The scene fades to a mansion that is located in the middle of the city. The camera pans to the inside to an office that was mostly covered in pink. Regina opens the door and walks into her office to a table with Max following behind as he still held Lilly in his giant hand. Regina takes a seat in one side of the table and then snaps her fingers as she says,
Regina: "You can place her down now Max."
Max nods slowly as he walks behind to the other side of the table and lowers his hand down, then releases Lilly. Lilly grips the sides of her seat as she breathes to recompose herself from that tight grip Max held her in.
Regina: "I am so glad that Max didn't squeeze you to hard on the way here. *pushes a tray towards her* Gingerbread cookie?"
Lilly: "Oh no, thank you, I'm good."
Regina: "Oh well, more for me!"
She takes a gingerbread cookie from the tray and bite off a piece of it before flicking it towards Lilly's side. Lilly looks at the cookie and realizes that Regina bit off the head of the gingerbread. This made Lilly gulp nervously as Regina then said,
Regina: "Any way, I would like to apologize on Max's behalf for hurting your little friend just to bring you here. *Max's hand is lowered to Regina* He's been a bad boy and hasn't been himself lately."
She lightly slaps Max's hand who responds with a low groan, not really affected him much.
Regina: "Now, do you remember the number one rule we have at the studio, peasant?"
She chews off another head of the gingerbread figure and tosses it next the other broken gingerbread figure. Lilly gulps before she says,
Lilly: "'Not to sing unless with permission?'"
Regina: "*suddenly leans forward in front of Lilly's face* EXACTLY! This is why you follow the rules, just my father said when you and your so called 'father' came back to work again once more. *motions to a giant portrait on the wall*"
Lilly: "Look, I'm sorry about what happened today, I'll make it up to you by working harder tomorrow and-"
Regina: "SILENCE!"
She slams hand onto the table that startled Lilly, who lets out a yelp and leans back in fear. Regina chuckles darkly at her expression before she said,
Regina: "I love the fear that expresses on your face, it shows just how obedient you are to my family."
Lilly: "... Well, I was actually hoping that I could ask you of something, if you don't mind that is."
Regina: "*grits her teeth for a moment before concealing her expression and turns to face Lilly* Of course! What is it that you would ask for?"
Lilly: "I was wondering what you are planning to do once you have completed college in a few months? You know that the final terms are coming up soon and the teachers will be showing the results from the winter exams we took last year. I'm sure that you have studied for it right?"
Regina: "... Max, would be a sweetheart and grab something from the other room? I need a moment with Lilly*slowly glares at her*... Alone."
Max: "*deep voice* Yes, Miss Regina."
Max slowly walks out of the room with heavy footsteps shake and echo the entire mansion. As the door closes, Regina loses her grin and sighs heavily before she says,
Regina: "Did you actually think that I studied the exams from last year?... No, I did not."
Lilly: "But then that means you won't be able to pass-!"
Regina: "Oh I know, peasant. Let's just say that money solves everything in this world."
Lilly: "*slowly realizes something and speaks in a whisper*... You cheated."
Regina: "*turns to her suddenly* Excuse me?"
Lilly: "Wait! No! That's not what I meant to say-!"
Lilly suddenly gets slapped from her chair and fell to the ground by Regina, who held an expression.
Regina: "You dare call me a 'cheat?' I would never, EVER cheat if it meant staying on the top! And for that little stunt you did, I'll be giving you a punishment."
Lilly: "*fear in her voice* W-What type of punishment is it going to be?"
Regina: "You'll find out soon enough, but for now, I want to remind those who work for me."
Regina leans dangerously close to Lilly, who leans back in fear as Regina then sings,
Regina: ♫Look at the trophies, see how my families trophies gleam in the sunlight, see how they shine!♫
She walks up to the wall of various trophies and medals. Regina grabbed a random trophy off the podium as she asks while singing,
Regina: ♫WHAT do you think it took, to become English High-Voice Champion, 1959? Do you think in that moment, when my mother's moment came, that she treated the rules with casual disdain? Well? Like Hell!♫
She sets the trophy down on the table and walks over to a drawer grabs a champagne glass, a cloth and a bottle of water. Regina goes to a separate table and sets everything up as she continues singing.
