Glass Skin

39

"Marco!" Came the over excited exclaim from Gustave, the young boy had a blindfold covering his eyes loosely, as his arms stretched out in hopes of touching something that could aid him in not falling, stumbling, or even finding the person he was searching for.

"Polo!" Fleurette cupped a hand over her mouth and smirked at the poor boy, he was bored, terribly bored, Fleck sat beside her drinking slowly from her cup. Even she let out a scoff when the boy walked through the thick curtain that led out into the corridor. He was nowhere near them, the pair were leaning back against the stage, both sitting with their legs outstretched.

"I think the poor lad got turned about, eh?" Fleck nudged Fleurette's arm and continued to giggle when she heard Gustave's confused voice from down the corridor. "Shall I go get the little guy back on track?"

Fleurette tilted her head and looked up when footsteps appeared on the stage behind them. Meg peered over with her hands on her hips, a wry smile was tugging on her face but behind her stood her mother, looking less pleased as stagehands pottered about setting up props and colourful backdrops, these weren't on a curtain like some, but they were supported by a simple stand behind them.

"As much fun as this looks, I don't think mother would approve." Meg sat down, flinging her legs over the stage and leaning against her thighs.

"She doesn't approve of many things I do." Fleurette said, "What's one more thing?" She waved a hand casually in the air.

Meg sighed heavily, Fleurette and her mother did butt heads a lot, that wasn't a lie. Giry was set in her ways, to a point, and Fleurette was stubborn. It was very rare the pair of them saw eye to eye. As if remembering something, Meg nudged Fleurette's shoulder with her foot. Fleurette in return looked up at her offended by that. "What? I can't reach, see," as if to prove a point Meg dramatically showed she couldn't reach her with her hand. Looking behind herself, Meg instead slipped down off of the stage carefully and quietly, very catlike in her movements she crouched in front of her two friends. "Raoul," Meg started, earning an eye roll from Fleurette and a tilted head from Fleck.

"Meg, you've got to stay away from him. He's literally-"

"He isn't anything but hugely in debt and scrapping the bottom of the barrel. But he is also not stupid. You know when tipsy, he comes out with all sorts. It didn't take him long to figure out Erik bought them here, and he's trying somehow to figure out why." Meg explained slowly and looked around as if expecting her mother to appear over the stage lip and call her back. "He has also come straight to mother, asking her all manner of questions. I think deep down he truly knows they are only here for one reason, but...and this may shock you, but even mother isn't too fond of them being here."

Fleurette scrunched her nose up, "But...she was all over Christine when she arrived..." Fleurette said, she was confused. What was happening? Giry wasted little time in putting Christine in pride of place within the show, to now find out that it was an act was confusing to her.

Meg widened her eyes and tilted her head, "Fleur, sometimes you have to pander to people."

"They're using us for money, and we're using them to get money in so we don't shut down." Fleck said as bluntly as she could.

Fleurette looked at the redhead beside her for a moment before looking back to the blonde. "He wants to leave?"

Meg nodded, "Erm, yes, too right he does! He said he sees things turning out like they did in the past; and if it comes to that, what does he have to offer Christine now."

"Wow, that's just...depressing." Fleck shuddered, she could be brutally honest with her thoughts and feelings. Raoul was nothing really to her, just someone who apparently kept the bar propped up.