Together

Shadow

Hi everyone! I'm home from my choir festival. It was super fun. I'm not moving on to the state level but that's alright! I hope you all had a nice few days while I was away. This is a fun little chapter, so enjoy it. Comment/vote x
-ab

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January 28, 2026

Harper

As I'm doing my makeup for my first show of the day, I hear a knock on my dressing room door, which is weird, as Ruby was already in here for a visit.

"Who is it?" I ask, setting down my big, fluffy brush and walking over to the door.

"It's Katherine," I hear from the other side.

I tentatively open up the door, confused as to what's going on, but sure enough, the ballerina is standing on the other side of the door. "What's up?" I ask.

"Luke asked me at rehearsal today if I wanted to shadow you this afternoon, and then I'm going to shadow Hadley tonight," she explains, referring to our current Odette.

"Oh! That's fun," I smile. "Come on in. I just have a bit more to do on my makeup, then Jenni is coming in to do my pincurls and wig before I get dressed."

"Awesome," she replies, coming into my dressing room and flopping herself down on the sofa. I sit down at my vanity table to finish my makeup.

"So, how's it all coming along?" I ask. "Are you about ready to make your debut?"

"I mean, if it were happening today, I'd be screwed," she laughs, "but I think that I'll be ready by the time that I do."

"I'm so excited for it," I tell my friend. "You're going to be absolutely amazing. Singing and all."

We continue to chat for a few more minutes before my makeup is done. "Will you help with my setting spray?" I ask. "Jenni usually does it for me."

"Sure," she replies. "Do you do the four spritzes?"

"Exactly," I laugh.

She sprays the top, left side, right side, then bottom of my face, then I fan it with my hands so that it dries.

Just as soon as the setting spray is all dry, there is another knock on the door. I'm sure that this is Jenni, so call to her to come in.

"Hey girl," she smiles. "Who's this?"

"This is Katherine. She's going to be taking over for Hadley as Odette in a few weeks, so she's shadowing me for this show."

"It's nice to meet you," Jenni smiles. "I'm the wig specialist here at Anastasia. So, right now, I'm going to do Harper's pincurls, then help her with her first wig for the show. You'll probably be doing your own pincurls, but Harper's hair is so thick that she needs some assistance with them."

I laugh to myself, remembering when I had to do my own pincurls for a community theatre production as a kid. It didn't go very well and hair was falling out everywhere.

Once my wig is done, I get changed into my costume, then start warming up my voice for the day.

"You're welcome to join in," I tell Katherine.

"I think I'm good," she laughs. "I've been working with Maria for hours already today."

"Fair."

Before I know it, it's time for the show to start, so everyone who is in the first few scenes is called to their places. I don't go onstage for about fifteen minutes, so I've still got a bit of time.

When the time does come to head to the stage, Katherine follows so that she can watch from the wings. Luke wants to get her to be as familiar with the show as possible, which does include watching it a lot.

It's really nice of him to be working so closely with her. I know that it's probably because she's not coming in during a traditional cast change time, and she wasn't technically trained in theatre, rather dance, but I also know that it's really helping Katherine to feel more confident.

'Rumour in St. Petersburg' is one of my favourite songs in the whole show, even though I barely sing in it. I just love the energy of the music. Every day, it manages to get me hyped up for the rest of the show.

Something about having Katherine watching from the wings gives me that same burst of energy, so everything seems a bit easier today. By the time that I'm singing 'Journey To The Past,' right before the interval, I know that this is one of my personal best shows thus far in my run.

During the interval, I have to change and get ready for 'Paris.'

"God, I still dread this number every day," I tell Kath with a laugh. "The dancing just sends me over the edge a little bit."

"You'll be great. You always are," she assures me. "God, how did I manage to get myself cast in a show with the Harper Alwyn? What a queen."

I laugh. "You're a good liar, sis."

"I'm serious," she insists.

"Thanks, but you're amazing, love."

"Thanks."

Once I'm all changed, I head to the wings of the stage and wait there with Kath.

"Do you want to run to Vapiano in between shows?" I ask her. "It's a bit of a walk, but I'm really craving some pasta."

"That sounds fabulous."

"You're wonderful," I tell her.

Only a moment after that, I take my place on the stage, then the curtain goes up and I'm thrown back into the world of Anya for a second act.

'In A Crowd Of Thousands' is probably my absolute favourite part in the entire show. I adore the simplicity of the scene between Anya and Dimitri, and Toby is such a great partner to be acting the scene with. He always makes sure that it's not awkward, even through the romantic bits.

When the show is over, I'm so happy with how the performance went today. I definitely think that it was one of my best, and that may very well have been because Kath was alongside of me for the whole show. Having my best friend right there by me seemed to give me adrenaline, and even push me to be better.

I can't wait for her to make her debut. With that being said, however, nobody is more excited for Katherine to make her debut than Kath herself. She has been working so hard, and it's really been paying off. It's amazing to be able to see her challenge herself like this, and I know that it's going to be a very rewarding experience for her in the end.