Chapter 14: The Play
"Oh boy…" May breathed.
The play has already started and Drew is on stage doing his first scene. May is able to look at the audience from backstage off to the side. She is feeling more and more nervous to do her part in the play.
May took a deep breath. She backed up a little to avoid looking at the audience. "Calm down…" May muttered to herself. "Just focus on…" May looked up at the stage and watched Drew do his scene in the marketplace.
There's an amazing background that makes it look real and it's also connected to two large wheels backstage that people turn to make the background move. Drew finishes his scene in the marketplace and he walks to May.
"You're up Princess." Drew said.
May took a deep breath. "Kay. Let's do this." She said confidently. She walked out on stage. Of course everyone has on their outfits that match the ones from the movie.
Dawn gasped. "It's Daisy." She said excitedly.
"Let's see how she does." Gary said.
This scene is where May is covering her hair because she snuck out of the castle. There are tables of food and things across the stage. May picks up something and looks at it. The backdrop is moving to show people moving. May puts the piece of food back where it was. She slowly starts walking across the stage, looking around the marketplace. She notices two kids, staring at a table with bread on it, and she walks to them. The teacher actually brought her own children to act in the play.
May bent down to be on their level. "Hey, are you hungry?" May asked the kids. They nod slightly.
May turns around to the table and grabs two loaves of bread and holds them out to the kids. "Here, take some bread."
The two kids smile and take the bread out of May's hands. They run offstage. May watches them run off. Someone else noticed them run from his place next to the table.
He walked to May. "Hey! You steal from my brother." The person playing Jamal said.
At this moment, Drew was walking on stage and he watched them from a distance.
May turned around. "Stealing? No, I-"
"You pay or I take bracelet." Jamal said, cutting May off.
"Sir, I don't have any money."
With a quick movement, the person playing Jamal grabbed May's wrist and held it up.
"Hey! Let go of me!"
Drew rushed over to May/Daisy and Jamal. He separated Jamal's hand from May's wrist. "Take it easy, Jamal." Drew said, facing Jamal.
"This one…" Jamal started, pointing to May. "She steal the bread!"
"Those children were hungry! I-"
"Okay, give me a minute." Drew told Jamal, cutting May off. He turned to face May.
Drew took May's wrist with the bracelet in his hand and he looked into her eyes. "Do you have any money?"
"No! I-"
"Okay." Drew cut May off. "Trust me."
May stared into his eyes without saying anything.
Drew took off the bracelet around her wrist. He faced Jamal.
"Wait!" May said with a delayed reaction.
"This is what you wanted, right?" Drew asked, holding up the bracelet.
"Yes. Thank you." Jamal said as he took the bracelet out of Drew's hand and put it in his pocket.
"And here," Drew said. "An apple for your troubles." He said, smiling as he pulled out an apple from his pocket and tossed it to Jamal. He took May's hand and he started dragging her away.
"That was my...I'm not leaving without my bracelet!" May said.
"You mean this bracelet?" Drew asked as he opened his free hand at his side to show the exact bracelet that he gave to Jamal. May stared at the bracelet.
"Come on." Drew said as they continued to walk offstage.
"Whoa. How did he do that?" Dawn asked quietly.
"My guess is...there's duplicate bracelets." Gary said.
"Yeah. There's no way Drew's a magician." Misty said.
"You seem to have gotten over your fear of being in front of an audience, huh?" Drew asked May backstage.
"Umm...maybe." May/Daisy answered. "I just do what you told me. Focus on...us. And act like it's during class."
"Well…" Drew said as he looked to who's on stage now. He saw a dark dungeon background and the person playing Jafar is acting his part. "While he's doing that scene, you can tell me if you actually like doing this."
"Huh?" May questioned.
Drew looked at May. "Do you like acting and theater? Maybe we could audition for more plays if you like doing that."
May thought about what Drew said. She smiled. "Yeah. Maybe." She answered. "I definitely will still be nervous later on, but for now...I think I'm fine."
"Good." Drew said. He smirked. "Next scene you'll have to stare deeply into my eyes again, so you better be prepared to blush."
