The books of beginning fanfiction: One-shots & extra's

Christmas one-shot: The play

Just some disclaimers: I'm not part of any religion but I have been going to Christian schools my entire life, so I am properly familiar with the nativity play and have personally played in it. This chapter doesn't make any declaration of the way the day should or shouldn't be celebrated, it's just because it's something I associate with this day despite me not believing in the core of the story being portrayed. What I'm trying to say, I'm okay with all beliefs and all ways of celebrating or not celebrating this day. So I hope you can still enjoy this chapter no matter what beliefs you do or don't have.

I know that the nativity school play isn't actually played on the Christmas day itself (at least it wasn't that way at my school) but I just did that for the sake of the story so just go along with it.

And lastly, this takes place before the emerald atlas starts in Kate's childhood. With all that out of the way, enjoy my Christmas special.

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She looked into the cheap mirror in the girl's bathroom, where all her other classmates stood to get ready for the play with their mothers. Some needing some face paint while others were ready just by putting on their costumes. They were all made by the children, teachers, and parents with no budget whatsoever. The young girl looked at herself and her blond hair that had been curled by her teacher. She wore a white dress that was too long for a four-year-old since it came from a flea market they couldn't be picky about sizes. On the back, they had sewn a pair of fabric wings that she had made during her class.  As she nervously recited her lines in front of the mirror Mrs.Gardner walked in the bathroom. 

"Kate, dear, it's almost your turn to go on stage," she spoke softly. 

"Okay," the girl responded.

"There's no need to be scared. If you forget your lines look to me and I will mouth them to you." She stretched out her hand to encourage her to take it. And when Kate did her teacher led her to the side of the little stage. Still far enough from the spotlight to not be seen. But just past the curtains so Kate could take a peek behind them to see her parents, accompanied by her little brother and her baby sister that was being held by her father. As they saw her they mouthed words of encouraged, only strengthened by enthusiastic gestures and thumbs up. 

"Now, fellow kings! I need to see the king of kings. He was born, but how will we find him!" her classmate Daniel yelled to the audience, as always being louder than necessary.

"No worries... Uhm.... my fellow grape." The room slightly chuckled at the mispronunciation of grace by the little boy next to Daniel. "An angel has appeared to help."

"Go on," Mrs.Gardner whispered. With one last deep breath, Kate stepped in the limelight. 

The boards creaked under her plastic golden ballerina's. She looked over at her parents who again signed her to prove their encouragement before she spoke her first line. "No need to... fret, I will lead the way to the holy child."

"Well, let's follow it," the third king spoke while readjusting his cardboard crown. 

---

Lisa, playing Mary, sat next to the cardboard box that had been used as the crib, a pitiful look on her eyes for her classmate that played the angel. Kate looked at the doll that was representing the baby to avoid the eyes of the audience. 

She stood there, looking like a deer in headlights. She had forgotten her line and as she looked to the spot Mrs.Gardner was supposed to stand was deserted. She gave a helpless look to the teacher sitting behind the piano, not knowing how to help the poor girl, she gave her a shrug. Her classmates were just as much of a help. Her breathing started to become less steady as the crowd, including her family, looked at her, expecting her to speak. 

She had to improvise but had no idea how. Luckily for her, her sister's loud cries made heads turn away from her and to the loud baby that laid in her father's arms. Kate didn't have to act or improvise anymore, following her instincts was enough. Her father tried to calm the young Emma down but the baby didn't want to stay silent. 

"Kate, what are you doing?" Lisa whispered as Kate took the woolen blanket off of the doll and stepped off the stage. Again the eyes were on her even if the baby hadn't stopped. She walked over to her family. 

"She's cold," she stated. She took the baby over from her father, despite her arms still being small and feeble Kate held her sister steadily while she covered her in the blanket. "And no child should be cold on this night." Still holding her sibling, who had stopped her cries once she was safely covered in the woolen blanket, the angel went back to the stage. She only looked at Emma as her voice started to sing the carol, acting more as a lullaby for the nearly sleeping baby then intentional entertainment for the room. 

"Silent night, holy night. All is calm, all is bright." Her classmates joined in. 

"Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy Infant so tender and mild." The other teacher accompanied them on the piano from that point on. And as she did the crowd got carried away in the song as well.

"Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly peace. Silent night, holy night. Shepherds quake at the sight." She didn't even focus on how all people in the hall seemed gleeful and at peace, only looking at her baby sister that yawned before drifting up to sleep with the many voices singing a soft carol in the background. 

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"You sang really pretty," Lisa complemented as her mother helped her take off the pinned towel on her head. 

"You too," Kate answered as she waited for her parents to come pick her and her sleeping sister up.

"I'm sorry, Kate, so sorry!" Mrs.Gardner apologized as she walked into the girl's bathroom. "I promised I would help you if you forgot a line. It's just there was an emergency, Jonas ate the candy cane prop made of foamed plastic and-"

"Shhh," She gestured to her sister to signal that her teacher should be quieter if she didn't want to wake her up. "I understand," she whispered. "I worked it out."

"Yes, I heard you were much more creative with your part then was planned with your original line."

"What was my line anyway?"

"'Everyone have a wonderful holiday'. If you ask me, you did it way better." Her teacher gave her a wink before Richard and Clare came in. 

"Where's my little star?" her father asked with stretched out arms. Kate handed Emma to her mother and then jumped into them. "You did amazing, honey."

"I'm so proud of my little baby," Clare added as she graced her hand over her eldest daughter's cheek. Just then her youngest grumbled in her arms, the group chuckled. "Okay, both of my babies."

"Let's go home, sweetie."

---

By the time Kate went to bed, she had talked all about her performance, drank a cup of hot chocolate, saw how her siblings were put to sleep earlier and her parents exchanging presents, and had become very tired. Still, she didn't fall asleep easily. Maybe it was her excitement for Christmas morning when she woke up or maybe it was her intuition that knew the importance of this night. Either way, her exhaustion beat the feelings inside her and drifted her off to sleep. 

The next time she woke up was by the hand of her mother who had come up to ask her daughter to make a promise. She didn't properly know what was going on, she knew even less about the old man downstairs, talking to her father. And absolutely nothing about the orphanage she would wake up in after the sun rose. 

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I know it's not my best but it's literally 1:32 am in my country and I'm still sitting in front of my bright computer because I wanted to get this chapter upon the 24th December for the majority of my readers over in America. So hey, I did what I could. It's a pathetic one but this is my Christmas present, hope you all are happy with it. Have a silent night everyone, I'm going to bed now.