The Luster of Stars in Moscow
⁇ 33
"Last scene.glowing grains of light fall from above as a fade out!" The stage supervisor instructed.
Mikail froze by his side staring at Cheri and Rafael without blinking.
The stage curtain is officially closed.
Spot light is turned off.
Rafael let go of his embrace and clutched Cheri's wrist.
Cheri gave a surprised.
The man stopped him from running off the stage.
"Wait!" Cheri tried to hold him. "There's still a curtain call…"
The man didn't bully her.
"Don't run in the dark, stumble!" Cheri did not give up.
Rafael stopped his steps abruptly. Then turned to face Cheri.
Cheri could feel the man's face very close.
"Are you really Rafael?" Cheri asked nervously as Rafael fumbled his shoulders and waist. Then suddenly he was carrying her, then took her off the stage and fled her to the men's costume room.
The staff and other players were jolted at his behavior.
The man lowered her and locked the door.
Cheri screeched restrained. The shadow of events in the costume room earlier flashed through his mind.
Could he still be another personality? Cheri batin gusar.
"Have you seen it?" Rafael asked gasping.
Ah, thank goodness! Turns out he's Rafael, thought Cheri relieved.
"Have you seen my other personality?" Rafael asked again.
Cheri was still stammered, unable to immediately answer.
"Say what he's doing?" Rafael urges. "Tell me everything!"
"He.." Cheri answered hesitantly. She kissed me, she recalls sourly. Should I say it too?
The people backstage started to get noisy.
Mikail and the stage supervisor stormed into their midst.
"Where is Rafael?" Mikail and the stage supervisor asked almost in unison.
"Don't know" someone replied to them as he spread his shoulder. "Just like Rafael went straight to the costume room holding Cheri" he said indifferently.
"Why are they both locked up again?" The stage supervisor cursed in annoyance while rushing into the costume room. "So soon we'll need a curtain call!"
"I don't really want to know what they're doing in the costume room" one player grumbled. "But their habit of locking doors inevitably makes my brain travel."
Mikail glanced at the player with a pouting face, then passed him with wide steps.
The stage supervisor walked in front of him while cursing.
Mikail immediately caught up with the man and preceded him to the costume room.
Rafael was still sitting hunched over at the dressing table while Cheri sat on the bench, right in front of him.
"What do others know?" Rafael has not finished interrogating.
"All you know is me and Mikail" replied Cheri. "As I was telling you," he added.
"You just told me the outline," said Rafael. "I want to know in detail what he did while I was unconscious. Did he do anything to you?"
Cheri let out a short sigh while bowed.
Rafael bowed. "terrible, huh? I can understand" he said grimly. "Sure you're not comfortable being with someone who suddenly turns into someone else."
"No! It's not like that" Sergey Cheri. "I—"
BRUISES!
The door slammed open.
"You guys are really outrageous," Mikail bursts out of the doorway.
Cheri and Rafael looked at each other.
"Bring yourself up like this. People can get suspicious!" Mikail scolded them.
"I see," said Rafael, jumping down from the table, then turning to his back to Cheri and Mikail. "Cheri, you can go!"
Cheri looked at the man's back, and glanced at Mikail.
The two men clenched their mouths with sour looks.
Cheri sighed his body standing up and stepped out of the room.
As soon as she got outside, Cyzarine confronted her while she lay in her arms. "I heard he kissed you, is that true?"
Cheri did not answer.
"That's why Rafael's fucked up, right?" Cyzarine raised his voice.
Cheri tightened his jaw. Prepare to dispute it. But then immediately remember he can't say it. So Cheri kept his mouth shut.
Cyzarine gave a short sigh. "At least you've won" he said, buying. "It was Rachel who messed up the show, and not you!"
Cheri was still frozen in place.
BRUISES!
The costume room door rattled open.
Mikail burst out and took Cheri into her arms.
Cyzarine snorted and turned his face in a stern manner. "Look at it" he said. "I'm going to ask for the role of the Beautiful You've taken. I'm, I'm so much better!"
Mikail twirled her eyeballs with a look of disgust.
.
.
.
The hustle and bustle of the audience rumbled like the buzzing of an agitated bee.
"That's a thrilling show!" The comments of some people, sounding overlapping, disjointed in the middle of the outgoing queue flow.
"I was also pounding the last time the Beautiful One called the Ugly One…"
"It's true that Beauty's acting was mediocre, but strangely I couldn't take my eyes off her."
"Beautiful…"
"Acting In Bad Appearance from start to finish is great, but do you feel there's anything odd in the middle of the show?"
"I feel weird too!"
Kyle slammed into the crowd and slipped to the side of the terrace to remove the pamphlet he had installed on the doorstep.
"You're again!"
The voice made Kyle flinch and turn around at once. Sounds so... close up!
Mikail Volkov's…
I knew he was standing behind her while crossing her arms.
"Aahaha!" Kyle laughed uneasily while scratching the back of his head that did not feel itchy. Since when did he stand there? He said in his heart.
You little fucker, Inner Mikail.
.
.
.
In front of the administration room…
The hustle and bustle of the players is also no less rowdy.
"Hey! Rafael resigns from the role of the Ugly Bad!"
Whahuh?
Cheri gasped at the conversation, then burst into the crowd.
Near the entrance of the administration room, on the notice board, was a list of players who would perform on the second day.
Cheri froze staring at the main role list.
The Ugly: Saul Evanskov.
"Finally, he allowed Saul.." Someone said behind him.
Cheri.
Well, what am I for…
"Cherry!" Mikail Volkov's voice rattled the girl from her daydream.
Cheri turned around and looked at him without any excitement.
"You go home first" Mikail said. "Tonight Rafael will stay at my place. He said he wasn't confident that he had to be in one place with you."
What say?
Not confident in yourself?
He didn't even mention it once.
"Is it because that personality can attack me?" Cheri asked sadly.
"Well, we never know when that personality will emerge" Mikail explained. "He can change at any time. So, we can't take any chances."
Cheri bowed limp, increasingly losing his life force.
"He doesn't hesitate to do that to you" Mikail said. "The situation is very dangerous. Rest, Cheri! You still have to perform tomorrow."
Cheri is still flinching.
"Would I take you to your room?" Mikail.
Cheri shook his head weakly.
"Hei—excite!" Mikail tapped the top of Cheri's head.
Cheri forced a smile and waved his hand at a glance. Then turn and walk towards the elevator with dazed steps.
Though I've been hard-earned trying to like the theater, his mind is grim. Can't I play with him anymore?