45th Annual Gala of Tiresias: 9

 

Halfway through the gala and Skyler is still in the running. In fact, he's doing quite well.
Hopefully things go smoothly from here.

---

 
Author's Note:Thank you so, so much for all the comments! You are all amazing.
I am so happy that you're enjoying this story. Please let me know how you like the rest of the tale
with possibly a review. ~Clara.
 
This version of 45th Annual Gala of Tiresias: 9 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

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Chapter 9
 

"Excuse me, Mrs Moynihan?"

Skyler's mother turned to see a woman approximately the same age as Amanda standing at the end of the row. "Yes?"

"Hi," the younger woman smiled. "I'm Alma Kramer; Sky's piano teacher at the college. And this is my colleague, Sue Marino, Sky's voice teacher. I just wanted to say congratulations! I can't believe how well he's doing up there. Shy little Sky is turning into a star right before our eyes! You must be so proud of him. I know I am."

"Oh, yes!" Skyler's mother said, actually out of breath with excitement. "I can't believe that is my little boy up there!

Kathy heard what her mother said and looked at Amanda. "I don't think Sky is her little boy anymore."

"That was unbelievable!" a big, good looking young man shouted, coming up beside the two professors. "She is amazing! I mean, I knew she was good, but I didn't know she was GOOD!"

The two women laughed. "Alan, this is Sky's family," Professor Kramer said. "Everyone, this is Alan, a friend of Sky's from the Performing Arts Department."

"Hi, everyone," Alan waved, still excited. "Did you expect her to be THAT good! I sure didn't!"

"Son," Uncle Bill said, standing and patting Alan on the shoulder, "you have figured out that Sky is a boy, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Alan said with a nod, "but... you know... she's not a boy either, right? You know what I mean. I just don't see her as anything but a girl, I guess. And WOW! What a girl! I've still got goosebumps from watching her play that piece! Wow! Wow! Wow!"

Uncle Bill smiled and patted Alan's shoulder again. "I know what you mean, son. I feel the same way."
 

~^~
 

"That looks good," James nodded, looking at Skyler's crotch while he stood in his one-piece swimsuit. He looked a bit closer.

"I've got to admit, I'm a little uncomfortable with you examining that particular part of me," Skyler said.

"Relax," Regina said, having undergone this kind of inspection dozens of times. "He's just checking for camel toe."

"Well, I definitely don't have camel toe," Skyler joked.

"No," James said, being very professional, "what you have could be a bigger problem. Especially if something started making IT bigger."

"No chance of that," Skyler said with a sad face. "It's wrapped, tucked, taped and bent backwards. It's pretty uncomfortable down there, actually."

"I can imagine," James laughed. "You look good, though. No sign of anything that shouldn't be there." He handed Skyler a pair of sandals that looked kind of like beach sandals, except for the four-inch wedge heels. "Here."

Skyler looked at them. "Seriously? I didn't practice in these. I'm not sure I can even walk in these."

James checked his watch. "You've got eight minutes to practice."

"But... why?"

James looked at Skyler with confusion. "Why? Because I said they'd work, that's why. But if you really want a reason, it's because the taller heels will elongate and strengthen the look of your leg, make you walk even more femininely and improve your posture. So, put them on and practice NOW so that you're comfortable with them when you go out on stage..." he checked his watch again, "... in seven minutes."

Regina took the shoes from James and knelt to slide Skyler's feet into them, while Hanna offered assistance to keep him balanced until the shoes were strapped in place.

"Now, walk," Regina insisted.

He took a few tentative steps, then began moving more confidently. "Wow... these are really comfortable," he said surprised.

"They should be," James smirked as he watched. "They cost eight-hundred and forty dollars."

"Eight hundred...?" Skyler sounded shocked. "What if I don't win? I can't afford eight-hundred-dollar shoes!"

"Relax," James smiled. "They belong to a friend who is very stylish, very wealthy, and very generous to her friend, James. She loaned them to me for you to wear."

"Three minutes!" the stage manager shouted down the hall.

"Thank you three!" came from the communal dressing rooms.

