Writerverse: Mini Table of DOOM! (The Good, the Bad, the Ugly)
More The Church and Its Orbs. Enjoy!
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“Are you actually auditioning for that stupid thing?” Wren mutters, staring at Kai. She points to a piece of paper tacked to one of the school’s notice boards, scowling.
I glance at the paper in question. It’s an advertisement of sorts, asking people to audition for True Devotion’s next school play -- a stage version of The Tale of the Golden Prince. I remember that particular Church fairy tale, since we had to study it in Literature class. The tale itself never appealed to me, but why does it bother Wren so much? Hasn’t Kai been in plenty of school productions featuring similar material?
“What’s wrong with the play?” I raise an eyebrow in Wren’s direction.
“We read the thing in class, remember?” she says. “It’s so messed up. And yeah...” Wren glances at Kai, who glances back. They share a funny look, like they hold a secret between them. I’m sure they do have secrets since they’ve known each other far longer than I’ve known either of them.
“Is it any worse than other productions Kai’s starred in?” I mutter, remembering how Kai stars in pretty much every single school play True Devotion puts on.
Kai’s eyes dart back and forth. “Not here, Wren,” he mutters, pulling on his rainbow scarf.
“Just don’t do the play. You don’t have to star in everything, Kai. It’s not like you aren’t already admired by pretty much everyone,” she says. “You won’t become an outcast by skipping one production.”
I squint at the notice with its curly writing, trying to see if I can find anything offensive in it. Besides the story lacking entertainment value, I don’t see what’s so wrong with it. Like any other Church fairy tale, it teaches us a moral.
“It’d look weird if I didn’t at least audition,” Kai says, pulling on his scarf again. “And we really shouldn’t talk about that here.”
What in the name of darkest oblivion is he talking about? I furrow my brow, trying to figure it out. “If you can’t talk about whatever it is here, we can head to my house or Wren’s house or something?” I murmur.
Wren and Kai share another look. Now, I really want to find out what’s going on, even if it’s not my secret to know. Kai turns his gaze on me, a thoughtful look on his face. He still has a hand on his scarf. Under the intensity of that gaze, I shiver and feel like I’m being tested, somehow.
“It’s...kind of personal,” Kai mutters. He turns to Wren. “Let’s head to your house?”
“Okay, fine.” Wren nods.
“Alright,” I say.
We start heading off school grounds -- today I have no club meetings. Kai’s answer of “kind of personal” piques my curiosity. He shares so little of his personal life with me -- I’m not even sure of where he lives. When I asked him about his address once, he just said he lived “somewhere.” Because I sensed he didn’t want to reveal more, I didn’t push. Maybe I shouldn’t push about his current secret, but my curiosity refuses to calm down.
* * *
After we get to Wren’s house, we all settle into her room. Wren sits on her bed, while I take the couch and Kai takes the armchair. Her room’s big and fancy enough to fit what feels like a whole extra living room inside it. I glance around at the black and neon decorations, wondering if Kai will decide to explain things or not.
“You really shouldn’t audition for the stupid play,” Wren mutters.
“You’re not gonna let that go, are you?” Kai grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.
Wren shakes her head. “I just don’t understand why you want to do it. Really, The Tale of the Golden Prince is beyond twisted.”
“All the productions I’ve been in have weird morals. It’s the cost of performing at this school,” Kai sighs.
“What is so bad about this one?” I murmur, remembering the moral of the tale. It teaches the consequences of choosing the wrong sort of lover, namely one of your own gender. Surely, Kai isn’t…? After all, he gave his Sweetheart Flower to Wren, though I haven’t seen any evidence of romantic affection between the two of them when we three are alone together.
“Nothing,” Kai mutters. “Wren’s making a big deal out of nothing.”
His shifty manner makes me think it’s not nothing.
Wren snorts, shaking her head. “It’s not nothing.” Apparently, she agrees with me.
“So what is it?” I say.
“You know what, Kai? If we’re gonna be working together, you should tell her,” Wren says. Her dark brown eyes meet mine, and I feel the strangest spark in the air.
Kai gives me another testing look. His eyes, like Wren’s, meet mine, and I return the gaze. This time, there’s no spark, but I am curious if he’s going to tell me or not.
“Do you really want to know?” he says.
I nod. “I want to know.”
“And you won’t freak out if I tell you?”
“Well, now you’ve said it like that, I’m already a bit unnerved,” I mutter. Tension buzzes in the air, and my curiosity reaches almost painful levels.
Sighing, Kai pulls on his scarf. He looks down at the ground -- nervous energy emanates from him. “For one, I don’t actually like Wren like that,” he says.
That’s his secret? I look at him, sure he’s holding something back. “Why did you give her your Sweetheart Flower, then? Why not give it to someone you actually do like?” I say.
“Because -- if I so much as tried to give it to anyone I did like, I’d be in serious trouble,” he says.
“Excuse me?” I mutter, twisting a strand of hair around my finger. I have an inkling of what he might mean.
