Chapter Eleven
On With the Show
Jade had remain unconscious all night; Roxanne had dressed her wounds and both she and
Christian had stayed by her bed all night. It was morning now, past breakfast, past
rehearsal; Jade was aware of people talking around her. Their voices hurt her head; it hurt
her head to think. She knew it would hurt her head to open her eyes but she did it anyway;
she was greeted by sharp pain and bright light. She kept her eyes open, waiting for the
light to go away; it did a little but the pain didn't go away at all. She noticed Christian
first and then Roxanne; Jade couldn't remember where she was, the last thing she remembered
was going into the rehearsal room and seeing Tiffany and Alex together..Jade closed her eyes
again. See didn't want to think about that, she never wanted to see Alex again. She opened
her eyes again and most of the bright light had gone away.
After a good thirty minutes Jade -with the help of Roxanne- managed
to sit up without her head hurting too terribly; however, it still hurt and Jade's vision
was still blurry.
"Jade." Roxanne said and snapped her fingers. Jade's eyes went to
Roxanne's face. "What happened last night?" Roxanne asked.
Jade closed her eyes again; she remembered everything about last night.
She didn't think she wanted to tell anyone what Peter had done, after all it was clear that
he had hurt her.
"Roxanne, maybe she doesn't want to talk right now." Christian suggested
and laid a cold cloth on her forehead.
"No problem, I'll just ask you a question and you can blink once for 'yes'
and twice for 'no'. I read that in a newspaper somewhere that people who couldn't talk-"
Roxanne said.
"Okay, that's nice." Christian muttered, cutting Roxanne off.
"Alright, remember once for 'yes'-" Roxanne began, looking at Jade.
Jade blinked once, it made her head hurt worse, as to tell Roxanne "yes I
know."
"Did Peter do this to you?" Roxanne asked.
Jade blinked once.
Roxanne thought for a minute. Christian took a seat in the chair beside Roxanne. "Did
he find out about Alex?" He asked his niece.
Jade blinked once.
"So he was jealous?" Roxanne asked.
Jade blinked once.
"So, after you got away you went looking for Alex?" Roxanne asked.
Jade blinked once.
"And you saw him kiss Tiffany." Christian finished.
Jade just closed her eyes, she wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again.
"Alex came by after we brought you back here, he wanted to explain to you but I told him you
were unconscious and couldn't hear him anyway and even if you could you didn't want to."
Roxanne said.
"Maybe you should let him explain what happened." Christian suggested.
"I never want to see him again." Jade choked out, her head throbbed.
Christian and Roxanne looked at each other; Christian turned back to face Jade.
"Maybe you should listen him-" He began.
"No!" Jade cried and was immediately stuck with searing pain, which made her collapse onto
the bed again. Jade just lay on the pillow with her eyes closed and tears running down her
cheeks.
Jade blacked out again; she woke up some hours later; no one was by her
bed this time. Jade stared into the empty backroom, her head throbbing. She could hear
voices but no one was coming to her; she lay thinking about Alex. Her head was singing
"Come What May" through all the pain and thought. She never wanted to hear that song again
either; she kept hearing Christian's words: "No matter how bad things get.." She wanted to
shut out with Christian had said but his words filled her with doubt.
She heard the door open and turned her eyes to see who was coming. It was Harold; in his
hand he heard a single rose. He came and sat in one of the chairs that Roxanne and Christian
had left. He handed her the flower; reaching out to take it made her whole body hurt. She
rested it beside her head.
"Christian told me about what happened; about Peter and Alex.." Harold let
it trail off.
Jade didn't say anything; she just stared at him. She hated Alex more then any
person on Earth (except maybe Peter) yet the worse thing was she still loved him more then
over.
"Christian finished writing the script to the show last night; the girls
practiced it and, that is if you're ready, they're ready to preform it tomorrow evening
since the theater has been completed." Harold said.
"I don't want to." Jade muttered, because she didn't want to be with
Alex.
"Christian took Alex's part in the show; Alex left the Moulin Rouge a few hours ago. He
asked me to give you this." Harold said and reached into his pocket. He drew out of folded
piece of paper.
Jade carefully took it and asked Harold to unfold it for her.
He did and handed it back to her; on the paper were the words, rewritten by Alex, to
"Come What May." Jade dropped the paper onto the bed; she didn't want to look at the words.
"Harold, I can't do the show." Jade said, her voice hoarse and scratchy.
She didn't believe in love anymore, she couldn't act in a show about it.
"You must go on with the show; you must get over him quickly. Remember all the work everyone
has put into the show. On with the show." Harold said. He took Jade's hand and helped her
out of bed.
She shook on her feet but at least her head didn't hurt as bad anymore. "On with
the show." She muttered. She made herself believe that she didn't love Alex anymore and that
he had never loved her in the first place.
"I will go and get your costumes to make sure they fit. I'll return
shortly." Harold said and left Jade standing by herself.
She decided to test her singing voice, if she couldn't sing anymore she was truly
nothing.
"The show must go on! The show must go on! Whatever happens I'll leave it all to chance;
another heartache, another failed romance. On and on, does anybody know what we are living
for?" Jade paused, she still had her voice. She turned to look at herself in one of the
cracked mirrors that all the girls crowded around before the club opened every night.
"Inside my heart is breaking; my make-yup maybe flaking but my smile still stays on! The
show must go on! The show must go on. I'll face it with a grin; I'm never giving in, on
with the show!" Jade paused again and began to walk toward the door; she left the room and
entered to main part of the club. She left the club and stood outside. "Oh, I'll top the
bill; I'll overkill; I must find the will to carry on with the, on with the, on with the
show!" Jade sang, letting her voice ring through the still air. "On with the show!"
