Chapter 8: Auditions
May and Drew went to the choir room. School doesn't start yet, so they decide to practice their lines for the play. The choir room is completely empty. They take out their scripts.
"You've seen the movie, right?" Drew asked.
"Of course I have. I've even seen the live action." May/Daisy answered.
"Then you shouldn't have a problem being the perfect Princess." Drew said as he looked down at his script.
"Princess…?" May/Daisy asked quietly.
Drew looked up at her. "Of course. Princess Jasmine, right?"
May snapped out of her trance. "Oh. R-right. Of course!" May/Daisy said.
Drew looked at her for a moment, concerned. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yes. Why wouldn't I be?" May/Daisy answered.
Drew frowned. "Okay then. You start."
"Umm…" May/Daisy said as she looked down at her script. May didn't say anything and her hands were shaking. Drew noticed her nervousness.
He walked to May and grabbed her arms to stop her from shaking. "Calm down."
May looked up at Drew. "I'm sorry. It's just…"
"Don't apologize." Drew said, smiling. He let go of her arms. "Imagine you're in the movie."
"Imagine I'm…" May/Daisy muttered to herself.
Drew backed away. "You can do it."
May nodded and smiled. She looked down at her script. ("Okay...I can do this.") She thought. ("This is when Jasmine steals bread in the marketplace…")
"And...action." Drew said. He backed up further to prepare for his lines.
May looks up at Drew. "Do you want to impersonate Jamal?"
"I can try." Drew walks up to May. He clears his throat. "Hey! You steal from my brother!" He said in a deep voice with his hand hovering over his mouth.
May giggles at Drew. "That's pretty good."
Drew laughs. "I'll cover my mouth like that when I'm acting as Jamal."
"Okay." May said, laughing.
"This time, continue." Drew said.
"Right."
"Hey! You steal from my brother!" Drew said in his deep voice.
"Stealing? No, I…" May said.
"You pay or I take bracelet." Drew said, impersonating Jamal.
"Sir, I don't have any money."
Drew grabbed May's left wrist.
"Hey! Let go of me!" May said. Drew pretended to start taking off a bracelet.
Drew let go of her wrist and faced an imaginary figure. "Take it easy, Jamal." He said in his regular voice.
Drew faced May. "I'll skip the next line, because this is getting weird." May smiled and nodded.
"Those children were hungry! I-" May continued with her line.
"Okay, give me a second." Drew said to the imaginary figure. He faced May again and gently held her left arm, his hands around the imaginary bracelet. "Do you have any money?"
"No! I-"
"Okay." Drew cut her off. "Trust me." He said, staring into her eyes. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment too long before things got awkward.
"Umm...sorry, for that." Drew said as he backed away.
"No, it's okay." May said. "You're a great actor."
"You too." Drew smiled.
"Really? Do you mean it?" May asked.
"Of course."
"Well, maybe I can go through with this after all." May said shyly, looking down.
"Want to see how you do in the next audition scene?" Drew asked.
May looked up. "Sure."
"You have the first line again."
May walked to the window at the back of the choir room. "Agrabah, it's so beautiful. I should get out more." She said as she watched cars drop off students in the drop off.
"You should tell the Princess to get out more." Drew said. "The people haven't seen her in years."
May continued looking out the window and thought about what Drew said. ("That's like...my story.") She thought.
"Daisy? Your line." Drew said.
"Umm...right." May said. "They won't let her." She said her line. "Ever since my…" her voice trailed off. "The Queen, was killed, the Sultan's been afraid. So she's kept locked away. Seems everyone's been afraid since then."
"But the people of Agrabah had nothing to do with that." Drew said as May slowly turned to face him. "The people loved her."
May smiled. "They did, didn't they?"
"Now pretend you're holding a guitar." Drew said, not acting.
"Okay." May said. She bends down and pretends to pick up a guitar. "Is this yours?" She acted.
"It's...kind of...borrowed." Drew answered. He turned around.
May pretended to strum some notes on the air guitar. Drew turned around and watched her.
"My mother taught me that song." Drew said.
May stopped and looked at Drew. "Mine too."
"It's all I remember of her." Drew said.
