Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
"Yah I mean to," Hannah felt the more bubbly smile grow on her face once more. Sure, this potential actress didn’t seem straight off as the bubbly sort, but she at least seemed friendly. And it meant that she was having the chance to speak to one of the girls who was actually auditioning. Heck, she was speaking so someone else at all. It was better than being alone, especially in crowds like this, where you often felt more alone if you didn’t have a group. Which, although there were a few students she had gotten to know and like, she wasn’t really in a group, most of the students who had taken the time to get to know one of the newer boarders being older than herself, for the simple reason that they hadn’t yet been subjected to her blunt honesty.
"Juliet," The determination in that one word said it all. And the truth-sayer was impressed. It was too rare to hear people ready to go and get it with that determination. And Juliet was a strong role, a strong woman in many respects, so a strong actress would perhaps show that best. The younger girl almost chuckled as she continued more shyly "There aren't many female characters and I want a main role," Hannah nodded her agreement, tucking her long dark hair behind one ear as she did so. That was a major problem with this play. And often, people would find that girls were more willing to act.
”Juliet… Your going to have some competition for that one I suspect. Good luck though..” She grinned softly, her voice holding some more natural bubbliness to it now. Well, she knew now of two people who were defiantly going to go for Romeo and Juliet. So they had their starring roles, as long as neither of them seriously messed up. And that Riley worked out the whole Romeo thing before his audition.
”And I know what you mean about the lack of female roles. I’m going forward as an extra, but other than the masquerade scene, that means I’ll either end up as a guy, or worse, the nurse!” She chuckled then, glancing up at the stage briefly. Since the first captivating audition, she had not been paying attention to the goings on on the stage. She had been too busy trying to at least fill the major roles. The parents, the friends, suddenly she wondered if anyone was lining up to be the Prince, or the Friar. There were quiet a few roles to fill, and unlike in Shakespearean times, she had a quiet preference for people to play characters of their own gender, except in pantomimes. But that was a different story.
”Have you decided on your monologue yet? I’m stuck on ideas for mine. Though after I’ve handed out the last few of these..” She lifted the scripts just enough to indicate what she meant, ”… I’ll have plenty of time I think till Ms Clay will want extras on stage. But I don’t know if you found it, but there are a lot of multi person scenes. In fact, finding a character with more than a small paragraph to say is pretty difficult.” She was babbling. She knew she was babbling. But the truth inducer was actually getting a little nervous, though her bubbliness hid it well. She didn’t have the strong desire this other seemed to have for acting, but she would like a part in the play. Being opened to all ages meant she could mix with people who didn’t know about her powers. And she could perhaps become a little tighter knit within the school. Not that she wasn’t settling in, but she was desperate to make ties.
Although Hannah was normally capable of keeping her mind on track, or at least look like she was, at the same time, she had a funny thing about crowds. Not that she didn’t dislike them as such, though she would prefer there to be a little more room, but she found she was never sure where to look. When side tracked, her eyes would occasionally fix on a spot. And sometimes that spot happened to fall on a person, or just over their shoulder. And more than once she had been accused of staring when she didn’t even realise it. Her eyes wandered a little lazily over the crowd again. A few faces she vaguely recognised, a few she knew even better. But as a rule, most of them she had no clue about. And her mind had just been about to wander down that train of thought when a voice interrupted them.
“Excuse me” Her soft brown eyes turned to the stranger, and partially thanks to the crutches recognised him as the mystery guy from earlier. Part of her dictated that it made sense that he had auditioned as Mercutio, as he had walked off the stage and appeared when the other had vanished. Yet they there was a part of her logic which pointed out that it couldn’t be possible. That perhaps he had simply been helping the other who disappeared earlier, somehow, for some reason. "I dont mean to interupt, but I was just wondering. Are either of you going to audition for the part of Juliette by any chance? Its just that my friend over there is reading for Romeo " He was hardly interrupting much really, she realised, as she craned her neck slightly to look over towards the ‘Romeo’, just glimpsing the small group, recognising one of them. “ and I thought ….. since the balcony scene really needs two people…… maybe you could work something out together?” Which made sense. It was a popular and important scene with quite a bit of room to switch emotions and play with the mood of the audience. As he had spoke, her eyes moved to the stranger on crutches, his Scottish accent quite clear though thankfully not too strong.
”I’m not, but perhaps…” She paused for a moment, glancing at Kaitlyn, realising she had no idea about the potential Juliet’s name, continued relatively calmly, a little shyly, almost, at making the suggestion, ”.. you’d be up for it, especially as your going for Juliet anyway?” Part of her didn’t like making such a suggestion like that, she barely knew the older girl, but at the same time it saved her blurting out, ‘I’m not, She is’ as she would otherwise have done. As much as the young student disliked questions though, she couldn’t help her curiosity, turning to Micheal again in question.
”Riley right? For Romeo I mean. And was it you who auditioned for Mercutio at the start?” Part of her had been dying to ask that since she had seen him hobble off the stage. The bubbliness which had faded at her suggestion seemed to suddenly reappear as she asked. If it was him, she wanted to point out that she thought it was a lovely audition. And that despite the almost silence of the auditorium, she had clapped, even if it was only twice to be silenced by her own embarrassment.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Kaitlyn's clear blue eyes couldn't help but cloud slightly with confusion as she watched the younger girl react to her affirmative answer. She understood being interested, especially when it came to theatre which was her passion, but to be so friendly without even knowing a person seemed odd to the young actress. For her a person that bubbly was either faking it, as she had so many times in her past, or someone she couldn't possibly hope to understand. To her benefit the other girl was friendly without being overly perky. Those who couldn't accept that sometimes people had bad days and needed to work their way out of a mood had always annoyed Kaitlyn who would never be considered an optimist. Hannah however seemed perfectly nice and was merely showing an interest, it was just curiosity to the mutant who was so used to people not caring or being concerned with superficial purposes.
”Juliet… Your going to have some competition for that one I suspect." Although the comment was an obvious one Kaitlyn found herself actually liking the company of the younger girl and her honest interest and she simply nodded, not passing judgement on that state the obvious fact. "Good luck though..” That too sounded sincere, so unlike the break a legs she had used to hear at the theatre she had once called home. People would come backstage and wish the actors best luck but they never meant it, never cared at all about the people behind the show unlike here where all of the few people she had talked with had been kind to her and genuine.
"And I know what you mean about the lack of female roles. I’m going forward as an extra, but other than the masquerade scene, that means I’ll either end up as a guy, or worse, the nurse!” That made Kaitlyn crack a smile and the other girl's chuckle made her own smile grow. She had thought once that extra would be an interesting job, a chance to be involved in many different productions without having to leave a part of your heart and soul on stage. It wouldn't be so painful to say goodbye once the show closed and you didn't have to carry the burden of how the entire show went on your shoulders. However love of the theatre was in her blood and she yearned to act, Kaitlyn knew that being an extra would never be satisfying enough for her.
Kaitlyn had been too busy focusing and practising to really scope out her competitors and possible future castmates but as Hannah glanced over at the stage it occurred to her that perhaps she should have been watching them and the blue-eyed mutant felt slightly guilty. "Have you decided on your monologue yet?" She hadn’t one hundred percent made up her mind but Kaitlyn was leaning heavily towards the final scene of Juliet’s where she took her life. It may have seemed a morbid choice to some but Kaitlyn loved the scene, the emotion that had to be put into it and the passion got the deeply sensitive mutant everytime, at least whenever she had watched another play the role.
As the blue-eyed mutant considered a monologue though Hannah continued speaking, talking about giving out scripts and deciding on an audition part herself. Absently Kait nodded, clear eyes taking on a faraway look now that talk had turned to the monologues and reminded her of the all-important audition to come. “I’ll have plenty of time I think till Ms Clay will want extras on stage. But I don’t know if you found it, but there are a lot of multi-person scenes. In fact, finding a character with more than a small paragraph to say is pretty difficult.” Her focus returning the brunette nodded once more. Having performed the play before she was aware of the trials of finding a scene to perform that didn’t require a partner.
“Excuse me”. The expression was polite but caught the attention of Kaitlyn who, despite the soft politeness of the speaker, nearly jumped at the voice. She was a far from calm and collected person even if outwardly that was how she came across and the easily unnerved actress had been startled. If one had been in Kaitlyn’s shoes they might have understood that Kait was never approached and spoken to by two students here at the school. She was either distant from the conversation or the one staying well away from people by eating alone in the corner so to have two seemingly friendly fellow students talk to her at once was a surprising development.
"I dont mean to interupt, but I was just wondering. Are either of you going to audition for the part of Juliette by any chance? Its just that my friend over there is reading for Romeo”. A gesture at the person to which he was referring made Kait sneak a curious azure glance at the group the current speaker had just left. She spotted the violet-eyed blonde in their midst and it occurred to Kait that this meant the girl, who she assumed was about her age, wasn’t auditioning. “and I thought ….. since the balcony scene really needs two people…… maybe you could work something out together?” A momentary stunned look crossed Kait’s face before she looked back at the stranger. He was asking her to perform something with another? At first there was a sensation of panic mixed with buried excitement. A part of Kaitlyn wanted to make friends and to have a few people she could talk to but the more predominant part of her was terrified that they would find out about her past as a street rat and thief and that she would once more be homeless.
”I’m not, but perhaps…” the younger girl was looking at her and the all at once awful and exciting feeling of knowing she was about to be pulled into something flooded Kaitlyn. The potential Juliet felt a slight feeling of gratefulness, as the other seemed hesitant to put her name forward. That showed some amount of consideration and Kait was glad of it. “.. you’d be up for it, especially as your going for Juliet anyway?” It was out in the open now and she couldn’t really make up an excuse for as great an actress as she was and as complacent with telling lies as she had become Kaitlyn didn’t feel comfortable turning the Scottish student away.
“Riley right? For Romeo I mean. And was it you who auditioned for Mercutio at the start?” Riley. Kaitlyn, being as out of the loop as she always was when it came to the institute, had heard far less about Riley than some and she had never met the guy. She shot a curious glance over in the direction of the party once more trying to remember which one might be Riley from the vague snippets of conversation she had overheard. Kait hadn’t really been paying attention to the auditions but she had seen a few moments of the Mercutio one and had been impressed. Now her blue eyes narrowed as she tried to match up Michael to the audition she had seen.