"Ok," James said. "You're good with the shoes. Now, sit for a moment and let me redo your lip color and gloss."
 

~^~
 

"Say..." the chief of police said, looking around at the crowd of protesters, which had grown a good deal since the start of the show. "... what happened to that guy with the beard that they threw out of the mansion?"

The officer beside him looked around and shrugged. "Must have gotten bored and gone home."

"I doubt it."
 

~^~
 

The names of ten more contestants were announced and those contestants left the stage - leaving ten smiling and posing. Skyler thought that it was just a little mean to have those ten contestants get all dressed up in their swimsuits just to have them be told to leave the stage, but he was also very relieved that he remained on the stage. Ellie and Rodney were still there as well.

"So, with ten beautiful girls still in the running," Elizabeth Olsen announced, "we have our swimsuit competition at the end of which five more will be eliminated. Then our final five will give us one more look at their various talents before our winners are announced."

The crowd applauded.

"This round is judged by the sound of audience applause. So, as each of our lovely ladies approach the center of the stage, please show your support for her with the volume of your clapping, hooting and hollering. Our decimal meter will indicate who you, the audience, chooses to continue into the last round. Are you ready!?"

The audience cheered.

"Then, let's start."

The music began coming through the speakers and the first contestant began to walk across the stage. They stopped at the center and turned this way and that to allow the audience to inspect their legs, bottom, etc. The audience did their job well, applauding for the contestant, who then moved on, allowing the next contestant to do the same thing.

Skyler was the sixth to take center stage and the applause that greeted him was both unexpected and exciting. They really seemed to like him!

"So, the time has come," Elizabeth Olsen said as the last contestant arrived back in the rear of the stage. "As much as we love all these girls, we must say goodbye to five of them. As I say your name, please come forward and take your bow before leaving the stage for the last time."

Skyler held his breath as the names were announced, and, luckily, his name was not among them.

"And then there were five!" Elizabeth Olsen said. "This is the final round of the competition! The ninth inning of the football game!" That brought a big laugh from the audience.

"We are going to send our first two performers off to pretty themselves up while I have a little chat with the other three. So, at this time, please go get into your performance attire..." she checked the index card in her hand, "...Pussy Boots and Ellie."

Both contestants stepped down and smiled as they headed off stage right.

"Sky, come on down and chat with me a bit," the star said.

Skyler smiled and strutted downstage in the high heeled sandals.

"Well, Sky, I think it's safe to say that we were all pretty blown away by your piano playing. Is your goal to be a concert pianist after college?"

"Not really a concert pianist," Skyler said. "My true passion is for pop music. I'd really like to be a songwriter. You know, someone who stays in the background and writes for performing artists."

"So, you don't want to be on stage yourself?"

"Not really."

"Well, that would be a huge loss to the world, Sky. You are an amazing pianist and if this audience is any indication, the world would love to hear you play."

The audience applauded loudly. As the volume decreased, someone from the audience shouted, "That's what I've been telling him for a year!" The audience laughed at that too.

Elizabeth Olsen shaded her eyes and looked out into the audience. "I think that woman knows you, Sky."

Skyler shaded his eyes and looked as well. "That's my piano professor, Alma Kramer," he said with a smile. "Thank you for coming."

"I would not have missed this for the world, Sky!" Professor Kramer shouted.

Elizabeth Olsen laughed. "Where do you go to college, Sky?"

"I go to State."

"And you're a music major?"

"I am."

"And do you have a lot of friends at State?"

"Not really. My friend Alan is here..."

"I sure am!" Alan yelled from the back of the house.

"...and my girlfriend, Hanna who is helping me backstage."

"A girlfriend? Really?" Elizabeth Olsen asked, surprised.

"Yes," Skyler answered oblivious to her tone.

Someone waved from stage right and Elizabeth Olsen announced, "Well, it looks like Pussy Boots is ready to perform, so... Thank you, Sky, and you can go get ready now."

"Thank you, Elizabeth," Skyler said, smiling and then he exited just as Rodney was entering in his gymnastic gear to perform his routine.

