Chapter 35:

"See? There you go," Clawdeen tried to smile as Cerise left the dressing room. "Much better,"

Cerise tugged at the blouse Clawdeen had given her to wear. It was a nice blue and it fit well, but the fabric was cheap and unwashed. Clawdeen had pulled it from the costume bin, which was only a few feet away.

They were in the 'Grotto', an area above the auditorium. Back when actors performed at the center, the Grotto was where they would stay. The Grotto had a dressing room, bathrooms, and bins and bins of costume pieces. But no one had put on a play there for a long time, so the costumes were presumably okay to borrow.

Tossing the torn top into a nearby wastebasket, Cerise sank down on a chair and buried her face in her hands. "This is a disaster,"

Clawdeen reached out and placed her hand on Cerise's shoulder, saying in a soft voice, "It'll be okay, I promise,"

Cerise turned and looked out the window, out at the town of New Salem down below. She didn't want to be in this world anymore. She wanted to go back home, to her parents, but things wouldn't be so perfect there either. Oh, how she wished all of this was just a nasty dream and nothing more...

The sound of footsteps trudging up the narrow stairs caught their attention, and both wolves turned to look. Brocko emerged from the stairwell, looking upset and very embarrassed.

"Hey, um..." he swallowed and looked away. "H-how's it going up here?"

It was clear he was addressing Cerise, but Clawdeen stepped forwards and answered instead. "We're surviving, thanks," Clawdeen sounded cynical as she put her hands on her hips and stared him down. "And there's plenty of shirts on that costume rack back there, in case you wanted to tear any more clothing,"

Though she tried not to look at him, Cerise could feel Brocko staring at her. She could almost sense his emotions.

Brocko sighed. "Clawdeen, c-could I talk to Cerise?"

"Nope," Clawdeen lifted her chin, indignant. "Whatever you gotta say, you can say to both of us,"

Cerise still did not look at him as he pulled up a crate and sat down on it. Brocko inhaled, his breath hitching.

"Look...I need you to believe me when I say that I honestly and truly did not have control of myself down there. I don't know what made me behave the way I did, what made me hurt Cerise, but whatever it was, it'll never happen again,"

Cerise felt a strange and intense mix of sadness and anger well up in her chest, and she finally spoke. "And if it does?"

A pause followed. Cerise turned to look at Brocko: he had his chin pressed into his hand, his eyebrows knitted together, and his whole body slouched as he looked at her. "Cerise," he began, ignoring Clawdeen and speaking to Cerise this time. "When I make a mistake, I know it. I feel it. I tear myself apart- I lose sleep. I never stop thinking about it. So, when I say sorry, I really mean it,"

It was at this moment that Cerise noticed the moistness in her eyes. She looked away, wiping it on the blouse's sleeve and biting down on her lip. Damn it! she thought to herself, bitter. A part of her wanted to stay mad, but given that apology, she knew she couldn't hate him. She never could.

Before Cerise could answer, another set of feet came clonking up the stairs, and Romulus came rushing in. "Clawdeen!" He sputtered. "You'll never believe it- Clawd trapped one of the creepy Wendigo twins in the basement closet!"

"What!?" Clawdeen leaped up, suddenly alive. "Hang on, I'm coming!" She started to run out, but stopped and flashed Brocko a death glare. "You'd better be good to her, 'cause if you're not, I'll know!"

Soon, Brocko and Cerise were alone. A heavy silence hung over them, and it lasted for several minutes as neither of them made eye contact.

"Hey, uh," Brocko broke the silence. "I...like that blouse. It looks good on you,"

Cerise rolled the hem of her skirt between her nails, looking up at Brocko with a nervous expression. "It's from the costume bin,"

"It's pretty," he leaned forward and smiled, although it was a forced smile.

The smile dissipated, and Brocko's ears perked up. He straightened up, alert, and Cerise noticed. "What?" she asked, concerned.

He stared into the hallway, his lips parted a bit as he listened for something. "You don't hear that?" his voice was a low whisper.

Cerise raised a brow, tilting her head. "No?"

"I'm pretty sure I hear someone crying," he rose up, stepping towards the dark hallway with caution. He walked a few feet, stopped, and then beckoned for Cerise to follow him.