Remembering that she had been indirectly asked to audition with the student who had auditioned for Mercutio’s friend Kaitlyn glanced back one more time at Riley and silenced a sigh she might have unintentionally let out had she not been paying attention. There wasn’t really a way to say no that wouldn’t make her appear a complete jerk and while Kaitlyn had no problem with being isolated from people for the rest of her life some lessons stuck with you, even when you did grow up in the far from ideal environment of a theatre.
“Sure,” Kaitlyn said and the comment seemed to come so far out of left field that she clarified a moment later. “That is I’m sure I can work something out with your friend.” A pleasant smile hid the uneasiness the brunette felt about the entire situation and although she was being entirely honest about working something out with Riley the smile made her sound more willing than she truly was. That was one trick of the theatre that Kait had learned early on, the wonderful smile no matter what you were really feeling. It had served Kaitlyn well thus far and she trusted it once again so that her severe nerves about the situation she had been thrust into did not surface.
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Neither one of them bit his head off which was always a good sign. In fact if the dark haired girl looked a bit surprised the other seemed entirely enthusiastic about the whole idea *Aye but then like me she’s volunteering a friend* Michael thought* Maybe Riley will be the one who’ll kill me when I announce my wonderful plan.* Still. He’d had to do something. It didn’t feel right just letting his team mate get up there with no idea what of he was getting himself in to. Oh well it was too late to back out now.
“Riley right? For Romeo I mean. And was it you who auditioned for Mercutio at the start?” It was the younger girl who, spoke her question catching him slightly by surprise. He hadn’t expected her to recognise him. Few people made the connection between him and Hood right off as she seemed to have. Most of the time the differences were to blatant for the similarities to catch the eye. He didn’t know whether to be flattered or embarrassed. After all if the audition had gone badly it wasn’t unpleasant to have his relative anonymity to hide behind. But she had asked him straight out so he owed her a truthful answer didn’t he.
It was just a question of how to explain. He was thinking how to approach the problem, when the elder girl spoke accepting his proposition easily. He flashed her a grin of appreciation. Now he only had to convince Riley that this was a good idea and everything would be settled. For the moment though there was that tricky answer to be given.
“Aye that’s right. Riley’s going for the star crossed lover. ” he said . And I suppose the answer to your second question is……….. yes and no” he said with a slight laugh "That sounds daft doesn’t it but it’s kind of complicated. The acting or lack of it was me. Michael Grant at your service." he went on with as much of a flourished bow as he dared without risking to fall over. "But since I’m not exactly a dab hand with a sword I used Hood for the audition." He didnt go into details. He supposed he didnt need too. His limitations were all to clear. No point dwelling on them.
"Astral projection." he explained good naturedly. "That’s my power. I can leave my body behind and mould my energy into another form. Hood. As in Robin Hood."
"Yeah I know its corny" Michael admitted. "but I was doing a school project on him the first time my power kicked in and I suppose I must have liked the sound of the whole hero thing because that’s how my astral self came out. Hence the ‘costume’ on stage" he added a trifle embarrassed. "I bet everyone thought that was overkill but it wasn’t. Its just the way Hood looks. "
He still wasn’t sure he was explaining it right. He never was.It was such a strange and wonderful process that he never felt he did it justice. Still something tugged at the back of his mind. A play! Not Shakespeare but Ronsard. That’s it he thought delightedly That how to describe it.
“Its like….….Cyrano and Christian." Michael said with a grin "But without the tragedy. Or at least I hope so. I provide the thoughts. He gives me the body I need to carry out the actions."
There he was happy with the explanation. It felt right for this occasion just as the caterpillar image had felt right when he had explained it to Scott. "Though I’m surprised you recognised it was me up there" he said to Hannah "Most people don’t.
"Can't imagine why though" he concluded his voice full of mischief. "Must be the bow and arrows that confuse them, what do you think?"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie”Sure” For a moment, the deep brown eyes of the truth teller were drawn to the elder girl, glad that she seemed to approve of the suggestion. Perhaps it would then solve a problem for both of them. And even if one turned out to be much better than the other, surely Ms Clay would still be able to judge their auditions fairly. “That is I’m sure I can work something out with your friend.” Despite the façade that the other put up, Hannah was aware that there was a good chance that she had just volunteered this stranger to help out another. And considering Riley’s earlier uncertainty about not only the role, but the audition, she wondered if he was actually aware about what his friend was plotting. Yet in the almost strangeness of the situation, she found normality. Two plotting for others, in any shape or form, the more confident trying to encourage the less so. The smile which graced her face remained, even as the boy answered her questions.
“Aye that’s right. Riley’s going for the star crossed lover. ” Hannah had always found something almost enticing about Scottish accents. That is, not the terribly strong ones, but the ones which seemed to add a different flavour to the language. Like many people, the strong the accent, the less she understood. When she was younger, one of her good friends had been part Scottish, and her mother’s accent was terribly strong, to the extent that the young Hannah was unable to understand a word of it. Perhaps if they had not moved away, then the Christian mutant would have better understood it. As it was, she was glad that the obviously Scottish lad lacked the strongest version of the accent. Her eyes turned briefly in the direction of Riley again with a slight nod. Well, at least someone was trying to get the man’s audition sorted out for him at least!
” And I suppose the answer to your second question is……….. yes and no” Curiosity was raised at his answer, her head tilting characteristically to the side slightly, trying to work out the hidden meaning behind the response. How could it be yes and no? Was that possible? Although a mathematician at heart, there was enough scientist fuelled by it within her to want the answers which would sometimes seem impossible to gain. One of her favoured things was to learn, about anything. Other people, herself, objects.. there was nothing she wouldn’t strive to understand if given the chance.
"That sounds daft doesn’t it but it’s kind of complicated. The acting or lack of it was me. Michael Grant at your service." The bow brought a soft, stifled chuckle from the young truth-sayer. Even if the young man before her had been well in body, such a gesture would have brought a similar response, and that fact seemed to glitter in her soft gaze. Well, indeed it seemed she had found her actor, seeing now in him the actor she had seen upon the stage performing in a manner which seemed to suit the role he had chosen so well.
"But since I’m not exactly a dab hand with a sword I used Hood for the audition." Hood? Was that the actor she had seen on stage? If so, where was he now? The pair should perhaps share equal congratulations. Her wonderment was answered as the older lad continued, ”Astral projection… That’s my power. I can leave my body behind and mould my energy into another form. Hood. As in Robin Hood." Oh. Well, that was kinda cool really. She had heard about astral projection before, in non-mutant terms, and it gave her a vague idea as to how his powers work. Despite what some might believe considering not only her own found faith but her strong Christian background, Hannah was rather knowledgeable about psychic beliefs, although she knew full well that what she knew only scraped the surface of what some believed.
"Yeah I know its corny" Maybe just a little, the truth teller admitted silently, though it did depend on which, if any, he was originally based on. There had been a few quite cute Robin Hoods in the various films. Not that it took much for the teenager to find a boy cute. "but I was doing a school project on him the first time my power kicked in and I suppose I must have liked the sound of the whole hero thing because that’s how my astral self came out.” That made some sense at least, the truth-inducer realised. She couldn’t help wondering if the knowledge of his mutant ability was easier as he could remember most likely when it happened. That there was one specific event which perhaps brought it to the surface, or even just being sure that it was then and there. Hannah didn’t have that. She knew that there had been a time when she her powers hadn’t emerged, and then there was a time when they did, but the line between the two was blurred – she couldn’t have even narrowed it down to a month.
" Hence the ‘costume’ on stage" … "I bet everyone thought that was overkill but it wasn’t. Its just the way Hood looks. " You didn’t need any mutant powers to see the embarrassment in Micheal’s face. And it was understandable. One of the most primary things about schools anywhere was fitting in, not making yourself a target. She knew bullies unusually well for someone who had barely suffered at the hands of them until her powers emerged. She wasn’t the victim or the bully. Instead she had a strong enough character to manage to stand up to them verbally, which was normally enough. Whether it had been because she was a pastor’s daughter, or just because in truth bullies were cowards at heart, no fights had erupted from her stands against them.
“Its like….….Cyrano and Christian." - "But without the tragedy. Or at least I hope so. I provide the thoughts. He gives me the body I need to carry out the actions." It wasn’t the analogy that she understood, rather his equation. Although she did love to read, as a rule it was children’s books that she preferred, and was certainly not knowledgeable about a wide variety of plays. English had never been a strong subject for the maths wiz. Even so, she quickly realised it wasn’t important. What was, was that she had understood his meaning in the end.
"Though I’m surprised you recognised it was me up there" Honestly, she hadn’t recognised the older lad, rather having put two and two together when he appeared leaving the stage after the audition. Though even then she hadn’t been sure, and couldn’t really see much of a resemblance even now. Not that it was really surprising considering the distance between where she had been and the stage, and the difference in lighting between then and now helped to conceal the similarities between the pair. "Most people don’t.” He concluded, which was little surprise to her. Though a sudden thought came to mind. If he was auditioning as Mercutio, but the role would have to be played by a guy dressed as Robin Hood.. how would that fit into the play?
"Can't imagine why though"… “"Must be the bow and arrows that confuse them, “ The joking in his voice increased the smile on her face, his wit at his own situation in that minute clear, perhaps a chance to cover up the hurt? It didn’t seem to matter in that moment, the joke lightening the mood further. But in one short moment, with four small words, that lightness, that joke, was, in her mind, shattered. ”… What do you think?”
The deep, bright eyes which had been looking up into Micheal’s eyes seemed to dull slight as a flicker of despair passed through them in the brief moment between his words and the fall of her head. Why did he have to ask? Immediately, she had felt the burning need to answer him. But the truth could sharp, or blunt. Either way, she didn’t doubt that it would most likely hurt. There was no doubt in her that she tried to fight it. She desperately wanted to a least praise him for his audition, wanted to wish him luck on getting his role. But she could feel the answer bubbling. If she spoke, she would have to answer. If she waited, she might be able to form a reply which, though truthful, was also not insulting. But like the water pressure in a tied hose pipe, it was too much, and she was forced to speak more bluntly than she would have ever wished.
