(A/N: Just to refresh your memory, Claire was the girl that was Reya's closest friend and ended up commiting suicide, incase anyone forgot, otherwise this next chapter won't make sense. Also for the dance scene, you have to have to have to download this song by Evanescence. I think it's called Strong. I'm not sure. Some of the lyrics are in this chapter so you'll be able to look it up. But if you listen to it, it'll really help you picture this and sort of get the mood behind it. Trust me with this one. Here we go!)
When Reya checked her email the next day she was bombarded with hundreds of emails. At first she thought it was bulk, but they were all coming from the same address. Clairebear333aol. Reya almost fell backwards. That was Claire's email, and Claire had been dead for two and a half years. The pain from that had faded, but it was still very raw and tender. Where were these emails coming from, and who had the nerve to toy around with her like this. She opened one of them and read it. Then another and another, each one making her feel more and more sick to her stomach. They were all old emails Claire had sent her, each of them following a downwards pattern. Sentences that would say things like, "Today was awesome!" or "I had so much fun last night! I can't wait to tell you about it!" Turned into, "This morning I got in another fight with my mom. I made her cry," and "I'm so tempted to make it end, Rey-rey. Last night I was hold a knife in my hands and I was so tempted... I hurt's too much"
Reya forced herself to read email after email, knowing that whoever had sent her these had wanted her to do this. She was about to read the last one when hermother called for her to let her know they had to leave right now to get ready for the talent show. Reya sighed and left, leaving the computer on with the unread email opened on the screen.
-
"Are you ready for this?" asked Jared, looking at Reya. Both of them were in costume, and fidgeting wildly.
"No," said Reya, giving a nervous smile. Jared gave her a quick hug.
"You'll be fine. Oh! Here we go"
The lights dimmed and Reya waited for the blue light. Slowly it came and she bit her lip, her heart hammering in her chest, and sweat threatening to break out. For a minute she concidered not doing it and turning around now, but it was too late. She was always walking to the stage, through the slowly parting curtain.
She stepped out dressed in a black cloak, the hood drawn up and her face pointed down. She walked slowly in rhythm to the music which had started. Her hands were held about a foot away from her hips, tilted back slightly. The music had started with one voice singing to no music, but when the second voice came in with the harmony and an electric guitar was slowly fading in, Jared stepped out, following her. His face was painted half black and half white, and he was dressed in black robes that made him look a little like Count Dracula. He followed her, putting on a menacing face like he was stalking her. The electric guitar made a sort of screech, and on the bang the blue light turned to red and Reya threw her head back and her arms out, her hood falling back, revealing her hair which had been done in corn rows and tiny braids. Her face had been painted white and she wore black lipstick and had black circles around her eyes that had ends that curved up towards her forehead like a tear drop.
The electric guitar was now playing, and Jared took her, dancing around with her. He spun her around twice, and she spun out, her free hand extended out and she spun back in to him and he gripped her by the arms, just below the shoulders. She looked up at him and slowly backed away as he stepped to the center and front. Reya stepped back, head bowed down, and he began to lip sync to the male voice who was now speaking, a woman's voice singing a little behind him but not with words. Reya stretched out her arms and spun, then fell to the ground on her knees, heaving her torso up and down in rhythm to the music, and then extended her arms and tilted back, letting her head go, then fell backwards, twisting over and turning to face Jared, whose lip syncing part was almost over. She then looked up, her hands in front of her so she was on all fours and Jared came back to her, putting two curved fingers under her chin and tilting her head up. As he did so she slowly got to her feet as if he were pulling her up and he spread out his arms, stepping behind her gracefully, undoing her cloak and it fell, reavealing her in a gothic style red and black dress, and she looked out at the audience blankly.
