They Are Not Ordinary

CHAPTER 45

ASHTER STARR

Just as I got to the side of Leo our part was about to come.

"Ashter" Leo whispered. I quickly looked at him breathing hard.

"Don't focus on the crowd or the people around you. Focus on the script. Focus on your emotions." He softly said. I nodded appreciatively and breathed heavily just as the curtain opened up fully.

Focus on the script. Focus on the emotions.

I heard the narrator's voice as he just finished greeting and telling some summary of the story to the audience.

"Scene 1" The narrator's voice filled the whole room then that's when our actors Demetrius and Philo entered the scene and started talking.

Leo and I waited for a while since in just a few lines we will come out.

After a few seconds, it was our turn. I gulped before I finally came out from backstage and immediately the spotlight was on me. I heard a few gasped from the crowd. I was hoping it was a good kind of gasped though.

This is it.

This is finally my part.

I will give everything that I have for this.

CLEOPATRA: "If it be love indeed, tell me how much."

I spoke my line with just the right amount of emotions while looking at Leo who was right in front of me.

ANTONY: "There’s beggary in the love that can be reckoned."

Leo's acting was phenomenal. I was always admiring his good skills. He is really a natural. He got huge potential. Maybe one day Leo will have his own movie.

CLEOPATRA: "I’ll set a bourn how far to be beloved"

ANTONY: "Then must thou needs find out new heaven, new, Earth."

*Enters a Messenger* the narrator said

MESSENGER: News, my good lord, from Rome

ANTONY: Grates me, the sum.

CLEOPATRA: Nay, hear them, Antony. Fulvia perchance is angry. Or who knows If the scarce-bearded Caesar have not sent His powerful mandate to you: “Do this, or this;Take in that kingdom, and enfranchise that. Perform ’t, or else we damn thee.”

ANTONY: How my love?

I heard a loud whistle from the crowd making the whole room vibrate. Geez, he just called me love and this is already their reaction. I refrained myself from rolling my eyes.

CLEOPATRA: Perchance? Nay, and most like.

You must not stay here longer; your dismission

Is come from Caesar. Therefore hear it, Antony.

Where’s Fulvia’s process? Caesar’s, I would say—

both? Call in the messengers. As I am Egypt’s queen,

Thou blushest, Antony, and that blood of thine

Is Caesar’s homager; else so thy cheek pays shame

When shrill-tongued Fulvia scolds. The messengers!

ANTONY: Let Rome in Tiber melt and the wide arch

Of the ranged empire fall. Here is my space.

Kingdoms are the clay. Our dungy earth alike

Feeds beast as man. The nobleness of life

Is to do thus; when such a mutual pair

And such a twain can do ’t, in which I bind,

On pain of punishment, the world to weet

We stand up peerless.

CLEOPATRA: Excellent falsehood!

Why did he marry Fulvia and not love her?

I’ll seem the fool I am not.

Antony Will be himself.

ANTONY: Now for the love of Love and her soft hours,

Let’s not confound the time with conference harsh.

There’s not a minute of our lives should stretch

Without some pleasure now. What sport tonight?

CLEOPATRA: Hear the ambassadors.

ANTONY: Fie, wrangling queen,

Whom everything becomes—to chide, to laugh,

To weep; whose every passion fully strives

To make itself, in thee, fair and admired!

No messenger but thine, and all alone

Tonight we’ll wander through the streets and note

The qualities of people. Come, my queen,

Last night you did desire it. [To the Messenger.]

Speak not to us.

"After talking to the messenger Antony and Cleopatra exit with the train" I heard the narrator said and Leo and I finally made our way to the backstage again to prepare for the next scene. as I was about to seat on the empty couch to calm myself I felt someone gently grab my wrist, I turned around to see an excited Leo.

"You did great Ashy!" Leo exclaimed happily before letting my wrist go and I smiled at him.

"Yeah I know right, but I am so nervous as f**k. Look at my hands it's sweaty and shaky" I raised both of my hands in his face and he laughed.

"Well you're not alone" Leo also raised his hands full of sweat, and I giggled at him. his hands are completely covered with sweat compared to mine. "To be honest I didn't expect to have so many audiences today. It was much bigger than my other plays."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief. I really thought that the crowd was always like this.

"Yeah well, maybe it's because Ashter is a very popular new girl in town and all of the people come to watch," He told me with a shrug.

"Nah, that's impossible," I told him. We just continued to laugh. It was a way to calm ourselves. until it was almost our scene again.

Once I got out of the stage again. I honestly feel much comfortable than before because I closed my eyes for a bit. Soon my nerves had left me and I felt nothing but all of the emotions inside me and my heart.

I opened my eyes again and almost regretted it immediately. I felt my heartbeat fast as I looked over the sea of people again. I was about to panic again when I was met with familiar beautiful brown eyes looking back at me with such intensity. My body immediately calmed and everything felt perfect.

Then the whole play goes smoothly. I never felt nervous and scared anymore. Every time I went out to the stage for my scene little by little I am getting used to it. To be honest I am proud of myself.

I am really happy to do this play.

-

Finally, after an hour we are finally at the final scene. It was pretty exhausting but we are almost there. I'm not going to give up now.

"SCENE XV" The narrator said

MARK ANTONY: Bear me, good friends, where Cleopatra bides;

'Tis the last service that I shall command you.

First Guard: Woe, woe are we, sir, you may not live to wear

All your true followers out.

All

Most heavy day!

