Huh?" Bella got a bit confused. "You asked a question, I answered it, you are welcome" Mia pointed her index fingers upwards and bent it towards herself. "Oh, it was a rhetorical question." Mia looked down in disappointment after she noticed the way Grace and Juliet stared at her. "I guess I will leave you girls to handle your own problems. Bye Mia" Bella waved Mia bye. "Bye" innocent Mia replied. "Seriously Mia, can't you tell the difference between when you are supposed to talk and when you aren't"
Chapter 1 Hurtful deceit
Backstage
" I really don't understand her at all. She was the one that was so excited about everything yet she is nowhere to be found, what are going to do now?. It would look like we completely chickened out of the competition if we didn't perform today.'' Disappointed Grace buried her head in her palms as she sat on the chair in front of the mirror.
Bella stood from a distance watching them and enjoying the torture, but she wasn't satisfied just yet. She wanted to rub more salt on their wounds, she felt like it was a necessity.
"What's wrong?" Bella walked over to the girls and asked slowly, pretending as if she cared.
"We cannot find Lakshmi, it is a predicament because we need her if not the girls won't be able to perform" innocent Mia quickly blurted out.
Bella scoffed at how innocent Mia really could be, she just smiled and looked at Juliet.
"I'm so sorry you are in such a dilemma. At least she could have told you that she would be ditching you girls rather than leaving you to face this kind of shame.
I suggest you quickly go and whisper to the organizers that you want to cancel , if not they will call you guys out and what will happen then if you are unable to perform?" Bella was trying her best to mock them in a false kind of care. It was really very painful for both Juliet and Grace.
"Then they will be disqualified," Mia answered.
"Huh?" Bella got a bit confused.
"You asked a question, I answered it, you are welcome" Mia pointed her index fingers upwards and bent it towards herself.
"Oh, it was a rhetorical question." Mia looked down in disappointment after she noticed the way Grace and Juliet stared at her.
"I guess I will leave you girls to handle your own problems. Bye Mia" Bella waved Mia bye.
"Bye" innocent Mia replied.
"Seriously Mia, can't you tell the difference between when you are supposed to talk and when you aren't" Grace's eyes were widened, although she wasn't too shocked about Mia's behavior. From the little time she had spent with her, she had gone to know about Mia's rare condition.
"Grace, you have to forget that. We need to think of how we can get a hold of Lakshmi or at least get out of this mess" Juliet drew Grace's attention.
"So we should go with Bella's idea?" grace suggested
"No, that is not an option, we have to go find her now before the competition starts. It might be that she is in some kind of trouble, Lakshmi wouldn't just leave us like this" juliet was trying to be realistic and hopeful.
It was too late, they had officially started the competition and the first performers were already on stage but the girls weren't ready to back down yet. They began their search for Lakshmi but for some reason they didn't check the janitor's closet.
Mia remembered her father's words and wondered if she could call on him now, would he answer?. She shrugged and felt like there was no harm in trying so she went to the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror as her father had instructed her to do previously.
"Dad" she called out but she didn't get a reply, she was going to give up but then she heard a voice.
"Yes Mia darling, what is it you want!" Her father spoke to her, she looked at the mirror and saw his reflection
"Dad.. Lakshmi" Mia didn't even finish her sentence when her dad interrupted her.
"You can't find Lakshmi right?" Her dad smiled and the way he smiled clearly told Mia that he knew where she was.
"Yes, can you please tell me where she is? She has worked so hard for this competition, I don't want her to lose before she even tries" Mia was trying to plead with her father.
"I know where she is Mia but unfortunately I cannot tell you where she is right now" her father immediately declined her request, Mia was more than sad.
" You will find her at the right time. Just keep your heart open and listen to it" her father advised her but she didn't clearly understand what he meant by keeping her heart open, was he expecting her to rip her chest open and bring out her heart? Mia always had funny thoughts and her dad could hear her thoughts loud and clear.
"That is not what I meant Mia but you will understand what I mean when the time is right. Take care of yourself, I have to go now and don't forget to listen to your heart" with those words his reflection completely vanished from the mirror. Mia quickly left the bathroom as she knew that staying in there any longer would be of no use to her.
"Who were you talking to?" Grace asked Mia who had bumped into her as she was coming out of the bathroom. Mia kept on looking at random things, she couldn't fix her eyes at a place, she couldn't lie as well, she doesn't know how to lie due to her condition.
"Did you find Lakshmi?" Juliet ran towards the ladies and they gave her a no as the answer. She leaned on the wall, she had lost all hope.
Not just her but Grace as well they didn't want to miss the entire competition, they felt like they at least had to go watch other performers if they were unable to perform themselves.
They had announced for Lakshmi's team named "unique" to come out and perform but since no one came out, they skipped them and other performers came on stage.
The competition was almost over, the last team to perform was "fire" Bella's team. They had performed so well that they scored 26 out of 30 which was the highest mark so far, it was obvious that they were going to win if they had enough support from the Audience as well.
Because the audience were to vote and their votes carried a total of 20 marks which was to be added to whatever the participants would score to get a total of 50 marks.
Although participants got to find out on the day of the competition, Bella had been aware of that fact since her dad was one of the organizers of the competition, he was a shareholder in the school and that's why she had been performing in front of her school mates throughout their practical weeks.
Grace and Juliet lowered their heads in disappointment, they had lost already.
Chapter 1 Hurtful deceit
31/03/2023
Chapter 2 Judges must reconsider
31/03/2023
Chapter 3 Unseen victory
31/03/2023
Chapter 4 Regretting decision
31/03/2023
Chapter 5 Love's sad stories
31/03/2023
Chapter 6 Keeping my prey alife
31/03/2023
Chapter 7 Not so innocent
31/03/2023
Chapter 8 Saving my senior
31/03/2023
Chapter 9 My anger towards Lakshmi
31/03/2023
Chapter 10 Fire incident
31/03/2023
Chapter 11 My anger towards Lakshmi
27/04/2023
Chapter 12 Saving my senior
27/04/2023
Chapter 13 Guilty prey
27/04/2023
Chapter 14 Keeping my prey alife
27/04/2023
Chapter 15 Sad stories of life
27/04/2023
Chapter 16 Regretting my decision
27/04/2023
Chapter 17 Unforeseen victory
27/04/2023
Chapter 18 The judges must reconsider
27/04/2023
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