Chapter Three: A Phantom Melody
A cradle of moonshine surrounded her sleeping body, as she drifted into the realm
of dreams, where nightmares seemed to attack her more regularly. Sarah gazed about at
the sky, so very dark and pure, with only the crystalline shards, as if pinpricks in the very
night, to alter that overwhelming jet black.
The stars themselves seemed innumerable in their immense display. They shone in
her eyes, opened wide to take in this scene of serenity. She was at peace, after the chaotic
moments she had spent upon first arriving at her new home. Sarah was able to relax, to
perhaps drowse in this soft silken existence in which she now dwelled.
The faintest catch of melody rode the mild breeze as it brushed against her face.
Then it died away, to leave the night breathless, entirely silent, and devoid of the original
peace Sarah had so loved. She snapped open her wild, chocolate eyes, to see what had
come and taken away her tranquillity.
There was nothing. Even as she rose to sit, Sarah could see only emerald grass,
perfectly still. There was only the expanse of the field, and the never-ending sky
overhead, and herself in this world. Not even a single hill, or so much as a raise in the
level of the ground could be seen from her vantage point, which certainly was not a very
good one since the grass very nearly blocked her entire view.
Now the melody again, so sorrowful. The sadness in the song drove into her soul,
aching with pain of so many losses that she had sustained. Yet, with the harm the tune
inflicted, the words rose and fell, so sweet, filled with a love she had never known. Sarah
listened and once again closed her eyes.
The breeze surely had picked up, for her hair drew back as if brushed by
something. Then it fell, flowing over her shoulders and scented of some divine fragrance
that she was helpless to name. She could only allow the aroma to cover her senses
entirely and fill her with unnamed longings, those that were hidden now rose to the surface
and nearly forced her to cry out in amazement at the power of the emotions.
"There's no living in my life anymore.
The seas have gone dry and the rain stopped falling," an enchanting voice,
accented with rich, seductive tones began.
Sarah could feel the singer's breath against her ear, though she still did not speak.
She could only sit there, and listen as this man serenaded her so sweetly. She knew, she
could sense already who was by her, without even hearing the voice that still forced
shivers along her spine.
"Please don't you cry anymore.
Can't you see?
Listen to the breeze, whisper to me please
don't send me on the path of nevermore," he continued as a faint trickle of music
accompanied the lyrics.
Sarah swayed, feeling so very drained of any energy she had had since then.
Perhaps the song held some form of enchantment. The thought frightened her enough to
break the trance that had held her for a short time. Once again Sarah opened her eyes and
glanced around.
"Jareth?" she whispered, almost hopefully.
There was no response to her call, and even the melody drifted away, riding a new
breath of air that had swept past her so suddenly. Once again it caught her tresses,
brushing against her face in the process. The scent of springtime in full bloom, of
thousands of countryside rides, and raw magic, covered her entirely in that moment.
Above it all, the breeze and the lovely aura of magic, she once again heard the
gentle sobbing of the same girl that had originally come to her in a dream only earlier that
day. It seemed a lifetime ago. The crying woman sounded so very far away, and even as
Sarah believed that the sound would continue just as long as the previous time, it was
gone, along with the wind and all other wondrous things she had experienced.
"Sarah, why do you call me here?" Jareth's voice plummeted down upon her.
She startled once again and then turned her gaze towards the sky, for that was
where the voice had seemed to emanate. It was strange, to simply look into the expanse
of stars and night, and hear a voice that she had believed to be gone from her life. Why
was the Goblin King suddenly so prevalent in her existence?
"Why must you haunt me so?" she demanded, and then tried in vain to will the
voice away.
It was no use, and she should have know. Her only hope would be to awaken
from this never-ending nightmare, and try to convince herself that none of it had been real.
Of course, that was as impossible as her attempts to control the reappearance of Jareth in
her life.
Even as she thought that, the dream began to break, and she could vaguely hear a
concerned voice calling to her from some great distance. The sky faded, and the grass
dissipated, and all around her was simply dark in preparation for her waking.
