copyright 2013 Faeriemage
Mirror, Mirror on the web...

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Some of you will notice that I have made changes here...and some will not. I decided that the story as it was being written was diverging from my original intent. As such having Karen start the story at age 13 no longer worked. That darn Mephistopheles is mucking things up and accelerating plans too much.

So, I removed the 3 year progression I had planned and moved things to Forest High School. Some of the story elements will remain from what I had planned at Wood’s Point Junior High, but for the most part the story will be progressing to the older Karen.

I will eventually be pushing my edits of chapters 1 and 2 out. when I do I will delete this note.

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“Now that is an outfit,” Candy said as she slipped into a seat next to Karen.

“What, this old thing?” Karen replied. The grin was missing from her face, but she was trying, and there was a bit of the bubbly personality underneath that shone through. It helped that the only makeup she was wearing was the lipstick. It was shocking in it’s contrast to her pale skin, even more so as she was still a young teen, but it fit with the rest of her outfit.

Her clothing was unrelieved black. There were some black lace accents to the overall design, and the cut was such that it left room to move. At first glance, it seemed to almost fit into certain Japanese goth designs, but it didn’t have the over-the-top little girl look that those strive for. It was, in a word, perfect.

The skirt came to mid calf and was a flowing cotton. The blouse was in three quarter sleeves with a slight puff at the top. It was somewhere in that middle ground between being skin tight and loose and seemed to fit the skirt perfectly.

“What gave you the idea for the whole ‘goth princess’ theme?” Mindy said as she slipped in on the other side.

“It just felt right,” Karen said as she just stared at the tray of food in front of her.

“Well, it looks good on you,” Candy said.

Karen looked up and that and realized that it was only Candy and Mindy sitting next to her. “Where are the boys,” she asked.

“Oh, they’re over at our table in the corner. No one sits at the folding tables if they can avoid it. We have the round one over there,” Mindy said as she pointed at the table where the five boys sat. Harry, who was wearing what looked suspiciously like a navy flight suit, waved and smiled. Karen just stared.

“Something the matter?”

“What’s with Harry?”

“What do you mean?” Candy said with false innocence.

“His clothing. It’s so...outre,” Karen says with a small smile as if the word is silly to her.

“What does ‘outre’ mean,” Mindy asks and Candy laughs. “It means ‘out of the ordinary,’ you goof,” Candy replies.

“Oh, why didn’t you say that then, Karen.”

“Because I sometimes like to use uncommon words. I think that they feel lonely on the outside so I like to bring them into the conversation.”

Candy and Mindy looked at Karen as if she were weird, which in a way she was. Karen just smirked at them and all three of them began laughing.

“So, the flight suit?”

“Is that what it is? I thought it was mechanic’s coveralls.” Mindy said.

“Flight suit...so that’s why he’s been calling Thomas ‘Goose’ all day,” Candy said.

Karen just looked at the other girl as if her statement didn’t connect, because it didn’t.

“We’re the AV club...sort of. We’re tech crew, and a lot of other things that no one really cares to do. When there are no productions at the school we do a lot of film work, which means we watch ‘the greats’ for inspiration.”

“And what does this have to do with Harry?”

“Well, we watched Top Gun a couple of weeks ago.”

“I’m still lost.”

“It’s about Naval Aviators in their Top Gun program.”

Everything came clear and a look of understanding crossed Karen’s face. “He...imitates actors. This is cosplay...at school? They let him get away with it?”

“There aren’t any uniforms so what are they going to do? It’s not like he comes to school dressed like female anime characters…” Mindy said with a shudder.

“And what would be wrong with it if he did?” Candy said a little incensed.

“I’m sure I’m coming into the middle of a huge argument, so for the moment let’s just say you had your argument and we can get back to Harry.”

Both girls just looked at Karen as if they were seeing her for the first time and then they began to laugh.

“Fine. Harry likes to be creative in his clothing choices. He figures…”

“He figures that it’s better to make a scene that to fade into the woodwork,” a male voice said from behind the three of them. Karen turned around to see harry looming over her.

