My Personal Hell, D. Richardson [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

the floor seats. But I had wanted to be able to get back stage. I was actually just about to stand when the lights went out.

“Ladies and Gentleman, again we welcome you…to the Last Stand,” the voice was male, though not one I could recognize.

The curtain rose, and several lights turned on behind a group of people casting them in shadows. None of them were recognizable until the music started. Then Christine of all people was lit up as she started to sing. I didn’t recognize the song.

Then as the song continued several of the dancers in the back, still covered in shadow, started to move subtly. And a girl I recognized as the dance team captain was lit up. She had a powerful voice. And then the world fell away as Becca gripped my arm.

Ailith was next, moving in the center of the other two. Then the lights above the stage shown casting all of them in light. They all moved as one, though doing different things. Some young men showed up out of the shadows around center stage, dancing with the girls. While several dancers who didn’t have partners did acrobatics in the back ground.

When the song was over, the curtain fell. I sat there stunned. Ailith was a part of this the entire time. I was willing to bet that I knew who was behind it all now. She just did not know when to back down. Less than two minutes later the curtain rose again. This time the stage looked completely different. For instance it actually looked like a stage.

It rose up higher than it had been before, and instead of a large group of people it was just a band. I recognized Jake on the guitar, though I couldn’t honestly say that seeing him was a surprise. He and Ailith were practically inseparable.

Jake wasn’t the one singing however, that was a young man I didn’t know. When it was over, the curtains dropped again. And yet again, the lights went out. I could feel the anticipation building in the room. Everyone else was enjoying themselves, including Aaron and Aidan.

Then a spotlight switched on, but it wasn’t on the stage, it was at the back of the room. I turned and looked up just as Christine made her second appearance. She sang wonderfully, though the song was a bit upbeat.

A second spotlight glared at the opposite aisle. A girl I didn’t know was singing the second first. They moved down the steps as they sang, doing small dance moves here and there. They did a lot with their shoulders. Ailith started down with her own bit. When all three made it down to the bottom the curtain rose with a group of girls doing the same moves. All of them were in sync, despite the distance and the their sudden appearance. The audience around me was moving with them to a certain extent.

At the very end, the three girls stood on the railing that separated the seats from the stage. When the music stopped they all did back flips onto the stage, and the curtain dropped.

When the curtain rose again it was a normal stage just as before. Only this time Jake was singing. When the curtain dropped again I stopped taking stock of the performers and instead focused on the performance itself. So far it had been really tasteful.

But when the curtain rose I had to remember to breath. Three large staircases sat on the stage, all elegantly decorated. One on each side and one in the back. All of them stopped about ten feet from the railing. Several girls dressed as ballerinas made their way around the stairs. All keeping time with the music.

Then Christine showed up at the top of the staircase to the right. She was dressed in an elegant gown with a small tiara perched atop her head. As she sang the first verse as she made her way down slowly, more girls dressed similarly to her followed her down, all moving to accent her body language.

Stacey sang the second part, though she was dressed in a leotard, much like the ballerina’s that still littered the stage. Then Ailith made her appearance, on the middle stair case. She wasn’t dressed as a princess, or a dancer, she wore an all black outfit, complete with combat boots. She looked like a fighter, as did the girls following her down the stairs.

When they all three reached the bottom landing, that was still a few feet off the floor, they moved with the dancers. Until the last part, where they looked out to the audience, as though they were speaking the words specifically to all of the girls watching them. When the curtain fell, applause erupted. Becca was on her feet, wiping at tears that traced down her cheeks.

Next was a group of girls surrounded by people with various images. They were dressed as though they were from the lower part of society and sang. The next several songs went the same way. A big performance, followed by a small one. After the smaller group it was a song sung by a whole group of the teenagers, Ailith included though she played a smaller part in that one.

After that it was a song by a smaller shy looking girl. Next was a more powerful performance this one was done by Ailith with several dancers and singers backing her up. I’d never seen someone display such energy and passion on stage.

The night progressed with a song performed by a heavier set girl with a guitar. Then another performance by Ailith, with several other dancers. After that Jake and his band performed. All of this I knew because I finally opened my program. Then something changed. The curtain rose but no one was on the stage. Instead a voice came over the speakers.

“We all have a dream. Something we want beyond anything else,” the voice was male, I believed it was Jake, but the speech was taken up by his sister.