”I’d disagree..” Her voice was quiet now, a hint of her new found sadness in it, her eyes kept lowered, ”.. and would have to say that it is more down to your..” She bit her lip for a moment. No, this she would at least keep as pleasant as she could, and not blurt it out. The truth teller was almost physically shaking with her quiet battle, her silent despair. ”.. you physical condition..” She let it tail off, eyes closing for a moment, a sharp, deep inhale taken to try and calm herself at least a little. Although a calm person by nature, at the same time the young mutant was rather highly emotional inwardly, and it took a lot of effort in that moment not to break down. True, what she said could have been worse, but it was a reminder of her curse. How not even a joke could be effective a second time against her.
”Sorry…” Her voice quickened, as if she was suddenly in a hurry, her words flowing swiftly as her eyes lifted again to the older pair of mutants. ”Your audition was great, I hope you get the part..” Her eyes failing to fix on the astral mutant as she spoke, her normally lightly olive cheeks slightly flushed in her embarrassment, eyes turning to the potential Juliet, still apologetic, though for a different reason “I really hope you do well. Anyway, I better go, finish out handing these.” Her swiftly, worried spoken words were the truth, she did have to finish handing them out, though perhaps not as urgently as it seemed right then. As it was Hannah turned, almost as quickly as she spoke, and started to walk away from them, eyes lowered to the ground, hands clasping onto the scripts as she thought down her emotions.
It wasn’t the boy’s fault, she knew that. Nor was it her’s really. But it had happened none the less, and there was no way she could remove her words. She simply thanked God that she had managed to say it as she had, even through the strain in her voice. It worried her how close she had come to saying something else, something she might have deemed unforgivable. ”Sorry..” She whispered again, uncertain he would hear her as she walked away from them, trying hard in that moment to just run.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Excitement filled the air, it buzzed in commotion even with people who weren’t at all interested in the play but intent on causing mischief for those auditioning. Some bullies liked to show that no one was safe from them, that even in places promising fun and creativity it could be brought crashing down by them at any given time they chose. As if they felt it was a privilege and they permitted others to continue on in their chosen activity. Scott found himself a little taken back by everything, granted he was used to sensing things at a distance, a constant echo of life was always around him, and if it were not that he felt detached and isolated, it felt like his tie with nature was severed, all meaning faded, all hope seemed distant and unreachable. It was a terrible feeling, one Scott hadn’t ever felt, but knew would happen since he left his home and came to the human world, with all it’s unnatural ways of living, their world nothing but a fake expanse, devouring what little nature dwelling at its borders.
As Michael left, Riley had began reading over the scene the astral projecting mutant had suggested, leaving the group silence for the following moments. The male fairy was letting his crystal eyes peer across the room, taking in the faces and then settling back on the other group, watching Arlen, Arisa and another girl all talking together happily enough, Connor seemed to be just sitting back, his own eyes studying the expanse of the hall. Connor wasn’t the same anymore, at least he didn’t feel the same to Scott, and Wolverine’s son seemed most frustrated with his mutant abilities then he was previously. The Prince could tell he was more then frustrated, he was angry with them. Angry and maybe even a part of him was ashamed. Although sympathetic towards the feral, Scott wasn’t really sure how to speak with him, not about his problems anyway, all Scott could do was tell the other what history they had together, leaving out the details of being a Prince this time round though.
"Do you have use of magic in your plays?" The generally announced question sprang as Scott dragged his eyes over towards the stage, wondering how different this play will be compared to the handful Scott had been permitted to watch. Without a verbal reply Riley just shook his head as he turned the page over, leaving Scott to fiddle idly with his sleeves shortly after out of sheer boredom. "What of animals?" At the second question Riley peered across at Scott, lowering his book only a little as he stared at the prince, there was a slight smile of amusement on Riley’s face instead of one of annoyance however.
"I don’t think so Scott, don’t worry, I’ll be up on stage shortly I guess, we won’t be much longer," It was obvious there were often times where Scott had a short attention span towards things, even if he was interested in them he felt bored waiting around for whatever it is to happen. Sitting still for any lengthy duration was a nightmare for him and right now Scott had all his friends around him but they all looked so busy doing their own things, except Tessa, she was still patiently standing beside him. Scott’s vibrant orbs glanced across at her, offering a sheepish little grin in the corner of his lip while Riley went back to his pages.
The expression on his youthful features however faded, his look becoming distant and swept off in troubled thoughts, a disturbed appearance settling over the fairy so heavily even the splendor of his eyes gradually faded to show how deeply perturbed his mood had become. Hiding his emotions wasn’t really a skill Scott had, if he was upset people knew it, just as easily as they knew if he was happy. Scott may try but he was an easy study, his emotional façade was as easy to read as the words on Riley’s script.
Now steely grey eyes drop to the ground, sliding off with a troubled frown towards the source of his inner disturbance, watching Michael’s back as he talked with the two other girls. The emotions in Michael were pained, stunned, frantic, desperate to a degree, as if there was a need, an uncertain need as well as an inward fight, a struggle of some sort, so many emotions, twisting from the more placid ones to the ones Scott disliked the most; the negative storms. The girl before him, the young one, she seemed distressed as well, desperate and guilty and…what was going on over there? The Prince kept his troubled expression while his faded eyes watched on intently as the girl turned and hurried off, maybe Michael would return now, maybe he would tell them what was wrong. It all felt so terrible… what were they talking about? What could they have possibly been discussing that made them feel such a way? It was dreadful...the sense overwhelmed him, his own emotions getting lost in the background for a moment and then only fueling the invading ones as he worried over Michael, even the other girl, who's panic was noticable even though Scott didn't reach out to her emotions as he did with others close to him.
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and JulieI’d disagree… she said suddenly. and would have to say that it is more down to your.. your physical condition..””
Strange that a truth he was so familiar with could hurt him so much. But it did. Perhaps because it was so unexpected, coming from this seemingly friendly girl. Oh he had heard worse, that was for sure. But usually the harsh comments were accompanied by snide glances and sniggers. Anything that could have let him prepare for the blow when it came.
As it was the words were less brutal , but they caught him unawares, stripping away the carefully prepared mask of good humour, leaving him suddenly exposed and vulnerable. There was no trace of Mercutio left in him now. Not even the borrowed boldness lent to him by Riley’s need for help. Just a crippled boy trying to put a brave face on the hand that life had dealt him. And for once failing.
They all though he was so confident. Great! After all that was what he wanted wasn’t it? Michael wasn’t shy!. Michael didn’t care what other people thought of him! It wasn’t true. Even before the accident it hadn’t been true. He did care. More than they would ever know. He just refused to change to suit their version of what was ‘cool’, that was all . Not that he had a choice now that his differences were physical as well as intellectual. You could decide overnight not to be a geek if you wanted tool. You couldn’t simply decide to throw away your crutches and run the marathon.
*Why would she say that?* Michael asked himself as he struggled to deal with this very different kind of pain. She hadn’t seemed to want to hurt him. Indeed she had looked as shocked as he had as if the answer had been pulled out of her against he will. But in the aftermath of his surprise her reluctance didn’t fully register ”Sorry…” she added inadequately. Well maybe she was. Just not as sorry as he was to have had half a ton of metal ram itself into his body and leave him like this. Reflex made him want to stop listening but stilll the words came tumbling from her mouth.
“Your audition was great, I hope you get the part..” What? The praise sounded sincere, causing him further confusion but at least drawing his shattered attention back to the honesty reflected in her eyes How could she cut him down with one hand and build him up with the other? It didn’t make sense. . “I really hope you do well”. she said to the dark haired girl awkwardly, obviously preparing for flight “Anyway, I better go, finish out handing these.” she added, then turned , crestfallen and subdued as she had never been before this encounter, and started to walk away.
*Wait* Michael thought *Something happened here. And I don’t know what it was * He knew all about regret though and he saw it now reflected in the girls hurried departure, heard it in the soft repeated ”Sorry..” that she murmured as she made her way uo the passageway. He couldn’t say why but he felt that maybe he wasn’t the only one to have suffered in the past few moments. What had she said that was so bad anyway, when you got right down to it? *You were the one who asked the question in the first place* Michael reminded himself. *So why should you freak out because she gives you a straight answer? *
Because he simply hadn’t expected her to answer it at all that was why. It would have been kinder not to and he had had the feeling that this hitherto smiling and enthusiastic girl was kind. A stupid thing to assume perhaps after so short a time but then he always did tend to give people the benefit of the doubt till they proved him wrong. *And she hasn’t really proved me wrong yet, now has she? Michael thought, setting his feelings aside to look at the incident from a less personal point of view, though it was harder to do than he liked to admit. . *She just hit me where it hurts. Whether she meant to or not is a different story.So now I can let her walk away and this will hang between us making us both feel bad or…. *
“Can you hold on a minute? “ he asked the still seated brunette ”I thinkyour friend and I got off to a bad start.” Then he was off after Hannah, his movements surprisingly swift as the old habits came back to him. He didn’t quite know what he was going to say to her only that it was important to him not to let things end like this, in hurt confusion. If he had really thought that this girl had tried to bring him down he would have let her leave without a second glance. Looking back however he realised that there had been something of his own pain in her eyes as she had spoken the fateful words and somehow that made all the difference
” Wait” he called out, hoping she wouldn’t make him chase her all the way to the door “ Don’t go! It was a stupid thing for me to say” he went on forcing his voice to sound reasonable. “Scottish sense of humour he added Hard to understand sometimes”.
