In-front of the Curtain (See me)

[Liam Dalton]

A snow-white hand ran across the thick fabric - soft chuckles lost within the folds of the crimson curtains, before a young man walked through them. He himself was dressed in a black suit with a gray tie. 'Formal Attire Colors' said the card that was inside the box when he opened it. It suited his body perfectly, or how Liam normally preferred them to. It fit his body extremely well, while giving him room to breath, and not show off his fit form underneath. It had always bugged him when people wore suits that had sleeves that barely contained their muscles or fat. Now to the question that would surely be on everyone's mind. Why was he here? There weren't any special events, and no eyes of an awed audience to look at him. There actually wasn't a single living soul beside himself. But that was exactly why! There wasn't anyone around to judge him for what he was about to do. 

Stepping further toward the edge of the stage - his sapphire blue gaze took in each and every seat. As he basked in the lonesome silence, a goofy smile formed on his lips. He pulled his hands out of his pockets with a small grey remote in his left (Something he had snatched from the box of miscellaneous stuff). "It's a little bit to quiet!" He called out to the nonexistent audience as the sentence echoed back to him. In the back of his mind he thanked Arceus that there wasn't anyone else. However, what he was doing, and what he was about to do felt natural, and very familiar. So, pulling up his arm so it was parallel to the floor, his smile spread as he pressed down on the small grey button with a darker triangle on it. His black finger nails blending in.

A moment later music was blaring out of the speakers. Another laugh escaped his lips as he tossed the remote onto chair beside him. Hold on to You by Nate Smith had filled the large room. Then without a second wasted on hesitation he started jumping, spinning, and moving his body to the beat of the music. His head banging up and head causing his white and black hair to whip around in the air. "And my heart's a battle field. And there's a war waging, a storm is raging on. But I won't forgive myself if I fade away gone and forgotten." He sang out with no restraints, and full of passion. His normally quiet, and soft voice replaced by a more familiar one filled with confidence. He probably looked like a fool, but before an audience of zero, or even a million, he didn't care. He hadn't slept in days, and with way to much caffeine surging through his veins he didn't care. The energized boy was lost inside of his own fantasy to hear the thud of the auditorium doors opening and closing. Allowing them to see this other half of Mister Dalton. 
 

[Bridget Shine]

Weeks had gone by since Bridget’s return to the school and she still felt like she was ghost floating through an old life. So many friends where gone and a new generation was taking over the school. Every time she entered a class or slipped down a hall out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw someone. An old friend, a crush, a lover… a piece of her old life that she had built in this hell. A small anchor of sanity in this sea of hopeless chaos. Yet, every time she turned to get a better luck she found herself face to face with disappointment as it was never what she thought it was.

Today was no different than any other. She had already gone through three ghosts and wasn’t sure she could stand another. So, instead of attempting to go to classes that were oh so pointless, she placed in her earbuds and blocked out the world. With her eyes downcast on the ground Bridget wandered the halls, passing people with ease as they couldn’t see her at this point. Cloaking herself had almost become second nature, at in moments like these she was beyond glad that it was that particular gift she had been granted. It made avoiding things all the easier, which provided her mind a small break from her tidal wave of thoughts.

After a short walk around the building she found herself in front of the auditorium doors. A feeling of uneasiness washed over her as she starred at the wooden entrance. While she hadn’t been there many times the moments that had occurred made a lasting impression. Deciding to push past the memories, she ducked inside hoping to find a place to relax for a little. However, the universe seemed to have other plans as someone else’s music threatened to overtake her own. Frowning slightly she pulled her earbuds out and looked to the stage, her eyes landing on a boy with two toned hair.

“Seems I’m late to the show,” She called in hopes to alert the boy to her presence if he hadn’t caught on. She had since dropped her cloak of invisibility and instead leaned against the side of a chair, her arms folding lightly over her sweatshirt. Arriving in jeans, ratty sneakers and an oversized sweatshirt that she stole seemed hardly fitting compared to the mystery boy but she could hardly care. Momentarily she was living in a far off memory that was like a scattered dream. Visions of another boy on stage filled her mind, pulling a soft smile to her lips. “I have to apologize, I’m hardly dressed for the part of a princess but you seem to be pulling of the role of a prince quite well.”

[Liam Dalton]

Remember, remember
Please remember who I use to be
Who am I, who am I
I'm a puppet in their game

The music continued to blast through the speakers at max volume, causing the room to become filled with the voice of Nate Smith. The song of choice was meant to be an original piece for a video game, but for whatever reason, it resonated with Liam in a way he only found in stories. And just like the first time he had read the Arthurian Legends - he unknowingly sheds tears the first couple of time he heard the song. Both of them reminding him of a dear friend whose face he had forgotten. But now, on stage, Liam found himself jumping and spinning the beat of the music. Lost within his own Wonderland. Placing his hands in front of him, like he was holding an invisible mic, he song along to the lyrics as they flowed into his ears. A smile gracing his lips as he opened his eyes for a moment, and noticed that the lighting of the stage was slowly changing. Like the room itself was making his solo concert all the more spectacular. 

And then he looked over the nonexistent crowd, and noticed he had gained an audience of one. Normally, Liam would have frozen up, and probably pass out from embarrassment. But something kept him going. Plus, it helped that the lights shined from behind him. Making the front of his body covered in shadows. "They call us Heartless. Hollow vessels of what we use to be. Don't you forget about me." His voice softening as he sung the last lines of the song. "Now commit this to your memories. Say that we are Nobodies. Only shadows meant to fade, but I can't believe that it's true." His voice sounded so sincere. For this one random girl, Liam poured everything he had into these last couple of lines. "You're a memory I can't lose.... I'll hold onto you..." 

