A/N: Hey sorry for the long wait, but I finally found time to update 'insert happy cheer here'. Anyway, THANKS for all the awesome reviews. It really makes me happy to see people enjoy my work, especially since it was my first fic too. Thanks again and I love you all 'throws cookies for the readers'. Now on to the show! I hope you enjoy!
Here's some little pointers in case someone gets confused.
Italicized paragraphs : flashback
bold italics: flashback of a flashback / TV speak
'blah': thought
Disclaimer: I do not own Kaleido Star.
"Well look who we have here?"
Snapping her out of her daze, Layla turned to the source of the voice.
"How is she doing?" Layla croaked, mouth feeling dry as her line of vision followed the tangle of IV tubes to the girl they were currently attached to.
The girl was sleeping soundly, oxygen mask fogging each time she breathed. Aside from a few scratches and a nasty bruise on the side of her head, there were no serious injuries on her face that Layla could see, however, casts on her right arm and both legs said otherwise about the rest of her body. Layla also took note of the ragged breaths she heard being take every other second.
A moment of silence washed over the occupants in the room, the only noise coming from the light beeping of the machines, the dripping of fluids into the drip chamber of the IV tube and the ever so quiet, painful gasps of air.
Kalos, sitting in one of the chairs available in the room, leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and laid his chin on the tops of his hands. "Although she doesn't look too great now, her condition has improved dramatically from last night, at least that's what the doctors tell us."
"What happened?" Layla asked, never taking her eyes off of the hospital bed.
"Have you heard the news reports?"
Layla nodded her head.
"That's all you need to know."
Layla frowned and looked out the window.
Layla leaped off the balancing beam and into the air. Spreading her arms, she flipped backwards before twisting herself into a graceful corkscrew. She let gravity pull her down as she landed gently on the stage floor. Taking a deep breath, she danced around the stage with her co-stars, matching her moves with rhythm of the music. As the music approached its climax, Layla's moves became more frantic, before spinning into a pose as the song ended.
The sounds of clapping echoed through the theatre.
"Good job everyone! I could really feel the emotion and the ferocity coming from your moves. I think we just have to work a bit more on the climax of the song; it was a bit shaky there. Oh! Sue, honey, bend your knee a little…yes there! Great! I think that's a wrap for today. Get some sleep and I expect all of you here tomorrow at five a.m. No groaning slackers!"
Layla chuckled to herself as she watched Cathy scold the newer actors about punctuality and the importance of morning practice. She never did change in the three years they have been working together. She was still rambunctious and hard headed as ever, but she also retained her love and passion for directing and scriptwriting and Layla respected her for that.
Wiping sweat off her brow, Layla made her way to her bags and began packing up her belongings.
"Yo!" Cathy greeted as she walked up the stage towards Layla. "Great job today. This production of Beauty and the Beast is going to be great! I can't wait to see the audience's expressions!"
"But…"
Cathy looked surprised for a second, but her surprised looked soon turned into a look of amusement.
"I can't fool you one bit huh?"
"Well we have worked together for three years. I can tell when you're dissatisfied with something. Just give it to me straight."
Cathy gave a sigh before looking at Layla with a serious face. "Well there isn't anything really wrong per say; you're technique is flawless and your acting is wonderful, but I just don't get that fire from you anymore and looking at your expression right now, I feel that you know it too."
Layla closed her eyes. "I'm giving it my all and I haven't changed anything that I'm doing. I accepted my past and weaknesses during the "Legend of Phoenix" production so that isn't an issue anymore. I do not know what you're talking about."
"Oh stop denying it." Cathy snapped. "You know as well as I do that there is clearly something holding you back from your full potential and we both know that the audience deserves a performance that's worth their time, a performance full of energy and expression. Sure people probably can't notice it now, but after a few more productions, your lack of fire will be plain for everyone to see!"
Cathy's eyes softened, her voice quieter. "I'm trying to not only help you as a director, but also a friend and I know very well that you won't continue performing unless you know that you are performing your very best. You love the stage and nobody wants to see you leave it when you still clearly enjoy it."
Layla stood still, absorbing Cathy's words.
"Nevertheless, I think you're working too hard. You know, how 'bout you and I go out and take a breather." Cathy asked, winking and mouth curled up into a mischievous grin.
"No Cathy, I will not go drinking with you."
"Aw, come on! It'll be on me! And besides, what's the joy of being twenty-one if you don't use it for its advantages!"
"I'm not going to abuse my rights and I don't like alcohol anyway. Besides did you forget that we have to get here at five a.m. sharp?" Layla asked, quirking up her eyebrow with a playful smirk on her face.
"Damn hangovers!" Cathy exclaimed, throwing her arms in exasperation. "I knew I should've told everyone to meet at eight instead!"
Bidding farewell to Cathy and the rest of the crew, Layla walked outside of the theatre. She looked up at the advertisement for their production on the wall. It was a beautiful poster of Layla as Belle dressed in a gorgeous golden dress that accentuated her figure, bringing out her curves even more than usual. She was waltzing with the handsome Jeremy Wells, a rising Broadway actor from New York, who played the part of the beast. Although his face was changed to appear more animalistic, anybody who had eyes could see the charming, auburn haired prince hidden behind the makeup.