"It is I who have been drawn into your dreams, Sarah, and it is you who must
release me," Jareth's voice came to her as she rested in that black oblivion....
It could have been days, hours, months that she spent in the intense nothingness of
her unconscious. However, her senses returned, and the faint gray overtones from
filtering light played across her eyelids as they flickered in her awakening. Sarah snapped
open her eyes, to suddenly view the crowd of people gazing down at her.
They all smiled, in attempts to hide the worry, and lighten the unnerving
atmosphere in the large room in which she now found herself. How she had arrived there,
was one of the many questions that she doubted she would ever ask. However, that really
did not matter at the moment. Sarah was concerned that this scene would mean disaster
for her second chance at a normal life.
From the sea of unfamiliar faces, all concerned for someone they did not know,
appeared a single person Sarah was able to recognize. Peter, the man who had obviously
brought her to this room following her strange fainting spell, smiled and rubbed the back
of his neck, unsure of how to continue. Perhaps he was wondering just how to tell Sarah
that it was better for her to leave.
"How do you feel, dear?" another young woman questioned as she stepped in
closer to Sarah's side.
The woman was only slightly older than Sarah herself, probably in her mid
twenties. She had thick red hair, and shimmering green eyes, which certainly did make her
stand out from the rest. Her face was pleasant, though not entirely beautiful, and was
covered in a shocking amount of freckles. However, her smile, so very warm and caring,
allowed Sarah comfort in this rather uncomfortable situation.
"Fine," she muttered slightly and began to rise to a sitting position.
The red-haired woman quickly caught Sarah by her arms, forcing her to remain
reclined. She abruptly shook her head and then turned to glance back at the rest of the
crowd, still silent and watching the whole 'show.' It was rude, and obviously Sarah's new
acquaintance did not approve of it in the least.
She cleared her throat and gestured towards the large door on the other side of the
massive room. It seemed that everything in the mansion was enormous when compared to
the typical house. The people turned and left, without so much as word. However, Sarah
could easily hear mumbled catches of certain gossip as the door returned to its rightful
place in its frame.
"Well, wasn't the best way to meet everyone, but it'll do. I take it that you're
Sarah," the woman stated, at last stepping away from Sarah and removing her restraining
hands.
"Yes... and thanks," Sarah responded, placing a hand to her head.
She still felt detached from reality, as if a part of her mind had remained in the
dream that she had experienced a brief time earlier. Sarah could only manage a few short
words, muttered in a strange distant voice, that sounded so different from her own. It felt
as if she heard everything from far away, and even down a great tunnel where only the soft
echo reached her awaiting ears.
She finally forced herself to raise up, hoping that that might bring the last bit of her
normal personality back where it belonged. However, all she succeeded in doing, was
nearly falling back after the wave of vertigo struck her poor head. Sarah wavered a bit,
and then steadied herself, as the other woman watched with worry evident in her features.
"You must have had quite a trip. Some rest would do you good," the woman
replied, standing from her seat with an unusual amount of grace.
The mere thought of sleep frightened Sarah more than that strange statue. She
would have chosen a dozen other forms of punishment than to be forced to slip off, back
into the dream world where 'he' had chosen to dwell for the time being. The shock
brought her back entirely, and knocked the last bit of dizziness away.
"Wait, umm...," Sarah paused, realizing that she had yet to learn this kind person's
name.
The woman stopped and turned back around, her hands on her hips in a mock
stern stance. However, the teasing grin that lit her face, and accentuated her lovely eyes,
made the entire act unbelievable. She seemed like someone who had not been able to
keep serious for any length of time during her whole life.
"It's Gabrielle..," she stated.
Sarah nodded and then pushed herself off the bed. She was not ready to be babied
like this. After all, she had taken care of herself many times before, and this would be no
different. Sarah did not need people to think that she was weak, for that was one thing
that she had never been, and never would be. One does not make it through an entire
labyrinth, past goblin guards, and defeat a powerful Goblin King, if one is weak.
