Auntie Abby and Little Ali

Nutcracker Dress Rehearsal

-8:30 am-
Abby's Pov:
Today is gonna be a busy day. I have to run this show and make sure all my kids have it together before their opening weekend next weekend. The first dress is always the most stressful. I get to the theater with Alison to four unread messages. "hey abby Peyton has come down with the stomach bug. shes not going to make it in today." from Leslie "Abby nia's running a fever and has not been feeling well so im keeping her home with me " from holly "hi abby chloe isn't gonna make it to dress rehearsal she threw up this morning. " from christi oh boy. i think to myself i immediately send a message to everyone in the production "Everyone needs to wear a mask to rehearsal today! if you do not wear one you will not be allowed to participate in the dress rehearsal and your part will be recasted! It seems we may have something going around the studio and with the show coming up we will proceed with caution! Thank you, Abby " I go to the back of the theater and into the big dressing area i use as my space during production. Alison is laying on the spinny chair against the wall coloring one of the books she brought. Its apparent that she is feeling better despite yesterday's concussion. i go over to my bag and grab out a mask for her. i hand her a pink and purple aldc mask. "baby you need to where this anytime you come out of this room. " i instruct her "but why im not sick? " she asks "well it seems alot of the dancers are so we need to make sure you don't get sick! " i tell her she nods " are we gonna get you changed into your costume? " i ask she shakes her head "my head still hurts." she says i sigh "okay well see how you are in a little while okay? " i tell her she nods. i turn the light off in the room. "better? " i ask "much " she says leaning against the wall and shutting her eyes. "still feeling that terrible?" i ask she nods i get a call from gianna, i pick up. "hey gia where are you? " i ask "on my way. i saw your text why are we doing masks all of a sudden? " gianna asks "well i had peyton, nia and chloe call out this morning. peyton has the stomach bug, chloe threw up and nia has a fever. so i think this is best! " i tell her " okay are you gonna do temp checks too? " she asks "yeah i think that wouldn't be a bad idea. just check everyone at the door and make sure it doesn't spread futher. " i say "okay. ill see you soon." she says i hang up. i go over to my bag grabbing the thermometer out. i go up to the front of the auditorium and see james has just arrived i instruct him to do temperature checks. Just then a bunch of kids come in fever free and with masks ready to go. After this group I see maddie come in with no mask. "madison where's your mask! " i ask she shrugs " that's not an answer! where's mom? " i ask "shes with kenz at home. Kenzie was warm mom said. " she explains "so she dropped you off? " i ask she nods i sigh "maddie wait here." i tell her i instruct g to call melissa to get a mask brought to maddie. I walk back inside the theatre to see everyone set to go. i sigh of course my clara doesn't have a mask. A few seconds later i see alison come out from the curtains wearing her understudy clothes instead of her ensemble outfit. "al- " i start but then something goes off in my head "Alison come here. " i tell her as gia walks into the room "melissa said maddie will have a mask soon. " she says "what are we gonna do? " she follows up "well alison can do it till maddie has one! " i suggest "Al baby are you feeling okay enough? " i ask her she nods smiling " go head baby your gonna be clara for this run through! " i instruct. She goes up on the stage and we start the run through. The run through goes incredibly well and im amazed. Maddie sits in the audience with still no mask. I can see how visibly upset she is by not being able to dance but i can't let her mom break the rules. "Wow alison that was gorgeous " Gianna says She nods "OKAY EVERYONE REST! TAKE TEN! " i say "Thank you ten! " they reply back and then everyone goes over to their mothers and gets off the stage. ali comes over to me " You were fantastic baby girl! " i say to her. she frowns "what's wrong hun? your head? " i ask she nods "okay. you can go sit in the back room for alittle while. " i tell her "can you come?" she asks. "baby i have to direct this. " i tell her she frowns and nods and i feel so bad as she walks away. I see gianna come from the outside with a mask for maddie. maddie shakes her head. "Madison if you wanna dance clara that mask needs to go on your face!" i say losing my patience. she puts it on walking up on stage crying. i sigh "Maddie stop! " i yell "Places! " i yell and the show starts but maddie starts balling her eyes out in the middle of the first scene and i can't watch anymore. " STOP Everyone take five! MADISON COME HERE. " i yell "thank you five " everyone say exiting the stage and maddie cries  harder i can see her body getting physically upset. "MADISON NOW! " i yell as she walks down the stage and over to me. And cries really hard "mad- what is wrong?" i ask lessening my tone. she continues to cry through her mask " your gonna make your self sick maddie. " i tell her with an even lighter tone but she's balling hysterically, now i get worried. i see her beginning to cough from how upset she is. i sit down and sigh and pick her up to put her on my lap. i rub her back to help her stop coughing and she gives into me and wraps her arms around me. i take her face off her face seeing her nose running profusely. Then i see why shes crying atleast i think so. I see the blood running down her nose into her mask. "baby! why didn't you say your nose was bleeding! " i ask her she continues to cry. "GIANNA!" i yell from the audience all of a sudden i see g come out of the wings. "can i have tissues please!" i ask she nods getting some and helping me clean maddie up who has now somewhat stopped crying but still has a mad look on her face. "Maddie i can't help you if you don't tell me. " i say "You let ali play clara " she says angrily i sigh. "oh maddie. Alison is the understudy and you didn't have a mask! " i explain "so shes not getting my part? " she asks "no honey. not unless you get sick or hurt." i try to explain. she nods "okay" she says finally calm. "get on the stage please " i tell her helping her with her mask. she nods getting back on stage. "PLACES!!" i yell and the run through goes on and then i give them yet another break.
