Madi came back a few seconds later, her cheeks flushed.
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "That was sooooooo spiffy!" she held up her prizes: quite a few pieces of jewlery. "And look at the perks! Dang it, welcome to my new job!"
"Relax, dancing queen," Kara said, putting a damper on her spirits. "We just replaced Satine tonight."
"Speaking of which," Hannah started. "Where did she go?"
Before Kara or Madi could answer, the Stage Manager came back there. "What are you girls doing back here?" he snapped. "Those getns out there are starting to riot! Get back out there!" With three smacks to their butts, they were sent back out.
"Okay," Madi said as they hid behind the curtain and were greeted with the viewhundreds of screaming, grown, mostly old, men all after their flesh. "This is the part where I freak."
"I don't think we're allowed that luxury." Hannah said through gritted teeth.
"Looks like we're just gonna have to grin and bear it." Kara said.
"'Bear' it spelled 'b-e-a-r' or 'b-a-r-e'?"
"Both." Came a voice from behind. The three girls turned.
"Nini." Kara said with icy contempt.
"YOU THREE AGAIN?" came the Stage Manager, pushing Nini aside. "Get out there before I tan your hides!"
"Hey!" Madi said, pushing forwards. "My hide is insured, thank you very much. Besides, I'll sic Guido and Rocco on you!"
"Who's Guido and Rocco?" whispered Hannah. Kara shrugged.
"Girls?" came Harold, who had just appeared. He also pushed Nini aside. "Are we having problems?"
Hannah promptly favored Harold with her sweetest smile. "Of course not, Harold. C'mon, girls."
And they were out on the dance floor of the Moulin Rouge.
Hannah, who seemed to be the lucky one, was snatched up quickly by a handsome young rake that could dance quite well. He was a good conversationalist.
Kara was stuck with and old man who kept stepping on her feet. The evening would have been a total waste if he hadn't given her the contents of his wallet and a diamond choker.
Madi had been cornered by a group of men. She smiled weakly. "Let's see," she started. "Which of you give the best presents?"
~*~
The night was over, and Kara, Hannah, and Madi were sprawled in Satine's dressing room. Everyone but Hannah. Madi was thrown over a chaise lounge, Kara had flung herself into a arm chair, but Hannah kept dancing.
"What is she on?" Madi asked Kara. "Speed?"
Kara was massaging her feet. "God, did those shoes hurt. Hannah, will you knock it off?"
"No!" Hannah sang happily.
The door was opened, and Satine slid in, closing the door behind her.
"Good evening," she whispered. "How are you all?"
"Can't breathe," panted Madi. "Lacey-things too tight."
Satine looked at Kara for explanation. "Corset." she explained. Satine nodded.
She let her eyes move to Hannah. "And what is she doing?"
Madi shrugged. "We don't know. Will someone let me out of this thing?!"
Satine clucked her tongue sympathically, said: "Welcome to my world," and went to the door, ringing a little bell. "Marie!" she called. "Marie!"
Marie appeared fairly quickly, and Satine sent Marie and Madi behind the dressing screen.
"Hannah?" Satine asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"
"Alright?" Hannah asked, so startled she stopped dancing. "Sure. I'm fine. You?"
Madi's head appeared over the top of the dressing screen. "Yeah. Are you okay?"
Satine nodded. "Of course I am." Sitting down in the chaise lounge where Madi had been, she looked around the room at the three girls.
"Now, girls," she started. Madi emerged from behind the screen, wearing a white kimono. Satine pointed. "That's mine."
Madi nodded. "I know." she stuck her tongue out at both Kara and Hannah. "I'm comfortable and you aren't." she sat down next to Satine.
"Now girls," she started again. "Christian might," she coughed. "Believe your little story about the year 2002 and all that, but I'm afraid I don't. So, let's tell Satine the truth, shall we?"
Kara, Madi, and Hannah looked at one another, then back at Satine.
"Well," Hannah started. "Hannah doesn't know any more than Satine does."
Kara laughed, catching on. "Neither does Kara."
Madi quirked an eyebrow. "And we are talking in third person why?"
Kara and Hannah laughed. "She's a little slow." Hannah explained.
Madi ignored them. "Satine," she started. "We don't know how we got here. But we do know that we come from the year 2002. Just like we know exactly how Christian and you met."
Satine smiled. "How did we meet?"
"You mistook him for a Duke." Madi started.
"And you fell in love once he sang to you." Hannah continued.
"But even after you found out he was a writer, you still loved him." Kara said.
"And now you're preparing for 'Spectacular Spectacular'." Madi finished.
"How did you know that?" Satine gasped.
Still in the room, Marie crossed herself.
"We're from the future!" Hannah said in a 'duh' voice.
"They made a movie about you." Kara said. "And all three of us loved it."
Satine started to get excited. "Did one of us become famous?" she said, her voice rising. "Did Christian become a famous writer? Or me an actress? Did we live happily ever after? Tell me!"
All three girls looked at one another with worried faces.
"Time out. Girl talk." Madi said, pulling the other two outside.
"What do we say?" Madi asked. "We can't tell her she dies of consumption!"
Kara shook her head. "It's a proven fact that without hope people don't usually survive."
"And what about Christian's state after she bit the dust?" Hannah said, worried.
"So, survey says we nix on telling her about the death thing." Madi said. Kara and Hannah nodded.
Madi suddenly tilted her head and appeared deep in thought.
"Uh oh," Hannah said. "She's thinking."
Kara shivered. "I'm scared."
"What if..." Madi started. "We were sent back for a reason?"
"A reason?" Hannah asked warily.
"Yeah, to meet our idols. And?" Kara said, skeptical.
"No, sillies! As in, to save them!"
