Once At Midnight | Book 2

Chapter 8

Candy awoke in her usual room the next day and swiftly prepared for school. Rushing to the kitchen, she encountered Midnight seated at the table, enjoying some French toast with Stellar.

Caught off guard by Stellar's presence, Candy froze. "Why is there a little girl in my kitchen?!" Her tone shifted, causing Midnight to feel a pang of nervousness.

"She's Stellar, my sister," Midnight explained, attempting to ease the tension.

"You mean the reckless 12-year-old who nearly got you killed and caused chaos in the city fighting you?! How could you be so careless?!" Candy's frustration boiled over, her words sharp and accusatory.

Midnight trembled, her anger mounting with each word. "I'm not being careless... If you were around more like before, I could've explained everything. But you're too consumed by your phone and social media life to even talk to me at school or at home anymore..."

"Sorry... I just had a rough day yesterday... Just don't make me clean up after her. You'll be in charge of her," Candy declared before hastily departing for school.

***

The school halls buzzed with excitement as students prepared for auditions for the school play. Midnight, intrigued by the chatter, held a flyer advertising the auditions.

"What's this school play everyone's talking about?" Midnight inquired, glancing at Dylan for answers.

"It's where we act out a drama on stage," Dylan explained, offering her a brief summary. "Do you want to join?"

Midnight paused, contemplating the opportunity. Perhaps this could be her chance to forge genuine connections with her peers.

"I might give it a try! It looks really fun!" she exclaimed.

Later, Midnight stood in line alongside Dylan and other hopefuls, awaiting her turn to audition. When their moment arrived, Midnight and Dylan took to the stage, delivering a performance that impressed the girl in charge.

"That was really good!" she commended, her features illuminated by the stage lights. With short chestnut hair and deep hazel eyes, she introduced herself as Sydney, a sophomore. "Can you please tell me your names?"

"Midnight and Dylan!" Midnight responded, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Great!" Sydney remarked, jotting down notes on a sheet of paper. "You two will be meeting me in about ten minutes from now."

As they stepped off the stage, Midnight couldn't contain her enthusiasm. "I think we got in!" she exclaimed to Dylan.

Dylan nodded in agreement, but their celebratory moment was interrupted by Star. "I saw you two signing up, and I thought I should too. I just got in!" Star announced, attempting to cozy up to Dylan, her actions bordering on flirtatious.

"Really? That's nice," Dylan responded, disengaging from Star's embrace with an irritated tone. He then departed with Midnight, leaving Star behind.

"Jerk..." Star muttered under her breath, shooting a disdainful glance in Midnight's direction. "And that Midnight freak won't be so smug once I take her overprotective boyfriend away from her."

***

"So it's a romance play?" Midnight questioned, intrigued by the premise.

Gathered in the school's arts lab, everyone eagerly awaited their assigned roles in the play. Midnight sat beside Dylan as Sydney distributed scripts.

"Welcome, everyone, to our first meeting," Sydney began. "And yes, you guessed it's another romance. But it's about two kingdoms that have been at odds for centuries. So, the kings have decided that both of their heirs will marry. However, the male lead is in love with a beautiful girl named Khloe."

Sydney continued, "All of your lines and the character you're playing are on your script."

Excitement bubbled within Midnight as she glanced at Dylan's script and then hers. "Oh, I'm playing Khloe!" she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"I'm playing the male lead!" Dylan added, sharing in her enthusiasm.

Star, however, rose abruptly, slamming her script onto the table with fury blazing in her eyes. "Why am I the princess?! I said I wanted the female lead!"

"You don't get to choose. Besides, she is the female lead," Sydney countered firmly. "If you're not satisfied, you can either deal with it or leave."

Star, seething with anger, attempted to compose herself and reluctantly took her seat, her pink eyes flashing red. "Fine then," she conceded begrudgingly.