Addendum to the disclaimer: Now, I'm pretty sure that most, if not all of you already know that Macbeth is a play by Shakespeare. What you may not have known is that the play is also cursed. Performances through the centuries have been riddled with illness, injury, and even death among the performers and technicians. Even saying the name of the play, when not in direct reference to a production of it, is considered very bad luck. Instead, its referred to the Scottish Play, and punishment for using the word "Macbeth" in or around a theater is to run three times around the theater, and then spit. Supposedly, this will keep the bad luck away. Theater people are exceptionally weird.
I'm also going to be using at the very least brief references to a phenomenon known as the Tampa Triangle Dead Zone, a channel that runs from the Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, FL, to the first bowie out in the Gulf of Mexico, where an incredible amount of maritime disasters have occurred. The Dead Zone is real, though the FL tourist boards are made to deny it. While there's no proof of anything supernatural happening there, it is a very creepy place in the middle of a rather beautiful region of the country.
Eckerd College is also real. I went there, so I know, 'cause unlike some of my fellow students, I wasn't doing the drugs that make you hallucinate things like your entire college experience. The people AT Eckerd College in this story, however, are not real. As much fun as it would be to insert friends and teachers into this tale, I'm going to avoid it.
Have I blathered on to long? I do that. On to the story:
Roads Less Traveled
by Casix Thistlebane
Story 4: The Scottish Play
Part One
"I swear, Dawn," Xander studied the signs hanging over 275 carefully. He'd already made several mistakes on the crazy, frequent left exit system, and wasn't really looking forward to more delays. While the trip from Orlando to St. Petersburg was relatively short, he was getting anxious to get out of the car and enjoy more of the Florida sunshine. "I am never going to get that damned song out of my head. Why did you drag me on that ride?"
"Come on, you wanted to see the pirates just as much as I did." Dawn whistled badly but briefly. "It was funny, especially when you started quoting lines from the movie."
"Yeah, it was." Xander smiled, then cut sharply to the right to avoid going to Tropicana Field. He was rewarded with several car horns sounding behind him. "That's not the ride I'm talking about."
"Oh." Dawn's grin was rather evil. "Iiiiit's a small world aaaafter aaaall,"
"I will kill you," Xander smiled, and sank back in his seat. "That was a great idea though. Three days, no slayers, no explanations, no evil monsters,"
"You weren't the one who got hugged by Tigger."
"You loved Tigger."
"When I was TWELVE," Dawn snorted. "Besides, THAT Tigger loved me back, a little too much. I could feel his–"
"Aaaand here we go." Xander merged into the exit lane for the Pinellas Bayway. "Eckerd College, here we come."
"Who are we looking for here?"
"Someone named Emma. No last name, no address. Just Emma, at Eckerd College."
"I think the Devon Coven is playing a dirty trick on us." Dawn sulked. "How the hell are we supposed to find her?"
"It's a small college, Dawnie." Xander shrugged. "Apparently there's some sort of mystical force field or something in the area. They said they couldn't get a real lock on anyone within about two hundred miles of here. We should be happy we got a first name." Xander entered the turn lane, studying the front entrance of the school. It was shrouded in southern oaks and palm trees. A bored looking security guard sat in a tiny guard house behind a "Welcome to Eckerd" sign. "It's a weekday, middle of the afternoon. I say we drive around the campus a bit until I spot the aura. If we don't find her today," Xander grinned. "Well, we've got a hotel on the beach. How cool is that?"
"Definitely cooler than going to a college named after a pharmacy." Dawn waved cheerfully to the security guard, but was thoroughly ignored. "Or one in the middle of a mystical force field. Let's get this show on the road."
Xander nodded, and pulled the car to a stop at a small traffic circle. "Left or right?"
"Left."
They pulled on ahead.