May's eyebrows furrowed. She blushed red with anger. "Don't worry. I will be prepared, but not to blush!"
"You two are on again." Teacher Lisa said once she walked up to them.
"Okay. Ready to go?" Drew asked May.
May nodded. The background quickly changed again. This time it looks like Aladdin's home from the movie. Drew and May walk on stage. May isn't covering her hair anymore. All the boys in the audience always like the sight of May's blonde hair.
May looks around Drew's so-called "home" in awe. There are several Pokémon backstage that use Psychic to change up the backgrounds and props. May notices a stairway made of wood that the Pokémon created by carrying the wood with Psychic. May walks up the stairway and now she's at the edge of the stage, seven feet above Drew's level, and she's looking at the back wall of the theater. The walls surrounding the audience were also changed to look like Agrabah before the play started.
May places her hands on the wooden railing, breathing in the air.
"Tea?" Drew asked.
May turned around. "Yes, thank you. And...thank you for getting me out of there." She said, walking down the stairs. She stopped in front of Drew. "Aladdin, isn't it?"
"Uh, you're welcome…" Drew said, waiting for May to finish that sentence.
"I'm...I'm Dalia." May finished.
"Dalia." Drew repeated with a slight nod. "From the palace." He added.
May stared at him for a moment before speaking. "How could you tell?"
"Well," Drew said, turning around. He starts preparing a cup of tea for her. It's not real tea, Drew's just faking it. "Only someone from the palace could afford a bracelet like that. And that silk lining is imported too. It comes from the merchant boats, straight to the palace."
May moved her gaze to the floor, thinking that he's figured out who she is.
"But not to servants." Drew said, turning back around to face her. "At least, not most servants, which means you are a handmaid to the princess."
May looked up and gave a small smile. "Impressive."
"You think that's impressive," Drew said. "You should see the city from up there." He pointed behind May at the top of another wooden staircase like a balcony.
May turned around and went to climb the stairs to an even higher level than before. Drew turned back around and pretended to make tea again.
May stood on the balcony and stared at the back wall. "Agrabah. It's so beautiful. I should get out more."
"You should tell the princess to get out more." Drew said. "The people haven't seen her in years."
"They won't let her." May said. "Ever since my…" Drew turned and looked up at May. "The Queen was killed," May corrected herself, turning around. "The sultan's been afraid." May looked back at the back wall of the theater. "So she's kept locked away. Seems everyone's been afraid since then."
May turned around to look down at Drew. "But the people of Agrabah had nothing to do with that. The people loved her."
May smiled. "They did, didn't they?" May ended up bumping into a guitar that was standing up against a box. It fell on its back and May quickly picked it up.
She looked down at it. "Is this yours?" She asked Drew.
"It's...kind of...borrowed." Drew answered, turning around to finish the imaginary tea.
May started strumming some chords and notes in a slow song. Drew turned back around and watched as May played the song.
"My mother taught me that song." Drew said. May stopped playing the guitar and she looked at Drew.
"Mine too." She said.
"It's all I remember of her."
May placed the guitar on the floor. "And what about your father?"
"I lost them both when I was young. Been on my own ever since." Drew said. May frowned. "It's all right, it's just…" he said as he started walking up the stairs to May with two cups.
"What?" May asked.
He stopped in front of May/Daisy. "It's a little sad." Drew said. "Having a monkey as the only parental authority in your life."
May chuckled a little. Drew smiled and stared off into space. "We get by. Every day I just think things will be different...but it never seems to change. It's just sometimes, I feel like I'm-"
"Trapped." May finished for Drew. Drew looked at her. "Like you can't escape what you were born into?"
Drew slightly nodded. "Yes." They kept staring into each other's eyes.
Dawn silently squealed. "They're so close to each other!" She whispered yelled.
"We know Dawn. We can see." Paul said.
"But don't you see? I just don't understand why May would refuse saying yes to being Drew's date to Homecoming when she knows she likes him." Dawn said.
Knock knock knock.
The play has been going good so far. The audience was laughing when the funny parts came and May got less and less nervous to act in front of everyone. Now there's a knock on the door and the scene is when Aladdin sneaks into the castle. May walks to the door on stage and opens it.