She managed but one step, and then nearly toppled over her own shoes, which
rested just a short distance from the edge of the bed. Sarah swiped a stray piece of hair
from her face and then gathered the shoes up into her hands, glancing back at her friend in
the process. She leaned against the nearest wall, and succeeded in pulling the tedious
things half on.
Sarah managed a smile in response to Gabrielle's worry. She really did seem like a
mother, what with her kind eyes, and worried nature. However, if Gabrielle had known,
she probably would have laughed and declared that there was no time for children in her
life at that point. A family would just have to wait.
"I can't spend anymore time in this room, apart from everyone else. If I am to
work with all of you, I think that I should meet all the others properly, and not while I'm
unconscious," Sarah stated as she paused at the door, waiting for Gabrielle to follow.
"Well, if you insist," Gabrielle remarked and then followed Sarah out of the room.
The moment she entered the hallway, Sarah was certain that she would never be
able to learn the twists and turns of Fontridge. It was nearly as confusing as the labyrinth,
except lacking certain oubliettes and deadly Cleaners. Still, she felt hopelessly lost, unsure
of even which way to turn that would bring her closer to...wherever they were headed.
Gabrielle noticed Sarah's uncertainty and plunged ahead, leading onward to the
theatre, as the rehearsal room was so dubbed. Sarah followed closely behind, straying
only slightly to admire the many paintings, and tapestries that covered the otherwise bare
walls.
"What is this mysterious play that no one has told me about?" Sarah asked,
drawing away from a lovely canvas on which a pale young girl had been painted.
Gabrielle halted at the question and immediately turned to Sarah. She glanced
about herself, and then placed a slender finger over her pink lips. She obviously wanted
silence. For once, her face lacked the general mirth that had since then been so usual in
her features. She then turned and continued down the passage.
"I would be thrown out in the street, should I tell you about it without Peter being
around. The play is his first...like a baby, his piece de resistance, to put it mildly,"
Gabrielle responded, still not looking back at Sarah as she spoke.
Sarah sighed, just loud enough to assure herself that Gabrielle had heard. She
wanted the other woman to know just how stupid the whole secrecy surrounding the play
was. It was, after all, just an act, nothing truly important. It seemed that Peter was just a
bit eccentric, if he would react so violently to a little slip such as telling what the play was
about.
Nonetheless, Peter had been kind enough to take a chance on quite a questionable,
not to mention inexperienced, young actress such as Sarah. So far she had not proven
herself worthy of his 'great' play, what with barging into his office and shortly later
fainting dead away. It would be smart to avoid making any unnecessary waves so soon in
her stay with the group.
"Well, here we are," Gabrielle exclaimed, with mock enthusiasm as she paused
before a set of wondrously crafted doors.
They were inlaid with golden leaf designs, that flowed over the entirety of the
dark, polished wood. The handles of each door also matched the general fantastic quality,
since they were formed into flowering vines. Above the door was another work of art,
this being some scene from a Shakespearean play, though Sarah did not have enough time
to decide which one was depicted.
Gabrielle grabbed her by the arm, and led Sarah quickly into the room, where the
entire conversation immediately cut off, leaving only silence to welcome the two women.
Sarah glanced around rather nervously, at once sure that the talk had been about her, and
her strange shadowed past. Peter rose from his seat, and offered Sarah a wary smile, still
obviously not sure how to act around her.
"Welcome, I trust that Gabby showed you the way?" Peter questioned, gesturing
for them to come and join the rest of the actors as they read over another section of the
play.
Sarah smiled as she walked over to the questioning eyes that greeted her. It
seemed that she had met the only two friendly souls in the whole lot of her new
companions. The remaining seven or eight, only glanced at her and then continued to talk,
only this time in hushed whispers, accompanied with several muffled laughs.
"Yes. This is quite an amazing place," Sarah remarked, in attempts to take the
attention off of previous events that had occurred that day.
Peter glanced around the immense theatre. It was fit with a stage, chairs,
entertaining artwork, everything that the typical theater held. Sarah was, to put it mildly,
quite stunned to see such a thing in a house, yet it did not entirely surprise her after
witnessing the enormity of the entire estate. She could easily see them placing an entire
football field in the first floor, with room to spare for spectators and two teams.
