***Judal***
After the first few lessons Judal discovered that he really despised playing the drums. He could appreciate the sound they made and their use in creating well-balanced music. That didn't stop him from disliking the instrument given his preferred type of playing. He couldn't vary the music as much as he wanted. He wanted to be able to create the short fast sounds, as well as long, drawn out smooth sounds. The drums didn't allow him to do that. He continued the lessons until he knew the drums well enough to take his education onto himself, but he despised all of the lessons and all the practicing he forced himself to do.
He spent his days trying to distract himself from the withdrawal and the cravings. He forced himself to stop the drug first, using alcohol to try to dull the effects. It didn't really work so he just forced himself to stop both of them. It was excruciating. He went sailing, looking at the water and enjoying the wind rush threw his long, black hair. It didn't help for long. He walked along the beach, he went shopping, he swam in the ocean, but none of it held his interest for long, and once he lost interest it was almost impossible not to give in to his cravings. He didn't though, looking at it as a new type of challenge, willing himself to get away from the substances he had been poisoning his body with. It was hard, but he was doing it, he was detoxing.
***Aladdin***
It was a hard six weeks. Even after Ugo came back from his two-week vacation with Paimon, things didn't really get easier. But she made it through somehow, Ugo making sure she ate and slept and Sharrkan making sure she got everywhere she needed to be. At the end of the six weeks she was more exhausted than she had ever felt before, and she felt empty. Writing lyrics and singing only helping lift her spirits momentarily. Ugo noticed and requested that Sinbad give her a few days off to rest after all the work she had done. She had learned new choreography almost every day, getting ready for a big festival Sindrian Entertainment was going to host in a few months. She had recorded a new album and two singles she had written while in Australia. She had worked with a few other artists by cooperating with then in smaller performances in the area. She needed a longer break then the three days Sinbad had allowed however Ugo would take what he could get.
Aladdin took the first day of her break to catch up on sleep and to indulge in her favorite foods. With so much going on she had been eating mostly whatever had been quickest and easiest to eat. Celery and peanut butter, crackers and cheese, an apple here, a protein bar there, her diet recently had been a real mess. And she knew she needed to watch it. Sinbad wouldn't be happy if she got any heavier, he already wanted her to loose weight. It wasn't like she was overweight, but celebrities were expected to look like the ideals of society and according to Sinbad and several others, she was pushing it.
She lost her appetite. She didn't want that kind of ridicule anymore. She was so sick of all the negative comments. She pushed her plate away and started looking through her phone, looking for news about her favorite singer who had mysteriously disappeared after-in her opinion- a rather disorganized performance with a popular rapper. Nothing. None of his social media held any new information about the singer. She frowned. How annoying.
She changed into workout clothes and made her way to the buildings gym, determined to burn off as many calories as possible. She needed to eat less. If she was thinner then they wouldn't be able to make any snide remarks about her weight. She sent the entire afternoon in the gym using the treadmill, the bike, the rowing machine, and going through several rounds of weight machines to work on her arms, legs, back, and stomach muscles. She did sit-ups, crunches, push-ups, squats, and planks. She jumped rope and did jumping jacks. Every few minutes she drank water, making sure to stay hydrated. She had made that mistake once on the day of a concert and it almost turned out horribly. She worked in the gym until her body was shaking, her muscles unable of continuing the abuse. She walked slowly back to her room, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. She forced herself to eat salad for dinner, adding chicken for protein and using lemon juice as a dressing. Not the best salad she had ever had, but dressing had a lot of calories and lemon juice was supposed to help balance a person's pH levels which assisted in loosing weight. After eating the bland meal she crawled into bed without bothering to change or shower and passed out.
She woke up in the middle of the next morning, sunlight bothering her eyes and refusing to allow her any more rest. She dragged herself into the shower to wash off the grimy feeling she had from yesterday. She pulled on a bathrobe after she finished and walked out of her room and towards the kitchen in time to hear the doorbell ring. She opened the door and found Ugo with coffee cups in hand. She moved out of his way and he let himself in, moving to the kitchen and setting down the two coffee cups before pulling out ingredients to make the two of them breakfast. He noticed that she didn't eat much, but knew better than to say anything. Aladdin had always been rather sensitive about her weight. The recent comments from Sinbad, photographers, and costume designers had only made the young girl more self-conscious and worried about her body. Ugo really wished that she wouldn't worry about it. She was perfectly healthy.
The last day of her break was very much the same as the first two. Ugo made her breakfast, she did school work for a while until her focus began to drift, at which point she made her way to the gym and forced herself to go through another monstrous workout. That night she just didn't eat dinner.
Hello Hello Hello!
In case there was any confusion I have Aladdin and Judal's point of view of what is happening with them at relatively the same time so you can see both of them. It is going to be a few more chapters before they meet, but then things will be really cute and fun!