Tone of Deceit

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 7 (Class Act)

"When you're acting, it's more than just reading lines off a script." Sikowitz paced before the class, giving his most recent lecture. "It's about finding the emotion and the meaning behind those words, it's the performance people want to see." He turned to the class and extended his hand, putting emphasis. "To be! Or not to be." His voice softened. "That is the question." He finished off with a nod and a turn. The meaning could be felt behind his words. "You see it sounds better than just a monotone." He shrugged and repeated the line with a flat tone.

Jade struggled through her notes, her eyes looking across the room. Cat sat behind her, whispering over her shoulder. "Tori's not here," whispered the girl. "She's usually here during this period."

"She hasn't been here all week." There was an uneasy tension among all of them, certainly nobody missed the lack of Tori's presence. She often dominated the class, one of Sikowitz's favorite students. "I've been texting her, she says she's fine. Maybe she's still grieving."

"But she would still come to class wouldn't she?"

Their teacher cleared his throat and the immediately turned their attention to him, tensing up. He was standing calmly, his hands behind his back and eyebrows raised. "Is there something that you'd like to share with the class? Perhaps it's more interesting than my lecture. Maybe you've lost interest in my course and would like to have a chat with Principal Eikner?"

Feeling a sudden darkness envelop the room, Jade quickly shook her head. "No sir." Her teeth started to chatter and her hands grew unnaturally moist. "We didn't mean to interrupt your lecture."

Mr. Sikowitz sat on the corner of his desk and crossed his arms. He set his hands in his lap, pressing his thumbs together on his legs while pointing his fingertips upwards. His head turned with his gaze frozen on the mini fridge. "Do you mind if I inquire about your discussion? It must be so important that it overrides my instruction." He looked back at them with glowering eyes, so much that Jade could see even the boys sinking in their chairs.

"Just….worried about Tori, she hasn't been here."

"Ah!" He rose up, swinging his hand upwards. "Even when she is not here, her presence is still maintained on everyone's minds. Yet she so simply chooses not to be here." He walked forward, swinging his arms through the air while leaning towards the other students. "How can one person maintain such an important streak that the very thought of them overrides the existence of life itself?"

Cat raised her hand slowly and Sikowitz instantly pointed at her, calling on her. "Is that a question opened up for debate?" The man's mouth twitched and he flashed a toothy grin.

"Sure, why not?"

"Well, if someone's close enough to you, you worry."

"Of course, it is only natural to worry; but should life not go on? Does the world stop turning for one person?"

"It can feel that way," Jade replied, "I think. I know if I ever lost Cat-you know, she's my best friend in the whole world-then I don't know just how well I'd function." Sikowitz turned to the side and hummed, his hand curling beneath his chin.

"But the sun would still rise and fall, the birds would still sing. People would go to work and come home all the while."

"Yeah, but none of it would matter. None of it would feel right. To see everyone else living their lives, happy when you're not, it doesn't make sense."

"So then it is selfishness?"

"I think depression. I think anger." Jade cleared her throat and leaned forward. "Tori just discovered her best friend in the whole world was murdered, I think she's hurting." Sikowitz raised his eyebrows and Cat shot Jade a quick, disapproving look. Already, she knew she'd spoken out of turn. That was personal information that, perhaps, Mr. Sikowitz did not need to know.

"So…she lost her best friend." Sikowitz paced to the right. "That sounds like an emotionally heavy scene. Perhaps you can act that out for me, let the class know if you can truly capture such a moment."

"What?"

Sikowitz stepped to the side and narrowed his eyes. "Come on. Jade, Cat, come up to the front, please." They cast uneasy glances at each other before looking to the class, all of whom remained silent and nervous.

"Okay." Her voice trembled as she pushed herself from the seat, she tried to maintain a calm confidence so as not to give away any semblance of fear. Cat soon followed.

"Now…" Sikowitz watched as they passed him, following them with his head. "I'm going to play the part of the villain, and I am going to kill the single most important person in your entire life. I want you to show me just how easy it is for the world to stop turning for your character."

"Um…" Jade swept a strand of hair behind her ear and swallowed. Then, without warning, Sikowitz turned and lunged for Cat. Her heart stopped and she let out a shrill cry as the man's hands clasped around the redhead's throat.

"Don't worry, it's all pretend. Or is it?" Cat's eyes grew large and her entire body started to shake as she was pushed down by the instructor.

"No, let her go!" Tears sprouted from Jade's eyes, but it didn't feel like acting. No, this felt real, very real. She rushed for Sikowitz, grabbing his arms and back while Cat moved her hands to his wrists. If she was acting, she was doing a good job; and so was Sikowitz, whose wild look in the eyes sealed the deal.