"Come on, quickly!" Hanna rushed Skyler towards James' workstation.

"Not too fast! I'm wearing these skyscraper shoes! I can't run."

"Skyscrapers," Hanna scoffed. "I've worn four-inch heels dozens of times. You'll not get any sympathy from me. James is panicked, though. He says that he didn't plan for that little chat on stage so his timeline to get you looking like a nineteen-thirties secretary is all messed up."

They hustled into James' work area with Hanna pulling Skyler's swimsuit off as he entered the masked off are. Skyler stepped out of it and Regina guided the soft, nylon, pink robe up his arms before he was pushed down into the seat.

James barked out orders to Regina and Hanna as he worked on Skyler's hair. He worked quickly and precisely with no smiles, no jokes and no regard for how hard he was pulling Skyler's hair.

"Bobby pins!" he'd yell and one of the girl's would provide them.

"Hair spray!"

"Hair clip!"

"Gel!"

"More bobby pins!"

"Mousse!"

"Bobby pins!"

"More pins!"

"More pins!"

Then, with a strange suddenness, his demands changed.

"Base!"

"Color pallet!"

"Reggie, do his nails over in that classic red!"

"Eye Liner!"

"Lash curler!"

"Powder!"

"Hanna, hand me the classic red lipstick!"

"Reggie, how are her nails coming?"

"Almost done!"

"Lip gloss!"

"Hanna, grab the waist cincher!"

"Reggie, grab the nineteen-thirties shoes? Get them on her!"

"Blot!"

"One of you get the blouse, the other the skirt! Let's go, let's go, let's go! Rodney's song is ending!"

"I don't think Sky is next," Hanna pointed out. "I think that Ellie goes next."

"I want Sky in the wings getting focused during Ellie's performance. There. You're ready. Check the mirror."

Skyler turned to look in the mirror and saw the image of a nineteenthirties secretary, straight out of a black and white movie, staring back at him and looking a little flustered for having been rushed by everyone.

"You look perfect, baby," Hanna said.

"You do, Sky," Regina confirmed.

"Let's get you into the wings," James said, and they all took a step in that direction, but they stopped when they heard all hell breaking loose in the performance hall.
 

~^~
 

No one really noticed when the door to the control room opened and closed quietly halfway through Rodney's gymnastic performance. The intruder stood quietly by the door and looked at the disgusting, accursed performance on the stage. That skinny man shaking his body in the manner of a whore. Writhing and rolling all over the stage. Pretending to be something he was not. Enticing innocent, Christian men to have impure thoughts and fantasies about him.

This was why God had put this preacher on earth. To send a message to these phonies and fornicators. To put an end to the support that this audience, this misguided, hypnotized audience provided for these sick, evil, instruments of the devil.

He unscrewed the caps of the bottles in his gym bag.

"What's that smell?" one of the lighting crew said.

The person next to her sniffed. "Smells like alcohol."

The first person to speak turned just in time to see Lynn's father run from one side of the tech area to the other, pouring rubbing alcohol onto all the computers, sound board and lighting board on the desk top computers in the confined space.

The techs all let out screams of 'stop!' 'Hey!' 'What are you doing?' etc. and were all too confused by the behavior to do anything to stop him before he'd dumped all of the six bottles of alcohol onto the technology.

By the time he'd reached the other side of the small room, they were all standing, yelling and staring in shock. What had just happened?

"Security!" someone yelled into the hall and several private security employees came running, one of them radioing the police that something had happened in the tech booth.

As the security people entered the booth, Lynn's father produced a retractable police baton and began using it to slam every piece of tech he could see in the room. Screens were breaking, computer keys were flying into the air, glass was shattering and the lights on the stage went out, just as Rodney was leaving the stage.
 

~^~
 

"Oh, no," Jenny said as her heart sank while she waited in the wings of the stage. She touched the 'speak' button on her headset. "What's going on out there?"

"I'm not sure," Karen replied through her headset. "Something in the tech booth. I'm on my way there now."

"Let me know when you find out," Jenny said, grabbing her iPad with all of her notes from the table she'd been using as a desk and headed out onto the stage. "Somebody turn on the goddamned house lights before this turns into a full-blown riot."
 