The smile was back now not as bright as before but getting there. "And its not as if you told me something I didn’t already know, now is it? So please don’t feel you have to rush off because of me."The words were coming easier now as they always did once he got started. "In fact I could do with a hand. I’ve still got to break the news to your friend that Riley doesn’t have a clue what the plays about. And convince him not to lynch me for setting him up with a girl he doesn’t know. I think I’ve got my work cut out for me. Care to help me out?"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie”Wait” Through the noise of the auditorium, above the voices of the other students, the distinctive voice seemed to rise above them. In truth, to others it would have blurred into the general noise. But then, perhaps part of the truth teller had been waiting to hear it. To hear the word, the command which should have had her stop and face him. The truth teller hated to imagine the hate she would see in his eyes as he spoke, the hurt… Every part of her wanted to blame him. If he had not asked a question, then this would never have happened. But he didn’t know. She did.
His eyes had echoed her fears when she had spoken. A look so similar to ones she had seen before, but so new as well, slight different, it always was. And it stung her. To know that she was the reason for their pain. One of the greatest things she found in life was to watch the joy in others, for whatever reason. Hand to see that joy shattered by her presence was heart breaking for the young mutant. Perhaps that’s why, although she slowed, she didn’t yet stop.
”Don’t go! It was a stupid thing for me to say” As his seemingly reasonable words reached her, it silently tore at her further, wanting to force her to run. He was blaming himself! ~It was my fault.. not yours.. I should never have..~ As the words entered her mind, they paused. Should never have what? Thought she could be near the auditions without hurting someone, left her room, tried to recapture any of her lost life? Maybe, maybe she should never have come to the school. The fact the older lad was blaming himself for her downfall hurt in some ways more than the pain in his eyes. He should have been angry, have shouted at her or ignored her. Maybe she could have coped with that.
“Scottish sense of humour … Hard to understand sometimes”. No, that was it, she had understood. In another time she would have given a light hearted smile, possibly even laugh at his comment. Little over a year ago that would have been the case, it was such a short time. Such a short time since she had been normal. This wasn’t a powerful gift you could use to help people, or even something you could hide in someway. This was a curse. Any chance of a ‘normal’ life had been lost. Even amongst other mutants, her powers were difficult to except.
"And its not as if you told me something I didn’t already know, now is it? So please don’t feel you have to rush off because of me." As Micheal spoke, she slowly came to a stop, though she kept her back to him for now, her eyes fixing on the floor by her feet. Even as the Scottish lad continued, the answer for his question started to slow burn in the back of her mind, the answer simpler, less hurtful, easier to disguise.
"In fact I could do with a hand. I’ve still got to break the news to your friend that Riley doesn’t have a clue what the plays about. And convince him not to lynch me for setting him up with a girl he doesn’t know. I think I’ve got my work cut out for me. Care to help me out?" Despite what she had done to him, he was still trying to include her, trying to build across the bridge that, before the fateful question, had been in her eyes growing with ease. But a shattered bridge was harder to rebuild. The second question did not burn in the same way as the first, mainly because she didn’t know what to say. Part of her still wanted to run. But part of her wanted to try. Despite her words, he had come, he had tried. Whatever the boy might think of himself, that took courage. Not that long ago, people had called her courageous. So why was she running away?
She turned slowly to face him, though her eyes remained fixed on the small space above the edge of the scripts held tightly in her grasp. If her grip had been a little tighter, no doubt her knuckles would have begun to turn white, her grip just tight enough to stop any shaking of her arms. She took a slow, deep inhale to try and calm herself, trying to find the strength she knew was there, but seemed just out of reach.
”True..” She started slowly, softly, voice remaining saddened as her eyes refused to lift to meet his in that moment, unable to face what she might see in them. ”But… they were words that should never have been spoken.” She paused for a moment, before eyes lifted cautiously to the taller mutant’s face, a hint of a smile threatening slightly as she tried to find the words to continue. ”I did understand what you meant though…”
She wanted to explain. But she hated to, she hated to run the risk or rejection because of her powers. And how could she even if she wanted to? Too often people didn’t understand the degrees of total honesty, assuming so often that it purely meant that you told the truth, in the sense that you could still tell the unknowing white lies people do. But no. It meant that no joke could be properly told except once. It meant insulting friends. It meant destroying relationships.
Her eyes lowered again slightly, though the frown was more of concentration now as she spoke slowly, still softly, sadly. ”Unfortunately… honesty is a painful trait with me. And, I don’t cope well with questions..” She sighed quietly, hoping that her pathetic explanation might be enough. But she was uncertain. Just saying that she was a truth-sayer and truth inducer would never be enough. There would always be more questions. Even with what she had said, she expected questions.
She smiled sadly, letting her eyes slowly meet his, though there was an almost nervous glint to them. ”Thank you for trying though. Most people don’t bother. And as for helping..” Her voice remained quiet, and to anyone else would most likely be hidden beneath the bubble of the auditions. Rehearsals of auditions, the auditions themselves, people just chatting, encouraging, snickering. The normal. Any hint of her normal excitable, bubbly nature was lacking from her voice.
Her eyes turned briefly to the girl they had above abandoned, and a weak smile crossed her face. ”Well, firstly, she’s not my friend. I’m afraid I don’t even know her name..” She paused again, two separate natures fighting each other. Her normally helpful, happy side begging that she be allowed to help, but the now nervous, frightened side which had developed so much in such a short time span begged to differ. Helping meant a risk of questions. But.. ~Damn it~ Swearing wasn’t common for the young Christian, but that didn’t mean it was non existent. She had seen how much Riley was struggling just with the idea of auditioning, his lack of knowledge of the play worrying, where as this girl.. well, she had arrived with her own script, had seemed to have a quiet knowledge. It seemed almost unfair to place the duo together.
Despite the weak smile, a furrow crossed her brow in thought. ”I suppose… I suppose I could try and help. But don’t feel you have to try and include me. This was my fault, not yours. It’s okay to walk away” And it was, the gentle honesty in her words. It would hurt, but it was okay. That was something she was used to, the abandonment. It prepared her for her worse fear, the day she would have to confront her parents about it. As she spoke, the smile even managed to soften slightly, though there was a sadness that remained in her deep brown eyes, still looking up at the older mutant. There seemed to be no encouragement for either decision in them, just a silent patience.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Nick was finding adapting to his new home difficult seeing as he had been placed in the most obnoxious team ever. But appart from his unfortunate living arrangements, it turned out the Xavier school for gifted students was much like any other high school except that you had to get used to the fact that your lab partner could be green. Nick had grown up in a house hold that was very pro-mutant integration and therefore he did not mind living in a school filled with them. He did however consider some of them to be show offs waving around flashy powers that they had never had to work for. But that was a rather trivial thing for he knew he was as good as any of them… without powers.
He knew he was probably one of the only non mutant students here, if not THE only one and so he figured that he better make an effort to integrate himself into a group of friends. This however was not going to be easy for he knew full well that he was not always the easiest of people to get on with and that he did not readily suffer anyone he considered a fool. So in a vain attempt to meet a variety of people he had decided to audition for the school play that he had seen advertised.
Although right now he was not making a particularly good start, he was a good twenty minutes late for the auditions as a result of getting lost on the way to the amphitheatre. He sighed, this place was a maze of doors and he knew it would take him a while longer to get his bearings. He suddenly felt somewhat upset that his father had thought it necessary to get him baby sat by the X-men. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been out on the streets on his own before…
As he reached the amphitheatre doors his thoughts were dragged back to the task at hand. He was here to audition for the role of Romeo, not necessarily the one best suited to his personality but one he knew well. He had been cast as Romeo once before in his high school play mainly because all of he girls in his year thought he would look good in tights. So now he was hoping that by playing the lead in the play he might make a name for himself and therefore get his own group of friends.
He slowly pushed the door open trying not to disturb the people auditioning inside. As it was the auditorium was really quite busy and he was rather surprised at the number of people clutching scripts. He did not have a script although he had brought the copy of the book he had used at school. It was in a really poor condition as going home in the rain on your motorbike did not help keep your books dry. But at least it was the cover that had taken most of the damage and only small sections of the text had actually run.
He did notice some distinct groups as he made his way down into the room, some looked like they were rehearsing their auditions while others just looked like they were there because is was as good as any other place. He sighed, the prospect of standing up in front of all these unknown people and performing a love struck youth was the hugely appealing but he had done it before and was fairly confident that he knew what he was doing. So sitting down on one of the chairs he decided to see what kind of standard of acting the mutant students possessed and he hoped that someone would be so kind as to provide him with a script. Edited by: catfood74 at: 12/2/05 2:46 pm
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
So he had been right Something had happened that had turned the casual conversation into a drama not just for him but for this girl as well. She looked as if all the joy had been ripped out of her existence and that was something he didn’t want to be responsible for even indirectly. And so he waited, letting her find the words she needed, willing to listen to them even if they hurt hm like before But they didn’t Hesitant and unsure they were nevertheless apologetic. “they were words that should never have been spoken” she said sadly , as if she had hated saying them as much as he had hated hearing them. But if that was the case then why say them in the first place? Michael didn’t understand but he was trying to.
Unfortunately… honesty is a painful trait with me. And, I don’t cope well with questions.. the girl continued and things began to make a bit more sense. He had asked and she had answered with the truth. Nothing more and certainly nothing less. It would explain why she did that despite the obvious reluctance he had seen on her face as the words spilled out. Did that mean….? He bit back the question just in time. *Bloody hell* Michael thought suddenly. *Does she always have to tell the truth when you ask her something? That would be a bummer of a power to have to live with.*
"Thank you for trying though. Most people don’t bother. And as for helping..”*Oh damn* he realised *I asked her another question didn’t I. Well if she tells me shed rather be buried alive that help me out Ill only have myself to blame.
But she didn’t. “Well, firstly, she’s not my friend. I’m afraid I don’t even know her name..] *So far so good* he thought bracing himself for what could be coming next. ”I suppose… I suppose I could try and help.”
Michael let out a breath he didn’t even know he’d been holding and felt his smile come back in full force. There. Nothing was damaged beyond repair. They weren’t going to let some mutant power cause them to fall out. He was glad he’d made the effort to go after her and gladder still that she was making the effort to come back.
