Mary POV:
Around 4 o'clock, Legoshi and I departed from the fire escape. He went to get ready for the Drama Club. I quickly went up to my dorm to get ready. I entered my dorm, Jacob, Hector and Mason are gone which I assumed they returned to their room. Susan and Lucy both have changed into white shirts and red shorts.
"How did you three get into the Drama Club?" Asked Sarah.
Susan folded her uniform and placed it in a bag to take with her, "We got scouted."
"Scouted?"
"Yeah," Lucy turns to Sarah, "There's a person who looks for unique talent or what makes you stand out. For us... we were just humans."
"Lucky." Commented Sarah.
"So... we can't join then?" Asked Maddie.
"Yeah... you have to be scouted first." I slipped on my white shirt, "But hopefully you'll be able to join. The Drama Club is fun."
I finished slipping on a pair of red shorts. We were soon ready to go.
"We will see you at dinner time." Said Susan.
Our roommates nodded before going back to chilling in the room. We descended the stairs as Lucy started talking.
"Did you hear about the weather forecast for tonight?"
"No, why?" I adjust my bag.
"There's gonna be a windstorm tonight." Replied Lucy, "Wind and rain."
"Good news is that we're not going anywhere." Susan glances over her shoulder as we get to the bottom floor and exits the building, "Let's hope the power doesn't go out."
We walked past the fountain and the auditorium. All the way to the numbered buildings, building 3 was ours. I learned today that in building 5 is the news team.
We entered building 3 and into the main room. Some of the Drama Club members were there talking.
"Hey Mary, Susan and Lucy!" Sanu greeted us, he was standing on top of a box writing stuff on the whiteboard.
"Hey." We all said.
Soon everyone in the room greeted us. It's been a... actually 2 months since we last saw them before summer break.
"Hey Mary," Kai walks up to me, "how was your summer?"
"It was good, I spent it here at school."
"Oh, that's nice."
"How about you?" I asked.
Kai shrugged, "I spent summer with my family. We went to the coast as well."
"That's good." I looked around the room, and noticed that not everyone was here, "Where is everyone?"
"They will come in later since we're gonna plan our next play and discuss what to do next since Louis hasn't returned." Sanu replied.
Louis was still missing, and nobody knows what happened to him. I really do hope that nothing bad occurred. I walked over to Louis's office, which is still empty. On the wall was a portrait of all of us in the club. It was taken after the fight between Legoshi and Bill and when Louis talked to the three.
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Flash Back: April 30th
We finished dinner and returned to the auditorium to help clean it up after the performance. Some of us moved the props and costumes out of the building and back at building 3. Bill and Legoshi were instructed by Louis to clean the stage with mops.
"You got the last of the color filters?" I yelled up at Kai.
"Yes." He comes down the ladder with the plastic colored panels that go in front of the stage lights above.
I walked over to the lighting box and began to flip the switches and levers so that only the stage lights were on. After that I waited for Kai to come back.
"Alright everyone, great job on the performance today!" Said Sanu.
We gathered on the stage, Bill and Legoshi set their mops aside. Behind Sanu was a mount with a camera.
"Gather around, we're gonna take a picture." Sanu motioned to us, "Small individuals in the front, taller folk in the back."
We all found a place to stand, crouch and sit. Just then Louis walked on stage with one of his crutches.
"Are we ready?" He asked.
"Yes." Sanu nods before setting the timer on the camera.
Louis puts his crutch out of the view of the camera and stands in the center of the group. Us four in particular were off to the side, I was next to Dom.
"Three, two, one...smile" counted Sanu before the camera flashed.
I glanced over at Louis, he was smiling.
Flashback ends:
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It was a good picture. Except Legoshi was kinda trying to smile in that one, plus Mina was kinda out of frame due to her height.
I walked back to the dryer erase board, "Hey Sanu, are the rest of the club joining us?"
"Actually, no." He replies, "We don't need the rest of the group until the beginning of next year for the play. So most will be on standby when we need them."
I nod before noticing Legoshi sitting on the second floor cleaning a light fixture.
There was nothing to do so I just eavesdropped on Susan and Sheila's conversation.
"So are you ready for your dance tryout?" Asked Sheila.
"I...umm... I'm not sure." Replied Susan.
"What's wrong?"
"Well... I'm just nervous and I don't know what to do."
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Sheila reassured, "I'll teach you some moves and some stretches to do. How about coming after dinner for a quick lesson before the weather gets ugly. About 30 minutes."
"Thank you, that's really nice of you," Susan smiles.
Sheila taps Susan on the shoulder just as the door to the main room opens, and enters Jacob.
