"Hurry up, Opal!" Alexy exclaimed as he practically dragged me behind him.

"You know, I didn't think you'd be this excited about the idea," I said, picking up my speed to match his almost running pace. Alexy looked down at me with his purple eyes burning excitedly.

"Are you kidding? I have the perfect idea! I'm going to be the best emcee in the history of high school emcees!"

I laughed, extremely glad that I chose to wear my tennis shoes instead of the three-inch heeled boots Auntie had suggested. The red scarf that she'd draped expertly around my neck, giving my outfit of black slacks and a thin white jacket a pop of color, whipped behind me as Alexy and I ran towards the school.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave Armin behind? He probably fell asleep as soon as you left the room."

"I reset the alarm; he'll be fine. Now come ON!"

We screeched into the courtyard in record time. Alexy stopped to catch his breath before following me into the school where I knocked on the student council room door.

"Come in," Nathaniel's voice called and I opened the door. He was over at the filing cabinet and smiled when he saw me walking in. "Good morning. Opal. Oh, you too, Alexy."

"Yo," Alexy responded, smiling ridiculously wide.

"Nathaniel, I think I have found the perfect emcee for you!"

Nathaniel's eyes traveled from me to Alexy who was still smiling brightly and slowly he nodded then grinned.

"You know what, I think you're right, Opal! This is great, let's go ask Mr. Tremont if he'll allow it."

"Awesome!" Alexy cried out, dashing out of the room.

Nathaniel and I shared a look and both started to chuckle as we followed him down the English hallway and through Mr. Tremont's open door.

"Ah, if it isn't Marc Antony and his Cleopatra back together again," Mr. Tremont remarked when he looked up from his desk. I shook my head, sighing and trying to keep from blushing. "But why has Puck joined you today? Isn't he a different play?" Mr. Tremont asked with one eyebrow cocked.

I couldn't help but laugh, realizing that Alexy would make the perfect Puck.

"I keep telling you my name is Alexy, Mr. Tremont. But that doesn't matter right now. I want to be the emcee for the talent show!" Alexy announced exuberantly and Mr. Tremont smiled.

"What an unusual request! Although my emcee will need to be very... trustworthy," he stated slowly while giving me a pointed look.

"Alexy IS trustworthy, Mr. Tremont. He wants to become a stylist in the future so he has been helping my auntie with a new... costume design. I can vouch for his character," I said, giving Mr. Tremont a meaningful look and he grinned broadly.

"Wonderful! Wouldn't it be marvelous if we could rehearse the talent show before school? Say at 6:45? I believe 6:45 would be the epitome of productivity and motivation for talented contestants and an energetic yet discrete emcee," Mr. Tremont said happily.

Wow, he's good, I couldn't help but think, but Nathaniel was rubbing his neck awkwardly.

"Umm, I can suggest it to the principal... but I don't think many of the students would be okay with that..." Nathaniel said gently. I felt bad for him, but Mr. Tremont waved his hand dismissively.

"No, no, I understand the limits of this generation's youth. After school will be an agreeable rehearsal time."

"Okay then... Do you know when the first rehearsal will be taking place?" Nathaniel asked and Mr. Tremont shrugged dramatically.

"I have witnessed so much talent already and I still have two days more to go through! I wish there wasn't a limit on the number of acts I could allow into the show!" he gushed and Nathaniel grinned tiredly.

"That didn't really answer my question though..." Nathaniel pointed out and Mr. Tremont sighed.

"It means that I won't know until all of the acts have been finalized. However, if I am able to post the accepted acts on Monday I will have a rehearsal on Friday."

I blinked in shock and stared at Mr. Tremont. I had never heard him speak so calmly and precisely... ever!

"Alright then, thank you, Mr. Tremont," Nathaniel said politely and turned to leave.

I followed him, but Mr. Tremont signaled for Alexy to stay so I waved and left them to their probable scheming.

