perfect places.

Mari felt uneasy, to say the least. Standing in front of the doors of the theater, she was desperately trying to encourage herself to walk inside and just get rehearsals over with. She knew that everybody must be waiting for her at this point and if Elijah was around she might as well get a speech about being a valuable part of the team and if she couldn’t handle it she needed to step down. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand how important the play was for the people inside, but she could still hear her ex-boyfriend’s words ring in her ears, filling her brain with poison. Mari hadn’t expected to actually earn of the main roles. When she first auditioned she had done it with her ex and was aiming for one of the smaller roles. It was him who convinced her that it would be a good idea for their resume and that their school peers would admire them for being so progressive. It would only help their popularity and it would ultimately score them the crowns at prom. But then he didn’t show up. And dumped her when Mari refused to give up the role, even though she would have to play a lesbian. How could he possibly agree with his girlfriend being painted as gay? It would make him look like a beard. 

Firmly pushing the memories out of her head, she let out a long sigh. It was silly to still be hung up on it. She just… needed to get on with her life. Move on. What kind of badass was she when she was still mourning a terrible relationship? She has already cut her hair to a bob. Now it was time to embrace her new life. Licking her lips and drawing in a deep breath, Mari hesitated briefly before pushing the doors open and heading walking right ahead. She ignored the looks of everyone, those who are staring at her because she was late or because she looked so different after she got rid of her long, straight hair. Instead, she kept her gaze on Irene and Marie at the center of the stage. “Sorry that I’m late. Won’t happen again.” Mari spoke clearly, devoid of any emotion but a certain fierceness. “I remember us talking about today being about getting a feel of our characters and their relationship, right? Practicing a few scenes, analyzing, discussing. Where do we want to start?” She asked before finally turning to Irene and instinctively feeling a small smile curling up her lips. Mari couldn’t really explain it, but looking at her just kind of made her feel a little better. She had no idea as to why, but it made all of it so much easier and she was glad for it.

Being part of a revolutionary new play was exactly the type of adventure Irene was looking for when she ran away from home. She was tired of the same city, where she knew every corner and nothing was a surprise anymore. She was tired of the expectations placed on her by her dad, who was a reputed high school principal, and her mom, who was a research scientist known around the state of Illinois. Irene knew she was destined for a great future — however, not the type her parents pictured. Above everything, she wanted adventure. She didn’t want to limit herself by deciding on a career path she wasn’t sure about. She needed to explore, but she knew her parents wouldn’t allow her the liberty necessary to achieve what she set her mind to. She left them a letter explaining what she wished, and told them not to bother looking for her. She would come back whenever she would decide on settling down, but until then, searching for her would be useless. She wouldn’t stay in one place. Five months had passed since she left, and not once did she regret her decision. Auditioning for the play was another decision she made because of her life purpose of not letting opportunities pass by. She didn’t know if she wanted to become an actress, but she would try. She didn’t expect to get the role, but she didn’t complain when she did. She was excited to discover where the new project would bring her. 

Showing up to the first day of rehearsals, Irene was in awe with the atmosphere. The theater was filled with passionate people, and she couldn’t feel prouder to participate in the project. While she was waiting for her counterpart to show up, she discussed details of the first act with the director of the play. Irene was aware that she was chosen because of her talent and the way she embodied the character, but she still needed more clarification. She didn’t want to disappoint. Hearing the door open, she didn’t pay much attention to the new arrival — until she heard her voice. Turning towards Mari, she was surprised to see she had cut her hair. A smile appeared on her lips. The hairstyle suited her. Hearing her inquiry, she looked towards Marie, who repeated what she told her earlier. They would start with the first two scenes of the first act, discussing improvements as they went. Another smile appeared on her lips instinctively as she considered Mari. “You girls should get to know each other while I’ll go check if everyone is ready,” Marie said, leaving as soon as Irene nodded her head. “Come on, girlfriend.” The smile hadn’t left Irene’s lips as she headed towards the bench placed in the middle of the scene. Although that would have normally brought too much attention to them, everyone was too focused on what they had to do to care about them. Sitting down, she stared at Mari. “The new hairstyle looks great on you,” she said. That wasn’t what she meant to say, though. She didn’t know why she didn’t voice her thoughts, which was why she rectified the compliment. “You look beautiful.” Offering her a smile, she considered what Marie asked. They needed to know each other better before they started acting as if they were girlfriends. “Why were you late today?” Irene felt as if that was a good place to start with.

