Velvet Curtain
Continuity: Set after Prophecy Girl but before Season 2
Disclaimer: All characters in this story belong to Joss Wedon and Mutant Enemy.
He had been sitting there for a long time, waiting for the lights to dim, and the curtain up. The smell of the theatre was all too familiar, rich and inviting. The whispered sounds of the backstage had been silenced by an irate director long ago, and for a few moments the only sound was that of the orchestra tuning up to the hum of the oboe. Then came the crowd, and he was reminded that this was not a private performance. All loud and clumsy, their violent whispers filled the place until he thought he could stand it no more. Idiots, the lot of them. Too stupid to feel the energy, let it course through their veins and give them some of its magic.
It tasted better than blood.
Then the velvet curtain stirred and for once his attention was perfectly focused on the stage.
*****
She waited for another moment, then sighed and started up the steps to the entrance. As usual, her father had let her down, leaving her to watch the performance alone. At first she had protested, but the seats had been expensive, and as he had reminded her, she'd been dying to see the musical. Dying to see it because he was taking her. She couldn't tell her father that. So she'd forced herself to go, and now she was going to force herself to enjoy it.
The theatre was a mass of moving bodies, all trying to maintain a respectful silence whilst yelling instructions to their friends and family. She smiled at the ensuing confusion, then the lights dimmed. She found her seat and blatantly ignored the space on one side.
Then the velvet curtain stirred, a deathly silence descended, and she could taste the atmosphere.
It was electric.
*****
He leaned forward in his chair, intrigued by the story unfolding before his eyes. The young woman occupying the neighbouring seat kept glancing at him, as though she were about to say something. Normally he would have responded with a charming grin or seductive smile, but not now. Until the velvet curtain fell, he was a helpless captive, trapped in another world. Just once in a while, it was nice to get away from his own.
*****
She saw the guy sitting next to her lean forward. It was too dark to tell what he looked like, but she felt strange. Like something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was the intense way he stared, fixated on the stage. She stopped looking at him, and concentrated on the story. It had started out a little confusing, but the songs were beautiful, and she found herself captivated by the characters. It was just as well, because until the velvet curtain fell, she was trapped in another world. After all, any world was better than her own.
*****
A little girl was left alone on-stage. She paused, and began to sing.
"There is a castle on a cloud,
I like to go there in my sleep,
Aren't any floors for me to sweep,
Not in my castle on a cloud."
Spike's eyes widened at the sweet voice, and he felt the girl next to him make a small noise.
Buffy's breath caught in her throat, as the poignant sound filled her mind.
"There is a room that's full of toys,
There are a hundred boys and girls,
Nobody shouts or talks too loud,
Not in my castle on a cloud."
He was reminded of the many times he had been left alone in the school yard. None of the other children had wanted to play with him after his father had left. They ignored him, called him a bastard brat. He had retreated into his own world, fighting dragons and saving the princess with the golden hair and big blue eyes. Then he'd open his eyes and feel the cold wind blow through his thin clothes. His eyes would fill with tears from the bitter sting of the wind and the bitter reality of his life.
"There is a lady all in white,
Holds me and sings a lullaby,
She's nice to hear and she's soft to touch,
She says "Cosette, I love you very much."
She knew that her mother loved her, but sometimes she wanted more. Especially now. People who didn't know her very well probably thought that she was lucky because she was pretty and friendly. People who knew her knew better. Every night she risked her life for nameless people, faceless people, who never thanked her or acknowledged her work. And she was doomed to die at an early age for these same people. It was her duty, her Destiny. She felt lost. Sometimes all she wanted was for someone to hold her close and stroke her hair and tell her that she was safe and loved. Then she'd be lucky.
"I know a place where no one's lost,
I know a place where no one cries,
Crying at all is not allowed,
Not in my castle on a cloud."
As the last note died away, their eyes shone with tears of anger and acceptance. He shut his eyes for a few moments, and she looked upwards. As the applause came to a reluctant halt and the scene shifted, he fixed his attention to the stage once more, and she did the same.
*****
It was the final curtain call. They all gave a standing ovation, then the velvet curtain fell and the audience became a crowd once more. He left as silently as he had arrived, mind still lingering on the song the little girl had so prettily performed. It had struck a chord, something deep inside that he had forgotten existed. He shook his head sharply, and his attention once more began to wander. A pretty girl caught his eye and a predatory smile flickered across his human visage. She would do for his purposes. Although the energy may taste better than blood, it could never replace the screams.
It was music to his ears.
She watched the velvet curtain fall and remained standing as the crowd filtered away. A thought crossed her mind, and she turned to her side, eager to discover the identity of her next-door-neighbour. He was gone, and she was annoyed that her suspicions hadn't been confirmed. It disturbed her a little that she hadn't been sure if he was a vampire or not, but his actions had seemed so innocent. So human. She shook her head sharply, and was reminded of the song. It had touched her soul, and she closed her eyes, trying to regain the feeling. She heard a distant scream, and her eyes snapped open, senses working on overdrive.
It was music to her ears.
The body was dead and cold when she found it. The vampire was nowhere to be seen. As she walked away though, she fancied that she heard fragments of a whistled melody, and sang the last verse.
"I know a place where no one's lost,
I know a place where no one cries,
Crying at all is not allowed,"
And as he whistled, the blood still staining his mouth, he fancied that he heard someone sing fragments of a haunting melody, and joined the lone voice with his own.
"Not in my castle on a cloud."