From the road, the college didn't look like much. Low lying buildings in a style once referred to as "Polynesian gothic" by one of its own professors, combined with more palms and tall, twisted trees, full of vibrant green foliage. Bored looking students sauntered slowly along the road and between the buildings, or skated, or biked, or, most often, skate boarded. A woman in a decidedly hippie style dress sold sunglasses and tie died pants next to the mailboxes. Dawn made a face when she noticed that a lot of the students weren't wearing any shoes.
They were following behind a sweaty security guard in a golf cart, which gave Xander plenty of leisure time to check each girl they passed for the tell tale silver glimmer. While some of the girls looked like they could probably kick his ass, none were slayers. A side road was marked off closed to traffic, and he could see a large building was in the process of construction pretty much in the middle of the road, so he followed the security guard further until they reached a series of two-story complexes with tapestries and beer cans in the windows. These, obviously, were the dorms. He turned into a parking lot, which lead to another, very small road labeled "Dorm Drive". A group of Indian boys were playing cricket in the lawn outside the "Beta" complex. A large mob of girls tank tops chatted on the way to the cafeteria, on their right. Still, there was no sign of the slayer.
Continuing down Dorm Drive lead them back to the construction site, and Xander looped slowly around and passed through the complexes again, this time pulling off towards a circular apartment building by the water front. At four stories, it was the tallest building on campus.
"An exceptionally small school." Xander muttered, watching a group of kids pass in front of him, obviously in no hurry. He turned right, the only direction left to them, and passed more dorms, and more non-slayers. They had reached the other side of the construction site, heading away from the main buildings on campus, when Xander finally spotted their girl.
Or woman, rather.
She was, he would guess, probably in her thirties. She wore a loose, flowing brown broomstick skirt, an equally loose and flowing green floral top, and combat boots. Her hair, blonde and frizzy, hung down her back, unfettered by any clips or ties. She was carrying a large messenger bag and a folder in her arms, and heading towards a stuccoed, gray building across the street from them. Xander pulled quickly into a parking space, trying to keep an eye on her.
"There's Emma."
Dawn stepped out of the car and walked over to the sign identifying the building. "Bininger Theater." She glanced back at the woman, who now held a set of keys and was walking up a ramp into an open passageway behind the building. "So I'm a theater student now?"
"Looks like it." Xander put his arm around her. "And I'm your concerned and helpful older brother, making sure that Eckerd College is the right place for your learning."
"Right. At least until we burst her bubble, and convince her to leave paradise for a hellmouth in the snow." Dawn set off behind Emma determinedly, a cheerful, inquisitive smile plastered across her face. Xander jogged slightly to catch up with her.
"Miss? Miss!" Dawn called, speeding up the ramp. Emma turned, her hair swinging broadly along with her movement. Xander smiled when he thought of the shit fit that Cordelia would have had, seeing that mass.
"Yes?"
"Hi!" Dawn shrugged apologetically. "Is this the theater?"
"You're in the right place."
"Hi." Dawn said again, the picture of nervous enthusiasm. "I'm a perspective student. Do you know if any of the theater professors are here? My admissions counselor said I should come over and talk to some of them, get a feel for the program."
"Of course!" Emma smiled brightly. "I'm Emma Evonnovich. I teach directing and literature. You're looking at becoming a theater major?"
"Yeah. I'm Dawn Summers." Dawn stuck out her hand, and pointed her thumb behind her. "That's Xander. He's helping me look around. Do you have a free period?"
"Actually, I'm getting ready for a rehearsal right now, but I can talk while I work, and that way you can take a look at the facility." Emma shook her hand, smiled at Xander, then turned to open the large, double doors on the side of the building. "If you like, you can stay and watch the rehearsal."
"Sounds perfect." Dawn grinned, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Isn't that right, er, bro?"
"Of course, SIS." Xander caught up to the two of them. "Only the best for you, you know. Gotta make sure my sister makes the right choice."
