"Kat!" a tekkie called, "you're almost on!" I groaned. I didn't exactly feel good today, and my first big number was up.
"Coming!" I said as Maria put on the last of my makeup.
"Done! Break a leg!" she said, and ushered me towards the tekkie that called me over. I swayed a bit, trying to regain my balance and watched for my cue.
"There it is!" the tekkie whispered, so I headed out onto stage. The other actors greeted me.
"It's her! She comes!" one said.
"Konichiwa," I greeted, bowing low.
"What is your wish Lady of the Wood?" they asked.
"Leave this place. I have been listening to your plans through the trees and I cannot allow you to do what you plan to do. If you continue none the less, retribution will find you," I said. I floated across the stage towards the other side. The lights. they're so hot today.
"I protect the forest, don't get within my bad graces," I warned, and felt dizzy. I stumbled in my step and fainted.
No. this is my. big. day.

"Kat? Kat!" a familiar voice called. I opened my eyes and saw Josh's worried face. Josh was my voice trainer; we've known each other for a long time.
"Wha. what happened?" I asked.
"You collapsed on stage," he said, "Are you okay?"
"Oh. yeah," I said, "I'm fine. 't I ruin it?"
"Ruin what?" Josh asked.
"The play dummy!" I exclaimed.
"You didn't ruin it, your understudy is out there finishing it," he said.
"I bet they don't want me back," I murmured.
"That's not. entirely true. There are 4 performances left. You are the Forest Goddess," he said. It didn't help me a lot. It's very sad, I mean, I know he's trying to cheer me up, but it's not helping. I knew better.
"I. I'm worthless," I muttered. Josh stood.
"No you're not!" he yelled, "I don't want you thinking like that Kat!"
"But." I trailed.
"But nothing," he said, lowering his voice, "I'm just your voice trainer. I don't act, so you. my trainee, have to act for me." I couldn't meet his gaze. He said it so sincerely. so truthfully.
"I'm sorry," I murmured, "You must hate me now." Josh grasped my hand.
"I don't hate you," he said, "I." he stopped.
"You what?" I asked.
"Nothing, never mind. Anyways, can I get you something?" he asked, avoiding the question. I decided to let it drop.
"Maybe some tea," I said softly and he hurried off. I sat up a bit on the couch and relaxed into the pillows. What had he been trying to say?
"Miss, there's a visitor to see you," said a voice. It was Megan, the costume director.
"Is the play over already? Oh, never mind. Let him or her in," I said.
"Sure thing. And by the way. oh, you'll see," Megan said, and walked out, giving me a small wink as she left.
"Sissy!" came a small voice and a little boy came up and hugged me around the waist. He had blue hair and when he looked up at me, he had these sea blue eyes.
", who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Piers. I'm your little brother," he said, "I can't believe I've found you at last!"
"I don't have any family. I lost them all years ago in a fire," I explained, smiling sadly. It was true. The way the doctors sounded that night, scared me. I thought I was the only one who had escaped the fire.
"But you didn't! I had run away when the fire started. I was scared. The police found me, and after doing checks on me, they found you. Our parents were dead and yet you were still alive. I went to the hospital with them. and I saw you with all those tubes and monitors attached to you. The police decided you wouldn't be able to care for me in that condition you were in, so I was taken away. The ones who took me in were Michelle and Amara, and they adopted me, and they became my legal guardians. You were in the I.C.U. and so I thought you would die and until I saw you on stage tonight I thought you had died," he said and released my waist and sat down in a chair, "And you were adopted separately once you did recover, I guess."
"We look nothing alike!" I exclaimed, "How could we be related?" Piers reached into his Khaki pants and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it to me. I opened it, unfurling each point until a photograph lay before me. It was a photo of me! My black hair and black eyes stared back at to my side was a little boy, smiling as he hugged my waist.
"I." I struggled to find words, "I.I have a picture exactly like this!" I got up and went to my bag and pulled out a wooden framed picture and compared it to the crumpled one. They were exactly alike!
"Kat, I brought. your. tea," Josh said slowly, pausing to encompass the whole scene, "Who. who's that?"
"Josh, I think this is my little brother, the one that I thought I lost," I said, "At lease, he looks like him. I don't know how to be sure."
"Oookay," Josh trailed and shook his head sadly, "Whatever."
"You are my sister silly," Piers said and laughed, "I've never felt so happy."
"Well Kat, you said you wanted children." Josh said.
"Hush," I replied.
"Now you have one," he continued.
"Shut up Josh," I warned.
"Except he's your brother," he still went on.
"Bite me!"
"Does it even count?" he asked, finishing. I glared at his huge smile. Josh turned to Piers, "So, what do you like to do?"
"Me? I enjoy fishing and flying," Piers replied proudly.
"Well, I like them too. Fishing a little more than flying though," Josh said. It was at that time I whacked him in the head.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, "That hurt!"
"It was supposed to!" I said, then giggled.
"So. what now?" Piers asked.
"Tell me something only you and I would know about," I said.
"Okay. but why?" Piers asked.
"To prove you're my brother," I replied.
". Dragon Ruins, but you always called them Dromar's Cavern, after that dragon magic card you liked so much," Piers said meekly.
"How." I began.
