Elskendes Feud – 06.
(( Firstly, there are a lot of quotes from the actual Romeo and Juliet play in this chapter. If you're not interested in them, then I guess just skip past those parts. Sorry. ))
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The next day Lukas and Mathine found themselves practising their lines in the library again. Tiina was ill that day, so Berwald was probably with some other friends of his, or he was walking around aimlessly wishing for her to be there. Mathine took her place in the library again, looking over until she saw the Norwegian again. Lukas' eyes widened when he saw Mathine enter, he had not expected her to come back again.
"Hello?" he asked flatly, watching her sit on the other side of the table again.
"Tiina isn't here so I had no where else to go" she replied, sounding slightly annoyed. Despite their previous arguments, Lukas was more interesting to talk to than Berwald. Heck, anyone is better than Berwald, she thought. Although nowadays Mathine is always with Tiina, when she was younger she had lived right near Berwald, and they were childhood enemies. Mathine had no girls near where she lived, so Berwald was the only person she had to hang around with, they got in many fights and arguments, more so than she had done so with Lukas recently. Then Mathine moved away, but they continued to go to the same school, eventually Mathine and Berwald solved their arguments, and haven't fought since, although there is always a tense atmosphere when the two are together. Berwald had introduced Mathine to Tiina, and that's how the three always ended up hanging about with each other.
Lukas only nodded, "Okay" he replied, looking up from his kindle, at which he was reading a good Norwegian crime story. Mathine shrugged and got out her copy of the play, skimming over her lines, even though she knew some of them already. Lukas saw this and looked over, "You're still practising?" he asked, "I thought you didn't go to the rehearsals?"
Mathine only shrugged again, "I don't. Neither do you, do you?"
"No...although I might go tonight, or maybe think about going" he replied reluctantly, "If they force us to do the play, I at least don't want to make an ass out of myself."
"I'll go too if that'll make you feel better" Mathine said almost too quickly, Lukas nodded.
"I'd like that"
"So it's a deal, practise is tonight, we'll go?"
"Ja, if I tell my parents that I'm revising or something they won't mind."
"Mine wont care"
Lukas frowned deeper, as he was frowning already. "They wont?"
"Of course not, they never do" Mathine sighed. "Want to practice?"
"Sure"
Lukas reached in his bag and pulled out his copy, he now has highlighted all of his lines, Mathine suspected that he had probably practised at home.
He raised an eyebrow when he noticed her looking at his script, "I was just looking to see that you have probably practised" was what she said, he only nodded.
"I have nothing better to do at home than read, although I still don't know my lines."
Mathine was about to reply when all of a sudden a loud group of younger boys came charging into the library, taking out the books and just messing about. Lukas frowned deeply.
"This happens a lot, I just go off and do something else when that happened." he explained, packing up his stuff. Mathine looked at him curiously.
"Can I come with you?" she asked.
Lukas paused a few seconds before nodding. "I know a place where we can practice"
Lukas led Mathine out of the library and down the stairs.
"Where are we goin-"
"Don't talk, just follow." He told her sternly, trying not to make eye contact with her, and making sure to keep his distance. They were only doing this because of the stupid play, as soon as it was over they'd go back to ignoring each other. He walked down the hall, with Mathine quickly following, and reached the drama block. They walked into a hallway and from the end Lukas could hear Mr. Karpusi's loud snoring from the Drama studio, but that's not where they went. The Norwegian opened up a small room down the same hall as the studio, and walked in, waiting for Mathine to enter.
"I've never been here before." Mathine told him, looking around the small space, it was less than 2m squared. Lukas nodded.
"It's a drama/music practice room, I've practised my violin in here, so if people see me around here it's not rare." he explained, going through his bag to take out his script and hold it up, before putting his bag gently on the floor. Mathine was so where near as elegant, she simply threw her bag to the floor and took her script out of her jacket pocket. The sheets of -what used to be- white paper were now a dim grey, and all torn and worn at the edges; Lukas was a neat freak and just the look of it made him cringe slightly.
Mathine sat on the table in the small room, Lukas decided to stay standing and just blankly stare at her.
"Want to practice then?" she asked, laughing lightly at the obviousness of her question.
Lukas nodded again, getting out his script. "I'll start from Act 1 Scene 5, where they first meet." he told her. This time Mathine was the one to nod as she stay on her table watching him recite his words. The last time they 'practised' was really them just talking to each other about their words and what happens in the play, they hadn't actually recited anything to each other. Lukas looked down at his script, refusing to make eye contact as he recited the first few lines; "If I profane with my unworthiest hand. This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this, my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."