"Hey Jacob." Bill greeted him as he placed his hand on his shoulder and gave it a shake, "How are you?"
"I'm good, how was your summer?"
"Amazing."
"Nice." Jacob walked over to me, "What are we doing?"
"We're just waiting for more people to arrive then Sanu can begin."
We stood there until Zoe, who was the last person that we were waiting for. Lucy and Susan walked over and all four of us were leaning up against the brick wall.
"Alright, I think everyone has arrived." Said Sanu as Dom, Sheila, Kai and Bill stood in front of him and the dry erase board, "Welcome back all of you, hopefully you had a great summer. Now that a new school year has started, we can discuss the next performance this year." Sanu looks around the room to see if everyone is listening. He looks over his shoulder to see Legoshi continuing cleaning the light fixture.
"Legoshi, are you hearing me?"
He doesn't respond.
"Hey Legoshi!" Bill yells up at him, "Are you listening!?"
Legoshi jumps as if he was lost in his own mind at the moment and quickly turns around, "Ah... yes!"
Sanu continues talking, "Normally, this is when we'd determine the casting for our performance, but with Louis missing, we should hang back and..."
"So until we find Louis, you want us to just sit around and do nothing?" Asked Kai
"Well..." Sanu tries to explain his proposal to the group much to Kai's protest.
"Knowing him, wouldn't he want us to elect a replacement?"
"Speaking for someone who isn't here is not going to help." Sheila replies.
Dom looked a bit worried, "I wonder if he's sick."
"He doesn't seem like the type to get sick."
"People get sick all the time, Kai." Said Bill, "Louis is probably dealing with an illness or a relative of his that he's taking care of."
Then the four of them began to go back and forth on why Louis was not here and what should we do next.
Us four on the other hand just leaned back and watched.
Sanu finally raises his hand to silence their arguments, "As president of the club, my order is that we will wait until Louis comes back."
"But what happens if he doesn't?" Asked Sheila.
"Then by the beginning of November, we will begin production of our play."
"Isn't that a bit late?" Questioned Bill, "We normally begin today."
"Well I've tried all types of communication to reach Louis." Said Sanu before raising his hand to number the examples, "Email, text, the number of phone calls I did over the summer. None of them were successful. I have no other option than putting the club on standby for now, until news of Louis or him returning to school that we can begin."
They all nodded.
"Since that's done, I can now announce that today's club meeting is over."
Everyone began to leave much to some members protesting the decision or disagreement on what should the club do next. But what can I say, myself and others have no say in the matter. As too for example in our island politics. Can't express opinion in politics, only privately to the prime minister.
"So... should we go to dinner?" Asked Jacob.
"Yeah, it's close to 5..." Susan responded, "Let's quickly head back to the dorm and change."
"I wonder what they'll serve for dinner?" Asked Lucy as they left the main room.
I was still in the room, thinking about what some members were saying and Louis. Just then, Legoshi climbs down the ladder. But I quickly noticed that Legoshi was looking up at the roof... suspiciously.
"What's wrong, Legoshi?" I asked.
He quickly turned to me, "I... I thought I heard something..." Legoshi looked back up at the ceiling before looking back at me.
I didn't know how to respond, it wasn't difficult or weird but strange, "Probably you did, but it could be the building creaking." Legoshi looked at me as I held the door to the main room for him, "Wanna get some dinner?"
Legoshi nods before following me out.
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After quickly changing back into our uniforms, we arrived at the cafeteria. Our group had already arrived and were sitting down at a table talking.
Hector waved at us, "Hey guys, how was the Drama Club?"
"It was alright, the president talked and that was it." Susan sat down with her tray a bit annoyed by Sanu's decision, "Why do we have to wait for Louis?"
"Who's Louis? Didn't that raccoon student mention someone named Louis this morning?" Asked Maddie.
"Louis is a red deer and was the head of the actors team. Plus the star of the club." Said Jacob, "It pretty much looked like he ran the club rather than the president."
"So... what happened?" Sarah leans forward and takes a bite of her food.
"We're not sure." Replied Susan, "We and the club have no idea what happened to Louis. We found out that he disappeared when Mary returned. And to this day, nobody knows where he went."
Jacob put his hands together and looked down.
"Maybe he had some family situation to deal with." Said Bianca.
"Maybe." Susan shook her head before eating.
I glanced over at Jacob, he looked like he knew something. If I could see into his brain, gears would be turning.
I leaned over to him, "Jacob, what's wrong?"
He whispers, "After you were taken, I saw Louis run off somewhere."
"What do you mean?"
"Like he ran out of the ground somewhere. I don't know where but he didn't tell anyone where he was going. Not to mention the bruise on his left eye."
