The Luster of Stars in Moscow
⁇ 36
"You will be facing the zanaves-curtain screen," explained Rafael—still in order to build Cheri. "Then, the story plate, fade in slow motion. From the mirror, like an illusion, another beautiful personality is born. The spot light will follow you. Then the two figures of the Beautiful One faced each other and exchanged glances."
Some staff listened to his explanation while thinking hard, imagining the stage setting and lighting.
"In the mirror scene, the light came from the side and front of the stage" the stage supervisor told several staff.
"When viewed from the image that Rafael wants, it seems that the lights from the front of the stage are not needed," Kyle expressed his opinion.
The staff thought hard again.
"Let's stand in front of Cheri!" Rafael called Cyzarine.
The girl stuttered in confusion, unprepared for the sudden order.
"Hurry up!" Rafael's voice began to rise.
Cyzarine suddenly soared toward Cheri, between reflexes and fear.
.
.
.
Eight hours later…
"Ah.. can't! Other than dialogue, the others can't enter." Cyzarine groaned weakly as he dropped the script on his face, while his body lay flat on the floor.
Cheri sat curled up and hugged his knees bent in front of his chest, not far from Cyzarine's side.
"The change in the round of 9 is okay," Rafael's voice faintly sounded in front of the door. "Next round of 11…"
Mikail knelt down in front of Cheri, "Since morning you haven't eaten anything, have you?" he was attentive.
"I don't want to eat" murmured Cheri without lifting his face that was resting on his knees. His eyes were reluctant to even blink. His eyes were empty and he looked tired.
"If you don't eat now, there will be no time until the end of the performance" Rafael interrupted as he stepped into the room. "We'll repeat it twice again" he said. Then stopped to instruct another group of boys near the entrance.
"Monster," Cyzarine grumbled without lifting the script from his face.
"Eat first!" Mikail still persuaded Cheri. "Just tell me what you want to eat. I'll bring it here!"
This fucker didn't even offer me, inner Cyzarine.
Huh!
The two girls groaned almost simultaneously.
"Don't worry" Rafael said to other players who had also drooped on the floor. "For other players there is no change. Except with the Beautiful, Cheri will not talk to other players. So you can ignore it."
Cheri and Cyzarine flinched together.
.
.
.
Shortly before the curtain opened…
"One role of the Beautiful is played by two people?" the staff members who just came started the prickling.
"That means they're both pitted, dong?" hiss one of the girls while grinning.
Sounded giggling.
"Anyhow Cyzarine is far superior. He has mastered his role. So it's only natural that she becomes the front-side Beauty. Cheri Dutchskova is still an amateur!"
Still amateur?
Cheri.
While Cyzarine chuckled beside her with a satisfied facial expression. "You hear that? The decision not to talk to any other player other than the Beautiful means that you have failed," his ridicule began to provoke.
Cheri. Staring at the shadow of himself in the mirror.
"You can't afford to play with anyone but me!" Cyzarine added while emphasizing the tissue on the corner of his lips.
"Are you going to do it again?" Cheri asked half-murmingly, without distracting her from the mirror.
"Again?" Cyzarine turned to Cheri. "What do you mean—again?"
Cheri turned back. "The skirt thing yesterday…"
Cyzarine chuckles. "Oh, that! I do suck when it comes to ikat-binding," she says lightly. "Your skirts aren't plugged in properly, are they?"
"If you dare to do something like that again, I will never forgive you!" spray Cheri while glaring at him.
"Thirty minutes more!" The sound of the announcement echoed from the loudspeakers. "The audience is welcome!"
I don't know why my stomach hurts so much, said Cheri in his heart.
My feelings are not good!
"You okay?" Rafael asked as he approached her.
"I'm just tense, really!" Cheri answered while bowed, not daring to look at Rafael.
Since that dream, I feel bad when alone with him, Cheri's mind is bitter.
"I'm sorry I slapped you this morning" said Rafael.
"I'm fine," replied Cheri weakly and raucously. Then he turned his face in any direction.
Rafael extended his hand to the girl's shoulder, but then paused a few inches until he touched her. Then hurriedly pulled it again and passed past Cheri.
Cheri gulped and watched the man through the tail of his eyes.
"Marile!" Rafael shouted after coming out of the costume room. "Have you seen Mikail?" His voice began to drift away.
Cheri closed his eyes and looked up.
In front of the mixer room, Rafael ends up meeting Mikail while Cheri still confines himself in the costume room.
"Please promise me you'll lock me up if he shows up once, '" Rafael told Mikail. "Just hit it, or kick—-whatever!"
"Of course" answered Mikail."I'll protect Cheri," he said flatly.
Rafael gulped and bowed. "Last night he actually showed up when I was in my room, too" he said.
Mikail turned her head with narrowed eyes.
"He left a message." Rafael hung up his sentence for a moment. Then continue, "Ah, no! More precisely trying to challenge me," he concluded. "I think he likes Cheri!'
Mikail gulped and tightened her jaw. But didn't say anything.
Until the boisterous sounds on the bleachers distract them, and the two spontaneously split.
Cheri is still not out of the costume room. It looks upset and a little frustrated.
How am I so tense again, anyway? He groaned in his heart.
Ah, suck!
Today I can't concentrate at all. But it's only a few minutes away.
In that agonizing unease, a tall shadow flashed within the mirror. A man in the robe and mask of the Ugly One, stood behind him.
Rafael, thought Cheri.
"Hi!" The man's greeting made Cheri look horrified.
That is not Rafael's style at all he said in his heart.
This man is not Rafael!
Could it…
The other personality!
Hasn't Rafael made sure he won't come back?
He should have stayed locked up!
Why did he get out so fast?
"Cheri?" The man leaned closer to Cheri's face.
Cheri jerked his body and twisted at once. "What are you doing?" his screeches. "Don't come any closer!" Cheri kept away from the man.
The man was stuck behind his mask.
"Why is it that only in the crucial moments do you appear?" Cheri shouted while pointing his index finger at the man. "Is such fun bothering me? Why do you keep bothering me?"
"Hey! Why are you so noisy from now on?" Cyzarine looked at the doorway. "Basar is chatty," he grumbled.
Then suddenly another man in the same costume - wearing the robe and mask of the Ugly One, burst into Cyzarine.
Cheri screeched and gasped.
Cyzarine was also flabbergasted.
Rafael there are two!