Mathine noted that when reading aloud, Lukas' accent was very prominent. She would have thought with the amount of reading he does that he'd be a pro, but then she realised the books he reads are probably in Norwegian. Lukas had particular trouble on the word unworthiest, but Mathine decided not to bring that up and continue on with her lines; "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this, for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm in holy palmers' kiss."
Lukas noticed how Mathine's voice changed when she read out her lines. Her voice had softened, instead of the usual harsh, bouncy, loud voice, this one was more pleasant, and sounded more woman-like. Also her spoken English was surprisingly better than his, which surprised him as she was a Dane and supposed to not be able to speak properly, according to what he had been told. "Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"
Mathine looked over at him, still looking at his script deeply. She only needed to barely look at hers. "Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."
"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do: They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."
"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake"
"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thing, my sin is purg'd" After his line, Lukas looked at the words underneath his line. Kissing her. He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow.
"We're not kissing" she assured him,
"What about the real thing?"
"We'll find a way out of it, don't worry. Continue?" she asked, and he nodded.
They continued practising together until they heard the familiar sound of the bell that signified 5th lesson. Mathine packed up her bag quickly, "So...practice today, after school?" she asked, to make sure they both were still going to the rehearsals. Lukas nodded, packing his script away and going to the door.
"What lesson's next?" Mathine asked him,
"Chemistry" he replied, already out the door and as far from Mathine as he cold be.
Lukas arrived in Chemistry less than a minute before Mathine. He quickly took his place at the front next to Laura. The Belgian girl gave him a hearty smile, which he only replied with a acknowledgeable nod. Mathine entered the science room looking happy as ever as she took her place by the Korean boy.
"Hi there~" she told him,
he smiled back widely and gave her a quick wave, Yong Soo beamed back "Hello Mathine!"
You could almost hear Lukas groan from the desk in front at the loud noise the two students were already making.
"Hey, it's not that bad." Laura started, Lukas wanted to shove a boiling tube down her throat. Sure, Laura was a nice girl, but too nice in Lukas' mind, she'd probably be really boring after a while to talk to.
"I guess" he muttered, facing her. "Could be worse, could be sat by'er"
Laura smiled anyway but sighed, "That's mean."
"That's honest."
They were all interrupted by Mr. Braginski banging his books on the table to get the class' attention.
"Okay, class. I want you to do the experiment where you heat magnesium strips. You are working in the fours that you are sat in. Now...start!"
Mathine looked at Yong Soo and then at Laura before finally looking at Lukas. "So us four?" she asked, the others all nodded.
"Mathine, get the strips; Laura, the holders; Yong Soo, get us some goggles. I'll get the Bunsen burner set up" Lukas instructed the group, to which they nodded and went to their places to get what they were told to. Within a few minutes Lukas had got his equipment and set up the Bunsen burner to which the only thing they needed now was a flame. Mathine arrived back with the strips of magnesium and placed them on the table. Yong Soo then came back and handed everyone a pair of goggles, to which they all thanked him politely (except Lukas). Laura put the thongs on the table.
"I'll go get some matches from the teacher." Mathine told them, standing up from her seat. Lukas raised an eyebrow but didn't stop her, he didn't really trust the Dane with fire, but he had no valid argument to stop her with. Mathine went up to the very intimidating Mr. Braginski, who was more than happy to hand over the box of matches with a creepily content smile on his face. She muttered, "He still freaks me out" as she sat back down and handed the matches to the Norwegian boy.
"Me too" he replied, lighting a match and asking Laura to start the gas on the Bunsen burner so he could light it; she quickly did so and the fire started off on the yellow flame, to which Mathine then turned the whole at the bottom so the flame was blue.
"Who wants to light up the strip?" Yong Soo asked,
"I brought four pieces, so we could all do one each" Mathine explained, "Lukas can do the first one since he set up the Bunsen burner." The other four nodded as Mathine handed over the strip and the thongs to Lukas.
"Okay then" he said as he quickly looked at the others before putting the magnesium towards the fire and watched it heat up. After not very long a very bright light emitted from the small amount of metal. Mathine let out a small cheer as she watched, although it was dangerous to look at it for too long. Laura had a blue strip of plastic to hold in front of her eyes to make it so that she could look at the light; Yong Soo just retorted to covering his eyes and complaining that the bright light hurt his eyes.
