"For god's sake," I complained once we got outside. It was freezing, I had just embarrassed myself once again and, to make matters even worse, it was raining. For now, we were protected by a thin metal roof covering the door, but to get back to the Orphan Shack and the supply closet we would have to face the elements.
Klaus sighed and glanced down, scuffing his feet on the concrete, "I'm sorry about what happened, Isadora."
"What're you sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong. Thanks for the jacket, by the way. You must be cold now."
He shook his head, "You're the one wearing a thin piece of plastic. I'm pretty sure you need it more."
I pulled the jacket around my waist tighter, "Thanks."
We fell silent but the same couldn't be said for the rain, which had slowly got heavier and heavier. Now the pitter patter echoed through the whole courtyard and it's density made everything more than a few metres away blur. Essentially, it seemed like we were in a bubble surrounded by fog and not much else, despite the impending darkness of the other school buildings in the distance. The auditorium was set away from the other buildings for the simple reason that Vice Principal Nero couldn't afford sound proofing. Having it far away meant that, in theory, he could practice the violin all day without disturbing anyone. Note how I say "in theory". In reality, Nero's violin could still be heard all the way inside the other school buildings, especially since he ended up just staying and playing in his office, complaining that the auditorium was too long a walk for a musical genius. The walk was only maybe five minutes but I guess that was equivalent to the amount of exercise the Vice Principal got in an entire week. After all, he wouldn't want to exert himself, would he? I'm honestly a little surprised he hasn't installed a stair lift yet.
"I guess we better go sooner or later," Klaus' voice cut through my thoughts and I realised I had zoned out.
I nodded even though he wasn't looking at me anymore, "I would say later but it's only going to get more cold isn't it?"
"I would say so," was his response and I nodded again, looking out at the terrible weather in front of us. It was only when Klaus was about to step out that I had an idea.
"Wait!"
Klaus paused and raised an eyebrow. Instead of explaining, I dashed inside again, telling him to stay there.
I ran to the room where Carmelita had been storing the costumes for the play and quickly began looking for something that would keep us dry. I considered stealing one of Carmelita's abundance of sparkly dresses but there was no way it would fit me and I figured it wouldn't be worth taking it in case I was caught. It's not that easy to hide something that catches every form of light and glows like a disco ball. Instead, I searched through the props to find an umbrella or something that would work as a makeshift one, but of course there was nothing. I even looked for rain coats, but this was Carmelita's first production and it seemed like she only prioritised pretty outfits. To be fair, what use was practical clothing to a fairy princess? Then I remembered my uniform. It wouldn't keep me dry but it was a lot more comfortable and warm than a broken rubbish bag, but as I looked around, it became apparent that it wasn't there. Carmelita must have got rid of it.
Just as I was deciding to give up my short search, something caught my eye by the door. It was a roll of black bin bags and I quickly ripped a couple off. I couldn't find the scissors that I had used earlier so instead I just pulled at the thin plastic until it tore in three places. Then, I slipped Klaus' jacket from around my waist and put the new bag over the old, split one. That way I could give Klaus his jacket back without flashing my underwear to everyone. Then I took a second bag and left the room, sneaking past the door to the main hall where everyone was still practising and Carmelita was still screaming and ordering people about.
