Hello darling dears! I said I would give a longer chapter and I have :3 3,000 to be exact haha! I hope you all enjoy!
"Candle. Candle. Candle." I murmured to myself as I jumped up onto one of the platforms in the back of the theater. "If I was a candle, where would I be?" I hummed a little to myself as I looked over toward the next ledge. "Well, in a place like this, probably singing about guests and talking plates." I snickered to myself as I gave a running start before leaping over toward the next platform. "For a stage, this has a setup back here that reminds me of our training tent back home." I smiled to myself as I heard a familiar sound. "Oh! A memory vault!" I turned toward the corner of the platform that was put against the back wall to see a memory vault staring in the corner. "Huh."
Not the brightest of the bunch now is he?
I crouched down slowly before stepping closer to the little guy.
"Not gonna hurt ya, but maybe you can tell me more about this lady." I stepped a little bit closer as the memory vault still seemed ignorant to my advances. "Easy buddy," I whispered to myself now as I reached out slowly. "And, gotcha!" I lurched forward and grabbed it with both hands with a wide smile. "Caught me a memory!" I smiled to myself as I turned the vault around. "Now whatcha got for me?" Its face opened with ease before I peered in to get a better idea of Gloria's life.
Oh, wow.
I clicked through the childhood memories of cruel training as a frown set itself in place.
And I thought training at home could be harsh. Being literally whipped into shape? Now that's downright brutal. Seems she got used to it though. With how acting seemed to become her whole life, it did her well too.
I pulled away from the vault as I remembered our encounter with Gloria in the real world.
Well... To an extent.
"Thanks, bud." I slowly place the vault back onto the floor before giving it a quick pat on the head. "You gave a decent bit of info." I turned on my heels to look over at the rest of the prop area for a moment. "I see it!" I smiled wide once more as I saw the familiar look of a candle on two platforms above me. "Yes!" I fist-pumped the air for a second before running over and climbing onto the pole so I could swing to the next landing.
Hopefully, Lili is having just as much luck as I am.
"Alright, Rolly Polly." I glared at the critic as I crossed my arms over my chest. "What gives?"
"What gives?" He snarled as he leaned back in his box. "I'm a critic."
"Oh yeah? From here it just looks like you're too fat to leave." I smirked as the man scuffed. "Even then, if you hate this place so much why don't you disappear?"
"I just can't take my eyes off it! It's like watching the scene of a horrible car accident." He slammed his hands on the railing of his box as his voice bellowed "An accident where the victims can't act, and the paramedics forget their lines!" He smiled wide before letting out a loud laugh. "Even then, I cannot wait to see what the Phantom does next."
"Wait a second." I narrowed my eyes at the man as I took a step closer. "What Phantom?"
"The Phantom of the Theater of course!" I rolled my eyes as I uncrossed my arms.
"Is this some Phantom of the Opera shit? Is there a ghost performer we should be getting too? Has a mask covering a burnt face and everything?"
"Heavens no, child!" He leaned back in his chair as he now crossed his arms over his chest. "The Phantom's aim is to ruin this place. To make this show fall to pieces! Rightfully so with how much of a wreck it is." He scuffed once more as he dropped his arms from his chest. "He wants to kill Bonita, end this show, and everything to do with it." My eyes widened as I took a step back.
"That means we're going to need a lot more than just a candle to get this show going," I whispered to myself as I looked over toward where Becky is to see that Raz had completed his task with the candle. I whipped my attention back toward Jasper as I smirked once more. "Hey, asshole! Thanks for the info. You're still a piece of shit though!"
"And you're a cruel and heartless little girl!" I smiled wide as I turned to join Raz and Becky.
"I've been called worse, Tubby! Gotta do better than that!" I jogged over to meet Raz looking toward me with a large smile.
"Hey Lils! Have a fun time with Jasper there?"
"Enough for me to learn a thing or two." I crossed my arms over my chest as I took a step to be between him and Becky. A protective feeling swelled in my chest as I glared up at the woman. "Why didn't you tell us about the Phantom?"
"Phantom? Like the musical?"
"Not exactly, Razzy." I turned my head to look over toward him as my voice softened slightly. "This Phantom guy kills actors, I guess. Wants to bring the whole theater down." I turned my attention back toward Becky as my voice hardened once more. "And you told us nothing about it."
