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I fell in love with theatre when I was young.
It was spring and my mother brought me to a play.
And a story of a star and a tree unfolded before my eyes.
The lights sparkled, the clothes twirled, the sounds lingered.
But more than that, the actors dazzled with their song and dance.
The magic of their performance rendered me speechless.
“Oh, Coco… I’m so proud of you,” her mother says tearfully, “my beautiful daughter is setting off to high school already!”
The girl smiles at her mother’s praise, basking in her love as she is held in in a tight hug. Muffled in her mother’s shoulder, she responds: “I couldn’t have done it without you, mom.”
Her mom laughs wetly, “of course, it’s my job to support you.”
She releases Coco from the hug but holds onto her still. Her eyes take in her daughter, taking a good look at her before kissing her forehead.
“Oh look at you, Coco, so big already, you were just at my waist a few moments ago now, you’re all the way up my shoulder,” her mother gushes as she orients both of them in front of the mirror.
“And I’ll keep growing! I’m just 14, mom, soon I’ll be a head taller than you!” Coco boasts, going up on her tippy toes as she looks at her mirror image.
“You should get going in a bit, you’ll be late if you stay here any longer,” her mom tells her fondly, separating from her while giving her a soft pat in the cheek.
“I’ll leave in a bit,” Coco answers, laughing brightly as she holds onto her mother’s hands.
The young girl looks at herself in front of the mirror, appreciating her uniform one final time. It was rather simple—black skirt, white button up, black blazer and a simple pink bow adorning her collar—but the happiness it brought her was anything but. It was a symbol of her hard work and a step closer to the realization of her dream.
With a satisfied smile, she grabs her bag and gets ready to leave.
“I’ll see you later, mom,” Coco bids her goodbye as she puts on her shoes.
“Stay safe and keep out of trouble, I’ll have your favorite dinner ready by the time you get back,” her mother responds.
Coco smiles even brighter at that, “I’m looking forward to it!”
She arrives just in time. Er, well, not really. She arrives at the entrance ceremony before anything has begun but everyone is already in their respective places. She gets ushered by an oddly familiar black-haired man, who she presumes was a teacher. She’s not sure why the man was so familiar, but before she could ask who he was, the national anthem played. And thus, the entrance ceremony formally began.
Honestly, as much as Coco is excited for her life in high school to begin, especially given how much work she put in to even get to this class, she could barely really pay attention to everything that is happening. The names of her peers blew past her and even the principal’s message went in one ear and out the other. Her mind is just filled with disbelief and happiness.
She tries to shake herself out of it, pinching herself awake from her giddiness. And when she does, she sees a girl with black hair and purple eyes take the stage. Coco takes a sharp intake of breath. This is the girl that ranked the best in their entrance exams, the girl who would probably be the lead in this year’s play. Their eyes meet, and for a few moments that felt like eternity, purple lingers onto gold. But, it ends within a second and the girl begins her speech. The only proof it ever happened was the pink that graced Coco’s cheeks.
Coco tries, she really does, to listen to what the representative says. But seeing her just sends her back to the giddiness she tried so hard to repel mere moments ago. Before her is someone with so much glimmer in her eyes and drive in her soul; and all around her people who have the same love for the stage as she did. She really did get into the most prestigious school for stage actresses.
Before she knows it, the entrance ceremony ends.
“Welcome to Seisho Music Academy’s stage production track,” the familiar black-haired man from before tells the students. “I’m Olruggio and I will be your homeroom teacher for the year.”
Olruggio… Olruggio… The name itches Coco’s brain. She knows that name, she’s heard it time and time again. She tries to remember but her memory fails her.
“People don’t realize it but stage production is just as important to the performance as the actors are. But, I’m sure this is something you all know as you have chosen this track,” Olruggio continues on, “by the end of the year, you would be working with the actor training department to produce your very own play. You will create the very stage they would stand on, and the very weapons they would come to wield. While the two classes may very well have different roles and specialties, we are all connected by our love for the stage.”
Coco sees the fondness in Olruggio’s eyes as he speaks. She sees the glimmer sparkle and dance within it.
She smiles, agreeing with every word he has said, but it was bittersweet. There is a pang in her chest as she thinks of the stage, and how she wishes she could stand there as well.
Coco doesn’t know where she is. Just a little while ago, she was following a cat along the hallways. It had a collar, and it seemed lost. So, Coco wanted to help. Yet somehow, she finds herself in an elevator that wasn’t even supposed to exist. As far as she knows, Seisho didn’t have elevators. There weren’t really enough floors in the school buildings to need an elevator. And yet, here she was. In an elevator. Going down.
When the doors finally open, they reveal to her a stage as far as the eye can see and two girls fighting with a lance and dagger in the middle of it all. Their movements were a blur of black, pink, and green.
“Huh…?” Coco mumbles, stepping out reluctantly from the elevator.
And she falls.
.
.
.
(As she plummets, the lights blind her, fabric covers her, and the sounds deafen her.)
.
.
.
She lands.
The two girls that were ways away from her when she entered this space were suddenly within arms reach, and they were staring at her in shock.
“A new variable has come into play…” A voice from beyond the stage announces with gravitas. The girls face the origin of the voice but come to see only a faint figure of a person with a mask. “Welcome, Coco from the 99th class of stage production. Welcome to the revue of passion!”
.
.
.
The black-haired girl whips her head from the voice to Coco, and with barely disguised anger she speaks, “you aren’t supposed to be here.”