It's A Wonderful Afterlife (Sequel to 'A New Life')

Chapter 17: It's not confidential, He's got potential

Remus enthusiastically returned to his school after three weeks. He entered his first class, walking along the tile corridor and sat in his assigned seat. The remainder of the day passed slowly as we made our way to Remus. He was looking forward to his after-school rehearsal. After a few hours, it was finally time. Lydia was there doing the work she had been assigned by her school when he approached her in the corridor, and rehearsals began. Remus sat, scarcely able to control his joy, after putting down his plain black and navy blue rucksack. The coach took attendance, and everyone warmed up in preparation for the rehearsals. They started with the songs, as usual, with Remus still a little sloppy, however, his performance was superior. The coach complimented him on his progress. They sat down for a short rest after finishing the songs.

"Okay, now pay attention. How many of you checked Playbill or Broadway.com last night? "The coach inquired. No one raised their hands, and Lydia looked shocked at Remus. She offered him a teasing smile while elbowing him in the ribs. She then took his wrist in hers and lifted his hand.

"Really?" he said, taking Lydia's hand in his and placing his own by his side. "She's only teasing," Remus clarified the situation.

"Ah okay. I was shocked. You're a theatre kid." The coach chuckled and continued. "Anyway, it's been announced that a prequel to Scared Sheetless will be released." Scared Sheetless: Keaton" is the title of the musical. Remus' eyes gleamed, and he was virtually glistening with delight. "It will focus on Keaton's past, in case you haven't worked it out yet." Remus was becoming further enthralled by the prospect. He was always interested in learning more about a character, especially the villains. He couldn't be blamed. He was a fan of gothic fiction. Remus couldn't concentrate since he was too preoccupied about the forthcoming musical. "A challenge has been issued by Playbill. For a chance to be included on their social media pages, send in some videos of you performing certain scenes from the musical. We have the outfits and the equipment. "Who wants to be a performer?" Everyone raised their hands in response to Coach Stewart's question. "Alright. If you don't want to do it, raise your hand." Everyone put their hands down and looked away. "Okay. Let's get started." Everyone grabbed their costumes as he cheered. This was their chance to shine. They had never done a dress rehearsal before, so this was their first time in the costumes as well. Because the costumes were custom constructed for the performers, they knew they'd all fit, and they'd be able to keep them after the event. Before they were changed, all the cast members with skin disorders or sensitivities formed a short queue to have a little test patch of makeup applied. Fortunately, no one had a reaction because of the items. Remus smirked as he looked at Lydia in the plain black dress that was pretty much the same as the black dress with a lacy collar and safety pins for fashion she wore a lot. Lydia couldn't help but smile when she saw the half-demon dressed in a bright red shirt, a brown-grey trench coat, and dark grey pants. They settled in and prepared for Day-O, which was the only song that included everyone. Claudia, who was portraying Catherine, started the song, and everyone was immediately engrossed in it, with no mistakes at all. While hiding beneath the table, Remus couldn't suppress his enthusiasm as he awaited his entry at the end of the song. He was going to disprove everyone's perceptions about him. He'd come to do just that. His cue had been given. The all-powerful K word. As soon as he heard this, he sprang from beneath the table, landed on the chairs, and climbed up the table with a very firm stance. A huge thunderclap erupted, and the light went out. The entire structure began to shake violently.

"What's going on? I don't like this!" Claudia spoke in character.

"It's showtime!" Remus screamed fiercely and passionately. He was very certain this time, with his super-strong form, keeping character, and doing the voice.

He appeared to be an experienced actor, but in reality, he had never performed before.

"Attention, K-Mart shoppers!" He screamed as he stood up. He laughed as he did so and exclaimed, "I'm back. I feel really good about myself. You know what I mean? So...without further delay..." he continued. "...Welcome to Winter River!" the lights transformed to a red and yellow carnival scene, mesmerising everyone. " Museum of Natural Greed! A monument to the bored businessman. Come a little closer! Step right up! Test your strength." His arms unrolled as he thrust them out. At the ends of his arms, giant mallets expanded. He pounded the mallets into the ground, producing a massive crater into which several of the supporting characters plummeted. Remus as Keaton was now at the bottom of the table, nonchalantly inspecting his black painted nails and smoking a camel cigarette when there was a flash of lightning. "That is why I won't do two shows a night anymore, babe. He moaned as he concluded, "I won't do 'em." Remus stood proudly, happy with his performance, as the coach gave him a high five. He was well conscious of his modesty, but for the first time in his life, he felt as if he had just fulfilled all of his life ambitions with one single performance! Following that, the coach collected everyone for a group shot, with everyone dressed up in costume. Remus, with his arms outstretched and a grin on his face, Esme holding up a crucifix to Remus with Claudia clinging to him, Lydia looking at the Handbook On Death with Adrian and Brandy. Amelia was standing next to them, wearing a green girl scout backpack, Eliot was holding a pretend phone to his ear, Jasper was looking about, and Steph was smoking a cigarette. The coach then dismissed everyone after uploading the photo to the school's social media pages and tagging Scared Sheetless Broadway in it. Lydia sneaked up behind Remus, who was talking to the coach about the stunts he needed to execute, such as being shot up from the floor. They walked with sensibility till they arrived at the gates. "Oh shoot. I forgot something." Remus gave a smirking grin.