“Yeah, she’s recording the show tonight, and she thought you might want a copy for yourself. You could use it for a reel, or show it to your dad––”

“Oh… Umm. Thanks for offering, but no I don’t really need it.”

It was quiet for a moment between the two sisters, Nellie felt a need to end the silence. 

“Well, I’ll see you on stage. Let’s kill it with this premiere, yeah?”

“For sure.” With so much to look forward to, Yuève’s excitement was as blatant as her own, “And after, the Meteor Shower!”

Nellie smiled once more at the thought of what she would experience that night, standing beside her friends. She saw herself in the outskirts of town with Max, Yuève, and Raul all around her. They were jumping up and down, arms stretched skyward, with eyes to the cosmos as a mantle of stars gave way to a shower of golden meteors, each one streaking the sky with musae power. Maybe Fire? No Lightning, like Armani Reem herself. 

She gave Yuève a high five and left through the door into a dark stage. There were more actors there now, running about, reciting lines in frantic whispers. Nellie greeted them with a nod and moved through velvety curtains towards the front. 

Max’s familiar sunset lighting warmed the director all over as the students rehearsing Scene 1 greeted her. Her cast was ready. She felt a growing wave of confidence as she eyed the scene before her and moved to center stage. “Okay guys, show starts in an hour. We have time for one last scene before doors open so I need actors for the Nairax attack now. This is the second biggest setup in the play guys, let’s go!”

Her crew scattered to prepare for the big battle number. Nellie moved to her spot as well, shouting final directions to anyone she saw on the way, “Just the actors. Stagehands stay back, we don’t have time to alter sets.” She reached into her back pocket and drew Max’s lighting remote. Above them, the colors of dusk faded to the black of night before they finally settled on the stormy skies of Scene 4. Nellie grinned, the device really was easy to use. 

With everything set, the director called for her lead, “Gabi, you’re up!”

No response. 

The other students glanced around expectantly, but their lead actress was nowhere to be found. 

Everyone knew Gabi. She could sing and dance. She was an absolute wiz at school, and she knew how to get along with anyone: parents and teachers, jocks, music nerds, and any other clique one could think of. She wasn’t a snob either but she was the type of person who knew how to get everything she wanted –many in the cast questioned whether she really deserved the lead role– but you couldn’t hate her for it. She was nice and friendly, even when others found her eccentricity off putting. 

And though Gabi would prove to be a tough actress to work with, Nellie had helped select her as their lead for a few reasons: she had tremendous confidence for one, which would no doubt trickle down to the rest of the cast; and two, Gabi shared Nellie's passion for the project and would never let anything go wrong. 

Which was why Nellie had trusted her to be back on time when Gabi had told the crew that her STARS Scholarship proposal was scheduled to start at the same time as their final rehearsals. She had been struggling for so long to come up with an adequate thesis for it that Nellie felt relieved for her now that it was happening. But it had been almost an hour now. There was no way Gabi's pitch could have lasted this long. 

Nellie let out an exasperated breath. Why was all of this happening on opening day? She started backstage and radioed her assistant director, "Heather, you're in charge again. I need to find Gabi."

She made a beeline for the girls' dressing room, asking actors and crew alike if they had seen their lead anywhere. Most were unsure. Others stared at her blankly, fearing that something had gone wrong with less than an hour to spare before the show opened. But Nellie was quick to snuff out any suspicions. “I just need everyone in costume. Heather’s calling for our final meeting in twenty.” She continued, catching sight of a door plastered with bright stickers and all sorts of crazy decals when it swung open suddenly and a girl rushed out, half-dressed in the royal drapes of warrior queen Armani Reem. 

Nellie ran to stop her. “Mabel!”

The girl jumped, her uptilted eyes startled. “Nellie! Sorry, Heather said that they need me back on stage ASAP.” She was so tense that it seemed a crime to have stopped to talk to her. But Nellie couldn’t blame her. As Gabi’s understudy, she’d had the least time out of anyone to practice her significant amount of lines.  “I would’ve been in costume already but Gabi said she was on her way back–”

“She texted you? When?”

“Like ten minutes ago? I’m not sure.” Mabel paused, frowning. The indigo beam of a spotlight-drone spilled onto her face as it darted backstage in search of its docking station. “She should’ve been back by now.”

“Tell me about it.” Nellie huffed and after a moment, continued gently, “You’re doing great Mabel. Go on and get us through these last few scenes.” 

Mabel nodded and hurried off, reciting the beginning stanzas of the Diamond Bolt’s soliloquy, “Summer promises fall, and with that I offer you the spark to change the rest of our lives…”  Nellie stared after her, unable to hold back a growing sense of dread. Gabi, where are you? 

Her gaze drifted up at the lighting booth. 

If Gabi’s STARS proposal had ended some ten minutes ago, then Max should be starting his Q&A with the test moderators any second now. But wait– Nellie blinked. The lights in the lighting booth were on. Was she seeing the right thing? Everyone was getting ready for the premiere, the booth should be empty.

“Max?” She said, reaching for her headset.

There was static, then no response.

Nellie frowned and tried again. He couldn’t be back already from his proposal, could he? She whirled, making for a staircase of black metal. It wound tightly up to the ceiling, where a walkway gave them access to the top of the lighting rigs and theater curtains. The stairway was only to be used to access the catwalk and booth on the far side of the auditorium, but the cast had taken a liking to the space and often loitered there between scenes. 

She found Raul and Yuève near the top. They were in costume, swords drawn, hacking at one another like the rivals of ancient clans. Raul had donned the black and violet armor of the Anurian soldiers, representing his king with a broadsword that gleamed with the colors of a dozen different stage lights. His sister, backed onto the stairs like a rouge without an escape route, did her best to keep him at bay.

