The Luster of Stars in Moscow
⁇ 26
Cheri froze in front of the large mirror with a feeling of uncertainty, staring at his reflection with inevitable despair.
Everyone had walked out of the costume room except her.
How'this? mind's restless. I could talk like that…
I'm not sure this drama will work!
This is my first drama.
But the situation is even this bad.
I'm afraid!
No matter how far I try to concentrate…
A stage cannot be done alone.
Nah!
My fear exceeds all this.
.
.
.
MoscovArt Theatre building suddenly rowdy.
Hustle and bustle are heard again. The carefree laughter and light chattering of people, low boisterous enliven the atmosphere that had been dying.
Kyle was standing at the side of the double door with a joyful face. "Welcome! Please choose any seat!" He exclaimed cheerfully welcoming everyone who came storming the place in an instant.
Kyle kept his promise!
He managed to gather an audience and the result was completely unexpected.
Sesha was almost completely aware of the situation. "Kyla! What the hell's going on? Audience—"
Kyle grinned as he pointed at the pamphlet attached to the front door.
GENEPRO!!! OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, FREE! FOR THOSE INTERESTED PLEASE WATCH!
This brat…
Sesha patted her forehead with a frustrated face. "We're done when Rafael finds out" he said helplessly.
"Important audience is a lot!" Kyle stood up while grimacing.
Within minutes, the audience was full.
Mikail was flabbergasted to realize the situation.
What the hell's going on? Her thought. Where did these spectators come from?
"Five more minutes, stand by!" The stage supervisor instructed.
Mikail sighed and shook her head. Trying to put everything aside.
There is more important than all of that!
.
.
.
Cheri still confined himself in the dressing room, hiding his estrangement from.
I don't know what's wrong…
But he was unable to dispel the strange feeling that had come upon him, in which he felt very isolated and helpless.
The answer may be summed up, fear!
I'm afraid!
I can't step onto the stage!
A shadow of a tall figure flashed within the mirror.
Cheri raised his face and looked into the mirror.
A person in a Bad-looking costume, complete with a mask and a hairy robe, knew already was standing behind him.
Cheri stared at the shadow with round eyes.
Saul's?
The man took down his mask.
Not Saul! pekik Cheri in heart. The feathers immediately bristled. His heart is beating fast. His blood rippled out a warm feeling that instantly stung.
"Raphel?" Cheri fizzed softly as he looked at the pair of blue eyes of the man inside the mirror.
The man stared back at him as well through the shadows in the fir. "I decided to play the role of the Ugly Bad One" he said with his distinctive flat face. "I don't want to" he confessed. "But, after hearing that you're going to perform in place of the frightened Cyzarine…"
A moment of warm feeling slipped between Cheri's heart.
Rafael brought his body closer to Cheri's back, closing the distance behind the girl while propping his arm against the mirror. He leaned closer to Cheri's face.
The girl's heart had already burst out by now.
"Cheri. You have a very magical power" whispered Rafael. "Share that power with me. Everything will go well!"
Cheri smiled haru. "Definitely smoothly," he whispered raucously.
You also have that power, he said inwardly.
"If you are with you, it will go well!" Cheri added.
Rafael buried his mouth on Cheri's shoulder.
.
.
.
"Hey! Hearno? It was said Rafael Moscovich would perform!" Called some spectators excited.
"But the catalog is not written at all!" someone was hesitating.
"Well! We're lucky!" the others sound happy.
.
.
.
"Where is Rafael?" Mikail screamed with rage as she ran to and fro.
"So I saw him in the mixer room" replied someone stammering.
"ZIP!!!" Mikail chipped as fast as lightning.
"What's going on?" Others wonder. "Why does it look so awful?"
Rafael turned to look up at the stairs.
Mikail walked up to him in a row, then stopped her steps and bowed, holding her belly while panting. "Are you.. are you sure you will?"
"Don't worry, Mikail!" Rafael cut his words in a calm manner. "I'm more of a conversation than Saul."
"The problem is not dialogue" Mikail said, shaking her body and straightening it out. "But—"
Rafael gulped and gulped.
"I'm afraid it's coming up." Mikail said softly. "If that happens, you'll be ruined."
Rafael let out a heavy sigh, then exhaled it at once. "Only God knows" he said flatly. "That's it!" Rafael rushed down the stairs. "The show is about to begin!"
"Hei—" Mikail froze in place.
.
.
.
The stage curtain has opened!
A rogue-looking narrator steps lightly under the spot light and stops in a sideways position.
This is a world of magic…
A place where a single rose is more precious than a human life.
The drops of tears become gemstones.
And…
A young man was bewitched into such an ugly creature!
Everything happens as easily as…
The narrator turns his body!
Stand sideways with the reverse side.
The narrator's appearance turns into a clown!
The audience was impressed.
"I'm really nervous until my heart beats, '" the backstage player said.
Cheri felt the same way. So nervous that he had unknowingly torn the manuscript sheet and chewed it.
Don'tbe nervous! Don'tbe nervous! he said in his heart as he continued to chew and stuffed the paper tear into his mouth, piece by piece.
"But I like my appearance" said the narrator from the middle of the stage. A large mirror was now opened in the backstage, revealing the other side of the narrator. The audience can now see both sides of the different narrator, while the narrator stands sideways and bowed. "I don't know which one is my true form. Because the Ugly is hidden in everyone!"
The first-half players were already on stand-by backstage, except for Cheri.
Sesha began to waver while looking back and forth. "Hey! Where is Cheri?" He asked the players who stood by.
"Ng.. from earlier, he was there!" Lila pointed to the side of the stage.
Sesha rushed to the side of the stage then shrieked with a panicked face.
Cheri was lying on the floor not far from the foot of the stage.
"Cheri! What's going on?" Sesha jumped at him and scooped up the girl's body while shaking her with a riled up attitude.
Lila looked at the other players.
"Cheri! You why?" Shouted they did not lose their rage.
"Cheri, awake!" Sesha shook her body again.
"Aduuuhhhh. Just mess up!" Evaline groaned in frustration as she ruffled her hair.
Cyzarine stepped gontai towards them. "There's nothing to worry about" he said with a look of disdain. "He was, just imitating my ritual so as not to get nervous!"
"Huh?" The other players were flabbergasted.
"Ouch! This is why the scenario is torn up like this?" Lila muttered as she picked up the screenplay sheet and collected it.
The other players stared in surprise watching the sheets of scenarios scattered around Cheri's body.
Cheri opened his eyes slowly. "Sorry," he said. "I fell asleep."
Everyone around him breathed a sigh of relief.
"I tried to overcome the nervous feeling by concentrating while eating the screenplay paper," Cheri told as she pulled her body. "I fell asleep for a while."
Everyone around him nodded.
"Eat?" ask Lila not sure.
"Sleep?" Ask the other players almost simultaneously.