I looked to the tower opposite me, to her. Her shimmering black sleeveless dress rolled to the unseen floor, black lace covered the top of her chest, twirling to the bottom of her shoulders. I knew if I looked closer at the lace I would see jet-black moons. At her throat, she wore a gold chain, a cracked blood red heart with black outlining the crack in the middle. Her inky black hair waved down her back, parts of it pinned in complicated patterns as a fascinator hat covered the left side of her head, exploding with strips of shinning black silk twirling together to the back of her head.
She was both beautiful and horrifying. The black daughter, lust of men and the sorrow of women. She was dark and dangerous; but I knew more. We had a past, a history. I stood in my tower, staring at her with bright eyes. Once, I was described as her opposite. At one time I had partly believed it. However, she had seen it and grasped it with both hands, becoming the daughter of dark, the mourning black crescent. The once white dove cast in shadowed light. She glared at me with accusing eyes, daring me to speak. I sighed a saddened sigh and lifted my head to the full moon shinning between the silver clouds.
'You do you not speak to me silver one?' she purred, 'What is it you ponder?'
'The connection is what I wonder.' I replied softly, my voice like a whisper in the trees. She smiled a thin smile, 'Some say your goodness and love holds us together.' She spat, 'others say I have bound you to this place. Fools they are.' She gave me a flirting glance, 'And yet, others proclaim you desire me.' She watched me cringe into a corner of my tower and cackled.
'We are opposites you and I.' She said, 'why, look at me.' She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at herself, 'I am the daughter of dark, the morning black crescent.' Sweet laughter broke from her lips. 'And there you stand, mocking my beauty.' She pointed to my flowing silver dress, snaking up my body to my long sleeves, white gloves covering my hands. For all the world proclaiming I was her opposer and opposite, light to her dark
'Even your hair insults me.' She screamed, leaning on her rail and glaring at me. I restrained myself from touching my glowing hair, pinned with silver pins. A small silver circlet sat among the streams of golden brown.
'And where is the necklace to grace your bare throat?' she asked, almost shyly, 'where is the snow white dove that once rested so peacefully?' She turned away from me, disdain on her beautiful features.
'You were never one for jewelry,' she said quietly. I gasped. She remembered. She knew our past. Hope filled my heart as I stared at her for what she once was. Curling blond hair flowed down her back once more before I slowly blinked, leaving no trace of those golden curls. I had been here for two years, waiting for this moment.
'Where is your brother?' I murmured desperately to her as she left through her doorway. She turned around to me, anger in her ice blue eyes.
'There is no brother you speak of.' She cried harshly, shaking with fury. 'I am of the darkness, and the darkness is of me.' She shook like a leaf in the wind and swiftly left through the door, leaving me to collapse among soft fabrics and forgotten memories.
*
'STOP, STOP, STOP!' Simon, our director shouted. Slowly, I took off the character, like taking off a jumper. Tigan came back, her dress rustling.
'What?' she asked, annoyed.
'I was getting into it!' She glanced in my direction and smiled. 'Good work.' I nodded and gestured in her direction, 'Same to you.' She beamed before turning a glare onto the director.
'More expression.' He said, looking at me and ignoring her stares, 'I can see you thinking about the feelings, but I want to see the feelings flutter across your face!' He picked up the script.
'When you say, "The connection is what I wonder," I want you to look slightly uncertain, yet with a knowing look- yea! Like that!' he exclaimed as I try. 'Good work over all girls. I was close to tears when you mentioned her brother.' He added approvingly, 'and you are just exceptional Tigan, exceptional!' He exclaimed at her before looking down at the script again,
'It's the knights in this next scene, take a load off, break for…about an hour and a half.' With that, he strutted off, reminding me of a peacock knowing he had the best feathers. I climbed down the stairs of the tower and into my dressing room, staring at myself in the mirror as I waited for my assistant to help me get me out of all this heavy stuff. My lips shone a glossy red off my flawless face, glinting eyeliner and blush, not to mention the silver eye-shadow running up to my carefully plucked eyebrows. I felt like a painted doll. Simon doesn't do things by half. Laura, my assistant couldn't help bubbling praise for me as she skipped in, casting adoring eyes at my heavy gown. Her hands were gentle as she rid my face of the sticky, dry makeup after she carefully took my dress and put it on a hanger, smoothing out the creases that appeared within the fabric. She was my second cousin, her heart bursting with hope to be me. My sister called her my mini me, and although I would laugh it off, she did seem to be just that. Her chocolate brown eyes would take in how I stood and copy it to perfection. I had only just convinced her, that her long curly brown hair didn't need to be straightened to look like mine, or that she didn't need blue contacts. Her eyes would fill with tears as I shook my head, and I would hold her close to comfort her on our different looks, much to her disgust. She was my girly side, without her, I wouldn't even think of having a professional massage or manicure. She was seventeen, bright, bubbly and loyal, gentle and naïve; in short, Laura. I laughed as she joked and exclaimed over the most bizarre things. Jane, from backstage knocked and opened the door, her long blond hair tied in a plait behind her head.
'Tigan, wants to have lunch with you.' She said, coming closer, 'She'll be waiting at your "usual spot" - whatever that means.' I smiled and nodded, appreciating the girl for carrying the message to me.