"A bruise?"
Jacob nods, "Yeah... I heard that something happened between him and Legoshi."
"Like a fight."
"I'm not sure but whatever happened between them, it made Louis get a bruise and could explain his absence."
I sat back up, thinking about what I learned.
Why did Legoshi and Louis fight? And whatever was said or action, did it cause Louis to disappear?
It kinda baffled me that both of them fought. I decided to ask Legoshi about it before the first Environmental Day tomorrow. Maybe something did happen or it did not. I'll figure it out soon.
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Dinner went smoothly, and I can say that the first day back from summer break went well. Now begins the routine of everyday school. We were all walking back to our dorm for the night as the weather began to get nasty. The wind started to increase speed and the first drops of rain started to come down.
"So what's Environmental Day?" Asked Mason.
I turned to Mason to explain, "It's basically a utility period we had back in middle school or like break time." Where we did homework, studied, or just hung out. Here at Cherryton, it's different. Instead of that, they all go to different rooms for their species. It's a calm and relaxing place for every species here. The polar bears have a room temperature controlled room that is cold, the lizard's room is humid and damp, and the zebra room is all striped. And this happens every two days during school week."
"That sounds cool." Commented Mason, "Is there a human room?"
The others looked at me but Susan quickly answered, "There isn't one, because humans haven't been here."
"That sucks." Hector groans, "What are we gonna do during it?"
"We actually tried some of the rooms." Lucy points out, "But they weren't suitable for us."
"They should build a room for humans." Sarah quickly blurts.
"Hopefully... one day." I nod.
We arrive back at the dorm and see the boys of 701 about to enter the boys dorm. Jack looked like he was carrying a couple cartons of milk.
"So the bet is simple, if I don't see anything, then you buy us milk." Said Durham.
"Deal."
Jacob, Mason and Hector departed our group as we entered the girls dorm. Legoshi looked over at me and I waved at him as I decided to approach them.
"Hey Jack," Jacob greeted, "Whatcha guys doing?"
Durham turns to him, "I made a bet with Jack, tonight me and Miguno are gonna go to lecture hall 2 and try to see this supposed ghost. And if there isn't any, then Jack gets us milk." He points to four cartons of milk that Jack was holding. One large, one medium, and two small.
"Well... all I can say is good luck." Jacob nodded before entering the dorm.
"Hopefully you'll see a ghost." Said Hector as he followed.
Mason nods, "It would be so cool if you caught it on camera."
"Ooo. That's a great idea." Durham quickly turned to Miguno, "How about you take a picture of me standing in front of the lecture hall. To show proof."
"Alright." Nodded Miguno.
Mason held the boys dorm door open for the rest to enter until it was just me and Legoshi standing outside.
"I just wanted to say goodnight." I nodded.
Legoshi nods, "Goodnight."
I smiled at him, his tail was wagging.
"I like it when your tail starts wagging." I commented as I turned around to go back to my dorm room.
Legoshi smiled as I disappeared into the building.
I doubt Legoshi fought Louis... he's not that type to start a fight.
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Susan POV:
I was preparing for my lesson with Sheila. I was nervous but I had to believe in myself. I finished using the bathroom in our dorm before heading towards the Drama Club.
"Heading to your lesson?" Asked Mary.
I nodded, "Yeah... Sheila is gonna teach me some moves for the dance team."
"Hopefully it'll go well."
"Thanks Mary."
"How long is your lesson?" Asked Bianca
"Not long. Sheila said it'll be short due to the weather." I put my shoes back on before opening the door to leave.
"Good luck Susan!" The group yelled before I closed the door.
I quickly got down the stairs and to the ground entry area. The rain came and the wind began to increase.
Alright... I'm just gonna have to run there.
I prepared by opening the entrance door, and sprinted out. Running through the rain and wind was cold. I passed the fountain and the auditorium, until I finally reached the other side of the school. After reaching building 3, I saw the main room lights were on from the outlined closed doors to it. I quickly entered the girls locker room and quickly changed out of my uniform.
After changing I slowly opened the main room door to stick my head through. I spotted Sheila on my left standing by the row of mirrors and the barre.
Sheila spots me, "Oh... Hey Susan." She waves me over, "Come, let's start your training."
I entered but I looked nervous.
"First thing we will do before starting is stretching." Sheila motions to the floor, "Sit and put your feet against the mirror and reach for your toes."
I nodded before following her directions. Putting my feet against the glass gently after sitting down and bending forward to touch my toes. I felt the muscles under my knee, between my thigh and calf pull. For about 30 seconds I stretched until Sheila tapped my shoulder.