That must be hard to do. Every conversation was a minefield waiting to blow up in her face. *You see* he told himself philosophically *We all have our problems Maybe in a way their easier to deal with when they’re right out there for everyone to see like mine. At least no one is surprised when I don’t get up and dance the tango. But I wonder how many people she’s forced away with her unrelenting truth*Lots he suspected by the sound of things. He could feel his sympathy growing as she continued” But don’t feel you have to try and include me. This was my fault, not yours. It’s okay to walk away”
“Lets just say it was a mutual misunderstanding” he said gently. "If I've understood correctly the situation would never have a risen if I hadn’t asked the question So Its as much my fault as it is yours. Anyway I’ll try not to put you on the spot like that again. Promise. So now that’s sorted out lets start again. I’m Michael” He manoeuvred his crutches into one hand and extended the other. "And I don’t walk away as easily as all that" The humour was back as was the sly grin that said everything was ok. At least as far as he was concerned. He only hoped that the girl felt the same
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Siren shifted slightly in the hard plastic chair it felt like she had been sitting in for hours. She hadn't expected for the auditions to go on this long...her idea had been that they would come in, say their bit and leave, but there seemed to be a pretty big audience. She glanced briefly at John, standing against the far wall, looking thoroughly bored...a smile crossed her lips; at least she wasn't the only one suffering.
“Michael Grant, Or rather Hood. Auditioning for the part of …. Mercutio” Lorna looked up from the blank paper sitting on the desk in front of her. The boy was a cripple, she noted first off in dismay. She wasn’t quite sure how he thought he’d manage to do a play, but there was a certain innocent charm about him. She had seen him in a couple of her classes, but she’d never really paid attention to him…she was so used to the young boys staring longingly at her, that individuals didn’t really stand out unless they were useful to her. She nodded, acknowledging his statement. Closing his eyes, she nearly jumped up when he collapsed on the floor, and nearly collapsed herself when she saw the other figure, dressed pretty strangely appear from nowhere. *Damn these mutant brats,* she thought, *they seem to manage to catch me off guard too easily.*
Siren actually listened intently to Hood’s audition…his words seemed to catch her attention, and quickened the pace of her heartbeat with the intensity of his voice. Picking up her pen, she dragged her eyes away from the boy and started making notes. She wasn’t really interested in acting ability…the whole point of the auditions was to judge the students, to see which ones were weak, which ones were interesting, and which ones she could use. Hood was definitely an interesting one, and even though Michael was a cripple, there was obviously more to him than met the eye.
"This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage. This is she!"
Lorna let the silence drag out a moment as Hood stood there in anticipation. The other students waiting to audition didn’t make a sound other than the whispers of conversation amongst themselves.
“Thank you…erm…Hood,” she said finally. “That was very good. You can find out if you have a part when the notice goes up on the board.” Without another word she went back to scribbling notes…nothing important, but she didn’t want him to get his hopes up by her actually paying him too much attention.
Siren watched as a few other students auditioned, some of them sounding good, while others seriously needed some acting lessons. The page filled up with names and her own comments, but as yet, there were no students who really caught her attention. She waited a while for someone else to announce themselves, but all she could hear were conversations about who was reading what part, and who was auditioning or not. *These stupid students have no initiative,* she thought dolefully. She definitely needed some fun after the torture of the aduditions, and by the looks of John, he was in need of some distraction as well…if only she could speed things up a little.
“Right,” she said loudly, “Who’s next?” Edited by: Siren85 at: 9/29/05 4:55 pm
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
“Lets just say it was a mutual misunderstanding” Was he trying to take some of the blame? That was strange. He was still standing there. Stranger still. Although Hannah didn’t doubt that the young man was kind enough, the fact that she had been so cruelly truthful, well, in the young Christian’s books, gave him every right to be whacking her over the head with his crutches, certainly not trying to lift the blame from her. It was a nice gesture though, and not one that went unappreciated, the glimmer in her eyes truth of that.
"If I've understood correctly the situation would never have a risen if I hadn’t asked the question” He understood? Well, she realised, he only partially understood. He saw her side of the equation, her truthfulness. She hadn’t mentioned the only possible strength of her power, which had it’s own downfalls as well. The fact that her own questions would be answered in a truthfulness unknown to many people. There were few times that the truth-sayer would use her powers happily, given the choice. And one was to embarrass bullies. To reveal them and to help their victims. Though in her last days at her previous school, she had been the victim for the first time.
”So its as much my fault as it is yours.” She gave a brief shake of her head. He hadn’t known so how could it be his fault? So people would say ignorance isn’t an excuse… but what if there was no way of knowing. Her expression seemed to calm a little as he continued though. ”Anyway I’ll try not to put you on the spot like that again. Promise.”/b] Her smile lost some of it’s sadness at that, if any gratitude wasn’t visible before, it was now, her brown eyes brighter, still fixed on the face of the older student.
” So now that’s sorted out lets start again. I’m Mich She was still smiling, and part of her wondered if he was completely starting from scratch, or had forgotten his earlier introduction. Either way though, it caused the smile, even if his introduction didn’t hold the same show as before. "And I don’t walk away as easily as all that" The truth inducer couldn’t help but chuckle softly at that. Well, that was more than clear - which ever way you took it. And by the tone of Michael’s voice, that was also how he had meant it to sound.
”I’m Hannah..” She responded gently but with more joy in her voice than before, her hand taking the one offered. Her grip was light, but didn’t seem overly sensitive as if worried about unbalancing the lad. The smile which now adorned her face was closer to a grin, glad at for the rare chance to reconcile the situation her curse of a power had brought about.
Before she could continue, another voice broke over the crowd, directed at all the students. “Right,” … “Who’s next?” Her eyes turned towards the teacher briefly, eyebrows raising slightly, catching the tone of her voice. Had the stage been empty that long? It hadn’t felt like it. It had felt that the few actors who had graced the stage had covered the time she’d been talking and such. But then, maybe not. After all, she was distracted and not stuck staring at the stage constantly.
”Dunno..” She whispered with mild annoyance, barely loud enough for even Michael to here, honestly hoping he wouldn’t. It sucked big time, classes were the same. An unthinking teacher not directing a question to a student, instead asking the class would be subjected to the under breath mutterings Hannah had slowly begun to perfect.
In an attempt to lighten the situation, she lifted her once more down turned eyes to the astral mutant again, a slightly awkward smile now in place. “Seems Ms Clay is rather impatient to continue…” She chuckled softly, hoping he hadn’t spotted that single slip. It was difficult at times. Unable to not answer, and forced to answer truthfully, she had struggled even on her first boarding day to not sound like an idiot, being the third person to answer the same question.
”So it might be a good idea to try and organise the potential Romeo and Juliet before she gives up for the day” There was a mild cheekiness to the grin, an underlying graciousness at his ask for her help, as well the happy acceptance in her words. She paused for a moment, her lightly tanned cheeks blushing slightly as she looked over at Kaitlyn. ”Plus we both kind of abandoned the poor girl.. And I’m not sure if she would happily wander over herself”
Some people might take it as strange, that the 15 year old would happily refer to people older than herself as a girl or boy, where they were at the age some preferred to be considered as adults. But Hannah had spent her life watching people she knew, young and old, grow up around her. Not just family, but the church congregation, watching people she remembered as kids barely above her leaving home years later.. even Wes to an extent, though he wasn’t a member of the church. If she was to think of her childhood friend as an adult… that would seem weird. Despite everything he had been through, and how much he had matured, he was still the playful 9 year old boy who had abandoned her in a game of hide and seek only to later find his favourite action figures had taken his place in hiding! Memories like that made it hard to imagine people growing up, even people she hardly knew.
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie ”I’m Hannah..” the girl replied looking visibly better . Her handshake was firm but careful, respecting his precarious equilibrium and the smile on her face, gave him cause to hope that things were back on track again.
“Right,” … “Who’s next?” Ms Clays voice drew Michael’s attention immediately, his gaze flashing to her like a fly to a honey pot. It was obvious that she was far from happy.* Maybe auditions haven’t been going well* Michael wondered, a trifle ashamed at what he considered to be his own bad performance. *Maybe there’s nobody good enough.* He was so lost in his own thoughts that Hannah’s mumbled answer went unnoticed though he soon rallied as she said . “Seems Ms Clay is rather impatient to continue…” That wasn’t particularly good news for them. Michael had hoped to have had a bit of time to let Riley work himself into the part but it didn’t look as if they were going to get that luxury.
Still Hannah seemed relaxed enough. She even laughed saying ”So it might be a good idea to try and organise the potential Romeo and Juliet before she gives up for the day” It was the logical thing to do, it was the only thing to do. After all he had dragged the as yet un introduced girl into this project The least he could do was make sure she didn’t lose out on her chance of a part because of it. ”Plus we both kind of abandoned the poor girl.. Hannah reminded him And I’m not sure if she would happily wander over herself”
Michael looked over at the brunette and groaned feeling more than a little guilty. "Well I suppose I should tell her about Riley before we go any further. I sort of got so caught up in my plan to help him out that I really didn’t think things through." he explained as they made their way back down the steps towards the seated figure. "She’s got a right to know what she’s letting herself in for after all."
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Kaitlyn felt her discomfort grow as the newly introduced Michael and Hannah began to talk. It wasn't that she was left out or that the attention wasn't on her, it was simply Kaitlyn's feeling that she didn't belong, a feeling she seemed never to shake. Her two companions had very clearly just met and yet they looked comfortable with one another and were talking in a friendly matter. Was there something so socially flawed in her that she was unable to mingle and talk with others?
It felt like three was a crowd but Kaitlyn still listened along. She didn't have to actively participate in the conversation, just nod on occasion and she would be fine. The young actress learned that Michael had the power of astral projection, in a way becoming someone else. Although his powers came out in a very different way than hers perhaps there was a similarity there. Weren't they both using altered appearances to be someone other than themselves and to do what they couldn't ordinarily? Michael's astral self meant he was able to walk and be physically able. Her changing of appearance allowed her to make conversation and to mold herself on stage to be someone she wasn't. Kaitlyn looked at Michael with a new sort of respect and openness, seeing a similarity she hadn't before.
