Sophia ✔

Chapter 11 - Call Me to the Stage

Edited✔

Chapter 11 - Call Me to the Stage

April Twenty-First, 2016.

The church after hours was always something Sophia loved.

It's quiet, dark, empty, and best of all, a safe place.

Ever since she was a child Sophia would walk the empty halls and rooms, just like she's doing now, humming a song under her breath as she lives out past memories, her wild imagination filling in the spaces she can't remember.

Peering into his office, Sophia catches her father's tired gaze. He lazily smiles, explaining he'll be done soon, which Sophia translates to he'll be done in two or three hours at the least.

Letting out a heavy sigh at the thought of staying here longer, Sophia walks into the small kitchen the building has to offer, throwing on a teakettle and picking out some of her favorite loose-leaf. Once her drink is done she makes her way back through the empty church.

A loud creak echoes around Sophia as she opens the auditorium doors, the same musty smell surrounding her as she slowly waltzes down one of the many pathways. She rests her mug at the edge of the stage before hoisting herself up to sit beside it.

Bringing the warm liquid to her lips, Sophia sighs as she gazes out at the empty area, the few lights left on by the janitors filling her vision and blinding her from the rows and rows of seats ahead of her.

Sophia always felt comforted on a stage. Despite her growing anxiety around big crowds, something about standing on a platform with a purpose brought confidence to her usually nervous state. It's almost as if she becomes a different person.

She's never outright performed in front of a huge crowd, but she's had her fair share of leading roles in elementary school plays.

And so, once the church is quiet and empty, her father preoccupied with paperwork, as usual, Sophia sneaks her way into the auditorium, sketchbook and tea in hand, mind full of wonder and inspiration that can last her hours as she rests on the stage, surrounded with musical equipment and wires.

One empty tea mug and 3 pages of sketches later, Sophia stands, stretching herself out like her childhood cat used to before cleaning up her little mess and hopping off the stage. As Sophia walks out of the sanctuary with her materials in hand, she freezes, eyes falling upon an open door in the middle of the hall near the office.

Peeking inside, her eyes land on an empty room, a few cleaning supplies and some chairs scattered here and there, but otherwise, nothing. A sense of nostalgia floods Sophia's senses, memories of her, Connor, and Eithen sneaking away to this very room during children's service to play make-believe games fill her head. The two boys would always fight over who got to be the knight, which always resulted in Sophia being the knight, Connor the princess, and Eithen the dragon. They would stay here until their parents found them, scolding them for disappearing but never really ending their children's fun. This room became a place for the trio to exist happily, the room vacant and unused ever since the building was made.

Memories race through her head as Sophia stands there, time stopping as her mind wanders back to a much simpler time. The room was returned to its original state once the Awrey family stopped visiting the church, the split parents going separate ways and living separate lives, taking their children with them, away from Sophia and their magic room, never to return.

Having enough of living through her past, Sophia gladly enters her father's office, grabbing his keys before simply stating she'll be out in the car, waiting.