"Next we will do some arm stretches." She offered her hand and helped me off the ground, "We're gonna hold each other's hands together and crouch a bit so it'll look like we're falling backwards. But we're holding one another and giving a pull so it'll stretch those arm muscles."
Sheila held my hands and I held hers as we both crouched and pulled. I felt the muscles under my armpits pull. After a couple seconds I felt a sudden pull from Sheila that caused a small sting in my arm. I winced.
"Oh no, are you alright?" Sheila quickly let go of my hands and stood up.
"Yeah I'm alright..." I started to massage my arm by moving it in a circle.
"I am so sorry." Said Sheila, "Carnivores have a strong strength unlike herbivores. It could potentially cause harm by just pulling."
Sheila looked a bit guilty, "It's alright." I said as I put my hand on her shoulder, "I'm not hurt. I'm actually surprised by your strength."
"Thanks Susan." Sheila nods, "Let's continue with the stretching." She places her hand on the barre, "Next is to stretch your leg by placing your heel on the railing."
I watched as Sheila gave me an example, she placed her foot on the barre and created a 110 degree stretch. I nodded before bending my leg inward to my lather leg before placing it on the railing.
"There you go." Sheila smiled as she pushed my back in a bit as my right hand rested on my leg.
"Like this?" I asked.
Sheila goes around me to look at my angle, "Yes."
I kept my leg on the railing for a bit, trying to improve.
"Very good Susan, I'm gonna show you one dance move today." Sheila stepped back and to the center of the room. "We'll try the demi plié, a good stretch and position."
I watched Sheila put her heels together and angled her feet out until it's straight heel to heel. Then she put her hand below her abdomen and bent down. "You are gonna follow my lead, bend the knees out. Keep your heels on the ground. You can lift up if it's necessary."
I nodded before standing next to her. I got into position and followed her lead. Bending my knees out and keeping my heels and feet still.
"Next we'll do the grand plié, which is the same thing but your feet are separated." Sheila moves her feet away from one another until it's over half a meter apart.
I did what she said and bent my knees. We did this for a couple minutes until we heard the rain hitting the roof hard.
"I think that will be it for today." Said Sheila, "You did really well. I'm impressed."
I smiled, "Thanks Sheila."
We both left the main room and to the girls locker room.
"I'm actually gonna not gonna change until I'm back in my dorm." I closed my locker and held my uniform in my hands.
"Same." Replied Sheila as he quickly left the locker room.
I waited by the exit as Sheila turned off all the lights. We both looked out the door at the rain and wind. It was already dark out.
"Ready?" I turned to her.
She nodded and we both sprinted out of the building and towards the girls dorm. We finally reached the front step of the dorm, panting and smiling.
"That was fun." Said Sheila.
I nodded before I looked up to see three familiar guys running towards their dorm. Bill, Tao, and Aoba. Bill opened the door to their door as Tao and Aoba ran in, but he stopped and spotted me looking at him. I quickly rolled my eyes and quickly entered.
I turned to Sheila to thank her, "Thanks again for teaching me."
"You're welcome." Sheila smiles, "Next time you'll learn more."
I nodded.
"Goodnight." She waves before heading up the stairs.
I waved back, "Goodnight.", before going up the stairs to my dorm room.
Today started peculiar due to Louis being missing but ended enjoyable.
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And done! I am very sorry for the delay and taking too long. Forgot to tell you all that I was going on vacation. But I researched and planned a lot for the story. Had a lot of stuff going on during the one month absence. My great grandmother passed away which was very sad. But what makes me happy is that both great grandparents aren't separated anymore. And to have their memory continue, I made sure that they'll live on in this story. They are both Mary's grandparents, the Uptons. So it makes me very happy. Also in Beastars news, July 1st was the anime expo. I was really excited for any news about Beastars season 3. But sadly it didn't come to be. I was kinda disappointed with what they showed, no sketches, no trailer, no casting, and not even a confirmed release date.
It was just one picture which showed Legoshi, Louis and Haru in casual clothes but they were basically the same drawings from when they were showing some art before Season 1. Basically they slapped on clothes over their uniforms. Like really? But three new characters were shown but their backs were turned. Gosha, Yahya, and Melon. But Melon was just a black outline of his head. It all looked cheap and quickly made. The only positivity was seeing Gosha and Yahya. I don't know why but I prefer the manga Yahya but that's my own opinion. Hope you all enjoyed reading this, don't forget to smash the vote button and comment below to show support for the story. Also if you don't want to miss out on the story I upload, follow my profile. Anyways, I'll see you in Chapter 9 which may be coming tomorrow!😁💙💛
(Word Count: 3716)