𝟶𝟸⦂ 𝙱𝚒𝚛𝚍𝚜 & 𝙻𝚘𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚛𝚜

Lolly Valentine
I'm going to hate the bird scene, aren't I?
Mood = Annoyed 😒

Caspian Valentine: What don't you hate?

Lolly was rudely woken up by Frankie shaking her awake and demanding her to make pancakes at four-thirty in the morning. So, she groaned and got up because Frankie liked the way she made pancakes, especially when she put the filling in it.

She got dressed and went downstairs.

She ate her pancakes with Frankie and then at six in the morning, Caspian came into the living room. He wore a regular concert tee-shirt and jeans. He never really covered up his arms when at home (it was one of their parents' rules) because it hid the self-harm cuts. There was a lot going up and down his arms and up on his shoulders.

"You go back to sleep," Caspian told her. "I'll wake you before it's time to leave."

Lolly nodded and went back to sleep.

Cat asked her siblings, "How are you going to decorate your lockers?"

Caspian had put on a black denim jacket. He asked, "Decorate?"

"It's a Hollywood Arts tradition," Cat explained. "I put a tulip on mine, which you already saw."

Lolly looked at her locker. What was she going to put on her locker? She didn't know, so she voiced that out loud, "I don't know."

"Yeah, I'm not sure either," Caspian said.

Cat nodded, "Well, I've got to go rehearse my part in the play I have with Jade." She took off.

In Sikowitz's class, Caspian and Lolly watched Cat and Jade act out a scene that Cat claimed that they had been working on. Cat held an overly large pig stuffy that Lolly wondered where it came from.

"Betsy, Betsy," Jade said in a voice that was probably supposed to be from the 1800s, "That animal's delicious flesh can keep us all alive for another week."

In a matching voice, Cat replied, "I don't wanna be alive without Poncy! This pig is everything to me that my daddy never was and I'll be ding-dang—" she screamed as she got a rubber ball thrown at her face. She fell down.

"Sikowitz!" Lolly yelled at the teacher.

"What?" asked Sikowitz, as if he didn't throw a ball at one of his students.

"You threw a ball at our sister's face," Caspian added.

"A truly great actor can stay in the scene no matter what's happening around her," Sikowitz explained.

"But it really hurt," Cat stated, holding a hand to her face. The bell rang, "Ooh, lunch, yay!" She ran out of the class.

Sikowitz told them, "Learn your lines! I want everyone off book tomorrow!"

Beck asked, "Hey, do you three newbies want to come to lunch with us?"

"We're supposed to have lunch with Cat," Lolly said.

It had to have been her imagination because Beck looked a little dejected at that.

The ball hit Caspian in the face, probably giving him a black eye, to go with the already fading black eye he previously had from some douche bag punching him in the face.

Lolly whirled around to face the teacher, "Can you stop throwing balls at my siblings' faces?"

"I need to chat with you, Caspian, and Tori," Sikowitz said.

Tori said, "And saying, 'Tori, Caspian, and Lolly, can I see you' wouldn't have worked?'"

"Have fun," André told them.

"Protect your faces," Beck told them leaving.

"I heard that you and Lolly both signed up for a play," Sikowitz said, "Moonlight Magic."

Tori nodded, "Uh-huh. André wrote the music for it and he wants me or Lolly to play the lead."

"You should," Sikowitz said.

Caspian asked, "What does this have to do with me?" He had one hand to his eye, which looked like it was swelling shut.

"I'm getting to that," Sikowitz said. "To graduate Hollywood Arts you need to be in a certain amount of plays."

"Oh," Caspian said.

"And you three can't be in any plays until you pass the Bird Scene," Sikowitz said, going to a podium and taking out three play books.

Lolly asked, "What is the Bird Scene?"

"Here at Hollywood Arts every student must successfully complete the Bird Scene before they can audition for any and all school productions," Sikowitz explained, handing them the play books.

"Hey, Sikowitz," Cat spoke from the doorway. "I forgot to ask you a question about the homework but do we—?"

Sikowitz yelled and lobbed the rubber ball at Cat, making her scream and run away.