"I can't thank you enough for finding an emcee for me, Opal," Nathaniel said earnestly and I waved my hand in dismissal.

"To be honest, Auntie was the one who gave me the idea," I explained and Nathaniel smiled.

"Well, then you can thank her for me. Things have been so crazy lately; it's nice to know I can count on you to help me out," Nathaniel said with a grin which I returned.

"Don't you two look chummy." I looked up in surprise to see Castiel standing in front of us.

"Good morning, Castiel! How did your audition go?" I asked excitedly. Castiel stopped mid-smirk and blinked.

"How did you know we auditioned? I don't remember telling you our audition date..." he asked in surprise and I smiled.

"I ran into Lysander when he signed you guys up. So how did it go?" 

Castiel grinned arrogantly and folded his arms. "We rocked it, of course. I told you, we're going to win this competition." I grinned and nodded.

"I'm sure you will!" Castiel smiled smugly at me and then raised an eyebrow at Nathaniel.

"I hear you're in charge of making us look good? Do your best, huh?" 

Nathaniel frowned and glared at Castiel. "My job is to make sure the acts run smoothly, not to make you look good," he snapped but Castiel simply shrugged.

"Same difference," he stated offhandedly. Before another fight could break out I jumped in.

"So who else is in your band, Castiel? Besides Lysander, of course." 

Nathaniel and Castiel glared at each other but Castiel eventually turned to face me and shook his head.

"I told you the other day, I have a couple of buddies that agreed to help us out with the song," Castiel reminded me. Nathaniel blinked in surprise at the comment, glancing between me and Castiel.

"That's right, what do they play?"

"The bass and drums," Castiel replied. I nodded, ignoring Nathaniel's pointed look.

"So you've got a real band now! Will you do any more songs after the talent show?" 

"Nah. They're already a part of a band, but their other members are in college so they couldn't audition. It worked out pretty well," Castiel explained with a grin.

"Class is going to start soon, do you want to walk with me, Opal?" Nathaniel asked and I nodded.

"Sure. Can we stop at my locker on the way?" I asked.

"Of course," Nathaniel said and just when I was going to wave to Castiel he came up on my other side and grinned.

"We're all going to the same place. I'll come with you." 

Nathaniel frowned but didn't argue so we all ended up walking to Government together. Lysander raised an eyebrow at us and I laughed, sure that he was surprised that Castiel and Nathaniel were willingly walking within two feet of each other.

"Castiel told me that your audition went well," I said as I took my seat and he nodded, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"It was well-received," he said calmly, but I thought I detected happiness in the depths of his beautiful eyes.

"Of course it was! I can't wait to hear it."

"I'm very eager to know what you think of it," he replied and I blinked then grinned.

"Thank you, that's such a compliment!"

Lysander nodded and smiled faintly at me just as the bell to begin class rang.

The rest of the week was chock full of homework and practices. I had yet to even come close to getting the hat to fall onto my head, but I was making progress in getting the end over end flip, at least. And almost every day when I came home Auntie had me stand in the living room so she could measure a different part of my body, sometimes even re-measuring. When I commented on her re-measuring she would insist that my costume had to be 'beyond perfection' so she had to double and triple-check everything.

By the time Monday rolled around I was already wishing the talent show was over. As Mr. Schiess went to take his place at the front of the classroom there was a ping from the PA system and the principal's voice rang out over the speakers.

"Good morning, students! Thank you for all of the wonderful talents that you shared in the auditions last week. A list of the accepted acts has been posted outside the auditorium and the first rehearsal will be held on Friday at 4:00 pm in the auditorium. The actual talent show is scheduled for November 23rd, the Friday before our Thanksgiving Break, so let your parents know! Remember to study hard!"

A short ping signaled the end of the principal's announcement and murmurs of conversation raced through the students until Mr. Schiess could get their attention once more.

"Hey, Opal, want to go and see the list at lunch?"