She thought back on Cathy's words. It was true that she was losing her fire and spirit and it affected her greatly. She became irritated easily and on some days couldn't even find pleasure in her daily practices. She thought that she might be losing interest in the stage, and it scared her. She didn't want to stop yet. It was still too early for retirement and she still found the audiences' praise invigorating. Layla was truly confused and couldn't find what made her lose her excitement in performing.
"You need to get laid."
Layla blushed furiously as Cathy's words came into her head. Cathy claimed that the reason why Layla had lost her excitement was because she was lacking a personal life and was deprived of physical interaction. Layla being Layla, had kept her cool and replied that she wasn't looking for a relationship. She had said that it would interfere with her work and that she didn't have time for one anyway.
"My point exactly. You, madam are a workaholic. Live a little!"
Layla grumbled. Why does Cathy's voice have to appear at the worst of times. She was trying to think in peace here!
Layla had retorted with a "like you should talk" comment, which Cathy replied with a wink and a "There are more things to me than meets the eye."
No wonder why she was a lot less critical towards the newcomers and not to mention a lot perkier. It kind of scared Layla to be honest.
'Love eh?' She looked up at the poster once again. She scoffed and tore her eyes away and started walking home. As if she needed more paparazzi picking at her personal life.
"I'm home!"
"Ah welcome back Miss Layla. It's pretty late. Did you skip the subway and walk home again?"
"Yes, I needed to think."
"Well, dinner is almost ready. I'll call you when it's done."
"Thank you Macquarie."
If there was one person gained Layla's respect, it was Macquarie. A childhood friend and caretaker of Layla ever since she was little, Macquarie always stayed by her side. She never left even when Layla was cold and obnoxious to everyone. After they left Cape Mary for New York, she had told Macquarie that could quit her job as her maid and pursue her own dreams, but she just stood there smiling and replied, "There's no where else I'd rather go."
Thus Macquarie stayed and continued her job as a maid and began pursuing a career as a performer. Layla really appreciated that. Hey, who wouldn't appreciate somebody who was willing to save you from food poisoning?
Layla grabbed a water bottle from her bag and sat down on the couch. Relaxing a bit, she turned on the television. The telephone rang in the kitchen, but Layla didn't worry about it. She knew Macquarie would handle it.
"Hello, Layla Hamilton's residence, this is Macquarie speaking."
Layla diverted her attention back to the television. It was a news report about some country or was it about rising gas prices? Layla waved it off and quietly watched the screen for something interesting.
Taking a drink of her water, Layla felt her thoughts wander again. Speaking of respect, there was one other who truly gained hers and even her admiration for…
"On other news today, it seems tragedy has befallen those at the Kaleido Stage. Top performer and star Sora Naegino suffered major injuries due to a mistake during tonight's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
The news reporter's voice echoed through the room. Layla choked on her water as she listened on to the report.
"During the final act, Naegino apparently slipped and missed catching the bar. In falling, she obtained a concussion and has fallen into a coma. No new news about her condition has been given."
"That's truly sad to hear. Her performances have always been the highlight of the shows. I give my regards to the Kaleido Stage. On other news…"
Layla didn't bother following the rest of the report. Her mind was focused on one thing only.
"Um, Miss Layla? Kalos Eido just called to inform you…oh… so you've already heard." Macquarie stood awkwardly by the doorway, averting her eyes and playing with the hem of her skirt. Not knowing exactly what to say at a time like this, she called out to Layla, awaiting her orders. "Miss Layla?"
Finding her voice again, Layla spoke, eyes never leaving the television screen. "Call for a plane to Cape Mary immediately."
"Yes ma'am."
Layla turned around fiercely and glared at Kalos.
"What do you mean to say that that's all I need to know? I fly down here as fast as I could in hopes of obtaining some sort of information not provided in the news reports! I came down here to find out what had happened, to find an answer to this. I came here because I'm worried about a friend, about Sora." Layla's voice faltered as she spoke Sora's name. She stared Kalos in the eyes and clenched her fists, waiting for his response.
How could he not understand? She didn't want to hear the report from a reporter's mouth. Sora was her partner, her dream, her inspiration. She was the one who offered her hand and pushed her to open her heart, to follow her dreams. Because of Sora, she was able to break away from the constraints of her father and perform with a new understanding. Because of Sora, she was able to reminisce on her childhood. She learned to accept her weaknesses and from that became a better performer. But most importantly, because of Sora, she had gained a true friend and had learned the value of friendship. She owed Sora her life and will be well damned if she couldn't at least hear about the accident from a familiar mouth.
"There wasn't much really that the reporters didn't get."
Layla turned to the new voice.
"What happened was simply an accident. She made a mistake and fell. It was unexpected and none of us knew it was going to happen." Sarah continued.
Layla stared straight at Sarah and for some reason felt that her words didn't reach her eyes.
"The only thing we can do now is sit and wait and believe that Sora will come bouncing back up as usual." Sarah finished quietly.
Layla looked at Kalos, who was gazing at them with an indifferent expression. He gave a slight nod and Layla knew that there was no more she could say.
With a defeated sigh, Layla sat in the nearest seat by Sora's unconscious body and prayed.
Next chapter is going to come out faster...I hope. I actually planned to add more to this one, but I finally decided to put it in the next chapter since I felt it would have been out of place. Winter break is coming soon! Yay! So expect more updates!
I also apologize if any of the characters feel OOC. If anything bothers you just tell me and I'll do my best to improve. After all, I'm still learning and trying to find a style that works.
Thanks for reading and a little review will be very much appreciated :)