On my fourth day in the music box I noticed an unusual flurry of activity that had never taken place before. None of the patrons had come by to activate me, and it had been two hours since I had taken my place. I stayed alert, watching for a sign of life. The door to the music box jerked open suddenly, and Calperal rushed in, looking panicked. He was holding a beautiful pink and green mask, which was connected to a long stick decorated with green and pink ribbons. He shoved the mask in my hand. "Quickly, we haven't much time. The queen is coming." He was out of breath. "The next person to start your music box will be the queen. She already watched Anastasia and it didn't go well. You're going to have to be spot on to keep your head attached to your body. I'm running damage control, trying to keep your fellow dancer alive. I can't replace another exceptional now!"
"What about the princess?" I asked.
Calperal snorted as he fluffed the tulle on my skirt. "No one has ever seen her face. All we know is there is a princess. Her mother keeps her locked away, out of fear of assassins, maybe she's ugly, who knows. Anyway, she never ventures into the park. You won't have to worry about her." He stood up to inspect his handiwork. As he started out the door he hesitated. "You remember to keep that mask over your face at all times. If you are a fugitive as you say you are and the queen discovers it, I won't be worrying about Anastasia's life half as much as I'll be worrying about mine!" He slammed the door behind me.
Crap. The queen was coming. I didn't really know what was expected of me when I was giving a royal performance. Would the routine I had come up with be enough to please her? I was starting to sweat; now was not the time to screw up. I tied the laces on my toe shoes tight to make sure they would not slip. I adjusted my bodice and fluffed my skirt again. I shuffled through several poses before I came up with one that would afford me full view of the kiosk with the mask over my face. Finally a huge procession of soldiers dressed much like the way I had seen Roland dressed on my first return encounter, when all I could see of him was his uniform and a furrowed brow. They stopped at the button, and a lady in a long, green gown stood back out of my line of vision. I could make out her motioning to one of the soldiers to activate my attraction. He stepped forward, pushed the button and the light illuminated my little prison. Showtime, I thought.
The dance went better than expected. I managed to stretch the limits of my imagination to stand en pointe in several short instances. I thought adding a little pizzazz to the act might earn me a few points. It hurt like hell because I'm sure I didn't do it properly, but it had the desired effect. At the end of the dance I paused, standing where I could watch the procession pass. They had to completely disappear before I could move, and I didn't want to move a muscle until they did. They stood there, the soldiers clapping at the queen's command, so I relaxed ever so slightly realizing my life was probably going to be spared. The men moved as her royal highness stepped out of the shadows and into the light so she could reward me with the highest honor, a slight bob of her head that indicated her appreciation.
Suddenly it seemed as if all of the oxygen had escaped the room. My limbs felt as heavy as lead bricks. The mask I had held onto during the entire performance involuntarily slipped as I let it drop to the floor. I struggled to breathe, to find some way to keep my composure, as the woman outside came into view. It was my mother.
I regained my composure and stood stone still, as if the entire floor was covered with poisonous vipers, and one false move would hasten me to an early grave. The queen gave me her nod, apparently not noticing the faux pas with the mask and began to turn to leave. But before she did I could have sworn I saw her pause, I could have sworn I saw her squint her eyes as if to get a better look at my face. Nevertheless she soon waved the procession forward, and I stood there in that now agonizing pose for what seemed an hour after she left. I was frozen to the spot with fear and confusion. In what perverse corner of my mind would I ever allow my mom to invade my beautiful land, much less completely rule it? I didn't move an inch until I heard the door behind me open.
"My dear, you did it!" Calperal came up behind me and grabbed me around the waist, spinning me around the room. I wound up hitting my foot on the unbreakable glass, which in turn caused it to vibrate slightly. "The queen was so pleased with your performance! You really outdid yourself! I think your performance made her forget all about poor Anastasia. She might actually pull through this!"
I smiled, smoothing down my outfit. "Thank you, I guess." I replied. "I just wanted to make a good impression."
"Well, obviously it worked!" I had never seen Calperal this happy. He was absolutely overjoyed. "You know what? Go back to quarters and rest. You've done the entire park proud today." He noted the mask lying on the floor. "Well, looks like the queen didn't recognize you 'fugitive.'" I thought he'd be angry, but he wasn't. "I don't care. As long as she's happy, I'm happy. You just made my job so much easier. I won't have to go on any scouting runs for Anastasia's replacement!" He reached down, grabbed my hand in his, kissed it and led me down the corridors to my room.
Word spread quickly about my heroic performance. After the park closed for the day, each of the other Exceptionals stuck their head in my room to congratulate me on a job well done. Apparently compliments from the queen were quite rare. Even Norand hesitated at my door and gave me a silent, approving nod. The only person who did not offer me congratulations was Anastasia. When I saw her walk by her face looked red and swollen, as if she had been crying. She glanced in my room, gave me a murderous look and walked on. I hadn't really expected for her to appreciate my efforts on her behalf, because I didn't do it for her. Selfish as it sounded, I was only thinking of myself.