I shivered as Castiel's breath tickled my neck and without looking back I nodded. His breath retreated and I fought the urge to roll my neck to get the tingling to go away. Instead, I concentrated on taking notes. Morning classes seemed to pass in a flash and I found myself walking out of AP Psychology with a study guide for a chapter test coming up.

"Hey, Sato."

I looked up and smiled at Dajan who was grinning down at me.

"How is your day going, Dajan?"

"It's going to be better once I know if my team made it into the talent show," he remarked while rubbing his hands together nervously.

"I'm sure you did!"

"Want to go with me to check?" he asked with an uncharacteristically nervous look and I immediately nodded.

"I'd be happy to. Castiel is probably waiting for me at my locker to look at the list though, do you mind if we all go together?"

Dajan shook his head so we walked towards my locker. Castiel's red hair and leather jacket stood out from all the way across the hall as he leaned against my locker.

"Hey, Opal..." I looked up at Dajan as he trailed off and saw that he was looking intensely at Castiel.

"Is something wrong, Dajan?" I asked. 

He remained silent, just watching Castiel, but then he looked down at me. Smiling gently, he rested one of his large hands on my shoulder.

"Nah. But you know I'm here for you if you ever need anything, right?"

"Of course," I replied automatically and he nodded, seemingly satisfied. 

We walked together up to Castiel who smirked and stayed leaning against my locker so he was blocking my way.

"Decided you needed a bodyguard to hang out with me, Goody-Two-Shoes?" he asked and I rolled my eyes.

"No. Dajan and I usually eat lunch together so he meets me after class gets out. Is it okay if he comes with us to see the list? His basketball team tried out too." 

Castiel shrugged, seeming a little moody. "Whatever you want," he said gruffly, still not moving.

"Well... I would like it if I could get into my locker..." I said carefully.

 He snorted, hiding his mouth behind his hand for a second. When he brought it down he was smirking with full force and he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Is that so?" he asked teasingly.

"Let's just go, I'm dying to see!" Dajan said energetically, placing his hands on my shoulder and turning me towards the auditorium. "You can put your books away later."

I glanced over my shoulder to see Castiel frown but when our eyes met he smirked and followed after us, quickly catching up and walking next to me. Dajan and Castiel tried to act calm and confident but I could feel their excitement and nervousness and I hoped fervently that both of their acts had made it. When we got to the auditorium a large group of people were already there, trying to push through and see if they had made it.

"Dajan, can you see the list?" I asked, seeing as his viewpoint was above almost everyone else's. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Sorry, but they're blocking it," he said and I nodded with a smile.

"That's okay; we'll just have to wait our turn," I said and Castiel laughed.

"Or we could do this." With that, he took my hand and began pushing through the crowd, dragging me behind him. "Move it. You're in the way. One side!" he called as he shoved people aside.

"I'm so sorry. Please excuse us. I'm sorry!" I called one beat behind him, wishing I could bow to everyone that we passed. Before I knew it, we made it to the list and Castiel pointed at the name 'Temporary Troublemakers' located at the very top of the list.

"I told you we rocked it," he stated arrogantly and I would have clapped if he wasn't still holding my hand.

"Oh, look here!" Dajan wrapped an arm around my neck and shoulders, leaning against my back he pointed farther down the list where 'Basketball Bros' was listed. I stumbled under his sudden weight, breaking the connection of Castiel's hand over my own.

"Sorry about that, Opal," Dajan apologized with a half-grin.

I shook my head, elbowing him lightly in the stomach so he would get off me. He pulled back and I smiled up at him.

"Congrats, Dajan! I'm so glad you and Castiel both got in!" I exclaimed happily. Dajan grinned and Castiel smirked but his eyes were narrowed slightly at Dajan.

"Who's Lady Mysteria? Do you think it's a girl band?" 

I held my breath and turned to my left where a couple of girls were looking at the list and talking. My eyes flicked back to the list and I fought the urge to groan when I saw that Mr. Tremont had indeed included 'Lady Mysteria' on the list; right smack dab in the middle.

