Still Waters Run Deep

Chapter 14: In The Dark

Chapter 14:

In the Dark

The scene was absolute chaos, like something straight out of a grisly unedited crime scene documentary. The splatter had gotten everywhere. There were red splotches all over the place. The air smelled like sweat and adrenaline. Quick feet padded against the ground, everyone rushing to do something to help. They moved quickly. Everything happened so fast. Seconds turned into minutes. And every minute that went by was crucial. What happened later depended solely on everything they did now.

"What have you got?" An enthusiastic, yet controlled, voice asked.

"Head shot." The reply came as they rounded the corner.

A pair of crimson soaked hands were shaking under a faucet of warm water, scrubbing frantically, trying to wash away the stains, but all it did was coat the sink. The thick dark substance was painting the white porcelain red, the water splashing and sending flowery patches of the hue spreading out like a field of bright blooming poppies.

"She's dying!" A frantic voice could be heard around the corner.

God, not this again, was all that went through her mind.

"What do we do?" Another voice asked, cracking under pressure.

There were a bunch of whispers and murmurs and then for a few seconds there was nothing but total silence. Then there was the sound of the drain sucking up the dirty dyed water, leaving traces of thick red streaks behind.

"She can't die! We can't let her die!" Someone ordered.

"Damn it." Dripping wet fingers gripped the sink.

"Hey, it's going to be okay." A warm hand clasped down on Ali's shoulder.

Ali spun around and found Spencer standing behind her with a scrub brush and soap to try and help her get the paint off of her hands. The drama department had some malfunctions with the set, and the parents and teachers had jumped in to help them work overtime to scrounge together a few last minute set decorations for the play. They had a little over an hour before curtain time. Ali had been in the middle of doing some touch up painting on some props with Aria when she accidentally kicked the can of paint over, leaving the surrounding area looking like a complete bloodbath.

"It's everywhere, Spence," Ali complained. "It even drenched a bunch of the kids' glamour shots." She motioned to a few head shots that had been salvaged from the great paint disaster of opening night.

"It's not that big of a deal," Aria said, walking in with more cleaning supplies. "They have extra copies. And as far as the floor goes, it's just paint."

"Clap your hands if you believe in fairies!" Someone shouted from the stage.

There was a bunch of enthusiastic clapping from off-stage, a bunch of kids who were filling in for the audience participation to get the actors and actresses ready for the real thing.

"Look, it's working!" The voice replying was Levi's.

More clapping.

"She's not dying!" Another kid exclaimed. There was a pause and then, "Tink, you're okay!"

"Okay, let's try that again. Remember to project and enunciate." The drama instructor walked out on stage to give a few pointers to her kids. "From the top, guys."

"Ugh, again?" Ali grumbled. They'd been through the scene like twenty times already. If the kids weren't ready for the play an hour before curtains up, they would never be ready.