"It was the outcropping of rocks at the creek, we would play there. I was younger then, and I broke my wrist there once, but even after that, you still held my hand and took me there," he interrupted. I stared at him.
"I haven't told anyone that, not even Josh," I said, and sank a bit into the couch.
"Um. Kat? We need to go to the cast party," Josh interrupted.
"We can miss it, I wasn't in the entire play," I said.
"Kat!" Josh chided.
"What? Seriously, it's not like we're missing something!" I yelled and then lowered my voice, "besides, you can go, I just don't want to. Now get out of here so I can change out of costume. I don't think they'd want me on this stage again." The last part I murmured under my breath, if Josh had heard it, we would have started fighting again.
They went outside, Piers trailing behind Josh. It was a little odd, seeing a blue haired boy following a sandy blond haired guy. I quickly changed out of costume, slipping on jeans and a t-shirt, followed by a blue sweater. I went up to the door, to see if they were outside. They were, and talking too.
"You like Sissy, don't you?" Piers asked. There was a pause before Josh replied.
"What makes you think that?" Josh asked. Wait, he likes me? I thought. he. hated me!
"You care about her don't you?" Piers pressed. I almost burst out laughing. He was already getting protective of me, and we weren't 'officially' a family yet.
"Yeah fine," Josh muttered, "I like her a lot."
"Are you just saying that?" Piers asked in a sweet little voice. I used that voice sometimes. It was that, "Don't lie to me; I know the truth; I just want to hear it from your mouth" voice.
"I love her," Josh said loudly, and then swore, "She would hear that."
"Don't you want to tell her?" Piers asked.
"I. I don't thing she likes me back," he replied. I sank down to the carpet, my back against the wood of the door. He loved me and he didn't think I loved him back? He was cute, smart, funny, and now I know he loves me. He stayed as my voice trainer even though I was a struggling actress. I could hardly pay his fee sometimes and he didn't mind. I began to cry. He loved me.
"Uh, Kat, you okay in there?" Josh asked worriedly.
"Yes! I'm fine!" I said, wiping my tears and standing up. I opened the door and looked as Josh. He looked puzzled for a second and then I dove into his arms. He put his arms around me and held me gently.
"You heard him," Piers said in a definite tone. Josh turned bright red. I looked into his eyes and they shone.
"I love you too," I murmured, and kissed him. He was quite stunned and I backed him up against the wall with surprise. He regained his composure and took control over the kiss. He brushed his hand against my cheek and held me against him. It was pure heaven to finally know what it felt like to kiss someone you love. I relaxed into his arms as he drew me close to him.
"So. are we going to go to the cast party or not?" Piers interrupted, "I mean, it's nice and all you two now admitted your feelings, but can we go? At least there's food there." I broke away from the kiss slowly and looked down at him.
"You're going to be a pain in the neck, aren't you?" I asked him with a grin.
"You better believe it sissy," he said and grabbed my hand, "C'mon, let's go already." And with those words he dragged me away.
"Where are we going?" I asked him.
"Umm. Josh, lead the way!" Piers ordered and with a grin and a sigh he led us in the direction of the party.

"Hey, Kat! Kat!" Megan's voice rang through the throng of people that were in the room. She came running up to me and hugged me tight.
"Uh, hi." I said weakly, trying to catch my breath.
"Hey, there's some big Broadway guy here to see you! You of all people!" she exclaimed and led me through the people, forcing me to leave Josh and Piers to find the food, "There he is! Hey, Mr. Big shot! This is who I was talking about." I turned bright red as the man in front of us turned and looked at me.
"So, you are Kat?" he asked. I nodded weakly.
"I think your performance out there was brilliant!" he exclaimed and shook my hand.
"Um. that was my understudy sir," I said, "I fainted." he still smiled.
"That was what I was referring to," he said, "I have an offer for you." I couldn't make sense of anything that was going on at this point in time.
"What?" I asked.
"I want you to be the narrator in one of the musicals that are traveling around. We need a narrator for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and I was hoping you could do it for me," he said. I almost broke down sobbing and would have collapsed to the floor had Josh not shown up at that moment and helped Megan to hold me up.
"Kat, it's okay. I think this means yes sir. I'm her voice trainer," Josh introduced himself while still holding onto me with one arm.
"Then you must be the one who taught her all she knows. Well, I guess then you shall be joining the tour. Let's discuss this in my office tomorrow," he said, and then, after handing over a business card, left us to our cast party.
"This is such good news!" Megan said, "Of course, we need you to finish here first." I smiled at her.
"I'm so happy!" I exclaimed, "I never thought."
"That so much stuff like this could happen in one day?" Josh asked, "It's like they say in that musical you shall be a part of soon, any dream will do, and won't it? This is your dream, and now it's taken one of its biggest steps."
"Oh Josh." I trailed and moved into his embrace, "It is a dream. but. if I ever wake up. I want you to be by my side, okay?" He laughed, a full- bodied laugh and kissed me again. My dream came true and I couldn't be happier. I really couldn't be more content with my life than the way it just occurred. And to think, it took only one day for it all to happen. I love my life. It's perfect.
"Hey, can we eat now or what?" Piers interrupted. I broke away laughing. I was home.