. Fiona and Rosetta jumped to the bar ahead ready for Sora to follow them. Sora leaped to their bar and caught it. In the audience applauding was Rosetta's mother.
"Rosetta..." she thought. Sora sprang off towards the next with Rosetta and Fiona watching with smiles. But they changed to frightened faces when May arrived on Sora's trapeze bar!
"And now it's time for the duel. The devil's most experienced minion catches the angel mid flight." Kalos thought. On the bar, May laughed in an evil tone.
"So little angel. You DARE to challenge my master's powers?! Then you must best me in a duel! Prepare to lose your wings!" May said. Sora accepted May's challenge and May smiled. She leaped back to another trapeze and Sora joined her. Together, they performed the Eternal Illusion and May leaped to the next trapeze.
"Well, you have talent little angel. But take this! Demon Spiral!" May shouted. She leaped at Sora with a dagger in both hands. But she missed and she descended towards the ground. Sora reached her arm down and caught her with her legs hanging on the bar.
"You...You saved me?" May said. Sora smiled and May smiled.
"Very well. I shall let you pass." May said. Holding onto May, they descended down to the darkened ground. Two more performers in demon costumes arrived. But they were stopped when they heard Sarah and Donna on stage together. The ground beneath lit up and Sora was holding Layla's head in her hand and holding her with her other. May watched from afar looking worried.
"No. My friend. Please...wake up." Sora said. Sora was crying real tears in her eyes and Sora's parents almost did the same.
"Just watching those two perform like this...it makes me want to cry." Rosetta thought. She was holding back her tears. On stage, Sarah and Donna approached Sora. They gave her a bottle and Sora let Layla drink from it. Her eyes opened up and Layla saw Sora's face.
"My angel..." Layla said softly. Sora smiled and they hugged each other tightly. The crowd started to applaud as Diane arrived on one of the trapeze. Sora and Layla stood up and looked around. Just then, Sarah began to sing and a set of trampolines appeared behind her.
"And now it's time. The Angelic Phoenix Dance." Mia thought. Suspense filled the room as Sora and Layla hopped onto the trampolines and begun bouncing.
"All right Layla. This is it. I'm going to make them applaud so loud that none of us will be able to hear ourselves." Sora said. Layla smiled.
"Try your best Sora." Layla said. Just then, Fool once again appeared before them.
"The strength of Leo combined with the shimmering light of Sagittarius! Alone they are nothing, but together...they are unmatched by all!" Fool said "Go forth and don't stop until all you can hear is applause!" Sora and Layla leaped up high together and Sora pushed off Rosetta's bar while Layla pushed off Diane's bar.
"Let your wings expand and fly towards the heavens!" Fool said. Sora and Layla went up so high that they were nothing but shadows in the lights. Suddenly, Sora and Layla expanded their wings and the audience applauded.
"Now, Layla, it's time for the REAL show to begin." Sora thought. Without even looking at the bars, Sora and Layla performed their dancing across the bars just like at the festival. But this time, they shined even more brightly than before. Joining them on stage were several other performers in phoenix and angel costumes. Among them were Elena, Jean, Clair, Mute and Alice, Charlotte, Julie and Makkoli.
"Amazing. I still can't believe that she is really OUR little Sora." Midori said. Layla's father was smiling as he watched Layla perform.
"Layla, you're still the beautiful star I always have seen you as." he thought. On stage, Diane started to perform with them.
"It's funny. I always thought a maneuver was just something for me to master. And when I did it, I always kept doing it the same way. No wonder they were mad at me last time. I always thought I was the best star on the stage." Diane said. Her eyes shifted to Sora and Layla.
"But when I see those two perform, I feel like a fool. Their performances together make mine seem like nothing." Diane thought. Soon, the same effect that captivated Rosetta had effected everyone who performed in the show and they returned to perform together.
"Whoa! I feel...weird. How could I feel this way?" Manami said. From high up, Layla could see everyone performing together again and she gasped.
"It's...amazing. I never thought...that our maneuver could really do all that. Sora. I have a feeling...that Kalos has won." Layla thought. Just then, Fool appeared in front of her and bowed.
"I'm not finished here yet. Am I?" Layla thought. As Fool vanished, he smiled and said "I have a feeling...we'll be seeing each other a lot more Layla..." After that, Sora and Layla finished their maneuver and landed on a bar together. As they held each other in their arms, their wings shined in the light. And when the applause came, it was twice as loud as what they heard at the festival. Layla couldn't even hear herself think.
"Sora? I have a feeling...I'm not going anywhere." Layla whispered. Sora smiled with tears in her eyes and hugged Layla tighter. Fool smiled as he watched their show finished. Kalos invited Sora's friends to stay for the other performances and they decided to stick around.
"I guess since Layla's staying...I will as well." Cathy said. She looked at Layla and smiled with a wink.
"And Sora? I look forward to our future performances together." Layla said. Sora looked at Layla and she smiled.
"Yeah. I do too...Layla..." Sora said. The two hugged as the sun started to set behind Kaleido Stage.
THE END