"And what about your father?" May asked as she placed the air guitar on the floor.
"I lost them both when I was young. Been on my own ever since." May's smile faded. Drew continued. "It's all right, it's just…" Drew said as he walked towards May.
"What?" May asked.
"It's a little sad." Drew answered. "Having a monkey as the only parental authority in your life."
May chuckles and smiles.
Drew smiles. "We get by. Every day I just think things will be different...but it never seems to change." He said as he looked into space.
May just stared at Drew as he continued.
"It's just sometimes, I feel like I'm…" Drew's voice trailed off.
"Trapped." May finished for him. Drew looked at her. "Like you can't escape what you were born into?"
Drew slightly nodded his head. "Yes." They continued staring into each other's eyes. They didn't move for a moment.
"Well." Drew suddenly said. He looked away. "That got awkward again."
"Umm...yeah." May said.
"Sorry again."
"It's fine." May said quickly. "You're a great actor. I'll say that again."
"And you are too." Drew said.
"Okay, let's get Drew and Kylie up on stage." Lisa said.
It's the day of the auditions for the play and the teacher is pairing up random people that are acting as Aladdin and Jasmine. Drew and May have rehearsed together every day since they first got their scripts. By this time, Lisa requires them to have the play memorized to get the part. Thankfully, Drew and May have it all memorized. Drew and a girl named Kylie go up on stage.
Drew immediately could tell that Kylie was one of his fans. She was shuffling her feet and when she started saying her lines, she was stuttering. It went something like this…
"A-Agrabah, it's so b-beautiful…" Kylie stuttered. "I-I should get out more."
Drew calmly said his lines. "You should tell the Princess to get out more. The people haven't seen her in years."
Kylie didn't say anything.
"Uhh...Kylie? Your line?" Lisa said.
"Umm...what's my line again?" Kylie asked.
Kylie definitely would not get the part of Jasmine. Lisa kept pairing up more Aladdins and Jasmines with each other until finally-
"Okay. Next is Drew and Daisy." Lisa said. Drew and May walked up on stage.
"You got this." Drew whispered.
May felt better knowing that Drew believes in her 100%. They started acting their parts and did them just like they practiced. There was no stuttering, no awkward moments, and complete perfection.
"Excellent job so far." Lisa said. "Next is the song."
A Mantine flew from backstage. The Mantine is what they have to play the magic carpet. May and Drew climbed onto him and they would prepare to sing.
(This song is "A Whole New World" from Aladdin.)
They sat side by side on Mantine, kneeling. They never practiced on a Pokémon that can fly, so they have to get used to it. Drew has more experience flying than May does. The music starts playing.
They look at each other. "I can show you the world." Drew sang perfectly. "Shining, shimmering, splendid. Tell me Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?"
The Mantine is slowly flying all over the theater with May and Drew singing on top of it. Everyone in the theater is watching as they fly around.
"A whole new world." May sang, closing her eyes as the Mantine sloped down.
"Don't you dare close your eyes." Drew sang.
"A hundred thousand things to see."
"Hold your breath it gets better."
"I'm like a shooting star. I've come so far. I can't go back to where I used to be." May continued singing perfectly.
"A whole new world." Drew sang.
"Every turn a surprise."
"With new horizons to pursue."
"Every moment red letter."
"I'll chase them anywhere." They sang in unison. "There's time to spare. Let me share this whole new world with you."
They finished the song and Mantine dropped them off on the stage again.
"You two got the parts!" Lisa exclaimed.
May gasped. "We did Drew!"
"What did I tell you?"
May lunged herself at Drew, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. "Thank you for believing in me."
Drew hesitated before gently hugging May back. The girls in the audience were jealous of May. The boys in the audience were jealous of Drew.
"Yep! I could definitely see the chemistry between you two. I chose the right people for the job!" Lisa said.
May and Drew separated and blushed.
"Umm...sorry for that." May said.
"It's okay." Drew said. "Congratulations on getting the part."
"Same to you." May said. "If you didn't get picked and I did, I don't know what I'd do."
"Same for the other way around." Drew smiled.
"This is going to be so fun! Aladdin is possibly my most favorite Disney Princess movie." May said.
"And you'll be great in it." Drew said.