“Hi, Harry, we were just talking about you.”

“Yeah, Mindy suggested you come to school dressed like sailor moon,” Candy said with an evil grin on her face.

“I did not. I said nothing of the sort, Harry.”

“It’s fine, I don’t have the legs for it,” he said with a gleam in his eye that set the girls off laughing.

“It’s simple, Karen, I like clothing. Not just well fitting clothing either. I like different styles and like to play around with conventions. Each era had it’s own strengths and weaknesses in the male clothing arena, and I like to explore those in a safe environment.”

Mindy and Candy snorted at this and Harry just grinned.

“What am I missing?” Karen said, looking lost.

“Hey, look at the girls,” a voice said right before a loud and fake laugh broke out. The voice was attached to a truly immense boy in a football jersey. He was easily over 6 feet tall and built like a brick wall. He looked over at a table where other football players were sitting and grinning, as if looking for support.

“I’ve told you before, Leo, I don’t date guys. No matter how nicely you ask, I’m not going out with you,” Harry said with an impish grin. Leo’s face suffused with blood and a look of hatred entered his eyes. Still laughing Harry took off at a run out of the lunch room.

“Is he going to be okay?” Karen said. She was worried about what the larger boy might do to Harry.

“Sure. Harry’s on the cross country team. He runs ten to fifteen miles a day just to warm up,” Candy said with a far off look in her eyes and a grin playing on her lips.

“Candy has a crush on Harry,” Mindy said, exasperation coloring her features.

“I do not,” Candy said, coloring slightly.

“Girls,” Karen said with a grin of her own and the twins turned to look at her, each one looking a little sheepish. Karen continued, “So, I take it I was missing that some of the football players are meatheads?”

“That’s putting it lightly,” Mindy muttered.

“Not all the football players are like that…” Karen began but both Candy and Mindy looked at her as if she were insane.

“They’re jocks,” Candy said as if that answered everything.

“And I’m a goth,” Karen said pointing to herself and smiling sweetly, “which should mean I’m moody and depressed with a preoccupation with death.”

“I thought that was Emo,” Candy said in a stage whisper to Mindy.

“They’re moody and depressed, but without all the death imagery,” Mindy said in a knowledgeable tone. The three girls giggled at this.

“What I’m trying to say is that people are more than any one group that they associate with.”

“Karen, that may be true in the real world, but this is high school.”

Karen looked at Mindy for a moment and then gave a little resigned shrug, “Just because it happens doesn’t make it right.”

The boys bussed their trays and then stopped by the table where Karen and the other girls were sitting. “Going to join us this evening, Karen? We’re getting ready for the fall musical.”

“There’s a musical?” Karen asked, an eager look in her eyes.

“One in the fall and a couple more in the spring. We also do a regular play in the fall and one more in the spring. This year the musical is first.”

“When are tryouts?”

They all looked at her, some of them with visible shock on their faces.

“You can act?” Brad said.

“Well, I don’t know about act, but I can sing, and I figure that I can do at least something I love even if I’m in the chorus or whatever.”

Although he’d only really known the girl for a couple of days, Thomas was beginning to get a feel for her personality. She didn’t say anything she didn’t mean, and if she said she could sing…

“They start tonight and go for the next couple of nights. I have to tell you, though, that the next couple of nights are usually for call backs.”

“That’s fine. I have a piece prepared.”

“We’ll be there tonight at six to cheer you on then,” Able said.

Shortly after he finished speaking the warning bell rang and they all headed off for class.

***
“I’d like to welcome you all out to our fall musical,” the teacher who had just walked out on the stage at the front of the larger of the two auditoriums began before a group of students shouted out, “Musicale,” to general laughter.

The teacher stood there waiting for the laugher to die down a bit before continuing. “For those that don’t know me, I’m Mr. Leif. That is spelled leif, not leaf. I hope each of you picked up a form at the door. I’ll give you a moment or two to get them now if you forgot.”

