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Revelations
Back to: A New Scheme Next: Emotional Evolution
Revelations


Alanna’s voice was signing but her mind was distracted. It was noticeable.

Her sister, Alarie, shouted over the crashing cymbals of her trap set, “I know you can sing louder, and don’t string the words together because it sounds like something completely different.”


Alanna squeaked out a quick apology and Alarie counted off again on her drumsticks. It was their first practice together and Alanna was trying her hand at the songs Leona once sang.

At the same point in the music, though, Alanna slurred the words again and then stopped singing entirely with a face full of defeat. Something was bothering her.


Illyana sighed and stopped strumming her guitar. She narrowed her eyes at Alanna, “What’s wrong?”

Alanna bit her lip, internally struggling whether or not she should pass along a concerning issue she had heard the day before. She put the microphone on its stand and turned to them.

“I think the competition is being rigged,” she finally said.


Alarie came around and took a seat on the front drum, folding her arms in concern, “What do you mean? How?”

“I think Evelyn Jane Orbinson is bribing the judges.”

“Is she even in the Battle of the Bands? I didn’t think she liked rock n' roll,” Illyana’s voice dripped with acid.

“It’s a closed list, so we wouldn’t know who signed up,” Alarie shrugged

“Nick knew that we entered,” Illyana pointed out.

“That’s because on the last day of school, you told me to drop a hint to Nick that we were competing,” Alarie reminded her. “And we knew Nick and his band were signed up because Nick went around bragging about how he was going to win it as soon as sign-ups were announced.”

“I bet Evelyn Jane used the ‘politician’s daughter’ card to look at the list,” Illyana spat with contempt. She was not a fan of Evelyn Jane ever since Evelyn Jane called Illyana ‘pedestrian’ for wearing jeans with holes in them back in junior high.

Alanna felt a shiver run down her spine. She nearly forgot Reggie and his sister were the children of the Mayor of Kashmire, but she remembered quite clearly Illyana’s rant explaining why they needed a new singer in the first place. Leona had dropped out because of a sudden opening for a singer at the Mayor’s Ball.

“Did Leona ever say how she was given a spot at the Mayor’s Ball?” Alanna asked slowly, a realization dawning on her.

“No, she just betrayed us without a second thought,” Illyana frowned.

“Do you think…maybe…that Evelyn Jane told Leona there was an opening? To get her to drop out of the competition?”


The other two girls paused with stricken looks on their faces before Alarie shot up with her fists balled and a few choice swear words about Evelyn Jane’s character. Illyana stiffened and then turned away with an astonished scowl before demanding, “We need to take a break from practice and figure this out."

She nearly stomped out of the practice room and into the sisters’ bedroom where there was seating.


The Thackery sisters followed, finding Illyana had pulled out one of their desk chairs and was sitting and looking annoyed. Alarie took a perch on top of the night stand and Alanna sat herself on the sofa with her hands folded across her lap.

“Alanna, how did you find out she was bribing judges?” Illyana asked after a moment of pondering and crossed her legs, leaning forward inquisitively.

Alanna’s cheeks colored at the thought of revealing her discussion with Reggie, but there was no way to avoid mentioning him.

“Reggie Orbinson casually mentioned something about it when I saw him yesterday at the coffee shop.”

“Does he know you are in our band now?”

“No, I didn’t tell him.”

Illyana’s pondering expression grew deeper.

Alanna couldn’t help but to notice her sister take on a wide, knowing smile at seeing her blush.

“So what else did you and that pretentious tool talk about?”

“Reggie is not a tool!” Alanna raised her voice fiercely to defend Reggie, and to the surprise of both girls. Her cheeks deepened in color and she took a breath and continued in an even tone, “and…he asked me to go to dinner with him.”

“No way! Did you accept?” Alarie’s eyes were wide with disbelief. To think, someone as haughty and snobbish as Reginald Orbinson would take interest in her little sister.

“If I had, I wouldn’t be here now.”

Alarie raised her brows and exchanged a knowing look with Illyana.

“No, oh no, I know what you are thinking and it’s not happening,” Alanna stood to interrupt their silent conniving.

“Come on, it wouldn’t hurt to get some information from him as long as he doesn’t know your involvement with Battle of the Bands. Obviously Evelyn Jane, that prissy snake in the grass, doesn’t know you have replaced Leona either. Just ask him if you could go to dinner tomorrow instead,” Illyana reasoned.

“I’d be using him though. It’s deceitful!” Alanna objected.

SO? Take a look at who his sister is and he practically hangs out with her all the time like some kind of minion. He doesn’t have any of his own friends.”

“Franz Schoulsburg is his friend!”

“Okay, but he’s still having one-sided conversations in any case,” Illyana took a jab at the fact Franz hardly ever spoke. “So I bet he’s dying to get some stuff off his chest. Ask him out to dinner, I bet he’ll say ‘yes’ and then you can get him to tell you all the sordid things Evelyn Jane has planned for this competition.”


“Plus, I bet he’ll try to kiss you,” Alarie teased and Alanna just covered her face in mortification and flung out her arm to shoo her elder sister away.

Pleeeeeaaaseee Alanna? You could help us root out corruption in the competition.” Illyana pouted pleadingly.

Alanna sighed. She was secretly very flattered that Reggie had wanted to go to dinner. She had always thought him a very proper, if not a little pompous, young man with good taste. He was a good conversationalist and was a great at chemistry. His jokes were of the intelligent caliber, and she appreciated he didn’t resort to crude humor like most of the boys at school their age.

“Fine, I’ll send him a message,” Alanna acquiesced and sat down at the computer to start composing an email. She had only sent him a hundred over the year when they were partnered for class, a seeming endless email thread about electron counts and formulas. This one would break that subject and begin a whole new one.


“Reggie,

My sincerest apologies I could not attend dinner with you tonight. I would like to suggest going to dinner tomorrow evening around 6:00 pm, if your schedule allows. You can pick the place!

Look forward to hearing your answer,

Alanna T.”

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