~^~
 

"You and Reggie stay put," James said with authority and concern. "Hanna, come with me. Let's find out what's going on." They left in a rush.

"What do you think is happening?" Regina asked, sounding very frightened.

"I don't know," Skyler said. Then, in an attempt to calm down his younger sister, he said, "Probably just a tech issue. I'm sure it'll be resolved in a minute or two."

The sound of a lot of people screaming came from the performance hall.

"That doesn't sound like a technical problem to me," Regina said.

Suddenly, Hanna ran back into the room. "Grab your stuff, Sky. Reggie, get your pocketbook and mine. Come on, we're leaving through the back door."

"Why? What's going on?" Regina asked.

"Some crazy guy broke into the tech booth and is going nuts on the equipment and now the police are running up the hill to stop him. James said to just grab what we need and leave as quickly as we can. Come on."

Regina grabbed everything she could, but Skyler ran to the door and listened. He could hear Jenny's voice as she shouted from the stage.

"Shh," Skyler hissed, waving to the others. "Listen."

"Please, just sit and let the police do their job," Jenny shouted plaintively. "I'm sure we'll be able to continue in a few moments."

Skyler turned and looked at the women. "You guys go. I'm staying."

"Sky..." Hanna said, not wanting to have a conflict, "... you could get hurt. Reggie could get hurt. Come on... we have to go."

"You guys go." He turned and walked towards the stage.
 

~^~
 

"Maybe we should go," Uncle Bill said to his family and Lynn.

"What about Skyler and Regina?" his sister-in-law asked. "I'm not leaving without them."

He looked around at the tense crowd. "This could get bad very quickly," he said. "I'll go see if I can find them."
 

~^~
 

"Let me through," the police chief said with authority as he pushed through the small hallway that led from the lobby to the performance area, the hallway from which the entrance to the Tech Booth was located. "Come on, move!" There were a couple of dozen private security people and police officers standing near the booth's door. Some of the police had their guns drawn.

"Put those things away," the chief ordered. "Christ, do you want to fire a gun in this crowd? You'll incite a panic."

He reached the door and was surprised to find it unlocked. What was wrong with his people? They'd all been trained on how to deal with a situation like this and here they were, huddled in the hallway, guns drawn and no idea what was happening in that room.

He stepped in and announced in a big, powerful voice, "I'm The Chief of Police. Everyone stop what you're doing and stand still." Astoundingly, they all did just that.

He looked around the small space and there was no doubt as to who had been responsible for the disruption. He looked at Lynn's father and said, "You. What's this all about?"
 

~^~
 

Uncle Bill was nearly to the side door when Skyler walked out onto the stage. Jenny was still asking for calm. Ellie, who was supposed to be performing, was standing in the wings, baffled by what was happening.

Skyler could see Uncle Bill speaking, but his adrenaline was high, and his hearing was focused on Jenny, who sounded panicked as well.

"Ellie," Skyler said, motioning for the other contestant to come out on stage.

Almost in a daze, Ellie came out onto the stage, but Skyler guided him to the rear of the stage. "Help me push this piano to the front of the stage."

It just took a moment to roll the large, heavy instrument downstage. The crowd was still a bit unruly, but somewhat calmer than a few moments ago when it had been dark.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Skyler shouted as loudly as he could. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!" He shouted louder and this time the crowd turned to see what was being said.

"Ladies and gentlemen... Whatever is happening in the tech booth, it seems as if the police have a handle on it. So... Please take a seat and, while we wait for the show to continue, please join me in singing a song that I think we all know."

The crowd seemed leery, but they began to take their seats as Skyler took his perch at the piano and started playing. Two beats of a C major chord. Two beats of a G major chord. One and a half beats of an A minor chord, then a G major that led down to two beats of an F chord.

In the biggest voice he could muster, Skyler instructed, "Please sing with me."

And... they did.

"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be."

By this point in the song, most of the audience had returned to their seats and singing along.

"And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
There will be an answer, let it bd

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be, be."
 

