Begin Again

Scene 16

The sun was starting to set when Skylar stepped out of her home, dressed and ready to go to the theatre. Kieran had not returned after Skylar's revelation. Skylar had spent the rest of the day getting ready for the play, she even went out to the town square for items and even stopped at the theatre for a ticket.

Every so often, she would get distracted with the thought of Kieran hating her. She knew she had to eventually tell him the truth ever since she started to care for Kate. It was going to take a long time for Kieran to trust her again, but Skylar would do everything in her power to earn that trust and his forgiveness. The only way she knew for sure that would get her in Kieran's good graces was to find the answers to helping the Lycans' freedom. Nothing was going to stand in the way of that goal.

Skylar left a note and the ticket nailed to her front door for when Kieran finally returned from wherever he ran off to. If he returns, that is. She made her way to the theatre as it was not too far from her cottage. As she was walking, she felt a sense of sadness. She realized she was following the same routine she had been following in the past year and it no longer felt right to her. She did not understand why she felt this way, but deep down she no longer wanted the life she had been living since leaving the coven. When did it all change? Even if she had yet to realized it, it changed when she met the Lycans.

She entered the back of the theatre and was greeted by a few guards and some of her cast mates that were arriving. She walked backstage to grab her outfit for the play and as she was looking through the hangers for the costume that had her character's name, she softly bumped her shoulder with the person next to her. She looked up and was meet by deep green eyes that belonged to Abel. Although Abel tried to mask his face from hurt and sadness at what he saw in the morning, his eye couldn't hide those emotions.

"Abel," Skylar whispered softly. "May we speak before we have to go on stage?"

"Sure," Abel whispered after a long silence. Abel was never one to hold resentment towards anyone and that was what made him such a great person. The woman he ended up with would be lucky and Skylar knew that the woman would never be her. Abel needed someone who was as selfless as he was and that was a trait Skylar believed she did not possess.

"I am so sorry, Abel," Skylar said once they were in a private spot away from others, but not too far from where they're costumes were located.

"You do not have to apologize for having someone else," he tried to brush it off like it didn't bother him.

"No, that's not why I am apologizing. You are mistaken, the man you saw this morning, he and I are not together." Skylar reached for Abel's hand and held them in between her own. "I'm apologizing for hurting and using you." She took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. "I was selfish and using you for my own needs. You deserve so much better. Someone who will love you with the same amount of love you put in." Skylar's brown eyes never faltered away from his greens. "I would never be that someone, I'm incapable of ever being that someone for you."

Skylar closed her eyes after finishing what she needed to say. Abel's eyes widened a bit after hearing her words, but then a small smile appeared on his face as his hand reached to cup her cheek.

"Who are you and what have you done to The Great Skylar?" Skylar let out a choked chuckle at hearing Abel's words. She opened her eyes to the sight of his playful eyes.

"I'll always be The Great Skylar," she replied with a bit of sass as she let go of his hand. "But even The Greats know when they need to fix their wrong doings."

"Did something happen?," Abel removed his hand from her cheek and stepped slightly away from her. "You sound as if you've just been told you have only days to live," he had a worried look on his face. Some things must definitely had happened to Skylar, because he could not believe that Skylar of all people had changed her ways in a matter of days.

"Nothing's happened," Skylar shook her head with a reassuring smile on her face. "I've just realized that I haven't been happy in a really long time. I want to make changes in myself, because nothing has come about with me being the way I have been so far."

"I can understand," Abel said right before their conversation got cut when they heard the director yell for everyone to appear for a pre-show meeting. "That's us. We still have to get dressed."

"No worry," Skylar said as she looked around her to see that the coast was clear and then she recited a spell. In the next couple of seconds they were wearing their costumes. The clothing that they were originally wearing was on the hanger where their costumes once were.

"Okay people, we have a few changes to tonight's performance," Leandro, the director, spoke once the cast were all together. "Skylar?" 

"Yes," she quickly responded once Leandro called her name.

"Congratulations, you are now the leading lady." Skylar was shocked at hearing his words. "Margot has fallen ill and will not be able to perform tonight."

"Really?" Skylar let out a small squeal and had a huge grin on her face. She was excited as she had been waiting for a chance to finally show that she was always meant to have the leading role. At that moment, Skylar had forgotten all about having to quit the theatre to help Kieran.

"Yes," Leandro smiled at Skylar's reaction. He had always like Skylar for the leading role in many of the plays, but because Margot had connections, his hands were tied. "Now hurry and change into Rosalind's costume. We have only thirty minutes before curtains up."

"Yes, sir." Skylar let out a hushed squeal as she turned to Abel. "Can you believe it, finally," she whispered. 

"Go out there and show them that no one else should had ever been the leading lady," Abel encouraged as he was happy for Skylar in having this opportunity.

"Thanks," Skylar gave him a quick hug right before she took off to grab her new costume.

In the thirty minutes they had left before the play started, Skylar changed into her new costume, redid her makeup, and ran a few lines with Abel even though she had already memorized them months ago. Skylar was always very dedicated to her acting and had learned and memorized many scripts in case a moment like the one she had gotten happened.

Finally it was time for the play to begin. This play was called, As You Like It by William Shakespeares. Skylar was not apart of Scene One in the first Act. Her character didn't appear until Scene Two, so she had to wait a few minutes more before that happened. Skylar couldn't keep still as she waited, she was just too excited. Before she knew it, she heard applause and the curtains coming down as the first scene came to an end. She went to get into her position on the side of the stage once the curtain was fully down while the stage crew changed the props on the stage for the new scenery. She was joined by a fellow actress, Freya, beside her as their characters were both in this scene. They played cousins, Rosalind and Celia. 

"Best of luck," Freya whispered. She was a sweet actress who got bumped up to play Celia, now that Skylar was playing the lead.

"You as well," Skylar whispered back and then in the next moment the curtains slowly rose up. Freya was the first to take a step on stage and Skylar followed beside her. 

"I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry." Freya spoke her first line. Just as Skylar was about to say her line, something told her to turn to the audience. As she slightly moved her line of sight, she completely froze when she saw a certain someone sitting in the audience. She didn't expect him to show up, but yet there he was. Freya discreetly nudged Skylar with her elbow which seemed to break her from her frozen state. And being the amazing actress she is, Skylar swiftly spoke her line.

"Dear Celia, I show more mirth than I am mistress of; and would you yet I were merrier? Unless you could teach me to forget a banished father, you must not learn me how to remember any extraordinary pleasure." 

Skylar was a natural actress and Kieran could see that even more as he watched the performance from his seat in the third row. It wasn't much of a surprise to Kieran as he thought about how she easily played him for a fool in the short time he's known her.