Into the World of Twisted Wonderland Pt 2

👑 The Beautiful Tyrant: Chapter 30 👑

After doing their nightly routines, Angel and Grim flopped on the bed, groaning at the work done today. "Myah...We're only on day one, and I'm already pooped," Grim groans as he lays down.

"Now imagine how bad it is for the performers," Angel says with a sigh, reminding herself of how Vil was intense with his training, scrutinizing even the simplest of mistakes, and making everyone start over. In fact, from what she saw, they had to repeat the dance 30 times from beginning to end, each repeat for a different reason. Misplaced footing, off key singing, not smiling, stumbling, hand placement, spinning, bent legs, uneven eye coordination...The list goes on. "I don't know how they can do it. Singing is just enough for me..."

"It's all for my tuna bonanza," Grim says with determination, making Angel doubt his intentions. "I gotta make sure they win this thing."

"Only you can look forward to winning something for tuna, Grim," Angel chuckles as she pets his head, making him try to swat away her hand. While they were interacting, they heard a voice outside their window, the voice of someone singing. From the lyrics, they were singing the song they were practicing for the SDC, leaving the duo confused. Vil, unfortunately, made sure that everyone was in bed, so, who was singing right now? And why did it seem so sad?

"Hm? Who's that makin' noise in the yard?" Grim says, curious about the continued voice singing outside of their window.

Angel listens carefully, trying to hear the voice clearly. "I know that voice..." She says as she gets up from the bed, making Grim confused. She puts on a coat and slippers, the thought becoming clearer. That voice is unmistakable, after all. She quietly heads out the door, making Grim follow her in confusion, as she goes down the stairs with conviction, knowing who it was outside singing. Once the two entered the yard, her thoughts were correct, as she sees him in the yard, singing without knowing they were watching him.

Kalim was singing, only to stop and sigh. "Hmm...I keep missing that note," he sadly says.

"Hey, Kalim!" Grim calls out. "If you stay out late, Coach Vil is gonna chew out heads off!

"Whoa!" He jumps in shock, looking at the two. "Grim and Angel? Did you hear me from the dorm? Sorry about that!"

"How can you still be going after getting' worked to the bone today?" Grim asks.

"You're very diligent, but rest is just as important as practice," Angel says as she approaches him. She looks to his dorm uniform and shudders. How in the world can he deal with this cold?

"Ha ha, it's not what you think," He laughs. "This is the first time I've ever done something like this. I'm...pretty upset that I got passed over for main vocals."

"Huh?" Grim hums in confusion. "You didn't look upset to me."

"I wasn't, when it first got announced. But when I climbed into bed and closed my eyes, it started nagging at me. I couldn't just lie there working myself up. Figured I'd let some steam by practicing. "I've...never felt this way before," he sadly says.

"Ah-hah," Grim chuckles. "You've had everything handed to you on a silver platter before this, I bet. Guess that's what it's like when you're mega-rich. Must be nice!"

"Don't be rude, Grim," Angel scolds him as he huffs.

"Ah, well...Yes and no," Kalim says. "I don't think that's quite it. I'm always chosen. Always. That's such an obvious truth that I never even consciously processed it. But now I see that was only possible because of Jamil's constant sacrifices. He created that 'truth' in my mind by always holding back. By always letting me win." He stops for a moment. "...It stings. 'Galling' doesn't even begin to describe it."