Steven Universe: Behind the Scenes Chapter 72- Rehearsing With Frankie.
Steven, Ami, and Yumi were all going to the auditorium to practice their song for the school-wide show, which was coming in a day.
They all walked to the doors of the auditorium, whichwere wide open as they entered.
Frankie was already there, setting things up for her class. Numbuh 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were going to be there, teaching them the stunts for the movie.
"Hey, Frankie!" Steven greeted.
"Oh, guys! Come in! You're just in time. We have to wait until everyone gets here, then we can start," she tells them.
"What about the school-wide show?"
"Oh, Mr. Andre will do that wth you guys, I'm not a music teacher," she told them. Steven set down his bright red backpack with yellow stars on it. He opened it and pulled out his script.
"Uh… Steven, why does your script say Steven Universe?" Ami asked.
"Oh, shoot! Wrong script!" he puts it carefully back into his backpack and pulls out the right one. Kids Next Door: Operation Z.E.R.O. was labeled on the front.
"Alright, guys! Let's wait for the others to get here, then we can start."
Everyone elsewalks in. Steven sees another Teen Titan…
Beast Boy.
He was going to play as Father.
Steven walked up towards him. "Hey," he said. Beast Boy smiles, then fist bumps him.
"Alright, guys! We're waiting for more students to show up," she said. "So, talk amongst yourselves or study your lines for your shows." She looks at Beast Boy.
"You got it, Frankie!" he said, giving her a thumbs up.
He opened his backpack and got out his script for the first episode of Teen Titans, season six.
A few minutes passed, and more students showed up for rehearsal for the play.
"Alright, guys, let's get this started. I have costumes for all of you guys." Frankie said the kids walked up the stairs and went backstage. Steven sees the room.
Backstage was a world of its own—hidden behind thick curtains and a maze of ropes and pulleys, where the magic of the show was crafted in silence and shadows. Steven stood at the edge of the chaos, his sneakers squeaking softly against the scuffed black floor. He glanced around, taking it all in.
The air back there smelled like sawdust, old paint, and a bit of nervous energy. Towering flats leaned against the wall like sleeping giants, their painted faces half-lit by the soft orange glow of a work lamp. Cables snaked across the floor, taped down in places where someone had remembered. Costumes hung from a wheeled rack, some glittering, some dusty, and all whispering stories from past plays.
Steven stepped around a coiled extension cord and ducked beneath a rig of stage lights being adjusted by a senior with a wrench in her teeth. Someone called for a prop—something about a fake sword—and a smaller kid dashed past him carrying a plastic blade wrapped in silver duct tape. He heard someone practicing lines just behind the curtain, their voice shaking just a little.
Steven walked to the costume department, he was going to play as Numbuh 0—Numbuh 1's father.
Steven seesan outfit that gives off a rugged, storybook adventurer vibe. He wears a bright red sleeveless vest with gold buttons over a long-sleeved, olive green shirt. Around his neck is a forest green tie with a subtle criss-cross pattern, tucked into his vest. His pants are a dark brown or deep olive color, sturdy-looking like they're made of corduroy or canvas—perfect for climbing trees or exploring the woods.
Numbuh 0's outfit…
Steven smiles and holds the vest in his hands. "Hey, Frankie?" Steven questioned. "Is this costume real? Did he wear this in the movie?"
Frankie walked up and smiled at the hybrid. "Well, Steven, this costume isn't real, but we'd made it movie accurate."
"It looks real, this is so cool!" Steven looked at her with a big smile on his face
"Alright, guys, change into your costumes and we will start," Frankie said.
Everyone was in their costumes. Beast Boy's costume had to be fitted for him. They all walked out and onto the center stage.
"Alright, guys, let's do this," Frankie said, sitting in a director's chair.
"Action," she said.
"This was a story about a brave boy, an ancient book, and a mystical tree." Frankie started.
"In this grim reality, children were forced to toil in factories, churning out endless supplies of tapioca pudding. The rhythmic clanging of machines filled the air, drowning out their laughter and dreams. Yet, in the courtyard of one factory stood a solitary tree, its branches reaching toward the sky, offering a glimmer of hope." Frankie read from the script.
"One fateful day, the factory doors swung open, and out burst a boy named Monty Uno, his spirit wild and free."
"Wait for me!" called his younger brother, Ben, trailing behind, his voice quivering with trepidation.
"This was a story about a brave boy, an ancient book, and a mystical tree."
Ignoring Max's pleas, Steven scaled the tree with ease, a mischievous grin on his face. Max hesitated, glancing nervously back at the factory. "Oh…," he murmured as he summoned the courage to follow, struggling to climb the sturdy branches.
"Co-o-o-ome back! You can't just run off in the middle of your shift!" Max protested, finally pulling himself onto a branch. "Pappy's going to be awfully sore."
"Let him be, Ben!" Steven replied, his voice brimming with frustration. "We've been slaving away, making tapioca for him for eleventy hundred days! He acts like he's the evil king of the world!"
"He *is* the evil king of the world!" Max retorted, his eyes wide with fear.
"Exactly! I'm sick of it! I wish we could fight back or something!" Steven exclaimed, kicking the tree trunk in frustration.
To their astonishment, the ground rumbled, and a hidden door creaked open in the trunk. "Whoa! Check it out!" Steven exclaimed, his excitement palpable.
"Hey! Where are you going? What is this—" Max stammered, but Steven had already pulled him into the secret chute that had appeared. They slid down into a dimly lit room, filled with strange contraptions made of old 2x4s. In the center, a pedestal stood, spotlighted dramatically, with a dusty book resting atop it.
"What's that?!" Max gasped, eyes wide with wonder.
Steven approached the pedestal, brushing off the dust. "The… book of… KND?" he read aloud, his voice buzzing with excitement.
"Ju—just put it back and let's go! This place is creeping me out!" Max urged, glancing around nervously.
"Be quiet, Ben! I'm reading!" Steven snapped, fully absorbed in the pages.
"Well, read faster!" Max insisted, glancing anxiously at the door.
"This is incredible!" Steven exclaimed, flipping through the pages with growing enthusiasm. "It's an instruction manual for battling adult tyranny! It shows how to build treehouses and everything! And look! There's a section for each kid to write down their own story!"
Max's heart raced, a mix of fear and excitement swirling inside him. "We won't have a story if Pappy finds us here!" he whispered urgently.
"Don't you see, Ben? This is our chance!" Steven declared, determination shining in his eyes. "We have the tools to fight back! We can make the world a better place! For us! For all kids!"
With newfound courage and a sense of purpose, the brothers stood together beneath the ancient tree, ready to embark on a journey that would change their lives and the lives of children everywhere. The tale of resistance had begun, echoing the dreams of every child yearning for freedom and a brighter future.
They were now finished for the day. Steven sees Ami and Yumi standing at their lockers. "Hey, guys! Ready to go to my house?"
"Yeah, let's do it," Ami told him.
Steven, Ami, and Yumi all walked outside. Ami and Yumi both took their mopeds. Steven rode with his father, Greg, back to his house.
Steven, Ami, and Yumi went to Beverly Hills. Ami and Yumi got off their mopeds, parking behind Greg's van. Greg unlocked the door, and the kids walked inside.
"Alright, Steven. Let's go to your music room." Ami said, walking to it.
Steven went to his room and grabbed his guitar, then they got started.
A\N: Hi guys! I hope you like this chapter, there's more on the way!