From One To Ten (Sanders Sides Adopt)

Chapter 2

Rayne's POV

Show #1 done! It's the next day, and the last show will start in about 10 minutes. 

"Hey Ray, Maisy Myer's Orphanage came! It looks like they were invited by Ms. Evergreen from the organization we're supporting!" Someone from behind me said, walking up to stand next to me.

"That's amazing Ava!" I replied, sounding excited but feeling more nervous because Aspen starting freaking out in my mind, "Are you ready, Lydia Deetz?"

"Never been more prepared in my life, and excited. What about you, Ghost With The Most?" Ava replied smiling wide.

"Get into character babes, we can't have an overexcited and energetic Lydia at her mother's funeral, can we? Don't forget about the couch babes, you almost missed last time. I'm doing well, nothing can stop me, well, maybe the Maitlands kindness, that can kill any mood," I complained playfully.

Just then the lights when down and we prepared to start, Ava leaving me to go to the stage to start.

The Prologue song went well, I forgot that I had to start on the opposite side of the stage, so I had to quickly and silently run around the whole theatre and stay hidden from people, but I made it just in time, and I didn't sound out of breath, partly due to my intense and frequent vocal training, which is great.

I had a lot of fun during the first act, I made the audience laugh as well as developing my character well, and having a ton of fun during it.

During intermission, I went to my dressing room, which had been mine for years. All of the productions that our studio does have been in the same theatre for as long as I can remember. I joined the studio when I was 3, one of the kids at the orphanage went there and decided to take me along one day because I was so interested. I was cast in my first production when I was 4, and the dressing room I had then is the one I used now, cause I float from production to production so frequently. The longest break I've taken from being in any production is a month, so there's no use in giving up my dressing room for someone else to use. Sometimes I'm even in multiple productions at once, but that's the way I like things to be.

When I got inside my dressing room, I locked the door and let my sides come out, and since my dressing room is soundproof, mostly, we could talk normally.

"So, how do you guys think the first act went and what should we do differently for the second act?" I asked, genuinely wanting advice.

"Well, I think that was one of the best first acts that you've ever had," Claire said, everyone nodding in agreement, "Char, you're up, the second act is more your style."

"Thanks, Clay," Char says, turning her attention to the matter at hand, "You need to be more energetic and aggressive, more malicious too. More convincing and maybe make your gravelly voice stand out a bit more, put more emphasis in it, more excitement, especially for That Beautiful Sound and My Creepy Old Guy. And honestly, just have fun."

Everyone agreed and wished me good luck. Then everyone left except for Claire and Char, who stayed to help me touch up my makeup before I went out again.

Once my makeup was done, Char and Claire wished me good luck again and left before I unlocked the door and opened it, almost running into Ava.

"What do you need, mi amiga?" I asked.

"We're doing a cast meeting before the second act," Ava said, grinning.

A grin popped up on my face and I said,

"Race you there!" 

I left her in the dust, making her struggle to catch up. I won, but barely. We were the last people there, and when we arrived they started. We said a prayer, just like we did before it started. Then my instructor, the director of the musicals, Mrs. Kline, and she talked to us and encouraged us to go on. And then the lights dimmed once more and the second act started. 

The second act went extremely well, and the audience seemed to love it. When we did our bows, I did something that Alex Brightman did once. I ran over to Parker, who played Adam Maitland, and I picked him up by the waist, making everyone laugh while I partially carried him offstage and put him down right before we did. What made it so funny, was that Wren, who played Barbara Maitland, played along and said in character, 

"Give me back my husband!" 

Which was also true in real life, since Parker and Wren were married, and they went to the studio and were residents at the studio. They lived there and helped teach along with audition for shows. We were well acquainted. Part of why I auditioned and agreed to play this role is because I knew the other people in it better and they made me feel more comfortable. This show was way out of my comfort zone, I had never done anything like it. It was hard to play a guy with a gravelly voice that is not at all like your own, like first of all, I'm a teenage girl and he is a few centuries old man. 

But I'm glad that I accepted the role, it was a lot of fun and it was one of my favorite musicals that I had been apart of. And there's also the fact that it's for a good cause.

I haven't taken a day off in over 5 years, I practically work at the studio, not just study there. I do workshops and private lessons for younger people since I can use what was hard for me and help them out. I've also been to meetings where the instructors and higher up people decide what they want to do for musicals, plays, classes, some workshops, things like that.

I couldn't think that my life would ever be much different from how it was now. And oh boy, how I was so wrong.