The kids who wanted to be in the tryouts and the parents who drove them to the school sat in the back of the stands.
Ms. Johnson, the head of the drama club, sat in the front rows, waiting for Luz to come out and do her audition for Juliet.
In the back stands sat a representee of one of the companies that donated to the school's drama club.
"Luz this is very important, what are you going to do?" Axel asked his friend backstage.
"I'm going to say my lines, then rip out my guts!" Luz excitedly replied showing Axel some of the sausage ties she stuffed in her costume.
"Luz," Axel said, "Didn't I ask you not to do that?" he asked.
"But it's going to be so cool," Luz whined.
"I agree it would be cool, but it would scare the parents, and the people who give this club money are in the audience," Axel tried to explain.
"But Axel," Luz continued to whine.
"You can ask Ms. Johnson if you can do it later, but please just follow the script, please," Axel pleaded.
"Fine," Luz said with a slight smile.
"Ok, I have to go make sure the stage is set for everyone, good luck!" Axel said before leaving.
Axel, being one of the older kids in the drama club, had the job of making sure everything was running smoothly and everyone was where they needed to be.
The banner was set, the people were where they needed to be, so Axel stepped into the stands, sitting next to Ms. Johnson and waited for the audition to begin.
As the curtains opened, there were three girls that were auditioning for Juliet, Luz being in the middle.
'It took her almost a whole day to decide if she wanted to audition for Romeo or Juliet, mental note make sure the Romeo props are clean'
The actors were going over Juliets death scene where she sees Romeo dead and proceeded to die of sadness.
It wasn't what happened in the original play, but the funders thought that Juliet killing her self was 'too dark' for a middle school production. Regardless of what Ms. Johnson had to say about it.
She was especially annoyed because the part was already planned before the funders pulled it.
"Romeo o Romeo, a cup of poison lays on your hand," the first girl began, "I cannot bear to live without my love," she said before dramatically flopping on the floor.
"Very good!" Ms. Johnson said while clapping.
Axel looked back to see the funder who had come to see the show. He was pretty sure that that he was here to make sure that his ask of removing the suicide scene was removed.
He was a rather plump man with oval head. He wore a white shirt with a black overcoat with white gloves. On his overcoat were his initials M.M.
What they stood for Axel didn't know, he didn't know the funder's name, where he worked, or what he did for a living. The funder just sometimes showed up to criticize the drama club and leave.
Looking back to the stage, Axel saw that it was Luz's turn to do the death scene.
With a smile, Luz reached behind her to grab something.
'Is she using a prop? This scene doesn't have a prop'
From behind her back, Luz pulled out a wooden spork.
Axel knew that spork, he had helped order that spork, it was for a scene in a ball room. Axel had a feeling why Luz had taken that spork.
'Please say I'm wrong'
"O HAPPY DAGGER, GIVE ME DEATH!" Luz yelled out before fake stabbing herself with the spork and throwing out some sausage strings to look like her guts.
The others on the stage along with the kids the audience screamed in horror as Luz fell onto the floor pretending to be dead. There only one person who was actively laughing, that being Luz's mom, Ms. Noceda
At the front sat Ms. Johnson and Axel. Axel was just feeling disappointed that Luz didn't listen to him, and Ms. Johnson had her head hung low as she shook it trying to show her disappointment.
And yet, on her face, hidden from all those not near her, was a wide smile. She was happy that Luz had done that scene right, despite the consciences that would come.
The funder sat in the back silent with a frown on his mouth.
'Dang it Luz'
The screaming of kids took a while to die down. Some kids left the auditorium, others fainted, and others just looked at the sausage for long enough to get used to it.
And the entire time Luz was laying on the floor with the smell of the sausage string starting to permeate the auditorium.
"You can return to your standing position Luz," Ms. Johnson yelled out.
With a smile and a hop, Luz stood back up. The sausage strings she laid out still sitting on the stage.
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"I heard about what happened with Ms. Noceda's daughter," Ms. Cox said while taking a bite of her food.
"It was interesting," Axel remarked as he took a bite of his own food.
"Oh? I didn't hear, what happened?" Mr. Cox asked intrigued.
"Nothing much, Luz just got a bit dramatic same as always," Axel answered.
"Axel," Ms. Cox called out putting down her fork, "Luz did something that the drama teacher strictly not allowed," she said.
'Less of the drama teacher and more of the funder'
"It wasn't exactly not allowed," Axel tried to argue.
"Axel," Ms.Cox said, "Don't try and cover up for someone else's misdeeds, it's ageist the teachings of the bible " she warned.
"The bible says a lot of other things too," Axel mumbled, "But we ignore those," he said under his breath.
"Axel Cain Cox," Ms. Cox said while putting down her fork, "Say what you just said again?" she ordered.
"Mom I was just talking to myself it's nothing," Axel responded making a futile attempt to hide what he just said.
"No sir don't you try and hide it from me," Ms. Cox said, "You've been talking to Ms. Noceda's kid about witches haven't you?" she asked.
"No mom, Luz has nothing to do with this," Axel quickly responded.
"I'll have to have a talk with Ms. Noceda about how her kid is talking to mine," Ms. Cox said started to stand up.
"Mom please don't get Luz in trouble she has nothing to do with this!" Axel said slightly rasing his voice.
"AXEL CAIN COX," Ms. Cox yelled, "Don't you raise your voice at me! Go to your room now!" she ordered.
"Mom no please," Axel begged, "There has to be something else I can do," he asked.
"Go to your room and pray," Ms. Cox answered, "I will see you later tonight," she said before leaving the house.
Axel stood in silence, not sure of what he should say, what he could say.
"Son," Mr. Cox said putting his newspapers down, "Your mother wants the best for you, she's just doing what she thinks is best," he told Axel.
"Yes sir," Axel said walking up to his room.
Walking up to his room and closing the door as much as he could, if he fully closed it his dad would open it right back up.
'Pray?'
Axel walked around in his room, hand on his head replaying his talk with his mom over and over again.
'I've prayed for an end of world hunger, I've prayed for people to be happy, I've prayed for everything, and what has come of it?'
Axel sat down on his bed.
'Does God not listen to me?'
Looking for some kind of answer, Axel looked to his bible and flipped through it, and what did he find?
God listening and talking to his profits, the ones who matter. So, Axel came to a conclusion
'I don't matter, to matter I have to do something big, something important, something to put me is Gods eyes '