[RECAP: Auditions have been held for The Crucible, which hot priest and English teacher Father Gabriel will be directing. American student Leonie is desperate to win the starring role...]
That night, Leonie dreamt of Father Gabriel. She was standing in the dock of a courtroom and he was presiding over her trial, wearing his priest robes.
He looked stern and forbidding. "You know you are guilty," he was saying, and his blue eyes bored into her very soul.
In her dream, Leonie was pleading with him, but whether for her innocence or for his mercy she wasn't sure.
"Prove it then. Now!" he commanded her.
Then they were in some back room of the court, just the two of them. It was all panelled entirely with wood. There were no windows nor door.
"Prove it," Father Gabriel was saying. His voice was close by her ear. She was pressed against the wall and his body was up against hers. "Prove it to me."
I don't know how to prove it, Leonie was thinking. How can I prove it?
He could read her thoughts. "Like this?" he said, one hand reaching up her skirt. Pressing against her in an intimate place, his fingers swirling around.
"No, I didn't do it!" she was crying out.
His other hand was on her breast. His breath was hot on her neck, and she could feel the hardness of his lean muscular body against hers. Her body was throbbing, wanting him closer, wanting his force and his command.
His fingers curled around her breast, teasing it and crushing it. "I know you did it, Leonie. I know. Prove it to me. Prove it."
His lips were closer, closer, nearly touching hers. She ached for him...
Suddenly the light went on and Leonie woke up, startled, to see Mai sitting up in her bed looking over at her.
Mai was frowning. "Are you okay? You've been thrashing around and shouting in your sleep."
Leonie was mortified. Her confused dreams were still rushing through her head. Had she said anything out loud?
"You kept crying 'I didn't do it! I didn't do it!' Have you murdered someone?" Mai asked.
The question was enough to make Leonie laugh and break away from the dream images. "Hell no. I was dreaming about The Crucible. I think it kind of got to me."
"Maybe the spirit of Abigail is possessing you. We should get Father Hot to perform an exorcism. Anyway, so long as you're okay. Sweet dreams." Mai turned the light off again and settled herself back down. Neither of the others had woken.
Leonie snuggled back down herself. Had the dream continued, she suspected Father Gabriel would have been performing far more than an exorcism on her.
* * *
The next morning the cast list went up. Leonie felt so sick with nerves that she couldn't even eat breakfast.
There was already a crowd gathered when she reached the noticeboard. Her heart sank to see Suki Laverne turning away, her head held high, a look of triumph glinting in her eyes as she cast a sneering glance at Leonie.
The sun went out of the sky and the day turned grey. Leonie felt leaden.
Miserable, she went to view the list to see if she had at least been given something. She waited until the rest of the crowd had dispersed and she was the last one there.
She scanned the names, starting from the top.
There - right there - at the very top...
Abigail Williams - Leonie Wilson.
What?
What the hell had Suki's expression been for? Leonie guessed that she must have misinterpreted it. Or Suki was pretending not to care and putting on a show of defiance.
Leonie looked further down the list. Suki had been given the role of Elizabeth Proctor, which was still a pretty major part. Mai had been cast as Susanna Walcott and Figgy hadn't made the list. She would be relieved rather than disappointed by that, Leonie thought.
But she, Leonie, was going to be Abigail. She did a little mental fist bump then turned to see Father Gabriel passing by. Thank God she hadn't fist bumped for real.
He paused when he saw her. "You've seen the list, then?"
"I can't thank you enough. You and Sister Rosalind," she added quickly.
Gabriel smiled. He smiled so rarely that it did something weird to Leonie's stomach. "You have nothing to thank us for. You won the role by giving the best audition. I hope you'll do us all proud."
"I will. I'll try to."
They stood there for several seconds, unable to stop looking at one another. Leonie felt transfixed. It had gone past the point of an acceptable pause.
Gabriel managed to get a grip of himself. "I'll see you in class."