“It’s over Yuè, I have the high ground.”

She scoffed, pointing a golden scimitar at his chest, “You underestimate my skill.”

Raul furrowed his brow, “Don’t try–”

“Guys!” Nellie’s call was forceful enough to stop them. She asked about Gabi and Max after they’d greeted her, but neither sibling had heard from their younger brother or the show’s lead. 

“So who’s in the light booth?” Yuève asked, stealing a glance towards the back of the second floor balcony. They had an excellent view from up on the catwalks and could make out two silhouettes lurking inside.

“Not sure,” murmured Raul, “But I hope that we’re not walking into anything we’ll regret.” He addressed them in turn, looking serious. “Nellie, go ahead down the catwalk. Yuè and I will meet you on the balcony.”

Yuève sheathed her blade, nodding. “Good thinking, they can't run if we flank the balcony doors.”

Nellie worried at her lip, unsure. She couldn't decide if she was overthinking or if it was weird that her friends had found such sudden pleasure in the situation at hand, as if it were some sort of whimsical mystery to solve. She didn't want to remind them of how dire this was for the play. But she couldn't blame them; the Instruments were set to arrive in just a few hours, there couldn't be a more exciting day. 

“Try giving Gabi a call,” Nellie said. “She might pick up for you, Yuè.”

Raul and Yuève had already started down the stairs, but she raised a thumbs up in confirmation before they disappeared. Nellie paused and drew her breath before she turned back to the catwalk. It featured two branching paths at the top; one that ran above the stage for access to the ropes and pulleys controlling the curtains; while the other path stretched across the auditorium, over the balcony and lower hall, and ended with a ladder to reach the lighting booth from above. 

Nellie started down the perilous walkway, but she hadn't made it more than a couple steps when a door opened on the second floor and a figure darted inside between the rows of pews. She saw the silhouette stop and pull a phone from their pocket – it was ringing, illuminating the dark balcony for a brief second – before the mysterious figure declined the call and entered the light booth. Nellie was too far away to make out any details other than ribbons of dark hair. 

. . .

Max shifted in his seat, brushing the sweat from his brow. He'd been flipping through the script for the last couple of minutes, fighting back tears as he scoured for the scenes that the others were rehearsing on stage. 

“Buddy, are you sure you're okay?” Miguel asked, looming over him. He'd been there ever since Max had returned to the auditorium, minacious in the dressings of King Anuris. “Tonight's the big night. I need you to be focused.”

Max nodded, unable to reply. The moment he opened his mouth, he would break down, he knew it deep inside. He was trying to keep it out of mind, to do his job and concentrate on the play, but there was no way to avoid the weight on his heart, no way to escape the fact that his proposal had been a complete and utter failure. 

A little over three minutes had passed before the row of moderators had stopped him mid-presentation and drained all hope he’d had at winning the STARS Scholarship. It was clear what had happened from the questions they were asking – someone had already pitched his idea – but Max was left speechless, so stricken that he couldn’t even muster a peep in reply. In the end, the moderators felt sorry enough for him that they gave him till four o’clock to propose another project, it didn’t have to be original, just something that would make him stand out.

The only problem was that the play opened at 4:00.

And Nellie needed him. If the rest of the crew was breathing down her back like Miguel was pestering him, then he had to stay and help. The meteors were coming that night anyway, and that would help him feel better. Hopefully. 

Swoosh!

The sound of a door opening jarred him from his thoughts. He jumped out of his seat and turned to catch Gabi sliding inside the lighting booth. 

“Babe!” 

Miguel moved to greet her, but Gabi paid him no mind. The venomous furrow of her brows, the outraged scowl on her lips, the murderous intent in her eyes, were all trained on Max. “I THOUGHT I told you not to go to your proposal. We needed you here for rehearsals!”

 Max blinked, shocked out of his stupor. “Huh?”

“Sorry babe,” Miguel pleaded hurriedly. “But he was gone already when I saw your text. And Nellie–”

She hissed an ‘I don’t wanna hear it’ to cut him short and whirled the full-force of her anger on Max. “And you –” Max staggered back, keenly aware of the open hatch above him. If worse came to worst he could try to make a run for the catwalks. 

Gabi persisted. “You knew today was huge for us! If you weren’t going to be committed to this show then why did you even sign up?”

At that, Max raised an eyebrow. “You’re the one who’s been gone this whole time. Besides, Nellie and I talked about it, I would’ve been back by now.”

“You weren’t even supposed to go!” Gabi shoved the scrawnier Max backwards and into a wall of cables. Crash! He crumpled to the ground. Gabi didn't seem to care. She continued, all but seething her next words,“The STARS Scholarship is mine!”

Miguel took a step closer and the room shrunk in size. He was massive; a brute with wide shoulders, tall limbs, and a strength that took little to no effort to maintain. He flashed a warning towards Max and barricaded the door. In his costume he seemed a king, pressed to bring an unruly subject to heel in order to save them from themselves. 

Gabi crossed her arms. “Honestly Max, how dare you.”

“Wait…” Max reached for his glasses. Gabi had been claiming herself winner of the STARS Scholarship for close on a month now. But not once had she mentioned what her thesis would be. She may have aced the exam portion but from what Max and his friends knew, she still hadn't come up with a project for the STARS moderators. He remembered the couple of times that Gabi had pestered him about skipping the proposal, but he hadn't thought much of it. To him it had seemed like a series of friendly jest, a joke or two for the sake of competition, but the pain from her attack had now urged him to reconsider.