Castleside Academy

Chapter Seventeen: Lexi

It’s the night of the play, near the end of January actually. Saturday night. It’s for the winter. We move our props and sets to the big auditorium that holds many. Too many. It’s the biggest room in the school, next to the ballroom.

All students are required to attend. Parents from kingdoms are allowed to come as well. Village people from the nearby town also.

Backstage, we’re all jittery, fixing our makeup and putting on costumes. We have some of the mechanical men working on changing the sets like we practiced in dress rehearsal the day before.

I’m excited.

“Hey, beautiful,” Luther says, giving me a small smile as he walks over to me straightening my dress. A peasant dress. It’s not supposed to be pretty, but okay…

“Hey,” I say, my voice shaking.

He keeps his hands in his stable boy pockets and comes close to my side. “Nervous?”

I nod, hugging myself slightly with my arms across my chest.

Luther gives me a loving look, sympathetic at most. “I guess I know how you are. Fine in practice, horribly frightened in front of all these people.”

“I was doing just fine until Maya came up to me and told me that around one thousand people are here. Courts from different kingdoms, almost Nellie’s entire kingdom because her mom wrote this play, and I think your parents are here, right?”

Luther smiles and nods. “I talked to them when they got to the school. They said that they look forward to seeing you on stage.”

“Oh, great. Now I’m more nervous!”

Luther takes me around the waist and pulls me to his chest. “Calm down, Lexina,” he whispers. “Look, a good way I get rid of stage fright is by showing off that you’re up here acting while others wish they were. Lady Austin once told me how many people applied for this class as their first option. We were the ones who were chosen. Be proud of it. It might be mean, but show off! Hey, we get to kiss at the end.”

“Your parents are okay with this?” I ask.

“They don’t know about it,” he says, touching his lips gently to mine.

They don’t know? If they don’t like it, then they better complain to Lady Austin or Queen What’s-Her-Face because we were supposed to do it anyway. We get reviews on Monday, though.

Suddenly, I see a flash of white light that makes its way through my eyelids. Luther and I part at the same time, our arms around each other still. To our left we see Anna Grace holding a camera and smiling deviously. Lynna has a video camera and is quietly commentating.

“Guys!” I cry.

“Hey, Lady Austin told us to get a good look at behind the scenes, take pictures, and make a video,” says Anna Grace.

I forgot. Every time we have a performance of some sort, Duke Kilter or somebody wants behind-the-scenes footage for the school to enjoy during dinner the next day.

Luther laughs.

Lynna shuts her video camera and starts giggling. “Now the whole school will see the meant-to-be couple—Princess Lexina Talon and Prince Luther Willard sharing a loving kiss back-stage before the show,” says Lynna in her dreamiest dramatic voice.

I roll my eyes. Luther keeps his arms around me. “We won’t get in trouble, will we?” I ask.

Luther shakes his head. “Hey, we’re doing it for the play. But what did you say, Lynna?” he asks.