Regina: ♫As she stepped up to the podium, did she change her plan?♫
Lilly gulps quietly as Regina looks back at Lilly in question and asks,
Regina: "Hmm? What?"
Echos of cheers can be heard in the background as Regina starts sings again.
Regina: ♫As she prepped her voice, did she squabble her voice? She did not. She started to sing high, did she look at the crowd? Did she drift and dream for a minute or two? Did you think she faltered or altered her voice? Did you think she altered her intended elevation?♫
Lilly looked at her nervously before Regina motions to the set up display of the champagne glass on the different table as she continued to sing.
Regina: ♫As her voice started rising higher, did she change her tone, from the tone she had practiced for many a month? Not a jot or a dot, did she stray from the plot? Not a detail of her voice was adjusted or forgotten, not even when the sound left her mouth and echoed through the crowd! Did she let herself go?♫ "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
She suddenly throws something at the glass before it shatters into a million pieces as a voice echoes in the air in the background.
Announcer (background): "*echos faintly* SHE'S DONE IT! SHE IS THE BEST!"
Regina then looks over at her desk and walks over to a small box device, which is connected to the speakers in the mansion and turns it on. It plays a little tune as everyone in the mansion stops what their doing and looks up at the cameras that are watching them, Regina then sings into the small speaker,
Regina: ♫If you want to sing your voice for your country. You have to stay in the circle all the time. If you want to make the stage, you don't need happiness or self-esteem. You just need to keep your feet inside the line♫ *grabs the small speaker and talks into it* "Sing everyone. Two, three, four."
Butlers/ Maids: ♫*through the monitors* If you want to sing your voice for your country. You have to stay in the circle all the time♫
Regina: ♫And if you want to bring success, you don't use sympathy or tenderness (tenderness). You have to force the peasants to toe the line♫ "Sing you embarrassment."
Regina tosses the speaker to Lilly, stumbles grabbing it as she starts to sing into it,
Lilly: ♫If you want to sing your voice for your country♫
Regina walks out as the butlers and maids walk outside to the backyard and waves colorful flags in a formation. They continue singing while Lilly stays quiet and watched from behind scared as Regina moves her arms in a conducting motion.
Butlers/ Maids: ♫You have to stay in the circle all the time. Circulum est deus, deus, gloria!♫
Regina blows a whistle as everyone positions themselves to make a shape that looks like a music note. She then looks back at Lilly, who tenses up at her stare. Regina walks back in steps forward towards Lilly, who ends up backing up to Max, just standing there behind her menacingly.
Regina: ♫I apply just one simple rule, to a high-singing, life and dance. Life's a voice so learn to use it, find the tone and use it and always keep your feet inside the line!♫ "Now get out before I fire you!"
Lilly stumbles backwards as Max drops her bag into her hands then rushes out of her office to leave the scene. The scene changes to sunset as a taxi pulls up to a college entrance and stops in front of it. Lilly walks out of the taxi and pays the driver while saying,
Lilly: "Thank you for the ride, good sir."
Taxi driver: "Don't mind lady."
It drives off as Lilly begins to walk to the collage grounds. The scene changes to Lilly walking down the hallway as she starts to pull out her dorm key before she hears something coming from her room.
Martha: "*behind the door* Ow! Ben, careful, that muscle head did a number on that arm, I swear!"
Ben: "*behind the door* Maybe you should learn to control what you say before you get yourself hurt!"
Lilly opens the door and sees Martha, who is sitting on the couch in the living room as a guy beside her, wrapping up her arm in bandages.
Lilly: "Ben? Martha?"
Martha: "Lilly! *tries to get but winces in pain* Sss, ahhooow! Ok, that hurts."
Lilly: "Are you doing ok? Max didn't hurt you that well, did he?"