MARK ANTONY: Nay, good my fellows, do not please sharp fate

To grace it with your sorrows: bid that welcome

Which comes to punish us, and we punish it

Seeming to bear it lightly. Take me up:

I have led you oft: carry me now, good friends,

And have my thanks for all.

"Enter CLEOPATRA and her maids aloft, with CHARMIAN and IRAS" The narrator said.

CLEOPATRA: O Charmian, I will never go from hence.

CHARMIAN: Be comforted, dear madam.

CLEOPATRA: No, I will not:

All strange and terrible events are welcome,

But comforts we despise; our size of sorrow,

Proportion'd to our cause, must be as great

As that which makes it.

"Enter, below, DIOMEDES" The narrator said.

How now! is he dead?

DIOMEDES: His death's upon him, but not dead.

Look out o' the other side your monument;

His guard have brought him thither.

"Enter, below, MARK ANTONY, borne by the Guard" The narrator said.

CLEOPATRA: O sun,

Burn the great sphere thou movest in!

darkling stand

The varying shore o' the world. O Antony,

Antony, Antony! Help, Charmian, help, Iras, help;

Help, friends below; let's draw him hither.

MARK ANTONY: Peace!

Not Caesar's valour hath o'erthrown Antony,

But Antony's hath triumph'd on itself.

CLEOPATRA: So it should be, that none but Antony

Should conquer Antony; but woe 'tis so!

MARK ANTONY: I am dying, Egypt, dying; only

I here importune death awhile, until

Of many thousand kisses the poor last

I lay up thy lips.

CLEOPATRA: I dare not, dear,--

Dear my lord, pardon,--I dare not,

Lest I be taken: not the imperious show

Of the full-fortuned Caesar ever shall

Be brooch'd with me; if knife, drugs,

serpents, have Edge, sting, or operation, I am safe:

Your wife Octavia, with her modest eyes

And still conclusion, shall acquire no honour

Demuring upon me. But come, come, Antony,--

Help me, my women,--we must draw thee up:

Assist, good friends.

MARK ANTONY: O, quick, or I am gone.

CLEOPATRA: Here's sport indeed! How heavy weighs my lord!

Our strength is all gone into heaviness,

That makes the weight: had I great Juno's power,

The strong-wing'd Mercury should fetch thee up,

And set thee by Jove's side. Yet come a little,--

Wishes were ever fools,--O, come, come, come;

They heave MARK ANTONY aloft to CLEOPATRA

And welcome, welcome! die where thou hast lived:

Quicken with kissing: had my lips that power,

Thus would I wear them out.

All

A heavy sight!

MARK ANTONY: I am dying, Egypt, dying:

Give me some wine, and let me speak a little.

CLEOPATRA: No, let me speak; and let me rail so high,

That the false housewife Fortune break her wheel,

Provoked by my offence.

MARK ANTONY: One word, sweet queen:

Of Caesar seek your honour, with your safety. O!

CLEOPATRA: They do not go together.

MARK ANTONY: Gentle, hear me:

None about Caesar trust but Proculeius.

CLEOPATRA: My resolution and my hands I'll trust;

None about Caesar.

MARK ANTONY: The miserable change now at my end

Lament nor sorrow at; but please your thoughts

In feeding them with those my former fortunes

Wherein I lived, the greatest prince o' the world,

The noblest; and do now not basely die,

Not cowardly put off my helmet to

My countryman,--a Roman by a Roman

Valiantly vanquish'd. Now my spirit is going;

I can no more.

CLEOPATRA: Noblest of men, woo't die?

Hast thou no care of me? shall I abide

In this dull world, which in thy absence is

No better than a sty? O, see, my women,

MARK ANTONY dies

The crown o' the earth doth melt. My lord!

O, wither'd is the garland of the war,

The soldier's pole is fall'n: young boys and girls

Are level now with men; the odds is gone,

And there is nothing left remarkable

Beneath the visiting moon.

Faints

CHARMIAN: O, quietness, lady!

IRAS: She is dead too, our sovereign.

CHARMIAN: Lady!

IRAS: Madam!

CHARMIAN: O madam, madam, madam!

IRAS: Royal Egypt, Empress!

CHARMIAN: Peace, peace, Iras!

CLEOPATRA

No more, but e'en a woman, and commanded

By such poor passion as the maid that milks

And does the meanest chares. It were for me

To throw my sceptre at the injurious gods;

To tell them that this world did equal theirs

Till they had stol'n our jewel. All's but naught;

Patience is scottish, and impatience does

Become a dog that's mad: then is it in

To rush into the secret house of death,

Ere death dare come to us? How do you, women?

What, what! good cheer! Why, how now, Charmian!

My noble girls! Ah, women, women, look,

Our lamp is spent, it's out! Good sirs, take heart:

We'll bury him; and then, what's brave,

what's noble,

Let's do it after the high Roman fashion,

And make death proud to take us. Come, away:

This case of that huge spirit now is cold:

Ah, women, women! come; we have no friend

But resolution, and the briefest end.

Exeunt; those above bearing off MARK ANTONY's body

After the final scene all of the lights were turned off. The whole drama team gathered up all on stage. It was pretty dark but we all know where we are going since we have been practicing for almost two months.

When we are all okay the finally turn back on we all raised our hands and bowed to the crowd.

Everything faded as the crowd went wild. They roared as they stood up and applauded us. But I zoned them out. Just looking at Damien as he looked at me.

"Ashy we did it!!" I was pulled out of my trance as Leo wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight against him. He buried his face in my neck and held me tighter.

Then everything went fast as I stood there shocked as the crowd gasped then cheered for Leo.

I can't believe what's happening...

Leonardo kissed me...