WICKED { #Wattys2016 }

Chapter Twenty-Six: Kol Sterling is a human being

"My good Lysander! I swear to thee by Cupid's strongest bow, by his best arrow with the golden head, by the simplicity of Venus' doves, by that which knitteth souls and prospers loves, and by that fire which burned the Carthage queen. When the false Troyan under sail was seen, by all the vows that ever men have broke. In that same place thou hast appointed me, tomorrow truly will I meet with thee." Cordelia declared to Christopher a.k.a. Lysander.

"Keep promise, love." Christopher replied, lifting their entertwined hands and pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "Look, here comes Helena." He added, as "Helena" made her way onto the stage.

"Godspeed, fair Helena! Whither away?" Cordelia greeted, smiling brightly. Not because Hermia and Helena were friends and because Hermia should smile when she greeted her friend, but because she knew what Nina's next line was, and she was looking forward to hearing it.

There was a pause. A pause that was too long, where Nina debated whether or not all of this was worth what she had to say. "Call you me 'fair'? That 'fair' again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. O happy fair! Your eyes are lodestars, and your tongue's sweet air, more tunable than lark to shepherd's ear. When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. Sickness is catching. Oh, were favor so, yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go. My ear sh-"

She was cut off by Elliot who yelled, "Cut!" From the front row.

Nina snorted indignantly and rolled her brown eyes, "What?"

Fear flashed in Elliot's eyes before he stood with a look of grim determination.

"Nina you're supposed to be whiny and self-deprecating. Cordelia is your beautiful best friend who has not one but two handsome, honourable suitors, one of which you are in love with. You love her, but you're also jealous of her."

"I'm sorry, I'm just having trouble with the character because I thought I would be playing a different character." Nina spat with enough venom to kill Elliot with her bite.

"Helena is the second female lead Nina." Mr. Pierce spoke up, to try to make the peace, as per usual. "We just need to know you can adequately portray Helena."

That was the perfect way to get Nina to shape up, and Pierce knew it. He had just challenged her, and questioned her acting ability.

"Of course I can." Nina snapped, "If you'd just let me finnish my monologue." She said icily, with her hands on her hips.

Elliot grinned, "Actually, I stopped you because i'm calling a wrap for the day."

Nina scoffed in disbelief, and Cordelia had to stifle a giggle.

"Great job everyone, lots of improvement today!" Mr. Pierce called out, as chatter and commotion ensued.

Cordelia and her co-stars exited the stage, and as she retrieved her bag from her dressing room, she looked up to see Nina's reflection in the mirror of the vanity.

Cordelia decided that ignoring Nina was not only the best course of action, but also the best way to piss her off, so she pulled a tube of lipgloss out of her bag and applied it in the mirror.

Nina was seething with anger. "Listen up Cordelia, just cause you got the part I wanted does not mean you are the star of this play. I am. Regardless of what character I play."

Cordelia didn't dignify that with an answer.

Nina grit her teeth and started to leave, but after second-thought, poked her head back in the room, "You got really lucky in that accident Cord. If you hadn't I as your understudy would be Hermia." She added before leaving Cordelia alone with chills.