~^~
 

"Hands behind your back, sir," the police chief instructed. Lynn's father did as instructed and the hand cuffs were locked around his wrists.

The door opened and Jenny entered. "What is happening in here?"

Karen gave her a quick summary of the mayhem that had ensued.

Jenny looked at Lynn's father as the chief led him towards the door. "What would possess you to do something like this?"

"I'm doing the Lord's work, fairy," he spat as he passed her.

Jenny just shook her head. "Can we continue?"

Karen shook her head. "I don't know, Jenny. I think we can get the lights up and run them manually, and the PA system will work fine with just the sub-board to run three or four mics, but... he smashed the two computers with all the playback music for the second round of talent and it doesn't look like the external hard drive I had everything backed up on is working either. He did a hell of a lot of damage in just a couple of minutes."

"Wonderful," Jenny huffed. "So... what now? Pussy Boots is the only contestant to have done her second round of talent. Do we just do away with the last round and have the judges make a decision based on what they've seen, or do we give Rodney points for his performance and declare him the winner?"

Just then, the sound of a new song started wafting into the room. The audience sang along.

"Why are there so many

Songs about rainbows

And what's on the other side?"

"Who is singing?" Karen asked.

"Sky," Jenny said, glancing out into the audience. "And thank God he is. He's calmed everyone down out there."

"Rainbows are visions

But only illusions

Rainbows have nothing to hide..."

"I think we need to talk to the judges and see what they have to say," Jenny said with finality.

"Regardless, though, I think we owe Sky a lot. Everything out there was getting pretty ugly until he started playing. That kid's a life saver."

"Agreed. Let's go talk to the judges. Take them into the box office. I'll talk to the crowd and meet you there as soon as I can. What a freaking mess."
 

~^~
 

"Are you crying" Uncle Bill asked Skyler's mother. She nodded and wiped her eyes. "Why? It's a Muppet song, for crying out loud. Nothing to cry over."

"Bill..." she said his name in such a way that it almost sounded like a kindergarten teacher talking to a child who just didn't understand anything. "... it has nothing to do with the song. It's Skyler. Bill, I always loved to hear him play and he's been singing a lot lately, too, but look at these people, Bill! They're mesmerized. They love him, Bill. I'm amazed by the power of my baby boy."

"Your baby boy in the puff sleeved blouse and long skirt," Bill teased. "I do understand. Honestly, I could not be more proud of Sky, either. I always told my customers that he would be famous. Now, I believe that's the truth."
 

~^~
 

"Now, look across the street," the congresswoman said into her bullhorn. "The fascist enforcers of the woke agenda are arresting a true American patriot. He stood up for you and for me and for our children and for our children's children. But the 'woke' left called out their storm troopers and took away that man's First Amendment rights! They stifled his free speech. That is your tax dollars at work, right there. Taxachusetts citizens, you should rise up and take back your government!"

"Shouldn't we do something, chief?" a younger police officer asked.

"About what?" he asked, then he said to Lynn's father, "Watch your head," and he said as he guided Lynn's handcuffed father into the back of the police car.

"About her! She's getting all those people revved up. Something's going to happen."

"Didn't they teach you anything in your training?" The Chief asked, shaking his head. "Right now, she's just a feisty, blonde windbag who is speaking her mind to a peaceful assembly. We have no legal cause to arrest her. AND IF WE DID ARREST HER, she'd become a martyr on certain news stations."

"So, we ignore her?"

"Never ignore anyone, kid. Watch and take notes but know your legal limitations. It's a free country, kid. Even hate mongers have rights. You can't legislate love and you can't fix stupid."
 

~^~
 

"Let's have a big round of applause for Sky!" Jenny said into the now working microphone. By that time, Skyler had already led the audience in three familiar songs. The impromptu sing-along calmed people down and kept them from leaving, but it was time to let the audience know what was happening. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have had an unfortunate incident in our control room, and we need a few moments to figure out how we are going to proceed from here. So, if you would be so kind as to give us enough time for a very brief meeting, we will be right back with a new plan. Sky, I think everyone is enjoying your music, so... please continue. I will be right back."

