A Shot in the Shadows

Almost

They had three whole days during tech week with their new props, mostly focusing on getting used to where everything needs to be and when while others work out the last of the lighting and sound and choreography.

Paige is sure that between all the directors and managers, they've managed to lose at least fifty clipboards.

Paige is also sure that she's never been more sick of holding a makeup bag, which she'll have almost every show, when she's playing Kayla. Over the course of the week she's been told a million times to leave that small bag on this one small shelf just off left stage, and not to set it on the front of the sink in one of the restroom sinks, but on the back, and then they'd removed the sinks and replaced them with counters, and then wanted Paige to leave it two inches from the top and then they tried to work in an extra line there and Paige had just about died.

It felt good, though, or at least to Paige. They were down to their last week of rehearsals, and sure, pressure was mounting, but all Paige could think was that next Tuesday they'd be performing in front of a live, paying audience. They were almost done. Sure, they'd still be having rehearsals and stuff during the run, but it was sure to be a lot less stressful.

What Paige was really excited about was that all the costumes, hairstyles, makeup - everything was now confirmed. That meant that they were scheduled to head into one of the dance studios that Wednesday for their photoshoot. The room had already been converted into a makeshift photo studio, and they were going to spend most of the day in there taking photos for the last of the press things.

Mr. Harding had informed them all the day before that they were going to be heading in by last names- in alphabetical order, because all the children had wanted to go first, and they were trying to be fair.

Paige was perfectly fine with this, because it still meant she was one of the first few people going. She wore all of her main costumes: her primary Nikki outfit, her Kayla one, and then two of her ensemble ones. They called Annabell in to take a picture with her, then Hayley and Alice too, all the Nikkis in one photo.

In between shots they all jammed out in front of the white screen, and they'd taken pictures of that too. Lara always made the best playlists for their theater class, and she'd been coerced into bringing a bunch of them down to the theater just for the photoshoot.

Nothing got rid of tech week stress better than doing crazy dancing to 13 the musical with equally shameless theater people.

Paige gets booted out into the hall outside a little after that. She immediately claims the closest vacant chair, so that she can just hear the music playing loudly in the dance studio.

It's a relatively painless photoshoot. Everyone's happy, even Lara, who's been missing a few rehearsals and moping around school and the theater after rehearsals. She still joins them in the auditorium at school during lunch, but always crams herself into a corner and rarely contributes to the conversation.

She's causing a fuss now: Paige strains to hear, but she just makes out Lara's raised voice, then Mr. Harding heading for the door. He doesn't quite get there, Lara barging out into the hall clutching one of her character's shirts. She disappears into the restroom and emerges a moment later, disappearing back into the dance studio.

No one explains the incident, but it had gone mostly unnoticed. Paige occupies herself with getting very familiar with her phone, until she's called in with everyone else in the hallway to get the cast photos done. They cram the adults and the teenagers at the sides of the room, taking photos of the kids, and then the teens, and then the adults. Then Paige is being maneuvered next to Annabell, wedged between one of the kids in front of her and one of the adults behind. The camera snaps a few times: they're rearranged slightly.