THE HIT SHOW [ONGOING]

ACT 2, SCENE 4: The Magic in the Air

Following the first official day of classes, Willow felt the rest was a blur. It was at that moment she realised how Nahil was right. With theatre practice squeezed in for two-to-three times a week, she noticed that studying would need to be her priority.

Despite the pressure, Willow was glad that Belle Cove offered the option for students to go out on the weekends. She would finally get to explore her surroundings, without the dread of her school uniform.

Sylvie had reminded Willow that shuttle buses arrived at different intervals to take the students to the main shopping central, which was located twenty minutes away. The bus then was to return around 3pm, then again at 7pm just before the 9pm curfew.

Willow thought this was probably the only good thing Belle Cove had offered. It seemed so far away that Willow had forgotten the world outside of Belle Cove Academy.

The two girls set off to explore the neighboring city. They visited a couple of clothing stores, where Willow discovered Sylvie's love for shopping. Willow tried her best not to be tempted by anything, as she was left with 300 pounds to spend for the whole year. She didn't want to run out and have to call her father for more, she didn't want him bosting about how providing of a father he was.

In the afternoon, Sylvie suggested they sit at a nearby café for lunch. As Sylvie ordered a salad, reminding the waited to remove any forms of meat and replacing it with additional plants, nuts and seeds. Willow couldn't help the temptation and frankly stopped caring. She was finally free and felt like celebrating her minimal achievement, hence her decision to order a double chocolate mud cake with a side of coffee.

At that moment she remembered her sister Emma. She remembered how she would grab Willow's soft pouch of a stomach or her squishy arms telling her to stop putting 'junk' into her body. Willow didn't care. She thought she looked perfectly fine and she didn't want to punish herself with plants.

"So, uhm..."

Willow's anxieties about when her cake was about to arrive had been interrupted by Sylvie.

"Your friend...uhm Nahil. Are you...-

"Am I into him? Nah, all yours."

Sylvie's eyes widened. Without her reading glasses, her eyes were central to her facial features.

"T-that's not what I meant! I mean...Willow-"

Willow laughed at the girl's fluster. Her cheeks were now pink and Willow knew that it wasn't from the cold weather, it was from the warmth of the thought of Nahil.

"Relax! I saw you two ogling over each other! It was like you two were in some sort of...trance," she shrugged off, then looked back to see their orders arrive.

The waitress placed their dishes and then departed. Meanwhile, Sylvie couldn't contain her smile.

"Do you think...was he checking me out?"

Willow nodded, her eyes ogling her cake, she stabbing her fork into the seemingly delicate cake. With a bite she felt the rich bitter sweetness all at once. The cake had instantly merged with its icing and melted in Willow's mouth. She took a sip from her coffee that washed over the sweetness with a buzz of bitter strength. Willow let out a sigh, this was her favourite part.

~~~

As the two were leaving, Veronica and another girl from their year walked in. Willow instantly recognised that the girl was from theatre club. It was the girl with the braid, the one that was on set design with her and Nahil.

Willow hadn't noticed how different Veronica looked without her swimsuit or her uniform. She wore regular jeans, a band shirt and her best winter jacket. Her long dark hair was left out. It wasn't just her style that seemed different her demeanor was different. She was smiling and glowing with joy almost.

It was almost like Belle Cove brought the worst of her.

Weirdo.

Willow passed the two with a quizzical look but Sylvie managed to hurry them out before Willow sought any trouble with the swim team captain.

As the two were pondering about Veronica, Willow came to a halt at the sight of a phone booth. She had forgotten all about her ability to call those back home, thanks to Belle Cove's 'no cellphone or other communicative device' policy.

Ignoring Sylvie's presence, Willow bolted to the red phone booth and threw in the change she had left from the café. Dialing ferociously, she hoped to hear Jarrah's sweet voice.

The haunting ring of the phone filled her ear as her heart pumped with adrenaline. She tried her best to keep her patience. However, she seemed to have lost it, as her anxious finger wrapped around the steel cord of the telephone.

Outside the booth Sylvie had seemed as anxious as Willow was hoping that she got an answer from the other side because she knew when Willow wasn't happy, she really wasn't happy.

Willow had dialed the number three more times, before she was out of change and out of luck. She stopped playing with the phone cord and instead began to bang the handset against the booth, slamming it with her might.

Sylvie dashed to stopped her, desperately, before a bystander would report her.

Swinging the booth door open, Sylvie hugged Willow from behind. Her strong stance was now almost limp. She hugged her back wanting to cry, but she hoped she didn't need to.

It was almost as though they understood each other in their silence. The two girls thought after the phone incident, they would be heading back to school. During their walk back, Willow tried her best efforts to forget about Jarrah's unanswered call.

~~~

"Hey Willow!"

She looked up at the owner of that voice. She let out sigh, as he was the last person she wanted to see.

Ahead their path, Ivan's lips were formed into a smile. They were now a deep red from the immense cold air. He had walked a little away from his group of friends that were still seated on the park bench.

Once Ivan reached the two, he gave Sylvie a polite nod. She, however, was still under the confusion of why he was approaching the two of them.

"Hello."

"What've you been up to?"

Willow fixated her eyes behind Ivan. His voice was now a distant murmur, his face out of the picture. His efforts of small talk were nonexistent to her.

Willow ignored those around her and looked up at the sky noticing the magic that was brewing. She walked forward, letting the white flakes brush against her skin, leaving a shock of cold sensation. Her eyes fluttered shut, her hands now raised she reached out to hope, to change and to snow.

Unknown to her, Ivan and Sylvie watched her. Ivan with his amused smile and curious eyes, Sylvie with her confused face watched her in silence.

Peculiar.

A sudden light in Ivan's mind, had made the connections.

"Aaah! That's right, it doesn't snow in Australia." He thought aloud.