Forever Crimson

Chapter 11

AFTER THE LAST WEEK, Scarlet stepped into Zion Auditorium nervous to the point where it felt like thousands of ants went up and down her arms and legs. She tried to stand still, but her joints shook. Her heart beat erratically.

A part of her wondered if that evening would bring forth another little adventure, but as she stared out onto the stage, she found Jake professing his love to Lindsey. She clenched her jaw as Lindsey played her part and threw herself at him.

"Okay!" Mr. Williams cut in, stopping their scene. "Lindsey, I need you to speak louder. Everyone needs to be able to hear you."

Lindsey said nothing as Jake retreated into the background. He looked around the auditorium before catching her gaze at the far end of the seats. His face broke into a charming smile.

"Scarlet! Great, you're here." She turned to Ms. Stanford as she sped-walked towards her. "We're going to start with the sets, and we need you to come with us. Rory and Caitlyn also brought in a dress for Juliet that you might want to see."

She went on and on, leading her further away from Jake. Scarlet turned to see him watching her as she disappeared behind the stage.

A group of people she barely remembered greeted her when she walked through the door. Two guys bent away from her working on a set of stage lights, following instructions from Bonny as she recited them from the manual in her hands. Elliot turned to see her after plugging in a red chord, and she gave a tiny wave before going on her way with Ms. Stanford.

Rory jumped when she saw her as if they had known each other for years. "Scarlet, look at this sample."

Immediately, a ruffled light pink dress was pressed to her line of vision. Rory straightened it, and Scarlet formed a small o with her lips as she inspected the dress. It had a loose top with short, puffed up sleeves. The length would most likely cover the wearer as it cascaded down. The dress was dainty, pretty, and fit for a masquerade.

"This is so nice, Rory," she commented, grabbing the side of the skirt. "This is so for the masquerade, and you can't tell me otherwise."

Rory giggled, nodding over at Caitlyn. Scarlet turned to find Caitlyn presenting her with a matte pink mask with a feather glued to one side of it, adorned with silver rhinestones and lace.

"You two are the dream duo," Scarlet said, grabbing the mask. She turned it around in her hand, holding it up to see all the intricate details. "This is incredible. We have to use these."

Gina, Melinda, and Brooklyn walked up behind her, studying the mask.

"I was just telling them that this isn't a sample. It's final." Gina curved a brow at the pair, who flushed at the attention.

"Okay, Scarlet, please come. We need you over here," Ms. Stanford interrupted, waving her over to the new group. "You can continue talking about the costumes later."

Ms. Stanford switched her attention to the other group. Scarlet recalled a few from the first meetings. They came in to start working on the sets, as Stanford mentioned, or at least have an idea of what they would do for the set.

She grimaced. More brainstorming for her.

The floor was opened for ideas as Ms. Stanford took out her legal notepad.

"We have to do the balcony," a girl said, waving her hand to the side. Others murmured in agreement.

"That's a good idea, Katherina," Ms. Stanford said, already writing it down. "Anything else we should prioritize for building?"

A guy, who she later learned was Benjamin, said they should make pillars to move around the stage. That got a lot of attention. Even Scarlet agreed with the Preppy.