"Huh, some people sure come up with weird names," Dajan commented and I winced.

"Yah, it is kinda weird," I muttered, wishing I could curl into a ball and disappear. Castiel scoffed and turned away from the list.

"Whoever she is, she doesn't stand a chance against my group," he said haughtily.

I followed him and Dajan out of the crowd silently, wondering what they would think when they found out what role 'Lady Mysteria' was going to be playing in the talent show.

"Oooopppaaaaallll," a singsong voice rang out behind me and I turned in surprise to see Alexy running up to me. He swept me into a hug and then pulled back, placing both hands on my shoulders. "I need your help with something!"

He took my hand, twirled me around, and then dragged me away. I turned to look back at Dajan and Castiel who were both looking stunned and slightly perturbed. I flashed them a quick smile, trying to show them I was fine and did my best to keep up with Alexy. Glancing down at my books still in my arm I sighed and wondered if I'd ever get the chance to put them away. When we turned into the English hall I realized what must be going on and, just as I suspected, Alexy pulled me into Mr. Tremont's classroom and closed the door firmly behind us.

"Wonderful! I'm glad Alexy was able to find you so quickly; we must discuss our private rehearsals," Mr. Tremont said, from his chair behind his desk. Alexy and I walked up to his desk and he gave us both a brilliant smile. "Honestly, Miss Opal, it was a stroke of genius to suggest Puck as the emcee. He has come up with the most BRILLIANT plan to make Lady Mysteria shine!"

Immediately I held up my hand like I was in class and had a question. Mr. Tremont blinked and then raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Miss Opal?" he asked with a surprised tone.

"I don't want my name to be on the voting ballot," I stated firmly. Both Mr. Tremont's and Alexy's mouths dropped open.

"Why not? We're practically guaranteeing you the win!" Alexy exclaimed.

"Exactly. It's not fair that I get special treatment but am allowed to be put up against all the other acts as an equal competitor," I pointed out.

Mr. Tremont blinked slowly, staring at me. Then a gentle smile split his lips and he nodded.

"You are a special child indeed, Miss Opal. Very well, we will not place your name on the ballots. IN FACT!" Mr. Tremont yelled while springing from his seat. I jumped in shock but he continued. "We could even remove your name from the program!" he exclaimed with feverish excitement. I blinked, completely lost as to where Mr. Tremont could be going with this.

"OR!!! We could make the font a different color and then have a line going through it so that it looks like..." Alexy started and Mr. Tremont nodded energetically.

"Yes, yes! It would be the perfect opening for your story!" Mr. Tremont interjected.

"And then when her voice comes over the speakers..."

"It will create the most spectacularly chilling mood!" Mr. Tremont finished. I looked between Alexy and Mr. Tremont with confusion and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but what are you talking about?" I asked tiredly and Alexy grinned brightly.

"You're not just going to be mysterious, Opal. You are going to be a ghost!" Alexy proclaimed with a triumphant tone. I stared at him without even blinking, progressing from confused to completely bewildered.

"A... Ghost?" I repeated slowly and Alexy laughed.

"You should see your face right now, Opal. It's pretty priceless."

"I believe it will make more sense once we start putting the sound effects together. Miss Opal, I would like both you and Alexy to be in the auditorium at 6:45 Friday morning; I will explain everything in detail then. Next Friday we will have a technical rehearsal where we will go through each act and make sure their microphones work and the lighting is programmed properly for them, then a follow-up technical rehearsal on the Wednesday before winter break. We will have our dress rehearsal the Thursday before the performance day. On each of those rehearsals I will need you to come early in the morning so we can run through your part," Mr. Tremont stated and I nodded in understanding.

"That was all I needed to tell you, I'll see you Friday morning!" Mr. Tremont said and walked past us, opening the door for us to leave.

Alexy and I walked past him, Alexy with a wide grin and me still slightly confused but resigned to the fact that I was somehow going to become a ghost. Just another day at Sweet Amoris.