The Darkest Days

13. Work, Work, Work!

By the time September was half over, the show was ready to take the road.

Meanwhile, Vanessa had drowned herself in studying and singing, just like her sister had told her. She rarely took out her green book any longer; it didn't give her the same joy anymore. She felt as if she was wasting time whenever she wrote so slowly she stopped altogether.

That pained her heart but she did it regardless.

Audrey would always call her family and tell them how happy she was. She felt connected with the people, the production was bigger than she had ever been a part of and professionalism was taken to another level.

"I swear, there are like hundreds of people!" She said. "Show directors, photographers, managers, stage designers, her management team, it's absolutely insane!"

"Wow, I never thought about all this." Vanessa said.

"The costumes, Vanessa, God.. I love 'em. They're dark and dramatic in some sections and just sexy and glamorous in others."

"Tell me you get to keep them." Vanessa laughed.

Audrey chuckled. "I could steal.."

"So anyway, how is your routine? You ever get main parts?"

"I do, actually. I hold and support Monica many times. Initially I used to freak out during the rehearsals but now I think I've gotten the gist."

"The tour hasn't even begun and you talk like you've done it a million times."

"I really might have!"

"What's Monica like? As in, in person."

"Er.. she's just as beautiful, but I think the media has hyped her. She can be a little bit rude sometimes especially when her tiny mistakes are pointed out. But then again, she has more stress and attention than anyone else, so nobody expects her to be perfectly poised all the time. No cameras here, it's her relax zone."

"I get what you mean."

"You know, this one time, she wasn't liking a certain transition from step to another, she had too little time so I just happened to suggest an alternative-"

"You suggested?" Vanessa's eyes widened.

"In my defense, it was early days and I did not know we're supposed to just shut up and learn. Thankfully, Monica liked it. But that song was removed from the set list later on; the choreographer wasn't too happy with me."

"Jeez, Audrey. Don't make enemies there."

"Relax. People here are cool, V. We have things in common, we're all nervous yet excited. It's like I'm a part of a big gang on an adventure!"

"Real adventure begins tomorrow when the tour starts."

Audrey whistled. "Sure does. Uh, wait a sec... V, I gotta go, I'll call you later. Bye."

She hung up immediately. Vanessa nodded to herself and dragged her book back near to herself.

....

The next night, the Monica Heart World Tour premiered in Paris. It was a huge success with everyone talking about it. Fans went wild with the performances and seeing their idol live.

Audrey had three costume changes; the song which marks the show's end also presents Audrey doing a half split exactly in front of Monica in the end pose. So the big, white spotlights shine bright on her face and she sees the screaming fans without anyone in front of her as the ribbons and confetti blast crazy high up in the air.

A few of the senior dancers were asked to speak in front of cameras about their experience for her tour diaries. They gave them a script and asked them to show themselves having a laugh during the rehearsals. It wasn't that different from actual rehearsals, but nothing is as cheerful as those scripts were.