"Yes." Emma's smile turned perplexed. "Come on in, both of you." She led the way into the wing space, switching on lights as she went. "We have a rather small program here, I'll admit. Only a handful of theater majors at a time, which means that each student can get the utmost attention and has many, many opportunities to get on stage. Are you interested in being an actress, or a technician?"
"Oh, um, both. But Xander's more of the technical guy."
"Wonderful. Well," Emma flipped some more switches, and the stage was bathed in cool, white light. "This is the main stage. The audience seats around five hundred people at a time. Right now we're working on a production of Macbeth, opening in a few days. You should come see it, if you're still in town."
"Definitely." Xander smiled back. He glanced around the theater.
The stage was lined with tall, black flats, decorated in gold Celtic knotwork. The only other scenery in sight were a few black chairs, and some black plywood cubes. A clanking noise sounded above them, and Emma peered up into the gloom.
"Mike? Is that you?"
"Yep!" A deep male voice sounded from above them, and a moment later, a round face with a full beard appeared in the catwalks. "Just finishing up the cabling for the black lights, Emma."
"In the dark?"
"Um." Mike's skin turned pink beneath the beard. "Yeah. Jane and I were trying to get a feel for the, um, spread of the lights."
Someone giggled. "I'll just," the giggling continued, and a thin brunette appeared beside Mike. "Plug them back in for you. Mind hitting the work lights?"
Emma smiled, her eyebrow raised. "Of course. Tell me when,"
There was a great deal of rattling and cursing above them, and soon Xander saw the purple bars of the black lights flicker on. "When!"
The theater plunged into UV. Xander wiped uselessly at the now visible bits of lint covering his shirt. Emma returned to the stage, then backed slowly down a ramp into the audience.
"Wonderful, Jane!" She clapped her hands. "When did you get the crowns up?"
"This morning. I didn't have any classes, and my roommate just bought more detergent, so I snuck some over." Jane's voice was on the move, and a moment later, they could hear the clang of feet coming down one of the metal ladders back stage. She stepped out from behind one of the flats, looking up. "They dripped a little, though."
"I like it." Emma nodded firmly. "Gives it that nice, grisly aspect. After all, these are supposed to be the apparitions the witches show Macbeth. How did you reach up there?"
Jane shrugged. Her shirt was on backwards, and she wasn't wearing a bra. Her hair stuck out at odd angles. "Mike helped me out with the A-frame, so I helped him out with the lights."
Emma's smile was knowing and her voice full of innuendo. "Of course you did." She cocked her head. "How's that mattress in the back of the cats holding up?"
Jane's face instantly darkened, and she swiped a hand over her hair. "Fine, um, fine."
Emma nodded. "Well, while you're here, let's let Mike come down to the booth. We'll make sure the lights are all set up for the tech run tonight."
"Way ahead of you." Mike was already at the top of the stairs in the back of the theater. His shirt was misbuttoned, and, Xander noted, his fly was open. A small triangle of iridescent blue shone through the front of his pants. Not for the first time, Xander wished he'd gone to college.
"Dawn, Xander." Emma waved them over. "Come meet Jane, our lead painter. Jane, this is Dawn, she's considering Eckerd for, the fall was it?"
Dawn nodded, and shook the girl's hand. She gestured to her own collar, and Jane hurriedly tucked her tag in, blushing again. "Look's like a great place, so far."
"Oh!" Jane looked down at her birkenstocks. "It is. This is my junior year."
"Are you a theater major?"
"Marine biology." Jane cocked her head. "Swimming with dolphins, all that." She sat down in one of the seats, and Dawn plopped down beside her. Moments later, the two were locked in conversation. The black lights dimmed out, and the stage was washed in warm, sinister reds.
"That's the first scene!" Mike called.
"Where's the gobo?"
A green pentagram lit up in the center of the stage.
"Perfect!" Emma leaned over to Xander. "Mike's our master electrician. This is the first time he's done lighting design, and he's doing a great job. Are you in school?"
