young, scrappy and hungry | a hamilton story | √

Epilogue

So many lasts happened in one day. 

Her last time getting her mic. Her last time signing in. Her last time getting her hair curled by Carleigh, her last time putting on her costume. Her last time joking around with all the girls in the dressing room. Her last places call. Her last time hearing Groff's announcement at the beginning of the show. The last time she would perform 'Alexander Hamilton', the last 'My Shot', the last 'Schuyler Sisters'. Her final 'Yorktown' performance, the last "Rochambeau", the last 'Non-Stop', her final intermission. The last time she would sit backstage, in the dark, waiting for her cues in the second act. The last 'What'd I Miss', the last time she would dance past Carleigh. The final duel, and the last 'Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story'.

The show began to wrap up before Kasey wanted it to.

She knew it would finally hit her when she got to the final bows. 

The last time she would stand on the stand of the Richard Rodgers Theatre as an ensemble actress.

For once, Kasey wasn't relieved that it was over. 

She knew that it was her last bow, and as the cast merged together to form their customary line, she looked to her left and right and knew that she was standing onstage with her true family.

Next to her, Thayne squeezed her hand as they all bowed together. Kasey's breath caught in her throat as they straightened from the bow.

There were so many emotions in her head. Relief, joy, sadness. It was all there. She loved the cast so much. The decision to leave the show hadn't been easy for her. She wanted to stay, but she had also wanted to move on. And she had wanted to do that before she fell into too much of a routine. She didn't want her whole life to be Hamilton.

Even so, she knew Hamilton would be a part of her life. And she wanted it to be. She never wanted to forget everything that had happened, all the people she had met, all the memories that they'd made. It was all worth it, in the end. She wouldn't have traded the past two years for anything.

They acknowledged the pit and the tech, and that was it.  

The show was over for her. She'd done it, she'd completed her Broadway debut. 

As Kasey stepped forward,  she could hear the volume in the theatre get louder. She looked past the lights glaring down on the stage and to the audience and smiled.

Kasey turned to look at her cast members before she bowed. They were crying- not all of them, but many of them. Pippa, Lin, Leslie, Renee and Ariana were gone, but their replacements were crying. Her fellow ensemble members were crying. Jazzy was crying, Anthony, Oak (even if he was pretending not to), Daveed.

And Carleigh. Seeing Carleigh crying was heartbreaking, and Kasey allowed a single tear to drip down her cheek. She knew they were still going to be together in the loft, and that Carleigh was planning on leaving, but it felt like the end of an era. And it was. Kasey mouthed a 'thank you' to Carleigh, her dearest friend, before turning back to the audience.

She clasped her hands together, looked toward the bright stage lights of the Richard Rodgers, took a deep breath, and bowed. 

One last time. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

wow i was not equipped for these emotions guys

stay tuned for my author's note