“But we struggle. We work so hard just for someone to tell us that we can’t.” Ailith picked it up after her.

“They tell us it’s impossible. So we rewrite the definition of impossible.” Another female voice took over.

“While you watch this, think to yourself. What is it that you’ve always wanted, that other’s told you was impossible. Hold that dream in your mind. Just take it, one step at a time.” The music started and the entire stage filled with dancers. Moving to the sound as though they breathed it in, and made it their own.

When they got to the end a giant screen descended, showing words across the black screen. ‘I want to be’ and then they all started to hold up signs, starting from the back and making their way forward. The first one said, professional NFL player, and then Surgeon, professional ballerina, and so on and so forth, until it reached Ailith at the front. I could have sworn that she looked directly at me when she lifted her sign above her head. ‘ME’. The curtain dropped and the entire audience seemed to be in deep contemplation.

According to the program it was now the intermission. I took my opportunity. I wanted to find out exactly what Ailith was thinking while she was setting all of this up. I made my way back to the lobby and then down one of the hallways. I took a left at a set of stair cases and followed the nearly deserted hallway towards the sounds of busy people.

I emerged into a well lit section of an area behind the side curtains. Teenager were running everywhere, all of them doing this and that. As I moved closer I could see several of the stronger young men maneuvering large props. Everyone seemed to have a job.

“Sir, you can’t be back here,” a scrawny boy said, holding his arms out as if to physically stop me. He had a head set on, and could barely keep his eyes focused on me. He pressed a button at his ear. “I need some security over here.” Then he turned back to me. “I’m sorry, Sir, but this section of the theater is closed until after the performance is over.” I was about to brush past the weakling when I spotted a head of blonde hair.

“Jen?” I asked, outrage filling me instantly. She looked up from the girl standing in front of her. It looked like she was adjusting her clothes.

“Oh, hey Dad,” she called back, immediately going back to her task. I looked around and saw Camilla standing in front of yet another girl, doing something to her face. She looked up when she felt me staring at her and gave a half hearted wave accompanied by a genuine smile. Neither one seemed the least bit affected by the fact that they were going directly against me, and had been for months.

I spotted Ailith in the back, directing several more teenagers to different tasks. I started to make my way over to her. Determined to find out what the hell was going on, but Dalton was suddenly in my way.

“You too?” I asked, at least he had the decency to glance away.

“I’m sorry, Sir, and I swear you will get an explanation, just not until the night is over. We really can’t afford for you to be back here.”

“I’m taking Ailith out of here, good luck with your performance,” I sneered, but he smirked at me.

“She thought you might try something like that. That’s why this whole thing is set up to keep going even if she isn’t here.” I growled at him. “Look, I’ll except my punishment for disobeying you, we all will, but this runs much deeper than you. The show will go on with or without her, but it’ll be a hell of a lot better with her in it.

“Besides, you‘ll get a much better chance to get to her once all of this is done. Because to be honest, we‘re really not willing to lose her just yet. And she‘ll go with you willingly once it‘s done. With Ailith you really can‘t get a better deal than that.” I had calmed down while he spoke. They all seemed willing to take any punishment for all of this. I figured I might as well see what they’ve been up too. So I nodded, turned and went back to my seat. Just as the curtain rose again.

This one was a simple band performance, though I didn’t recognize any of the performers. It was smooth song, and oddly enough I enjoyed it. Stacey performed the one after that with a group of dancers. Ailith was no where to be seen among them.

The next song was sung by a heavy set girl. I found it beautiful and she really seemed to feel strongly for the song. Then it was Jake’s band with Christine and Ailith on a seemingly normal stage. Another one was performed by a small girl with a big voice. And then the lights shut off completely again.

When a light came back on it shown directly on Ailith. The stage was different, half of it had been raised nearly to the ceiling, all in a long line. When the song started she was just standing on the floor, but as it progressed, she started to rise, right in front of us. The song picked up, she was still going up, when suddenly people started coming down.

I heard several screams as the audience reacted, only to gasp when they didn’t hit the floor and instead bounced back up, doing incredible acrobatics in the air. When she finally made it to the top, the song reached it’s climax and as she let herself fall backward off her platform. I was on my feet. But just like the others, she didn’t hit the ground, she bounced back up spinning, twirling, flipping, all of it was breathtaking. Until she reached up, grabbed the rope