It was obviously new, something that Peter had decided must be built upon his
recent dive into writing. He did, after all, certainly have the money for it. The crushed
velvet curtain, pulled to the side now so that the stage was shown in all its shiny glory,
was immaculate, without so much as a crease in its crimson material. Each and every light
remained devoid of dust, and bugs, or any other form of unsatisfactory grime, and
obviously they all worked. Sarah almost felt sickened to see such a pristine appearance,
nothing was meant to be this clean.
"Shall we begin again, then?" Peter asked, clapping his hands together in one sharp
movement to draw attention back to the task at hand.
Sarah and Gabrielle found their seats quickly, and each picked up a single manila
folder, also never used, which was fastened with a single piece of tape. Most of the others
had already taken the sheets of paper from the folder and read through at least part of it.
It never paid to be late, even when one cannot help it.
Both woman hurriedly removed the script from the envelope and waited for the
rest to continue from where they had left off. As usual, all looked towards Peter to
explain what had happened, and tell his normal tale of how this piece had come to him. It
was getting quite monotonous after three weeks of the same stuff.
Sarah flipped through the pages quickly, as the rest remained in silence. However,
she could not understand what trick they had decided to play on her. She held only the
second act, scenes three to five, but nothing more of the play. Surely they did not expect
to give her only part of the entire thing. Even if she was to only be in part, she at least
wanted to know what the whole play was about.
"I seem to be missing quite a bit of this play," Sarah stated, still searching for
something she might have overlooked. Yet, the folder was entirely empty, and Gabrielle
seemed to have the same scenes in her hand as well.
Several frustrated sighs and moans of displeasure broke through the otherwise
quiet group. Peter, once again, was the only one to offer any semblance of an answer.
Sarah herself was growing quite upset with the other actors. They all believed themselves
to be above her.
"Why Sarah, I forgot entirely that you only arrived here today. I must give you the
beginning that the others have already read over a few times. Let me assure you, that you
are not as far behind as they might lead you to believe. Everything is in a very raw stage
at the present time," he stated, as he wrote a quick note in a leather planner that rested on
his lap.
Still, Sarah was not sure what was happening. It certainly would help to have the
beginning of the play, but she also wanted the end. What good would part do, if she had
no idea how the whole thing finished?
"What about the rest?" Sarah questioned, once again followed by displeased
glances from her peers.
Peter seemed to darken a bit at her inquiry. His mouth remained set, and his eyes
turned so very cold suddenly. It could have very well been her imagination, since it had
been working in overtime that day, but Sarah doubted it. The next instant he forced a
smile and turned to her, still entirely serious about the whole subject.
"It is not written yet," he replied simply, and then turned to show Sarah that the
subject was closed.
She turned to Gabrielle for some information, but there was none to be found. It
seemed that all were as curious about the end as Sarah herself. Obviously, Peter was a bit
more eccentric than she had originally believed. After all, she had never heard of a play
being rehearsed before it was presented in its completed form. That did not mean that it
was never done, for she had not had much experience, but Sarah seriously doubted that
this was a regular occurrence.
The general mood of the actors, and of Peter, had hardened quite a bit. Everyone
seemed to yearn to leave, even though not much practice had occurred. Anything that
was done, would certainly not be productive, and so Peter finally set his copy of the play
down on his lap, and rubbed his hands over his face. He hated to throw aside even an
hour of practice, but knew that it was useless to go on.
"We'll pick up again tomorrow. Try to get some rest," Peter said, looking directly
at Sarah, as if the comment was meant for her alone.
He grabbed the piles of paper off his lap, and rose to exit the theater, as the others
did the same. Yet, Peter paused at the door, his hand resting on the vine handle, and
turned to look at Sarah again. Their eyes met for only a few moments, and then he
scanned the rest of his troupe.
"I will have more tomorrow, if my dreams do so oblige," he remarked cryptically,
and then disappeared through the doors.