She had barely been watching the auditions at all, too busy concentrating on her own performance to see what her competitors or possible future castmates would do. Even still in the brief glances she got Kaitlyn had not been able to recognise Michael from Hood and she felt better when he said that few people recognized him and wondered why.
”I’d disagree..” the younger mutant spoke up and there was a lack of her former energy and friendliness. Now she just spoke with a sorrow that Kaitlyn knew well. ".. and would have to say that it is more down to your... your physical condition..” she trailed off and azure eyes shot quickly to Hannah. It was the obvious answer but so blunt, surely even an honest person would recognize the need for a fib in this case. She hadn't taken Hannah for the cruel type and couldn't now, not when Hannah looked so devestated at what she had said.
”Sorry…” the other girl said "your audition was great, I hope you get the part..” She spoke now to Michael but the strange contrast between telling Michael he was great and bluntly saying his physical condition was why people didn't recognize his astral form was stunning. Embaressment turned Hannah's cheeks red before she addressed Kaitlyn directly, “I really hope you do well. Anyway, I better go, finish out handing these.” Even the normally collected Kaitlyn's mask of perfection faltered at this, she was sure her jaw had dropped at the unexpected comment and quick exit. Bright eyes shifted now to Michael with a sympathy she didn't often let show, wondering how he was taking this.
“Can you hold on a minute?" Michael asked her and Kaitlyn gave a short nod, wondering what he was getting at. "I think your friend and I got off to a bad start.” The aspiring actress sighed slightly, why was it that everyone seemed to assume they were friends? She had met Hannah only five minutes before Michael himself. Kaitlyn shook the brief irritation off and craned her head to watch as he went after Hannah. Although she could have tried to overhear, and Kaitlyn had to admit she was curious about what this encounter afterwards would be like, Kait had been raised with a certain amount of manners and she maintained them here. Besides she had work to do and if she was going to be pulled into auditionning with Michael's friend she would have to start reviewing her lines. The auditionning Juliet could only assume that they would be doing the balcony scene and flipped through the script for the scene. Having found it she began once again to read, refreshing her memory for she had the entire part memorized and it was just a matter of refreshing her sometimes scattered memory.
At Ms. Clay's somewhat irritated voice Kaitlyn looked up and in the direction of Michael where she found he was still in conversation with Hannah. Both parties looked better and had obviously made somesort of peace. At the moment Kaitlyn was more concerned with her audition though and she wondered if she would ever get to meet the friend who was supposed to be her Romeo or not. Afterall if he wasn't going to come over and let them start rehearsing than she could go up and audition herself, an option she much preferred to be honest. She'd give it another five minutes and if nothing had been put in motion than she would attempt to brighten Ms. Clay's day a little.
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Nick sat bemused as he tried to take in the scene unfolding in front of him. He had, in the short time he had been there noticed at least two people holding bundles of scripts. The first of which was thankfully enough at the other side of the room and at first glance appeared to be only about twelve. Well there had been no age requirements immediately obvious on the auditions sign up sheet but he had thought that the play was only for the older students, seeing as they were more likely to have actually studied it. He shrugged, as long as he did not get saddled with an under age Juliet he would be fine.
The other girl holding a script was not much older by the look of things and was at the present moment being chased by a boy on crutches, which was not something one witnessed, everyday. Nick had once ended up on crutches after a crime fighting night gone bad that had resulted in a broken left femur. He had been driven nearly insane by how restricting they had made his life, no bikes, no driving and especially no hero work. So he felt for his fellow student who looked like he had had ample time to get very proficient at using his pair.
At that point his attention was caught by someone calling “who’s next”. He tried to get a look at the speaker but all he could see by the time he located her was a wealth of long black hair. But judging by her position close to the stage and her authoritative tone of voice she must be the teacher taking this class. He looked around to see if anyone was going to step forward because he had no intention of putting himself up there until he had picked a scene; which required a script.
So he turned his attention back to the script girl who happened to be passing near him at that point. Now all he had to consider was how to address her. He figured that “Oi , You!” may not go down so well so he decided to take a more formal approach, one his father would have approved of. In order to attract her attention he held out his hand and called out.
“Excuse me miss! Any chance I could get my hand on one of those scripts?”
He knew he sounded cheesy; he would even go as far as to say he sounded somewhat like Bruce. But he figured better appear posh then sleazy it was always easier to convince people that you weren’t actually posh than that you are not sleazy.
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
It had been clear that Michael’s thoughts had been elsewhere when the teacher had called out, and it didn’t take much to realise that, from the tone of Ms Clay’s voice, there was a good chance the astral mutant was considering his own performance. Silently, she hoped he wasn’t putting himself down about it, or took anything negative from the woman’s words. It took only one bad performance to annoy a teacher, whether that was in the class or on the stage she suspected. And it may have been that the last performance had been awful or something. Which didn’t necessarily hold much hope for their potential Romeo.
"Well I suppose I should tell her about Riley before we go any further. I sort of got so caught up in my plan to help him out that I really didn’t think things through." Despite that, she offered the older student an encouraging smile. Heck, it was the least she could do, to help him and encourage him. It was a good idea, though she did feel for the Juliet in the equation. But she was certain they could pull something off. Just what, she wasn’t sure. But never the less, it had been a good plan.
"She’s got a right to know what she’s letting herself in for after all." Hannah couldn’t help but offer a light chuckle at this, keeping her pace with his with relative ease. As she did, she suddenly realised how far he had chased her, and on crutches too! So far, she’d avoided using them, even her trips to hospital had been rather tame. Natural curiosity determined her wish to know why he was forced to use them, but considering that he had spent the last few minutes trying to rectify her last slip up, it hardly seemed fair to once more comment on the subject.
”At least it gives her the option to back out” She admitted with a nod, smiling gently, turning her eyes to Kaitlyn, trying to work out where to start. Perhaps introductions were the best place. Or, at least, for her and the girl. ”And even if she does,” She continued calmly, still smiling, ”It was still a good plan. And there must be some other Juliets out there. Plus she already has a monologue so perhaps she can keep Ms Clay entertained while we get Riley sorted" She finished with a typical grin, hoping to offer some reassurance to the other. Hannah was so used to being abandoned, she had only had one other person support her despite her power before. And like with Wes, she was willing to support Michael if he needed it. Literally if need be!
The truth teller had been about to suggest something else, when another voice caught her attention. “Excuse me miss! Any chance I could get my hand on one of those scripts?” After everything last week, she had almost expected to turn and see Heath sitting there, though the voice was completely different. But no, the owner of the voice seemed to be a normal guy when she turned to face him. In fact, she would even say a rather cute looking guy.
He couldn’t have been much older than Wes by the looks of him, which put him around the 18-20 mark. And yet, he had called her miss. If she’d been older, a teacher or something fair enough. But something about being called miss weirded her out a little bit. It had been hard enough with Heath, getting him to stop calling her ‘Lady’ every time. But this guy even looked normal – even by human standards which could be rare in a school full of students! And with the question as well… Oh well, it wasn’t exactly an annoying question was it? Just another one to add to the list.
”Sure” Her voice sounded more confident than she actually felt then, still recovering from the earlier pitfall of her powers. The truth inducer turned back to Michael with a thought. Sure, it probably wouldn’t take long but she would like to at least be polite enough to try for a brief conversation with the older boy. ”Perhaps you better go a head and start breaking the news to Juliet…” There was an almost joking tone to her voice. Almost. Part of her would have preferred to actually be helping him, but at the same time it was better to get on and at least pair the two up. ”I’ll catch you up” She finished with a grin, a promise in her eyes that’s she wasn’t abandoning him completely to his plan. Although, she noted quietly, it was his plan. Even if she had roped the other girl into it.
And so, she left one boy for the other. She wasn’t the sort to say if one was cuter than the other. She simply classified boys as ‘cute’ or ‘not-cute’, and even that annoyed her at times! It was so instinctive just to classify them. And she would almost constantly berate herself for it. She would love to say that looks didn’t matter. But it wasn’t true, at least not in the short run. Because unless you knew them for other reasons, it was always the looks that drew you in before you found out their personality. And it wasn’t completely honest to say that all boys were rated on the same level of cuteness. There were three levels, but that wasn’t based purely on looks. Cuteness 1: New guys. Okay, that was purely looks, take this stranger for an example. Cuteness 2: Guys who had been nice to her at more than just an introduction level… she supposed she could include Michael under that. He held his own cuteness after all and had been really sweet to her. But then there was Cuteness 3: Wes. She doubt that any guy, in the near future anyway, would rival Wes. He was her longest friend and was cute as well. What could she say?
Handing the older boy a script, she bore her trade mark smile, one which hinted at the bubbliness which she could contain, but at the same time was calm, friendly. ”Here you go…” She said simply, realising that little needed to actually be said by her, ”Sorry, I thought I’d caught everyone on this side already, must have missed you” Too distracted by the rather emotional roller-coaster which had occurred just minutes before, she hadn’t noticed one of the institute’s newer students arriving late. Not that she would had recognised him as being newer to the school. Although she had been there for over six months now, it was only in the last week and a half that she had started to get to know older students.
It was very tempting to ask what he was going for. Despite offering to help one potential Romeo, she hoped that this would be competition for the part. Considering the number of names on the list, mind you, there was a good likelihood of that being the case. ”I’m Hannah” She volunteered happily enough, ”Potential extra and stage hand” She left it at that, not willing to ask him for either name nor role just in case a truthful answer would draw distaste for some reason. Even so, it was left open in case he wanted to offer the information. If not, at least he now knew her name so there would be one less person to refer to her as ‘miss’!
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
It had to be said that the idea was seeming less and less like a good one. At least from the girls point of view. Hannah too seemed to support his intention of telling the prospective Juliet the full extent of Riley’s ignorance where Shakespeare was concerned.» At least it gives her the option to back out” she said ”And even if she does. It was still a good plan.”
Michael wished he could believe her. Well there was one way to find out if she really did think so, wasn't there, but it wasn’t one he was willing to use even in jest. And there must be some other Juliet’s out there. Hannah went on Plus she already has a monologue so perhaps she can keep Ms Clay entertained while we get Riley sorted out” Now there was a suggestion that might allow him to pull some kind of rabbit out of the hat after all.