Once Lukas finished his he dropped the reacted magnesium to the desk, he then handed the thongs to Laura who then did the same experiment, with similar reactions from Mathine and Yong Soo, but with none from Lukas. This was then repeated by Mathine and Yong Soo, who the later managed to burn himself, which did not surprise Lukas at all. The group then packed away their experiment, and Laura and Yong Soo looked at each other. "You know, I'm disappointed" Yong Soo said to her, "I was hoping they'd get in another fight."
Laura lightly laughed and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, "That's mean, but I see your point. I was surprised. But can't you feel the tension between-"
She was then cut off by the two returning. Lukas raised an eyebrow when he noticed the strange looks they gave them.
"What?" he asked,
"Nothing, nothing" Laura told him as Mr. Braginski told the class to turn to page 174 and answer the questions until the end of the lesson.
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Lukas and Mathine had the next lesson, Cooking together, which was where they threatened each other with the knives; because of this, the two are banned of being able to cook in the lesson, and have to do only written work for the rest of the year. Shortly after a boring lesson of copying up the dangers of too much fat in your diets, Mathine and Lukas packed up and left to go to their rehearsal. Upon entering the two heard loud gasps from the cast. As well as the main characters and their actors, there were several more people in the room. These were just small parts, Mathine and Lukas assumed, as they hadn't been at the first performance.
"Miss Densen, Mr Bondevik. What a surprise." Mr. Karpusi exclaimed when he say them, and yawned. The look on his face make it seem like he was expecting them to come back eventually. "We're doing Act 1 Scene 5" he explained, Mathine and Lukas exchanged looks, that's the act where Romeo and Juliet meet, and the act that they spent lunch time practising. "I know you two have missed many rehearsals, but I'm sure you can catch up." This whole time Lukas and Mathine stayed quiet and received strange glances from the others as they sat among the other cast members.
After explaining a few things to the group, Mr. Karpusi told them to start reading from the start of Scene 5. One of the students who was not there at the beginning of the rehearsals started off as the first Servingman.
"Where's Potpan, that he helps not to take away? He shift a trencher? He scrape a trencher?"
Then a second student who they did not know the name of spoke up as the second Servingman, "When good matters shall lie all in one or two men's hands, and they unwashed too, 'tis a foul thing."
The first student spoke up again, "Away with the join-stools, remove the court-cupboard, look to the plate. Good thou, save me a piece of marchpane, and as thou loves me, let the porter let in Susan Grindstone and Neil. Anthony and Potpan!"
A third student spoke up now, "Ay, boy, ready."
then the first again, "You are looked for and called for, asked for and sought for, in the great chamber."
A fourth then joined them as the fourth Servingman, "We cannot be here and there too. Cheerly, boys, be brisk a while, and the longer liver take all."
Mr. Karpusi was reading out the stage directions, probably until they actually take the play to stage, they seem to all know their words though.
Abel Van Slyk, the older half brother of Laura whom Lukas sat by in Chemistry, then spoke up as Capulet. "Welcome, gentlemen! Ladies that have toes unplagu'd with corn will walk a bout with you. Ah, my mistress, which of you all will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty, she I'll swear hath corns. Am I come near ye now? Welcome gentlemen! I have seen the day that I have worn a visor and could tell a whispering tale in a fair lady's ear, such as would please, 'tis gone, 'tis gone, 'tis gone. You are welcome gentlemen. Come, musicians, play." he recited the words with a faultless accent for a Dutch person, and did it without the aid of his script. Lukas felt bad about how little he knew of the play. Abel continued, "A hall, a hall, give room! And foot it, girls. More light, you knaves, and turn the tables up; and quench the fire, the room is grown too hot. Ah, sirrah, this unlock'd-for sport comes well. Nay, sit, nay, sit, good Cousin Capulet, for you and I are past our dancing days. How long is't now since last yourself and I were in a mask?"
Another unnamed student finally got a change to talk after Abel's large monologue, "Berlady, thirty years."
Then it went back to Abel, "What man, 'tis not so much, 'tis not so much: 'Tis since the nuptial of Lucentio. Come, Pentecost as quickly as it will, some five and twenty years, and then we mask'd."
The other student, who was Cousin Capulet, replied "'Tis more, 'tis more, his son is elder, sir; his son is thirty."