Jenny left the stage and Sky started playing Elvis' 'I Can't Help Falling In Love With You.' The crowd, of course, joined right in.

Jenny entered the hallway in a rush, but was slowed down by Rodney, who was waiting for her.

"What's going on here?" he asked angrily.

"The computers with all of the other performers' backing tracks were destroyed - even the external hard drive was broken. We need to figure out what to do now."

"What to do? Listen, I did my performance. The judges saw it and the judges loved it! I could tell. So, what's the big deal? Declare me the winner."

"What about Sky, Rodney? Sky has been entertaining the crowd for ten minutes or more now. Should her performance be considered?"

"No," Rodney said, shocked at the notion. "The rules state very clearly that you can't change your performance after it has been approved. You made a big deal out of that at one of the rehearsals. Whatever trash that bitch is playing out there, it doesn't count. Only my performance counts. So, I win."

Jenny had heard enough. "Rodney... just get out of my face, will you? I have important things to deal with right now. If you bother me again, I'll disqualify you just for being a pain in my ass."

Jenny walked through the hallway door and towards the box office while Rodney turned on his heels and stormed back to the dressing room.
 

~^~
 

"Do you think they'll disqualify the girls who haven't been able to perform?" Alan asked his professors. "I mean, that Pussy Boots girl was really good, but we all know who the winner should be. I overheard someone saying that all the music Sky has been playing doesn't count. That doesn't seem fair."

"I really don't know what will happen, Alan," Professor Kramer said. "This is the fifth Gala I've attended. I played piano for two of them and I've been in the audience for three and nothing like this has ever happened before. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Alan shook his head. "This is just wrong. Sky is the prettiest and most talented girl on that stage. If they don't give her a chance... well... it just wouldn't be fair. That's all I'm saying. It just wouldn't be fair."
 

~^~
 

The final five contestants were gathered backstage. All were nervous. Ellie, Skyler and the two that Skyler didn't really know, their names were Austin and Keely, were seated. Rodney stood with his arms crossed, aggressively impatient.

"Alright," Jenny said, entering, "let me speak first and then you can ask questions. Now, first, we have never had anything like this happen before, so we're trying to do what's fair for everyone. After talking with the judges, we think the best thing to do is to just eliminate the last talent round and..."

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!" Rodney screamed. "I did my second round of talent, and I did it well. That HAS to be considered. Just because these losers can't do their acts doesn't mean that mine should be disqualified."

"Rodney, please," Jenny sounded defeated already. "We all need to be a little more understanding at times like these."

"Understanding!?" Rodney shouted. "Listen, lady, there is one hundred thousand dollars involved here! I can't afford to be UNDERSTANDING with that much money on the line! If you change the rules now, you can expect a massive lawsuit and as much bad publicity as I can muster!"

This is exactly what Jenny had feared. Any of the contestants would be defensive in Rodney's position, but Rodney had been unreasonable from the start, and this was fueling the fire of his righteous indignation.

She looked around the room. "I... I don't know what to do," she said. "I know this isn't fair, but Rodney does have a point."

"So, that's it?" Ellie asked. "All that work and we're just out because some asshole upset everything? She wins and we lose, not because she's the best, but because the world just sucks? Look, if I do my best and lose, I'm fine with that, but this? This is just not right!"

"I know, Ellie," Jenny said with a tired sigh. "I know. I just don't know what else to do."

It was quiet for a few moments while the others thought, and Rodney stood with a gloating expression on his face.

"I'm out of ideas, girls," Jenny finally said. "I'm sorry."

She stood and had her hand on the door knob when Skyler offered an idea. "What if... What if I played for everyone?"

Jenny stopped and turned. "Played? You mean played piano? For the other contestants?" She looked at Karen who had the rules of the Gala opened on her iPad. "Karen?"

Karen skimmed the rules quickly. "According to the rules, the contestants must use the same MUSIC that has been approved. It doesn't say that it has to be the same RECORDING, though."

Jenny's eyebrows rose. This was interesting. "Can you actually play the music they're using?"