He was just about to get enthused by the proposition when another student interrupted them in search of one of the scripts Hannah was holding. Tall, athletic, good looking..* What’s new?* Michael thought with a self depreciating sigh. *That description fits just about everybody here. Except me of course* Still the guy seemed nice enough. He was certainly polite anyway. Michael smiled over at him and let Hannah get on with her primary task while he made his way back down to where his ‘victim’ was waiting.
He couldn’t help but hope that the newcomer wasn’t going to read for Mercutio. Otherwise he suspected his own chances such as they were would go out of the window. *Though he’d make a damned good Romeo as well. Provided he can actually act that is* Michael thought worriedly *Damn it Riley we really need to get something organised if we're going to pull this off.*
But that didn’t mean that they could jeopardise the girl's chances along the way. Michael finally drew level with her and gratefully sank into the chair beside her offering his apologies as he did so” Sorry to run off like that Didn’t want to leave things the way they were between me and Hannah It just didn’t feel right” As he spoke he eased his stiffened right leg into a more comfortable position, if such a thing could be said to exist, hampered as usual by the lack of space between the rows of seats, frowning slightly as it protested painfully. Then he flashed a smile at the brunette,” The bendy version is more user friendly” he said wryly before getting back to the matter at hand.
“Look I’ve been thinking about what I said and its maybe not such a great idea For you I mean he added quickly “ For Riley it would be wonderful but…..” he sighed again. “The problem is that he hasn’t even read the play. That’s why I didn’t suggest he do one of the monologues from further down the line I only had five minutes to get him up to speed and talking him through the Romeos state of mind as far as the balcony scene was the best I could do Plus I know Riley. He’s a team player He’d pull out all the stops if someone else was up there with him ”
Michael’s desire to help his friend was evident but so to was his sense of fairness. Still that doesn’t mean that that’s going to be enough and I can’t ask you to put your chances on the line for him. Especially since Ms Clay doesn’t seem to be in the best of moods.
"So I’ve got another idea. Hear me out and tell me what you think. What if you were to do your audition alone like you had planned . Ms Clay could see how good you were and you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else messing things up."
That definitely sounded like the best solution to him now he’d thought things over. After all Riley too would never forgive himself if he somehow most this girl the chance to play Juliet. “Then when its Riley’s turn you could explain that you’re just reading to help him out? As a friend. Rather than it being your audition. How does that sound?” he asked seriously ”And please feel free to say no. I wont be offended . The last thing I want to do is drag you into something you feel uncomfortable with. “ .
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
It seemed to Nick that his attempt at politeness had perhaps been overshot after all. The girl that was now facing did not look to impressed at the fact that he had referred to her as “miss” he made a mental note never to go there again and just hope that “hey you” would work next time.
“Sure”
Was all she said to him, before turning to the boy on crutches who flashed him a smile. Nick felt as though he had obviously interrupted something and for that he was sorry but he did need a script. Even though he had performed this play before it did not mean that he still remembered all of the words but he was hoping that they would come flowing back as he went over them again. He had not yet decided on which scene he was going to perform in his audition and in the end he supposed it all boiled down to what was in that small script the girl was holding.
“Perhaps you better go a head and start breaking the news to Juliet… I’ll catch you up”
Nick would have liked to know what was going on for it sounded intriguing and he had to admit that after spending a year with his father he did miss the little plots and ploys that developed in schools. He readily admitted to being as bad when it came to gossip as any other teenager, not even being a crime fighter could change that. He was already really looking forward to his time here although he was offended by his dad’s lack of trust, when it came to him and the manor although judging by his current allowance his dad was more worried about the fortune than anything else. He sighed, at least this was no normal school and if these people had been able to send his dad into space who knew what else was hiding around here. Nick had a habit of letting his curiosity run away with him and he had no doubt that it would probably end up getting him into trouble here as well. But at least it made for an interesting life.
“Here you go…”
The younger girl handed him a script and he flicked through the pages so quickly that he could not even have tried to read it.
“Sorry, I thought I’d caught everyone on this side already, must have missed you. I’m Hannah, potential extra and stage hand”
He smiled up at her; she seemed like a nice and open person, which were qualities he liked in a person. So he had no trouble in introducing himself.
“Nick, pleased to meet you. I’m hoping for the part of Romeo cos I’m new here, so I figured it would be a good way to meet people. And as for missing me you didn’t” He rubbed the back his head, trying to not look to embarrassed. “I’m not very punctual and managed to arrive late, figure I better try and make an effort if I get the part.”
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie “Nick, pleased to meet you.” Like most people, he’d taken the hint, probably without even realising it. Introducing yourself was always a good way of getting others to do the same, and it allowed them to choose the name they wanted to be known by. ”I’m hoping for the part of Romeo cos I’m new here, so I figured it would be a good way to meet people.” Ooooh, she realised with something that bordered on excitement. So this was were one of the other Romeo’s were hiding. He’d make a nice Romeo, in her eyes anyway. He was cute, possibly a little over polite but nice none the less. She nodded slightly as he continued.
” And as for missing me you didn’t”… “I’m not very punctual and managed to arrive late, figure I better try and make an effort if I get the part.” She couldn’t help widen her trademark smile at the comment. Hopefully he’d be able to break the habit of being late and get to rehearsals on time. If the auditions were anything to go by, Ms Clay wasn’t the most patent of people and wouldn’t appreciate her starring character being late… if he got the role of course.
”You can probably guess there’s a lot of people up for the role.. and for Juliet. But even if you don’t get it, there’s quite a few good roles you could end up with at least!” She chuckled softly, repeating again what she had already said to some people. ”Heh… knowing my luck, I’ll end up as Nurse!” She joked happily enough.
Briefly, she let her eyes roam over the gathered students again, wondering where the rest of the main roles were hiding. There had been a lot of names signed up, but it seemed like very few had actually been bothered to put in an appearance. Maybe the attraction of the play was lost on some people… or maybe half the names had been written down by friends and the person in question really wasn’t interested. As it was, it was a little annoying.
”I don’t think being late matters too much today” She continued, turning back to Nick with a slight nod. A lot of people had, in the past found it strange to hold a conversation where one person at least would avoid asking questions when at all possible. But recently Hannah had gotten more and more used to it. Really, it was more like a nice chat than a barrage of awkward question and answers. ”But if you get the part, which I hope you do, it’s probably better to get here on time. Our teacher for it, Ms Clay, doesn’t seem like the most patient of people.” She smiled as she spoke, her honesty as ever present in her voice. ~Stop wishing people good luck and hoping they’ll get the part. You may wish it really, but if everyone got the part we’d want we’d have half a dozen Romeo’s at least!~ Also, she reminded herself, she was supposed to be helping this young man’s opposition for the role. Life could be nicely complicated at times.
”As for using the play to get to know people… good idea. The rehearsals will hopefully be fun too.” She was torn now between leaving him to help Michael on his mission, as well as letting Nick read the script, and staying to make conversation. She was attacking the option as her mouth continued, partially detached from brain.
”Oh, and just so you know, your not the only new one around… I’ve only be boarding here just over a week and I know of at least one other person who only joined the school then.” She knew there were others out there, a sort of ‘heard it on the grape vine’ known, as well as being told herself, even greeting one to an extent! ”I’m sure you’ll mingle quickly enough, most people seem to manage it” She gave him another smile, glancing briefly over at Michael and Kaitlyn, then at Nick again. Indecisiveness. A common disease in the young teenager!
"I was wrong, to think that I might belong. But I will never forget what I was... Who I am.. What I did, just to learn that"
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
Having been abandoned for the last few minutes as Michael and Hannah made up, Kaitlyn had spent her time taking in the atmosphere. It was similar to any audition room she figured. The same nervous excitement and in some cases anxiety and butterflies. To Kait however it was a relaxing return to the everyday, an experience far more normal to her than the daily life of living in an actual dorm with teammates and going on training missions. This was home. God how she had missed it.
Of course there were nerves as well. Kaitlyn had been on the streets for some time and although she had always practiced the plays and read her worn copies to keep her sane she wondered if she had perhaps forgotten something. Surely she couldn't have, especially not in Romeo and Juliet, a play she had read countless times before and seen performed nearly as many times over.
She was drawn from her thoughts as Michael drew level and sank into the chair next to hers. "Sorry to run off like that Didn’t want to leave things the way they were between me and Hannah. It just didn’t feel right,” Michael apologized as he seated himself more comfortably. Kaitlyn shrugged it off, nodding her understanding. She didn't really know either Michael or Hannah and yet they had both been kind to her in the brief span for which she had known them. Some part of her was very glad they had made up even though Kait figured it was none of her business and would have nothing to do with her.
Kaitlyn didn't miss the frown that crossed Michael's face at the momentary pain but chose not to comment as he smiled and made a crack. Hiding his pain behind a smile, that was something Kaitlyn felt she could relate to. “Look I’ve been thinking about what I said and its maybe not such a great idea...for you I mean," Michael said after a moment. Kaitlyn glanced at him, waiting for a better explanation. Surely they hadn't talked her into this only to decide they didn't want her afterall, had they?
“For Riley it would be wonderful but…..” Michael sighed and Kaitlyn thought she knew even before he finished his thought.
“The problem is that he hasn’t even read the play. That’s why I didn’t suggest he do one of the monologues from further down the line I only had five minutes to get him up to speed and talking him through the Romeo's state of mind as far as the balcony scene was the best I could do." He hadn't even read the play? How could you not read the play? Didn't they teach it in high schools? Kaitlyn wondered but apparently not. Even though she had seen it coming that Riley didn't really know what he was doing she had had no clue that he didn't even know the basic play at all. This would be harder than she had anticipated.
"Plus I know Riley. He’s a team player. He’d pull out all the stops if someone else was up there with him,” Michael added and Kaitlyn couldn't help but admire how Michael remained true to his friend while trying to be fair to her. Obviously he had realised that she was a more experienced actress than his friend and thought it unfair...and wasn't it?