"Um, no, ma'am." Xander watched the lighting change again, this time to a broader, lighter color that filled the stage.
"Call me Emma, please." She shouted more praise up to Mike, then leaned in closer to Xander. "Now, why are you REALLY here?"
end part one
I'm also going to be using at the very least brief references to a phenomenon known as the Tampa Triangle Dead Zone, a channel that runs from the Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, FL, to the first bowie out in the Gulf of Mexico, where an incredible amount of maritime disasters have occurred. The Dead Zone is real, though the FL tourist boards are made to deny it. While there's no proof of anything supernatural happening there, it is a very creepy place in the middle of a rather beautiful region of the country.
Eckerd College is also real. I went there, so I know, 'cause unlike some of my fellow students, I wasn't doing the drugs that make you hallucinate things like your entire college experience. The people AT Eckerd College in this story, however, are not real. As much fun as it would be to insert friends and teachers into this tale, I'm going to avoid it.
Have I blathered on to long? I do that. On to the story:
Roads Less Traveled
by Casix Thistlebane
Story 4: The Scottish Play
Part One
"I swear, Dawn," Xander studied the signs hanging over 275 carefully. He'd already made several mistakes on the crazy, frequent left exit system, and wasn't really looking forward to more delays. While the trip from Orlando to St. Petersburg was relatively short, he was getting anxious to get out of the car and enjoy more of the Florida sunshine. "I am never going to get that damned song out of my head. Why did you drag me on that ride?"
"Come on, you wanted to see the pirates just as much as I did." Dawn whistled badly but briefly. "It was funny, especially when you started quoting lines from the movie."
"Yeah, it was." Xander smiled, then cut sharply to the right to avoid going to Tropicana Field. He was rewarded with several car horns sounding behind him. "That's not the ride I'm talking about."
"Oh." Dawn's grin was rather evil. "Iiiiit's a small world aaaafter aaaall,"
"I will kill you," Xander smiled, and sank back in his seat. "That was a great idea though. Three days, no slayers, no explanations, no evil monsters,"
"You weren't the one who got hugged by Tigger."
"You loved Tigger."
"When I was TWELVE," Dawn snorted. "Besides, THAT Tigger loved me back, a little too much. I could feel his–"
"Aaaand here we go." Xander merged into the exit lane for the Pinellas Bayway. "Eckerd College, here we come."
"Who are we looking for here?"
"Someone named Emma. No last name, no address. Just Emma, at Eckerd College."
"I think the Devon Coven is playing a dirty trick on us." Dawn sulked. "How the hell are we supposed to find her?"
"It's a small college, Dawnie." Xander shrugged. "Apparently there's some sort of mystical force field or something in the area. They said they couldn't get a real lock on anyone within about two hundred miles of here. We should be happy we got a first name." Xander entered the turn lane, studying the front entrance of the school. It was shrouded in southern oaks and palm trees. A bored looking security guard sat in a tiny guard house behind a "Welcome to Eckerd" sign. "It's a weekday, middle of the afternoon. I say we drive around the campus a bit until I spot the aura. If we don't find her today," Xander grinned. "Well, we've got a hotel on the beach. How cool is that?"
"Definitely cooler than going to a college named after a pharmacy." Dawn waved cheerfully to the security guard, but was thoroughly ignored. "Or one in the middle of a mystical force field. Let's get this show on the road."
Xander nodded, and pulled the car to a stop at a small traffic circle. "Left or right?"
"Left."
They pulled on ahead.
From the road, the college didn't look like much. Low lying buildings in a style once referred to as "Polynesian gothic" by one of its own professors, combined with more palms and tall, twisted trees, full of vibrant green foliage. Bored looking students sauntered slowly along the road and between the buildings, or skated, or biked, or, most often, skate boarded. A woman in a decidedly hippie style dress sold sunglasses and tie died pants next to the mailboxes. Dawn made a face when she noticed that a lot of the students weren't wearing any shoes.
