Glass Skin

28

"So, basically you know Judith? Don't shake your head, you do know her! About my height, brown hair, blue eyes, used to be in the main chorus...you do know her, Fleur. But yes, anyway, she's gone." Meg explained while sitting in front of her friend. Fleurette had asked a simple question and Meg saw fit to reply, though she ended up sounding rather blunt halfway through her answer.

Fleurette sat and reran through her memories of people here. Scrunching her nose up in thought she laughed when Meg flicked her nose and smiled. "I cannot remember her for certain. But she has gone? Why? What caused her to leave?"

"Some man saw her perform and said: 'oh, darling!'" Fleck started to answer and draped herself over Fleurette's shoulder dramatically, she laughed and looked up through her hair at the smaller woman. "'You and your talent are positively wasted in a place like this!'" Fleck exclaimed and pinched Fleurette's cheek, she wriggled and swatted her away gently. "'Here, I can make you a star, come to this office at this time...blah, blah, blah!"

"So, hold on!" Shaking her head, Fleurette rubbed her cheek and looked between all her friends gathered around her. "So some man, some random man from who knows where in the city, just so happens to come by, watch, and take a liking to her? And," at this Fleurette paused to ponder over her next words while leaning back on her hands. "And she was silly enough to believe every word he spoke?"

"She was a gullible girl, what can we say?" Fleck shrugged, indifferent really but being completely honest. Some people will believe all that they are told, without even trying to question it.

"She was always daydreaming." Gangle nodded agreeing while copying Fleurette and leaning back on his hands.

"So...when did she go?" Fleurette asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Three days ago." Squelch sighed, though it didn't seem like a sad sounding sigh, more like a bored one.

"Have you got a replacement for her?" Fleurette merely questioned. They must have all taken her question in the wrong way because they all exchanged a look and looked at her. Fleurette's eyes widened, she pushed away from her hands and shook them. "No! No, no I did not mean me!"

Meg beamed and decided to copy Fleck from moments ago and drape an arm around her shoulders. "Oh! Come on, Fleur, it'd be like old times, no?" She gave a wink at this as Fleurette nervously gulped. "You, me, a load of other people." At this Gangle, Squelch and Fleck exclaimed at her. Meg merely laughed and waved her spare hand at them nonchalantly. "You know what I mean!" She laughed still and then coughed gently and awkwardly and looked back to Fleurette. She sat frowning deep in thought. "Ah," Meg poked a finger to her cheek. This warranted a flinch from the redhead. She wished to know what the sudden interest in poking and pinching her cheeks came from. But snapping back to reality she looked at Meg. "I know that look."

"What look?"

"That contemplative look you just had." Meg sighed and patted her on the shoulder. "You're going to say yes."

"Excuse me?" Fleurette frowned confused, how her friend could possibly know that, she did not know. She was however running through the variables of it all; she couldn't lie, it would be nice to perform alongside Meg again.

"Look," Meg rolled her eyes in her direction. "We're a set, a group, any newcomers wouldn't fit in. That's why it seemed like such a betrayal when Judith left. I liked her, I got used to performing alongside her. Look, Fleurette, what I'm trying to say is if mother is going to try and replace her, I'd want someone I know, someone I get on with, someone I've worked with before." Meg said while looking her in the eye. Fleurette blinked slowly and registered her words. Meg must really mean her words because she'd used her full name. "So please, if she asks, say yes."