"Still that doesn’t mean that that’s going to be enough and I can’t ask you to put your chances on the line for him. Especially since Ms Clay doesn’t seem to be in the best of moods." This resulted in a slight smile from the illusionary changing mutant. That was very true, she knew it well judging from the irritation heard in Ms. Clay's voice not five minutes earlier.
"So I’ve got another idea," Michael started again. "Hear me out and tell me what you think. What if you were to do your audition alone like you had planned . Ms Clay could see how good you were and you wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else messing things up." So far, so good, thought Kaitlyn, nodding ever so slightly to show that so far she thought all sounded good.
“Then when its Riley’s turn you could explain that you’re just reading to help him out? As a friend. Rather than it being your audition. How does that sound?” It sounded like a good plan, something smart and fair and the would-be Juliet commended him silently for his thought. She really hoped he got the part he had auditioned for because of the small bit she had seen he had seemed apt. Michael seemed very serious though as he said, "And please feel free to say no. I wont be offended . The last thing I want to do is drag you into something you feel uncomfortable with".
Kaitlyn felt it was only right to say quickly what she thought and she did so, not keeping Michael in the dark for long. "Actually that sounds great, a perfect solution," the natural brunette said with something that resembled a real smile. Of course she had gotten so good at putting on a seemingly genuine smile when needed that it was no longer easy to see the line between sincerity and falseness. "Ms. Clay sounded ready to see another audition so perhaps I should give it a go then come back and see what I can do with your Romeo," Kaitlyn said, her voice slightly stronger and more clear about what she wanted than usual. Perhaps the combination of being back doing something she loved and being with people who seemed to be nothing but friendly to her was having an effect.
She readied herself carefully, preparing in mind the guise she wished to go by thanks to her power of illusion but not yet focusing, knowing that her powers would only last around ten minutes at most. She knew which scene she wished to perform and ran the lines over in her head, attempting to refresh her memory. There was no one, as yet, on stage and Kaitlyn took a few deep breaths before she made her way up there. Focus, she told herself. Focus. This is like riding a bicycle. It will come back to you, now just get in character. Then she was using her powers, giving herself a gentle push in the right direction costume wise.
Kaitlyn chose not to dress as she would in character, sure that Ms. Clay probably had her own thoughts in mind when it came to costume design. Instead she settled for exchanging the appearance of her khakis for a long peasant skirt and tank top in soft pastel colours. Her brunette hair now seemed to fall in gentle waves around a round face of innocence that required no extra illusion. Azure eyes held the character's dreams, hopes and doubts within them. Still a few nerves ran through her but she stepped towards the stage and made her way to the centre, addressing Ms. Clay.
"Kaitlyn Davies, auditioning for the part of Juliette," she stated in a clear and calm voice. Her tone was level and she spoke with enough volume to be heard without being too loud. She moved then from the very centre of the stage and became a maiden experiencing the grief of loss.
As she spoke for the first time on the brightly lit stage it was as though someone was refreshing memory of an anecdote that, when reminded comes rushing back in glorious detail.
"Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? She countered the unspoken words of the nurse not present during her monologue. Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name, When I, thy three-hours wife, have mangled it?" The words spilled forth in her clear voice which captured the anguish of Juliette to be thrust into such a situation as to have her one love banished for killing her own cousin and the feeling of being torn towards familial duty and love. Although she knew the text well and spoke it having rehersed her lines they sounded as though she had created them in her own mind and mouth, so naturally they seemed to flow from her.
She felt as though she was Juliette and in a momentary thrill and pause Kaitlyn wondered why she had ever thought that she could not do this. It was as though she had been sleeping for a long time and was just now awaking and returning to a regular life, one familiar and refreshing. The theatre had been home to her since she was a child and she had learned lines of Shakespeare and Wilde before he had known the words from a child's book.
"But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin?
That villain cousin would have killed my husband." Kaitlyn as Juliet turned away from where the nurse would have been standing at that point and blinked fiercely to keep back the tears the scene called for. "Back, foolish tears, back to your native spring! Your tributary drops belong to woe, Which you, mistaking, offer up to joy."
A light in azure eyes which captured the imagination and the brightness of the stage lights in rich colour and long lashes. "My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain;" Hope and happiness but only for a second. "And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband. All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?" She paused in the slight motion of gently pacing steps, taken in seeming slippers across the stage. Juliet remembering that there was a reason to weep and it wasn't simply the death of a cousin but far worse in the blinkered eyes of young love. Separation from the one she cared most for, an unbearable fate.
"Some word there was, worser than Tybalt's death, That murd'red me. I would forget it fain; But O, it presses to my memory, Like damnčd guilty deeds to sinners' minds!" Now the despairs of sorrow etched on such a clear and youthful face, reflected in those waifish eyes and in the sorrowful curve of her full lips. How Juliet longed to forget but she was unable to do so. Romeo banished and that was something far worse than any disaster her innocent mind could comprehend.
"Tybalt is dead," Kaitlyn stated with emphasis and the shock of news that has not yet settled in. "and Romeo--banishčd!" The finishing of the phrase was with such dumb disbelief that it was nearly unbearable even to say, so deeply did Kaitlyn feel for the character she had played now multiple times. Kaitlyn had never been in love yet she was able to convey the sorrow of it with an earnestness as though she had had her heart broken.
"That 'banishčd,' that one word 'banishčd,' Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts," she declared as Juliet and sank into a chair that had been put on stage as prop as if her feet could no longer bear her weight so heavy and sunk with grief did she feel.
"Tybalt's death," Juliette continued, "Was woe enough, if it had ended there; Or, if sour woe delights in fellowship And needly will be ranked with other griefs, Why followčd not, when she said 'Tybalt's dead,' Thy father, or thy mother, nay, or both, Which modern lamentation might have moved? But with a rearward following Tybalt's death, 'Romeo is banishčd'--to speak that word," she paused a split second as though to consider the implications of this proclaimation, as though it were stil sinking in. "Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, All slain, all dead." This was a heavy line showing exactly how deeply she felt, that Romeo being banished was on par with her kin and self dead. Sorrow that approached her natural state was etched into the young actress' face as she seemed still to think, to consider how horrible the very word was let alone the act of banishment.
For the last lines of her monologue Kaitlyn slowed herself, saying "Romeo is banishčd'--" in heartbreaking slowness as those three words sunk in. She was careful with her actions, letting her vocal and facial expression sell the scene for her rather than movement which she tried to limit.
Turning back in the direction of the nurse who would be on stage in the actual production Kaitlyn finished speaking to herself rather than to the nurse, "There is no end, no limit, measure, bound, In that word's death; no words can that woe sound." Her head dropped, not so much that sound was lost but so that her head was bent in grief.
After a moment of silence she gracefully got to her feet from the hair and raised her head high. She smiled as best an actress put through the emotional wringer as their character was able and waited for anysort of reaction. Since none seemed to come she inclined her head in respect for Ms. Clay and her fellow actors and started towards the wings, shedding the elements of illusion on the way so that she was back to being regular old Kaitlyn as she exited stage right.
Re: 'The plays the thing'......auditions for Romeo and Julie
It seemed that his honesty had the desired effect and that he had managed to make a goof first impression on Hannah. Which was a good thing, she was perhaps a little young but at least he would have someone to talk… not that he couldn’t talk to his team, it was just that half the time when he did he risked getting a chair thrown at him from the other side of the room. Talking to the Exiles was not the most enjoyable of pass times, he could already imagine the look on his team mates faces if he did get the role of Romeo… He sighed, as he knew what his father would say to all of this “It good character building.” And he would probably be right but it didn’t mean Nick had to enjoy it.
”You can probably guess there’s a lot of people up for the role.. and for Juliet. But even if you don’t get it, there’s quite a few good roles you could end up with at least!”
Nick knew that he might not be the best suited for the part but at least he had performed it before which gave him an edge that others might not have. But if he did not get the part of Romeo then he would quite like to end up with that of Tibalt. It would give him an opportunity to vent some of his growing annoyance at been restricted to the institute and stuck with Max.
“Heh… knowing my luck, I’ll end up as Nurse!”
Well as far as Nick was concerned Hannah certainly had the strength of personality to be the nurse, she was no poor delicate flower which as far as he was concerned was a good thing. He liked girls that had more to them than just a pretty face, which regrettably were the kind of girls he seemed to attract. And because of this he had not had a girlfriend for quite some time, but he wasn’t overly bothered it was just one less thing to worry about.
”I don’t think being late matters too much today, but if you get the part, which I hope you do, it’s probably better to get here on time. Our teacher for it, Ms Clay, doesn’t seem like the most patient of people.”
He had had a couple of hard to live with teachers in the past and he had sometimes found it hard to not speak his mind to them. So he hoped that this Ms Clay was not going to give him too much grief because dealing with a stuck up teacher was the last thing he needed to add to his list of annoyances right now.
“As for using the play to get to know people… good idea. The rehearsals will hopefully be fun too. Oh, and just so you know, your not the only new one around… I’ve only be boarding here just over a week and I know of at least one other person who only joined the school then.”
It did seem that the turnover at Xavier’s was high; he had overheard a few conversations in which it had been mentioned by at least one of the participants that they were new. He wondered under what circumstances these other kids had found themselves sent to the institute. He presumed some had just suddenly developed some kind of uncontrollable dangerous power that needed seen to. While others like himself may have been sent here against there will. He sighed again, stupid character building.
“I’m sure you’ll mingle quickly enough, most people seem to manage it”
Yeah he was sure most people did, but most of them did not have to deal with a group of misfits on a daily basis. Ah well he was just going to have to put more effort in it, he needed friends that he could spend time with in order to get him out of the dorms. Just as he was plunging, more and more into his bitter thoughts there came a voice from the stage that compelled him to look up.
There was a girl on stage auditioning for Juliet he recognised the words. But the performance he was seeing now was not something he could compare to the one the silly little Elisa had put on in his high school, this girl was really good. And to be honest he was now somewhat ashamed of wanting to be Romeo, for he knew he could not reach that level of acting. But then again he doubted many of the other people here could measure up to this girl’s skill.
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