Apprehensive, Cerise followed, and she soon heard the sounds of sobbing in the darkness. Brocko flipped a switch as they walked down the hall, and he remarked, "It sounds like a guy, and he's in the projection room,"

Sure enough, they could see a dim light within the rippled glass of the window, and the sobbing was coming from the other side of the door. Brocko knocked, and when the individual did not seem to respond, Brocko turned the handle and opened the door.

"What the hell happened in here!?" Brocko exclaimed, shocked, and Cerise got a good look.

Bram knelt weeping on the projection room floor, nude except for a bedsheet draped across his naked body. His hair was a mess, his clothes lay in a heap a few feet away, and he was quivering all over. He shot up when Brocko spoke, and he stumbled to his feet in a frenzy.

"You need to get me out of here!" Bram's voice cracked as he reached for Brocko, who recoiled in horror at the sight of Bram's nakedness. "Please, I-I think she's still in here!"

Brocko looked confused. "Who?"

"He means ME!"

A woman suddenly dropped down from the ceiling, clothed only in a corset, her long hair hanging in ringlets. Her nails seemed to be claws, and she ran towards Bram and engulfed him in her arms.

"Listen here, losers," she spat, grinning with sharp teeth. "The name's Carlotta, and blonde Edward Cullen is mine for the time being! So you'd better get along, little doggies,"

Bram let out a yelp and struggled to get away. "No! No- please! Brocko, you have to help me!"

When Brocko stood there in stunned silence, Carlotta snorted. "Listen, wolfies: a girl's got needs, you understand? So how about you back away slowly and pretend you didn't see me? Trust me, I'm not gonna kill him,"

For a moment, it seemed as though Brocko would turn and leave, but that's not what happened. Instead, he bravely stepped forward and reached for his wallet. "How much you want for him?"

Cerise's jaw dropped. Was Brocko being serious?

"Money?!" Carlotta chortled. "You're actually gonna pay me to release him?"

Brocko's hands shook as he revealed a 50 dollar bill to Carlotta. "Will this be enough?"

There was a silence as Carlotta sat up, glancing at the money and then at Brocko. Then, she grinned a sharp-toothed smile and responded, "I think I see something else I like!" All the sudden, she jumped straight up, lunging at Brocko and tackling him. Before Cerise could even register what was happening, Carlotta had grabbed Brocko by the neck and dragged him down the hallway, his screams echoing off the walls.

Cerise's body snapped to attention, and she took off running after Carlotta. "BROCKO!"

Leaving Bram all alone, Cerise rushed down the hall as fast as she could, screaming Brocko's name all the while. It wasn't until she tumbled into the stage that she realized she'd lost him.

"Damn it!" she breathed, her eyes wide with panic. This place was bigger than she'd thought.

"Hey, who's in here?" a voice called out, and Cerise whirled around, only to have a flashlight's light strike her eyes. She stumbled backward, but a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "You good?"

Cerise blinked, realizing who it was. "Howleen!"

Sure enough, Howleen stood before her with her brothers Howldon, Howlmilton, and her friend Twyla by her side. "What's with all the yelling?" Howleen asked, concerned. "Did someone get-?"

"Brocko!" Cerise blurted out, grabbing Howleen by the shoulders. "Howleen, she took Brocko!"

When the others gave her confused looks, Cerise sighed and elaborated. "A crazy lady stole Brocko, and now I can't find him!"

A loud scream erupted from the hallway, and Twyla remarked, "Well, speak of the devil,"

Cerise bolted towards the door, with Twyla and the other wolves following close behind. They burst the doors open just in time to see Carlotta holding Brocko against the wall, her hand reaching towards his belt. She froze when she saw the others approach her.

"Have you come for a demonstration for why abstinence fails?" Carlotta inquired in a sweet but sickening voice.

Cerise made a move to jump, but Twyla stopped her and stepped forward instead. "No, actually!" thick, purple smoke burst from Twyla's hand, and she shot a great deal of the stuff at Carlotta, knocking her flat on her back.

Brocko collapsed, gasping, and Cerise ran to him right away and helped him up. "Did she hurt you!?"

Brocko coughed. "N-no,"

Carlotta focused her attention on Twyla, and her eyes started glowing. "Oh, is that the way it's going to be!?"