A cradle of moonshine surrounded her sleeping body, as she drifted into the realm
of dreams, where nightmares seemed to attack her more regularly. Sarah gazed about at
the sky, so very dark and pure, with only the crystalline shards, as if pinpricks in the very
night, to alter that overwhelming jet black.
The stars themselves seemed innumerable in their immense display. They shone in
her eyes, opened wide to take in this scene of serenity. She was at peace, after the chaotic
moments she had spent upon first arriving at her new home. Sarah was able to relax, to
perhaps drowse in this soft silken existence in which she now dwelled.
The faintest catch of melody rode the mild breeze as it brushed against her face.
Then it died away, to leave the night breathless, entirely silent, and devoid of the original
peace Sarah had so loved. She snapped open her wild, chocolate eyes, to see what had
come and taken away her tranquillity.
There was nothing. Even as she rose to sit, Sarah could see only emerald grass,
perfectly still. There was only the expanse of the field, and the never-ending sky
overhead, and herself in this world. Not even a single hill, or so much as a raise in the
level of the ground could be seen from her vantage point, which certainly was not a very
good one since the grass very nearly blocked her entire view.
Now the melody again, so sorrowful. The sadness in the song drove into her soul,
aching with pain of so many losses that she had sustained. Yet, with the harm the tune
inflicted, the words rose and fell, so sweet, filled with a love she had never known. Sarah
listened and once again closed her eyes.
The breeze surely had picked up, for her hair drew back as if brushed by
something. Then it fell, flowing over her shoulders and scented of some divine fragrance
that she was helpless to name. She could only allow the aroma to cover her senses
entirely and fill her with unnamed longings, those that were hidden now rose to the surface
and nearly forced her to cry out in amazement at the power of the emotions.
"There's no living in my life anymore.
The seas have gone dry and the rain stopped falling," an enchanting voice,
accented with rich, seductive tones began.
Sarah could feel the singer's breath against her ear, though she still did not speak.
She could only sit there, and listen as this man serenaded her so sweetly. She knew, she
could sense already who was by her, without even hearing the voice that still forced
shivers along her spine.
"Please don't you cry anymore.
Can't you see?
Listen to the breeze, whisper to me please
don't send me on the path of nevermore," he continued as a faint trickle of music
accompanied the lyrics.
Sarah swayed, feeling so very drained of any energy she had had since then.
Perhaps the song held some form of enchantment. The thought frightened her enough to
break the trance that had held her for a short time. Once again Sarah opened her eyes and
glanced around.
"Jareth?" she whispered, almost hopefully.
There was no response to her call, and even the melody drifted away, riding a new
breath of air that had swept past her so suddenly. Once again it caught her tresses,
brushing against her face in the process. The scent of springtime in full bloom, of
thousands of countryside rides, and raw magic, covered her entirely in that moment.
Above it all, the breeze and the lovely aura of magic, she once again heard the
gentle sobbing of the same girl that had originally come to her in a dream only earlier that
day. It seemed a lifetime ago. The crying woman sounded so very far away, and even as
Sarah believed that the sound would continue just as long as the previous time, it was
gone, along with the wind and all other wondrous things she had experienced.
"Sarah, why do you call me here?" Jareth's voice plummeted down upon her.
She startled once again and then turned her gaze towards the sky, for that was
where the voice had seemed to emanate. It was strange, to simply look into the expanse
of stars and night, and hear a voice that she had believed to be gone from her life. Why
was the Goblin King suddenly so prevalent in her existence?
"Why must you haunt me so?" she demanded, and then tried in vain to will the
voice away.
It was no use, and she should have know. Her only hope would be to awaken
from this never-ending nightmare, and try to convince herself that none of it had been real.
Of course, that was as impossible as her attempts to control the reappearance of Jareth in
her life.
Even as she thought that, the dream began to break, and she could vaguely hear a
concerned voice calling to her from some great distance. The sky faded, and the grass
dissipated, and all around her was simply dark in preparation for her waking.
