Worth The Shot

Ethereal Starlight Ballade

Todays fanart is by yyyoanaxa! I love the way they drew the covers, they look so realistic!! This is the scene from Diamong Angel where Camilo finally wakes up. Camilo looks so sweet here :)))))

BACK TO THE STORY

Rumbling murmurs of the crowd rolled like seasickness. Your fingers squeezed around the heavy, maroon velvet curtain. The shiny fabric felt plush under your grip: too regal, too luxurious, too dazzling for you. Just like this play.

Peeking out from behind the curtain, your panicked eyes darted across the blurred throng of faces. The entire village had dutifully swarmed over Casita's backyard lawn like bees. Whispering, buzzing, laughing.

"How did you know I that play guitar?" You nervously complained to Bruno, your hands dancing in little excited jitters. "I know nothing about your play! I didn't even know you wanted me to sing, let alone be your opening act!"

"You'll be fine, don't be nervous!" Bruno blundered, his face tensed in a forced, fanatical grin. But the sweat dewing around his hairline and his twitchy fidgets exposed Bruno's own nerves. Poor Bruno. Alma had drowned him in unnecessary pressure.

At breakfast, Alma had warningly emphasized, "The night must be perfect! You are representing La Familia Madrigal!"

Before the curtain had even been drawn, Alma disdainfully regarded the play as a failed endeavor. Mirabel and Bruno, the unofficial family outcasts, felt determined to prove her wrong.

With her rickety sewing machine, Mirabel had fabricated beautiful costumes for the entire cast.  Despite your terrified hesitation to participate, even you couldn't deny the gorgeous style of your assigned costume. You swiveled your head to admire the soft candlelight dress. Breezy, open sleeves flowed from your arms. The gentle dip of the hem fluttered just above your knees in the warm May air. With yellow forsythia flowers braided into your hair, Mirabel had transformed you into a spring goddess.

Would it be enough to impress the crowd? What if your voice squeakily cracked like a dehydrated chipmunk? What if you botched the jumbly words to Bruno's original song? Everyone will be watching.

"Bruno," you wailed, queasily leaning the back of your head against the hard-wood frame of the stage. "I don't think I can do this." Your heart flopped, a mutated, monster moth in your chest.

"You can do it!" Bruno insisted, heavily dumping a enchanting guitar into your arms. Bright yellow, like the forsythias. Trails of sparkly, golden glitter swirled across its body, as if Bruno had captured the unearthly glory of a miracle candle in the instrument.

"The village is getting impatient." Alma announced, stepping backstage and stiffly placing the Candella candle stump into Bruno's bony hands. "Remember, tonight must go perfectly." As she strode back to her front-row seat, a flash of intense defiance crackled in Bruno's eyes.

Woah. There's still tension between those two? I thought they'd resolved everything, it's been weeks since Bruno returned!

Unnerved, Bruno frowned at the dusty wood floor, blinking rapidly. Bruno's actors, a young group of villagers, supportively gathered around him.

"You got this, Bruno!"

"Yeah, you're the best!"

"We're all ready!"

"Alright, alright," Bruno awkwardly chuckled, weighing the gray-white candle back and forth in his two hands. With an embarrassed cough, he self-consciously glanced at you. "During rehearsals, we never actually lit the candle, so we always had this little saying to start off our run-throughs..."