“You can only give your Sweetheart Flower to a girl. I -- don’t like girls. I -- like guys,” Kai says. He lifts his head and looks right at me.
“You’re a…?” I breathe, unable to say it out loud.
“He is,” Wren says. She narrows her eyes. “Are you going to have a problem with it? Because if you are, you can forget about us helping you.”
The revelation, once spoken, doesn’t scare me as much as I thought it would. After all, I did already suspect it. According to Church rules, I should reject Kai -- and turn him in. Everything I’ve been taught says I need to start hating the boy sitting in this room with me, but that...doesn’t happen. I can’t make myself hate him. Turning in someone who’s becoming my friend feels wrong. Kai doesn’t seem corrupt, and he’s willing to help me. I blink, not sure what to do. My conflicting thoughts fight one another, and the ones in favor of accepting Kai win out. Does that mean I’m corrupt now?
“I’m -- not going to have a problem with it,” I murmur. I need their help, so I can’t have a problem with it. At least, I can’t show that I have a problem.
“Good,” Wren mutters. She almost smiles. “I’ll admit -- I’m kind of freaking surprised.”
“Surprised? How?” I say.
“Surprised that you’re not grabbing your phone and calling the authorities to report Kai,” she says. Her almost-smile becomes a real one, and my heart, for some reason, skips a beat.
“I wouldn’t do that,” I murmur. I sound so certain, and I am -- even if that means going against the Church and everything I’ve been taught to believe and do.
Kai sighs with relief. He smiles, wider than Wren did. “I’m glad you’re not gonna try and turn me in.”
Now, something else confuses me -- if Kai is attracted to his own gender, why does he want to perform in a play about the evils of that very attraction?
“Kai, why -- why are you going to audition for The Tale of the Golden Prince if you...like guys?” I mutter. I hesitate to use the word “sed” because I...don’t want to offend Kai. That word has negative meaning attached to it, and I don’t want to insult him.
My behavior right now -- it isn’t Churchly at all. My head swims with the implications of what I’m doing -- or not doing -- and I have to lean against the side of the couch.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Wren snorts. “I don’t get it.”
“I told you, it’d look weird if I didn’t at least audition,” Kai mutters. “Can you drop it?” His speaks with a solid finality, and I don’t think Wren or I will get anything more out of him.
“You don’t make sense,” she says, sounding both confused and annoyed.
Kai’s behavior confuses me, too. It doesn’t come close to the confusion of my own behavior, though. My head stops swimming quite so much, and I can’t quite believe I would rather accept Kai’s supposedly deviant attractions rather than turn him in.
Still, that’s the truth of it -- I would rather accept him than follow Church rules.
What does that say about me?
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“Are you actually auditioning for that stupid thing?” Wren mutters, staring at Kai. She points to a piece of paper tacked to one of the school’s notice boards, scowling.
I glance at the paper in question. It’s an advertisement of sorts, asking people to audition for True Devotion’s next school play -- a stage version of The Tale of the Golden Prince. I remember that particular Church fairy tale, since we had to study it in Literature class. The tale itself never appealed to me, but why does it bother Wren so much? Hasn’t Kai been in plenty of school productions featuring similar material?
“What’s wrong with the play?” I raise an eyebrow in Wren’s direction.
“We read the thing in class, remember?” she says. “It’s so messed up. And yeah...” Wren glances at Kai, who glances back. They share a funny look, like they hold a secret between them. I’m sure they do have secrets since they’ve known each other far longer than I’ve known either of them.
“Is it any worse than other productions Kai’s starred in?” I mutter, remembering how Kai stars in pretty much every single school play True Devotion puts on.
Kai’s eyes dart back and forth. “Not here, Wren,” he mutters, pulling on his rainbow scarf.
“Just don’t do the play. You don’t have to star in everything, Kai. It’s not like you aren’t already admired by pretty much everyone,” she says. “You won’t become an outcast by skipping one production.”
I squint at the notice with its curly writing, trying to see if I can find anything offensive in it. Besides the story lacking entertainment value, I don’t see what’s so wrong with it. Like any other Church fairy tale, it teaches us a moral.
“It’d look weird if I didn’t at least audition,” Kai says, pulling on his scarf again. “And we really shouldn’t talk about that here.”
What in the name of darkest oblivion is he talking about? I furrow my brow, trying to figure it out. “If you can’t talk about whatever it is here, we can head to my house or Wren’s house or something?” I murmur.
Wren and Kai share another look. Now, I really want to find out what’s going on, even if it’s not my secret to know. Kai turns his gaze on me, a thoughtful look on his face. He still has a hand on his scarf. Under the intensity of that gaze, I shiver and feel like I’m being tested, somehow.
“It’s...kind of personal,” Kai mutters. He turns to Wren. “Let’s head to your house?”
“Okay, fine.” Wren nods.
“Alright,” I say.
We start heading off school grounds -- today I have no club meetings. Kai’s answer of “kind of personal” piques my curiosity. He shares so little of his personal life with me -- I’m not even sure of where he lives. When I asked him about his address once, he just said he lived “somewhere.” Because I sensed he didn’t want to reveal more, I didn’t push. Maybe I shouldn’t push about his current secret, but my curiosity refuses to calm down.