"Wow!" she exclaimed. "That was sooooooo spiffy!" she held up her prizes: quite a few pieces of jewlery. "And look at the perks! Dang it, welcome to my new job!"
"Relax, dancing queen," Kara said, putting a damper on her spirits. "We just replaced Satine tonight."
"Speaking of which," Hannah started. "Where did she go?"
Before Kara or Madi could answer, the Stage Manager came back there. "What are you girls doing back here?" he snapped. "Those getns out there are starting to riot! Get back out there!" With three smacks to their butts, they were sent back out.
"Okay," Madi said as they hid behind the curtain and were greeted with the viewhundreds of screaming, grown, mostly old, men all after their flesh. "This is the part where I freak."
"I don't think we're allowed that luxury." Hannah said through gritted teeth.
"Looks like we're just gonna have to grin and bear it." Kara said.
"'Bear' it spelled 'b-e-a-r' or 'b-a-r-e'?"
"Both." Came a voice from behind. The three girls turned.
"Nini." Kara said with icy contempt.
"YOU THREE AGAIN?" came the Stage Manager, pushing Nini aside. "Get out there before I tan your hides!"
"Hey!" Madi said, pushing forwards. "My hide is insured, thank you very much. Besides, I'll sic Guido and Rocco on you!"
"Who's Guido and Rocco?" whispered Hannah. Kara shrugged.
"Girls?" came Harold, who had just appeared. He also pushed Nini aside. "Are we having problems?"
Hannah promptly favored Harold with her sweetest smile. "Of course not, Harold. C'mon, girls."
And they were out on the dance floor of the Moulin Rouge.
Hannah, who seemed to be the lucky one, was snatched up quickly by a handsome young rake that could dance quite well. He was a good conversationalist.
Kara was stuck with and old man who kept stepping on her feet. The evening would have been a total waste if he hadn't given her the contents of his wallet and a diamond choker.
Madi had been cornered by a group of men. She smiled weakly. "Let's see," she started. "Which of you give the best presents?"
~*~
The night was over, and Kara, Hannah, and Madi were sprawled in Satine's dressing room. Everyone but Hannah. Madi was thrown over a chaise lounge, Kara had flung herself into a arm chair, but Hannah kept dancing.
"What is she on?" Madi asked Kara. "Speed?"
Kara was massaging her feet. "God, did those shoes hurt. Hannah, will you knock it off?"
"No!" Hannah sang happily.
The door was opened, and Satine slid in, closing the door behind her.
"Good evening," she whispered. "How are you all?"
"Can't breathe," panted Madi. "Lacey-things too tight."
Satine looked at Kara for explanation. "Corset." she explained. Satine nodded.
She let her eyes move to Hannah. "And what is she doing?"
Madi shrugged. "We don't know. Will someone let me out of this thing?!"
Satine clucked her tongue sympathically, said: "Welcome to my world," and went to the door, ringing a little bell. "Marie!" she called. "Marie!"
Marie appeared fairly quickly, and Satine sent Marie and Madi behind the dressing screen.
"Hannah?" Satine asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"
"Alright?" Hannah asked, so startled she stopped dancing. "Sure. I'm fine. You?"
Madi's head appeared over the top of the dressing screen. "Yeah. Are you okay?"
Satine nodded. "Of course I am." Sitting down in the chaise lounge where Madi had been, she looked around the room at the three girls.
"Now, girls," she started. Madi emerged from behind the screen, wearing a white kimono. Satine pointed. "That's mine."
Madi nodded. "I know." she stuck her tongue out at both Kara and Hannah. "I'm comfortable and you aren't." she sat down next to Satine.
"Now girls," she started again. "Christian might," she coughed. "Believe your little story about the year 2002 and all that, but I'm afraid I don't. So, let's tell Satine the truth, shall we?"
Kara, Madi, and Hannah looked at one another, then back at Satine.
"Well," Hannah started. "Hannah doesn't know any more than Satine does."
Kara laughed, catching on. "Neither does Kara."
Madi quirked an eyebrow. "And we are talking in third person why?"
Kara and Hannah laughed. "She's a little slow." Hannah explained.
Madi ignored them. "Satine," she started. "We don't know how we got here. But we do know that we come from the year 2002. Just like we know exactly how Christian and you met."
Satine smiled. "How did we meet?"
"You mistook him for a Duke." Madi started.
"And you fell in love once he sang to you." Hannah continued.
"But even after you found out he was a writer, you still loved him." Kara said.
"And now you're preparing for 'Spectacular Spectacular'." Madi finished.
"How did you know that?" Satine gasped.
Still in the room, Marie crossed herself.
"We're from the future!" Hannah said in a 'duh' voice.
"They made a movie about you." Kara said. "And all three of us loved it."
Satine started to get excited. "Did one of us become famous?" she said, her voice rising. "Did Christian become a famous writer? Or me an actress? Did we live happily ever after? Tell me!"
All three girls looked at one another with worried faces.
"Time out. Girl talk." Madi said, pulling the other two outside.
"What do we say?" Madi asked. "We can't tell her she dies of consumption!"
Kara shook her head. "It's a proven fact that without hope people don't usually survive."
"And what about Christian's state after she bit the dust?" Hannah said, worried.
"So, survey says we nix on telling her about the death thing." Madi said. Kara and Hannah nodded.
Madi suddenly tilted her head and appeared deep in thought.
"Uh oh," Hannah said. "She's thinking."
Kara shivered. "I'm scared."
"What if..." Madi started. "We were sent back for a reason?"
"A reason?" Hannah asked warily.
"Yeah, to meet our idols. And?" Kara said, skeptical.
"No, sillies! As in, to save them!"