Jared and Reya mouthed out the words together so it looked like he was controlling every word she said. There was a screen above them that had a close up of their faces for those in the back who couldn't see. They mouthed out:
"You will never be strong enough/ You will never be good enough/ You were never concieved in love/ You will not rise above"
Reya stepped away from him, spreading out her arms and looking down. Her body was facing the audience and she mouthed out, "They will never see..." Her head slowly looked up. "... I will never be/ I struggle on and on to feed this hunger/ Burning deep inside of me..." On the last two lines her hands clung to her stomach and her heart as she slowly stepped back, heaving in pain. Jared stepped back up, lip syncing his part and stood in front of her, looking like he was talking to her, and made hand gestures. The light around them turned green and he took her by the hands. Both of them started lip syncing together, again making it look like he was controlling every word she was saying. "Rest in me and I'll comfort you/ I have lived and I've died for you/ Fly to me and I vow to you/ I will never foresake you." Reya stepped front and center and spread out her arms, lip syncing her part.
"They will never see/ I will never be..." She clung to her heart and her stomach, heaving over dramatically and backing away. "...I struggle on and on to feed this hunger/ Burning deep inside of me." Jared stepped up behind her and moved her arms so they were out to her sides and she turned her face from him, looking at the ceiling. "They will never see/ I will never be/ I struggle on and on to feed this hunger/ Burning deep inside of me..." She tore away from him and ran back behind the curtain, and he followed her, walking slowly as the music played breifly without any words. Then the light turned a light blue, and a voice could be heard singing again with no words, and both Reya and Jared emerged from the curtains. This time Reya was wearing a white dress with white sequins on the bodice and long sheer white sleeves. She was bare footed and wearing a black head band with three black sticks that stood up, on in the middle and the other two an inch away from the middle, slightly tilted in opposite dirrections. There were three black beads at the top of each, and she walked with her arms fully extended to the sides, Jared with his hand on her shoulders.
When the music broke into two voices singing with no words, he started dancing with her again, spinning her around quickly and gracefully, pulling her close and then pulling away, dipping her very far back, and picking her up and spinning her. Then the music turned to a gruff angry voice shouting, and he suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders violently, mouthing out the words. "Rest in me/ I'll comfort you..." He forced her to her knees and she looked up at him with wide eyes. "I have lived/ And died for you..." On 'died for you' he shook her violently. "Fly to me/ I vow to you..." On 'vow to you' he pretended to strike both her cheeks violently once each. She jerked her head to the force of the blow and he gripped her arms bellow the shoulders. "...I will never foresake you!" He threw her foreward like a rag doll, and she was on all fours, heaving as if half weeping.
"They will never see..." She looked up with a meaningful look. "I will never be/ I struggle on and on to feed this hunger/ Burning deep inside of me..." The guitar screeched again, and the light turned red, and she jerked around, looking at Jared who was slightly hunched, ready to pounce on her. She scrambled to her feet running to one side and he chased her. She gracefully side stepped him and tried to run but he grabbed her and picked her up in his arms. She went limp, head tilted back, eyes closed, and arms dangling limply out to the sides. He carried her away slowly as the music continued, and it ended as he walked with her through the parted curtain.
There was silence, and then a roar of applause. The lights turned back to normal and Reya and Jared ran out, holding hands and bowed, smiling and waving. People stood up from their seats clapping and Reya looked around for any familiar faces. She saw her mother and sister, and looked around. Then, sticking out like a sore thumb, she saw Wonka's top hat and saw he was also standing with the majority of the audience, applauding and wearing a wide smile on his face. She smiled and waved to him. She and Jared bowed one last time and then ran back behind the curtain. When they got there they highfived each other and hugged, laughing and smiling.
"We did it!" cried Reya and Jared nodded. "How many acts till we know if who won"
"Two, and they're short," said Jared and she nodded running off. "Where are you going?" he called out.
"I'm getting out of this dress!" she declared eagerly and he laughed, watching her go.
-
(A/N: Has anyone seen the new Charlie and the Chocolate factory commercial? Go to ohjohnnydotnet and click on movies, click on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and click on "Jump To Last Page." Scroll down, click on 'back' and look around until you see the link. It's about halfway down. It starts with Violet running up and hugging him around the legs, and he sort of makes a appaled/surprised look. And then she looks up at him with these cute blue eyes and says, "I'm Violet Boulregard! (sp?)" He smiles at her and says, "I don't care!" Wonka had better not be portrayed as a jerk or I'll be mad!)