Lolly and Caspian both glared at Sikowitz.

"We'll never know her question," Sikowitz stated and walked away.

Caspian put his arms around Lolly's waist to keep her from attacking the teacher and dragged/carried her out of the classroom.

Cat ended up ditching them for some kind of emergency lunchtime meeting for one of her extra-curriculars.

So, it left Caspian and Lolly to figure out where to sit: the food truck guy worker had yelled their order to himself (ten California rolls for Lolly and a burrito for Caspian).

"You want to sit here?" Caspian asked Lolly.

"I don't want to sit in the sun," Lolly said.

"Hey, you two, come over here," Beck called to them.

It looked like they were in the shade, so they made their way over to where Robbie and Beck were sitting.

Caspian sat next to Beck, which Beck didn't look too happy about for some reason while Lolly sat next to Robbie.

Robbie seemed to sniff her and then Lolly hurried moved to sit next to André, who just joined them, while Caspian arched a clearly judgmental eyebrow at Robbie.

André asked, "You know where I can buy a pair of ballet slippers?"

"No, I don't," Beck said. "But I know where you can get yourself a pretty skirt and some lip gloss."

Robbie made Rex laugh, "That was a good one, Beck." Robbie lifted the puppet's hand, "Lip gloss."

Beck and Caspian were both judging Robbie.

Beck asked André, "What do you need ballet slippers for?"

"'Cause I signed up for ballet," André said casually.

"Whoa, whoa," Robbie said. "Isn't that kinda girly?"

Lolly looked at him, "That's an insult to Baryshnikov and all the male ballerinas."

"Bless you," Beck told Lolly.

Robbie asked, "Who?"

"A Russian ballet dance," Caspian explained. "He stared in a movie called White Nights."

"He was pretty amazing," Lolly said.

"Anyway, it'll be just one big room full of girls and me," André said. "You guys and lady picking up what I'm putting down?"

"Yes," Caspian said, taking out the play to study the Bird Scene.

Rex chuckled, "Pretty smooth."

"I don't understand," Robbie said.

"He's taking ballet lessons to meet girls," Lolly told him as she reached over to steal some of Caspian's fries.

"They're going to be in a room with him," Beck added.

Robbie asked André, "Would you mind if maybe...I signed up too?"

"Nah, go for it," André replied. He looked at Beck and Caspian, "How about you two?"

Lolly rolled her eyes at that.

"Can't," Beck said. "Me and Jade already signed up for salsa dancing."

"Jade and I," Lolly corrected.

"No, you're not salsa dancing with Jade," Beck joked.

"Why?" Lolly challenged, "Afraid that I'll be a better salsa dancer with her?"

"I'm not interested in girls," Caspian said. The three guys looked at him, "Or guys. I just never have been interested in dating. I prefer my solitude."

"I can't eat salsa anyway," Robbie said.

"Why?" André asked, "'Cause it hurts your stomach and gives you nightmares?"

"No," Robbie said.

"Yes," Rex said.

"Maybe," Robbie admitted.

"Ha!" replied Rex.

Lolly and Caspian looked at each other.

And people thought the Valentine Family was nuts?

Beck asked, "Hey, what did you two sign up for?"

"I took tap dancing," Lolly said. "Cat wanted me to do costume making and stage makeup with her, but I didn't feel like it."

"I took guitar lessons," Caspian said. 

Lolly Valentine
The Bird Scene is going to be the death of me.
Mood = Annoyed 😵

Lolly painted her locker midnight blue and put a simple heart that was made up with patches and stitches on it. She had outline the heart with thread and put the 'needle' right through the heart.

Caspian had painted a scarecrow on his locker, complete with a wheatfield. He said a few things about that.

One, he felt like a scarecrow, a fake person, because of his depression, self-harm, attempt at taking his life that he had to keep hidden, so he felt like he was somebody else except for himself, which he was sure didn't exsit. He had to go around pretending to be okay when he really wasn't. He wasn't a person, but a fake guy. Two, he loved Halloween and three, his favorite season was fall.