The more Jade looked at him, the more fearful she grew. "How?" Sikowitz seemed to bellow and growl through his words. "How can an actor who has never gone through the pain and suffering convince the audience that they feel true grief? How can they convey that which they have never gone through?"

"You're scaring me."

Sikowitz turned his head ferociously towards her. "It's called acting." His nostrils were enlarged and his brow wrinkled. "It isn't real unless you can make the audience feel what you feel." He turned back to Cat. "Now drop dead." With what looked like a surge of energy and a violent shout, he released Cat's throat and she crumpled to the ground.

"Cat!" Her tears streamed down her cheeks as she knelt beside her friend. Her trembling fingers clutched Cat's face and she screamed aloud for her. "Open your eyes, please open them." Sikowitz stood over them, arms crossed and forehead creasing. His shadow hovered across her best friend's face like the grim reaper himself. "Goddamn it please."

Fear turned to panic as she started shaking her friend, hoping for signs of life. Even Sikowitz looked like he was starting to worry. "Miss Valentine, I know you're alive, come on and get up child." He knelt beside the girl, examining her closely. Jade looked over her shoulder, gasping and pleading with someone to help. The classroom door was open and she saw Principal Eikner standing in the doorway simply watching with is expression twisted in disapproval. "Miss Valentine."

Cat finally opened her eyes and Jade nearly fell onto the ground beside her. "Sorry," Cat remarked, "I'm really good at playing dead." The girl sat up and threw her arms around Jade's neck. "I didn't mean to make you worry, I thought we were just acting…"

Jade clutched her chest, still breathing heavily. Sikowitz rose to his feet with a sigh. "You see," said the instructor in a simple tone, "You understand real terror, but you never had any reason to fear me." Jade growled, her fists clenching slowly. "If I wanted to hurt you, I could. Both of you are clearly very easy to overpower; but I would never do that. Yet, Miss West, your reaction would not be quite as believable if you had not felt it…"

"Y-You-"

"When a child actor gets on the scene and must cry, sometimes the director will use tricks as simple as making them think about a deceased puppy. Otherwise, how is the child to understand true pain?" He closed his eyes and exhaled. "But I see how easy it is when faced with the loss of someone you care for that the rest of the world may fade, you have shown me how the threat of loss can overtake all else; but as you see, you have not lost anyone."

Eikner cleared his throat and Sikowitz jerked his head around. "What are you doing?" The man's words rolled out with a mixture of annoyance and bemusement. "Erwin, am I to cut you loose? Yes, you need to teach your students; but this is not the right way to do it. What would a parent say if they saw that display?"

"I understand, but I needed-"

Eikner slid alongside him and lowered his voice to a hushed tone. "What you need, Ernie, is to cut the bullshit before you cost yourself everything. If you cause problems for this school, then I will be forced to cut you loose. Am I understood?"

Sikowitz coughed loudly and tugged on his collar, his face paled visibly. "loud and clear sir, I apologize." Eikner narrowed his eyes and his lips twisted into a sneer.

"That's better. Let's not forget what happened to Helen when she thought she could take over for a few months." The man dusted himself off as Sikowitz slowly bowed his head. "Now." Eikner smiled and extended a hand to Jade. "Let me help you off the floor." Jade put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up, slowly wiping the tears off her face. "The last thing we need is for our students to talk to their parents and then begin suing us, Mr. Sikowitz. We certainly don't need that type of publicity."

"No sir."

Jade walked back to her seat with Cat and sat down, too anxious and upset to speak. Eikner turned to them and nodded. "But a scene well done, very believable if not too believable. Let us hope and expect that you will never have to go through such a horrible ordeal."

Eikner then turned back to Sikowitz, still looking like a puppy being scolded by its master. "We thrive on funding from donors, and Miss West's father happens to be a very wealthy benefactor. His coin helps us stay open, let's try not to lose it by antagonizing his daughter, shall we?"

It was true, her dad was an ardent supporter of the arts, so when Hollywood Arts first opened its doors, he was glad to donate some money and help the school gain some footing. In fact, it wasn't just her dad that helped, Cat's mom assisted as well in providing some donation to the school. Certainly she wouldn't like seeing what just transpired.

"You surprise me Ernie boy-"

"My name is Erwin."

"What was that?" The principal turned more towards him, raising his eyebrows and casting a wide-eyed look as if he'd just been smacked in the face. Sikowitz shut his eyes and growled.

"Nothing."