A couple of the students got up and picked up pages from the chair next to the door. As they went back to their seats Mr, Leif continued. “We have the Seven Samurai with us…”

“Seven Dwarves this year, Mr. Leif,” Thomas called out.

“Really? I like Kurosawa.”

“Really, it is more relatable.”

“So, we have the Seven Dwarves. Pay attention to who they are. While I am the teacher advisor, and the director, they are the crew. This will be the only warning you receive. If one of the Dwarves gives you a command, no matter how crazy it is, you obey it or you’re gone.”

“What if they tell me to…” began a girl in the front row before Mr. Leif rudely interrupted her.

“Angelica, what did I tell you last time?”

“That it would never happen.”

“And the time before that,” he said again, allowing his annoyance to come through.

“That it would never happen?” she said, getting a little smaller in her seat.

“And the time before that? And the one before.”

“But it could. I’ve seen the way that David looks at me.”

“David, stop staring at Angelica.”

“Sorry, Mr. Leif, but I’m still sure she wears contacts and I’m just trying to prove it. No one’s eyes are that blue.”

There was general laughter and Angelica colored. “David, this is your last warning. Stop tormenting Angelica.”

“Yes, sir,” David said and gave a crisp salute.

“Now, Angelica. Can we move on and not revisit this issue every time.”

Sullenly the pretty girl in the front row nodded.

“It is serendipity that the AV crew have renamed themselves, at least for this first play of the season. We’ll be doing a fairy tale. As many of you already know, I have an affinity for Rodgers and Hammerstein. We did both Carousel and South Pacific last year. While I doubt we’ll be doing anything like that this year, we will be doing…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re doing Cinderella?” Angelica said.

“You’re welcome not to do the leading role this year,” Brad calls from the back. Angelica glares up to where he is sitting. He blows her a kiss and the other Dwarves laugh.

“None of that, Brad,” Mr. Leif says with a smile. “Are you telling me you would prefer not to try out for the leading role?”

“What other roles are there?”

“I’ll take that as rhetorical. We’ll begin in about 5 minutes. Take the time to fill out the forms and pass them in. I’ll call you up one at a time. Judging by the number of people here I’ll likely need all of you for at least a minor part. For those that I am considering for speaking roles, expect your names to be posted on the auditorium doors tomorrow morning.”

The theatre was quiet save for the rustle of paper and the scratching of pens. One by one and group by group the students turned in their papers. Then the auditions began.

Contrary to heavily edited talent shows and other television programs, most people who try out for a play are decidedly mediocre. That’s really not a bad thing. You need people who are right there in the middle. You get a good group of them, especially when they know how to listen to each other, and it’s called a choir. In that instance, they are better than the sum of their parts.

The chorus in a musical is simply a choir that can dance.

Every once in a while, there are outliers. Some of those are very very bad. Angelica was not one of those. Thomas watched the people in the auditorium as they listened to her sing “Castle in a Cloud.”

All things considered, it is a simple song with a really simple tune. That being said, if you can emote through your voice, if you understand the emotion of the piece, there is more to it than just the lyrics. It is a song about longing and fear. Longing for a relief from the constant misery of day to day life. Fear that this life that you know is never going to change.

Angelica, for seeming to be a prima donna was, in a sense, a true Prima Donna. She was the first lady of this stage, and she knew it.

There was a smattering of applause when she finished and she smiled and waved at her friends.

There were a few more auditions and then Karen was called out onto the stage. She stood there in the center of the stage, and everyone waited for a moment or two for the music to start so they could tell what it was she was singing.

The music never started. She simply looked out at the audience for maybe thirty seconds and then she began to sing, accompanied only by her echo off the bare walls around her. Her voice was pure and full and she hit the notes that you expected with her rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow.”

This was also a song of longing, but where Angelica’s song held nothing but a little girl’s fear, this held a young woman’s hope. Both songs were about an unseen world. Doth talked about dreams, but only one of them believed that they could achieve their dreams and Karen sang that song and every person in the audience believed that she would be able to achieve those dreams. When she ended, she walked off the stage in silence. After a moment, when people realized what had happened, they broke out in spontaneous applause.