They were following behind a sweaty security guard in a golf cart, which gave Xander plenty of leisure time to check each girl they passed for the tell tale silver glimmer. While some of the girls looked like they could probably kick his ass, none were slayers. A side road was marked off closed to traffic, and he could see a large building was in the process of construction pretty much in the middle of the road, so he followed the security guard further until they reached a series of two-story complexes with tapestries and beer cans in the windows. These, obviously, were the dorms. He turned into a parking lot, which lead to another, very small road labeled "Dorm Drive". A group of Indian boys were playing cricket in the lawn outside the "Beta" complex. A large mob of girls tank tops chatted on the way to the cafeteria, on their right. Still, there was no sign of the slayer.
Continuing down Dorm Drive lead them back to the construction site, and Xander looped slowly around and passed through the complexes again, this time pulling off towards a circular apartment building by the water front. At four stories, it was the tallest building on campus.
"An exceptionally small school." Xander muttered, watching a group of kids pass in front of him, obviously in no hurry. He turned right, the only direction left to them, and passed more dorms, and more non-slayers. They had reached the other side of the construction site, heading away from the main buildings on campus, when Xander finally spotted their girl.
Or woman, rather.
She was, he would guess, probably in her thirties. She wore a loose, flowing brown broomstick skirt, an equally loose and flowing green floral top, and combat boots. Her hair, blonde and frizzy, hung down her back, unfettered by any clips or ties. She was carrying a large messenger bag and a folder in her arms, and heading towards a stuccoed, gray building across the street from them. Xander pulled quickly into a parking space, trying to keep an eye on her.
"There's Emma."
Dawn stepped out of the car and walked over to the sign identifying the building. "Bininger Theater." She glanced back at the woman, who now held a set of keys and was walking up a ramp into an open passageway behind the building. "So I'm a theater student now?"
"Looks like it." Xander put his arm around her. "And I'm your concerned and helpful older brother, making sure that Eckerd College is the right place for your learning."
"Right. At least until we burst her bubble, and convince her to leave paradise for a hellmouth in the snow." Dawn set off behind Emma determinedly, a cheerful, inquisitive smile plastered across her face. Xander jogged slightly to catch up with her.
"Miss? Miss!" Dawn called, speeding up the ramp. Emma turned, her hair swinging broadly along with her movement. Xander smiled when he thought of the shit fit that Cordelia would have had, seeing that mass.
"Yes?"
"Hi!" Dawn shrugged apologetically. "Is this the theater?"
"You're in the right place."
"Hi." Dawn said again, the picture of nervous enthusiasm. "I'm a perspective student. Do you know if any of the theater professors are here? My admissions counselor said I should come over and talk to some of them, get a feel for the program."
"Of course!" Emma smiled brightly. "I'm Emma Evonnovich. I teach directing and literature. You're looking at becoming a theater major?"
"Yeah. I'm Dawn Summers." Dawn stuck out her hand, and pointed her thumb behind her. "That's Xander. He's helping me look around. Do you have a free period?"
"Actually, I'm getting ready for a rehearsal right now, but I can talk while I work, and that way you can take a look at the facility." Emma shook her hand, smiled at Xander, then turned to open the large, double doors on the side of the building. "If you like, you can stay and watch the rehearsal."
"Sounds perfect." Dawn grinned, shoving her hands into her pockets. "Isn't that right, er, bro?"
"Of course, SIS." Xander caught up to the two of them. "Only the best for you, you know. Gotta make sure my sister makes the right choice."
"Yes." Emma's smile turned perplexed. "Come on in, both of you." She led the way into the wing space, switching on lights as she went. "We have a rather small program here, I'll admit. Only a handful of theater majors at a time, which means that each student can get the utmost attention and has many, many opportunities to get on stage. Are you interested in being an actress, or a technician?"