"It is I who have been drawn into your dreams, Sarah, and it is you who must
release me," Jareth's voice came to her as she rested in that black oblivion....
It could have been days, hours, months that she spent in the intense nothingness of
her unconscious. However, her senses returned, and the faint gray overtones from
filtering light played across her eyelids as they flickered in her awakening. Sarah snapped
open her eyes, to suddenly view the crowd of people gazing down at her.
They all smiled, in attempts to hide the worry, and lighten the unnerving
atmosphere in the large room in which she now found herself. How she had arrived there,
was one of the many questions that she doubted she would ever ask. However, that really
did not matter at the moment. Sarah was concerned that this scene would mean disaster
for her second chance at a normal life.
From the sea of unfamiliar faces, all concerned for someone they did not know,
appeared a single person Sarah was able to recognize. Peter, the man who had obviously
brought her to this room following her strange fainting spell, smiled and rubbed the back
of his neck, unsure of how to continue. Perhaps he was wondering just how to tell Sarah
that it was better for her to leave.
"How do you feel, dear?" another young woman questioned as she stepped in
closer to Sarah's side.
The woman was only slightly older than Sarah herself, probably in her mid
twenties. She had thick red hair, and shimmering green eyes, which certainly did make her
stand out from the rest. Her face was pleasant, though not entirely beautiful, and was
covered in a shocking amount of freckles. However, her smile, so very warm and caring,
allowed Sarah comfort in this rather uncomfortable situation.
"Fine," she muttered slightly and began to rise to a sitting position.
The red-haired woman quickly caught Sarah by her arms, forcing her to remain
reclined. She abruptly shook her head and then turned to glance back at the rest of the
crowd, still silent and watching the whole 'show.' It was rude, and obviously Sarah's new
acquaintance did not approve of it in the least.
She cleared her throat and gestured towards the large door on the other side of the
massive room. It seemed that everything in the mansion was enormous when compared to
the typical house. The people turned and left, without so much as word. However, Sarah
could easily hear mumbled catches of certain gossip as the door returned to its rightful
place in its frame.
"Well, wasn't the best way to meet everyone, but it'll do. I take it that you're
Sarah," the woman stated, at last stepping away from Sarah and removing her restraining
hands.
"Yes... and thanks," Sarah responded, placing a hand to her head.
She still felt detached from reality, as if a part of her mind had remained in the
dream that she had experienced a brief time earlier. Sarah could only manage a few short
words, muttered in a strange distant voice, that sounded so different from her own. It felt
as if she heard everything from far away, and even down a great tunnel where only the soft
echo reached her awaiting ears.
She finally forced herself to raise up, hoping that that might bring the last bit of her
normal personality back where it belonged. However, all she succeeded in doing, was
nearly falling back after the wave of vertigo struck her poor head. Sarah wavered a bit,
and then steadied herself, as the other woman watched with worry evident in her features.
"You must have had quite a trip. Some rest would do you good," the woman
replied, standing from her seat with an unusual amount of grace.
The mere thought of sleep frightened Sarah more than that strange statue. She
would have chosen a dozen other forms of punishment than to be forced to slip off, back
into the dream world where 'he' had chosen to dwell for the time being. The shock
brought her back entirely, and knocked the last bit of dizziness away.
"Wait, umm...," Sarah paused, realizing that she had yet to learn this kind person's
name.
The woman stopped and turned back around, her hands on her hips in a mock
stern stance. However, the teasing grin that lit her face, and accentuated her lovely eyes,
made the entire act unbelievable. She seemed like someone who had not been able to
keep serious for any length of time during her whole life.
"It's Gabrielle..," she stated.
Sarah nodded and then pushed herself off the bed. She was not ready to be babied
like this. After all, she had taken care of herself many times before, and this would be no
different. Sarah did not need people to think that she was weak, for that was one thing
that she had never been, and never would be. One does not make it through an entire
labyrinth, past goblin guards, and defeat a powerful Goblin King, if one is weak.
