“I hate mandatory theater work.” Darcy grumbled. “So much heavy lifting and শ্রদ্ধার্ঘ্য searching…I should have just auditioned. Playing talking rock, number five would have been easier.”
“I hear you.” Stella sighed. “This lifting is like toootally bad for my nails. I’ve already chipped one of the precious babies!”
“You guys should have thought about that before going to a theater college.” Musa shrugged.
“Hey! I’m here for their modeling program.” Stella pointed out.
“And I’m here for the cosmetology.” Darcy added.
“Will আপনি three stop talking and give me a hand?” Stormy hollered just as she finally হারিয়ে গেছে her grip on the heavy platform—or maybe it was what would become a wall, stormy didn’t know—she was holding. It landed on her with crushing force.
“Oh my God, are আপনি okay?” Flora exclaimed looking up from the দেওয়াল hanging she was painting. If all when well the prop—a portrait of bluebells in a vase—it would hang upon the wood structure that was currently pinning the storm witch to the floor.
“I’m fine. I think.” She huffed. “But could আপনি get this thing off of me?”
Icy rolled her eyes and kicked the wall-to-be off of Stormy. “You’re such a wimp.” She picked the platform up in one seemingly effortless snatch and carried it over to its rightful place.
“Next time ask for help.” Tecna stated.
“I thought faeries were supposed to be empathetic and understanding.” Stormy rubbed at the pulsing spot on the back of her head.
“We are. Usually.” Layla replied.
“Hey, where does this go?” Bloom called from across the stage. She held up a pair of expensive looking underpants. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen panties this bedazzled. Why do we even need this in a প্রদর্শনী about mermaids?”
“Why do we need a দেওয়াল and a portrait of bluebells.” Icy retorted. “This play makes no sense. I’m not surprised that they’re using gilded underwear as a prop.”
“Oh, uh, sorry about that. Those are mine.” Stormy mumbled. “I just got done with laundry and came right over here.”
Icy pinched the bridge of her nose. “You guys interested in a new Winx girl, because if আপনি guys want to take her, she’s all yours.” She offered.
The ice witch took hold of one of the larger শ্রদ্ধার্ঘ্য trees and carried it across the room to where Bloom was standing.
“I’m standing right on the spot this বৃক্ষ is supposed to go aren’t I?”
Icy gave a firm nod. The fairy stepped aside.
“Bloom is right.” Tecna frowned. “Who designed this set, it’s completely illogical. Half of the stage is full of outdoor scenery and half is in a house.”
“Guys, I think we were only supposed to be setting up the outdoor set…” Darcy trailed off.
Flora looked at her painting, her expression growing dim. “You mean I worked on this painting for nothing?”
“It’s okay Flora, Stormy was being useless and unproductive too.” Icy ‘comforted’ with a dismissive hand gesture. The ice witch walked over to the বৃক্ষ and kicked some apples beneath it. She walked over to the শ্রদ্ধার্ঘ্য ফলমূল bowl, intent on getting a few আরো apples to place in the বৃক্ষ leaves. In a flat nonchalant way the woman posed a question; “okay, which one of আপনি dullards bit the wax apple?”
All eyes fell on Stormy.
“It wasn’t me this time! Honest!” Stormy threw her hands up.
“Sure it wasn’t.” Layla murmured.
“Well who else could it have been?” Bloom asked.
Stormy briskly pointed her finger at Stella.
“It. Was. Not. Me.” Stella replied, annunciating every word.
“Well I was too busy painting flowers.” Flora pointed out, suddenly glad that she’d accidently slacked off to paint un-needed pictures.
“And I was all the way on the other side of the stage.” Bloom declared.
“I was helping Stormy with the platform.” Icy put in. Each of the girls followed in suit listing off alibies. As suspected the only two without solid alibies were Stella and Stormy. The ice witch smiled smugly to herself. Between being the one to call out that someone had bitten the আপেল and providing an alibi of her own, they would never figure out that it was she who had taken a bite out of the prop.