Then the song ended right before the young woman called out to him. The sound of her voice causing a goofy, and shy smile to form on his lips. His face flushing from embarrassment, as he scratched the back of his neck to comfort himself. He opened his mouth to respond, but quickly closed it when the familiar intro to Hey there Delilah started to play.  Reaching over, he grabbed the remote out of the chair, and clicked the bottom to lower the volume so that it was background noise. "I'm afraid you have me mistaken miss." He said in a polite voice. "I am The Beast. Waiting for a beautiful girl to come dance with me." As he spoke, he looked down at her the entire time, his brown contacts covering his original eye color. 

"And if that's true" A pause as he extended his hand towards her. "will you do me the honors." As the words left his mouth the song changed again to Fireflies by Owl City. Playing softly in the background as the shinning lights behind him turned off from the timer, and revealed his full appearance. His black-and-white hair, his tanning pale skin, black fingernails, and his brown contacts covering his original eye color. If she had taken his offer, and got onto the stage, she might even notice them. 

[Bridget Shine]

Normally, it wasn’t Bridget’s style to hang around uninvited. Which was partly causing her to become the schools latest hermit and pro avoider but that didn’t really matter at the moment. She’d worry about her social status some other time, probably. Right now, her attention was captured by a boy masked in shadows as he sang out to a once empty auditorium. He wasn’t the best singer she had ever heard but there was something so genuine behind his voice, something that connected him with the lyrics that flowed around her, that she found herself smiling at his rendition of the song. Part of her wish she heard the entire thing than simply catching the tail end of it.

As she walked closer to the boy, intent on finding out who her mystery singer was, her own smile grew at his shyness. It was a trait that most of the boys in her life lacked and she found the brush of red on his cheeks almost endearing. Her electric gaze ran up and down the boy, there was something oddly familiar about him but she was certain that she had never met him before. She didn’t she had even passed him in the hall before so why was she getting this odd sense of déjà vu as she climbed the steps to the stage. She chalked it up to Hey There Delilah playing in the background, a song she had probably played over a hundred times this week.

“Says the boy dressed to the nine to the girl dressed in rags, this might be a better spin of Aladdin than Beauty and the Beast,” She mused a small smirk coming to her lips as she slowed her pace to the boy. Her eyes ran the length of the deep red curtains to her side, her pale fingers slowly trialing along them as a wistful look came about her. She was caught up in a memory of a silly girl dressed in red and a blonde boy with a sweet smile. Feeling the annoying familiar ache begin to build in her chest she lightly shook her head, ridding herself of the events held so long ago.

Her eyes turned back to the boy as he asked her to dance. Bridget paused a few steps away from him, her hands tucked into her sweatshirt pocket. He held such an odd appearance. Two toned hair, done up nails, lightly sun touched skin, and muddy brown eyes. In an odd way, it all almost went together besides his eyes. They just seemed a bit out of place. Placing a smile on her lips she bent down into a small curtsy, “It’d be my pleasure,” she answered before taking his hand and closing the distance between the two. “Just to inform you, if it had been any other song I would have said no. We have a similar taste in music, apparently.”

[Liam Dalton]

"They call us Heartless. Hollow vessels of what we use to be. Don't you forget about me."

Oh, If only Liam had known the ironic truth that came along with the lyrics he had singing aloud like a doofus. Then he might have sang a different tune to the beautiful girl that stood as his only audience. Captivated by her, Liam stood on the stage with the lights shinning from behind him, as he looked down at the girl. His face masked by the shadows as he sang, to the best of his abilities, to try and impress the girl. While she walked towards him through the much less illuminated showroom floor, but even then her appearance was clear to the boy. Though, it probably helped a bit that he had a giant light shinning in her direction. Let's just say it helped illuminate the woman's natural beauty. 

And with each passing step that the girl took seemed to take longer than the previous. His heart was beating rapidly, and was only quickly picking up the pace.  By the time she had reached the stage he thought the organ was going to explode in his chest. Judging by the way it felt like it was punching the inside of his chest - like a knuckle-sandwich trying to fight it's way through a paper-bag. His face felt so hot that he honestly expected his brains to starting oozing from his ears. Luckily no such thing happened, meaning that he hadn't made a complete fool of himself. "You flatter me miss." Liam said in a polite tone before nodding his head in thanks. Though, he couldn't help the tiny impressed smile that formed on his lips. This girl had quickly twist his Disney line into an even better one. "But if I'm Jasmine... Then Aladdin..." A pause. "You're late!" He said with a genuine laugh before closing the distance between them with a few steps. 

Then after the girl gave him a quick look-over, she agreed to a dance with him. Which meant of course that Liam's heart did a triple back-flip in his chest, the butterflies were going crazy, and he blushed so hard that it looked like he might pass out at any moment. "T-thank you!" He stuttered before giving a small bow in response to the girl's cutesy. "Then I'm grateful that we both have great taste in music." The young man said with a soft chuckle. His hand reaching over to grasp one of her in that familiar hold, and raised it up. His blacken nails in perfect view to show that they weren't painted. His other hand rested gentlemanly on her upper waist as they started their small dance.  

And then as if on the cue, the light started to dim to help create a more romantic environment, and from the windows little orbs floated into the room. Seeming to gather around the duo as they danced. With even one brave firefly landing on their intertwined fingers. Though, Liam's expression formed into one that was bit more confused, but he didn't dare let something so harmless interrupt his evening. "Did you enjoy the show?" He question - smiling again though there now seemed to be a wisp of sadness in his eyes.