Tori put up a white board on her locker with a cup with dry-erase markers. She put 'Tori's Locker' on it and said that anyone can put something on it if they wanted. Although she was annoyed that Caspian and Lolly had decorated their lockers already.

So, they went to Sikowitz's class together because Lolly liked Tori, she was nice.

André, Beck, and Robbie did some part in a play and after that was finished, Sikowitz said, "Ready, drive-by acting exercise. You're all angry Englishmen. Go."

Robbie said, "I insist you tell me who sat on my crumpet."

Jade said, "My grandmummy went to the loo while I snogged the prime minister."

"This flock of whip-poor-wills is bothering my trousers," André said.

"Good heavens, there's a dead cockroach in my brassiere," Cat said.

"You know nothing, Jon Snow," Lolly said in a British accent, pointing at Beck, who seemed confused and seemed a little flustered.

Lolly elected to ignore that, because he was dating Jade and Lolly didn't want to receive Jade's wrath.

Beck said to Caspian, "Well, I told you not to put plum sauce on me banger."

"Well, that's because winter is coming," Caspian replied in his own British accent.

Students started shouting at each other.

Sikowitz shouted over everyone, "All right, all right, very good, quiet down!" They took their seats. "Now that we're all loosey and/or goosey, the time has come for our newest students to tackle..." He stomped his feet to mimic drum roll and the class did the same, "The Bird Scene!"

Tori, Lolly, and Caspian went up, but Sikowitz put on hand on Lolly's shoulder and one hand on Caspian's shoulder, "You two need to wait out in the hall."

Lolly and Caspian looked at each other as Sikowitz led them outside and closed the door on them.

A few minutes later, Sikowitz opened the door to reveal Lolly and Caspian doing a round of Miss Mary Mack.

"Cas, it's your turn," Sikowitz told him and Caspian went inside, leaving the two girls outside.

So, Lolly engaged Tori in the hand-clapping game. Tori seemed amused by it, until Sikowitz ended up opening the door and this time having Lolly be the one to take Caspian's place, since apparently he didn't do it correctly either.

So, she got on the stage and recited, "It was 1934 when my husband left me, alone. Living on the prairie was a dreary existence, no telephone, no radio. Only a large, majestic bird with whom I shared my feelings. One day when I was feeling alone I said to him, 'Oh, bird. You can fly. You can soar miles from the lonely place, yet you stay... Why?' And apparently, my question rang true, for that afternoon, the bird left... And so went my spirit." She bowed her head and then lifted it up. "Well?"

Sikowitz asked, "Well, what?"

Lolly asked, "Did I pass?"

"No," Sikowitz said.

"Oh," Lolly replied. "Well, what did I do wrong?"

Sikowitz repied, "I can't tell you that." He went to let Tori and Caspian in.

Lolly was baffled, "So, I don't get any corrections?"

"That is correct," Sikowitz said. He opened the door to reveal that Tori and Caspian were in a heated round of Miss Mary Mack, although it looked like Caspian was kicking Tori's butt.

He let them in and said, "Drive-by acting exercise, you're all terrified dolphins, go!"

Tori, Caspian, and Tori were the only ones who didn't join in the drive-by acting exercise.

After leaving the class, Tori started badgering her friends about the Bird Scene, until they stopped in front of Tori's locker.

"Oh, come on," Tori said. "How am I supposed to do the scene right if no one would tell me what I did wrong? I thought you guys were my friends."

"I'm not your friend," Jade said, taking Beck's hand and leading him to the drink vending machine. 

"I was hoping we could be more than friends," Rex said. "Hmm. Hmm."

"Ugh," Cat said. "It's so gross how he's hitting on every girl."

"I never hit on you or your sister," Rex replied.

Cat was offended, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tori said, "You guys – my problem?"

"Number one rule of the Bird Scene: No one allowed to help you," Beck said, coming back from the vending machine with Jade.

"No one," repeated Rex.

"I would love to help my siblings but I can't," Cat said.

Jade pointed at the whiteboard on Tori's locker, "So this is what you did to your locker?"

"Yeah," Tori said. "See, it's an erase board with a bunch of colorful pens in a convenient cup. So whoever wants to, can write or draw whatever they want."

