Note: This chapter is meant to be like a prologue. It's supposed to be short.
Camilla swished her light brown hair to both sides, admiring how the light caught onto it. The mascara she had applied to her long lashes made her dark blue eyes pop in the light, as well as her cheekbones that had been brushed with highlight. Her lips and nose were sculpted to perfection, serving as the best explanation for why boys fell head over heels for her.
Camilla made her way to the closet and began sifting through her outfits to find one that would make her look like she had tried hard getting ready today, but not too hard. Today, she knew it would be imperative that everyone saw clearly that she had taken all her time today to look great. She put on an almond-colored, plain tank top with ripped jeans and teal sandals. Today was supposed to be warmer than normal even though it was late October, so she figured she could get away with wearing the outfit. She put leopard-print sunglasses on her head since today would be mostly sunny and basic gold bracelets and gold loop earrings on her to finish the look.
Camilla grabbed her backpack and headed down the stairs from her room. Her mom was in the kitchen making breakfast, so she quickly slid into a chair at the dining room table. Her mom, clearly realizing she was there, walked behind her and slapped bacon and eggs on the plate that had been ready before she even sat there. Camilla eagerly dove into the eggs, saving the best for last: the bacon! It was crispy, just how her mom knew she liked it. It didn't even faze her that the task saved for later would make most people vomit with this type of breakfast. However, Camilla never even felt nauseous when doing the tasks, even when she had a breakfast like this. It simply came easily to her.
Camilla pecked her mom on the cheek before trotting to the door with her car keys in hand. "Have fun with work, Mom," she called, "and don't forget that I have drama practice until 6 today!" Her mom shouted back her acknowledgment of the reminder, so she headed out. If Camilla's reflexes weren't so sharp she wouldn't have seen her black lab against her black Lexus. "Hi Thunder," she cooed to her companion, scratching him right on the middle of his back where he liked it most. He understood where she was going and didn't try to follow her into her car.
Camilla turned her car keys until the engine started up, and as she waited for the car to warm up, she unlocked her phone and began sifting through apps. When she found the musical cast results again, she re-opened it to see the main character roles.
The musical was Les Misérables, and the main female character (that was not played by children) was Fantine, a mezzo-soprano. Camilla was an alto, but she had an excellent vocal range that allowed her to sing almost any role.
Despite her talent, she re-read the name of who claimed the role of Fantine. Her blood boiled seeing the name of a senior that had been in drama for less time than her: Amanda Banks. She was a mezzo-soprano, but that was probably the only part she could possibly sing with her range. She could act well, but she couldn't become a character like Camilla. She knew that the results were only based on Amanda's appearance, which matched perfectly with Fantine, but that didn't matter to her.
Then, her eyes trailed down the list to her name assigned to the character Éponine. Though Camilla didn't usually mind playing a "bad" character, she couldn't accept not having the main female role. In her freshman year, she was the understudy for the Belle in Beauty and the Beast. When the original girl playing Belle was sick, Camilla accepted the role and stunned the crowd with her skills on stage. The drama staff and participants even admitted to her that she shone far brighter than the original actress would have. The very next year, she easily claimed the role of Mia in the musical La La Land.
She anticipated that, as a junior, she would claim the role of Fantine without a moment of hesitation from the judges at the audition. Despite her expectation, the results showed otherwise. Though it would have bothered her to not be given the main female role anyway, the fact that she missed the two main female roles agitated her. More than that, it infuriated her. She couldn't stand to be the third most important female role in the musical. She would take Amanda's role from her. She would play Fantine in the musical Les Misérables.
Camilla didn't care what it took to get her there.