Ben: "Nope, the doctors to us that she just has a couple bruises that'll heal in a few days. Her arm is injured, so they said that she shouldn't move her arm too much and she has nothing more than a sprained ankle."
Martha: "I'm still going out tonight with you guys, I'm not missing this movie that I got tickets for."
Lilly: "I'm going to have to miss out tonight."
Martha: "What?!"
Ben: "Why?!"
Lilly: "With everything that happened at the studio today and the homework from classes today, I might end up working up tonight and tomorrow since it's the weekend."
Ben: "Yikes. Well, just don't stay up too late like last time."
Lilly: "*smiles softly* I promise."
Martha and Ben stand up and walk up to the door before giving Lilly one last goodbye before leaving to the theaters. Later that evening, Lilly was sitting on her bed as she is reading her science book.
She suddenly heard buzzing from her desk and looked over to see her dad calling. She walked over a pressed the green button, answering the call.
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* Hey, my little flower!"
Lilly: "Hey dad! How are you doing on your business trip?"
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* It's tough here, believe me. I miss visiting you when you're just a few blocks away, not a few states away."
Lilly: "*chuckles to herself* Well I miss you too, dad."
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* I heard about what happened at the studio back in New York, you doing ok?"
Lilly: "Yeah, I'm good. Just rearranging the schedule for the next shoot and doing my homework from classes today."
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* You know, you should take a break, you have been working your butt off since you didn't take the holiday off last year. I know you don't mind it, but everyone should at least get some time to rest and spend some time with your friends!"
Lilly: "I tried that once before, but it never really works that well."
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* You know what I did when I was your age? I snuck away all the time just to listen to some good music and have a fun time with my friends. Fun fact actually, one of those nights is when I met your mother."
Lilly: "*surprised* Really?"
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* Yeah! Your mother was injured in the central park and didn't remember what happened that day. I didn't want to pry into it since she had amnesia for a while before some of her memories came back. After so many years with her I made my choice to leave the horrible job I had behind and start a new life with your mother in Louisiana and then we had you."
Lilly smiled softly at the story her dad just told her.
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* The point is, don't waste your life obeying a horrible person and find someone who is perfect just the way they are for you."
Lilly: "Thanks dad, I'll think about it."
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* Well anyway, I need to hit the hay here, I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow. I can't wait to hear what you'll do this weekend, ok?"
Lilly: "Sure dad."
Louis (dad): "*through the phone* Night, my little flower."
Lilly: "Night dad."
She presses the red button on her phone, ending the phone call with her dad. She sighs, knowing that she can't tell her father the real truth about what happened today, not even her friends can't know what happened today at the mansion when she talked to her boss. She hears the dorm room open as Lilly walks up to go and greets her friends, who have returned from the theater with a surprise.
Martha: "*excited* GIRL! Guess what?!"
Lilly: "You seemed excited, did something happen?"
Ben: "Well, we ran into a classmate after the movie was over. They wanted to ask us-"
Martha: "If we could go to the college party that they are hosting in the dorms lounge room! It turns out that the guy couldn't go because he had something else to do, but never mind that! Isn't that exciting news?! We get to actually get to attend to a real college party!"
Lilly: "That's exciting news, but why would they suddenly let the dorms have a party this soon? I thought it wouldn't be until spring break came."
Ben: "So did we, but someone blew up half the building that is now covered in paint and it'll take probably a couple weeks until it's clean. So they are letting us have some fun until then, what do you say?"
Lilly thinks back on her dad's words about having some fun when no one expects it.
Lilly: "You know what? I think it's time to let loose a little, to heck with work!"
Martha: "*sweats a little at Lilly's statement* We'll work on that."
Lilly: "When is the party by the way?"
Ben: "This Saturday, which should give us plenty of time to get everything ready and for us to practice."
Lilly: "Practice for what exactly?"
Martha: "Oh yeah. Forgot to mention, the guy that gave us the invitation apparently was supposed to be singing tonight for the dorms show, so I signed us up for it!"