"But you're supposed to decorate it yourself," Beck explained.

"It's a Hollywood Arts tradition," Cat added. "Lolly and Cas already decorated theirs."

"I know," Tori replied. "Besides, what's wrong with letting other people be expressive on my locker?"

"They can write stuff like that," Lolly said, looking at Jade's 'message'. She put STUPID in the space between "Tori's" and "Locker".

Jade took off with Beck.

"Yeah, well, my locker is smarter than your locker," Tori called after Jade.

Cat started, "How can a locker be smarter than—"

"I don't know," Tori interrupted. She groaned, "Come on." She took off the dry erase board. "Can somebody tell me how to do the Bird Scene or I'm going to cry?"

"Can't," Cat replied, taking off. 

"And don't be so whiny," Rex told Tori.

"Yeah, man up," Robbie added.

That had to be embarrassing, having Robbie tell you to 'man up'.

André came by and did finger guns at Robbie, "Time for our first ballet class."

"Ooh, ballet," Robbie said in an excited tone and went after André. Robbie did an odd jump.

Lolly Valentine
I'm beginning to hate the Bird Scene more than waking up early.
Mood = Loathing 😡

Cat was saying, "Well, you know, that's the thing about pears."

Caspian nodded, "Yeah, definitely." Lolly nodded too.

Beck walked in and went to the Valentine triplets. To Lolly, he said, "What's the thing about pears?"

Lolly said, "That they don't have to do the stupid Bird Scene?"

Jade had came along to put her arm around Beck's shoulders.

Beck asked, "Speaking of the Bird Scene, are you ready for it?"

"More ready to finally be done with it," Lolly replied. "Tori said that she got a backdrop, glasses, and two large coconuts to bribe Sikowitz with."

Caspian asked, "Why is he obsessed with coconuts?" 

"He says the milk gives him visions," Jade said, holding her hands up.

"He's probably lacing it with something to get visions," Caspian said.

The bell rang and they went to sit down. 

Sikowitz walked in, said, "all right," and proceeded to trip over nothing. He stumbled his way onto the stage like he meant to do that. "We have much to do today, but first, Tori, Lolly, Cas, the Bird Scene." He pointed at Lolly and Caspian, "You two. Out in the hall."

They got up and went into the hall.

Tori was eventually sent out, but she looked like she was fuming because apparently she didn't get it right. Caspian was called in and then sent out. Lolly was called in and apparently she didn't get it right either. 

Lolly was trying to figure out what was up with the ugly floral curtains when Robbie and André walked into class walking weirdly and holding bags of ice.

Lolly asked them, "What happened to you?"

"Ballet," André replied.

Sikowitz came in and said, "Happy birthday."

Cat asked, "Whose birthday is it?"

"Somebody's, somewhere," Sikowitz answered.

Lolly thought it made sense.

"That's so true," Cat agreed as Sikowitz walked on stage and stood in front of the floral curtain.

Sikowitz asked, "Where's Tori?"

"Here!" Tori said, poking her head through the curtain. It was kind of reminiscent of Jack putting his head through the hole in the door in The Shining. Lolly was kind of amused.

Sikowitz jumped and laughed, "You brought curtains."

"Let's do this," Tori said, closing the curtains.

"Very good," Sikowitz said. "Ladies and gentlemen, once again, the Bird Scene – starring Tori—"

"Vega," Tori said, briefly putting her head through the curtains.

"Vega," Sikowitz finished. "You two, out!"

Lolly and Caspian went out into the hall.

Strangely enough, this time, Sikowitz called Caspian in, but Tori seemed smug because she had gotten it right, then Caspian was sent out, and Lolly was called in, but she didn't get it right it either.

It took Caspian and Lolly seven and eight more more tries to finally get it right, but that was because Cat had spoken in code, about their cousins throwing tantrums before they realized what Cat was getting at.

They basically had to say that they did the scene right and they believed in their own abilities.

Lolly did one more try because she didn't want it to look to suspicious, if she, too, had gotten it right after Caspian had gotten it right.

She didn't get the lead in Moonlight Magic, though. That went to Tori.