'Thankyou Jane.' She nodded, subconsciously patting her jacket pocket, where Tigan's bribe lay.
'Laura.' I said slowly, looking at her in the mirror as she undid my hair. 'Can you do something for me? Its important.' She nodded eyes on my hairpins.
'Whatever you need.'
'Could you iron out my dresses for me, and check they don't have any holes?' I smiled, 'You might need to put them on to check.' She danced on her toes behind me and squealed quietly in such a girly manner I laughed.
'That's a yes?' I asked,
'YES!' she squealed in my ear, 'Oh yes, thank you SO much!' She began to quickly tie my hair into a plait behind my head and beamed at me. She looked down at my trackies with a small frown.
'They're comfy.' I replied to her expression. She shook her head and looked through the wardrobe I kept in my dressing room, producing black pants.
'I'd feel better if you wore these.' She replied, holding them out to me. I sighed and put them on, shoulders hunched. She smiled brightly at me as I opened the door.
'Have a good lunch!' she laughed at me, a knowing look in her eyes. I simply mumbled and shrugged before heading out.
I walked through the corridor, eyes lazily drifting over the names on the dressing room doors.
'Four days till opening night!' a cheerful voice called as I brushed by the backstage sets. I nodded, giving a nervous smile to the man in backstage black, his hazel eyes seeming to shine with encouragement and excitement I didn't feel.
'That's right Jason, four days.' I replied quickly before passing through the door, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn't follow me.
I walked calmly to the café across the street from the theatre, the building's front door slightly ajar to let in the breeze. I stopped before the door, peering through the door's window for Tigan. She was there. I cursed softly, seeing her gracefully lift a cup of coffee to her lips as she sat at a table, looking out the window. Slowly, I dragged open the door and slipped inside, dreading each step.
'Tigan!' I called cheerfully, as I sat in the chair opposite her, 'how are you?'
'Fine, fine.' She replied, tearing her eyes from the window, as if I was hardly worth her attention but giving it anyway. In was then that I noticed her hair.
'You died your hair!' I said, barely keeping the shock out of my voice, 'it's…black.' She beamed, stroking the locks that fell around her shoulders.
'Yes I did! Do you like it? I thought it would make my character more realistic!' I nodded dumbly, not that she noticed.871Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4r5vDZcQJo
'Yes,' I said softly, 'it does make you look more like her.'
'Of course you don't need to die your hair! I mean, it's the right colour and everything!' she smiled with a flick of her head. I began to hate the play-writer who did this to me.
'Lucky me.' I said, slightly sarcastic. She rummaged in her bag beside the table leg, tossing pens on the table.
'I thought we should-oh!' A waiter slunk up to us, his rather large nose pointing down at me at a ridicules angle.
'Would you like to order?' He droned. I coughed my laugh away and managed a weak 'yes' as he stared bleakly at us.
'My…my normal.' I choked out, turning away from him.
'And mine.' Tigan said, rising an eyebrow at him, 'My latte better be strong! Or I'm sending it back!' To my astonishment, he gave her a slight bow,
'Of course. Our apologies about the… the last time.' She gave him a brisk nod and he slunk away. She suddenly thumped the script on the table, making me jump.
'Now.' She said grandly. Expertly she thumbed through the pages, the pages making soft whooshing noises as she turned them.
'I just though we need to go over the words.' She said loftily. 'I believe you-we need to work on our lines.' She smiled in satisfaction as she found the right spot.
'After all the play is in four days and…' I tuned out, nodding my head here and there as she dribbled on about the "duty" of an actor. Finally she finished, smiling with satisfaction as if she had explained the meaning to life. I gave her a small smile. Tigan had always been like this. Give her something she's interested into, and she'll hang on with her teeth if needs be. I've known her all my life; her mum's friends with my mum kind of thing. But then, she had beautiful blonds waves, closer to curls really. I remember how it bounced as she ran, and shone when we went swimming. I shivered, looking up at the dead straight black hair that greeted my eyes. She smiled at me as I met her eyes, skin wrinkling around the corners.
'Are you cold?' she asked gently, slowly taking off her coat. I shook my head, trying to memorise her now concerned and motherly face. Her face snapped into a smooth mask as the waiter came back, actually vibrating with fear as he placed the latte before her. Tigan had always loved coffee.
'Hot?' she asked sweetly, delicately picking up the white china cup. Her eyes widened as the cup came closer to her flawless lips, opening to receive a sip of his seemingly life's work. She gave a slight nod of appreciation and set the cup down, lifting the waiter's sagging shoulders as she smiled.
'That's how I like it.' She said, looking straight into his eyes. 'Don't forget it!' He nodded a series of fast jerks of his head and almost sprinted to the kitchen. I imagined him explaining the episode in full to the quivering staff hiding behind those swinging doors. But that's how she was. She could manipulate you until you gave her everything she wanted. Either you stayed beneath her thumb or all hell breaks loose, leaving me with a terrible migraine of who did what and she did this, not to mention the terrible breakdown tears. 871Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmO5iKgiPPb
We ate in silence, my eyes fixed on the perfect beef souvlaki. As one, we checked our watches (her a phone) and stood up. I left the bill and tip in the bowl provided and walked out, smiling at the nervous big-nosed waiter.
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