"Okay, hold on, kids." The woman held up her hands for a moment in defense. "So we have a Phantom problem, yes, but Bonita has been practicing day and night to get the misery for this play just right! The Phantom only ever comes out if the play goes south acting-wise. I bet this time will be alright. If not, maybe you two can lend us some more help, huh?" The woman sighed a little as she adjusted her headset. "Or maybe everything will go south again and I'll just die from anxiety and Prozac, either way!" I turned my attention toward Raz as a curious look took over my face.
"Think Becky here is a showing of Gloria's stage fright and anxiety?" I whispered to him as he held the candle close to his chest like a prized possession.
"If it is, I'm worried about the Prozac and Lexapro combination there."
"I can hear you two clear as day, you know." I turned my head toward the woman with a smirk as I dropped my hands from my chest.
"I know." I gave Raz my attention again as the smirk fell from my lips. "What do you think, Raz? Keep with the original plan?" He glanced down at the candle in his hands before looking at me with a determined gleam in his glowing eyes.
"If the Phantom appears, we'll deal with it. We'll know where he comes from as well as how he works if it does go that way too. Let's go with the original plan and roll with the punches." A wide smile took over his lips as a joyful look took over his eyes once more. "As they say, the show must go on!" His smile was infectious and it only took the sight for me to smile along with him.
"Then let's get some light for the star, huh?" I felt my heart flutter in my chest as he gave a small proud salute.
"Yes, ma'am!" A large cheeky grin took over before he turned on his heels and dashed over toward the balcony that held the stage light.
Cute.
I felt a small blush take over my cheeks as I let the single word echo in my mind.
Unbelievably cute.
"Ah, young love." I snapped my attention toward Becky as she held her clipboard behind her. "What?" She gave me a curious look as I glared at her. "Not like I get to see a lot of real emotion out here!"
"You ruined it though." She shrugged as she pulled the clipboard back out from behind her.
"Oh well. I'm not the one crushing on the glowing-eyed entertainer and won't do anything about it." I clicked my tongue as I crossed my arms over my chest again.
"Touché."
"Damn right touché."
"LET THERE BE LIGHT!" I smiled wide as I heard Raz's joyous voice as a bright golden light took over the stage. "Bingo!"
"Tell your boyfriend there that's our manual mood override. Mess with it too much, and it'll change the mood of the set on stage." Becky gestured toward the now-opening curtains as a set dropped from high above. "It can make happy sets sad and sad sets happy. Just be careful when you two mess with it, alright? Can make the actors be all kinds of special and I'm telling you right now, improv is not their forte."
"He's not my boyfriend."
"Yet." Becky gave a quick wink as hurried footsteps came over toward us. "Look alive everyone! Bonita Soleli is coming on out!" Becky smiled wide as she whispered to herself suddenly. "Please for the love of god, work out for me." She adjusted her headset once more before calling out toward the actors. "Alright, flower girls, position one! Kids come back here near the podium." I grabbed Raz by his hand before pulling him toward Becky's little hideaway on the side. "And action!" I felt Raz squeeze my hand gently as it was obvious he was nervous for the actors on stage.
"I hope this goes well." His voice was soft as I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"It'll be fine, Raz. Even if it does go wrong, we'll deal with it. Like true Psychonauts." He glanced over toward me with a bright smile. His goggles were now over his eyes again, but I could tell that they would have been shining just as brightly.
"Thanks, Lils." I felt a flutter in my chest as the play began.
"Anytime, Raz."
"Tonight, I will be playing the part of Gloria Von Gouton, the famous actress!" The smaller actress in the front belted out her line with a proud smile as I felt a familiar tingle grow across my skin.
"This is a nostalgic play about her breakthrough role in the musical-!"
"Sunshine Shenanigans!" I smiled as the electric-like feeling took over my skin.
"Man I love show business." I whispered to myself as Lili giggled beside me.
"This is already sucking, Raz." I shrugged.
"So? The feeling is still there." Lili glanced over toward me as I gave a wide smile. "The tingles across my skin, the love for the show, it's all there." I grew excited as the three kids' laughter echoed from the stage. "It's like an adrenaline high!" I whispered kinda loudly as Becky shushed me. "Sorry." I grew sheepish as I gave Lili's hand a soft squeeze. "It's just so cool to have the same effect while in someone's mind, you know?"
"You're quite alright, Raz." Lili smiled at me softly before turning her attention toward the stage. "Hey look, Bonita's about to appear." I turned my attention back toward the stage as the three children were gathering near the center of the stage.
"And where would Gloria be without her muse?"
"Her inner sunshine." An airy and light style of music started to swell as the children joined one another.