When Luke came by he was ecstatic. "Congratulations Medora!" he smiled, genuinely happy for me. "Let's eat!" I smiled and told him I would be along in a moment. The truth was, as much as I wanted to celebrate my victory, something kept nagging at me, something that kept me from unwinding after my triumph. I kept thinking back to that moment, ever so small in its entirety that another soul might be inclined to dismiss it, that the queen strained to look at me. Dropping that mask could prove fatal for me. She was my mother, in one form or another. Surely she would have recognized me. I couldn't shake that tiny feeling of dread that flittered restlessly in the back of my mind.
Dinner was an extravagant affair that night. We had never had such a fine table set before us, even being Exceptionals who were used to being fed tolerably well. Calperal joined us for dinner that night. Though I had made the biggest contribution that day the others, minus Anastasia, had held their own. Luke and Norand had done fantastically well, successfully integrating a new stunt where their fire streams crossed each other in a brilliant display to light a torch in the center of their stage. The contortionists were still rubbing their aching muscles from where they stretched and bent into such positions they had never attempted before. The small lady actually passed out after a particularly intricate performance. All met with approval, but for some reason my act was the best received. I was unaccustomed to being the star of the show; it was a new, but not unpleasant, sensation for me. Finally, as I joked around with Luke, I found myself able to completely relax.
Without warning the doors to the dining room burst open. Several soldiers, obvious representatives of the queen, barged past the two guard goons and walked straight for Calperal, a rolled up piece of parchment in hand. They handed it to him; he read it, frowned very deeply and stood to acknowledge the soldiers and what he had just read. "Very well then." He motioned in Anastasia's direction.
One of the soldiers, without a single word, walked to where Anastasia now sat petrified, aimed his sword at her back behind the heart and plunged his blade so deep inside her the blade protruded six inches through her breast. He pulled the blade out and blood spurted everywhere, all over the table, all over the bearded lady and in a pool on Anastasia's dinner plate. She had time enough to stare down in shock at the massive wound, spit up a long stream of blood that poured down the front of her shirt, and collapse into the dripping puddle on her plate. Horrified I screamed; the rest of the Exceptionals stayed frozen, as if one false move would spell their doom. Calperal, clearly upset but not wanting to show it, motioned for one of the goons to remove her body quickly, lest it interrupt his appetite. Then he read the last order on the scroll.
"No, surely you are mistaken!" His eyes immediately darted my way. I knew I was in trouble, and I knew his look of alarm wasn't for my benefit. If they suspected him of harboring me...
"The queen is never mistaken." The guard announced. "You are, knowingly or unknowingly, sheltering a fugitive of the crown's justice. That one must come with us to face her punishment." I stood up, weighing my options in the very short time I had to measure them. To run would almost certainly equate to immediate death, but to give in would definitely lead to my eventual death. Either way I was dead. I did the only thing I could think to do. I stalled.
"None of these people knew about me." I announced, my heart pounding so hard in my ears I couldn't hear my own words. "I hid here trying to avoid the punishment I so richly deserve. It is only proper for the law to be followed. I submit to the queen's mercy. Please hold these people as innocent victims." The ploy seemed to work, because two of the soldiers each took me by one of my arms and led me away. I looked over at Luke as I was taken away. He seemed to be shocked beyond reasoning. Calperal breathed a sigh of relief. When they had me removed from the room they shackled my arms behind me and we began the long, slow walk down the white corridor. At least the rest of my colleagues had escaped Anastasia's fate.
When we had reached the final turn and were heading down the long stretch toward the entrance to the park however, my quick prayer for consciousness seemed to be getting answered. I could have sworn I heard my real mother's voice. "Medora, wake up. We've had enough of this!" I looked around, wondering if the guards had heard that. The stone looks on their faces indicated they heard nothing. I tried finding the source of the voice but could see nothing but white corridor and soldiers.
"Medora, sweetheart. It's Grandma. Can you hear me, sweetie?" I nodded, not exactly knowing why. Suddenly the bright white of the corridor began to get much brighter. It was blinding me; I couldn't see to step forward. The soldiers stopped, noticing how my steps had become labored. I heard one of them shouting "Commander, something is happening here!" at the same time I could hear my sister saying, "Mer, could you please cut this out? I want to go home already!"
I looked around and noticed I was beginning to see things other than soldiers and bright lights. I saw a rail to my left, like something that would keep you from rolling out of bed. I saw fluorescent lights above me. I heard a machine beeping steadily. It wasn't the sound of the amusement park; it was the sound of a hospital. I smiled knowingly and told the soldier holding my right arm, "Sorry guys. This is where I take my leave."
He took one desperate grab at me as I began to literally dissipate from his reality. "STOP HER!' I heard the commander scream just as I awoke to the feeling of a cool cloth on my head and the sensation of cool liquid coursing through my veins from something in my wrist. When my eyes opened completely I realized I was in a hospital bed, my mother, sister, grandmother and aunt all standing around me.
