Chapter 2. Doubts
Ruby was heading up through the corridor, carrying a big box with Doom Kitty on its top when clock struck one hour.
"Morning seems to pass so quickly, right, Doom? I didn't even notice", Ruby told her black cat. "I wonder where are the others. I need to tell them some great ideas I have!"
Doom Kitty shrugged her shoulders and pretended to be an armchair and then a person sitting in it.
"That's right, Doom! They must be relaxing in the living-room!"
Sometimes Ruby was surprised by how intelligent Doom was – even more intelligent then she. Ruby and Doom ran to the living-room and found Skullboy and Iris there. Skullboy was reading a book with his legs stretched to the fire and Iris was holding a big basin full of cookies and candies: she threw them in the air and caught with her mouth.
"Hey guys!" said Ruby.
"Ruby! Wanna some candies?" offered Iris.
"No thanks. I'm planning something really amazing to cheer you up!"
"Oh, oh, I wanna help then!"
"Yeah, tell us your idea, Ruby", said Skullboy.
Ruby sat on the floor near him and started: "How about making a Winning Party for Frank, Len and Misery? I've already prepared presents". She gave a punch to the box.
"Hmmm... It's too early for a Winning Party. They haven't even signed up for a contest yet. You can put an evil eye on them". Skullboy put a book aside and folded his arms, looking down on Ruby.
"I've never noticed you being superstitious"
"Oh, I'm not, it's just a book Poe gave me – 'Superstitions And Their Consequences'", he waved his hand in the air and laughed.
Iris took Ruby's box and exclaimed: "Oh, and if there's no party, can I take my present?"
"No, we'll need them, I've got a better idea about these. We'll make a show for our guys!" said Skullboy.
"You mean the background-performance-on-stage kind of show?" asked Ruby while Iris was jumping around and crying 'Wow! A show!".
"Yeah, just imagine, how cool their appearance on the stage will be! I can design costumes for them".
"And I'll help you to sew them. Iris and Doom can do up the decorations on the stage".
Iris jumped into one of the armchairs with Doom in her hands: "And I know someone else who'll be glad to help us in this business". She inhaled deeply and shouted: "Scaredy!" Predictably, they heard a yell and saw Scaredy falling somewhere from above. He hit the floor badly and sat there, with giddy head, saying: "Not afraid, not a bit nervous... Erm... Did I miss something interesting?"
Iris made a solemn face: "Let me introduce you... the R.I.P. drummer!!"
Scaredy screwed his eyes and smiled in a pleasant manner: "Oh yeah, I do love this thing!"
"Can you play with our guys on the Musical Festival?"
"Of course, of course I can... but how? My drum kit is broken since the time Misery decided to dust it. Mmmm... I need to go to The City to get the new one..."
"Alone?" asked Ruby in a bantering tone.
"No, no, not alone", Scaredy answered, looking frightened and gazing round cautiously. "Poe'll come with me, I hope... OK, I'd better go... before I change my mind". And he slowly moved backward to the entrance.
"We should go, too, right, Skullboy?" said Ruby, smiling at him.
"Yep. What do you think about colors of the costumes?" asked Skullboy, holding the door opened for her.
"I trust your taste", she said and they left.
"We won't sit on the one place, too, Doom", Iris raised from the armchair. "Decorations are waiting for us!" She grabbed the box with presents which Ruby has forgotten and with words 'I'll only peep a bit' headed to her room, followed by Doom Kitty. It was nearly afternoon.
(Meanwhile...)
Misery strolled through the room to the mirror, that crashed into small pieces as she reached it. Misery stooped over the splinters and saw her whimsically distorted reflection, as pale, big-eyed and black-haired as usually, with tracks of tears that can't disappear. "Well, I've got another mirror", she said to herself. Misery wrote a good poem but she wasn't satisfied with her work. In fact, she was hardly ever satisfied or pleased with anything. Except, maybe, one thing, about which she had never told the others – she loved to sing being on her own. When she was at public, she always got disturbed and embarrassed, that's why everything usually went so awful. But being on her own helped her a lot – she put her soul and emotions in singing and in such minutes even her bad luck lowered its weapon. And now she's going to sing a contest song for which she wrote lyrics. However, there was a little problem of choice between two poems – the new one and the one she wrote eight years ago as her failures started. But that poem was too dark and pessimistic, 'cause years ago her rebel spirit hadn't faded yet and that time she hadn't reconciled herself to inevitable. Time is a valuable thing – every day brought a lesson to learn and now Misery knew what to do to save the frail peace from shattering. Just to be indifferent, just not to allow feelings in her head; just to concentrate on the work. Well, what's the work for today? Poems? She teared the old poem ('cause it reminded too much), hummed few lines, made a whirling move, which made the pictures on the walls trembling, and left the room. Her room was situated near the cellar, so making her way to the garage she had to cross all the house, pass numbers of staircases and then go outside. That made her think about how comfortable it will be to make a short way by building a tunnel. There will be a lot of common work with Frank and Len now, so maybe it had sense. As Misery approached the garage, she knocked slightly. "Come in!" was the answer and the girl entered. Frank and Len were there, surrounded by loads of teared strings, broken guitars, old posters, copybooks and other evidently unnecessary rubbish.