Twyla produced more smoke from her hands, and she blasted even more of it straight into Carlotta. When Carlotta attempted to push back, Twyla thought fast and shot smoke at the ceiling. This dislodged a light and pulled it down, crashing straight on Carlotta. It pinned her to the floor, and within seconds, it burst into flames.

The group stared in horror for a few seconds as the fire began to spread, and Brocko turned around and hit a button labeled 'instant sprinklers'. As the water washed away the flames, only the broken lighting fixture remained. Carlotta had vanished.

Twyla fell on her knees, her breath shaky, and Howleen knelt beside her. "Twyla?"

Inhaling, Twyla wiped her nose, revealing that it was bleeding a little. "I-it's normal," she explained when she noticed the others' concern. "That happens when I strain my powers,"

Brocko walked over to the light fixture, staring at it as his hands fell in his pockets. Cerise stood beside him, taking his arm. "C-come on," she began, her voice soft. "Let's just get out of here,"

In the projection room, Bram lay staring at the floorboards in silence. After a few seconds, he rose up and reached for his clothes.

He pulled his shirt back on but lost the strength to do anything else, and he leaned against the walls. Bram covered his face with his hands, and another sob escaped him. What now?

"Who's there!?" an anxious voice called, and Bram knew who it was right away.

"Gory!" he cried, running to meet her. "Oh, Gory, it's me!"

Gory ran to embrace him, but she stopped when she noticed that he was half-naked. "Um...Bram? Where are the rest of your clothes?"

Bram felt the tears prick his eyes, but he fought them back as he looked Gory in the eyes. "Gory? Do you promise you won't hate me?"

A cold, icy feeling began to pulse through Gory. "What happened?" she then noticed a strange mark on his neck, and she knew what it was. Lipstick.

"Some lady...I swear, I thought it was you! Honest to God, Gory! She started teasing me and trying to kiss me, and because I thought it was you, I..."

Gory put up a hand to stop him from talking. "You...did stuff, didn't you?"

When Bram stared at her pitifully, Gory clapped her hands over her eyes and groaned, "Bram, why!?"

"I thought it was you!" Bram pleaded, his voice cracking. "She was a shapeshifter, I'm sure of it! Everything felt normal until she...she pulled out a camera,"

"And?"

Bram lowered his head, humiliation present in his voice when he said, "I told her not to film me, and then she turned into...some weird clown thing! I don't know how to describe it, it was so surreal! I realized what had happened and I tried to get away, but she held me down and..."

Gory took her hands away from her face, her eyes blank. "I think I understand,"

"Y...yeah," Bram wiped at his eyes, and he reached for Gory. "Honey-"

Gory pushed him away, enraged. "You're lying to me, Bram!"

The look of betrayal in Bram's eyes made Gory pity him for only a moment, but it faded when he tried to talk. "Gory, please-"

"You had your chance, cheater!" she stormed away, yelling, "And you won't be seeing me anytime soon!"

Gory tore through the halls and up the stairs, stopping outside of the storage area, where she broke down. She hated him, she hated the other woman, but most of all, she hated herself.

She wasn't good enough for him. He threw her away to be with someone else, and the more she thought this, the surer of it she became. Thinking she was all alone, she wailed a mournful wail and she didn't hold back.

Her own cries were so loud that she hardly noticed when the storage room door swung open. The next thing she knew, someone was grabbing her, and a voice was saying, "Gory! What's wrong!? Are you hurt!?"

Gory blinked back her tears and looked up, seeing Deuce standing above her. She struggled to her feet, choking out, "Bram's a stupid, cheating jerk!"

"Okay, okay," Deuce took her arm and led her into the storage room. "Well, don't cry out here. We don't want to alert anyone we wouldn't want nearby,"

Hello, dear readers! I understand that this story has been going on for a very long time, and you should know right now that this will, most likely, end up being my longest story ever. That's why I thank you all so much for continuing to read it and supporting it with all your comments, favorites, and follows!

As for this chapter, what are your thoughts? Did it keep your attention? How do you think our protagonists will escape? What do you hope to see in future chapters? Let me know in your review, and I will try to get back to you if I am able.