//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Quiet // by bahatumay //------------------------------// Muffins pushed open the door to the gym. “Vinyl!” she called, looking around. Her voice echoed in the empty, cavernous room. She slowly walked in, spinning around to check the whole gym, and tripped on her boot heel but quickly caught herself. “Vinyl?” she tried again. The message had said to meet her here, right? A flashing light caught her attention from up high. Vinyl had turned on the flashlight on her phone and was rocking it in the air, signaling her with it from her position high on the tower.  Muffins giggled and headed over. The stage had been decorated with renaissance-style buildings. She looked up and shielded her eyes with her hand. “So, what are you doing up there?” she asked, digging into her pocket for her phone in preparation for Vinyl’s reply. As it cleared the fabric, it slipped from her fingers and hit the ground, but she retrieved it and read the message.  >Setting up mics. I’m defending sound person for any plays. >*De facto >But I would fight someone over my equipment. Just saying.  Vinyl threw a few playful punches for emphasis.  Muffins giggled. “Oh. So why did you need my help with that? I don't…” Muffins’ voice trailed off. “Oh, yeah,” she said with a little nervous giggle. “‘Cause you… you can’t talk, so you can’t test them.” She looked up sheepishly. “I forgot.” Vinyl shrugged easily, but internally, she was beaming. Muffins hadn’t even considered her muteness until prompted. That did feel pretty good. She gestured with her head, inviting her to come up on stage.  Muffins did, putting both hands on the stage and swinging her legs up, flipping her skirt a tiny bit. She rolled onto the stage and stood up, and Vinyl cracked a smile, but tried to hide it. Something about her just being here was- “What are you doing?!” Vinyl jumped. The drama teacher Mrs. Sterling Silver strode up, hands curled into fists by her sides, as if summoned from another dimension by the presence of someone other than her actors on her stage. Vinyl grimaced. Mrs. Sterling was famously protective of everything about her plays. Her actors, her sets, her schedule, and heaven forbid you even think about touching her props. The famous Shouting Match of ‘05 between her and Mr. Doodle was still whispered about today. Vinyl waved, hoping to keep her attention on her.  “Vinyl,” she said curtly. She looked at Muffins. “And someone I haven’t yet met.” “Oh, I’m Muffins,” Muffins said blithely, seemingly unaware of Sterling’s fiery reputation. “I’m her tester.” “Ah,” she said, not sounding completely convinced. She took a slight step back. “Well, don’t stop on account of me.” Vinyl bit her lower lip. She didn't like this, and she wasn't sure how Muffins would perform under pressure.  But Muffins nodded and climbed up the steps to the tower.  And then she tripped over the top one and fell on her face. Vinyl winced, and she glanced over and saw Mrs. Sterling’s mouth tighten, likely more out of concern for her set than anything else. She quickly leaned over to help Muffins up.  Muffins smiled in thanks, then stood at the edge of the balcony and started. “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.” Vinyl blinked. She had not expected that. But Muffins wasn’t done. “'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;” she continued, pacing.  “Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague?” she scoffed. “It is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!” Silver nodded, relaxing slightly. “I’ll want Juliet more stage right,” she told Vinyl.  Vinyl suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be placing the microphones. She made a slight adjustment to the angle as requested and gave her a thumbs up. “As you were.” As soon as the door shut behind her, Vinyl pulled out her phone.  >Didn’t expect that! Muffins shrugged, but her cheeks tinged pink.  Vinyl wasn't going to let her go that easily. >You just always have that on tap? “Well, I just…” Muffins smiled sadly. “It’s one of my favorite plays because everything that can go wrong, does. It was the perfect storm of coincidences. They had such a chance at happiness, and just… accidents happened.” She shook her head. Vinyl instinctively reached out and touched Muffins’ hand. She almost retracted it immediately, but decided that she had done it and so she would stick with it. Muffins looked down, her brow furrowing in confusion. She looked up at Vinyl, and opened her mouth… And then the bell rang, sounding almost excruciatingly loud from their raised position in the empty gymnasium. Both girls jumped, and Vinyl instinctively retracted her hand.  Muffins winced. “I have class,” she said. Vinyl nodded. She did, too. They looked at each other for a moment longer. “I should…” Muffins said, with… regret? Vinyl nodded, gesturing over her shoulder to indicate that she, too, should be heading back to work.  She watched Muffins climb down the steps, slide off the stage, and walk out of the gym. When the doors shut behind her, she put her hands on her hips and glowered. Well, shoot.