Odessa had always been an early bird. When she was still living with her family who tried to limit her in any possible way, she got up hours before the sun would rise to work on the computer or her own little inventions. As long as she could actually remember, she had been obsessed with technology. Everything new that came on the market had a way of capturing her attention and leaving her to explore it to the best of her ability. Maybe it had something to do with the way her family belittled her interests and claimed that girls couldn’t do that because technical stuff is for boys. However she was always intrigued how these things worked, putting it apart and then building it together before using it like she was the one invented it. Odessa was proud to have found something she was truly skilled at and as her family soon felt less and less like family and more like the best friends of her actual parents like they actually are she allowed herself to jump into unknown seas. To this day she wasn’t always taken serious for her talent, but she blocked out their voices like she didn’t hear them. Often enough she just put on her biggest headphones and drowned out the world. Odessa was the one who got the last laugh after all — she got hired to be the technical manager of a newly anticipated play and she would show them all.

However as something broke during yesterday’s rehearsals, Odessa didn’t wait around the theater until it was time like usually and instead went int. She might be an hour early, but she didn’t really expect anyone to be here anyways. Listening to one of the new songs on the radio currently, she startled as her eyes settled on Marie’s figure. She could see that her lips were moving, so she quickly pulled off her headphones and gave the director of the play a faint smile. They hardly ever talked, for one because they just started with rehearsals and also because Odessa rarely talked in general. It felt like whenever she dared to open up about herself people judged her on her high intelligence and potential unusual interests or even dared to mention that they rather want her to play a part in the play if she mentioned it. She wasn’t an actress. And nobody seemed to really understand that there was a lot going on inside of her head. “Sorry for sneaking up on you.” She finally interrupted her own thoughts. “There was a small issue yesterday that I still need to fix. It’s not a big deal or anything like that, but I hardly want to forget about it until we actually need it.” Pausing, Odessa shifted her weight from one feet to the other slightly, trying to ignore the music that still softly filled the air. “I bet I’m not even suppose to be around given that technical things happen way later in the game, but I rather be prepared. Show some of the newbies how they work in their specific area. That stuff.” Rubbing her arm awkwardly, she coughed a little. How do people do the whole small talk business again? “Are you always this early?”

Upon discovering the person who had entered the theater, Marie’s first instinct was to smile. She had met the whole team in the first few days, and while she managed to grasp the personality of some of them, there were some she didn’t have more than one conversation with. Odessa was part of the second category. Marie had gotten enough time to have her first impression of the people she would work with for the following year and she had noticed how quiet the one in front of her was. She was glad to hear her voice again. “It’s alright,” Marie assured her. “I was stuck in my own mind, it’s not really your fault.” Listening to her answer, she nodded her head in acknowledgment. The words further confirmed another characteristic she observed about her — she was hard-working. “I appreciate your initiative — and I second that. Even if it’s that early in the rehearsals, the sooner we pay attention to the details the better.” She didn’t tell her, but part of the reason she was such a perfectionist was because she needed to prove people what she was capable of. Not only to her ex fiance, but to her parents too. They believed she was wrong for taking on the play, and Marie refused to believe them. She would prove them she made the right choice.

A smile appeared on her features as she heard her question. “Yeah, I prefer to be here before anyone else. Helps me think of possible improvements,” although that was part of the truth, it wasn’t everything. Ever since she broke up with her fiance, she attempted to occupy most of her time. She hated how lonely she felt in her new apartment, when she should have been sharing her life with the one she loved. She didn’t regret her decision, but loneliness had a certain way of feeling like she was to blame for her situation. She wasn’t good enough, which was why he cheated on her. She didn’t forgive him, which was why she was alone. She knew she wasn’t as fault. She couldn’t have done anything to prevent him from sleeping with someone else, but her perspective changed when she was sad — which explained why she avoided those thoughts whenever she could. “How are you feeling about the project so far? Everything going well?” The question was spoken regarding what she had observed in the past days. She knew some people had more difficulties fitting in with a new group than she did, and she wanted to make sure everyone felt included. Marie strongly believed working together and getting along with each other was important.

The play was more important than all of the ones she had worked on in the past. While she was nervous, Marie didn’t let her mind wander to the doubts and insecurities. She knew she was capable of making the best version of the script there would be. Marie would make sure the play would be the critics’ main attention, as well as assure the impact would last for at least a year — and at the rate the play was getting attention, she had no doubts she would achieve what she set her mind to. Sitting down on the stairs leading to the scene, she regarded the seats, imagining how she would feel when people would fill them. One inevitable question appeared inside her mind — would he be there? She immediately felt disappointed with herself for thinking of the person she was trying to move on from. Although she wasn’t sorry about breaking up with him, she couldn’t prevent her mind from thinking of him. Not when his words still resonated in her head. “You’ll never become the one you dream of.” Although there were other hurtful words he had said when she broke out with him, those were the ones she remembered. She would prove him wrong. Hearing footsteps approaching her, she jumped out of her mind, confusion replacing her thoughts instead. “Good morning,” she greeted the person. “You know rehearsals are in an hour, right?”