Falling From Grace: Student-Teacher Forbidden Romance

Chapter 16

[RECAP: Father Gabriel has been giving Leonie the cold shoulder, ever since he heard her confess her forbidden crush...]

Still stressed out about the whole confessional thing and Father Gabriel's curtness towards her, Leonie had to face him at the first rehearsal.

"I hope Father Hot is in a better mood this afternoon," Mai said.

They were working on act one so only certain members of the cast had been called. Leonie and Mai were in the very first scene together. Mai only had a few lines but hadn't bothered to learn them yet.

"Are we all here?" Father Gabriel made a brief check of the cast members needed and the students assembled before him. "Good. The first scene hasn't been blocked out yet, but we'll use the stage anyway. Don't worry about positioning for now. Just focus on the script. For now we'll just have everyone enter from stage right, though this may change next time."

Stepping onto a stage and smelling the dust and must of the curtains and those unique odours of the theatre always sent a thrill through Leonie. It usually electrified her and helped her with her performance, but today she was simply too stressed.

They began the scene, with the Reverend Parris praying, and then the slave woman Tituba entering. Next came Abigail, ushering in Susannah.

Leonie thought it was a shame that Mai hadn't been given a larger role as she was very animated. But she tended to play up and mimic people. She even managed to make Susanna seem absurd by saying "Aye, sir!" in a comical way, causing some girls to giggle. Father Gabriel's cool glance soon quelled their mirth.

For Leonie it was the opposite. She didn't feel animated at all. She could barely get the lines out and it got worse and worse.

They were practising the early scene where Abigail tries to lure John Proctor back to her, and he refuses. The words were literally sticking in her throat. She was so conscious of Father Gabriel's presence.

Worse, he was the one taking the rehearsal as Sister Rosalind had duties elsewhere. Since Gabriel was directing he was going to be most hands on in the rehearsals anyway.

Leonie tried to speak the line telling John Proctor that she sensed his heat, and that it had drawn her to her window.

But she knew she sounded flat and that her lack of expression was making it difficult for the student playing John Proctor. This was a tall girl with short dark hair called Mercy Braithwaite. It should have been easier playing the scene with another girl, since there was no question of real life sexual tension between the two actors. At least Leonie assumed there wasn't, she guessed it was possible that Mercy might be gay. If she was it didn't bother her either way.

But every line she had to say, Leonie just felt as though Father Gabriel's eyes were boring into her with increasing disapproval.

She tried again to put some emotion in, telling John Proctor that she had seen him burning with loneliness and looking up at her.

But could she say these lines with Father Gabriel watching her? She was stumbling over them, rushing them out with no expression at all.

Mercy was doing such a great job too. There was real conviction in her voice when she spoke of "cutting off her hand" and ordering Abigail to "wipe it out of mind".

Abigail's reply, to taunt John Proctor for being a strong man but having a sickly wife, should have been full of passion and venom. She was goading John Proctor to react to her. But Leonie knew she was getting worse and worse. How she got to the end of the scene she never knew. As the rehearsal was called to a close, she shot an apologetic glance at Mercy. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't get the lines right today."

Mercy shrugged and smiled. "It's okay, it happens to all of us." She was a prefect like Harry and also did History of Art. Leonie liked her, which was why she felt so bad about letting her down. "It's only the first rehearsal, no one even remembers the lines yet."

Except Leonie did. She knew them by heart, burned into her soul even before she got the part.

"I'm sorry anyway."

"Don't worry. It will be great next time. Once we don't have to make an effort to remember each word." Mercy smiled brightly again at Leonie to try and cheer her up, and went on her way.

Leonie went to pick up her pile of folders which she had left on a chair. Mai had already left as Susannah was only needed at the very start, so she had been allowed to slip off early along with a couple of others.

As Leonie was about to leave, Father Gabriel called her back. "Leonie Wilson, if you could stay behind."

Her heart sank. He was going to give the part to someone else, she just knew it. Probably goddamn Suki, waiting in the wings.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ooo ooo oo oo - what does Father Gabriel want with her...?!