"Oh, um, both. But Xander's more of the technical guy."
"Wonderful. Well," Emma flipped some more switches, and the stage was bathed in cool, white light. "This is the main stage. The audience seats around five hundred people at a time. Right now we're working on a production of Macbeth, opening in a few days. You should come see it, if you're still in town."
"Definitely." Xander smiled back. He glanced around the theater.
The stage was lined with tall, black flats, decorated in gold Celtic knotwork. The only other scenery in sight were a few black chairs, and some black plywood cubes. A clanking noise sounded above them, and Emma peered up into the gloom.
"Mike? Is that you?"
"Yep!" A deep male voice sounded from above them, and a moment later, a round face with a full beard appeared in the catwalks. "Just finishing up the cabling for the black lights, Emma."
"In the dark?"
"Um." Mike's skin turned pink beneath the beard. "Yeah. Jane and I were trying to get a feel for the, um, spread of the lights."
Someone giggled. "I'll just," the giggling continued, and a thin brunette appeared beside Mike. "Plug them back in for you. Mind hitting the work lights?"
Emma smiled, her eyebrow raised. "Of course. Tell me when,"
There was a great deal of rattling and cursing above them, and soon Xander saw the purple bars of the black lights flicker on. "When!"
The theater plunged into UV. Xander wiped uselessly at the now visible bits of lint covering his shirt. Emma returned to the stage, then backed slowly down a ramp into the audience.
"Wonderful, Jane!" She clapped her hands. "When did you get the crowns up?"
"This morning. I didn't have any classes, and my roommate just bought more detergent, so I snuck some over." Jane's voice was on the move, and a moment later, they could hear the clang of feet coming down one of the metal ladders back stage. She stepped out from behind one of the flats, looking up. "They dripped a little, though."
"I like it." Emma nodded firmly. "Gives it that nice, grisly aspect. After all, these are supposed to be the apparitions the witches show Macbeth. How did you reach up there?"
Jane shrugged. Her shirt was on backwards, and she wasn't wearing a bra. Her hair stuck out at odd angles. "Mike helped me out with the A-frame, so I helped him out with the lights."
Emma's smile was knowing and her voice full of innuendo. "Of course you did." She cocked her head. "How's that mattress in the back of the cats holding up?"
Jane's face instantly darkened, and she swiped a hand over her hair. "Fine, um, fine."
Emma nodded. "Well, while you're here, let's let Mike come down to the booth. We'll make sure the lights are all set up for the tech run tonight."
"Way ahead of you." Mike was already at the top of the stairs in the back of the theater. His shirt was misbuttoned, and, Xander noted, his fly was open. A small triangle of iridescent blue shone through the front of his pants. Not for the first time, Xander wished he'd gone to college.
"Dawn, Xander." Emma waved them over. "Come meet Jane, our lead painter. Jane, this is Dawn, she's considering Eckerd for, the fall was it?"
Dawn nodded, and shook the girl's hand. She gestured to her own collar, and Jane hurriedly tucked her tag in, blushing again. "Look's like a great place, so far."
"Oh!" Jane looked down at her birkenstocks. "It is. This is my junior year."
"Are you a theater major?"
"Marine biology." Jane cocked her head. "Swimming with dolphins, all that." She sat down in one of the seats, and Dawn plopped down beside her. Moments later, the two were locked in conversation. The black lights dimmed out, and the stage was washed in warm, sinister reds.
"That's the first scene!" Mike called.
"Where's the gobo?"
A green pentagram lit up in the center of the stage.
"Perfect!" Emma leaned over to Xander. "Mike's our master electrician. This is the first time he's done lighting design, and he's doing a great job. Are you in school?"
"Um, no, ma'am." Xander watched the lighting change again, this time to a broader, lighter color that filled the stage.
"Call me Emma, please." She shouted more praise up to Mike, then leaned in closer to Xander. "Now, why are you REALLY here?"
end part one