* * *
After we get to Wren’s house, we all settle into her room. Wren sits on her bed, while I take the couch and Kai takes the armchair. Her room’s big and fancy enough to fit what feels like a whole extra living room inside it. I glance around at the black and neon decorations, wondering if Kai will decide to explain things or not.
“You really shouldn’t audition for the stupid play,” Wren mutters.
“You’re not gonna let that go, are you?” Kai grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.
Wren shakes her head. “I just don’t understand why you want to do it. Really, The Tale of the Golden Prince is beyond twisted.”
“All the productions I’ve been in have weird morals. It’s the cost of performing at this school,” Kai sighs.
“What is so bad about this one?” I murmur, remembering the moral of the tale. It teaches the consequences of choosing the wrong sort of lover, namely one of your own gender. Surely, Kai isn’t…? After all, he gave his Sweetheart Flower to Wren, though I haven’t seen any evidence of romantic affection between the two of them when we three are alone together.
“Nothing,” Kai mutters. “Wren’s making a big deal out of nothing.”
His shifty manner makes me think it’s not nothing.
Wren snorts, shaking her head. “It’s not nothing.” Apparently, she agrees with me.
“So what is it?” I say.
“You know what, Kai? If we’re gonna be working together, you should tell her,” Wren says. Her dark brown eyes meet mine, and I feel the strangest spark in the air.
Kai gives me another testing look. His eyes, like Wren’s, meet mine, and I return the gaze. This time, there’s no spark, but I am curious if he’s going to tell me or not.
“Do you really want to know?” he says.
I nod. “I want to know.”
“And you won’t freak out if I tell you?”
“Well, now you’ve said it like that, I’m already a bit unnerved,” I mutter. Tension buzzes in the air, and my curiosity reaches almost painful levels.
Sighing, Kai pulls on his scarf. He looks down at the ground -- nervous energy emanates from him. “For one, I don’t actually like Wren like that,” he says.
That’s his secret? I look at him, sure he’s holding something back. “Why did you give her your Sweetheart Flower, then? Why not give it to someone you actually do like?” I say.
“Because -- if I so much as tried to give it to anyone I did like, I’d be in serious trouble,” he says.
“Excuse me?” I mutter, twisting a strand of hair around my finger. I have an inkling of what he might mean.
“You can only give your Sweetheart Flower to a girl. I -- don’t like girls. I -- like guys,” Kai says. He lifts his head and looks right at me.
“You’re a…?” I breathe, unable to say it out loud.
“He is,” Wren says. She narrows her eyes. “Are you going to have a problem with it? Because if you are, you can forget about us helping you.”
The revelation, once spoken, doesn’t scare me as much as I thought it would. After all, I did already suspect it. According to Church rules, I should reject Kai -- and turn him in. Everything I’ve been taught says I need to start hating the boy sitting in this room with me, but that...doesn’t happen. I can’t make myself hate him. Turning in someone who’s becoming my friend feels wrong. Kai doesn’t seem corrupt, and he’s willing to help me. I blink, not sure what to do. My conflicting thoughts fight one another, and the ones in favor of accepting Kai win out. Does that mean I’m corrupt now?
“I’m -- not going to have a problem with it,” I murmur. I need their help, so I can’t have a problem with it. At least, I can’t show that I have a problem.
“Good,” Wren mutters. She almost smiles. “I’ll admit -- I’m kind of freaking surprised.”
“Surprised? How?” I say.
“Surprised that you’re not grabbing your phone and calling the authorities to report Kai,” she says. Her almost-smile becomes a real one, and my heart, for some reason, skips a beat.
“I wouldn’t do that,” I murmur. I sound so certain, and I am -- even if that means going against the Church and everything I’ve been taught to believe and do.
Kai sighs with relief. He smiles, wider than Wren did. “I’m glad you’re not gonna try and turn me in.”
Now, something else confuses me -- if Kai is attracted to his own gender, why does he want to perform in a play about the evils of that very attraction?
“Kai, why -- why are you going to audition for The Tale of the Golden Prince if you...like guys?” I mutter. I hesitate to use the word “sed” because I...don’t want to offend Kai. That word has negative meaning attached to it, and I don’t want to insult him.
My behavior right now -- it isn’t Churchly at all. My head swims with the implications of what I’m doing -- or not doing -- and I have to lean against the side of the couch.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Wren snorts. “I don’t get it.”
“I told you, it’d look weird if I didn’t at least audition,” Kai mutters. “Can you drop it?” His speaks with a solid finality, and I don’t think Wren or I will get anything more out of him.
“You don’t make sense,” she says, sounding both confused and annoyed.
Kai’s behavior confuses me, too. It doesn’t come close to the confusion of my own behavior, though. My head stops swimming quite so much, and I can’t quite believe I would rather accept Kai’s supposedly deviant attractions rather than turn him in.
Still, that’s the truth of it -- I would rather accept him than follow Church rules.
What does that say about me?