"Probably," Skyler shrugged.

"Probably isn't good enough," Jenny said.

Skyler nodded. "Yeah. I can play them."

Jenny was a bit dubious. "Ellie, what are you doing for your talent?"

"I'm stacking cups," he replied.

"What?" One of the others asked.

"I stack cups," he explained. "I do it different patterns and I do it quickly. I'm a regional cup stacking champion."

"Great," Jenny said. "What song do you use while you're doing your stacking?"

"Ellie uses 'The Sabre Dance' by Khatchaturian," Sky said quickly. "I've seen you rehearse, and I know the tempo. I can play that piece by heart."

"Keely, how about you?" Jenny asked, suddenly sounding excited.

"I do a ribbon dance to Bette Midler's 'Wing Beneath My Wings."

"Any problem there?" Jenny asked.

"None," Skyler answered confidently.

"Austin?"

Austin, a good looking guy, but a slightly awkward looking woman, said, "I juggle"

"To what music?"

Austin looked a little uncomfortable. "I'm not sure of the title. My boyfriend picked it out for me."

Jenny looked around and asked Karen, "Do you know?"

Karen shrugged. "I don't. It's like a circus thing, isn't it?"

Austin nodded.

"How does it go?" Skyler asked.

Austin shrugged. "I can't really sing."

Skyler looked at Karen. "Can you sing it?"

Karen thought for a moment, then sang, "Daaa da da daaaa. Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da."

"Oh," Skyler said, holding up his finger. "I know that piece, but... I'll need the music."

"Oh, well," Rodney gloated. "No time to go buy sheet music."

"If I could sign into my Scribd account on your iPad, I could find it," Skyler said.

Karen handed her iPad to him, and he signed into the app. He entered a title and... then he looked confused.

"What's the matter?" Jenny asked.

"I... I thought that piece was called 'Barnum and Bailey's Greatest,' but that's not the melody I see here. It must have a different title."

He did a quick Google search, but nothing came up using the key words he entered.

"Shit," he whispered.

"Well, that's that," Rodney glowed.

"No!" Skyler said, snapping his fingers. "Someone go get Hanna, my girlfriend. She'd know the title! She knows all that kind of stuff."

"I'll get her," Jenny said, running out the door. She found Hanna by the stage door.

"Hanna!"

"Yeah," Hanna said, a little confused.

"Come with me!"

Seconds later, she was with the others. "What's the title of this song?" Skyler asked. He sang the melody.

"'March of the Gladiators,'" Hanna said, a bit surprised that no one else knew that.

"That's it!" Skyler said, excited. He went back to the iPad. "Who wrote it?"

"Fucik," Hanna said.

"How do you even know that?" Karen asked.

"How do you not?" Hanna asked, not at all sarcastically. "I thought everyone knew that."

Karen shook her head, a bit amazed.

"I got it!" Skyler said.

"What's going on?" Hanna asked.

"I'm going to play for everyone," Skyler explained, standing. "I will need to use your iPad for Austin's song, but I'm good with the rest. Can you hold this?" He handed Hanna the iPad and took a moment to adjust his skirt and blouse.

"Alright, let's go," Jenny said.

As everyone filed out the door, Hanna stopped Skyler. "Wait, wait, wait," she said. "YOU are playing for everyone else? That's not fair, baby. You can play your own piece, but... this isn't right. You'll be distracted with all this new music and," she held up the iPad, "look at this piece. It's in D Flat, babe. Five flats! It's quick, it's in a tough key and you'll be sight reading. Baby, they're asking too much of you."

"Hanna," Skyler smiled. "They didn't ask me to do anything. I volunteered to do it. It's the right thing to do."
 
 
MUSIC LINKS:

Let It Be: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDYfEBY9NM4
 
Rainbow Connection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deebKNI-dTE
 
I Can't Help Falling In Love With You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipJtTQkYZZk
 
The Saber Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUQHGpxrz-8
 
Wind Beneath Your Wings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93dkoUtrnZM
 
Entrance of the Gladiators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B0CyOAO8y0
 
 
To Be Continued...