192. Rehearsal

Chris stood in the middle of the empty seats. He looked to the stage below where Roland and Jaime chatted with each other. Chris clicked the microphone button on his belt. “Alright let’s get started. Roland and Jaime, this is your first encounter. Jaime, you need to allure to your ulterior motive. The audience should start to suspect you. Roland, you are captivated by her good looks. This is the first living woman you’ve seen in 6 months.”

Roland shook his body, getting into character. “Alright.”

Chris turned down the lights, “Action.”

Roland mimed opening a door. “Wave, stay back.” His foot pushed a small plush dog behind him. Entering the room, his flashlight made slow security sweeps across the floor. The light stopped on a pair of black heels. Roland gulped. The light creeped up her long tan legs, slowly reaching her knees, and then up her thigh and the bottom of a black pencil skirt.

“Excuse me.” Jaime said.

Roland shook his head and rushed the light past the white dress shirt and into her eyes.

She blocked the light with her hands. “Hey.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Roland brought the light down, stopping on her chest for a moment and then finding the floor.

“Are you?” She asked.

“No, not a zombie.” He walked closer.

“No shit, zombies don’t use flashlights. Are you a survivor?” She held out her forearm. Roland shined the light on the tattoo of an Egyptian Was, a symbol representing a staff.

“Oh … yeah I am.” He moved the light to it illuminated his Ahnk tattoo.

Jaime walked to the edge of the stage, “Wait a minute.”

Chris clicked on his mic. “Yes dear, what is it?”

“I just don’t think the audience is going to get it.”

“Isn’t going to get what?”

“All this Egyptian symbol stuff. Hell, I’m in it and I still don’t get it.” Her body slumped. The neatly pressed lines of her shirt mangled into a mess. “I just think it’s a bunch of smoke that no one really cares about.”

Chris brought up the house lights. “It is a minor detail. I’m fine if you want to play it down, make it something you notice but don’t make it the centerpiece. Is that alright Roland?”

“Yup, sure” Roland walked to his starting position.

The house lights dimmed. Roland mimed opening a door. His flashlight swept across the stage. “Wave Shhh!” He held the plush dog out of the room. The beam stopped on a pair of black heels. Roland’s sneaky posture straightened as the beam walked up her legs. “Are you the survivor?” He asked.

She held out her forearm. The beam hovered on the staff tattoo before moving to her face. “Where’s the rest of the rescue party?”

“I’m it.”

“You?” She walked slowly with each heel making an echoing click, hovering over him. “You’re going to rescue me?”

Roland dropped the flashlight. He bent his legs and felt along the floor for the light, not breaking her deadly gaze. Finally finding it, he picked up the light and straightened to his full height. Her eyes still burned just a few inches above his. He broke into a smile. “Ever been with a midget?”

She started laughing and turned her back to the audience.

Roland smiled. “I could be 7 foot too, if I had 3 foot heels.”

The house lights came up. “Alright guys.” Chris said. Jaime and Roland stifled their laughter while Chris talked. “I really liked the whole dominance through height, and the dropping of the flash light. But Jaime, you have to be nicer, more seductive. You’re pulling him into your trap, you’re a black widow. Right now you feel like ice queen.”

Billy stood up in the audience and faced Chris. “Can I be in this scene? Please? Just once?”

Roland shrugged at Chris. She waited for Jaime’s objection but none came. “Sure kid, take your place.” The lights dimmed.

Roland mimed slowly opening the door.

Billy pushed past him and ran into the room. “Come on.” His own flash light waved wildly about the room.

“Wait!” Roland ran in after the boy. Billy screamed. Roland’s light found him, he way sitting on his ass as his flashlight rolled away. Billy’s light stopped rolling and focused on a pair of black heels. Roland’s eyes walked up the well defined calf muscle as he picked Billy up.

On his feet, Billy walked up to the woman in a long pencil skirt and white dress shirt. “Are you the survivor?”

She bend over and held out her forearm. “Well I’m not a zombie.”

Billy ran his little fingers down the staff tattoo on her arm. “It feels weird.”

“Where’s yours?” she asked him.

Roland put his hands on Billy’s shoulders and pulled him back. “He doesn’t have one.” Roland held out his arm showing his own tattoo. “He’s just a little kid I found.”

She flipped her hair and smiled keeping her back straight, showing off the several inches she stood above Roland. “Of course. Nice to meet you, my name is Jaime.”

The house lights came back up. Chris boomed over the speakers. “Billy, I think we might have to keep you.”

The actors broke position and walked to the front of the stage.

“Alright, time for a break everyone, We can pickup from the introduction when we get back.”

© Chris Richards 2009