Then back to Abel, "Will you tell me that? His son was but a ward two years ago."
The whole group looked at Lukas expectantly, it was the first time he would have read out any of his words with a large group, "What lady's that which doth enrich the hand of yonder knight?" as expected by himself, Lukas' English pronunciation was still a bit off.
He noticed the looks the group gave him as the boy who played the first Servingman spoke again, "I know not, sir."
Lukas felt like groaning aloud when he saw his next part was a large amount. "O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night as a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear- Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear: So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, and touching hers, make blessed my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."
Alfred then replied as Tybalt, Alfred was one of the few native English speakers at the school. Even though the school was in Norway it only taught in English. "This, by his voice, should be a Montague. Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave come hither, cover'd with an antic face, to fleer and scorn at our solemnity? Now by the stock and honour of my kin, to strike him dead I hold it not a sin."
They continued with their lines, and the whole class looked upon Lukas and Mathine when it got to their first part together.
"If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this, my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready to stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss." Lukas started off, looking up at Mathine for a second.
She looked away, the both of them knew that all of the class' and the teacher's eyes were on them, "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this, for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch. And palm to palm in holy palmers' kiss." she replied, her voice going the same as it had done before when they were practising alone.
"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"
"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer"
"I then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do: They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair"
"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake"
"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purg'd"
Then Mr. Karpusi read the stage directions, "Kissing her"
Someone cheered from the group, saying that Mathine and Lukas could kiss. That caused a glare from the both of them, but blush was noticeable in the pair. "No, we can't make them do that, although they'll have to in the real play" Their faces fell, and looked upon the class who all had satisfied smirks on their faces.
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After their rehearsal ended, Lukas and Mathine ended up walking out of the drama studio together,
"So, that wasn't too bad" Mathine said to him, "It's better than spending an hour at my house staring at my homework and not being bothered to do it."
Lukas nodded, "I guess it'll be better not to make a fool out of ourselves at the end of the year when we have to do it."
"I know, I guess that's a good point...hey, Lukas?"
"Yeah?"
"What're we going to have to do about the kiss?"
His face fell at the mention of it, and he looked at her. "I guess we'll just have to bare it when the real thing comes" he told her flatly. Mathine nodded, heading towards the bus stop. Lukas raised an eyebrow, "You take the bus?" he asked,
"Only when Berwald can't drop me off home" she explained, "What about you?"
"I walk" she gave a nod of understanding.
"I live too far to walk." Lukas nodded and continued in his way, "Goodbye Lukas" she told him, he stopped, slightly confused, and looked at her.
"Goodbye Mathine"
Lukas got home promptly, taking shorter than usual to get home for some reason. He entered the house, putting his bags to the floor and heading to the living room where his parents were sat on the sofa. "Oh Lukas, how was revision?" his mother asked, a sweet smile on her face.
"It was good" he replied, sitting on the other sofa and looking at them.
"That's good sweetie, we've got dinner in the oven for you, we've already eaten but yours is still warm."
He nodded and got up again, "Thanks". Although he wasn't hungry, he thought it was nice of them to keep his dinner ready for him, so he took it out the oven and sat at the dining table by himself to eat.
After not very long, Lukas heard the familiar steps of his younger sister walking down the stairs, "Hi Lukas. Was revision good?" she asked as she went to the fridge to get out a soft drink. His mouth was full so he just nodded, "What did you revise for?" she asked.
Lukas swallowed and looked at her, he couldn't tell his family that he was practising for the drama, but since Romeo and Juliet is also used in English, he used that excuse, "English." he replied. Eyríður just nodded and went back upstairs. Lukas spent the rest of his night watching T.V and reading in his bedroom as normal, except he wasn't really reading, he was practising his spoken English.
Mathine ended up falling asleep on the bus, and missed her stop. Because of this, she ended up on the other side of Oslo. The Dane ended up having to take another bus back to her house, and ended up home several hours late and extremely tired and moody. "Ugh" she groaned as she entered her large house, her mother was sat at the kitchen table, her father in the living room. Neither payed attention to her when she entered. "Hey...I'm home" she spoke up, her mother finally looked up from her book.
"Oh, hello sweetie." was all she replied with. Mathine frowned that neither of her parents seemed to care that she was so late home. She just sighed and took out her script and went up to her room then, not really wanting to speak to either of her parents, it's not like they'd care anyway.