On With the Show
Jade had remain unconscious all night; Roxanne had dressed her wounds and both she and
Christian had stayed by her bed all night. It was morning now, past breakfast, past
rehearsal; Jade was aware of people talking around her. Their voices hurt her head; it hurt
her head to think. She knew it would hurt her head to open her eyes but she did it anyway;
she was greeted by sharp pain and bright light. She kept her eyes open, waiting for the
light to go away; it did a little but the pain didn't go away at all. She noticed Christian
first and then Roxanne; Jade couldn't remember where she was, the last thing she remembered
was going into the rehearsal room and seeing Tiffany and Alex together..Jade closed her eyes
again. See didn't want to think about that, she never wanted to see Alex again. She opened
her eyes again and most of the bright light had gone away.
After a good thirty minutes Jade -with the help of Roxanne- managed
to sit up without her head hurting too terribly; however, it still hurt and Jade's vision
was still blurry.
"Jade." Roxanne said and snapped her fingers. Jade's eyes went to
Roxanne's face. "What happened last night?" Roxanne asked.
Jade closed her eyes again; she remembered everything about last night.
She didn't think she wanted to tell anyone what Peter had done, after all it was clear that
he had hurt her.
"Roxanne, maybe she doesn't want to talk right now." Christian suggested
and laid a cold cloth on her forehead.
"No problem, I'll just ask you a question and you can blink once for 'yes'
and twice for 'no'. I read that in a newspaper somewhere that people who couldn't talk-"
Roxanne said.
"Okay, that's nice." Christian muttered, cutting Roxanne off.
"Alright, remember once for 'yes'-" Roxanne began, looking at Jade.
Jade blinked once, it made her head hurt worse, as to tell Roxanne "yes I
know."
"Did Peter do this to you?" Roxanne asked.
Jade blinked once.
Roxanne thought for a minute. Christian took a seat in the chair beside Roxanne. "Did
he find out about Alex?" He asked his niece.
Jade blinked once.
"So he was jealous?" Roxanne asked.
Jade blinked once.
"So, after you got away you went looking for Alex?" Roxanne asked.
Jade blinked once.
"And you saw him kiss Tiffany." Christian finished.
Jade just closed her eyes, she wanted to go to sleep and never wake up again.
"Alex came by after we brought you back here, he wanted to explain to you but I told him you
were unconscious and couldn't hear him anyway and even if you could you didn't want to."
Roxanne said.
"Maybe you should let him explain what happened." Christian suggested.
"I never want to see him again." Jade choked out, her head throbbed.
Christian and Roxanne looked at each other; Christian turned back to face Jade.
"Maybe you should listen him-" He began.
"No!" Jade cried and was immediately stuck with searing pain, which made her collapse onto
the bed again. Jade just lay on the pillow with her eyes closed and tears running down her
cheeks.
Jade blacked out again; she woke up some hours later; no one was by her
bed this time. Jade stared into the empty backroom, her head throbbing. She could hear
voices but no one was coming to her; she lay thinking about Alex. Her head was singing
"Come What May" through all the pain and thought. She never wanted to hear that song again
either; she kept hearing Christian's words: "No matter how bad things get.." She wanted to
shut out with Christian had said but his words filled her with doubt.
She heard the door open and turned her eyes to see who was coming. It was Harold; in his
hand he heard a single rose. He came and sat in one of the chairs that Roxanne and Christian
had left. He handed her the flower; reaching out to take it made her whole body hurt. She
rested it beside her head.
"Christian told me about what happened; about Peter and Alex.." Harold let
it trail off.
Jade didn't say anything; she just stared at him. She hated Alex more then any
person on Earth (except maybe Peter) yet the worse thing was she still loved him more then
over.
"Christian finished writing the script to the show last night; the girls
practiced it and, that is if you're ready, they're ready to preform it tomorrow evening
since the theater has been completed." Harold said.
"I don't want to." Jade muttered, because she didn't want to be with
Alex.
"Christian took Alex's part in the show; Alex left the Moulin Rouge a few hours ago. He
asked me to give you this." Harold said and reached into his pocket. He drew out of folded
piece of paper.
Jade carefully took it and asked Harold to unfold it for her.
He did and handed it back to her; on the paper were the words, rewritten by Alex, to
"Come What May." Jade dropped the paper onto the bed; she didn't want to look at the words.
"Harold, I can't do the show." Jade said, her voice hoarse and scratchy.
She didn't believe in love anymore, she couldn't act in a show about it.
"You must go on with the show; you must get over him quickly. Remember all the work everyone
has put into the show. On with the show." Harold said. He took Jade's hand and helped her
out of bed.
She shook on her feet but at least her head didn't hurt as bad anymore. "On with
the show." She muttered. She made herself believe that she didn't love Alex anymore and that
he had never loved her in the first place.
"I will go and get your costumes to make sure they fit. I'll return
shortly." Harold said and left Jade standing by herself.
She decided to test her singing voice, if she couldn't sing anymore she was truly
nothing.
"The show must go on! The show must go on! Whatever happens I'll leave it all to chance;
another heartache, another failed romance. On and on, does anybody know what we are living
for?" Jade paused, she still had her voice. She turned to look at herself in one of the
cracked mirrors that all the girls crowded around before the club opened every night.
"Inside my heart is breaking; my make-yup maybe flaking but my smile still stays on! The
show must go on! The show must go on. I'll face it with a grin; I'm never giving in, on
with the show!" Jade paused again and began to walk toward the door; she left the room and
entered to main part of the club. She left the club and stood outside. "Oh, I'll top the
bill; I'll overkill; I must find the will to carry on with the, on with the, on with the
show!" Jade sang, letting her voice ring through the still air. "On with the show!"