"The spirit of her youth!" All three of them gestured toward the back of the set where a circle opened near the top where a sun figure was painted.
"Played by, once again, by-!"
"BONITA SOLEIL!" Suddenly the circle popped open to showcase the glowing actress once more. A wide smile on the woman's face as she put her hands out. The kids gave her a moment to shine before turning back toward the audience and letting the show continue.
"Oh, I do hope that my mother is proud of me!" The girl playing Gloria stood out from the others for a moment as she let out her line. She went to speak again, but suddenly a large stage light fell from high above right on top of her. Flattening the poor actress like a small bug with a thud.
"Ouch." I grimaced to myself as Lili gave my hand a tight squeeze.
"So that's what he meant by killing."
"Not again." Becky sighed as the two kids gasped in delay.
"The Phantom!" The smaller one of the two looked up toward the catwalks as she tried to see if anything else was there.
"I've seen some bad plays in my time," Jasper's voice bellowed once more as I snapped my attention toward the critic. "But this one is a real menace!" He chuckled to himself for a second before continuing. "And it's all because of her." The three of us went closer to where Jasper was as he pointed out toward Bonita with a wide smirk. "Her terrible acting makes the Phantom strike! Maybe it'll get this theater shut down for good!" Bonita started crying in the background as hurried footsteps told me enough that the woman fled the stage.
"Well." Becky sighed as she dropped her clipboard to her side. "I'm off to go kill myself." I felt sorry for the woman as she walked off toward her normal spot by the stage.
"You know," I turned my attention toward Jasper as I pointed my finger at him. "You could at least be a beneficial critic."
"Trust me, kid! I have a play that could put this place in better scenes! If you want to let this place actually shine you can come to me. I'll give you a script that'll knock them dead, no problem." The man chuckled to himself as I just shook my head and slipped my hand out of Lili's.
Asshole.
I jogged over toward where Becky went and Lili followed quickly.
But Phantom dealing first. Jasper kissing bricks, later.
"So he hides in the catwalks," I spoke with a firm voice as I looked over toward Becky.
"Seems like he still is, yeah."
"How can we get up there?"
"There's no way up there easily." Becky sighed as she leaned on her podium. "There was a set we had for an older play that's pulled up toward the balcony though!" She pushed away from the podium for a moment as she spoke to us. "Find that script for the large air balloon set, or whatever script you can find, and bring it back to me. We need the new material anyway. I'll run the actors through whatever you bring. So much for trying not to improv."
"Jasper said something about a script he has, right?" I nodded toward Lili as she started hatching a plan. "I'll get that one and you adventure around to see what you can find. You can get around a lot easier than I can with the acrobatic stuff under your belt."
"You got it, Boss Lady." I smirked as Lili just rolled her eyes at me.
"You can start calling me that when I get my turn as Grand Head." A smirk of her own took over her lips as she knocked her fist against my shoulder. "Knock 'em dead, Aquato."
"Break a leg, Zanotto." I smiled wide before dashing off toward the set stage.
Maybe the kids have an idea of where to start.
"See, this is why I said yet."
"Don't you have actors to hassle? Or a mental corpse to take care of?" Becky shrugged as she leaned against her podium once more.
"You and your little boyfriend are a lot more entertaining."
"Not my-."
"Yet," I grumbled to myself before turning toward where Jasper's balcony box was. "Hey, I would be happy about it if I was you!"
"Don't need another person's depiction of anxiety teasing me too," I mumbled to myself as I made my way over to the critic. "Hey! No neck! It's me."
"The child sent his little friend back to me, hm?" The large man chuckled as he now had a box of popcorn in his right hand.
"Well, you said you had a script and I decided that I might as well grab it to see if your taste is as bad as your teeth," I smirked as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Or is the big bad critic scared of a little girl's opinion?"
"Trust me, child." The man took out a script from his jacket with his free hand before lowering it to me. "This play has some zing! Some real action! The one we're watching now just stinks." I took the playbook with ease as I gave the man a curious look.
"Is the big bad critic being nice now?" I tilted my head a little as the man swung his arms out, popcorn swinging out of his box as he did so.
"I might as well keep myself halfway entertained around here!" I glared at the man again as he gestured over toward Becky. "Go! Give that to the woman and see if she can't find any actors left that won't ruin this one!"
"Once a dick, always a dick. Got it." I rolled my eyes as I tucked the script under my arm. "Thanks, Rolly Polly!"
"It's Rolls!" The man rolled his r's annoyingly as I flipped him the bird with my spare hand.
"Don't give a fuck!"