Drew is currently facing away from May, wearing a disguise to match the workers at the palace and he's holding a tray.
"Can I help you?" May asked.
Drew turned around. "Tea?"
May's eyes widened. "You. You! What are you doing here? Get in here, now!" May said as she pulled Drew's arm and dragged him inside her room. She closed the door.
"I came back to return your bracelet." Drew said.
"My bracelet? Where is it?"
"On your wrist." Drew answered, walking further inside her "room".
"What?" May muttered as she looked down at her wrist and saw the bracelet around it. Drew managed to put it on her wrist in the quick second that her arm was out of the room and was going to pull him inside.
May looked back up at the amazed-looking Drew. He's just looking around the room in awe. "How did you get past the guards?" May asked.
Drew looked at May. "That was challenging, but I have my ways." He paused for a moment before continuing. "While the princess is out, would you like to go for a stroll? Have a little chat?" Drew asked.
"You are unbelievable." Was what May said. "You cannot just break into a palace and walk around like you own the place."
"If you don't have anything, you have to act like you own everything." Drew said. "So, what do you say? I did find your bracelet."
"You did not find it, you stole it." May said.
"Correction, the monkey stole it."
"He's your monkey."
"He's still just a monkey." Drew said. May chuckled.
"Who ordered the tea?"
May and Drew both turned and faced the girl who's playing as Dalia.
"Uh…" Drew said.
"I did." May said. She walked behind Drew, so he didn't see her. "For you, Princess Jasmine."
Dalia cocked her head at May in confusion.
"Your Majesty." Drew said as he gave a slight bow, holding the tray in one hand in front of him.
Behind Drew, May is mouthing words to Dalia and she points to Drew, then to the marketplace, then to the bracelet on her wrist.
"Why are you being weird?" Dalia asked.
May sighed and walked to the other side of Drew, still out of sight from him. Drew looked at May and she just smiled. Drew looked back at Dalia and waited for a response.
May slowly pointed to her bracelet and then to Drew.
"Oh, I'm...the princess." Dalia said softly, finally understanding what May was trying to tell her. "Yes. Mm hm." Dalia said, nodding. "And it is good to be me…" Drew stood up straight again. "With all my palaces...and...wagons of gold things…" Dalia continued. "And...dresses for...every hour of the day."
May is signaling Dalia to hurry it up with her fingers. The audience is laughing at this scene.
"Now it is time for my cat to be cleaned." Dalia said. She walked offstage.
Drew turned on his heels to face May.
"She doesn't get out much." May said.
"Mm hm. Clearly." Drew said as he placed the tray on a nearby table.
When Drew turned back to face May, he heard growling. A Persian was growling at him and walking towards him. The Persian is what the teacher got to play as Rajah.
"Aren't you supposed to be in the bath?" Drew asked.
Persian sniffed Drew's hand and ended his growling. May just glanced at Drew, with a small smile.
"Oh, servant girl!" Dalia called from offstage. "This cat isn't going to clean itself!" May and Drew both look offstage.
"But," Drew said. He looked at May with a confused expression. "Don't cats clean themselves?" The audience laughed again.
May stared at him for a moment. "You have to go now." She finally said. She started pushing him to the door.
"Oh, okay." Drew said. "But I'm coming back tomorrow night."
"What? No, you can't-"
They stopped at the door. "Meet me in the courtyard beside the fountain, when the moon is above the minaret." Drew said, pointing towards the audience as if pointing to the courtyard. May looked at where he's pointing.
Drew looked at May and saw a flower hair clip that's holding up part of her hair. Drew reached out and gently took it off of her. May looked at Drew.
"To return this." Drew continued, holding up the hair clip. He dropped it to his side and May just stared at him.
Drew reaches out his free hand and gently brushes May's cheek, moving some of her blonde hair out of her face. May's breath seemed to get caught in her throat when Drew touched her.
"I promise." Drew said once he brought his hand back down. He then opened the door and walked backstage through it. May watched as Drew left and she slightly blushed at the contact her and Drew had just now. May walked the opposite direction of Drew and she walked offstage.