"Hi. I'm ready", Misery said in her typical monotonous voice.
"Hi, Misery! Don't mind the mess, we just were searching for something important..." started Frank.
"...but unfortunately we've forgotten what exactly we should find", continued Len. These two were always on the same wavelength and could guess easily what each of them gonna say. Misery stretched out her hand with the poem and brothers took it.
"Thanks a lot, Misery. You may sit here in the meanwhile", said Len and they started to read what she wrote.
Misery sat exactly on the same place as the last time and looked at the brothers, who were wearing an unusual intent look. Somehow she thought that she didn't know well everybody she lived with, although they've been together for some years. In fact, she knew only outside cover of her friends, not their inner world, as well as she didn't share her own thoughts with others. What did she know about them? Ruby – optimistic fourteen-year-old girl, everybody's helping hand. Iris – 'nothing-to-worry-about' kind of person, reckless and adventurous. Skullboy – seventeen-year-old genius who can't find his path. Scaredy Bat – a coward, but with big and kind heart. Poe – self-interested old bird, but always full of advice. Doom Kitty – great artist, smart and funny. Finally, Frank and Len – too childish for seventeen years, absolutely identical brothers devoted to music. What else did she know about them? For some reason Misery wanted to become closer with her friends, to look at them from another point of view. She was jolted out from the musing as Frank said loudly: "Nice job, Misery!"
"Really? I thought it was a catastrophe".
"Well, it is a catastrophe, but in a positive meaning!"
"Yeah, that's your style and we won't deny it. OK, everybody's ready for the first rehearsal? Hand the guitar, Len". They turned on the amplifiers, jumped on the table and started playing guitar riffs. After a while Len shouted over the music: "Now it's your turn, Misery!! Join!" Misery tried to be calm and relax, as if she was alone. She knew she could sing that song – anyway, she wrote it. Misery closed her eyes, spread arms and began to sing on the top of her voice. Windows split, electricity crackled, all the rubbish was swept and Frank and Len held their ears with groan. They looked so stunned, so confused, that Misery felt herself ashamed. She stopped screaming and said guiltily and quietly: "I'm sorry".
"No big deal", said Frank, and Len giggled nervously. "We just forgot that you need a lullaby".
Misery waved her hands at them: "No, no, no, there's no need. I just need a little practice – and everything'll be fine! I can do it".
Len looked at her suspiciously, as though he wasn't sure in her possibilities. This definitively deprived her of the last confidence.
"OK, I think we all need a break, while Misery will come to senses. Len, lets go and get some chips!" said Frank happily. The stomped out of the garage. Misery looked around – and something caught her eyes. "Hmm, that's weird – something that doesn't fit with the style of the room". A beautiful wooden carved frame with a photo! She moved closer and picked it. She didn't even know the brothers kept a common photo. It showed one perfect day when Ruby, Skullboy, Iris and Misery went to swings. Iris was hanging on the tree upside-down, Skullboy and Ruby were talking and Misery herself sat still on a swing with usual miserable expression. She remembered feeling very fed up that day, especially because of seeing her friends in a such a joy and not being able to cheer with them if she didn't want something to be destroyed. Disasters were her usual company, but not the only one, actually. She had friends and now she may share with them a problem of singing in front of the audience. So Misery sat on the sofa again and waited, gazing at the full of happiness framed snapshot...
After a while the second rehearsal started. "OK, everyone's ready?" asked Len.
Misery stopped him. "Wait, I must tell you something about a real problem I have". They were looking at her attentively. "Well, that's about singing... I can't sing in font of the foreign audience, I can only do it on my own"
"That's... erm... bad", said Frank, and Len whispered: "Bummer"
Frank said: "But we aren't foreigners, we are your friends! Do be afraid and lets try again!" They took a guitar. The situation repeated with only one difference – there wasn't any unbroken things remained – everything was crashed at the first rehearsal.
"As I said – a real problem", Misery said darkly, after they removed their hand from ears.
Len said firmly: "I think we all must admit now that you need to be asleep. After we heard this awf..." Frank shut up Len's mouth: "You can just pretend that we're not here. Or we can hide behind that wardrobe. Come on, try!" And they moved away. Then Frank asked (they need to speak loudly to be able to heareach other over Misery's screaming): "What happens to you, Len? You know Misery, and you know that she can sing perfectly!"
"Oh yeah. But we have only four days and we haven't even signed at the contest yet!" he said in a sceptical voice, "If you continue to give her indulgences, we'll never win!"
"Oh, we have enough time. I'm sure she'll improve – we just need to give her a little bit of confidence". They stood up and Frank told Misery: "It was a lot better than earlier!".
Misery's face brightened a bit: "Really? And what do you think, Len?"
"I think that Frank is a naive optimist", he said crossly. "Are you sure", he emphasised the word, "that you don't need a lullaby?"
Misery looked down. It was the end of the first rehearsals.
A/N: That's my vision of Ruby Gloom's world...