"Sure. You know, these are your most adored students, and yet you treat them in such a cruel, cruel manner. Why, I'd almost think you were lying to me when you say they're your favorites." The teacher sighed again and Eikner turned away from him. "But I won't keep you. Jade? Cat? Would you two care to pay Lane a visit after that ordeal? I'm sure he'll be willing to calm you a bit."

"No, I'm fine now." Jade didn't understand why the two men were speaking the way they were, but something wasn't right and she could feel it deep within. As such, she never had a problem talking with Lane; but that feeling that something just wasn't right persisted even when thinking of the dear counselor. Whatever it was, she simply couldn't put her finger on the pulse of the problem.

"Okay, I'm glad to hear that. You know his office is always open."

Suddenly, Trina walked into the room with her father. David was wearing a suit and tie while Trina had on a police uniform. Jade's eyes grew large and the two older men froze on the spot. Trina's gaze surveyed the scene until her eyes landed on Jade and Cat. "We were notified about a teacher attacking a student at this school," David explained, "Is everything okay here?" Jade glanced around until she saw Beck showing her his phone. She rolled her eyes and sank into her chair, embarrassed by the scene.

"Everything is fine," Eikner said with a casual air, "The instructor was trying to teach an emotionally gripping scene. No one was being attacked, though I can understand how some of the students in the classroom may have been concerned." Eikner walked towards them, smiling still from ear to ear. "I am grateful to have police in this town that care so much that they would arrive so quickly to assess a situation, even if it is a false alarm. Thank you, officer. If you have any questions, I will be happy to clear the air for you."

David started to hum and Trina gave a slow nod towards Jade before looking to Beck, clearly understanding that he was the one that made the notification.

"I would never allow my students to be truly harmed," Sikowitz remarked as he wrung his hands together. "No, it is my job, my duty to see them safe."

"If I may," Trina started, "Can I speak with the students in question?"

"Yes, yes of course." Sikowitz waved his hand in the air. "Miss West? Miss Valentine? I believe Officer Vega would like a word."

Without hesitation, the girls got up and hurried out of the classroom. Trina smiled at the teacher and then followed them. Once out of the room, the smile faded and she gripped the back of their shirts. "You two are leaving school for the day."

"What?" Jade raised her eyebrows. "But we didn't-"

"I understand, but that is enough of a scare for one day." She walked them outside and stopped just out the door, crossing her arms. "What exactly went down? I received a text from Beck telling me Cat was being strangled by Mr. Sikowitz. Do you understand how serious that is?"

Jade bowed her head and Cat slowly ran her hand along her neck. "It was an acting scene." The redhead sucked in a deep breath and dropped her hands. "We were supposed to convey the feeling of losing someone. Mr. Sikowitz picked us because we were talking during class, he pretended to choke me and I played dead."

"I see." Trina looked to Jade, her eyebrows closing in briefly. "Jade? I take it you're still pretty shaken." She nodded once and hugged her stomach. Trina set a hand on her shoulder and she looked up, meeting the girl's gaze. "It's okay, take a deep breath. You haven't lost anyone; but be careful, okay?"

"Yeah." She ran her hand over her collarbone and looked away. "I know."

"Don't talk in class, don't do anything to get onto Mr. Sikowitz's bad side. There's no telling how he may react. He's volatile. Just mind yourself in that class."

"I'll try." Of that she was sure. Without any further words, she threw her arms around her friend, holding Cat as if it was the last time she'd ever see her. She knew what Cat wasn't saying about the whole ordeal, the part that truly scared her.

Cat may say she was only acting, but she'd been abused before. The reason she was so good at 'playing dead' is because her older brother would get so violent with her, and one of the things he would so often do was strangle her. Fortunately, said brother had moved out and gotten his own place somewhere, but those moments were still fresh on Cat's mind whether she ever said so or not.

Pulling away from her friend, she looked towards Trina warily. "Where has Tori been? She's not been here." Trina nodded slowly and folded her arms.

"Tori's taking a break from Hollywood Arts. She says she needs to get her emotions in check and can't bring herself to be at this school right now."

"Oh." Jade frowned and looked to Cat, who shared her sorrowed expression. "I see. Well, hopefully she comes back soon. It's weird without her."

Trina smiled gently, a reassuring sight. "I'll tell her you said that."

So that was a lot of terrifying, I'm sure. Principal Eikner seems very, not sure the word I'm looking for but hell he can scare Sikowitz into looking like a puppy without even trying. I think the group understands now that they need to hold some members of the staff at a distance, probably a good thing that the girls turned down the offer to go pay Lane a visit. What say everyone else?