She managed but one step, and then nearly toppled over her own shoes, which
rested just a short distance from the edge of the bed. Sarah swiped a stray piece of hair
from her face and then gathered the shoes up into her hands, glancing back at her friend in
the process. She leaned against the nearest wall, and succeeded in pulling the tedious
things half on.
Sarah managed a smile in response to Gabrielle's worry. She really did seem like a
mother, what with her kind eyes, and worried nature. However, if Gabrielle had known,
she probably would have laughed and declared that there was no time for children in her
life at that point. A family would just have to wait.
"I can't spend anymore time in this room, apart from everyone else. If I am to
work with all of you, I think that I should meet all the others properly, and not while I'm
unconscious," Sarah stated as she paused at the door, waiting for Gabrielle to follow.
"Well, if you insist," Gabrielle remarked and then followed Sarah out of the room.
The moment she entered the hallway, Sarah was certain that she would never be
able to learn the twists and turns of Fontridge. It was nearly as confusing as the labyrinth,
except lacking certain oubliettes and deadly Cleaners. Still, she felt hopelessly lost, unsure
of even which way to turn that would bring her closer to...wherever they were headed.
Gabrielle noticed Sarah's uncertainty and plunged ahead, leading onward to the
theatre, as the rehearsal room was so dubbed. Sarah followed closely behind, straying
only slightly to admire the many paintings, and tapestries that covered the otherwise bare
walls.
"What is this mysterious play that no one has told me about?" Sarah asked,
drawing away from a lovely canvas on which a pale young girl had been painted.
Gabrielle halted at the question and immediately turned to Sarah. She glanced
about herself, and then placed a slender finger over her pink lips. She obviously wanted
silence. For once, her face lacked the general mirth that had since then been so usual in
her features. She then turned and continued down the passage.
"I would be thrown out in the street, should I tell you about it without Peter being
around. The play is his first...like a baby, his piece de resistance, to put it mildly,"
Gabrielle responded, still not looking back at Sarah as she spoke.
Sarah sighed, just loud enough to assure herself that Gabrielle had heard. She
wanted the other woman to know just how stupid the whole secrecy surrounding the play
was. It was, after all, just an act, nothing truly important. It seemed that Peter was just a
bit eccentric, if he would react so violently to a little slip such as telling what the play was
about.
Nonetheless, Peter had been kind enough to take a chance on quite a questionable,
not to mention inexperienced, young actress such as Sarah. So far she had not proven
herself worthy of his 'great' play, what with barging into his office and shortly later
fainting dead away. It would be smart to avoid making any unnecessary waves so soon in
her stay with the group.
"Well, here we are," Gabrielle exclaimed, with mock enthusiasm as she paused
before a set of wondrously crafted doors.
They were inlaid with golden leaf designs, that flowed over the entirety of the
dark, polished wood. The handles of each door also matched the general fantastic quality,
since they were formed into flowering vines. Above the door was another work of art,
this being some scene from a Shakespearean play, though Sarah did not have enough time
to decide which one was depicted.
Gabrielle grabbed her by the arm, and led Sarah quickly into the room, where the
entire conversation immediately cut off, leaving only silence to welcome the two women.
Sarah glanced around rather nervously, at once sure that the talk had been about her, and
her strange shadowed past. Peter rose from his seat, and offered Sarah a wary smile, still
obviously not sure how to act around her.
"Welcome, I trust that Gabby showed you the way?" Peter questioned, gesturing
for them to come and join the rest of the actors as they read over another section of the
play.
Sarah smiled as she walked over to the questioning eyes that greeted her. It
seemed that she had met the only two friendly souls in the whole lot of her new
companions. The remaining seven or eight, only glanced at her and then continued to talk,
only this time in hushed whispers, accompanied with several muffled laughs.
"Yes. This is quite an amazing place," Sarah remarked, in attempts to take the
attention off of previous events that had occurred that day.
Peter glanced around the immense theatre. It was fit with a stage, chairs,
entertaining artwork, everything that the typical theater held. Sarah was, to put it mildly,
quite stunned to see such a thing in a house, yet it did not entirely surprise her after
witnessing the enormity of the entire estate. She could easily see them placing an entire
football field in the first floor, with room to spare for spectators and two teams.
