BLOOD.FANGS.N'.FIRE

"They escaped this way, sire," the stable boy reported.

"Go after them! I want that idiot here!!" A gruff voice instructed while yelling.

"Thump, thump, thump." Footsteps ran across the wooden stage.

"CUT!!" The director yelled, "We are doing this scene one more time, and that will be the last time. Raymond, I need you to put more emphasis on the 'anger' that Sydney felt when his fiancée tried to escape with his pesky servant. Now, '!ACTION!"

The director instructed the actor Raymond, who was playing 'Sydney Breyttons', the fiance of 'Sylvia Hunters'.

Florah watched the performers repeat the scene following the director's instructions, and indeed, their performance was better.

"Cut!" James yelled again."That was good. Now those performing the next scene prepare."

Florah became agitated, knowing that it was her and the man named Allan next.

Quickly moving behind the stage, she exhaled and inhaled deeply, "I can do this," she mummered, hyping up herself.

Soon, she heard the director instruct loudly, "PLACES EVERYONE!!"

The poor girl carried her shaking legs to the stage and stood in her place.

The light was solely focused on her. There she was, standing alone on the stage, heartbeat in her ears, bile in her throat, and layers of goosebumps flashed on her pale skin.

"ACTION!!" She heard the word she dreaded the most sound.

She took only a second to start, then she paced on the floor, wringing her hands together in nervousness as she glanced here and there like she was anticipating someone's arrival.

"Tap, tap." she felt someone touch her shoulder, "huuhh," she gasped in terror.

"Ssshhhh, it's me." Patrick comforted

"You scared me, Patrick. You came. " Sylvia cheerfully smiled.

"Of course I did. Where would I be if not with you, love?" Patrick said lovingly tucking a few stray strands of hair behind his lover's ear.

The statement brought a bigger cheerful smile on Sylvia's face.

"Well, let's hurry, I am sure Sydney will be looking for me very soon," Sylvia said, looking behind her.

"Yes, let's do so, Did you bring it?" Patrick asked, staring at the small case down by Sylvia's gown.

"Yes, I did. It's in there," she replied for Patrick to smile at the case instead of her, but with her excitement, she didn't notice it.

"Come on, let's go, I got a man by the Harbor who is waiting for us. We only have ten minutes to reach there." Patrick said, looking at Sylvia lovingly

Helping her with her case, the two ran off in a certain direction, intending to go to the harbor.

"CUT!!, That was good, that will be the first scene, then the scene with 'Sydney' next and then we proceed from there."

"Go fetch the ballroom dancers. They should start practicing by now." James instructed his assistant

Backstage, Florah looked at herself in the mirror in front of her, slowly calming down her racing heart.

She couldn't believe she actually acted and didn't mess up her lines.

'Huuuh' she breathed, smiling a little at herself.

"She arrived with the king late last night." A girl whispered to her colleagues huddled together.

Earning looks of curiosity from them.

"She did?" One of the girls asked curiously, "Yes, I am sure of that." Sharon replied, nodding her head.

"How? You weren't there when the director was talking to the king." Another asked skeptically

"While I was looking for the director to inquire about my part, I caught the king walking out with her behind him." The first girl, Sharon, who was used to playing the female lead, gave evidence for her words.

The truth was that she only saw a girl with red hair behind the king, but she didn't actually see her face.

So she assumed that that girl was Florah.

She was jealous of the redhead who was gaining all the attention she was used to getting.

Now, she was trying to paint a bad picture of Florah in the eyes of other performers.

Sharon looked at Florah with disgust as she continued to whisper, "She was even wearing the same dress she came in with today."

"Are you saying that she might the King's mist...."

"Shshhhh!" Sharon hushed her friend from saying it, yet it was what she wanted to insinuate.

"Be careful with your words. We don't know who might be listening." Sharon said, looking around like she was concerned.

The girl who was talking hushed and looked at Sharon gratefully.

"Ladies, my scene will be on very soon, I should start preparing."

Sharon excused herself after planting false ideas into the women's mind and she was sure soon gossip would go around as she knew that gossip was like food to women, they couldn't possibly go on without it.

Knowing that she smiled to herself, pitying the girl who thought that she could steal her spotlight.