Lilly's glasses slightly fell forward a bit as she appears to be shocked at that and says,
Lilly: "... You what?"
Martha: "It's too late I signed us up! And since we're so hyped up, you should sing tonight right now!"
Ben: "Sis, I don't she should sing tonight, not after what happened today."
Martha: "Oh come on bro! She needs to be ready! She can't be pushed all her life forever, she needs to build up her self confidence for the performance on Saturday. Besides, tonight seems like a good opportunity to practice her warm ups for her songs, right Lilly?"
Lilly: "I guess it wouldn't hurt to practice."
Martha: "YES! THAT'S THE SPIRIT! LET'S BUILD UP THAT CONFIDENCE!"
Martha quickly rushes offscreen to grab something before Ben speaks up and says,
Ben: "You don't have to do this if it makes you feel uncomfortable."
Lilly: "I want to do this Ben. Martha's right, if I want to build up my self confidence, I need to start somewhere, right?"
Martha: "FOUND IT!"
Martha rushes back to the living room with a sheet of paper in her hands along with a violin and a keyboard in her other arm. She walks over to Lilly, hands her the sheet of paper before walking back to her brother, making him sit on the couch and handing him the violin while Martha placed the keyboard on her lap.
Martha: "Let's start with one the songs you liked writing the most, try that one and we'll see how it goes."
Lilly: "... Ok."
She takes a deep breath before she starts singing with Martha playing the piano and Ben playing the violin.
(A/n: Start at 1:35)
Lilly: ♫La lala, la lala la laa... Gales of Song, guide me through the storm♫
She looks at her friends, who gives her encouraging looks before taking a breath again before continuing with her eyes closed.
Lilly: ♫On the wings of a small, simple melody, words take flight and soar, they carry me. A world we'll see looking for a farewell, I pull the threads. A life without you, I cannot accept I can't tell that lie, I can't let go♫
The room suddenly flickers as Martha and Ben looks around confused as Lilly continues to sing a little louder.
Lilly: ♫But now that you're gone, I have to move on seems like everyone, just smiles staring at the sun, but what about me? Tell me how I will know, where should I go oh? Oh gales, you sing and guide me!♫
The room suddenly went dark as colorful little sparks floated in the room and Lilly starts floating a bit above ground.
Lilly: ♫I walk alone. There's more to life I have to know, it's just me, lost so far away from home, I shut myself in. Still the winds howl, they call and their voices lead me, gales of song, guide me through the storm let the melody lift me high, I'll be me!♫
A wave of energy suddenly bursts from Lilly, knocking Martha and Ben back and blasting through the college grounds, through New York City as the power was starting to go out. Martha and Ben quickly turned to look at Lilly and they are shocked to see what was in front of them.
Lilly: ♫Gales of song, please stay by my side, *starts to sob lightly as she finishes the song* winds of love, breath into me life♫
The colorful sparks disappear and so does the illusion of the wings from Lilly back as she starts to sob lightly. Martha quickly rushes to her side to comfort her as Ben takes a look around their surroundings as they see that the living room was a mess from the blast. They are shocked from that as Ben asks,
Ben: "... What... was that?"
The scene changes to a palace in another dimension where a servant walks onto the balcony where a hooded figure is standing on. He hand the hooded figure a screen tablet and says,
Male servant: "The crystal, it suddenly active, I think the Light Swan is alive somewhere in another world."
???: "Is that so? Thank you for the information, I'll take it from here."
He nods and walks away from the hooded figure.
???: "Looks like there is still hope after all."
They suddenly life their hand as a sentient disco ball is summoned with a portal opening behind her.
???: "I want you to go find her location and bring the Light Swan here at once, we're going to need help with situation we are in."
The disco ball nods in determination as she turns to float into the portal as it closes behind her. Hooded figure looks up at the space sky before they say,
???: "I hope you're out there Light Swan, you're the last hope to help us save this world from danger."