-wednesday night at the studio-
Maddie's Pov:
I get out of ballet class and i feel sad i thought the ballet class was gonna be taught by ms.abby but she isnt even here. I miss my time when ms.abby was just mine. I love ali but i miss the time i used to have when it was just me and my ms. abby. i wish i could tell her how bad things at school were and how mean the kids were to me. thats when i see ali coming running towards me. "hey alicat! " i say she grabs my hand and starts running and i follow. we go all the way to the back room and she brings me into the tent. we lay down and start to talk "i missed you at school i tell her "im sorry. ill be back soon. my headache is finally going away! are you excited to be clara on friday? " she asks "yeah... kinda " i say "i wish i could be clara. it's so much fun! " she says That's when the idea hits me i can get my ms.abby back! "well you could be! " i say "what do you mean? your clara maddie. " she exclaims "well yeah. but ill make you a deal. " i say "what? " she asks "well if you want i can say im sick and then my mom won't let me preform and you can do it! " i say "you would do that! wouldn't we get in trouble? " alison asks "only if we get caught! but we won't! but could do something for me? " i ask "yeah what? " she asks "can we ask to have a sleep over soon and then go to sleep really early. " i ask "sure but why?" she asks innocently "because i want to." i lie not knowing how to tell her i want to spend time with ms.abby alone. just then ms. abby comes in and grabs us for competition practice
-Friday Afternoon-
Abby's pov:
I finish setting up the stage getting ready to go get alison from school when i get a text from melissa "Abby i think were in trouble. maddie says her stomach is bothering her and shes in alot of pain. " she says i immediately call her "hey. She's saying she feels like shes gonna throw up when she moves. " melissa says "what are we gonna do about the show?" abby says "well i can bring her and we can see how she is. she has no fever and she doesn't look like she does when she gets sick. " melissa says and then i become suspicious. "okay yeah bring her. it's opening night i don't wanna not have her preform. " i say and we hang up i go get alison bring her to the venue and start helping her get ready when i see maddie walk in. "hey honey. " i say "i dont feel good. i dont wanna dance. " she says im shocked. maddie never says she's sick. "you look fine. " i point out
Maddie's pov:
I start to panick how am i gonna get alison to be clara if i can't even fake it  i decided to bolt into the bathroom and make myself vomit and i get it all over the toliet seat. on cue ms.abby comes following behing me " you feel like it's gonna happen again" she ask i nod lying "okay. you stay there. " ms. abby says "alison get ready your playing clara. " i hear abby says before my mom comes in asking if im okay. i shake my head and sit there to make it look believable. After i hear alison leave the dressing room i proceed to get up and go watch my ipad while my mom is busy changing kenzie for her small part of the night. I'm such a good actress! i think to myself
Abby's pov:
this can not be happening again! im stressed out beyond belief it's opening night and alison is clara. i didn't want alison performing with how little experience she has. but i dress her and bring her to the wings and she seems okay. just then gianna comes up to me "where's maddie?" she asks "well she threw up and says she doesn't feel well. " i say as the show starts and alison takes the stage "i don't believe her. Maddie was literally sick just last week. Something doesn't seem right. "gianna says " you think she would lie to me?" i ask her "abby she can't possibly be sick she was on so much medication there's no way. i bet if you go and sit with her you'll see. " gianna says "i saw the vomit g. it was all over the toliet. "i defend her "okay abby and how many did i do that to my mom when i wanted to be alone with you at the studio on school days" she says and i start to think "but why would she do that? " i question "because abby she wants all of your attention. she thinks if she's sick youll go back to the dressing room and spend time with her. " gianna responds "but why ? i do spend time with her i love her. " i say alittle angry " Abby since alison has come you don't spend time with her anymore except when she's sick. so what is she doing now...." she leads "pretending to be sick" i finally conclude she nods "she's so dead! " i yell "no no abby. listen ive been there remember when i was little and then rachel came to the studio. i was extremely upset that you weren't paying attention to me anymore. Well maddie is going through that. don't let her start resenting you because of alison. you should go talk to her. she loves you thats why she's doing it. " gianna explained i nod "your right" i say feeling terrible that it got to this point. I watch alittle more of alison on stage and then decided i should go see maddie. When i get to her i see her sitting on her ipad in the dressing room and immediately know shes faking it.