It was obviously new, something that Peter had decided must be built upon his
recent dive into writing. He did, after all, certainly have the money for it. The crushed
velvet curtain, pulled to the side now so that the stage was shown in all its shiny glory,
was immaculate, without so much as a crease in its crimson material. Each and every light
remained devoid of dust, and bugs, or any other form of unsatisfactory grime, and
obviously they all worked. Sarah almost felt sickened to see such a pristine appearance,
nothing was meant to be this clean.
"Shall we begin again, then?" Peter asked, clapping his hands together in one sharp
movement to draw attention back to the task at hand.
Sarah and Gabrielle found their seats quickly, and each picked up a single manila
folder, also never used, which was fastened with a single piece of tape. Most of the others
had already taken the sheets of paper from the folder and read through at least part of it.
It never paid to be late, even when one cannot help it.
Both woman hurriedly removed the script from the envelope and waited for the
rest to continue from where they had left off. As usual, all looked towards Peter to
explain what had happened, and tell his normal tale of how this piece had come to him. It
was getting quite monotonous after three weeks of the same stuff.
Sarah flipped through the pages quickly, as the rest remained in silence. However,
she could not understand what trick they had decided to play on her. She held only the
second act, scenes three to five, but nothing more of the play. Surely they did not expect
to give her only part of the entire thing. Even if she was to only be in part, she at least
wanted to know what the whole play was about.
"I seem to be missing quite a bit of this play," Sarah stated, still searching for
something she might have overlooked. Yet, the folder was entirely empty, and Gabrielle
seemed to have the same scenes in her hand as well.
Several frustrated sighs and moans of displeasure broke through the otherwise
quiet group. Peter, once again, was the only one to offer any semblance of an answer.
Sarah herself was growing quite upset with the other actors. They all believed themselves
to be above her.
"Why Sarah, I forgot entirely that you only arrived here today. I must give you the
beginning that the others have already read over a few times. Let me assure you, that you
are not as far behind as they might lead you to believe. Everything is in a very raw stage
at the present time," he stated, as he wrote a quick note in a leather planner that rested on
his lap.
Still, Sarah was not sure what was happening. It certainly would help to have the
beginning of the play, but she also wanted the end. What good would part do, if she had
no idea how the whole thing finished?
"What about the rest?" Sarah questioned, once again followed by displeased
glances from her peers.
Peter seemed to darken a bit at her inquiry. His mouth remained set, and his eyes
turned so very cold suddenly. It could have very well been her imagination, since it had
been working in overtime that day, but Sarah doubted it. The next instant he forced a
smile and turned to her, still entirely serious about the whole subject.
"It is not written yet," he replied simply, and then turned to show Sarah that the
subject was closed.
She turned to Gabrielle for some information, but there was none to be found. It
seemed that all were as curious about the end as Sarah herself. Obviously, Peter was a bit
more eccentric than she had originally believed. After all, she had never heard of a play
being rehearsed before it was presented in its completed form. That did not mean that it
was never done, for she had not had much experience, but Sarah seriously doubted that
this was a regular occurrence.
The general mood of the actors, and of Peter, had hardened quite a bit. Everyone
seemed to yearn to leave, even though not much practice had occurred. Anything that
was done, would certainly not be productive, and so Peter finally set his copy of the play
down on his lap, and rubbed his hands over his face. He hated to throw aside even an
hour of practice, but knew that it was useless to go on.
"We'll pick up again tomorrow. Try to get some rest," Peter said, looking directly
at Sarah, as if the comment was meant for her alone.
He grabbed the piles of paper off his lap, and rose to exit the theater, as the others
did the same. Yet, Peter paused at the door, his hand resting on the vine handle, and
turned to look at Sarah again. Their eyes met for only a few moments, and then he
scanned the rest of his troupe.
"I will have more tomorrow, if my dreams do so oblige," he remarked cryptically,
and then disappeared through the doors.
